Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Divine Power of Guge

"What is a treasure? Does gold count?" Lady Snow’s words were becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

Ruan Feng felt a sense of helplessness. He turned to look at Ding Jun. "Hey, give me a straight answer. Are you going to trade the treasure for this child or not?"

Ding Jun knew that Lady Snow must have heard something crucial from Shi Miaoshou, which was why she had become so distracted.

"Ruan Feng, do you even know who you are holding?" Ding Jun asked.

Ruan Feng rolled his eyes. "I have no idea."

Ding Jun took a deep breath, concentrating all his strength into the index and middle fingers of his right hand, though his tone remained relaxed. "Why don't you look down? See what is on that infant's forehead?"

Ruan Feng frowned and muttered, "Are both of you crazy? Talking nonsense—what could possibly be on a baby's forehead? Let me see..."

As he lifted the corner of the cloth covering the child's forehead, Ding Jun struck instantly. His right hand swept past his trouser pocket, and a small blade whistled through the air, piercing the air toward Ruan Feng's waist.

Ruan Feng bent over to dodge, and in that split second, the child fell into Ding Jun’s grasp. At that moment, Ding Jun had the capacity to slit the man's throat, but he disdained doing so. As long as the child was unharmed, he saw no need to resort to killing, especially since Ruan Feng had only abducted the child without causing any physical harm.

"Damn it—" Ruan Feng retreated five steps, gnashing his teeth in frustration. "If I wasn't already nursing a wound at my waist, I would have taken the child and flown far away by now. Ding Jun, we could have cooperated on a big score, but all you know how to do is chase after women. What kind of future is there in that?"

Clutching the child, Ding Jun replied flatly, "Ruan Feng, to each their own. Those with different paths cannot make plans together."

"You will regret this. You will definitely regret this!" Ruan Feng said bitterly.

Ding Jun did not want to entangle himself further; he waved his hand, signaling for Ruan Feng to leave.

Ruan Feng looked back at Lady Snow, then stumbled forward, approaching Ding Jun. Unwilling and resentful, he whispered through gritted teeth, "I found that girl first. She is my beloved, and now you have snatched her away too. Ding Jun, don't take things too far. You want the girl, and you want the wealth. Don't you realize that being too greedy will be your undoing?"

Ding Jun gave a wry smile. "Thanks for the advice, but we don't speak the same language. It’s best if we don't meet again."

His meeting with Lady Snow had been an accident, and their transition from enemies to allies was forced by circumstance. He harbored no improper thoughts; contrary to what Ruan Feng claimed, there was no "snatching" involved. Romantic affairs between men and women were a matter of fate—when the time was right, things would naturally fall into place. He didn't believe Ruan Feng stood any chance with Lady Snow; after all, in terms of appearance and character, the two were worlds apart.

"I won't let it go at that. We shall see what the future holds!" Ruan Feng’s gaunt face was filled with resentment and reluctance.

"Ruan Feng, I won't touch you, and you had best not provoke me. Everyone has a limit to their patience. It is impossible to push me once, twice, and expect me to tolerate a third or fourth time." Ding Jun warned him gently, but received only a few sneers of disdain in return.

Afterward, filled with endless hatred, Ruan Feng slowly vanished into the darkness.

"Lady Snow, are you alright?" Ding Jun asked.

Lady Snow’s shoulders trembled, and she snapped out of her daze.

"The child has been retrieved. Let’s go back," Ding Jun said.

Lady Snow suddenly asked, "Mr. Ding, in your opinion, what is the greatest, most unique treasure in the world?"

This abrupt question caught Ding Jun off guard. Throughout history, countless items had been hailed as "treasures"—the scepter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, the gold hoards of Spanish pirate kings, the diamond palaces of Indian monarchs, the phoenix crown of Empress Dowager Cixi... Lady Snow was naturally aware of such historical artifacts.

Ding Jun thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "What are you trying to ask?"

