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墨書 Inktalez
The old man's expression was heavy, and I could see fear in his eyes. Before long, I was captivated by the story he told. Later, I organized his narrative into text for easier reading, following the style of the booklet.
First, it should be clarified that Li refers to Old Man Li Hongwei. Inside the story, Old Man Xia is my grandfather. Old Li, thin as a stick, will be temporarily referred to as Li Gedan. I don't know much about the bearded Old Zhang.
Forty years ago, while investigating the Taklamakan Meteorite Incident Group, only four people remained when they reached Desert Eye. After they detonated the meteorite, they unleashed a beast that sparked a fierce battle. This is the story from the prologue.
Li was pinned to the ground by the beast. Although injured, he was not mortally wounded. With one claw resting on his waist, he had given up on survival when he heard a voice shout, "Kid, get out of the way!" Recognizing it as Zhang Huzi's voice gave him a surge of strength, and he rolled aside, escaping by more than ten feet.
"To hell with it!" Zhang Huzi had part of his right arm bitten off but still managed to lift a crooked gun with his remaining arm, resting it on his bent left leg. Bang! Bang! Bang! He fired a burst of bullets. One bullet struck a tender spot beneath the beast's barbs. "Roar!" The beast let out a deep growl and collapsed to the ground, struggling only briefly before dying.
"Damn it! Stuff some explosives in its mouth!" Old Man Xia crawled out from the cave. Upon hearing this command, Li understood immediately. He rolled behind a dune and pulled out a bundle of grenades from his pack. Holding onto the grenades, he rolled back to the beast's side and, as it opened its mouth wide, pulled the pin and tossed in the entire bundle.
Boom! Boom! Boom! After several explosions, the beast's head was blown to bits. "Now it's definitely dead!" Old Man Xia took out a cigarette and began to smoke.
Before they could catch their breath, several other beasts came rushing over. "Quick! Get into the cave; they can't fit in there!" "I'll carry the explosives!" Old Zhang pulled his military backpack from behind the dune. The beasts were already within ten meters.
Old Man Xia peeked outside and shouted, "Li Gedan, are you ready?" After about ten seconds, a muffled voice came from inside the cave: "Don't worry; I've got everything arranged!" "Great! We're coming down!" Both Li and Old Man Xia crawled into the cave while Old Zhang was just two or three steps from entering with his military pack. Three or four beasts were closing in fast. Li was already half in the cave when he shouted urgently, "Huzi, run!"
Zhang Huzi's face darkened: "You little brat, get your ass in here or I'll kill you myself!"
Just then, one beast lunged forward like a gust of wind and bit down on Zhang Huzi's left leg with such force that it knocked him to the ground. Black blood poured from his leg. In desperation, Zhang Huzi swung his fist—big as a bowl—at the beast's jaw. The beast retaliated with its lower jaw; crack! Zhang Huzi's arm broke upon impact, but his broken bone pierced into the beast's chin! "Aow!" Li's face changed dramatically at this sight!
Zhang Huzi hooked his leg around his bag and kicked with all his might towards the cave entrance; Li caught it just in time.
"Damn it!" Zhang Huzi tore open his outer clothing to reveal that he had strapped explosives around himself. With two fingers still intact gripping the fuse wire, he closed his eyes and lay still on the ground. As several beasts approached him and began tearing at him—hearing even their crunching bones was chilling—Zhang Huzi perked up his ears and listened closely. One beast... two beasts... three beasts... four beasts surrounded him. Gritting his teeth, he howled fiercely: "Kid! I'm going to meet Yama early; you better survive for me!"
Before he finished speaking, there were several loud explosions. The ground shook violently as Old Zhang and the beasts were engulfed in flames—everything turned to ashes!
The black smoke dissipated quickly; there was no trace left of Zhang Huzi—only scattered remains on the ground. The strong smell of gunpowder could not mask the stench of blood. The three beasts lay mangled and lifeless.
"Son of a bitch! Give me back my Brother Huzi! Bring back my Huzi!" Li crawled out of the cave and picked up a belt buckle—the one Zhang Huzi cherished most. "Huzi! Huzi! I promise I won't argue with you again!" Li clutched the belt buckle and knelt on the ground weeping uncontrollably. When I heard this part of Old Man’s story, tears streamed down his face—it truly startled me.
"Kid! Get back in the cave." Old Man Xia heard noises from inside and climbed up using a rope. "Kid! Hurry; there are still two monsters over there!" Li refused to leave as Old Man Xia dragged him into the cave.
The cave was at least several dozen meters deep, shrouded in darkness. As they crawled down the walls, the space widened the further they descended. After a long while, they finally reached the bottom. One foot stepped into a pool of water, and as he shone the miner's lamp into it, he was horrified. The water only reached his waist, but in this pool, which was about the size of one or two football fields, floated several large fish over three meters long, known scientifically as Chinook Salmon. Their bellies were slashed open in several places, and their intestines spilled out.
“Kid, hide over here!” Old Man Xia pulled Li behind a large rock on the shore. They could hear strange laughter coming from the cave entrance. Then two shadows swung down from above, sliding down ropes. With a splash, the two figures fell into the water.
“Kid, let me show you my skills!”
“Li Gedan, how's it going?”
“Old Man Xia, are you ready over there?”
“Everything is set!”
“Kid, let's move in! Old Man Xia, I'm going to show off today.”
Old Man Xia whistled as he walked, hoping the two strange beasts would hear him. Those two creatures seemed unaccustomed to water; after struggling for a while, they finally clawed their way out and followed the sound of the whistle into the cave.
