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墨書 Inktalez
I examined the surroundings carefully, but still found no flaws, and my disappointment grew deeper.
The Mud Man picked up some dust from the ground and sniffed it.
Hills was observing the ground, seemingly comparing it to the surrounding environment.
"Did you find anything?" I asked.
The Mud Man shook his head. Hills remained silent, while the four people behind her stood like shadows—neither moving closer nor stepping away.
"There might be a formation here," Hills suddenly spoke up.
I didn't quite understand what she meant.
Hills continued, "It could be this formation that caused people to disappear, and that White Jade Chair is a crucial part of it."
I listened intently to Hills, afraid of missing any detail.
I shared what Old Mountain Master had told me about the Star Chart and the divine beasts with Hills, but she shook her head. "That's different; that involves locking spiritual energy. What I'm talking about is a formation derived from Qimen Dunjia."
I felt confused, completely lost in the explanation.
The Mud Man looked equally puzzled. Seeing our bewildered expressions, Hills chuckled softly and said, "Never mind, let's drop it."
I weakly asked, "Could you explain it in simpler terms?"
After a moment of thought, Hills replied, "Perhaps the magnetic field here has been altered."
With her explanation, I began to understand a little better.
The Clay Man asked, "So, if we don't see the White Jade Chair, we can't retrieve the Black Glasses?"
Hills replied, "Theoretically, that's how it is."
Now, there was no better explanation available; we could only rely on Hills.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and then walked towards Xiao Nan. "Let's temporarily place the Old Mountain Master's body here."
Xiao Nan initially disagreed, but after some persuasion from us, he finally agreed. We carefully laid the Old Mountain Master's body to rest.
Hills returned to the stone wall once again.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, startling me. Ah! This should be the eighth painting—life and death, life and death… which means this painting represents life.
I stood up in surprise and quickly walked to the front of the stone wall.
I scanned it with my eyes, searching for a character that represented life. However, there was nothing. I searched again but still found nothing.
Feeling disheartened, I began to doubt whether I was overthinking things.
The painting was deeply embedded in the stone wall, appearing as if it were crafted by a master artist.
"Life," I muttered under my breath.
Fat Ma noticed my strange expression and said, "Old Sun, are you okay? Why are you acting all mysterious again?"
I ignored Fat Ma.
Ahead of us was a dead end.
According to what Hills said, even if Black Glasses suddenly disappeared, there must be a space to accommodate him. And this space might be hidden nearby.
I reached out to touch the painting on the stone wall, the lines so deep that it felt as if every cell in my palm was opening up, as if wanting to merge with the artwork.
I quickly withdrew my hand, and in an instant, a chill swept through my entire body.
What does this represent—life or death? At that moment, I had no concept of either.
We always have preconceived notions. Upon entering, we tend to regard the first painting we see as the first one in sequence. After realizing this point, if I were to reason this way, then this painting would indeed be the first. However, this only made my thoughts more chaotic.
Firstly, this painting did not indicate whether it represented life or death.
Fat Ma called out to me and, seeing that I didn’t respond, gave me a light slap.
I reacted somewhat violently, and Fat Ma looked at me as if I were a monster.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Fat Ma snapped back to reality and said, “Old Sun, you almost got bewitched by a ghost just now.”
At that moment, Niren chimed in, “Old Sun, did you find a clue?”
I nodded and then replied with a questioning tone, “I can’t guarantee that my reasoning is correct or logical.”
I briefly explained my previous speculation.
Niren’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Even Hills looked a bit more serious.
“So does this painting represent life or death?” Fat Ma asked eagerly.
"I don't know," I replied heavily.
The Mud Man and Hills fell into deep thought, while Fat Ma always found opportunities to chat with me. Even Xiao Nan, who stood beside me, couldn't help but shout, " Fat Ma, can you stop bothering Brother Sun?"
Fat Ma shot a glare at Xiao Nan, but seeing that he was just a child, he immediately began to educate him about the importance of respecting teachers and valuing the traditional virtues of respecting elders and caring for the young.
I temporarily found some peace, but I was still puzzled.
The mysteries of this tomb concealed too many things. If Old Mountain Master were still alive, perhaps he could shed some light on it.
For ordinary folks like us, understanding it was incredibly difficult.
Suddenly, Hills spoke up, "This painting should represent life."
Her words shattered the tranquility of the room and stirred waves within me. Both the Mud Man and I turned our gazes toward Hills.
We wanted her to explain further.
Hills did not disappoint us; she continued, "Based on the layout of this tomb chamber, this painting represents life. First of all, the owner of this tomb must have put thought into this chamber. The Star Chart and the mythical beasts indicate this. Since their purpose is to lock in the spiritual energy here, there’s no reason to arrange a 'death' presence in this place."
Hills finished her explanation in one breath.
I listened intently, savoring her words. It really made sense; it was unlikely that a place designed to harness spiritual energy would include a representation of death.
Moreover, the Star Chart had another meaning: it represented the essence of life. In a way, when living people construct tombs after someone has passed away, they generally design them according to principles of life. What they hope for is still 'life.'
The Mud Man suddenly asked me, "Old Sun, what do you think?"
"I believe Hills is right," I replied.
The clay figure grunted and fell silent, his brow furrowed tightly.
I asked uneasily, "Is there something else wrong?"
After a moment of contemplation, the clay figure replied, "I believe death is simply death."
"Death is simply death?" I echoed.
The clay figure nodded heavily.
I looked back at the painting and suddenly noticed a flaw.
I quickly stepped forward, pulled out my dagger, and carved the character for 'life' into the surface. At that moment, something unexpected happened; the stone wall rumbled ominously, and I hurriedly stepped back a few paces.
To my astonishment, the front stone wall began to retract upward with a series of thudding sounds, as if the entire tomb was trembling in response.
Dust continuously fell from the stone wall.
I stood frozen in place, too afraid to move. Fat Ma was also drawn to the sudden commotion, running over to stand beside me in silence.
Once the stone wall had completely retracted, an opening appeared before my eyes.
At this moment, everyone gathered closer.
Hills wore an expression of barely concealed excitement, while the clay figure remained relatively calm.
I aimed my flashlight downward and realized that this battered flashlight was barely functioning; it could only illuminate about three or four meters ahead.
I took out the flashlight I had obtained from Black Glasses and shone it inside. Instantly, a beam of light cascaded in like a rushing stream.
At the end of the light was a wall, but as the light reached there, it scattered somewhat, likely turning in another direction, I thought to myself.
"Old Sun, let's go in!" Fat Ma urged eagerly.
"Don't rush," I replied.
Suddenly, a chill wind blew from inside, making me shiver involuntarily as a wave of cold surged from my heart.
The atmosphere inside felt very unsettling to me; if it weren't necessary, I truly didn't intend to go in.
I asked Fat Ma seriously, "Are you really going down there?" In truth, I was also asking the others.
Fat Ma boasted, "Old Sun, isn't that obvious? Wherever there's trouble, Fat Master shows up!"
I fell silent for a moment.
Seeing my hesitation, Fat Ma said to me, "Old Sun, you’re not scared, are you? We can leave everything behind, but we can't abandon the spirit of hard work and perseverance!"
At that moment, Hills took a step forward... I thought the answer had already emerged.
"Then let's go," I said softly.
Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to lose their reservations and stepped inside. First was Fat Ma, followed by Hills and then her four companions.
The clay figure glanced at me one last time before stepping in as well.
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