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墨書 Inktalez
Old Qiao's gaze suddenly turned fierce as he snatched the dagger from Liuzi's hand and swiftly plunged it into A Chen's palm.
The series of actions happened so quickly that by the time anyone reacted to stop him, it was already too late. The dagger had already pierced through the gap between A Chen's two fingers.
A squelching sound echoed, and a grayish-white, viscous substance began to ooze from A Chen's palm, resembling brain matter. Almost immediately, a child's piercing scream erupted from below, nearly shattering eardrums.
I was taken aback; Old Qiao's bloodshed was intended to "kill" it!
A Li felt a pang of compassion. "Down there, it can't really be a child, can it?"
Liuzi scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. What child could live for over two thousand years? This is a damn monster!"
Old Qiao pulled out the dagger and pressed down on A Chen's palm, pushing down first and then pulling up, repeating the motion twice. A Chen's face turned pale from the pain, beads of sweat streamed down his cheeks, his eyes were frighteningly red, and he had bitten his lip until it bled. His body trembled uncontrollably; he probably wouldn't last even a minute.
I urged anxiously, "Why can't you pull it out?"
"Strange... it shouldn't be like this..." Old Qiao muttered to himself, trying again to push and pull but still failing.
Seeing this, Liuzi grew impatient and shoved Old Qiao aside. "I've got more strength; let me do it!" Third Granduncle Master smacked him on the head. "Shut up for a moment and don't make things worse!" He suddenly turned to Old Qiao with a ruthless look. "If it doesn't work, just chop it off..."
Everyone froze in shock, staring at Third Granduncle Master as if he were a monster. How could he be so heartless?
Only Old Qiao nodded knowingly, likely having had this thought in mind for some time. Given his status, he could not step forward and could only wait for Third Granduncle Master to speak, playing the role of the one who wields the knife.
I did not know why, but my heart suddenly raced. For a craftsman, losing his right hand was akin to becoming useless. Moreover, A Chen was so young and one of the Eight Major Errand Runners, carrying unknown secrets. If he were to withdraw from that secret mission I knew nothing about because of this hand, wouldn’t the truth be buried forever?
Whether it was out of sympathy or personal selfishness, I suddenly acted frantically and stopped Third Granduncle Master. “Wait, is there really no other way? He’s your disciple; how can you be so ruthless?”
Third Granduncle Master glared at me fiercely and muttered something I couldn’t understand: “Even if it’s you, I would still cut.” With that, he shook off my hand, pressed down on A Chen’s arm with one hand, and raised the knife with the other.
“Don’t!” I shouted.
At that moment, there was a loud bang as Third Granduncle Master ’s dagger was struck by another thrown dagger, and both fell to the ground.
Everyone looked on in shock as Cold Bench approached. He stopped in front of A Chen, reached out to touch his chest, pulled off the Aroma Pouch containing the Moon Meteorite, and then easily yanked A Chen’s right hand away.
A Chen immediately sighed in relief; his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed but was caught by Liu Zi from behind. Third Granduncle Master nodded gratefully at Cold Bench and joined Liu Zi in helping A Chen to the stone bridge to tend to his wounds.
Seeing that A Chen had only a flesh wound on his palm without any damage to bones or tendons—and with others looking after him—I stayed behind to continue investigating Deng Nu. Looking down into the bowl-like opening, I saw a dark mass; that creature had been injured and fallen to the bottom where it was hard to see. My junior brother and A Li added their flashlight beams, allowing us to barely make out its outline.
It was a soft-bodied creature about the thickness of an arm; it seemed not entirely dead yet, still writhing slightly. Its body was plump and covered in dark brown soft armor plates except for its head. There were rings of folds all over its body, coiling at the bottom, making it difficult to determine its length. However, it didn’t seem too short; judging by its size, it wouldn’t exceed one meter at most.
The strangest part was its head—it resembled a glass weather ball without any facial features. After being pierced by Old Qiao, brain matter oozed out, emitting a sour stench reminiscent of vinegar-soaked wicks.
I truly wondered how such a monster could be raised within Deng Nu.
I pinched my nose and asked Old Qiao, “What is this thing?”
Old Qiao had been staring intently at the object the whole time, and only lifted his head when he heard my question. His expression was filled with excitement. “Wow, this is a huge find! If I’m not mistaken, this should be the true wick of the Eternal Lamp, a kind of living sacrifice! After all these years traveling far and wide, I thought I could only see this thing in the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, but I didn’t expect to find one here… no, twenty-two of them!” He glanced around behind him and then turned back. If it weren’t for the bowl being too small to accommodate him, he would have already dived headfirst into it.
My junior brother scoffed, “Hmph, I knew this lamp wouldn’t be so simple! What wick? Be clear about it.”
Old Qiao took a deep breath to calm himself, though the muscles on both sides of his face still trembled with excitement. “Legend has it that in the First Emperor's Tomb, the three most valuable treasures are: first, the mystery of ancient corpses that do not decay for a thousand years; second, countless gold and silver treasures made of bronze; and third, the key technology behind the Eternal Lamp’s everlasting flame—Mermaid Oil. The Records of the Grand Historian states, ‘When the First Emperor first ascended to the throne, he built his tomb in Li Mountain. He sent over seventy thousand workers to dig through three springs and used copper to create coffins. The palaces were filled with rare treasures from civil and military officials. He ordered craftsmen to make crossbows that would shoot at anyone who approached. Mercury was used to create rivers and seas, powered by mechanical forces that circulated water. Above were inscriptions; below was geography. The candles made from Mermaid Oil could burn indefinitely.’ In simple terms, when Qin Shi Huang first became emperor, he built his tomb in Li Mountain, digging deep through three layers of springs. Below, he poured copper to create coffins, filling the palaces with rare treasures from officials. He also used mercury to create rivers and lakes, relying on mechanical power for circulation. The candles made from Mermaid Oil could last forever. This Mermaid Oil is extracted from this creature you see here.”
My junior brother looked down skeptically. “So… this is a mermaid?”
Old Qiao swallowed hard and continued, “That’s right! The ancients would remove the eyeballs of juvenile mermaids and fill their heads with mercury and a special kind of magnetized substance. They would then seal them in glass containers until they fully corroded and dissolved into a solid-liquid mixture. This mixture could connect with the bronze lamp bowl above and extract oil from within the mermaid’s body below, providing a continuous source of energy for the wick. Even in harsh weather like wind and rain, it could keep burning without extinguishing—truly a remarkable invention by humanity!”
A Li asked, “But why use juvenile mermaids? And why remove their eyeballs?”
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