The great changes wrought by history and the sacredness of religion met the eye wherever one looked when they entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Devout Christians knelt at the red marble which Jesus’ body had laid upon, praying and wiping at marble with their clothing. It was said that doing so was like taking a bit of the blood of sacrifice Jesus had shed in suffering, and that it would bring good luck.
Several white sanctuary lamps hung from the marble, shining with light. They belonged to the Franciscan, Greek Orthodox Church and Armenian Sects, and were known as the Light of Life.
Xia Lei walked over to the red marble after the person praying in front had moved off and knelt in pious prayer.
Tang Yuyan and Long Bing exchanged glances, then knelt on either side of Xia Lei and prayed with him.
‘I’m not a Christian but I believe in your existence. If you can hear me, please bless my father and let him have peace. If he has sinned, please transfer that sin to me. Also, please bless my sister. She is a kind girl. Please bless my fiancee Shentu Tianyin, a kind woman.’ This was not a very standard prayer but Xia Lei’s heart was sincere.
When he was done praying, he also removed his jacket and rubbed it lightly on the red marble. As he did this, his left eye twitched and and his vision cut downwards like a knife through tofu, quickly going through the red marble and down.
Under the marble was a stone slab, and under the stone slab was dirt. His left eye could not see very deep down and he did not discover anything. He would have discovered something if there were anything hidden there but there was nothing there.
Xia Lei’s line of sight went to the pouch Long Bing carried. He used his X-ray vision on it and saw the Ming compass, and where its needle was pointing. The needle was trembling violently.
‘This looks like the item is hidden under this marble but I cannot see deeper down. How can we dig it out if it really is underneath?’ Xia Lei frowned heavily. No one could dig here. If the item truly was here, then the mystery of the alloy and the bronze book would forever be unsolved. There was Princess Yongmei too. The mystery of her existence would sleep on, indecipherable.
Long Bing and Tang Yuyan took off their jackets too and pretended to wipe at the red marble.
Long Bing opened her pouch, glanced in, then closed it again. She said nothing and was very alert.
The three of them moved away from the marble and walked out of the area, then went up the stairs next to the church doors to the second floor. They then went on up higher to the Golgotha. That hill was sacred land of the Christians, where Jesus was crucified. The trio were not going there to sight-see but to get to higher ground to have a view of the terrain.
Long Bing looked in her pouch again as they walked, then wrinkled her brows and said, “The compass is pointing to the place we just exited. The item is most likely underground, beneath the church.”
“Is the needle still trembling?” asked Tang Yuyan.
Long Bing shook her head. “No, it’s still.”
“This means the item really is down there. What now?” Tang Yuyan frowned worriedly too.
Long Bing nudged Xia Lei with her elbow. “Hey, say something. Do you have any ideas?”
“None so far. Nobody’s going to be able to dig it out if it’s really down there.”
“Who buried it there?” Tang Yuyan said in frustration, “He probably buried the item there because he thought no one would dare to dig it up, huh?”
“I’d give him a good beating if he’s still alive. He’s brought us so much trouble!” said Long Bing.
Xia Lei said nothing, but Tang Yuyan and Long Bing’s conversation sparked some thoughts.
‘The ‘Scared Heart’ I gave to Tianyin is from the period of the Kings of Jerusalem. It ended up in Princess Yongmei’s tomb in the end. The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ming dynasty Princess Yongmei was from has a difference of 200 years, so the their timelines definitely did not intersect. Princess Yongmei made it her mission to use the compass to search for treasure, but did she ever go to Jerusalem?’ Xia Lei’s thoughts were hopping. ‘Wait… I forgot an important clue! The Church of the Holy Sepulchure was built by Emperor Constantine in 335 AD. It’s much older than the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ming dynasty. Who would dare bury something in the sacred ground after Jesus was laid there? So this means… the item must have been buried before 335 AD!’
Xia Lei seemed to have caught onto something there. This was a feeling, an inspiration like an author has before setting his pen to paper. This inspiration was blind but there was sure to be a reward if he went with it.
‘The compass is an item from the Ming Dynasty but the alloy is not an item from the Ming dynasty. Princess Yongmei went to Afghanistan in search of the alloy and obtained a piece. She also obtained Princess Sibylla’s necklace…’ Xia Lei’s train of thought was still at full speed. ‘But she died. The body which had been preserved in the coffin was very young. Unless… her death was related to the alloy too?’
