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墨書 Inktalez
The seawater in this tomb was surprisingly cold, far colder than it should be for this season. It felt even chillier than ice water. I was shivering uncontrollably, so I fashioned two sticks into a makeshift pair of stilts, and I made one for the bowl as well, allowing me to walk awkwardly through the water.
The bowl followed closely behind me, curiously observing the tomb. To be honest, it wasn't just her who was curious; I was equally intrigued.
As I examined the structure of this tomb, a scene flashed through my mind.
The Lion Mountain Han Tomb was incredibly unique. During the Han Dynasty, craftsmen dug down from the mountain peak to create a vast underground mausoleum that spanned several square meters, nearly hollowing out the entire Lion Mountain.
The Seal Stone used to seal the entire tomb was later excavated, revealing a massive stone inscribed with Cinnabar Inscriptions: "The second day of the second month, eastward two, simple path, three feet nine inches wide, four feet six inches high, five inches in circumference." This line indicated the position of the Seal Stone and its large dimensions suggested that the designer of the tomb had meticulously marked every Seal Stone's location and size. This demonstrated the high level of construction skill during the Western Han period.
I looked up at the ceiling of the tomb, which appeared to be carved entirely from stone like a natural cave. Aside from a fine crack in the center, there were no signs of any construction. Through that gap, I could vaguely see that this was a cavity dug from the mountain top.
However, I could never understand why they needed to dig an opening from the mountain top if they had already created a passageway. The ancient builders of these tombs clearly did not care about the lives of their craftsmen. When Qin Shi Huang's Tomb was completed, Qin Ershi ordered all craftsmen to be buried alive. Unable to comprehend this logic, I decided not to dwell on it.
Meanwhile, the bowl seemed completely unaware of the significance of this tomb and exclaimed, "Brother Xia, there’s a strange atmosphere in this tomb! I feel a chill running down my back; this place is quite extraordinary!"
It wasn't just her who sensed this eerie atmosphere; I felt it too. Upon entering, I encountered that Child's Golden Body and now faced such a peculiar formation—it left me feeling unsettled.
This was an ancient tomb with no burial goods in sight; even coffins were scarcely visible. Coupled with seawater flooding in after thousands of years of being sealed away, the air inside carried an extraordinarily strange scent. However, what surprised me even more was that there was actually a stone tablet here! And it bore Chinese characters.
Stone tablets exist in every country because other writing mediums are prone to decay over time; only stone can preserve texts for thousands of years as long as it is not deliberately damaged or exposed to harsh elements. Generally, important or formal documents were engraved on stone in ancient times. A stone tablet found within a tomb would certainly contain biographical information or epitaphs.
With the presence of this stone tablet, I could piece together much of the history surrounding this tomb—who cared about wall paintings?
Perhaps due to the moisture from the ancient tomb's waterlogged environment, there wasn't much dust on the tablet. Since the entire tomb resembled a cave, overall, the text on the tablet was relatively well-preserved; at least it didn't seem too difficult to read at first glance.
I took a quick look at the stone tablet and was somewhat taken aback...
What on earth? At first glance, I thought it was Chinese characters; but upon closer inspection, I couldn't recognize any of them!
Isn't this the Khitan Script? The Khitan Script is a unique writing system that primarily uses phonetic symbols resembling the radicals of Chinese characters to spell out Khitan vocabulary. In most cases, each phonetic symbol represents a combination of a vowel and a consonant, making the Khitan Script more akin to a syllabary. Currently, about 60% of the Khitan Script can be recognized, but research has not progressed quickly due to the limited number of existing original texts. Historical records indicate that the Khitan Script was created by Yelü Diela (the brother of Yelü Abaoji) around the year 920 AD, inspired by the Uyghur Script. In addition to the Khitan Script, the Khitan people also developed the Khitan Large Script for writing the Khitan language. Both scripts were used concurrently throughout Khitan history.
It seems that this tomb is indeed an inescapable product of the Khitan people!
According to Historical Records, after the fall of Liao, the Khitan people vanished from history. So where did millions of Khitans go? Historians speculate there are roughly three possibilities:
First, those living in the Khitan Homeland gradually forgot their origins and merged with other ethnic groups.
Second, after the fall of Western Liao, most of the northern Khitans migrated westward to the Kerman region in Iran and became fully Islamized.
Third, after the Jin-Mongol wars broke out, some Khitans who vowed not to consume Jin grain sought refuge with the Mongols and scattered across the country while following Mongol armies in their campaigns.
There is also a scenario where they fled through Yunnan to Southeast Asia and then took vessels to settle in the South Pacific. Although this speculation lacks academic support, many tribes on South Pacific islands have stories reminiscent of Khitan origins.
To be honest, despite my proficiency in many scripts, I cannot understand the inscriptions on this tombstone at all.
After a moment of white joy, it seems I can only continue to examine the murals over there!
I also looked at those murals; judging by the clothing depicted above, they likely represent late Khitan attire. The tomb owner might have lived during the Liao Dynasty or even during the Eastern Liao period as a member of the Xianbei people!
Interestingly, through this research, I have indeed gained some insights!
Empress Xiao Puxian of Liao Zuo Emperor sent Yelü Dashi to guard Juyong Pass, a critical route for Jin troops attacking Yan. She aimed to preserve Liao's last bloodline and entrusted her hopes to her nephew Yelü Dashi. It was this Yelü Dashi who led remnants of the Khitan across vast deserts and established the Western Liao State in faraway Central Asia.
Xiao Puxian repelled Song troops from the south and resisted Jin forces from the north; she bore an immense burden on her young shoulders to uphold Liao's precarious state. Standing on Nanjing City Wall against a blood-red sunset, she reignited hope in despairing hearts of the Khitans, rallying them to fight for dignity with renewed fervor!
Not long after, Xiao Puxian was defeated and perished. However, according to this mural's depiction, she did not die but instead fled to escape pursuit from Song naval forces. She reached this area and even established a kingdom here. This helps me understand why there is such a tomb in such a remote location!
After reading all of this, I basically knew whose tomb this was. It must belong to the Last Empress of the Xiao Dynasty, Xiao Puxian. A once-great woman had ultimately ended up fleeing overseas. How tragic, how lamentable!
I summarized my thoughts and stood up, preparing to look for the door leading to the next chamber. However, just a few steps in, a pile of accompanying burial items suddenly collapsed with a loud crash, and a dark figure emerged from the debris!
Was it a trap?!
I was startled and instinctively thought that there were dirty secrets hidden in this tomb. Perhaps due to my long experience in this line of work, I had developed a reflex. As soon as the figure emerged, I swiftly drew my Azure Dark Sword. In that moment, a high stilt fell over, causing me to lose my balance and tumble into the water with a splash. I landed face-first, feeling two soft objects beneath me.
Then I heard a scream.
"Ah!!!"
A high-pitched female voice suddenly rang out. The Daoist figure spoke: "It's me! Finally found you!"
To be honest, I had fallen so hard that I was still trying to process what had happened. My hands were still resting on those two soft objects when I suddenly realized what was going on and quickly withdrew them, feeling quite embarrassed. Hearing her speak without any blame made me lower my Azure Dark Sword.
I was drenched in cold sweat and managed to regain my balance on the stilts. Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked her, "Who are you? How did you end up in a place like this?"
"I... I don't know how I got here!"
The girl in the darkness cried out, "I woke up here! Please help me!" After a moment, her voice broke into sobs. "It's me! It's me! You haven't forgotten me, have you?"
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