Chapter 52 Yunling Tomb: Book
Because there is a difference between poison and humans.
Xiao Fangliang was closest to the wisteria vine's mouth. He pushed aside the vine and peeked out, his face changing drastically: "Oh no! It's on fire!"
The withered branches in the cliff crevice had been ignited at some point, and flames spread along the branches from the crack into the cave.
Although there is no exit here, it is an open area surrounded by mountains. As long as the grass and vines at the cave entrance are cut off, the fire will not be able to get in.
Then why did they set this fire?
Tang Yu felt a chill run down her spine, realizing something was wrong. Before she could explain, she rushed into the cave.
The original entrance crevice has been completely engulfed by flames, and from there, the flames are licking and spreading across the surrounding rock walls, leaving behind rings of charred soot.
The temperature inside the cave rose rapidly, but fortunately there were still cracks in the ceiling that allowed air to enter and exit, which allowed Tang Yu to stay there.
"Xiaoyu, come in quickly!" Tang Yiqing shouted anxiously at the cave entrance.
"Wait a little longer." She gritted her teeth, enduring the intense heat, and ignoring the flames that were almost burning her, starting with the rock wall where the fire was most severe.
No one knew what she was looking for, not even herself.
After quickly inspecting the rock face, Tang Yu began to sweat profusely, and her skin started to ache slightly from the burning flames.
She even began to doubt that she was wrong, but forced herself to calm down and think it over.
The flames grew stronger, the black smoke billowed, and the sight of the raging flames was like a hellish scene that seemed to burn to the heavens.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She looked up sharply at the cave ceiling, which was shrouded in black smoke, and then immediately looked down to begin searching the ground.
Sweat dripped from his forehead down his eyelashes to the ground, leaving dark watermarks that were quickly evaporated.
In the firelight, a dent that was originally inconspicuous became unusually conspicuous.
Tang Yu was overjoyed. Ignoring the fact that she was almost touching the flames, she took out the small knife from her waist and began to pry. It took a lot of effort to pry open a small opening, but immediately, regardless of how hot the floor tiles were, she gritted her teeth and lifted the stone slab—
There was a book hidden inside.
The heat was suffocating her, and her hair was singed by the fire, emitting a burnt smell. She didn't bother to read what was written inside; she grabbed it and hurriedly ran back.
Upon seeing her enter, Tang Yiqing quickly cut down the remaining branches and vines at the cave entrance, then instructed Wang Shanyue to throw several Gu corpses at the entrance. This served two purposes: firstly, to prevent the fire from spreading, and secondly, to contain the black smoke and heat within the cave.
It's cruel to admit, but they've long since stopped treating these Gu people as human beings.
With the crisis averted, everyone crowded around: "What did you find?"
Ignoring her injuries, Tang Yu took out the book, quickly flipped through a few pages, and felt a growing chill in her heart.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her burned cheek, and Tang Yu cried out in pain, "Hiss—!"
She looked up angrily, wanting to glare at him, but found that it was Xie Xingzheng who reached out to touch her.
He withdrew his hand somewhat awkwardly, stood there blankly, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something.
Seeing his expression, Tang Yu's anger immediately dissipated.
"I..." Xie Xingzheng had barely uttered a word when she interrupted him.
"Want to see if I'm injured?" Tang Yu smiled slightly, but her tone was aggrieved: "It hurts even with the slightest touch. I guess I'm definitely disfigured this time."
At this moment, the others forgot their curiosity about the book's contents and simply watched the two with amusement. But they also forgot that there was Wang Shanyue, who was oblivious to the atmosphere, present.
He stepped forward, patted Tang Yu on the shoulder, and earnestly reassured her, "Don't worry, it's just a little red, it's not disfigured at all!"
Tang Yu: "..."
I really want to sew his mouth shut.
Wang Shanyue continued to lean closer and asked, "Hey, what's written in that booklet? You flipped through it too fast, I didn't see it clearly."
