Goddess in the tomb
Yan Dan jumped in surprise and quickly got up, taking five steps back: "Oh, it's you..."
The candles were lit again. Tang Zhou slowly sat up and looked at her: "Come here."
Yan Dan shook her head pitifully: "Don't be angry, I really didn't mean to use you as a cushion. I can swear to God, I can even swear a solemn oath."
Tang Zhou still looked at her and said, "Come here."
"I was wrong, I was wrong, it's all my fault, please don't lock me in the magic artifact..."
Tang Zhou sighed and said weakly, "When you bumped into me just now, you hit my acupoint. I can't stand up. Come and help me."
Yan Dan felt relieved immediately: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Tang Zhou's tone was unfriendly: "Who taught you to be so clever? On your back... two inches up, a little to the right, just tap it a few times with force." Yan Dan did as he said without fail, and then obediently stood aside.
Tang Zhou stood up and dusted himself off: "If you keep doing this, I won't put you into the magic artifact."
Yan Dan couldn't help but ask, "So when do you plan to release me?"
Before he could answer, he heard Ling Xuzi's voice coming from the entrance of the passageway: "Nephew Tang, are you alright?"
Tang Zhou walked over and called out, "There's another tomb chamber down there. The stone passage is very slippery, so be careful when you come down."
Yan Dan was annoyed at being interrupted, wishing the old Taoist priest inside would be thrown around in a daze. She had no choice but to ask again, "When will you let me go?"
Tang Zhou said calmly, "I have already done more than enough."
His meaning was clear. Although he wouldn't take her into his magic artifact, it didn't mean he could let her go. If things went wrong, she might be refined into a pill as soon as she left Qing Shi Town.
Yan Dan could only continue to comfort herself, believing that as long as there was still time, she still had a chance to escape.
In just a short while, Ling Xuzi had slid down the passageway. Next to him were Zhai Shang and Wu Laosan.
Zhai Shang's face was grim: "This stone path is so slippery, I'm afraid it won't be easy to climb up."
Ling Xuzi said, "The mechanisms in this tomb are so ingenious, there must be another way out."
There were eight of them when they came in, but in the blink of an eye, only five remained.
Ling Xuzi said solemnly, "There are many traps in this tomb, and there are also enemies spying in the dark. We must work together and never kill each other again, otherwise none of us will be able to return."
Zhai Shang immediately replied, "That is indeed the case."
The group pushed open the stone door of the tomb chamber, and behind the door was another identical tomb chamber.
In the center of the tomb chamber lay a coffin. The coffin lid had been moved to the ground, and inside the coffin were two hands raised straight up, as if supporting something.
Wu Laosan took a step back, his teeth chattering: "A zombie! That's a zombie!"
Ling Xuzi took a step forward and breathed a sigh of relief: "It's not a zombie, it's just the Empress's corpse."
"Then why is her hand still raised?!"
Tang Zhou placed the candle at his feet and whispered, "She was stuffed into the coffin while she was still alive. She must have struggled desperately to open the coffin before she died."
Zhai Shang walked up to the coffin, his eyes lighting up: "There are burial treasures!"
Upon hearing of the treasure, Wu Laosan immediately rushed forward, reached inside, grabbed a handful, and examined it closely under the candlelight. In his hand lay a handful of Eastern pearls, gleaming faintly, each about the size of a thumb. His fingers trembled as he picked up one. Suddenly, the pearl shattered, spurting out a stream of black, poisonous liquid that sprayed directly onto his face. He rolled twice on the ground, clutching his face, and immediately went still.
Tang Zhou drew his sword and held it against Zhai Shang's neck, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Who are you?"
Ling Xuzi was taken aback: "Nephew Tang, what are you doing?!"
“He is no longer Zhai Shang.” Tang Zhou looked at the other person’s hands. The fingers were long and slender, the fingertips were supple, and there were no calluses or old scars on the hands. A person who has practiced martial arts for many years would not have such delicate hands.
