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墨書 Inktalez
The outer door of the chamber was small, barely allowing one person to pass through by bending down.
We formed a line to enter, but that despicable Chen Jiang actually placed me at the front.
To protect me, Mu Xuanche had no choice but to take the lead as the first person in.
Inside the tomb, a strong musty odor enveloped us, making my head spin.
This place hadn't been entered for thousands of years, so the air was particularly foul. Even though we had opened the door for ventilation, it was still insufficient.
I longed to turn back and leave; if it weren't for Mu Xuanche constantly fanning away the stale air for me, I might have already collapsed on the ground.
Behind a normal door, there should have been a large hall, similar to those found in ancient Taoist sects.
However, this tomb was peculiar in that upon entering, we found ourselves in a long corridor.
The corridor was adorned with murals depicting the life of the Tomb Owner. I saw a figure growing from infancy, slowly maturing over time.
We couldn't estimate its exact length; it felt like we walked for quite a while before reaching the end.
At the end, there were three paths. Mu Xuanche stopped and asked me to make a decision.
At this point, guessing would not suffice. After considering our options, I concluded that the leftmost path seemed the safest.
Chen Jiang had no objections, but someone nearby spoke up in rebuttal.
"Why the left one? Have you calculated it properly? Don't lead us to our doom; we don't want to meet Yama so soon."
I shot a cold glance at that person, filled with disdain.
"Come on, if you want to follow, then do it. If not, then forget it."
The person behind me was blushing furiously, and I continued to provoke him, "If you have the guts, don't follow me, coward."
I pulled Mu Xuanche forward, and seeing us both moving ahead, the others followed suit.
Even that coward trailed behind us. Just a moment ago, he had been so adamant about not believing, and now he was right there with us. I didn't even know what to make of him anymore.
"Uh-oh."
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind. I turned around and stopped alongside Mu Xuanche.
"What happened?" It was Chen Jiang who asked.
"The guy just disappeared," someone replied. "Chen Han was right behind me just a moment ago, and now he's gone without a trace."
If it were anyone else, Chen Jiang might have abandoned them, but this was Chen Han—the heir he had nurtured for many years.
Reluctantly, Chen Jiang led the group back to search for him.
Mu Xuanche and I hadn’t come for the Tomb in the first place, so when they turned back, we followed suit.
After walking a few steps, I heard a faint rustling sound behind us and shouted out loud,
"Not good!"
Seeing me in such a state was rare; even Chen Jiang panicked and rushed over to ask what was wrong.
I told him what I had just discovered. The fake Qin Wang's Tomb from the Cultural Heritage Bureau also used this trick.
The layout of Qimen Dunjia changes with time, and all the Taoist paths evolve accordingly.
I informed Chen Jiang that there was no need to go back, as this path had already changed multiple times. Even if we went back, it would be unlikely to find Chen Han.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Jiang said to me, "Gu Si, what should we do then? I'll listen to you today; you seem to know what you're doing."
I told him that we could only continue moving forward. Once we entered deeper, we might still encounter Chen Han.
He agreed, and to prevent any further accidents, I requested everyone to hold hands as we walked. The incident with Chen Han had already served as a warning, so they accepted my suggestion.
After traversing the long path that changes, we arrived at the main stone gate of the Tomb.
This Tomb is a typical funnel-shaped structure from the Qin Dynasty, pointed at the top and wide and round at the bottom.
Behind this main stone gate should be the burial area.
During the Qin State period, it was common to have live burials, allowing emperors to maintain their grandeur even in death.
However, the design of this gate is quite peculiar. There are two lions at the entrance that don't quite resemble traditional lions.
Their tails are singular, resembling fish tails instead of the usual lion tails.
I asked Mu Xuanche if he knew what this was about. Before he could respond, a man beside us answered.
"This is no ordinary lion; this is the son of a dragon, guarding the stone gate."
Hearing his voice, I turned to look at the man. He had an exceptionally plain face, the kind that would be hard to spot in a crowd. If he hadn't spoken, I might not have noticed him at all.
"Sir, do you understand how to open this gate?"
It was Chen Jiang speaking. The way he addressed this man as "sir" and his respectful demeanor suggested that he was someone of considerable ability.
"Let’s give it a try," the man said before walking toward the two lions. He struck one of them on the tail with his fist.
Using flesh to hit stone—wasn't that like hitting a rock with an egg?
What happened next was astonishing. I had expected this seemingly frail scholar to get hurt, but instead, he shattered the lion's tail with a single punch.
After breaking one, he turned his attention to the other lion. With both hands, he reached into the belly of each lion.
Then came a sharp "crack," and the stone gate swung open.
This certainly made me see him in a new light; he indeed possessed some skill. I thought I might ask him for guidance later.
When his gaze met mine, it flickered briefly before he looked away.
A sense of unease washed over me as a bold thought crossed my mind: could this person be the hidden mastermind within our group?
With doubts lingering in my heart, I continued to move forward.
As soon as I stepped through the grand entrance, I was greeted by a sight that sent chills down my spine—rows upon rows of coffins.
The space inside was vast, filled with over a hundred coffins.
Typically, coffins are colored in somber shades like black, brown, or dark hues to show respect for the deceased.
However, the coffins here were arranged on either side.
One side was black, while the other shockingly displayed white coffins.
In all my years, having entered several tombs, I had never encountered white coffins before.
At the very center of these coffins sat a child, likely one who had been killed shortly after birth.
After a millennium, its body had turned into a desiccated corpse.
The red belly band it once wore had faded to gray. Just as I was captivated by this eerie scene, the man from earlier suddenly shouted,
“Not good! Everyone, retreat!”
Yet his warning seemed too late; before we could react to his call,
the stone door behind us had already slammed shut, trapping us inside.
Although I could tell that there was a massive formation set up in this hall, I couldn't discern its purpose, so I approached the gentleman and asked, "Sir, do you know what this is all about?"
The gentleman was quite cordial and shared the mystery with me. It turned out to be the Hundred Sons Yin-Yang Formation, which used two infants who had drowned immediately after birth as the focal points of the formation.
In the center, there were fifty pairs of coffins on either side, and all the deceased had to have died from suffocation. Their resentment was sealed within the coffins, creating a vast field of resentment. As soon as someone entered, they would fall into an illusionary trap and be unable to escape.
I understood what he meant and continued to ask, "But sir, why haven't we fallen into this illusion yet?"
He smiled lightly, but something felt off about his smile. I turned around to scan the area and noticed that aside from this gentleman, Mu Xuanche, and myself, everyone else seemed frozen in place, dazed.
Suddenly, the two infants sitting atop the coffins let out piercing screams, and those around me went wild as if they had encountered some kind of summoning. They began to fight each other fiercely, determined not to let anyone die without a struggle.
The gentleman watched all of this with a cold smile.
I walked up to him and pointed, "So you are the one hiding behind the scenes. Who exactly are you?"
Without needing to guess, I knew he must be wearing a human skin mask, so I wanted to see his true face and find out who he really was.
He waved his hand at me and said, "Come inside."
He seemed particularly familiar with this place and opened a stone door. I followed him in along with Mu Xuanche.
He intended to keep moving, but I stopped him.
"You still want to leave? Hurry up and tell me who you are."
He was at a loss as I pressed him, letting out a sigh. "Yan Xi, this is your flaw; you always want to dig deeper."
"Who are you really? How do you know my name?"
I asked him, growing more curious about his identity, especially since he even knew my name.
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