To speed things up, Pei Yunyi had his subordinates from the capital handle the aftermath while they rushed towards the cenotaphs of the two generals.
The cenotaph is located behind the temple, separated only by a grove of trees. Along the way, you can also see ancestral halls, altars, and other items used to commemorate the deceased.
The cenotaph is not a large tomb like an entire hill, because there are no remains, and the two generals were both honest and incorruptible, so there were no funerary objects. Therefore, its area is not very large.
The two of them followed the directions given by the stone statue and found the location of the burial mound.
Below the burial mound is the entrance to the tomb, also known as the tomb passage.
When Pei Yunyi saw the obvious fresh soil at the burial mound, his eyes narrowed slightly.
He exchanged a glance with Song Xizhi, then squatted down again, stretched out his fingers and gently rubbed the soil on it, before saying in a deep voice, "The presence of fresh soil at the burial mound proves that someone once dug up this burial mound."
"Even the new soil can be divided into new and old, which means that it wasn't just one group of people who dug up this grave; at least many people came to dig it up at different times..."
As he spoke, his amber eyes gradually deepened: "Zhizhi, perhaps you are right."
Upon hearing Pei Yunyi's assessment, the hidden guards in the distance also gritted their teeth.
I originally thought that the two generals, who were praised by His Majesty and loved by the people, and whose temples were even built for them, would be able to rest in peace in the afterlife!
But who knew that the tomb keepers not only held their positions without doing their jobs, but also caused havoc throughout Fengning County, and even desecrated their tombs!
This is absolutely outrageous!
Song Xizhi nodded, his mood also very solemn at this moment.
She summoned all her hidden guards and instructed them, "We have no choice but to go down into the tomb to find out the truth. Everyone must work together to dig out this mound of earth."
The hidden guards nodded firmly and began digging at the mound of earth in front of them, as instructed by Song Xizhi.
A moment later, a stepped tomb passage appeared before everyone's eyes.
Pei Yunyi lit the tinderbox and then placed it at the entrance of the tomb passage for a while.
The flame from the tinderbox didn't go out, confirming that there was oxygen inside the tomb passage. The group exchanged glances and slowly descended the stairs.
The light before our eyes was gradually replaced by darkness. Through the dim light of the tinderbox, we could see the murals carved on both sides of the tomb passage.
The complete darkness made them lose all sense of control over time and space. The group didn't know how long they walked before they finally arrived in front of a huge stone gate.
The stone gate was incredibly thick, like a huge wall, with exquisite stone carvings on its surface. In the very center of the stone carvings was a raised mythical beast.
The mythical beast had a strange appearance, with a head and four paws like a lion, a ring of white fur around its neck like a lion's mane, a single horn on its forehead, and a tail shaped like a fox's tail. At this moment, it was opening its abyssal maw at the people who had entered the tomb.
All that could be heard was Pei Yunyi's voice: "This divine beast is named Bai Ze, which represents loyalty and protection."
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi used the light from the tinderbox to carefully examine the Bai Ze divine beast in front of him with his fingertips: "There are many scratches on this stone wall, as if it has been deliberately damaged."
"But the stone wall is solid, and it can't be opened easily unless a special mechanism is used."
When Song Xizhi mentioned this place, something felt off: since there were so many signs of damage on this stone wall, it was still standing here in good condition.
That proves that the Chen brothers had never opened the stone wall, and the body they suspected could not have been inside.
If that's the case, then they can't open it easily either.
Song Xizhi pondered, feeling somewhat troubled, and then turned to look at Pei Yunyi again.
But to everyone's surprise, the hidden guard beside him suddenly knelt down at that moment.
Her name was Hei Yan. After Hei Yin's death, she succeeded her as the leader of the Hidden Guards.
At this moment, she bowed her head deeply, holding a square black stone in her hands.
Song Xizhi heard her voice solemn and serious: "Master, perhaps this stone can be used to open the stone wall."
Song Xi was stunned, her eyes widening slightly: "What did you say?"
Hei Yan explained, "This stone was given to Hei Yin by General Zeng before his death. He said that this stone should be given to someone who is loyal to the emperor, loves the country, and is most devoted to the Great Cause. If there is no such person, then destroy it."
Hei Yin carried this secret for over ten years, without even knowing it to her mistress, and she never considered giving it to her.
"When Kurogane accepted her last mission, she handed this item to her subordinate. The subordinate guessed that perhaps this was the time to use it?"
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi was utterly shocked, her mind racing. She slowly took the stone from Hei Yan's hand.
He spoke tentatively, word by word, "You mean, He Jingyan wanted to take me with him to pay respects to General Zeng, was it because of this stone?"
As Song Xizhi spoke, he placed the stone in the mouth of the divine beast, and then felt the ground beneath his feet suddenly tremble.
In an instant, the stone wall burst open with a loud bang.
Everyone stared wide-eyed in horror at the dust billowing into the sky.
After a long silence, Pei Yunyi nodded: "Perhaps he was heading to this tomb."
Song Xizhi nodded and tentatively walked inside: "So... what exactly is in this tomb?"
The group's expressions were somewhat solemn as they hurried into the tomb, silently searching for any clues.
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