The man chuckled softly, his voice low and soothing: "Those who disturb my tomb will be punished. Do you still wish to go in?" The candlelight in the tomb chamber suddenly went out, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness once more. Tang Zhou slashed his longsword, concealing his weaknesses, and then flicked a tinderbox to relight the flame.
The instant the tinder lit, the sudden light was so bright it blinded her. Yan Dan felt someone brush past her, flicking their finger, and a faint white light rippled between them. She heard the person say, "So we're the same after all..." and then vanish in an instant.
Yan Dan pondered the phrase "So we're the same after all," lost in thought.
They eventually found Zhai Shang's body behind the stone door of the tomb. He still had a small wound between his eyebrows, and his face was calm, as if he was not in any pain.
Tang Zhou watched silently for a while, when suddenly he heard Ling Xuzi beside him burst into a wail. Then, the wail turned into laughter, and he was there crying and laughing at the same time, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
Yan Dan whispered, "He's gone mad with fright."
The reason why Ling Xuzi's junior brother went insane in this cemetery is probably because he experienced something similar to what they went through.
It's a feeling of despair.
With such a formidable adversary lurking in the shadows, who knows when he might turn into an ally? And with all sorts of insidious traps lurking in the graveyard, the only feeling left is despair.
Tang Zhou turned to look at her: "Are you scared?"
Yan Dan smiled slightly: "I know what that person really is now. He is neither a mortal nor a demon, nor a monster; he exists outside the Three Realms, he is nothing. He won't really kill us, he's just testing us."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure suddenly flashed into the tomb. The man was tall and straight, with hair as black as jade, and possessed an elegant and refined air. However, his face was extremely ugly. Yet, as he spoke, one could forget his appearance and only remember his magnificent demeanor: "I certainly will not make a move. If you two live long enough, we shall meet again in the future."
After he finished speaking, his figure vanished through the stone gate like a wisp of smoke. Tang Zhou immediately gave chase, but in a short while, not even a glimpse of the man's clothes could be seen.
Tang Zhou couldn't help but ask, "How do you know he doesn't mean us any harm?"
Yan Dan looked at him: "If he wants to make a move, he'll have plenty of opportunities. But to say he has no ill intentions is not necessarily true. Have you ever heard of the Lord of Shenxiao Palace? That's him." She paused, then continued: "That person's actions are always ambiguous, sometimes ruthless, sometimes kind-hearted, entirely based on his own whims. If he's not in a particularly bad mood today, then he has other schemes, which is unknown."
Tang Zhou smiled wryly: "There are still such people in this world." He remembered that Ling Xuzi was still in the tomb chamber behind and was about to turn back to look for him when he suddenly heard Yan Dan say: "Why don't we find the exit first? Bringing a madman along will only get in the way."
Tang Zhou nodded: "That's the only way."
The two walked side by side deeper and deeper into the cemetery, soon reaching its end. At the end of the cemetery stood a stone door.
Tang Zhou raised his hand and pressed it on the stone door. Before he could exert any force, the stone door suddenly spun open, pushing the two of them inside, and then creaked shut again.
What lay before them was no longer a tomb, but rather as magnificent as a royal palace.
The floor was paved with azure blue glazed tiles, and the walls were inlaid with luminous pearls the size of longan fruits. The eerie luster of the pearls and the glazed tiles complemented each other, creating a scene of opulent luxury, yet also a sinister atmosphere.
Yan Dan pointed ahead: "There seems to be another door over there."
Tang Zhou gave a soft "hmm," raised his hand to grasp the hilt of his sword, and walked forward slowly with steady steps. He suddenly stopped and stared at the doorway: "Someone's there."
Upon hearing this, Yan Dan immediately walked over and exclaimed in surprise, "There really is someone there."
In the shadows by the door, a woman in purple sat leaning against the wall, her face deathly pale, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. Hearing the noise, the woman slowly opened her eyes, her watery gaze fixed on the two strangers standing before her.
How could this woman be alone in a cemetery?
Yan Dan took a step back, smiled slightly, and asked, "Miss, what brings you here?"
The woman in purple looked at them without moving; her lips moved slightly, but no sound came out.