Tang Yu, feeling utterly helpless, put away her original joking tone and turned to a page in the book.
She pointed to a field and explained, “Look here. ‘Using people as funerary objects, feeding on flesh and blood, the Gu makes them move like living people, feeling no pain, as if they have seen ghosts or encountered gods.’ This describes the method of making Gu people.”
Wang Shanyue clapped his hands suddenly, first realizing what was happening, then frowning in confusion: "But didn't you say that the person who controlled the Gu worms left long ago? Why didn't they take this with them?"
“There are many possibilities.” Tang Yu looked up at the skeletons in the cave, her expression slightly cold.
"From these bones that were not buried and disposed of in time, it is clear that they left in a great hurry. Perhaps, after obtaining the contents hidden in the grave, they were in a rush to withdraw from Shu to claim credit and forgot to take them with them. Or perhaps, they had other plans in Shu and still needed to leave this book behind to continue refining Gu people."
She withdrew her gaze, her voice low: "In short, whatever the reason, we discovered this place too early, and the people left behind couldn't deal with us, so in their panic they had no choice but to set it on fire in an attempt to destroy it."
After saying that, Tang Yu continued to turn to the next page, but suddenly noticed that half a piece of paper had slipped out from between the pages. She took it out and unfolded it, only to see that the string of characters on it looked like scribbles, definitely not the Great Xia script.
Tang Yiqing glanced at it and guessed, "This looks like script from the Southern Frontier. We can take it back to Doctor Si and she might be able to understand it."
Tang Yu frowned slightly: "How can she even understand the script of Southern Xinjiang?"
Tang Yiqing noticed the slight change in her expression and knew that she was suspicious again, so she chuckled and shook her head: "You really shouldn't overthink it."
Now that they are temporarily trapped here and can only leave after the fire has completely burned out, Tang Yiqing simply started talking about Si Huo.
"Years ago, in search of the Blood Hibiscus, she went to Nanyue alone and ventured into a sacred place that had been abandoned for many years due to war and was full of poisonous creatures. She almost died inside."
"...Holy Land?" Tang Yu murmured, her brows furrowing slightly. A vague thought flashed through her mind, but she couldn't recall the name for a moment.
Xie Xingzheng spoke up for her: "Is it the Myriad Gu Blood Pool?"
“Exactly.” Tang Yiqing nodded and sighed, “In fact, since the fall of Nan Yue, the Blood Hibiscus that lived by the Blood Pool has long been missing. Even Si Huo couldn’t be sure if she could find it. But… those who are infatuated suffer in this world, and she still took the gamble.”
Tang Yu pondered, "Is the blood hibiscus she found the same one that was presented as a tribute from the Southern Frontier?"
She recalled that Si Huo seemed to have made the same guess.
“It’s probably true.” Tang Yiqing smiled. “Back then, in preparation for entering the Holy Land, she made a deal with the remnants of Nan Yue. The Nan Yue people told her information about the Holy Land and Gu techniques, and the price was that if she could come out alive, apart from a blood hibiscus petal, everything else she obtained had to be returned to Nan Yue.”
"These Southern Moon people are really stingy," Wang Shanyue couldn't help but mutter.
Tang Yu smiled gently. At this moment, her doubts about Si Huo finally dissipated completely.
She thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask another question: "Has she ever met... Yue Qimeng?"
"Yue Qimeng?" Tang Yiqing was slightly taken aback, as if she were hearing the name for the first time. She shook her head. "I've never heard her mention this person. If you're curious, you can ask her yourself when you return to the Tang Clan."
Tang Yu nodded in agreement and did not ask any further questions.
She closed the book and put it away, pulling her thoughts back to the present: "Sister Yiqing, let's pick out some poisonous bones to take back. Let's skip the small ones; they're probably from moles or similar creatures they use to dig holes, so they're not worth studying."
"good."
Tang Yiqing had just agreed and hadn't even taken a step when Wang Shanyue immediately volunteered, "I'll do it! I'll do it!"
