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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 1: The Dreams of Three Brothers
"Secrets?" Ji Zichen said openly, "What secrets do I have?"
Fire Lion grinned slyly. Being stepped on by Cheng Gangzhu and still managing to smile like that was quite comical, but Fire Lion couldn't see the ridiculousness of his own expression. He said, "There's something in that ruin that can heal your eyes, right?"
Ji Zichen didn't deny it and replied in surprise, "How did you know about that?"
"I like to research everything about the person I'm going to hunt down," Fire Lion explained. "That way, I can catch him more effectively. But you're an exception."
Ji Zichen had not experienced the intermittent blindness in his eyes for quite some time; sometimes he even forgot he had this condition.
Fire Lion suddenly stared intently at Ji Zichen, as if he could see through his heart. He accurately guessed, "You used to run around for the ruins and even became a Fugitive, but now that the location of the ruins is in my hands, you don't seem to care at all. I guess you already know where the ruins are, don't you?"
Ji Zichen was taken aback. He never expected Fire Lion could think of this layer of reasoning despite being in such a frustrating situation. Kiko's demeanor led Fire Lion to suspect him, which made sense; if Kiko didn’t already know the location of the ruins, why would he be so indifferent?
Ji Zichen chose not to respond, but Cheng Gangzhu, witnessing this scene, felt delighted. Although Kiko didn't reply, from his expression it was clear that he indeed knew the location of the ruins. Cheng Gangzhu calculated in his mind, "This Fire Lion is all alone; if he really doesn’t want to cooperate, I might have no way to deal with him."
Cheng Gangzhu's gaze turned cold as he looked at Ji Zichen and his companions. He thought to himself, "The other two seem closely related to Ji Zichen. If I can capture one of them to threaten him, it would be much easier than dealing with Fire Lion."
Cheng Gangzhu had been struggling with how to get Fire Lion to talk and felt quite troubled by it. But now he had another option and thought happily, "This truly helps me."
However, while Cheng Gangzhu was pleased, he also felt some hesitation because Ji Zichen was not easy to handle. Yet now he had made up his mind. He glanced at Fire Lion and said coldly, "Fire Lion, you really are ungrateful. After all, someone saved you before. You suddenly mention that you know about the ruins; are you trying to divert my attention? You've succeeded, but it also means you're of no use to me anymore."
With a swift kick from Cheng Gangzhu's foot, Fire Lion was sent rolling like a fallen leaf three yards away. He let out a muffled groan as he hit the ground and scraped several wounds on his face. Breathing heavily through his nose, Fire Lion lay motionless on the ground.
Ji Zichen initially felt a sense of wanting to help him but now found himself filled with disgust for Fire Lion. He had never imagined that Fire Lion harbored such intentions; if it weren't for Cheng Gangzhu's intervention, he might not have realized this layer of deceit.
Xia Zhou also felt a deep resentment towards Fire Lion at this moment. Glaring at him, Xia Zhou said, "This guy is too despicable; he's actually trying to use others to kill."
Cheng Gangzhu chuckled lightly and said, "In this world, good people don't always get rewarded, so I never save anyone but myself in this lifetime."
At that moment, Fire Lion was acting strangely, laughing in a bizarre manner. Everyone's gaze fell upon him as he gritted his teeth, one hand propped on the ground while the other clutched his injured abdomen, trembling as he stood up.
Fire Lion clenched his teeth and said bitterly, "Am I ungrateful? Ji Zichen killed my brothers; why shouldn't I be ungrateful?"
When they had met at the top of Fire Cloud Residence, Fire Lion had already come to terms with Ji Zichen's actions against his two brothers. Ji Zichen had not believed him then, and now it seemed that Ji Zichen's doubts were justified.
With a pained expression, Fire Lion reminisced, " Ji Zichen, do you know what the three of us wanted most?"
Seeing Fire Lion's seriousness, Ji Zichen refrained from mocking him and replied, "I don't know."
Fire Lion's face showed anguish as he continued, "We three wanted to live well together. Once we earned enough money, we would open a place like Fire Cloud Residence and live happily."
Ji Zichen scolded Fire Lion sharply, "To earn money, you have to engage in things like bounty hunting! If it weren't for your relentless pursuit of me, how could I..."
Fire Lion seemed not to hear Ji Zichen's response. He was lost in his own narrative, saying, "You took everything from me—Big Tiger and Lifeng were my only motivations for living in this world. But you made me lose all of that."
Cheng Gangzhu interrupted Fire Lion's words, saying, "At this point, why are you bringing up your boring past?"
Fire Lion's gaze darkened further. "Yes, to you, others' matters may seem trivial. But don't you want to know why Mad Bull betrayed you?"
Cheng Gangzhu snorted coldly. "Isn't it just for Ruins Wealth? What else could it be?"
