Chapter 23: The Golden Finger

I exchanged glances with the man in the black jacket and hurried off to find Ma Xu.

We found Ma Xu standing before a mural, his eyes gleaming as he stared intently at the relief carved upon it. If we hadn’t rushed over and tapped him on the shoulder, his eyeballs might have popped right out.

“Ma Xu, what are you gawking at? There's neither gold nor jewels here, nor are there any beauties—what are you staring at so intently? This isn’t your style at all,” Zhao Zhiqiang, who was feeling much better now, began to tease Ma Xu.

Ma Xu spat at Zhao Zhiqiang, retorting irritably, “Zhao Zhiqiang, are you only lightly wounded, or do you just deserve a beating? Don’t joke around with me.”

“And what can you do to me?” Zhao Zhiqiang replied defiantly. The two looked about ready to start up their usual bickering, but the man in the black jacket swiftly cut them off, “Enough! Shut up. This isn’t the place for your quarrels.”

Ma Xu had intended to continue arguing, but swallowed his words. Zhao Zhiqiang fell silent as well.

I stepped up to the mural and reached out to touch it, asking Ma Xu, “Is there something wrong with this mural?”

At my question, Ma Xu seemed suddenly invigorated, his eyes shining. He rushed over to me excitedly, “Of course there’s something wrong—something very wrong!”

“Brother, haven’t you noticed? This mural is made of gold!” Ma Xu’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, as if all that gold belonged to him.

Hearing this, the man in the black jacket wasted no time in giving Ma Xu a smack on the head, scolding him, “Are your old habits acting up again? You’re the sort who can’t see anything but money!”

“Brother Pang, tell me, who in our line of work isn’t tempted by money?” Ma Xu scratched his head, somewhat disgruntled, though he didn’t dare raise his voice.

The man in the black jacket shot Ma Xu a glare, then turned to me, his face earnest, “Brother, take a look at this mural.”

I nodded and continued to run my hand across the mural. With Ma Xu’s reminder, I noticed that a strange substance coated its surface.

I paused and tapped lightly on the wall. Instantly, a layer of black material flaked off, almost like a black crust.

At once, a dazzling golden light burst forth from the wall’s surface! The brilliance was so intense that I felt as though my eyes might be blinded. We all quickly raised our hands to shield our eyes, for the light was truly blinding.

Ma Xu’s eyes widened as he exclaimed triumphantly, “See? I told you this wall was made of gold!” He seemed utterly fearless in the face of the blinding light, desperate to embrace the wall, his love of wealth clear as day.

Slowly, we grew accustomed to the light, and lowered our hands from our eyes.

“Ma Xu, you really are something. How did you know this was gold?” Zhao Zhiqiang, now thoroughly captivated by the golden wall, reached out to touch it, his eyes brimming with longing and greed.

Ma Xu clapped his hands with a smug grin, “You think you can fool me? For me, spotting gold is like a dog catching the scent of meat—I don’t even need to see it, I can smell it!”

“You really are a dog,” Zhao Zhiqiang retorted, seizing the chance to poke fun at Ma Xu. Ma Xu puffed up his cheeks in irritation. Just as he was about to raise his fist to strike Zhao Zhiqiang, I suddenly noticed that Ma Xu’s fist seemed to have turned gold. Thinking I must be imagining things, I shook my head and blinked, but the golden hue remained. Ma Xu’s fist had truly become gold!

I grabbed Ma Xu’s arm, my eyes fixed on the golden spot. Ma Xu stared back, confused, until he noticed my grim expression and stammered, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Look at your fist,” I gestured toward it, and Ma Xu followed my gaze. The moment he saw his hand had turned gold, his jaw nearly dropped.

“This—this…” Ma Xu was dumbfounded. Did this mean he had become gold?

As we stood stunned, Zhao Zhiqiang let out a scream, “Ah! Ah—!”

“Zhao Zhiqiang, what’s wrong now?” The man in the black jacket sensed trouble. He turned, and sure enough, Zhao Zhiqiang’s hand had also turned gold—and worse, the golden area was spreading!

“Brother, Brother Pang, please save me!” Ma Xu was nearly in tears, terrified by what he was witnessing. In all his years, he’d never seen anything like this—himself turning into gold? If someone handed him a lump of gold as a gift, he’d be delighted, but he certainly didn’t want to become gold himself.

The man in the black jacket was anxious too. He furrowed his brow, looking helpless.

“Strange. Why are we unaffected?” He looked at me, then at himself, puzzled.

I pondered briefly and said nonchalantly, “It’s likely that whoever touched the gold becomes gold. Everything here is intentional, carefully designed—the tomb’s owner foresaw us. Every step we take has been calculated. Don’t forget, he was a prophet.”

“What? Then—are we beyond saving?” Zhao Zhiqiang began to cry as well, for his golden hand was now completely immobile, numb enough to be chopped off without pain—ready for spending, if only it weren’t his own.

I scowled, realizing this couldn’t go on.

“You two idiots, I told you not to touch anything!” The man in the black jacket kicked both of them in frustration.

“Brother Pang, if we’d known we’d turn to gold, we wouldn’t have touched it! I used this very hand to touch the wall!” Ma Xu held up his golden hand, unable to find a tune to cry to.

Suddenly, an idea came to me. I grabbed Ma Xu, “You used this hand to touch the wall?”

Ma Xu nodded, bewildered, tears streaming down his face. But the hand was now too heavy to lift, as if made of stone.

“Quick, bring me a rope!” The thought flashed through my mind, and I shouted to the man in the black jacket.

He didn’t hesitate, tossing me a rope from his hand. Without a word, I snatched it and hurried to Ma Xu, binding the rope tightly around his arm.

Ma Xu froze, sobbing, “Brother, am I so far gone you’re worried I’ll go mad?”

“Stay still. Don’t move. Or even the gods won’t be able to save you!” With that, I rushed to Zhao Zhiqiang and bound his arm as well.

Everyone stared at me in confusion, but said nothing, knowing I must have a reason.

When I finished, the man in the black jacket gingerly asked, “Brother, what are you doing?”

“They haven’t turned to gold yet—they’ve contracted some kind of virus. The virus entered their bodies through the wall, then spread up their arms. If we don’t bind their arms, before long, they’ll be gold from head to toe.” I sighed, explaining. The man in the black jacket nodded in sudden understanding.

“That’s why you told them not to move—because if they do, their blood will flow faster,” he added. I nodded in agreement; he was right.

“But this is only a temporary measure. We must find an antidote, or else they’ll have to stay bound like this until we leave the tomb. I doubt they can hold out for that long.” I looked solemnly at Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang; these two really were more trouble than help.

Hearing this, the man in the black jacket’s face darkened.

“You’re right, we need a solution.” He sat heavily on the stone steps, sinking into gloom. I sat beside him, patting his shoulder in comfort, “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way.”