Before Dawn 5

The entrance here is different from the place where Huaiwen fell into the clear water pool.

As they entered the area, there were two stone statues, each about a meter tall, on either side of the path. They had smiling faces and were bowing with their hands clasped, like subjects welcoming the tomb's occupant.

The three walked forward, guided by tombstones, one after another appearing and lighting up. They passed by, and the tombstones and lights disappeared again. It seemed to say that only the path ahead was worthy of their attention.

Huaiwen asked, "Have you been here before, Lord Nanzhi?"

Nan Zhi shook her head and explained, "I opened this tombstone door because Fu Lin specifically showed it to me. But I've never been inside. To be honest, everything I know about Fengqin Mountain is what your master wanted me to know."

"Did Master deliberately let you see this?" Huaiwen really couldn't understand.

Nan Zhi glanced at Xuan Ye and said, "When you went to the Void Realm, Fu Lin asked me to come and drink. He said he was going to get wine from the Clear Water Pool. That was very strange. Besides, I wanted to know where your master hid the wine. So I followed him, but it turned out he wasn't getting wine at all. He was just teaching me how to open the tomb door."

“He probably thought a long time ago that you might one day return to Fengqin Mountain to explore the secrets of the tomb,” Nan Zhi said heavily. “A-Jun, your master truly cares about you, and truly…”

Nan Zhi didn't finish her sentence. She clearly felt Xuan Ye's cold and venomous gaze. She gasped, "A-Jun, tell me, what do you see in him?"

The topic suddenly changed? Huaiwen was stunned.

"To be honest, I support my junior brother, but everyone has their own preferences. I also agree with you, it's just that you, you, you..." Nan Zhi hesitated, but couldn't help but say, "I really feel it's a pity that he spent so much on you and didn't get any benefits, but... never mind."

Perhaps Xuan Ye's face had darkened, which is why Nan Zhi quickly shut up. Huai Wen was a smart woman; she could glean the meaning from Nan Zhi's words. However, she had never realized that her master meant that.

"A-Jun..." Xuan Ye called out Huai Wen's name weakly, but Huai Wen was lost in thought and did not hear him.

Xuan Ye knew perfectly well that a master-disciple relationship was impossible under the current circumstances, but he was still a little panicked. He pouted pitifully and called out again, "A-Jun..."

Huaiwen finally came to her senses and nodded, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I've decided to start calling you my wife from now on," Xuan Ye replied cheerfully, blinking his eyes.

Gradually getting used to Xuan Ye's sudden outpouring of sweet words in his courtship, Huai Wen calmly replied, "You can also call me Huai Wen."

Xuan Ye immediately felt wronged; his furry ears popped up briefly, then drooped down again. Huai Wen quickly added, "Of course... you can call me whatever you like."

"Okay." Xuan Ye was delighted, and his ears perked up again.

Nan Zhi watched from the sidelines, feeling somewhat helpless. It was clearly her junior brother who had saved Huaiwen's life. Why hadn't they engaged in a dramatic exchange of marriage, and instead, Huaiwen was with a fox?

Nan Zhi thought angrily, "No wonder it's a fox, it's so cunning!"

Newlyweds are just too clingy, always saying "I love you" all the time. Huaiwen noticed Nanzhi's slightly displeased look, so she gestured for Xuanye to bend down and whispered in his ear, "Lord City Lord, your ears are so cute, don't let them see them. I'll get jealous."

"Bang!"

Xuan Ye's fox ears were gone, and he was overjoyed to hear Huai Wen say that. He couldn't help but want to snuggle up to his wife right then and there. But at Huai Wen's urging, he had to restrain himself.

Since we can't stick it on, let's make the red line visible; the intention to announce it is too obvious.

Huaiwen laughed: "It's just the three of us."

Xuan Ye laughed as well: "No, there are many more ghosts here."

Nan Zhi was speechless again, and said angrily, "Let's hurry up and go, let's get down to business."

Walking along the avenue leading to the cemetery, you will be greeted by a mountain gate that blends seamlessly with the underground mountain.

To the naked eye, it was impossible to tell that this was the gate leading to the mausoleum. Although Fu Lin had taught Nan Zhi how to open the entrance to the mausoleum, she had never brought her here before.

Nan Zhi reached out and touched the wall, but the wall didn't react. However, when Huai Wen reached out and touched it, the wall immediately reacted.

Golden light outlined the entire mountain gate, revealing it. The patterns carved at the top of the gate were the same as those on the archway. In addition, this massive mountain gate was also decorated with different murals.

The most eye-catching feature is the mural depicting a sacrificial ceremony in the center of the mountain gate.

There are many people worshipping in the murals, and they are arranged in different ranks according to their status. The lowest-ranking slaves are at the end and are the most numerous, followed by commoners, scholars, and feudal lords.

Soldiers are depicted on either side of these figures of different statuses, holding long spears, with swords at their waists, wearing armor, and ready for anything.

Above the feudal lords was the Altar of Heaven. Surrounding the Altar of Heaven were soldiers, and members of the royal family stood on the steps. On the Altar, there were only sacrificial offerings, fluttering colorful flags, and Taoist priests communicating with the heavens.

The king of this country has disappeared without a trace.

What's ingenious is that these murals are painted on the left and right sides of the mountain gate. None of the figures are divided in half, except for the altar itself, which is depicted in two halves.

