Chapter 67: Life and death

I have to say that Lushan’s way of asking questions is very skillful. It seems like one question, but in fact it can be split into two questions. The first is why Manrenba is here? After all, he is not a fairy. At a normal speed, even if he is a fairy, it is impossible for him to block our way in front of us, who have just caused trouble.

Second, why are you chasing me? If Manrenba is to answer Lu Shan’s question, it is inevitable that this question will be involved.

Lushan’s question relieved Manrenba. From the look on his face, it was clear that he was truly relieved. It was estimated that this question was not a difficult one for him to answer. After all, it did not involve his personal problems, such as whether the female wolf was your lover. Some people do not put everything in their eyes except themselves.

“You hurt Zeren today, and Zeren used a special way to notify Luo Rong Dengba and Zeren Dengzhu. As the former star of the temple, you must know the relationship between Zeren and the old man Luo Rong, right? He will definitely seek an explanation for Zeren, not to mention the fact that you still have the sacred item. What’s more, our temple has welcomed a distinguished guest, who just happened to mention your friend, him…” As he spoke, Manrenba pointed at me and continued, “Not only him, but also mentioned a group of you. The temple’s senior management knows what you look like. These two things combined, do you understand?”

“I don’t understand how you found us, or why you’re here?” Lushan didn’t react much. He tried to stay calm. Although he had reached a deal with Manjumba, he didn’t want Manjumba to know anything. After all, from Manjumba’s words, he didn’t know much about us.

“It was just a matter of chance. You see, when our most honorable guest learned of your whereabouts, he sent five helicopters to search for you like a net, and it just so happened that the wolves I had placed around the town found you first, so I appeared here.” Manjuba’s face had a smug expression, and it was obvious that he was very satisfied with his wolves.

“So you came alone to take credit for this?” Lushan asked with a mocking tone, actually testing to see if there were others who happened to be with Manmanba.

“Of course I am willing to serve our esteemed guests, but I don’t want others to take advantage of me. That would be a desecration of my sincere heart.” Manmuba replied with a lofty tone, and we were relieved. Fortunately, otherwise, we would not know how to get through this crisis. After all, Lushan only had one sacred item in his hands.

“Who is the honored guest?” Lushan asked.

Manenba narrowed his eyes and said, “Don’t forget the rules. You can only ask one question.”

Lushan sighed and said, “Well, then! To show my sincerity, I have decided that the car I am in will leave last, and let the two cars behind go first!”

Manba immediately moved aside with his she-wolf, saying, “As you wish, dear Tsering.”

Lushan ignored his false sentiment and turned to call on Huigen and the others to hurry and not delay.

The people in the two cars naturally witnessed all this. When the cars and we narrowly missed each other, the people on the cars showed worried expressions to us, and Lushan said one by one, “Don’t worry.”

I signaled them to drive as fast as they could, to enter Sikkim as soon as possible, to trade with the devil, and to save as many people as possible. We could not completely trust Manjiba.

Soon, the other two jeeps passed by Manjimba and headed towards the Nathu La Pass. In just a short while, we could no longer see their taillights, but we were still waiting patiently. I held the steering wheel and observed Manjimba’s expression, and fortunately, he did not show any signs of impatience.

After more than ten minutes, Manjimba finally reached the limit of his patience and got on the road. I glanced at Chengxin, and it seemed that there was no way to delay any longer. Fortunately, we were already close to the border, and ten minutes was a big advantage.

“Your friends have been gone for a long time. When are you planning to leave?” Manjimba said this with a blank expression, but his eyes were full of murderous intent. Obviously, our deliberate delay had also ‘provoked’ him, and he didn’t completely trust us.

Facing Manjimba’s questioning, Lushan opened his mouth and said, “Didn’t your wolves follow my friends?”

“My wolves are limited in number. The ones that were left behind by you have not yet caught up. The ones here are all I have. Although my wolves are magical, they are not so powerful that they can catch up with the car. Tsering, are you making excuses?” Manjimba’s words were tinged with anger, and the female wolf next to him also stood up.

“No, I’m not making excuses. It’s just that your wolves are too powerful. I can’t help but be on guard,” explained Lushan, then asked, “You said you came by helicopter. Where is the helicopter?”

Manrenba took a deep breath and said, “The plane is naturally parked where it should be, waiting for my signal to come and pick me up. Do you have any questions about this?”

“Of course, we are all afraid that the other party will change their mind or play tricks. I will definitely give you the sacred item, but I will only hand it over to you when we reach the border.” Lushan was negotiating with Manrenba.

“No, at the border, at such a close distance, I am not sure I can restrain you in a short time. I never do anything I am not sure of.” Manrenba rejected Lushan, but his tone had become cold, as if the next moment, he would start fighting if he did not agree.

By letting Huigen and the others go, Manrenba would not suffer any loss. After all, the key was only in me and the drum in Lushan’s hand!

“Okay, I can give you the holy artifact, but I won’t untie the link with the spirit of the artifact for now. I know your speed, so we’ll drive very slowly to let you catch up with us. After we enter the border, I’ll untie the link with the spirit of the artifact for you.” Lushan said seriously.

“What if you don’t?” Manjuba’s expression was noncommittal.

“I promise to release the spirit of the instrument for you the moment we enter the border. And you know, although it is inconvenient for you to do it in Sikkim, you can catch up with us and kill us within a small area of the border, can’t you? Whether you use your wolf or your magic!” Lushan said seriously.

Manjuba was silent. Obviously, this deal, which was based on mutual distrust, was very difficult for both sides, and they could only choose a compromise.

After Lushan made this request, we were also waiting nervously. Finally, a minute later, Manjuba spoke up: “Okay, I hope you won’t choose to anger me, otherwise, as you said, whether it’s my wolf or my magic, it can kill you.”

“Very good!” said Lushan, and then he threw the drum in his hand out of the window. After throwing it out, Lushan didn’t even look at it, and soon sat back down in his seat. But I heard Lushan’s gasping, and the scene was like a heart attack. He covered his chest and was speechless for a while.

At that moment, the female wolf next to Manrenba suddenly jumped up, like a bolt of lightning, and pounced on the tambourine. When it landed, the tambourine was already gently in its mouth.

The female wolf ran quickly towards Manrenba, and at that moment, I restarted the car. The speed was not fast, but it soon passed by Manrenba.

Lu Shan pounded his chest, gasped heavily, and didn’t even look at Man Renba. I saw Man Renba take the tambourine from the wolf’s mouth, fondle it a few times, and suddenly laugh wildly. At that moment, Lu Shan suddenly let out a “hmm” and bent over.

“Lushan…” Cheng Xin asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about me, I just have a pain in my chest, I need to recover.” Lushan’s dull voice came out of his mouth, and the car seemed to be filled with a sad atmosphere.

I slowly drove the car, wanting to comfort Lushan, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know much about Lushan’s story, and I could only guess at a general idea from some details, but even so, I could understand the importance of the tambourine to Lushan. I also remembered the girl in the drum that I had seen at the Lake of a Thousand Demons.

Beautiful, holy, noble, compassionate…

The car drove slowly on the road in silence. I didn’t see the figure of Manrenba, but I knew that this person must be following us.

Finally, the narrow mountain pass appeared before us. The barbed wire on both sides, the border guards with loaded guns, everything reminded me that I was leaving the land of China.

“Wait a minute, life or death is the key. Chengyi, you have to watch out for Manjiba’s wolves.” At this moment, Lushan suddenly sat up straight and his expression became calm again.

I nodded, and my palms were slightly sweaty. In fact, even without his reminder, I knew that we had truly reached a point of life and death.