Chapter 54 Human life is cheap, gold is refined from flesh...
The situation reversed, and the humiliation that had been inflicted on Pei Shu was returned to someone in an even more excessive manner.
You can only blame that kid for being blind; Pei Shu has always been vengeful.
"Do you want me to continue, or do you want me to reveal the entrance to the imperial tomb?"
"Let go," he said, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes red, a far cry from his arrogant demeanor when they first met.
Having vented his anger, Pei Shu found him much more agreeable and, out of compassion, let him go.
But the person in her arms was like a slippery fish, letting go and running away. But how could Pei Shu let him escape? She chased after him and pinned him hard against a tree. "If you really want me to teach you a lesson, I'll pry your mouth open myself."
Pei Shu lifted the person up, but before she could move, she was struck in the waist by a hard rock that made her spine ache.
"Who the hell attacked me?"
A figure in white robes walked out in the darkness, drawing attention. "Young General Pei, have you given up being a general and become a bandit?"
As the pain subsided, Pei Shu gritted her teeth and said, "So the Grand Preceptor had already found out about this, which saves me the trouble of searching for him."
Xiao Wenxin's words immediately changed Pei Shu's expression: "Things from the imperial tomb cannot be taken."
"Xiao Wenxin, we both serve His Majesty. Now you're saying this to claim it for yourself? Are you truly His Majesty's loyal minister or one of those treacherous lackeys in the court!"
Xiao Wenxin's expression remained unchanged. "If you could see the appearance of that corpse clearly, you would know that the things in the imperial tomb cannot be taken away."
Pei Shu clearly didn't believe it. "Are you all ganging up on me to lie? Why is this kid allowed to take it?"
"I want to see it with my own eyes."
The argument resulted in Pei Shu being taken to Black Mountain by Xiao Wenxin for personal examination.
The stone door was already ajar; the man who had barged in must have gone in and taken the golden ruyi. As he approached, Xiao Wenxin reminded him:
"Young General, don't blame me for not warning you, the things inside can come out at any time."
The gruesome death of the man running wildly in the street was still vivid in Pei Shu's mind. She couldn't help but feel nervous. She slowed her pace and breathed softly, peering through the gap, her breath almost unsteady.
The bricks are made of gold, the lamps of jade, and the magnificent interior stretches as far as the eye can see.
Chu Shu noticed a subtle movement; some gold seemed to have grown legs and was running on the ground. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the ground was covered with fine, dense black hairs and long legs.
It bumped into the gold mine with a ding, and countless dark heads popped up from it; just one look was enough to make your scalp tingle.
He noticed a black dragon coffin in the main hall, from which the insects had emerged.
"This is......"
"The black dragon brings calamity to the world."
Both of them looked at Xiao Wenxin. Cang Yu looked puzzled, but Pei Shu gasped. Although he had always disliked Xiao Wenxin's pretentious air of otherworldly wisdom, this person's star-gazing technique had never failed.
A black dragon brings calamity to the world, and humanity will never see a bright future. This is the final sign that Xiao Wenxin envisions for the precarious dynasty.
Are we really going to just give up the mountains of gold and silver that we've got in our hands so easily?
"Then what is the way to avert disaster?"
Xiao Wenxin paused, glancing at the person beside him before subtly withdrawing his gaze. "There's no way around it. The evils that have been bred over hundreds of generations in the dynasty can't be easily eradicated."
Pei Shu ignored Xiao Wenxin's attempts to keep him in suspense and spat out, "Useless, damned sorcerer, how could His Majesty trust you so much?"
His sharp gaze fell on Cang Yu. "Then how could he take out what's inside?"
Suspicion fell on him, and Cangyu had to explain: "The general cut off his own hand to lure out what's inside. Whether we can kill it or not depends on the general's skill."
Pei Shu's face was grim, and Cang Yu continued to press, "Does this mean that without this gold, the general cannot wield his sword and conquer the world?"
It was clearly a provocation, but Pei Shu was still furious. "Even without the gold mine, my Pei family army can still fight."
Sensing that his mind was wavering, Cangyu offered a timely compliment: "General, you are indeed remarkable."
The anger in my heart subsided considerably.
Pei Shu walked out without looking back, only to find that Black Mountain had been surrounded by soldiers. In the rising morning light, he saw that stern face.
"My son is indeed remarkable; he discovered the location of the imperial tomb so quickly."
"......Father?"
The newcomer looked remarkably like Pei Shu. In his thirties, he still had a handsome face, but unlike Pei Shu's youthful arrogance, his eyes and brows revealed a harshness and aloofness.
Pei Shu's heart sank. Looking at the soldiers accompanying the man, she immediately understood that his subordinates had already informed her father.
The boy behind him sneered, "So the young general had a backup plan. People really are willing to risk their lives for money. If you die here in the future, you can be buried with the old emperor."
In a short time, the suspension ladder leading to the top of the cliff was completed. Pei Yuan was overjoyed and waved his hand, shouting, "Move it quickly!"