Fire Lion replied, "If it were just for wealth, he could have fought me directly. But he didn't. Instead of doing that, he willingly became a guard at Fire Cloud Residence. No one knows Mad Bull's character better than you do. I refuse to believe you're not curious about this!"
Cheng Gangzhu fell silent, waiting for Fire Lion to continue.
Fire Lion's legs suddenly gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground. Ji Zichen instinctively moved to help him, but he held back. At that moment, Ji Zichen understood why Fire Lion was so insistent; he knew his time was running out and wanted to ensure his story would be remembered.
If someone could remember him, it would prove that he had once lived in this harsh world. Ji Zichen had no intention of interrupting Fire Lion's narrative.
Fire Lion's thoughts drifted back to the past. Before they met Ji Zichen at The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant, they were still in the Western Desert. The Western Desert was no different from the Yellow Sand Plain; it was a hot place. In their Western Desert Gang camp, Fire Lion and his brothers were inside the main tent, which was far inferior to Ling Xuan's tent.
The Western Desert Gang was not wealthy. The exterior of their main tent was old and worn, and inside there were few furnishings—just a bed and a table. An old carpet covered the ground, and on either side of the walkway stood two tables where Big Tiger and Lifeng sat eating and drinking, while Fire Lion occupied the main seat inside the tent.
Big Tiger took a swig of wine and boisterously asked, "Brother, is it true that there’s a lot of wealth in Divine Dawn?"
Fire Lion smiled slowly and replied, "I can't say for sure, but that's what the rumors say. If there wasn't any wealth, why would the Western King go through all that trouble and expense to hunt down Ji Zichen? Once we obtain the Vermilion Bird Pearl and find the treasure, we won't have to stay in this godforsaken place."
Big Tiger's eyes lit up. "Yes! Once we have money, we can open a place like Pottery Flask, where we can drink and eat meat while making a profit."
Lifeng chuckled, "Make money? Do you even know how to keep accounts? If we really opened a place, you'd probably eat us into poverty."
Fire Lion and Lifeng burst into laughter.
Big Tiger blushed and said, "I may not know how to keep accounts, but we can just grab an accountant!"
Lifeng laughed before adding, "But brother, it's just a rumor. Even if we get the Vermilion Bird Pearl, this relic is still elusive for us."
Fire Lion declared confidently, "We will definitely find it. Just think about it; we've managed to find relics in the Western Desert before. With the help of the Vermilion Bird Pearl, it's just a matter of time. There are endless riches within that relic; it's worth taking the risk."
Lifeng replied skeptically, "Brother, I really doubt this place exists. The legend of Divine Dawn has been passed down for who knows how many years without anyone ever finding it. Those people from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant are experts at searching for relics too, yet they haven't even caught a glimpse of it. I think it's probably just a story made up by someone desperate for money."
Fire Lion felt concerned about this as well. He said, "As long as we obtain the Vermilion Bird Pearl, we'll know whether it's real or not."
Big Tiger chewed on a piece of beef and said, "That relic must be real, big brother. We don't have much food left." He picked up another piece of beef and sniffed it. "You guys smell this meat? It's starting to go bad. If we can't afford more food and drink, the other brothers are really going to complain."
Fire Lion's eyes reddened slightly as he said, "It's my fault as the big brother. I haven't been able to provide you all with a good life."
Lifeng shot Big Tiger a glare and said, "What are you being useless for? If we have food, can't you just keep your mouth shut? As long as the three of us are together, we can eat anything."
Big Tiger replied, "Look at my mouth; I can't help it. Don't be mad at me, big brother."
Fire Lion forced a smile and said, "I'm not angry. I believe our lives will get better and better. There will come a day when I can treat you all to good food and drink."
After pondering for a moment, Fire Lion's thoughts drifted back to the day he left the Divine Clan after the rift incident. That day, after killing a servant to obtain the diary, he stepped out of the rift into a vast forest. The direction was different from where Ji Zichen and the others had emerged.
As soon as he exited the rift, he noticed that there were more than ten rifts appearing in all directions of the forest. From each rift poured out numerous large rats. Fire Lion was already quite brave, but when he saw rats as big as humans emerging in droves, he was taken aback.
He even heard some of the rats starting to speak.
"Everyone calm down! Please calm down!"
The rats ignored this plea and scattered in panic. Then, beams of bright white light burst forth from the rifts, illuminating the entire forest as if it were daytime.
The brightness was blinding; Fire Lion's eyes stung from the light. Suddenly, a large rat that was fleeing crashed into him. Fire Lion had already closed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the light. When he was bumped into, he stumbled but dared not open his eyes.
He staggered backward until his foot caught on a protruding branch on the ground. He twisted his ankle and fell with a thud, hitting his head against the ground and losing consciousness.
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