"He fell... I... I need to find him... You guys go first... I need to find him..."
Xie Shuci's voice was incoherent and he was in a state of panic.
He was so nervous the whole way that he didn't notice Xie An behind him. The sound of his bells overlapped with that of Xie An's bells, so much so that he didn't even realize when Xie An had disappeared.
Staring into the dark tunnel, Xie Shuci's heart was pounding in his chest. Perhaps Xie An had fallen, perhaps he had stepped on some mechanism and separated from them, perhaps he had been taken away by something. But he couldn't speak, so Xie Shuci and the others hadn't noticed.
The more Xie Shuci thought about it, the more flustered he became.
Chu Guiyi was the first to calm down. "Shuci, don't worry. Young Master Xie is exceptionally intelligent and skilled. Even if he fell, he would have made a sound. I suspect he was already gone when we left the tomb passage."
Xie Shuci looked helplessly at the suspended passageway below, "What if something happens to him? He can't see anything, and he can't call for help..."
"Shuci, believe me, if we are separated for the time being, he will find a way to contact us."
Chu Wenfeng chimed in, "The people from the Xiaoyao Sect and the Hehuan Sect are also in the tomb. Xie An might be lucky and run into them first. If you go looking for him alone, you'll get separated from everyone and that'll be the end of you."
Xie Shuci gritted his teeth. They were right. The little blind boy was much smarter than him. He would definitely be fine!
"Wen Feng, get us up there first," Chu Guiyi said.
"good."
Chu Wenfeng pulled Chu Guiyi to his position, then leaped upwards, bracing his feet against the wall, and easily entered the side chamber in front. He then turned around and used the Flying Bird Nine-Section Whip to pull Xie Shuci and the other person up.
What's strange is that, although the passageway clearly slopes vertically downwards, the burial chamber remains in a balanced state.
Upon entering the tomb chamber, Chu Guiyi noticed Xie Shuci's unease and said gently, "We've only been in the tomb chamber for about half an incense stick's time, and the tomb has already started to tilt. There must be a pattern here. About half an incense stick's time later, the tomb will tilt again, and then we'll accompany you back to find Young Master Xie."
"Thank you." Xie Shuci forced a smile.
Although Xie An had only spent a month with her, he was already the most important connection in Xie Shuci's world and her only spiritual support. If something really happened to him, Xie Shuci would not be able to bear it.
This tomb chamber differs from the previous two. In the center of the chamber is a huge black coffin, and many burial objects are piled up along the walls, most of which are iron swords and spears. Although they are covered in rust, they still retain their sharpness, probably having accompanied their owner on his campaigns during his lifetime.
Chu Wenfeng walked to the coffin and found several lines of small characters engraved on the lid. These gilded characters were not the Banxia script, but a style of writing that Xie Shuci was familiar with.
"Chu Zhong, whose given name was Xue and courtesy name was Yezhao, killed and surrendered twenty-two cities during his lifetime. After his death, he resides here to suppress evil spirits." Chu Wenfeng read out the words on the coffin one by one.
After he finished reading, Xie Shuci clearly felt Chu Guiyi's breathing catch for a moment.
Chu Wenfeng also gasped, his expression one of astonishment. "The person in the coffin is Chu Yezhao? How is that possible?!"
Xie Shuci was startled. "He's from the Chu family?"
This matter was of great importance, so Chu Guiyi did not answer immediately. He slowly moved to the coffin and carefully read the other few lines of small characters on the outside of the coffin.
Upon reading the final words, Chu Wenfeng's expression darkened considerably.
"Chu Yezhao died two thousand years ago. He was the second child of the Chu family patriarch. According to the family genealogy, he was unruly and disobedient from a young age. He once traveled to the Southern Li Kingdom and conquered twenty-two cities for the Southern Li emperor. He is the only cultivator in thousands of years to have interfered in politics."
In the cultivation world, there is an unwritten rule that cultivators must not interfere in any dynastic conflicts, otherwise they will disrupt the balance of the human world and be punished by heaven.
"With his help, the Southern Li Kingdom dominated the four directions and was unparalleled in its glory. However, one night not long after, divine fire descended from the sky and burned down the capital of the Southern Li Kingdom. The prosperous capital was reduced to ruins overnight. Chu Yezhao also became the number one sinner in history, and the Chu family was expelled from the Floating Pagoda Realm, which was also closely related to him." Chu Guiyi's voice became much more weathered.