Li Ting was nearly scared out of his wits by the sounds echoing around him and scrambled away. He hadn't run far when he saw Li Gedan holding a revolver with a grim expression on his face. “Li Gedan, what are you planning to do?” Li Gedan seemed not to hear him and continued to aim at something behind Li.
“They're coming!”
“They're here!”
The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer until they were almost upon them. “Li Gedan, shoot!” Old Man Xia suddenly yanked Li and rolled into a stone door just in time. There was a loud bang as Li Gedan also tumbled inside. Old Man Xia quickly flipped over and pressed a switch. The stone door slammed shut with a thunderous noise. At that moment, a deafening explosion echoed through the chamber, shaking their chests and leaving their ears ringing. It felt like rain of fire fell upon them; those two strange beasts were trapped in a Sea of Fire.
The stone door sealed completely, though a few flames still flickered in before dying out. Soon after, anguished screams from men seeped through the cracks of the door, sending chills down their spines. Li, Old Man Xia, and Li Gedan leaned against a stone wall, gasping for breath. With the light from the miner's lamp illuminating their faces, they exchanged glances; all their faces had turned pale. After a long while, their breathing gradually steadied. Li looked at Old Man Xia with disbelief written all over his face.
"Kid, if you have any doubts, just speak up!"
"Why is there someone shouting?"
"That's the Zombie screaming after being set on fire!"
"Huh? How did Old Li's bullets create an atomic bomb effect?"
"Kid, you wouldn't know this! We in the Archaeology field all understand how to assess tombs and their feng shui. Based on preliminary judgment, there's a tomb group here. That tomb outside has a name called 'Dragon Fire Glazed Dome'!" Li Gedan chuckled, "Let me, this old fellow with all kinds of tricks, share some insights about this Tomb with you."
The Dragon Fire Glazed Dome is a tomb style from the Tang Xuanzong era. The tomb owner first adds a ceiling inside the tomb, then lays a layer of extremely thin glazed tiles, covering them with bags of Western Region Fire Dragon Oil, and finally seals it with another layer of glazed tiles and earth. If any external force breaks through the glazed tiles, the Western Region Fire Dragon Oil spills out and ignites upon contact with air. The tomb owner would rather everything be destroyed than allow it to be looted.
Based on Li Gedan's years of experience, this Tomb is a rectangular vertical pit grave with a box-shaped wooden coffin inside. Therefore, Li Gedan deduces that this is the tomb of the King of Khotan from the Tang Dynasty. The Diamond Wall of the burial chamber has collapsed due to water erosion, causing the Hall of Offerings to open up. The coffin in the Hall of Offerings is placed on a high platform, and the ceiling's structure resembles a dome, faintly glowing with blue light, confirming it as a Dragon Fire Glazed Dome.
The Burial Classic states: "In feng shui, water is paramount; wind follows." In modern terms, this means that water is the most important factor for a burial site, followed by wind. Water generates qi; where there is water, qi flourishes. The pool behind the tomb clearly shows signs of being artificially excavated, with water flowing in through underground channels similar to a U-shaped pipe that never overflows regardless of how full it gets. A meteorite fell from ten degrees above into the valley below and struck the dragon eye, penetrating this tomb that harbors earth qi. The northwest wind rushed in, thus transforming it into a Corpse Raising Ground. Those strange beasts are full of vitality and cannot be nourished by the Corpse Qi within this tomb.
"Corpse Raising Ground!!"
Upon hearing this, Li was terrified and broke into a cold sweat. He knew what Corpse Raising Ground meant—it indicated that something unclean was present here, and whatever it was could spell trouble.
"Logically speaking, the airflow in this Passageway shouldn't be so transparent!"
"Could there be some hidden mechanism within this tomb?"
Pitter-patter! "Old Man Xia, when you relieve yourself, don't you check for wind? You've splashed me all over!" Li wiped his face with his sleeve. "You kid really have a knack for spouting nonsense!" Pitter-patter! A few more drops of foul-smelling liquid fell down.
Li glanced at Old Man Xia, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, and then at Li Gedan, who was hunched over, drawing and calculating on the ground with his hands, muttering what sounded like incantations.
"Where did this water come from? It's both fishy and stinky, and it's all sticky!"
Holding a mining lamp, Li scanned the surroundings. The cave was clearly a karst cave, adorned with large stalactites. The stalactites in Xinjiang were scientifically known as mudstone; they appeared as if completely enveloped in mud. The cave was as large as a sports arena, and the three of them sat beneath a stone wall that had many large holes. The ceiling was densely packed with bats, creating a dark mass overhead. The floor was littered with heaps of bat droppings.
"What a shame for this fine Night Bright Sand to be buried in this cave, unable to contribute to socialist construction!" Li Gedan remarked with a hint of self-mockery, reflecting on his own situation.
According to the "Shennong Bencao Jing," bat droppings, also known as mouse droppings or Night Bright Sand, have medicinal properties that clear heat and brighten the eyes. It is said that consuming Night Bright Sand can restore sight to the blind. Modern medical research has confirmed that bat droppings do have medicinal effects and can be used for mild ailments like diarrhea.
"This cave may seem completely natural, but it was actually artificially excavated! If I'm not mistaken, there’s a passageway leading to the Imperial Tomb!"
"That's great! I can finally take down a feudal lord!"
"Kid, stop talking nonsense. Keep your mouth shut and your thoughts focused!"
Plop! Another drop of water fell; Li was certain it was saliva. Although the three of them were sitting at different heights, they weren't so bored as to spit on each other.
"What is that?" they exclaimed in unison, turning their gazes toward the stone wall... and upon closer inspection, their scalps tingled with unease!
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