Chapter 1020 Zuo Gong's Suspected Tomb is Below
Everyone crowded around, except for Wo Xue. Although she was curious, she was mindful that Shang Ruyi was still lying unconscious in bed, so she could only stand by the bed and crane her neck to look at the opposite side of the room.
Ashina Zhuxie looked down at the wooden plank, deeply embedded in the ground, with a bronze handle on it.
He had never seen this before and exclaimed, "What is this?!"
"If I'm not mistaken,"
Wang Shaoqiu slowly bent down and reached out to touch the bronze handle. He wondered how many years the wooden board and handle had been pressed under the prayer mat. The board itself looked quite new, but the handle was covered in verdigris, clearly indicating it hadn't been used much. Wang Shaoqiu gripped the handle tightly and pulled hard, but the board didn't budge.
Ashina Zhuxie said, "Let me do it."
After saying that, he reached out and grasped the bronze handle, feeling its considerable weight, clearly not the weight of the wooden plank itself. He gritted his teeth and pulled upwards with all his might—
With a muffled thud, as if some muffled thunder had exploded beneath their feet, Ashina Zhuxie took two steps back and pulled the wooden plank open. Below them lay a dark, bottomless pit. As soon as the plank was opened, a gust of wind rushed in from behind them, and even their disheveled hair, which had been messed up after a whole night's sleep, flew into the pit.
"This is--"
Although the cave was pitch black, everyone's eyes lit up.
It seems that the mystery of the mysterious disappearance of Young Master Jia is right before our eyes, but this cave is definitely more than just the mystery of his disappearance. After all, no one would dig a cave on the mountain or under their own house for no reason!
Wang Shaoqiu looked up at Ashina Zhuxie with great surprise: "Khan, that's right!"
This time, Lei Yu didn't care about anything else: "You mean—"
Wang Shaoqiu said, "The suspected tomb of Zuo Gong... there are probably clues related to it down here, or rather..."
The conversation gradually subsided, but even if he hadn't said it, everyone who saw the cave hidden under the futon had the same guess—that Zuo Gong's suspected tomb was probably under there.
And that young master Jia is probably a member of the Zuo family!
Soon, everyone was fully prepared. Because they didn't know how big the cave was, and were worried that Young Master Jia might have set a trap outside, Ashina Zhuxie only selected seven or eight strong soldiers to go down with him. Although Shang Ruyi's guards were curious, they dared not act rashly. After all, Princess Qin was poisoned and unconscious, and her life was uncertain. If they were all focused on finding the treasure underground and neglected her, they would be beheaded by the emperor when they returned.
Surprisingly, Green Silk insisted on going down with her.
Although she didn't complain at all along the way, everyone knew that she was just a delicate dancer who sold her body. So, although many people coveted her beauty, no one really took her seriously.
Unexpectedly, she insisted on going down into that hole.
Even Wo Xue couldn't help but frown and whispered, "Miss Lü Xiao, there might be something down there. If you, a woman, go down like this and encounter danger, there will be no one to protect you."
Green Silk found a rope in the house, threaded it under her armpits, and tied it around her sleeves to make it easier to move around. She said, "Thank you for your concern."
Seeing her like this, Wo Xue frowned even more.
She would absolutely not abandon the unconscious Shang Ruyi to risk her life, but after all, Lüxiao was someone Shang Ruyi had brought from the Shen family. Logically and morally, they had to be responsible for her life and safety. Besides, Shang Ruyi had repeatedly expressed her desire to find Zuo Gong's suspected tomb; simply abandoning her wouldn't be right. After thinking for a moment, Wo Xue found two skilled guards and asked if they would be willing to go down with Lüxiao to investigate.
The two guards immediately agreed.
For them, protecting such a beautiful woman was not a difficult task. Moreover, given how much the Princess of Qin valued Zuo Gong's tomb, even if they didn't get anything, at least they would have something to show for it when they returned.
So they made preparations and got ready to go down into the cave.
Although it seemed bottomless when the lid was first opened, judging from the sound of a stone being thrown in, the cave was probably only a little over ten feet deep. Shining a torch at the entrance, they could see the dark, jagged stone walls below. So they tied a rope to a tree outside and threw the other end into the cave. A daring Turkic soldier was the first to jump in.
Immediately, a cry of "Ouch!" was heard.
The person above hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
The man muttered a curse, glanced around again, and then everyone heard him gasp, saying, "This place down there... is huge. There's a path; someone must have been here before!"
Everyone understood a little better now.
So everyone jumped down one after another. The last one was Green Silk. She was not exactly weak and had experienced many life-or-death crises in her life, but this was the first time she had jumped into such a dark hole, not knowing what awaited her ahead. Her legs trembled involuntarily.
However, the thought that this place might contain the suspected tomb of Zuo Gong, or the wealth that people dream of, and the idea that she might be able to go to Luoyang with Shang Ruyi in a few days to see Xiao Yuansui whom she had not seen for a long time, made her take a deep breath and tighten her grip on the rope. Before she even jumped down, a bloody mark appeared on her palm.
They're about to say goodbye!
She couldn't bring herself to only show him her broken self. If she could find Zuo Gong's tomb, perhaps Xiao Yuansui would be happier.
With that thought in mind, Green Silk regained her courage, climbed the rope, and jumped down—
Watching her flowing robes disappear into the cave entrance, Wo Xue sighed softly. She silently sat back down on the edge of the bed and reached out to take Shang Ruyi's hand.
The moment Green Silk leaped into the cave, everything went black. An indescribable damp and cold smell, like a venomous snake, burrowed straight into her nose, almost suffocating her. Green Silk's hand gripping the rope stiffened for a moment, and she nearly fell. Fortunately, the people below caught her at the same time.
"Miss Green Silk, are you alright?"
The two guards who caught her were the ones Wo Xue had told her to do earlier. One was named Li Miao and the other Gao Chen. They were both in their early twenties, young, strong, and quick-witted. After they helped her up, they immediately let go of her hands, but they also stretched out their arms in front of her so that she could grab them and stand up.
Green Silk stumbled slightly, then felt her feet stepping onto the cold, hard, and uneven stone surface, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he looked up and gazed ahead.
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