Chu Wenfeng frowned, his expression extremely complicated. "The Emperor of Nanli Kingdom was kind to our Chu family. No matter how much the outside world criticizes Chu Yezhao, he was only entrusted by the Emperor of Nanli to repay the debt of gratitude to the Chu family. Not long after the fall of Nanli Kingdom, Chu Yezhao committed suicide to atone for his sins. Everyone thought that the Chu family had long since expelled Chu Yezhao from the family. In fact, for thousands of years, his name has been written in the family genealogy."
"That is why the Chu family was expelled from the Floating Pagoda Realm more than a hundred years ago."
Chu Guiyi gently raised her head. "I don't want to judge whether Chu Yezhao is right or wrong. I just can't accept that the Chu family is being driven out like trash because of someone who died two thousand years ago, and suffering a century of ridicule for no reason."
The Chu family had been in decline for a full century. The criticism and ridicule they had endured had long since caused this once great immortal sect to lose its former strength and pride. After waiting for a hundred years, the Chu family finally received Chu Guiyi, a prodigy, a descendant who could restore their sect's glory. One can imagine how heavy the burden on Chu Guiyi's shoulders was.
Xie Shuci remained silent for a moment. His way of thinking was very simple; there was no absolute right or wrong. Was Chu Yezhao wrong? Perhaps he was wrong, and he paid a heavy price for it.
Was the Southern Emperor wrong? Perhaps he was, and he paid a heavy price for it.
However, this kind of mistake, though seemingly heinous, does not evoke hatred; instead, it evokes sighs and helplessness.
But were the descendants of the Chu family wrong? Was Chu Guiyi wrong? Was Chu Wenfeng wrong?
Xie Shuci was unaware that a heavy weight was pressing on his heart, leaving him speechless for a moment.
After a long silence, Xie Shuci said, "The Banxia clan has been dead for over ten thousand years, so why is Chu Yezhao's coffin here?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Guiyi and the other person both frowned.
"The Chu family has no idea where Chu Yezhao's body is. The coffin is inscribed with 'Use evil to suppress evil,' which most likely means that the Banxia clan did not enter reincarnation after death and became evil spirits that harmed the human world. That's why their descendants built this tomb to suppress their souls in the tomb. As for why the tomb was built as an array structure, I'm afraid no one knows," Chu Guiyi said.
“Use evil spirits to suppress evil…” Xie Shuci repeated the four words in a low voice, and the other two seemed to react instantly.
The three exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously exclaimed, "The main burial chamber is down below?!"
Chu Wenfeng even swung his sword around the ground, but unfortunately the floor tiles were as hard as iron and he couldn't budge them at all. If you looked closely, you could see that there was a layer of spiritual energy on the floor tiles for protection.
It seems that breaking the floor tiles to get to the next level is not feasible.
"Senior brother."
Just then, Chu Wenfeng suddenly shouted.
“There are signs that the coffin has been opened!” Chu Wenfeng said solemnly.
Xie Shuci and the other person went over and found a gap at the head of the coffin.
"Push it away," Chu Guiyi said.
The three of them worked together to push the coffin lid down, revealing a locust wood coffin inside. The coffin lid was lifted to one side, but there was no one inside.
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down his spine, his palms were drenched in cold sweat, and his scalp felt like it was about to explode.
Chu Guiyi and the other person also gasped.
"Using locust wood for the coffin, they're afraid Chu Yezhao won't be able to become a 'demon'!" Chu Wenfeng said in astonishment.
Locust wood is considered a "ghost tree," possessing extremely heavy yin energy and easily generating "evil spirits." Using locust wood as a coffin is believed to force the deceased to commit such an act!
Xie Shuci regretted it. He felt he must have been crazy to come to this place. The little blind boy's cultivation was gone, so be it. He could just work hard to cultivate in the future. But now, not only had he lost the little blind boy, but he had also encountered so many strange things. Xie Shuci was filled with remorse!
Looking at the marks left on the coffin lid, Chu Guiyi said in a deep voice, "The coffin was not opened for long. It should be that the disciples of Xiaoyao Sect and Hehuan Sect found this place first."
Upon hearing this, Chu Wenfeng frowned. "They already know the location of the main burial chamber?"
Chu Guiyi nodded, then said, "There are no signs of a struggle here, which means that the corpse in the coffin was already gone before they opened it."
Just then, the tomb tilted once again.
