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墨書 Inktalez
The eighth box was made of pure purple gold, and it felt substantial to the touch. It resembled a rectangular ring box from Chow Tai Fook. My heart raced; no one knew what was hidden inside. I silently counted down in my mind: "Three, two, one..."
As I reached one, I forcefully pried open the box. There was no sound. I leaned in to take a look and laughed—it was empty. Wanting to see more clearly, I pushed my head further in. Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke surged up, chilling me to the bone. I stumbled back three steps and drew my Azure Dark Sword, my eyes fixed on the empty box. Zhengyang was clearly startled by my sudden action and called out, "Xin, that thing is dangerous!"
Dangerous?
Damn it! How lucky could I be to attract three or four formidable characters at once?
A female corpse emerged from the box, holding a key in her mouth. I stared at her for a moment; she remained motionless, clearly not a ghost. "Zhengyang, there’s a key in her mouth?" "If I'm not mistaken, that key must be for opening the Sixth Box!" I glanced at the Sixth Box and indeed saw a lock on it. My heart sank—was I really going to retrieve a key from a corpse's mouth?
I steadied myself, took a deep breath, and slipped my fingers under her tongue to grasp the key carefully. Just as I was about to pull it out, I noticed an extremely thin thread tied to the key's handle that extended into the corpse's throat. A sudden realization hit me—this thread seemed to be connected to something else.
This was clearly a trap designed by ancient craftsmen who had rigged crossbows inside corpses. If a grave robber were to remove anything from the corpse's mouth or its treasures, the mechanism would activate instantly, shooting arrows that would pierce through them. Back then, the distance between living people and corpses was often very close, leaving no room for escape. Countless grave robbers had perished due to such traps.
I pressed on the corpse's abdomen and felt several hard objects inside. Thank goodness for my cleverness; I'd read enough archaeology magazines! The entire setup seemed specifically designed for grave robbers like me, sending chills down my spine.
The thread behind the key was made of Gold Thread. My hand had already touched it; letting go or pulling it now would surely snap it. Sweat poured down my forehead as panic set in; my back felt drenched. Zhengyang seemed to sense something was off and rushed toward me at lightning speed within seconds. My hand trembled slightly as I felt the Gold Thread snap. In that moment, my mind went blank before I could even scream. All I heard was a whoosh as a white light shot toward my forehead; I could feel the wind against my face.
As the crossbow bolt aimed for my forehead, I had never felt so close to death before. Strangely enough, I became remarkably calm; though it lasted only a brief moment, I replayed my short life like a film reel in my mind. Thoughts of recent encounters and the unwavering companionship of my brothers brought a smile to my lips.
Bring it on!
It seemed like this was where I'd meet my end...
Whoosh!
I shut my eyes in shock and awaited the fatal strike. After what felt like an eternity without feeling that deadly blow, I realized that while the bolt had been fired, its power had diminished due to the old mechanism. It fell just 0.01 centimeters from my nose and landed at my feet.
I opened my eyes to see the arrow lying right in front of me. Zhengyang looked equally shocked; beads of sweat dotted his forehead. When he saw that I was unharmed, he nodded slightly. Moments later, his expression changed dramatically as he opened his mouth wide as if trying to say something but couldn't find the words.
I suddenly felt a cold breeze blowing along my arm, carrying with it a strong stench of decay. In an instant, realization struck me: "Oh no! The corpse has transformed again! And this one is just as dangerous as Zhengyang!"
At that moment, I noticed that the female corpse was staring at me with an expression of rage; her face twisted grotesquely like a rotten orange before collapsing inwardly with an indescribable sound from her throat. In mere seconds, she transformed from a living beauty into a Corpse right before my eyes. As I flinched back in shock, her decayed arm snapped off and her shriveled body fell onto the jade platform, still contracting uncontrollably.
I was terrified, staring at the horrifying corpse, yet it remained completely still!
There was no scientific explanation for this! How could a corpse be like this and not move?
"Ah!" A slender female voice dragged on for an eternity. It wasn't the kind of chilling effect created in horror films; it was merely a gentle sigh, utterly ordinary. If I had heard it in a crowd, I wouldn't have paid any attention. But in that environment, that unusually calm sigh sent chills down my spine... Even now, I still feel a sense of dread when I think back on it.