Xia Lei was stunned by the thought as soon as he thought it.
This was his first time thinking about the cause of Princess Yongmei’s death.
“What are you thinking about?” came Long Bing’s voice, breaking his train of thought.
“A solution to the problem, of course,” said Xia Lei.
“I’m thinking… What are we going to arrange for Dr Qin and the rest if we need a long time to finish this? If we keep them at the hotel there will be too many people and it’ll attract the attention of some people. I think they should stay at the embassy, or go back home.” After a pause, she said, “Xia Lei, do you think they will be of help if we keep them around?”
Xia Lei thought for a bit and said, “I feel we don’t need them. Let them go straight home.”
Tang Yuyan nodded. “All right, I’ll get them to go back to China after we get back to the hotel.”
What Xia Lei needed to do, be it looking for the treasure location or excavating it, did not require the presence of Dr Qin and the others, especially when it came to the dangers of excavating treasure and the alloy. He would not let Tang Yuyan or Long Bing interact with the alloy either, much less those experts. Keeping them here posed potential danger so it was better to let them return home earlier.
Up on the peak of the Golgotha, they could see the site of where Jesus had been crucified right away. Numerous Christians were in a line to touch the hole where the cross had been erected. There were many people but it was silent, and the whole area was soaked in a solemn atmosphere.
Xia Lei did not walk over. He stood on a piece of rock overlooking the church and its surrounding areas. As he observed these places, the 3D map in his head appeared again. He compared the two, detail by detail, looking for clues.
A few Christians walked away from Jesus’ Cross and towards them.
A young, long-legged woman was in the group. She was Chinese, with dyed blonde hair. Her body was fairly sexy and eye-catching, especially those legs encased in tight jeans. Her legs were in a body ratio proportion of 3:2 - perfect.
The young woman looked at Xia Lei standing on the rock and she paused.
Xia Lei stopped using his power just then, and coincidentally looked over to see her.
Their gazes met. Xia Lei was stunned, while the young woman looked away from his gaze and kept on walking.
Then Xia Lei looked from her legs to her face, and his left eye twitched. His expression changed.
This woman was none other than Liang Siyao.
Liang Siyao’s best feature was her pair of legs, and those legs had grabbed his attention just now. He knew everything about her, and he had caressed those legs countless times. He was indescribably familiar with those legs and it was this familiarity which prompted him to check her face, and see the hints of a disguise there. He had then used his X-ray vision to see past the mask and at her face below.
This all took place in two to three seconds and was over in that time but the result of what he saw left him at a loss.
‘Why is she here in Jerusalem?’ thought Xia Lei.
Liang Siyao did not stop walking, and she slowly got further away, following the group. She did not look back but she had a sort of feeling. ‘That person… he’s a stranger, but why do I feel like he’s very familiar and a nice guy? Why is his height and his body so similar to his?’
Xia Lei could make a very realistic mask and change his appearance to another person’s but he could not change his height or body shape. However, Liang Siyao did not have his X-ray sight; she was familiar with his body but she could not see his true face.
Liang Siyao looked back after walking about a dozen metres. She discovered that that man was still looking at her with a burning gaze. She then looked at the two women standing next to him, and found the body shape of one of them very familiar. She seemed to have thought of something in that instant and it shook her.
Long Bing’s gaze went to Liang Siyao too, her eyes full of suspicion and wariness.
Liang Siyao looked away and quickened her steps; she did not look back again.
“That woman…” said Long Bing, “Why do I feel like she looks like someone?”
“Like who?” said Xia Lei.
Long Bing shook her head. “I’m not sure. Never mind.” She changed the topic. “Did you discover anything?”
Xia Lei did his best to chase away the Liang SIyao in his head. He was quiet for a bit before saying, “I have a feeling that the place we are looking for is under this hill.”
Tang Yuyan cut in. “Under this hill? Isn’t this more difficult excavate than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?”
Xia Lei shook his head. “No, it could be much simpler than what you’re thinking.”
Long Bing and Tang Yuyan both looked at Xia Lei and spoke at almost the same time. “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s go back. I need a set of exploration equipment, a rubber suit, oxygen cylinders, searchlights and so on. It’s best if these can be prepared for me as soon as possible,” said Xia Lei.
Tang Yuyan and Long Bing exchanged glances, their gazes equally puzzled.