To the three's shock, the side chamber remained unchanged; instead, the passageway that had led to the other side chamber had vanished from their sight.
As the passageway disappeared, it was replaced by a stone wall blocking the entrance. At the same time, a passageway suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the opposite wall!
"What exactly is going on with this tomb?!" Chu Wenfeng roared.
Xie Shuci stared palely at the blocked exit; he could no longer find the little blind boy.
Chu Guiyi said, "If I'm not mistaken, the tomb will tilt a little every half an incense stick's time, with this side chamber and the main tomb chamber as the origin. When it tilts for the third time, a new passage will connect to this side chamber."
Chu Wenfeng frowned in thought, "So it seems that the East Yin Chamber is not a fixed side chamber, but rather faces a fixed direction?"
“That’s right. If we don’t move here, the passage leading to Young Master Xie’s location will reconnect to this tomb chamber in two and a half hours. However, Young Master Xie doesn’t seem like the type to sit and wait for death. It won’t take him long to discover the pattern. Shuci, what do you plan to do?”
Xie Shuci took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Xie An is not like him. Even if he felt uneasy being alone in such a place, he would quickly calm down. He certainly wouldn't wait there for two hours.
“We said on the way here that we needed to find the main burial chamber. I believe Xie An will find a way to get there. Let’s go to the main burial chamber too,” Xie Shuci said.
Chu Guiyi and the other person had no objections. The main burial chamber was located below this side chamber, so there must be a passage leading to the main burial chamber here.
Xie Shuci and the other two began searching for clues in the tomb.
The candlelight flickered in the tomb. Xie Shuci's gaze swept over the cold weapons scattered on the ground. Because they had been buried underground for too long, the place was dark and damp and never saw sunlight. The blades were covered with rust, but it was not hard to tell that these were all finely forged weapons.
This wretched place has all sorts of random things. Xie Shuci picked out a handy weapon from the ground to defend himself. Just as he picked up the weapon, he suddenly felt the stone wall next to him loosen and a wisp of dust fall down.
"Thank you for your resignation!"
"Letter of Resignation!"
"Holy crap—"
The next moment, one side of the stone wall tilted backward, flipped over completely, and pushed Xie Shuci to the other side of the stone wall.
Xie Shuci exclaimed in surprise, and before he could react, he was carried by the stone wall into another passageway.
Xie Shuci felt a chill run down his spine. He pounded the stone wall twice with his fist and even tried to push it with his spiritual power, but the wall didn't budge.
"Returning home? Chu Wenfeng? Can you hear me?"
"Don't scare me! What kind of awful place is this?"
Xie Shuci's voice was already trembling with tears. He angrily slashed the wall twice with his knife, but the blows were blocked by an invisible barrier, leaving not even a mark.
It would be better to let Xie Shuci die than to leave him alone in a place like this!
Xie Shuci was on the verge of tears. He slowly turned his back, leaned against the stone wall, and looked at his current location.
Behind Xie Shuci was a passageway with eternal lamps burning on the stone walls on both sides. The dim, flickering candlelight reflected off the walls, making them look like menacing monsters.
Xie Shuci stared ahead in horror, gripping the hilt of his knife tightly, and swallowed hard.
Xie Xiaoci, your time to be tested has come!
What is a grave? What is a ghost? What is a person?
Ghosts are just dead people. He's just dead, and this cemetery is simply the house he lives in after he died...
Thinking of this, Xie Shuci clasped his hands together, clutching the hilt of his sword, and silently prayed, "Lord Water God, please forgive me. I simply took the wrong path and had no intention of offending you. Once I find Xie An... Xie An is my younger brother. I would also appreciate your blessing upon him. After I find him, I will immediately leave your house and make sure everyone knows how unjustly you and your people died. Please, in your great mercy, keep all the messy things in your house away from me..."
"Xie Xiaoci, it's time to show yourself! Do you still think you're some hot-blooded 21st-century youth who only cares about himself? Now the little blind boy is your responsibility. Ghosts are nothing. What can they do to you? At worst, you'll just die and stare at them, then you can beat them up, right?"
After saying some comforting words to himself and preparing himself mentally, Xie Shuci let out a long sigh.
He'll have to walk the rest of the road by himself.
I don't know which side chamber the passageway leads to; maybe I'll find the main burial chamber before they do.
No... never mind, let's forget it.
