The Lost Tomb Vol. 8

Chapter 2: The Vulnerability from the Inside Out

I met Pan Zi at a cafe near the Xiangjiang River. He froze when he saw me and I could see him trembling all over, hardly able to speak.

But he realized something was up almost immediately and slowly calmed down.

"Little Master Three?" He tentatively called out while looking at me.

"Indeed, I really can't hide it from you." I gave him a wry smile.

He looked at me for a long time before he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down. "What are you doing? Where did you get this stuff?"

I told him about Xiao Hua giving me the mask, what I had planned, and that I believed this was the only feasible course of action.

He looked at my face and didn't speak for a long time. He seemed to be thinking and analyzing how lifelike the mask was. He covered his face after a long time, took a deep breath, and then nodded. "Have you really decided to do this?"

I nodded.

"Little Master Three, Master Three's life isn't what you'd consider a human life. This has many meanings, but in short, you can never handle it with your character." Pan Zi said. "Do you know who we're dealing with? What you've seen is only the gentle side of this world. The real face of this industry is beyond your imagination."

I sighed. I knew Pan Zi definitely wasn't making alarmist remarks and was saying this for my own good.

"I want to save them," I said. "I really want to save them. I don't want it to end like this, so if you can't handle it, I will."

Pan Zi continued to look at me before asking, "How long will the mask last?"

"Four weeks."

He nodded. "The time's a little tight. We'll have to move quickly."

I took this to mean that he agreed, and I sighed in relief. Pan Zi was really the best. "What do you think we should do first?" I asked him. "Should we settle the account with Wang Ba Qiu?"

Pan Zi shook his head. "Do you know how I recognized you just now?"

When I shook my head, he continued, "You hesitated. When you saw me just now, your face was full of hesitation. This is your unique expression. You won't see this expression on Master Three's face." He paused. "So, the first thing we need to do is to ensure that you don't have any flaws; otherwise, you'll only have a pair of empty sacks. Those people are all experts. You can't fool them."

I touched my face and thought to myself, did I really hesitate? Pan Zi immediately pointed at me and said, "That's the expression. You have to get rid of your hesitation completely."

I sighed, thinking that this was almost instinctual. But how was I supposed to change it?

Pan Zi looked around. After seeing that there wasn't a no-smoking sign, he lit a cigarette. "When Master Three encounters something, he's already made a decision. He seldom looks like he's asking others for their opinions. When looking at people, he has a condescending attitude, which you lack."

"Then what should I do? This kind of thing is too difficult. If I only show myself a few times, could you throw your weight around for me?" I asked.

Pan Zi shook his head and gave a wry smile. "It might have been possible a few months ago, but now you can see that they won't listen to me. To carry out your plan, you need to stand in front of everyone and tell them that you are Master Three. When you come back, the disobedient people will be ready to die."

I shuddered at the thought and immediately shook my head, "I certainly can't do it. It's too difficult. Even if I practice every day, it's impossible to do that."

"Didn't you just say you want to carry the burden, Little Master Three?" Pan Zi looked at me. "This is only the first hurdle. If you can't do it before you even try, don't even think of anything after that. This isn't a movie. It's real life and it's not that simple."

I looked into his eyes and realized that he wanted me to retreat. But I knew I was standing at the bottom line and there was no way out. "Alright, I'll do it." I finally said.

Pan Zi continued to look at me, staring into my eyes for a long time. I tried to convey a firmness that wasn't hesitant. He finally put out the cigarette: "Let's go, we'll find a secret place to continue. I'll think of something, but you must always remember that you're Master Three now. There are a lot of Master Three's old brothers here, so you won't be able to escape with so many eyes on you."

When I nodded, he got up and suddenly said to me, "Master Three, let's go."

I paused for a second and then immediately understood. An irresistible sadness surged in my heart as I stood up. He walked in front of me and held the door open. I resisted the urge to thank him and walked straight out.

I suddenly felt that I was beginning to lose something that I must not have noticed before. It was a very depressing feeling.

At that moment, a group of people got out of several cars on the side of the road and came towards us. I was shocked at the sight—it was Wang Ba Qiu.

I looked back at Pan Zi, who was also stunned. Wang Ba Qiu was with four other people and he was looking at me with a smile. "When did you come back, Master Three? Why didn't you let me know? The brothers thought something had happened to you."