Pei Shu stopped him, saying, "Father, it's full of man-eating monsters. No matter how much treasure there is in the imperial tomb, it's not as important as life."
Pei Yuan's smile faded, and he ordered someone to investigate, which proved to be true.
“Father, now you should believe me—”
Pei Yuan interrupted him, his eyes sharp as he looked at the people present, "Someone in Yu'an has moved the things inside, who is it?"
His gaze fell on the boy with a completely different style, and Cang Yu instantly felt as if he were being stared at by something cold and sinister, and a chill ran down his spine.
"solution?"
Even the tone of inquiry was arrogant, leaving no room for discussion, more like an interrogation.
"Inside lies the Black Dragon's calamity; whoever touches it will have to pay with their life."
Xiao Wenxin's indifferent voice made Pei Yuan grit his teeth, and he instantly drew his sword from his waist, "Then I will slay this black dragon."
A chilling glint flashed past Xiao Wenxin and landed on Cang Yu's neck, his indifference showing he didn't take the two of them seriously at all.
Zang Yu said coldly, "This thing is made of gold and eats human flesh and blood. Anyone who is sincere enough to exchange their flesh for gold can obtain it."
After a few moments of silence, Pei Yuan put down his knife, a sarcastic smile playing on his thin lips. "No wonder they say there's an immortal in Yu'an who exchanges his flesh for gold to help the people. You're truly great."
Pei Yuan burst into laughter, as if amused by his words, "There are actually freakish idiots like you in the world, you are simply too stupid to be true."
He said to the soldier next to him, "See those gold bricks inside? Whoever can take them out gets the gold brick worth ten thousand taels!"
Although the insects inside were frightening, they were just small insects after all. He didn't believe that they couldn't be crushed by foot or cut by knife.
Soldiers spend their entire lives as foot soldiers on the battlefield. Some die quietly, while others are lucky enough to survive to the end. They may never be promoted or receive a fortune of tens of thousands of taels of gold that they could never spend in several lifetimes.
Now that the general has made a promise, some people are already eager to act.
They pried open the narrow door crack and went in one by one. They used a knife to pry up the gold bricks neatly stacked on the ground. In the end, they didn't even need the knife anymore. They took a few bricks in each hand and held them tightly until their faces turned red.
Their movements weren't very forceful, and they didn't make much noise, so the insects didn't react at all.
With their backs bent and bodies hunched, they walked to the door, overjoyed. "General, are these gold bricks ours now?"
Unbeknownst to them, something black emerged from inside the gold brick and whooshed into their mouths. The gold brick crashed to the ground with a thud, and the men clutched their mouths in pain, vomiting a mouthful of blood.
Those outside the door were startled and took a few steps back, while those inside struggled to get out, crying out, "General, save me!"
Pei Yuan's face darkened, and he immediately shouted, "Shoot the arrows!"
Several people were shot to death by a hail of arrows before they could climb out. In a short time, their sturdy bodies withered away, leaving only skin hanging on their skeletons. But the creatures were clearly very satisfied, biting through the skin on their faces to peek out and stare menacingly at the people outside.
Pei Yuan grabbed Cang Yu by the collar and choked him, saying, "Tell the truth or I'll feed you to them first if this thing comes out."
"Burn it with fire."
The soldier quickly threw the oil torch in, and after a strange hiss, the insects burned to black ash. Seeing this, all the restless insects inside burrowed into the gold mine.
Pei Yuan then released his grip and ordered his men to remove the gold bricks from the corpse. Sure enough, nothing else happened.
Several wormholes were hidden on those shiny and beautiful gold bricks, and it was unknown how much gold was still hidden inside.
Pei Shu knew his father was a strict man, but this was the first time he had seen his father be so decisive and ruthless towards his subordinates.
After much hesitation, he pleaded, "Father, please give up. Do you really want to exchange human lives for this gold?"
"Why not?"
A terrifying silence fell over the area. Cang Yu felt a chill emanating from within, a chill that lingered and hovered overhead, looking down upon everyone.
Pei Yuan: "The one thing we have no shortage of these days is human lives. Pei Shu, how come you can't even think of that?"
That hand gently rested on Pei Shu's shoulder, like a kind father instructing a child, but Pei Shu felt as if she couldn't breathe under its weight. "Father, what do you want to do?"
Pei Yuan didn't answer him, but withdrew his hand. "You'll understand when you're in my position. In chaotic times, being soft-hearted is a disease."
*
After several days of sunny skies, Yu'an was suddenly shrouded in gloom. The downpour abruptly stopped, and thunderclaps overhead sent shivers down everyone's spines.
A group of soldiers appeared out of nowhere and surrounded Yu'an, setting up sentry posts all around to completely block the area.
A gloom settled over everyone's hearts, even the lively atmosphere faded, and the usual sarcasm and banter became taboo, for fear of accidentally offending some important person.
With the torrential rain continuing, no one wants to go out.
Even behind closed doors, I feel uneasy.
