Chapter 11: 011 Who Are You!

Murong Wei’s mind raced, recalling the lessons she had learned from dealing with tigers in the past: avoid the sharp claws, strike from the back, and target the most vulnerable point—the eyes. As she pondered this, she gritted her teeth, secretly gathering all her strength. Suddenly, her figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

She did not know light-body techniques, but she was well-versed in Japanese ninjutsu, which the old master had taught her personally years ago.

Murong Wei’s sudden disappearance panicked the leopard. It let out several angry roars before hurriedly lowering its head to bite down on the baby’s swaddling clothes!

At that very instant, Murong Wei appeared on its back. Blood streamed from her lips, but her hands gripped its ears tightly, forcing herself to stay mounted.

However, the leopard refused to let go of the baby’s swaddling. It slammed its body against the wall in a rage, knocking Murong Wei off in one fell swoop.

"Give the child back to me!" Murong Wei roared, her voice sharp and fierce, the taste of blood rising in her throat.

The leopard actually froze. The swipe it had aimed at her stopped in mid-air, as if stunned by her shout. But in the blink of an eye, it clamped onto the baby, turned, and fled, easily leaping over the gap in the corridor and darting forward.

Murong Wei leaned against the wall, gritting her teeth as she struggled to stand. Her body was devoid of strength, and even breathing was a labor. Once upright, waves of dizziness washed over her, and her vision darkened. Her current physical state did not allow her to use ninjutsu; to continue would surely damage her heart and meridians.

Yet, she could not afford to care about such things. The more critical the situation, the calmer she became.

And this woman, when calm, was simply not human.

Unexpectedly, she bent down, placing both hands on the ground as if to gain leverage!

Yes, she was indeed gaining leverage. With a sudden burst, she shot forward like an arrow. She ran, teeth clenched, eyes focused, running with all her might.

Suddenly, she leaped into the air, tracing a perfect arc as she cleared the gap. However, unlike every other time she had moved, she did not land silently or stand perfectly still; she crashed heavily onto the ground, the sound loud enough for her to hear it herself.

Her long hair was disheveled, falling over her face and obscuring her eyes, yet her gaze remained hidden behind a cold, wicked smirk. That was the kind of person she was—the harder she fell, the less she would admit defeat.

Without pausing, she placed her hands on the ground again and shot forward once more like an arrow. The corridor floor was mud, and with the flashlight held in her teeth, she had long since spotted the leopard’s tracks!

She chased relentlessly, running without stop, until the bright beam of light gathered on a wall ahead, forcing her to halt.

There was no path forward, and the footprints on the ground had vanished. Where had the leopard gone? Why couldn't she hear the baby’s cries? What had happened to him?

Murong Wei, usually so strong, felt her eyes instantly fill with tears.

Still, she did not give up. She rushed forward, patting and knocking on the wall, trying to find some hidden mechanism. Yet, after searching for a long time, even checking the walls on both sides, she found nothing.

"Damn it!" she couldn't help but curse, her voice rough. Her hands, already covered in blood, pounded heavily against the wall.

Just as her hands struck together, a rumbling sound erupted from thin air!

What was happening?

Murong Wei turned immediately to see a crack slowly opening in the mud floor. It grew wider and wider—it was another trapdoor mechanism. She stood by the edge, shining her flashlight down without hesitation. The drop was not deep; it was another corridor, and several leopard paw prints were clearly visible!

Without a second thought, she jumped down. The moment she landed, she caught a glimpse of a figure disappearing around a corner.

"Who goes there!" Murong Wei shouted, giving chase. How could a common leopard appear in a tomb unless it was being kept by someone?

The person’s speed was immense, forcing her to run continuously. She could vaguely make out his back—a man in white, tall and slender, his hair like ink, held up casually by a black jade hairpin.

"Who exactly are you? Where are you taking me? That leopard is yours, isn't it? Where is my child?" Murong Wei demanded loudly. She could clearly see that this fellow was leading the way.

The man did not answer, nor did he turn his head. His feet seemed to sprout wings, his speed increasing.

"Who are you? A real man acts openly; hiding your face, what kind of man is that?" Murong Wei tried to provoke him.

But provocation was useless against him.

"Could you wait a moment? I can't run anymore, please stop for a second," Murong Wei pleaded. "Please, give me back my child. He was just born, he can't be away from his mother!"

But this fellow was unmoved by both soft and hard tactics, continuing forward. His steps looked effortless, yet his speed was frantic.

Murong Wei saved her breath, stopped speaking, and quickened her pace to follow him through the corridors. They passed through stone doors and stone chambers piled with countless jewels. Murong Wei had no time to marvel at the vastness of this seemingly ordinary tomb. She could barely scream anymore; her already pale face was now devoid of all color, blood dripped from her lips, and her sharp eyes began to blur.

Yet she kept running, step by step. Even as her speed slowed and the man grew further away, she did not stop.

Finally, bright, warm light shone from ahead. Before Murong Wei could take another step, she collapsed straight forward. She was too tired; she had reached her limit.

"Give the child... back to me... he is too small... he cannot..." She wasn't faking it. She lay sprawled out, too exhausted to even open her eyes, though tears flowed slowly from the corners of them.

The child was still so young. His real mother had long since abandoned him, and she had brought him into this world through great hardship. She was his mother now, and she had to protect him with all her heart, to watch him grow up safe and sound.

"Child... give me the child..." she murmured, too tired to even move a finger, until she finally lost consciousness completely.

Less than a hundred paces ahead of her was another exit to the tomb.

Outside, the sunlight was dazzling. The man in white sat lazily on the stone steps, toying with a jade dagger that was green all over. Beside him, two small leopard cubs were circling—they were only a month old and could barely walk steadily.

Standing behind him, a gentle maid held an umbrella to shield him from the sun. Her name was Bao'er, his personal attendant.

"Lord Wushang, that woman has fainted. What should we do now?" Bao'er asked in a low voice.

Bai Wushang continued to tease the leopard cubs, a playful glint in his eyes as he smiled. "None of you found the gold, yet she did. She’s quite capable. Who is she?"

They had spent a great deal of effort to figure out the structure of this tomb, opening a secret passage at the entrance that led to this exit on the other side.

This was the tomb of Duke Ning. Lord Ning had thought that by feigning frugality and not even using a tomb keeper, he could escape grave robbers—what a delusional thought. Others might not know, but as the City Lord of the Vast City, how could he not know how many treasures were buried here?

The Vast City was located to the east of the Han Kingdom, a nearly empty city. The duty of the City Lord was specifically to collect all kinds of treasures from across the world for the King and hoard them in the Vast City.

As he spoke, he continued to tease the cubs, amusedly prying open a cub's mouth with the jade dagger. The cub seemed to like the dagger and wouldn't let go; it was still too young to have teeth.

His appearance was not exceptionally beautiful, nor did he possess the refined, thin, immortal-like grace, nor a cold, ruthless demeanor. His features were handsome, his lines sculpted like a statue. A pair of long, narrow, soul-stirring eyes held a lazy, cynical playfulness, looking very much like a rake. Just below the outer corner of these narrow eyes hung a tear mole, truly like a fallen drop of sorrow, adding a faint, lingering touch of melancholy to his gaze as he looked around.

Leopards were ferocious beasts, and even the cubs were dangerous, yet he showed no caution at all. The jade dagger pressed against the cub's neck, annoying the little thing until it clawed and snapped at him. He simply laughed out loud, unrestrained and wild.