Yan Dan could read lips: "Were you brought here by someone? You can't speak, are you mute?"
The woman in purple nodded, then shook her head.
Yan Dan asked curiously, "You're not mute, so why can't you speak?"
Tang Zhou glanced at her sideways: "She's been silenced."
Yan Dan stepped aside, saying, "Master didn't teach me this subject, but you, Senior Brother, are very knowledgeable, so you must know it." Tang Zhou pushed her forward without any politeness, saying, "Do as I say."
Yan Dan found it even stranger: "Why?"
Tang Zhou asked coldly, "Are you going to do it or not?"
The east wind can't suppress the west wind, but the west wind can overpower the east wind. Yan Dan had no choice but to step forward and listen to her senior brother Tang Zhou's orders: "Three inches up from the waist, if that's too much, go down, to the right... you're going to the left..." Yan Dan turned the woman over and over, finally managing to circulate her blood. The woman in purple blushed, her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Yan Dan smiled slightly, "Don't be shy." She always acted this way; if it were Tang Zhou, the girl would probably have committed suicide on the spot to preserve her chastity.
The woman in purple stood up, her steps still a little unsteady. She curtsied and said, "Thank you for saving me, young master and young lady. May I ask your names?" She raised her eyes, glanced at Tang Zhou, and blushed again.
Tang Zhou, contrary to his usual demeanor, replied politely, "My surname is Tang, Tang Zhou, and my courtesy name is Shensi. May I ask your name, young lady?"
The woman in purple blushed slightly and said softly, "My surname is Tao, and my given name is Ziqi."
Yan Dan thought for a moment and vaguely remembered that one of the Nine Luminaries was called Zi Qi. This Miss Tao's parents were really strange, to have given her such a name.
Miss Tao and Tang Zhou walked ahead, exchanging a few words every now and then. Yan Dan, being sensible, walked five steps behind, silently praying, "Heaven help me, please let Master Tang find my presence annoying and banish me immediately, then I can regain my freedom. Please, please help me." But after praying for a while, she only heard Tang Zhou turn around and say, "What are you dawdling about for?"
How dare he complain that she was dawdling? She'd already been so sensible. Yan Dan smiled slightly, her face innocent and her voice gentle: "Senior brother, I've been walking for too long, my feet hurt."
Tang Zhou looked at her, his tone cold: "Junior sister, you're being naughty again." Then he turned to Miss Tao and said: "My junior sister is very strong, she can even kill a tiger. If you're tired, just say so, we'll rest before we go."
Yan Danrou smiled gently, her bright eyes and white teeth revealing her beauty: "Senior brother, look at what you're saying, really." She turned away, gritting her teeth. This scoundrel, how dare he say such a thing about her! Even the most forthright woman wouldn't be happy to be described as "strong enough to kill a tiger," right? Such blatant discrimination was unnecessary!
She pouted, angry but unable to speak, and could only turn her face away to glare at the wall of the corridor. Miss Tao was recounting how she was abducted; a man of extremely ugly appearance but refined bearing had brought her here. Yan Dan thought, it was probably the Palace Master of Shenxiao Palace. Just then, she wasn't paying attention and tripped over something, falling heavily with a thud. To make matters worse, Tang Zhou took a step forward, increasing the distance between them to more than five steps, causing her to be dragged forward a step by an invisible force.
Hearing the noise, Tang Zhou strode over, his long eyebrows slightly furrowed: "What are you doing? You can't even walk properly without tripping?"
Yan Dan groped around on the ground for a while, and seemed to find something round, so she picked it up: "I tripped over this thing."
Upon seeing the object in her hand, Miss Tao immediately screamed and staggered backward. Yan Dan also realized that what she was holding was a skull.
As Miss Tao stepped back, she tripped and fell, touching a long rib. Her face turned deathly pale, and she was too frightened to even scream. Tang Zhou went over to help her up, but Yan Dan was immediately dragged several steps further, as if she were being torn apart by chariots. She angrily said, "Tang Zhou, you bastard! Stop right now!"
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