A silly boy from Yu'an has gone missing. He hasn't returned home for several days. I wonder if he was trapped by the torrential rain and forgot the way home.
On the street, there was an old man with an umbrella and a cane, carrying a cloth bag on his back containing a small white fox, which was peeking out and looking around.
The old man went from house to house asking, "Have you seen my son?"
The tightly closed doors opened one by one, and everyone shook their heads. The old man sighed, tears welling in his eyes, and murmured, "That kid must have run off somewhere wild."
Qiu Niangzi braved the rain, holding an umbrella, and whispered, "That boy hasn't gone home yet?"
A light appeared in the old man's cloudy eyes. "Miss Qiu, you've met my son before."
Qiu Niangzi lowered her voice: "A few nights ago, a man who came out of the Black Mountain was eaten by insects. After Cang Yu and I disposed of the body, we went home separately. Could it be that this kid went to the Black Mountain?"
"Did these soldiers suddenly appear because they discovered the treasure in Black Mountain?"
Both of them turned pale and hurriedly headed towards Black Mountain, but their path was blocked at the foot of the mountain, and no one was allowed to enter Black Mountain anymore.
The little fox in the bag twitched its nose and jumped out to sniff the ground.
"Xiao Bai, can you smell that kid's scent?"
The little fox cried anxiously and rushed in through the heavy rain. It was so small and inconspicuous that even if someone saw it, they wouldn't pay any attention to a beast.
Inside the tent, Cang Yu was restless, with Pei Shu sitting beside him carrying a pot of wine. But the smiling eyes before him were now devoid of any warmth.
All that remains is alienation and defensiveness.
"Whose life are you planning to sacrifice?"
Pei Shu couldn't utter a single word. He had also been isolated for the past few days, forbidden from participating in the excavation of the imperial tombs. His father was treating him like a thief.
He tossed Zang Yu a soldier's uniform, then took off his own clothes and changed aside. "If you want to go see, come along yourself."
The further they went in, the tighter the security became. The two managed to enter undetected in the rain. Several soldiers carefully pushed a wooden cart down from above, but because of the heavy rain and slippery ground, the cart overturned, and the burlap covering it fell off, spilling glittering gold all over the ground.
Upon seeing this, the guards angrily shouted, "You can't even do this little thing right? Do you want to die? Pick up all the gold!"
There were no insects in this gold; it had been refined to perfection.
Neither of them looked well, and they continued deeper into the Black Mountain.
The heavy rain finally stopped, and from afar, wisps of black smoke could be seen rising into the sky, along with strange roars.
An iron chain bridge has been built to lead to a cave on the cliff, and a huge furnace has been built below the cliff. People covered in iron armor push carts and pour gold into the furnace.
Immediately afterward, soldiers on the other side brought up prisoners. The bound man looked in horror at the still-burnt skeletons inside and refused to move forward. The soldiers cut a gash in his body with a knife and pushed him into the furnace.
Blood seeped into the gold, and creatures that smelled it crawled out from inside, burrowing into the prisoner's flesh through the wounds and feasting on it.
When they had observed that it was about right, the guards ordered the oil to be added. After a strange hissing sound, wisps of black smoke rose again.
The enormous furnace was engulfed in flames, and a small opening in its base allowed smooth, clean gold to pour out along with the grayish-white ashes, which was then pulled away by a wooden cart.
That indifferent voice floated overhead again.
"What we have no shortage of now is human life."
But when money is scarce, everyone desires this inexhaustible wealth.
Atop the iron chain bridge stood a figure looking down, indifferently observing everything, only a smile appearing on his face when he gazed at the piles of gold.
The man beside him bowed his head and said, "General, we don't have enough men."
Pei Yuan glanced sideways at him, "Go catch it. Do I need to tell you that?"
Someone rushed onto the iron chain bridge, emanating a chilling aura. Just as Pei Yuan's men were about to draw their swords, they saw the man raise his face. "Young General?"
"Father, we're not fighting to protect our country and people. What are you doing now?"
"These are prisoners of war and rebels. In ancient times, when an emperor was angry, millions of people died. What do you think these people are? Whether it is me or those people in the court standing here today, as long as they seize the opportunity, they will try every means to do it."
"Their worthless lives are not worth ten taels of silver, but they can be exchanged for ten thousand taels of gold."
Pei Shu roared, "But Xiao Wenxin has already received His Majesty's reply, and His Majesty forbids him from taking any more treasures from the imperial tombs."
He was slapped away by Pei Yuan, who said, "Fool, the Pei family has soldiers and wealth that rivals that of a country. Who wouldn't be at our beck and call? Why should we support a puppet emperor?"
"They're just puppets being manipulated, what are they trying to learn about benevolent rule? The emperors of the Wen family have absorbed so much wealth from the world, they'll take it all to their graves after they die. Now, treacherous officials are holding the emperor hostage and controlling the government, they've brought chaos upon the world on their own."
"If a good-for-nothing can sit on the throne, why can't my Pei family?"
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