Chapter Twelve: The Eerie Photograph

It was noon, and the lingering snow on the ruins reflected a dazzling white light, making the entire little mountain seem as if it were forged from silver. This sight instantly reminded Ding Jun of the ancient Guge silver-eyed death talisman, and his mood plummeted to its lowest ebb.

He had come here with no intention of sightseeing or leisure; seeking the caller was an extremely perilous endeavor. The adversary was determined to exterminate Shi Miaoshou, Si Qin, and Shi Man, having already killed Shi Hai in Afghanistan and last night slain Uncle Li and Mr. Qin. Clearly, the enemy held all the cards.

But if they found this person, what then?

Ding Jun was not afraid, yet he had to prepare for battle in advance.

"I mean well, don’t you understand? If you won’t appreciate it, fine, but why doubt my sincerity?" Ruan Feng’s tone was firm, though his expression betrayed growing unease.

"Speak," Ding Jun replied curtly, offering no further explanation.

After a moment's silence, Ruan Feng burst into laughter. "Ding Jun, no wonder Old Lei calls you a talent—truly impressive! You even guessed what I was thinking! Ha ha ha..."

Ding Jun sighed. "These are extraordinary times; idle talk is useless. If you truly want to cooperate, speak honestly."

With the backing of Lei Zhendong of the Thunderclap Hall, they should have a solid foundation for cooperation, which was why Ding Jun had trusted Ruan Feng enough to follow him here.

"Look ahead," Ruan Feng pointed into the distance. "About three kilometers that way, then a right turn. After passing through a vast stretch of ruins, you’ll find a dozen or so natural caves near the mountain’s base, some with spring water flowing from them. The third cave from the left is shaped like a gourd lying on its side—the narrow end facing outward, the broad end inward. A cold spring flows from a hidden crevice inside, about two feet wide and half a foot high."

He spoke rapidly, yet Ding Jun remained unmoved, his gaze fixed ahead.

"I suspect there’s a deeper cave behind that hidden crevice. The girl who called Shi Miaoshou is hiding there. More importantly, I have direct evidence. Want to see it?" Ruan Feng teased, tapping the steering wheel.

This was Ding Jun’s first visit to the Guge Kingdom ruins, but since Shi Hai's death, he had poured through countless materials relating to Zhada County, Tolin Monastery, and the Guge ruins, gaining a general understanding of the terrain and geology. During his early days with the Delta Force, he had served three months as a frontline intelligence scout, honing an acute observational skill, adept at discerning internal structures from unusual terrain.

Objectively, the mountainous formation and spring-filled caves could certainly produce the tinkling water sounds described in the call. Reviewing the surroundings of Tolin Monastery, only this location matched his initial hypothesis.

"Show me the evidence. What are the conditions?" Ding Jun asked bluntly.

"The condition is, you help me find that girl," Ruan Feng replied with a grin.

"It seems our goals align. I’m here to find her as well," Ding Jun answered.

Ruan Feng shook his head smiling. "No, no, no. Ding Jun, I want you to capture her alive, and then I’ll deal with her myself."

This answer left Ding Jun somewhat taken aback.

He looked up and saw Ruan Feng’s small eyes suddenly light up, two flickering sparks of excitement gleaming deep within.

Ding Jun sighed thrice in quick succession, suddenly realizing what Ruan Feng was thinking.

“Guan! Guan! Cry the ospreys on the island in the river. A fair and gentle lady, a fine match for a gentleman.” These lines from the Book of Songs described mutual affection between a man and a woman. Although Ruan Feng was a master thief, he was first and foremost a normal man, susceptible to admiration upon seeing a captivating girl. It was understandable.

"So? If you agree to this condition, we have a deal," Ruan Feng asked eagerly, his cheeks flushed red with excitement.

Ding Jun flicked his fingers with a bitter smile. "Ruan Feng, that’s not realistic. Really, it’s not..."

Ruan Feng slammed the steering wheel fiercely, sending dust cascading from the cab ceiling.

"Not realistic? Why not? I, Ruan Feng, have plenty of money, a renowned name in our industry, impeccable character, no bad habits, never loved anyone... Look at me," he twisted the rearview mirror to face himself. "I’m Ruan Feng, the master thief. Wherever I go, people have to show some respect. Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the U.S., the U.K.—any Chinese community, just mention my name and everyone smiles. My Swiss bank account holds more than the entire British royal family’s fortune..."

