As soon as the needle pierced my blood vessel, my head grew dizzy.
Upon pulling out the needle, I noticed venom smeared on the tip. I suspected it was an anesthetic rather than a neurotoxin. Had it been the latter, I would’ve instantly suffocated the moment the needle pierced my neck. Instead, it took several minutes for the full-blown effect of the anesthetic to hit me.
"Motherfucker!" yelled Song Sichao as he charged at the attacker. However, the man simply fled from the scene.
"Come here..." I shouted, despite the lightheadedness. My legs wobbled like a drunk man and I felt the world around me shake.
Slapping myself awake, I pinched the Hegu acupoint located between my thumb and index finger. Some time later, Song Shichao came running back. "The attacker got away! Uncle, were you poisoned?" he asked.
I took a deep breath, "It's an anesthetic but I won’t be able to hold out much longer. Let’s look for a place to hide!"
Scanning the area, Song Sichao reported, "There’s an abandoned house over there. We can hide there."
I felt as if my brain was stuffed with cotton. I couldn’t think; the gears in my brain refused to budge. If this were any other time, I wouldn’t have agreed. Hiding in a deserted place made us easy targets.
Song Shichao supported me throughout the challenging walk to the abandoned house. Halfway through, weakness overwhelmed me and I fell to my knees.
"Uncle, why don’t I carry you?" he suggested.
"Pass me a cigarette!" I waved my hand.
When he handed me the cigarette, I folded it in half and emptied the contents into my mouth, chewing it hard. The nicotine in tobacco was a stimulant, especially for non-smokers.
As I chewed the tobacco, the disgusting flavor slipped down my throat, giving me the kick I needed. However, my limbs were still as soft as noodles.
"Do you have a knife?” I asked.
"Yes!"
I grabbed the knife and slashed twice at my wrist. Due to the effect of the anesthetic, I felt little pain.
"Uncle, why are you hurting yourself?" exclaimed Song Sichao.
I shook my head, "I need to bleed."
"Why?"
I didn’t have the strength to explain that the human body secreted adrenaline during blood loss, which could help me stay conscious a while longer. At the same time, losing blood activates the immune system. In fact, bloodletting was used to strengthen immunity in the Middle Ages.
With danger all around, I couldn’t fall asleep at this time. That would mean certain death!
Song Shichao supported me rest of the way. As he walked, he marked the trees by the roadside. When I asked him what it was, he explained, "This is the secret code used by the martial Songs. With this, Uncle Xingchen will be able to find us later."
We finally reached the dilapidated house which had no ceiling. It was empty with piles of dried dog feces in the corner.
As soon as I sat down, Song Shichao asked, "Uncle, can I get you some water to drink?"
I shook my head with difficulty.
It was a battle against drowsiness, my mind constantly see-sawing between wakefulness and sleep. I asked Song Shichao for more cigarettes and chewed the tobacco, keeping myself awake with the pungent flavor.
Finally, Song Shichao couldn't bear watching me suffer. "Why push yourself? Just take a nap!"
"Anesthetics merely deceive the brain,” I said. “I can get through this. Don't let me fall asleep, alright?"
"When the head refused to let you leave, I thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill. But it looks like you really do have a lot of enemies outside, uncle," lamented Song Sichao.
Right then, Song Shichao's cell phone and mine rang at the same time. Pulling out his phone for a look, Song Sichao cursed, “Fuck!"
"What's wrong?" I asked.
He handed me his cell phone which showed a multimedia message, “Gold For Bones” and a photo of me, as well as a human anatomy chart. The radius of the right hand was marked in red and the message read, “Reward: Sixteen million yuan. Remove a bone from this man but don't hurt his life. Ordered by the Black Dragon Hall!"
Perhaps there was a communication station nearby which could explain why the task was sent to us.
Song Shichao smacked his lips, "Damn, this guy is rich! It’s sixteen million now! how can he become 16 million in a blink of an eye? If it were up to me, I’ll hand my bone over to him. With that kind of money, I don’t have to work for the rest of my life!"
"It's not that simple,” I sighed. “Is it easier to remove a bone or kill me?"
"The latter of course!"
I nodded, "Yet whoever ordered this chose a more complicated way of dealing with me. He wants my radius, not my life. He’s either making a point or has some other sinister plan which requires trapping us here."
I picked up my phone, wanting to call Xiaotao. However, my eyes grew heavy after flipping through a few contacts and I soon fell asleep.
When I woke up, the sky was already dim, and there was no one else in the room. Fortunately, the effect of the anesthetic had passed. I stood up and called Song Shichao’s name. Pulling up his pants, Sing Sichao walked in and said, "Uncle, you’re awake. I’m sorry, I had to do a number two."
It turned out to be a false alarm. "Why didn't you wake me up?" I chided.
"I could see you were very tired and I didn't want you to torture yourself so I thought I’d let you sleep for a while... Don’t worry, it’s all wilderness within a few kilometers of here. How can there be so many criminals nearby?"
"Where’s Song Xingchen?" I frowned.
"He hasn’t shown up yet!" answered Song Shichao.
It was already six in the evening. The darkness only meant more trouble. I walked out of the abandoned house and scanned the area. "Let's look for him!"
Song Shichao and I took the same way we came when we came across Song Xingchen kneeling beside a big tree with his sword stuck in the ground. Clutching his stomach, his clothes were soaked in blood.
"Uncle Xingchen!" shouted Song Sichao.
Without a second thought, Song Sichao ran to him. At that point, I realized something off about “Song Xingchen.” Despite looking and being dressed exactly like Song Xingchen, the Tang Sword in the ground was obviously different.
"Don’t move!" I shouted.
As soon as the words fell from my lips, the man stood up and stabbed Song Shichao in the chest, the blade piercing through his back. Song Sichao keeled over in pain, struggling to pull at his attacker’s clothes.
Kicking Song Shichao to the ground, “Song Xingchen” raised his head. It turned out to be a woman.
Song Shichao convulsed uncontrollably, spewing several mouthfuls of blood as mumbled inarticulately, "U-uncle... run..." With that, his pupils dilated, signifying death!
When my eyes widened in horror, the woman disguised as Song Xingchen couldn't help but sneer, "Someone spent twenty million to buy a bone of yours. Is your bone made of gold?"
Overwhelmed with rage, I gritted my teeth and shouted, "So why don’t you come and get it!"
I activated the Eyes of Yama. In the state of explosive rage, my powers were stronger than ever. With an ear-splitting scream, the woman desperately tried to cover her eyes. I found a sharp stone from the ground and bashed her head in.
The woman collapsed, shaking all over as blood poured from her head wound. When I disabled the Eyes of Yama, all I saw was a sheet of black for a moment, evident backlash of using my ability.
I walked over to Song Sichao but found that he was no longer breathing. At the thought of the life lost due to my troubles, I was drowning in guilt and grief. Placing my palm against his eyes, I shut his eyelids, picked up the body, and carried him to the abandoned house.
My current circumstances didn’t allow for a burial so I removed everything that could be used to identify him. Then, taking off my coat, I covered his face. "This is all my fault,” I cried, hands folded. “When this is all over, I’ll come back to bury you!"