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墨書 Inktalez
In the stone chamber, candles flickered, their holders made from some unknown bones, taking on a bizarre shape. Wax dripped down, pooling on the pale bone fragments, creating a chilling scene.
After Ren Pingsheng left, I sat down on the simple couch in the room. Looking around, I noticed the place was quite rudimentary, furnished with a bed, a table, a stool, and a cabinet. The bed was covered with very plain cotton and linen bedding, while the table held the Four Treasures of the Study. A few books lay on the desk, bound in traditional style with vertical printing, and beneath them was a delicate set of scalpels.
I flipped through the books on the desk and found they were medical texts. Pressed underneath was an entire set of "Mo Jing." I gasped; this was a genuine ancient scientific work encompassing mechanics, acoustics, optics, algebra, and geometry. The owner of this room must be a dedicated scholar. In fact, upon entering, my first instinct told me this was likely Ren Pingsheng's temporary quarters.
If what he said was true and there were numerous traps outside, then this was certainly not an ordinary cave; it had to be meticulously designed. This had to be an important secret point of the Mirror Gate. Although the room was simple, Ren Pingsheng must have stayed here for some time; otherwise, who would leave so many books in a guest room?
Having gone through so much, I felt extremely tired and my mind was in chaos, so I simply lay down on the bed. It was quite hard and uncomfortable; I wondered how I could manage to sleep until dawn. That damned Ren Pingsheng really had tough skin and thick flesh.
I lay straight on my back, staring at the wooden beam above me (which was actually the uneven ceiling of the cave), quietly resting and gathering my strength. I would not sit idly by here waiting for death. From what I understood about the people of Mirror Gate, they were all beasts; otherwise, my idol wouldn't have fought so hard to escape. Ren Pingsheng was unpredictable; just because he hadn't killed me yet didn't mean he wouldn't decide to do so later. If I encountered someone else, I'd be even more doomed.
Rather than that, it would be quicker to die under a trap. Besides, it wasn't certain that death awaited me; after all, protagonists in these stories never died from traps!
I began recalling the main types of ancient traps used in martial arts tales. Sighing, I realized that modern research had long covered ancient traps; there were detailed illustrations in books I'd seen at the library. At that time, I had looked down on such texts! Back then, I thought I was pursuing handsome men rather than tomb raiding—what use did I have for this knowledge?
Ah, it turns out that "you only regret not studying enough when you need it" truly applies here.
After racking my brain for ancient traps I could remember, all I could come up with were Sequential Flip Boards, iron chains dropping stones, crossbows shooting wildly, and walls closing in from limited angles.
In general, control mechanisms for these traps usually weren't located on the ground but rather on the walls. As long as one walked carefully and didn’t reach out recklessly with their hands while moving through here, there was still a good chance of escaping alive.
I lay there for quite some time until I felt rested enough and my mood had calmed down considerably. Taking a deep breath, I sprang off the bed like a fish leaping from water.
First, I picked up the scalpel from the table and cut a piece of black fabric from Ren Pingsheng's cloak to make a headscarf. Ye Liuhui had long hair; adhering to the ancient rule that "hair is a gift from one's parents," I had never cut mine before and now it was quite bothersome. Thus, using modern techniques, I gathered my long hair into a large bun at the back of my head and wrapped it all up with the cloak's fabric.
I then put the mask on my face. I believed I must look quite ugly right now, but in a life-or-death situation, beauty and ugliness were trivial matters!
I opened Ren Pingsheng's cabinet and carefully examined its contents. To my surprise, I found two very useful items inside.
One was a map—a topographic map of this cave, along with a location map showing where this cave was situated in the mountains outside Luoyang. Although the map did not indicate the distribution of traps, it did show where the exit was, making it a lifesaver. The other item was oddly shaped; I believed that most people wouldn’t know what it was if they found it. However, with my modern scientific knowledge, I fiddled with it for a moment and was delighted to discover that it was actually a compass.
If I remembered correctly, the directional tool at this time should be a Compass, the large magnetic disk-like spoon from history textbooks. But what I found was remarkably small—only the size of a watch face—and it indicated direction with a needle. If this was indeed made by Ren Pingsheng, then he was truly terrifying; everything he created was revolutionary.
I studied the map carefully; this was my strong suit. Not only was I good at reading maps, but I also excelled at drawing them, and my sense of direction was exceptional. Soon enough, I had identified the quickest route from this stone chamber to the exit.
Unfortunately, the quickest route might not be the safest.
After unlocking the mechanism of the stone chamber, I indeed exited without any obstacles. I didn’t see Ren Pingsheng or anyone else, which made me feel even more uneasy in my heart.
Sure enough, after walking less than a meter, the ground beneath me suddenly gave way with a "crack."
I broke into a sweat. The trap that appeared before me revealed that beneath the loose soil was a wooden board that opened downward in layers, leading to a massive pit filled with sharp blades. This blood-soaked trap was clearly one of those commonly seen in television dramas—a Sequential Flip Board.
If I fell in, I would undoubtedly be pierced like a hedgehog. Such traps were usually triggered by stepping on them. But I hadn’t stepped on anything!
Fortunately, my reflexes were excellent. The moment the trap activated, I sensed something was off and immediately performed a backward leap, rolling clumsily on the ground just in time to avoid it. The sharp blades in the pit glinted ominously in the light of my torch, sending chills down my spine.
After bypassing the trap, I moved forward cautiously and barely managed to dodge falling iron chains and stones from above. If events followed the typical dramatic script, I estimated that the next trap would likely involve flying arrows!
As expected, after turning a corner, a rain of arrows began to fall from the cave's ceiling. I had already spotted a good hiding place—a narrow crevice in the cave wall wide enough for a person. I quickly slipped inside, and the arrows outside thudded against the ground, making me wince at the thought of the pain.
However, I never considered how such an unnatural gap could exist in the cave wall.
Before the rain of arrows stopped, I suddenly felt the wall against my back shift. Unable to suppress a gasp, I lost my balance and fell backward. In that fleeting moment, I caught a glimpse of the wall behind me; it seemed to be adorned with bright, colorful patterns, reminiscent of the revolving doors in a five-star hotel. Suddenly, it spun around and pulled me inside.
Ah, a secret chamber! The room was even lit. I crashed to the ground with a thud, lying on my back, and oddly enough, my mind wandered to the thought that entering a secret chamber in such an unexpected manner usually meant discovering something remarkable!
In an instant, something remarkable did appear—a cluster of gleaming arrows shot down toward me with pinpoint accuracy from above!
Ah! My mind barely registered an "ah" before I could even vocalize it; my body was too slow to react. I didn't even have time to think, "This is it!"
Everything went dark before my eyes as I felt myself rolling over several times. Was I being sent back to modern times? Why did being struck by arrows feel like rolling around? And there was this earthy smell rising around me. What kind of construction were these ancient arrows made of? It felt like they were pressing down on me like stone! And they were dripping—warm drops falling onto my neck one by one.
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