He was all smiles and quickly stepped forward to take on the arduous task. Everyone else was happy to have some free time and found a clean spot to rest.
Half an incense stick later, the fire outside finally died down. The group worked together to move the charred corpse aside. Inside the cave, there were black soot marks everywhere, and a pungent smell of burning filled the air.
They finally managed to squeeze out of the narrow gap, and they were all covered in dust and dirt.
Xiao Fangliang, who was always particular about his appearance, was the first to not be able to stand it. He immediately asked Wang Shanyue to give him all the water he was carrying so that he could wash himself easily.
Tang Yu didn't seem to care, casually brushing the charcoal ash off her clothes. But she happened to catch a glimpse of ash on Xie Xingzheng's face as well.
He immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "Lower your head."
Xie Xingzheng was slightly taken aback. Although he didn't know what she was going to do, he had no way to refuse, so he could only obediently bow down.
Tang Yu raised her sleeve, found a relatively clean cloth, and gently wiped the dust off his face.
Xie Xingzheng froze slightly, only straightening up silently after she withdrew her hand. He appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was in a complete panic.
The area on his face where she had wiped his face was a little itchy. He didn't dare to raise his hand to touch it, so he could only bear it, but no matter what he did, he couldn't help but notice her.
Tang Yu stood to the side watching, smiling broadly.
*
Upon returning to the Tang Clan, Tang Yu went straight to Si Huo without even changing her clothes.
After reading the note, Si Huo said nothing, but instead poured her a cup of tea.
Tang Yu didn't hesitate and sat down with her. "Tell me, what does it say?"
"I'll write that I want to kill you," Si Huo said calmly, setting down his cup.
"Kill me?" Tang Yu was somewhat surprised, stroking the porcelain cup, but he hesitated to raise it to taste it.
“Or rather, kill ‘Moon Dream’.” Si Huo stared at her intently, a hint of bitterness in his expression.
Tang Yu paused, her heart sinking slightly, and tentatively asked, "You mean... I am 'Yue Qimeng'?"
Si Huo looked at her, smiled, and sighed, "There's nothing strange about it. These people of Nan Yue are constantly trying to create the formula for 'Moon Dream,' which is the one I brought out from the Ten Thousand Gu Blood Pool."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yu was even more shocked, but she also suddenly realized where the bitterness in her eyes had come from.
Si Huo looked at the tea in his hand with a melancholy expression: "My act of saving one person back then has now become the cause of the Nan Yue rebels' resurgence. I feel very guilty about it."
Tang Yu said calmly, "If we could understand the cause and effect of everything in the world, wouldn't we all have to be cautious in our actions? Clinging to the idea of having no regrets would only cause us to lose sight of our original intentions?"
Si Huo's heart stirred, and he said in a low voice, "You really are like the Tang family, never considering the consequences of your actions."
"I am a member of the Tang family," Tang Yu said earnestly.
Si Huo paused, a hint of panic flashing across his face as if he had said the wrong thing. He was about to apologize, "I didn't..."
Tang Yu laughed out loud, interrupting her: "Little Divine Doctor Si, look, you've fallen into the trap of self-justification again."
She raised her cup and took a sip of weak tea, a nonchalant smile playing on her lips: "I don't deny that I'm from Southern Xinjiang, or even... the 'Moon Dream' they talk about. But I'm also a member of the Tang family, I'm Tang Yu. Both are facts."
“But,” she paused, her gaze shifting slightly, “I’m curious, why are you so certain that I am ‘Moon Dream’?”
This matter was clearly just a guess even she herself was making, and even the people of Southern Xinjiang had to test her repeatedly.
Si Huo remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Because there is a difference between Gu and humans."
Tang Yu stopped fiddling with the porcelain cup in her hand.
Being called a Gu (a type of poison) instead of a human being, at that moment, I couldn't quite describe the feeling in my heart.
[Author's Note]
Tang Yu: I always manage to get a good deal!
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