Lady Snow paused, then answered softly, "I don't know. When I left the snowy mountains, I was very clear about my mission. But after hearing Shi Miaoshou's words, I suddenly feel that the mission I have been executing might be a mistake. I want to tell you that the greatest treasure in the world is—"

She took a breath and clenched her fists, as if that were the only way to find the courage to continue. "The 'Guge Divine Power' revered by the Guge people as a deity. This very power is the secret behind the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Shi Miaoshou had been working to rediscover this power and bring it back into the world. We all know that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom swept through the Jiangnan region of China in just a few years, gathering only scattered stragglers and ignorant villagers. Yet, their combat strength was so fierce that even the well-trained elite cavalry of the Qing army were no match for them. Historians have been unable to explain this strange phenomenon, attributing it to 'the will of the people is the will of heaven' or 'the hearts of the masses.' In reality, it was the 'Guge Divine Power' at work."

Ding Jun listened quietly, allowing Lady Snow to continue.

If these theories held true, the "Guge Divine Power" could indeed be considered the most unique treasure on Earth. With such power as protection, would not all under heaven be one's own domain? With the entire world at one's feet, what gold or silver treasure could not be easily obtained?

"Shi Miaoshou said he was confident he could obtain that power. If Xue Honglou had not died, they would have succeeded by now. The text in the half-volume of the Heavenly Book is profound beyond measure, and the history of this power can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods—" Lady Snow stopped, realization dawning on her. "Shi Miaoshou cannot die! We must save him!"

The two hurried back, quickly arriving at the large rock where Shi Miaoshou had been lying. Strangely, Shi Miaoshou was gone; only the bloodstains he had left behind remained on the rock.

Ding Jun circled the rock. Judging by the wolf tracks, the drag marks, and the shredded remains of clothing on the ground, Shi Miaoshou had met with a tragic end, falling prey to the wolves.

"How could this happen?" Lady Snow stomped her foot, slapping the rock repeatedly with both hands.

"Truly unfortunate..." Ding Jun could not finish his sentence. This unexpected conclusion left him feeling as though he had thrown a punch into empty air. All the mysteries surrounding Toling Monastery centered on Shi Miaoshou; now, every lead had been severed by the jaws of wolves in the dark of night.

Lady Snow’s face was etched with regret. She kept muttering, "If I hadn't left, if I had stayed here to guard him... The secrets had only just begun to unfold, and now they are cut off like this..."

She searched a wider area around the rock, finding only a worn-out leather shoe with a bitten-off heel—the very one Shi Miaoshou had been wearing.

"Is this the will of heaven? That the heavens will not allow anyone to trace the history of Guge, nor allow the wheel of history to be turned back? Does this mean the legend of the Guge Divine Power will remain an eternal, unsolvable mystery?" Lady Snow looked up at the night sky repeatedly, as if questioning the hidden gods of Tibet.

The heavens were silent. Only the occasional howl of a wolf drifting in the wind through the valley served as the sole response to these questions.

Ruan Feng’s interference had directly determined Shi Miaoshou's fate, a fact that left Ding Jun feeling deeply troubled. He did not attempt to track the bloodstains, for the survival conditions on the snowy mountains were brutal. The wolf packs were perpetually hungry 365 days a year; even a massive yak could be torn apart and consumed, flesh and bone, in less than fifteen minutes—let alone a human being.

"Is that it?" Lady Snow asked.

"That's it," Ding Jun replied helplessly.

"Give me that child," Lady Snow reached out.

Ding Jun, deciding not to invite further complications, silently handed the child over.

Lady Snow lifted a corner of the cloth and stared at the child's forehead, her brow trembling incessantly.

"What does that birthmark signify?" Ding Jun asked. He knew she was observing the infant's forehead; the strange, vertical-eye birthmark was enough to send a shudder of terror through anyone who saw it.

Lady Snow shook her head, pulled the cloth back over the child's face, and her expression turned profoundly solemn.