"I can't push it open," Nan Zhi said after trying.

Huaiwen stared at the mural in a daze. After hearing Nanzhi's words, he pointed to the mountain gate and said, "The king is missing here."

Xuan Ye and Nan Zhi looked over, and Huai Wen added, "Only the ruler can open this mountain gate."

"The ruler of Yin?" Nan Zhi muttered to herself.

This ancient state, dating back over two thousand years, is not recorded in any ancient books, nor did the people themselves leave behind any ancient texts. While most rulers wrote their own histories, this powerful Shang dynasty did not, which is truly intriguing.

What exactly happened more than two thousand years ago? Huaiwen fell into deep thought.

Xuan Ye tried to push the mountain gate open with force, but the mountain gate had its own resistance. His spells only backfired, and he couldn't push it open at all.

After thinking for a while, Nan Zhi said, "Since Huaiwen was able to reveal the mountain gate, then the only person who can open it is probably you, Huaiwen. Has your master taught you anything special? Why don't you give it a try?"

At this point, Huaiwen realized something: she was the only one who had learned talisman magic from Fulin, and she had learned it after she died and was resurrected.

At that time, Fu Lin, in the name of Liu Xi, said that he would teach Huai Wen the art of talismanic spells. First, he made Huai Wen memorize the incantation. After she became proficient, he began to have her write the incantation on white talismans.

The incantation wasn't written randomly; it had to be written on the square plate given by Fulan, following the prompts on the plate. Huaiwen remembered writing the incantation most often: "Qian Dao Kun Nei, Su Yi Qian Yuan, Zhi Shan Yi Men, Pi Dao Er Kai."

In the past, Fulin had already laid out his plans.

Why do this? Huaiwen couldn't understand.

Casting aside distracting thoughts, Huaiwen took out the white talisman from her body. She cast a spell to make them stand still in front of the mountain gate, and then wrote the inscription: "The Way of Heaven and Earth is within, tracing back to the source of Qian, ordering the mountain with the gate, splitting the path open."

As the incantation finished, the four white talismans began to glow. Gradually, the four talismans split in two and flew to the front of the mountain gate. The white talismans reflected a bluish-green light, and the sacrificial murals on the mountain gate suddenly came to life.

The people in the mural were about to kneel in worship, but when they looked up, they suddenly realized that the king was nowhere to be seen. They were stunned for a moment, then turned around in unison, staring at Huaiwen and his companions with cold and chilling eyes.

Nan Zhi observed carefully from the side and noticed that the figures in the murals were mainly focused on Huai Wen, not on her and Xuan Ye. After thinking for a moment, Nan Zhi said, "Huai Wen, try pushing the door open. They're watching you."

Huaiwen walked closer, and the eyes of the mural figures followed her. Huaiwen's heart was slightly troubled. She took a deep breath, mustered all her strength, and pushed open the huge mountain gate with both hands.

The tomb has reappeared; it is the tomb that Huaiwen fell into three hundred years ago.

The three looked at the tomb, with the tall stone tablet being the first thing that caught their eye. The stone tablets in Yong'an City and Pengxi Island were somehow connected to the stone tablet in this tomb.

"Is this the place you came to?" Nan Zhi asked Huai Wen.

Huaiwen nodded: "Everyone, please be careful. This stone tablet is no ordinary stone tablet. Please be cautious."

Xuan Ye frowned, perhaps realizing something, and a wave of regret washed over him. He should have stayed by her side every step of the way back then. The red thread flashed, and Huai Wen turned to look at Xuan Ye, smiling as she said, "This time, I've been inseparable from you at Fengqin Mountain."

Xuan Ye sighed sadly: "Huaiwen..."

Huaiwen continued to tease, "But this time you don't have to turn into a puppy."

Xuan Ye's heart softened slightly, and he gently smiled. After Huai Wen calmed her down, he once again looked coldly at the stone tablet that had almost taken her life.

“Lord Nanzhi, if the three of us go in together, something might happen. It would be better if you stayed outside to keep watch, so you could help us in time if anything unexpected occurs,” Huaiwen suggested to Nanzhi.

Nan Zhi shook her head; "If anyone should stay, it should be you. I am, after all, a high priest, and your husband is, after all, a demon king. You—though you are a blessed person, have been injured so many times. You are the one who should rest the most."

Xuan Ye agreed, "I agree with her. This stone tablet has already hurt you once; we can't let you get hurt again."

Huaiwen looked at the two righteous men in front of him and smiled warmly: "That may be true, but you two should not forget that the curse on me is related to this stone tablet. You may not go in, but I must go in."

“Wasn’t the curse shackles lifted…” Xuan Ye was stunned.

"That day, all the dark energy was clearly forced out!" Xuan Ye looked at Huai Wen in disbelief. He had clearly examined Huai Wen's body, and he had clearly found that there was nothing left on her.

Huaiwen comforted him, "Well... I left a little bit of black energy, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to open this mountain gate just now."

"Don't be nervous, I'm a lucky person," Huaiwen said with a smile. "Besides, I still have the things you gave me, I'll be fine."

Xuan Ye's mood grew heavy, and he could only pray for Huai Wen's peace and happiness. He understood that Huai Wen's words about a peaceful world and numerous offspring were never just empty words.

“I understand…” Xuan Ye forced a smile. “Do what you want to do, Huaiwen.”