Ding Jun remained silent, letting Ruan Feng vent.

His mind drifted to thoughts of the fierce bloodshed awaiting two weeks from now when the baby would be born.

Their side was out in the open, the enemy concealed in shadows; they were divided internally, while the enemy was resolute. The disparity in combat power was vast; before the battle even began, half the fight was lost. Here, so far from oversight, there was no solution beyond self-preservation.

As time ticked by, Ruan Feng’s outburst subsided. He reached into a cardboard box on the back seat and tossed Ding Jun a bottle of mineral water.

"She’s an assassin, not a pet. No matter how beautiful, it won’t matter," Ding Jun said.

Ruan Feng pulled a color photograph from a notebook on the dashboard, glanced at it a few times, then handed it to Ding Jun.

The photo’s content was peculiar—a reflection in the water. Because it was a reflection, the surface was cluttered with wild grass, rocky cliffs, sunlight, a digital camera, a hand holding the camera, and half of Ruan Feng’s face. The rippling water blurred the image slightly.

Ding Jun’s sharp eyes caught another figure’s reflection: a black-haired girl in white, only a faint profile visible. Her nose was delicately upturned, chin pointed—like a character from a Japanese anime poster, with an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

Though her face wasn’t visible, the silhouette alone suggested she was an astonishingly beautiful and exquisitely refined young woman.

"Well?" Ruan Feng kept his gaze fixed on Ding Jun’s face.

"Where did you take this? What does it have to do with what we’re doing now?" Ding Jun asked.

Ruan Feng shook his head stubbornly. "You tell me first—what does she look like? Then we’ll talk about the rest."

At that moment, the satellite phone on the back seat rang.

"Incoming call," Ding Jun reminded him.

Leaning forward, Ruan Feng tapped the image of the girl with his slender index finger, insistent as if trying to get a definitive answer. "You tell me first—what does she look like?"

Ding Jun sighed helplessly and nodded. "Very beautiful."

"Compared to Fang Qing beside you earlier?" Ruan Feng pressed on relentlessly.

Ding Jun frowned. "They’re completely different types. Besides, this is only a reflection; we haven’t even seen the real person, let alone compare."

Ruan Feng sighed deeply. "You know what? This photo is the direct evidence I mentioned."

Ding Jun was startled; his fingers trembled slightly as he held the photo. "What? You took this photo inside the cave? The girl in it is..."

His thoughts stormed wildly. He hadn’t expected Ruan Feng to hold such crucial information. If the girl was indeed inside the cave and was the one who called Shi Miaoshou, it meant their search, which had been fruitless until now, was suddenly within reach. Yet, could such an otherworldly girl be a ruthless assassin?

"What are we waiting for? Let’s go to that cave!" he exclaimed.

"You haven’t agreed to my condition yet," Ruan Feng stubbornly replied.

"Fine, fine, I agree. Now let’s drive to the cave!" Ding Jun seethed, furious enough to want to kick Ruan Feng out of the car.

Ruan Feng started the vehicle and drove for over ten minutes, winding through rough terrain until they reached the mountain’s base. There were no proper roads here—only weathered rubble—and only a four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle could barely pass.

At the cave Ruan Feng described, Ding Jun leapt out and approached the entrance from the side, peering inside.

The cave was roughly circular, about four meters in diameter, the floor a mix of water and land. To the left lay a shallow pool, no more than half a meter deep at its deepest point.

Inside, the cave narrowed distinctly in a ring-like constriction—like the waist of a gourd—shrinking from four meters to less than three meters in diameter.

Beyond this was another circular chamber, almost ten meters wide, with a large pool on the left side, two meters deep at its deepest. Ruan Feng whispered the introduction as he followed.

"Where was the girl when you took the photo?" Ding Jun asked.

Logically, since Ruan Feng had captured the girl’s reflection, he should have photographed her directly. If she were an assassin, Ruan Feng would have been silenced on the spot, not alive to tell the tale.

Ruan Feng scratched his head and stammered, "I don’t know."

Ding Jun’s frustration boiled over. "What do you mean you don’t know?"

Ruan Feng strode forward quickly and entered the second cave, beckoning, "Ding Jun, come in and see for yourself."