The dry corpse suddenly moved. First, its fingers tapped against the coffin lid, and then its mouth opened, revealing white teeth as it exhaled a cloud of black mist that resembled powder and dust, chokingly pungent. I was momentarily overwhelmed by that air, feeling as if I had stepped into a dream.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a palace with a Western-style design. Tall jade pillars supported the dome ceiling, and curtains hung all around the pillars. In the center of the palace sat a beautiful woman dressed very revealingly, her figure voluptuous and her expression captivating as she nibbled on grapes and licked her lips, seemingly flaunting her allure.
In a daze, I noticed Bald Qiang rise up and smile at me with an evil and strange grin. Then he turned and quickly approached the woman, prostrating himself at her feet as if he had committed a grave sin, banging his head against the ground repeatedly until blood flowed from his forehead like a tidal wave... He continued to bow for quite some time before suddenly freezing in place, unsure of whether he was alive or dead...
I looked around but couldn't find Zhengyang anywhere; he had vanished. Suddenly, a thick fog enveloped the area. The woman sighed again and began to remove her scant clothing until she stood completely naked, her curves enticing, her skin snowy white as she gracefully approached me.
To be honest, I could hardly contain myself; with such an international model-like figure and a stunning face, who wouldn't be tempted? I found myself stepping closer to her, my face flushed as I stared intently at her body. Deep down, I thought to myself, "Wow! Here I am calling myself Liu Xia Hui; am I really falling for this?" Yet my feet couldn't help but carry me forward.
"Child, life is called nature; following nature is called the way; cultivation is called teaching."
I recognized that voice—it was Zhengyang's! The words echoed in my ears several times! The woman drew nearer and nearer; it seemed she was about to embrace me. My hands instinctively reached out to hold her. "Oh no! How could I forget the words left by Ancestor Master!" That phrase was etched in my mind as I continuously recited: "Heart and nature connect; five aggregates are three parts; always hold onto the way; save those who are lost!" With each repetition, the woman's skin shriveled more and more until after thirty recitations she had transformed into nothing but a bag of bones—a corpse beckoning me with its skeletal hand. I was stunned.
"Child!"
Another furious roar from Zhengyang jolted me back to reality. I stared blankly at him, filled with countless questions. "Child, why are you dazed? Look at how Bald Qiang is doing!" I saw Bald Qiang still lying on the ground motionless—could he be dead?
I reached down to check his pulse at his neck; it was still faintly beating. "He's alive! Thank goodness!" Overjoyed, I patted Bald Qiang on the shoulder, causing him to jump up and shout, "Queen spare me!" Hearing this made me uneasy as I asked, "What Queen?"
"Niya Queen! She was just sitting high above!"
"Is that her?" I pointed at the shriveled female corpse in the Bronze Box. To my surprise, he nodded. "Yes! When we were in the tomb chamber earlier, she brought us in here. She wanted us to be her guests; we had no choice but to comply. Not long after that, she arranged for each of us to stay in separate bedrooms. As soon as I entered mine, something felt very wrong!"
"Then why did you bow just now?"
"I was just bowing and begging for mercy, asking the Queen to spare my life. When did you arrive?"
Upon hearing this, I felt a surge of anger. Damn it, if I hadn't saved him, he would probably have suffocated in that box by now. How dare he ask me when I got here? This was absurd. I stared at Bald Qiang, sizing him up, and to my surprise, he was grinning with a lewd expression. Seeing that look on his face eased my worries; this had to be Qi Qiang. After spending these past few days together, I had a strong impression of him.
"This isn't the time for chit-chat; that thing hasn't left yet!"
"It hasn't left?"
"Yeah! I remember my master once said there’s a monster called Murmur that can manipulate people's minds, probing their weaknesses and then using those weaknesses to harm them!" My face flushed red upon hearing this. "Damn it, that thing is dangerous!"
"Xiazi, what did you see?" Bald Qiang leaned closer, his unshaven face making him look even more sleazy as he grinned at me. I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Ignoring him, I made my way over to Zhengyang. I thought to myself that Zhengyang must be a truly resilient man; he hadn’t fallen under Murmur's spell.
"Zhengyang, how do we get rid of Murmur?"
"Murmur is incredibly fierce; I'm at a loss here!"
Suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed around us. As the saying goes, it's better to hear ghosts cry than to hear them laugh. This laughter was so haunting that it felt more like wailing than anything else...
The voice came again, and the three of us turned our gazes in unison!
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