There must be a coffin in the main tomb chamber. He should find the little blind man first. If that doesn't work, he can just let him bump into someone from either the Xiaoyao Sect or the Hehuan Sect.
Xie Shuci gripped the knife hilt with sweaty hands and cautiously walked forward into the passageway.
In the dimly lit passageway, a sudden gust of cold wind blew in, causing the candlelight on the wall to flicker and dance.
"whee……"
A woman's shrill laughter echoed in the quiet space.
Xie Shuci froze, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
I didn't hear anything! I didn't hear anything at all! It was all an illusion!
Xie Shuci silently recited in his heart.
He closed his eyes, his mind already taut with tension.
I took a difficult step and continued forward, but as soon as I moved, I immediately felt something approaching from behind.
The icy aura, though only inches away, sent chills down Xie Shuci's spine, and he immediately stopped moving.
"Oh, young master..." The woman's cheerful voice rang in his ears, and Xie Shuci's scalp tingled. His expression, which he had been trying to maintain calm, cracked.
A cold body pressed against his back, and soft hands gently rested on his shoulders. Xie Shuci even felt someone pressing their head against his neck.
"Would you like to stay here with your sister?"
The woman's voice seemed to come from near and far, clear and ethereal, filled with a seductive quality.
It's fake...
"My sister really likes you..."
Xie Shuci broke down.
He cried out, on the verge of tears, "Sister, I...I like men, please let me go!"
"A man?" The voice paused for a moment. "Is that so? Young man, I have everything you like."
After saying that, the person behind him wrapped his hands around Xie Shuci's arms and gradually attacked his chest.
"Damn it!!!" Xie Shuci's mind went completely blank. He pushed the things on his back back violently, threw the knife behind him, and then ran forward.
"Help!! There's a ghost!!!"
He's a fucking pervert!
This ghost must have been a lecherous old man in his previous life!
Xie Shuci's legs seemed to be on fire, moving like a gust of wind. Wherever he passed, the ever-burning lamps on the walls seemed to jump.
"Thank you for your help!"
"Chu Guiyi!"
"Chu Wenfeng!"
"Aaaaaah! Anyone, please! I can't take it anymore!"
"whee……"
"Young man... your voice will attract other evil spirits..."
"Wait for me, sister..."
Ugh! This thing looks like a medicated plaster!
"Waaah..."
Xie Shuci choked up, "I want to go home, I want to go home, I'll never come back... never again..."
In the quiet passageway, amidst Xie Shuci's cries and the laughter of the Earth Ghost, there was a barely audible sigh.
"Don't beg me anymore..."
As Xie Shuci was running for his life, he suddenly felt someone grab his wrist and pull him to the side.
Oh no, they have reinforcements?!
Xie Shuci struggled frantically, crying and shouting, "Big brother, big sister, I was wrong, I was really wrong. I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I have elderly parents and young children to take care of, please let me go! I... I still have my baby, I'll give him everything! If it really doesn't work, I'll give in to you, okay? I'll take care of your body on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays, you take care of it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and we'll split it in half on Fridays... um!"
Xie Shuci was suddenly slammed against the wall, his back pressing against a protruding rock. The pain made him want to scream, but the person covered his incessantly chattering mouth and used their knee to separate his kicking legs.
"Ugh!" Xie Shuci's eyes widened in horror. No! Big brother! This is not right! This is not right! Change the woman... change the woman, or at least change it to a woman!
However, the person did nothing other than control his behavior.
"Young man, quickly hide! There are other ghosts nearby."
Dear sister, thank you! Just please stop scaring me all the time!
Xie Shuci's rapid breathing calmed down, and his struggling movements gradually stopped. Only then did he notice that the person in front of him had a very familiar fragrance emanating from his sleeve.
It's the little blind boy!
"Mmm!" Xie Shuci excitedly grabbed Xie An's clothes, groped around his waist, and finally found the string of bells before he was completely relieved.
Seeing that he had stopped struggling, Xie An released his hand from his chest.
Xie Shuci took a heavy breath, momentarily oblivious to their intimate posture. Her eyes brimming with tears, she asked, "Where did you go? You scared me to death! What would I do if something happened to you! You have no idea how terrifying this place is. I was with Guiyi and the others, but the door pushed me here. I was just about to look for you when that thing grabbed me. It was so scary..."
Xie Shuci spoke incoherently, and in the end, he became more and more aggrieved, tears streaming down his face, his eyes red from crying.