Ding Jun followed inside. The inner cave was indeed vast—almost three times the diameter of the outer chamber. The pool on the left shimmered with crystal-clear water.

The water slowly flowed from the deepest left corner of the cave through an irregular wedge-shaped opening, about two feet wide and half a foot high.

The noon sun shone brightly, so the cave was well-lit, allowing a clear view of the entire interior without any blind spots.

"When I took the photo, I was standing here," Ruan Feng said, squatting by the pool’s middle section, about four meters of water separating him from the opposite rock wall.

"I was about to splash water on my face when I saw the reflection on the surface. My first reaction was to draw my gun, not to take a photo, because out here in the wilderness, there’s no reason for a girl to suddenly appear. Just like in the mainland, there are many legends of mountain spirits and water monsters—I don’t want to meet my end by their hands," Ruan Feng said, placing his right hand on his waist, mimicking the motion of drawing a gun.

Ding Jun shook his head solemnly. "Ruan Feng, you’re all over the place with your stories—I don’t understand a word. Why don’t you tell me everything that happened from the start when you came to this cave? I’ll help you sort out what’s going on. Alright?"

Ruan Feng nodded and began to smile wryly as he recounted.

He said the photo was taken about four weeks ago. That morning, he had left a gas station west of Zhada County, planning to find a good restaurant for a feast.

A military green off-road vehicle suddenly overtook him and sped westward.

As a professional thief, Ruan Feng had a natural sensitivity to anything valuable in his sight. At the moment the off-roader passed, he noticed the driver wearing a white moonstone bracelet on his wrist; the beads were perfectly round with the characteristic cat’s eye luster.

"Five hundred thousand U.S. dollars," he estimated instantly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the passenger’s wrist, adorned with a bracelet of tianyan stone, each bead uniform in size and pattern, the white main markings forming a dragon with scales.

There were two others in the back seat, each wearing a bracelet—one white jade with black cotton inclusions, the other black jade with white cotton inclusions.

"Perfect! Absolutely top-notch. I’m taking those!" Ruan Feng’s excitement grew as he hit the accelerator to follow the vehicle.

Only after mentally valuing the four items at five million dollars did he notice the four occupants: young beauties dressed in white mink coats, their long hair cascading over their shoulders.

He wasn’t interested in the women, only wanting an opportunity to snatch the items and make the score.

He knew a wealthy Singaporean Chinese woman with a penchant for jewelry who could pay tenfold the market price for unique treasures.

Ruan Feng had planned that if he could bring her these four treasures, their price could easily multiply ten times.

Later, he tracked the vehicle to near the Guge ruins, but it suddenly vanished without a trace.

He searched every cave, but the vehicle seemed to have disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace—not even a screw.

Coming to this gourd-shaped cave, seeing the spring, he sought a short rest before dejectedly turning back.

It was then that he noticed the reflection on the water’s surface.

Strangely, although he saw the reflection, the owner of the shadow was nowhere to be found.

He stared at the shadow, inexplicably captivated, and took hundreds of photos with his digital camera until the sun set, then returned reluctantly.

After developing the film, he couldn’t control himself looking at the girl’s silhouette and returned daily to the cave, hoping to see her again, to pour out his heart.

But the shadow never reappeared.

"Truly strange, unbelievable..." Ding Jun muttered as he stood by the water, gripping the photo and carefully matching Ruan Feng’s shooting position and angle.

At this moment, the scene from the photo surfaced on the water before him—but without the girl’s reflection.

By tracing back from the girl’s reflection position, they estimated she must have been standing about ten steps from Ruan Feng in the water, where the depth was roughly two meters.

No girl could stand there for long unless she were a ghost—something with shape but no mass.

"Have you figured it out? Where is the girl?" Ruan Feng asked.

Being a master thief, Ruan Feng’s mind wasn’t dull—he had already thought of what Ding Jun was thinking.

"I don’t know. If anyone else were here, they’d accuse you of faking the photo to bluff us. Ruan Feng, fate is something to be encountered, not forced. You’ve come countless times with nothing to show for it. It’s time to give up," Ding Jun replied.

Of course, it was not just Ruan Feng who was giving up—it was himself as well. Since the caller was not here, there was no reason to persist any longer.