In the darkness, Xie An seemed to sigh softly.
He wiped away Xie Shuci's tears with his hand, gently pulled him into his arms, and as always, stroked Xie Shuci's back with his large hand.
Xie Shuci seemed to particularly enjoy this kind of comfort, perhaps because Xie An's embrace was gentle and kind, which gradually calmed his emotions.
Xie Shuci secretly wiped away her tears and lifted her head from Xie An's shoulder. "Are you hurt? How did you suddenly disappear?"
Xie An shook his head, indicating that he was fine.
Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief. By the dim candlelight in the passageway, he could see that he and Xie An were in a small recessed area in the passageway.
Because of the cramped space, he and Xie An were almost pressed together in a very intimate position. Upon realizing this, Xie Shuci's body immediately stiffened. He pushed Xie An away with one hand and leaned back, but his back accidentally hit a protruding rock, causing him to gasp in pain.
Xie An pursed his lips, and without saying a word, pulled Xie Shuci into his arms, covering his back with his large hand and gently stroking the spot where he was hurt.
Xie Shuci's cheeks flushed, but she didn't struggle anymore and obediently leaned against Xie An's chest.
This kid is only sixteen years old, three years younger than me, and not even an adult yet, so why does his embrace feel so comfortable, as if it can block all danger? It's so strange.
Xie Shuci was a little embarrassed and wanted to make amends. Just as he opened his mouth, Xie An put his index finger to his lips, signaling him not to speak.
Remembering what the Earth Ghost had just said—that there were other of its kind nearby—Xie Shuci immediately tensed up.
He stared with his clear, watery eyes at the passageway in fear and unease. A black shadow drifted past them. Xie Shuci dared not look any longer, buried his face in Xie An's arms, and closed his eyes tightly.
Before long, the passageway returned to calm.
Xie Shuci thought those things had left, and quietly peeked out from Xie An's arms, but Xie An suddenly pressed his head back down.
Haven't left yet?
Xie Shuci was startled, fearing he might see something strange, and obediently buried his face in Xie An's chest.
After a long while, Xie Shuci raised his head, looking extremely nervous, and asked in a low voice, "Have they left?"
Xie An: "..."
Xie An seemed unable to resist, a teasing smile appearing on his face.
The dim light softened Xie An's facial features, but for some reason, it also made the smile in his eyes seem very genuine.
Xie Shuci's heart skipped a beat, and he finally realized that the Earthly Ghost had long since left, and Xie An was just teasing him.
But Xie Shuci didn't feel angry at all.
Seeing the smile on Xie An's face, Xie Shuci also seemed to be dumbfounded and laughed in a daze.
Even though Xie Shuci was still in the tomb, the surrounding environment was still gloomy and terrifying, with dim candlelight, a closed passageway, cold stone walls, and ghosts not far away. But because of the little blind man, these things seemed to have become less scary.
In the past, Xie Shuci would never have believed that such magic truly existed in the world; as long as he was by Xie An's side, he would feel very safe.
That's amazing.
In such an environment, I can still laugh.
Gradually, both of them stopped smiling.
Xie An lowered his long eyelashes, the empty light in his pupils resting on Xie Shuci's face; Xie Shuci, on the other hand, raised his head slightly from his arms to look at him, his eyes glazed over.
Perhaps because they were too close, their breaths mingled, creating an ambiguous atmosphere, so they both held their breath.
The atmosphere inexplicably heated up. Xie Shuci felt the atmosphere was very strange, but her body was somewhat out of her control, and she couldn't take the initiative to distance herself from Xie An.
What's worse is that, even though the little blind man's eyes are clearly blind, he has the illusion that they are staring intently at him.
The ever-burning lamp created just the right temperature, and in the dim light, Xie An's eyes were even more alluring than the ghost Xie Shuci had encountered not long ago.
In the suffocating embrace, he felt Xie An lean down slightly.
The distance was closing extremely slowly. For some reason, perhaps out of curiosity, Xie Shuci just stared blankly at Xie An's face as it gradually approached, neither taking the initiative to get closer nor backing away.
His hands gripped Xie An's clothes tightly, and his breathing gradually became unsteady.
Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Xie An stopped approaching.
He slightly raised his long eyelashes, his teeth tingling slightly.
Desire seemed to be easily aroused by the person in front of him, something that shouldn't happen to him.
From now on, he will not only need to suppress his desire to kill.
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