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墨書 Inktalez
Fortunately, everyone was unharmed. Due to the tense situation earlier, they hadn't had a chance to observe their surroundings. Now that the immediate danger had passed, they finally calmed down enough to take in their environment.
Before them lay another narrow Stone Path. This time, however, it was different; both sides of the Stone Path were blocked off, and directly in front of the stone steps stood a wall.
A chill ran through them as they realized there was no exit—this was clearly a dead end. They all turned their gaze toward the White Python, their eyes filled with anger and resentment.
The White Python instinctively curled up closer to the wall. Second and Seven moved in closer, causing the White Python to shrink even further. Suddenly, the White Python reared up on its hind legs. The two were startled by this unexpected movement and quickly retreated, but one of them lost their footing, and both fell to the ground.
Third was also caught off guard by the sudden turn of events and stumbled back a few steps. Poor Wang Er Gou lay helplessly on the ground, his pupils dilating in fear as he thought to himself that this was it—he might die here. "Patriarch, please protect me!" he silently pleaded.
Just as everyone was contemplating how to avoid an attack from the White Python, there was a loud rumble as the wall directly facing the stone steps opened up. In their astonishment and fear, they watched as the White Python gracefully lowered itself.
It winked at them playfully.
The lamp on the wall emitted a warm glow, and as they watched the White Python mischievously blink its eyes, they felt as if their souls had returned to their bodies.
"Damn it!" Second cursed loudly. "You scared me half to death!" The others nodded in agreement. Wang Er Gou was still struggling but remained unable to stand.
With a weak voice, Wang Er Gou called out, "Brother Cao, help me up."
Second walked over and reached out to help him. With support from the wall, Wang Er Gou slowly regained his composure and added, "You nearly gave me a heart attack just now."
"Can you stand steady now?" Second asked. Wang Er Gou supported himself against the wall and replied, "I can."
Second let go of his hand, and Wang Er Gou's legs wobbled, nearly causing him to fall. He exerted himself to steady his body and finally found his footing.
"Damn it, that stinky snake," Seven remarked. The group was still recovering from the shock. They had indeed been startled by the creature just moments ago, and Third was no exception.
Now that everyone had regained their composure and vented their frustrations, White Python blinked innocently, as if on the verge of tears.
After a moment, they noticed a musty smell. Third had already moved to the doorway, peering inside. It was pitch black within, and nothing was visible.
The others gathered around to look inside. "Is this the exit?" Second asked. "There's no light; it might not be," Seven replied.
Third remained silent; it was too soon to make a judgment. Wang Er Gou steadied himself against the wall and said, "Let's go in; we've come this far."
Indeed, they had come this far with nothing left to hesitate about. Third stepped forward into the darkness. Seven supported Wang Er Gou while Second followed closely behind.
White Python slithered in as well. Second's voice echoed inside, "Look for any lamps. It's pitch black in here; this is just bad luck."
The group responded and began feeling along the walls. Soon enough, lamps flickered to life, illuminating a vast stone chamber before them.
It was tall, large, wide, and long—essentially grand in every sense. Six square pillars supported the ceiling, and the floor was entirely paved with stone slabs.
Not far away stood many large wooden crates lined up side by side—roughly a dozen of them. The group approached them, curiosity piqued by the unopened boxes.
"Should we open them?" Seven asked. "Of course! What’s there to hesitate about?" Second replied eagerly.
Every box was locked. However, judging by the condition of this box, it had clearly been around for quite some time. "Open it," said Third.
Wang Er Gou could now stand on his own, but he still looked weak. "Open it," he said.
Seven took out a dagger and easily pried open one of the locks. "These iron locks have oxidized and rusted away," Seven remarked.
The dim light barely illuminated the entire space.
As the box was opened, everyone's heart raced, and their breaths grew heavier. They couldn't help but swallow hard.
A box of gold sparkled with a dazzling light under the flickering flames. Damn it, they all forgot what they had come in for.
Third wasn't as excited as the other three, but he was certainly amazed.
Unable to resist, he reached out to touch it. "Damn! We're going to get rich!" Seven exclaimed.
Third timely reminded them, "Don't forget the main objective." The three of them snapped back to reality but couldn't help stealing another glance. Second said, "Damn it, let's see what else is in the other boxes!"
At that moment, White Python nudged Third's knee. Third glanced at White Python, who crawled toward a corner of the stone chamber. It even turned back to look at Third before continuing on its way without him.
Third moved his feet to follow, glancing back at the other three who were busy opening the remaining boxes. He sighed.
Turning back, he followed White Python, who moved quickly and soon stopped. Third caught up shortly after.
This area was empty; there was nothing here. Third surveyed his surroundings.
"Is the exit here?" Third asked, while White Python shook its head in a human-like manner.
"What did you bring me here for?" White Python surprisingly tilted its head upward, and Third followed its gaze to the sky.
A coffin reflected in Third's pupils, causing them to constrict. He murmured, "Could this also be a grave?"
White Python descended, its eyes filled with anticipation as it looked at Third. Third's gaze slowly returned to the ground.
White Python nudged Third, who glanced at it with bloodshot eyes. White Python immediately stepped back a bit. Third shook his head to clear his mind.
"Let's put it down," Third said. As expected, White Python stood upright and bumped its head against the wall. The coffin slowly descended to the ground.
It turned out to be a Bronze Coffin, with the lid intricately carved with hollow patterns and various biological figures adorning its surface.
"Can we open it?" Third asked in an inquiring tone. White Python blinked at him. Without hesitation, Third approached.
The lid of the Bronze Coffin was heavy; Third struggled to lift it even slightly before it fell back down. Holding his breath, he tried again but failed. On the third attempt, White Python assisted him by pushing with its head, and the lid fell to the ground but was caught by White Python's body, gently placed down without a sound, though it seemed somewhat strained.
After taking a few deep breaths, Third regained his composure. What lay before him was not unexpected.
A refined face came into view, and Third was momentarily speechless as tears welled up in his eyes. He stared intently at the corpse that looked exactly like him, feeling a mix of emotions swirling within.
Third kept quiet so as not to disturb the others; some things were better left unknown for now, as knowing too much would only be detrimental to them. He shook his head at White Python, which seemed to understand and remained silent.
"Let's cover it up," Third said. This time, however, White Python did not move. Third looked at White Python and said, "You don't want to cover it." White Python shook its head again but flicked its tongue toward the coffin's interior, its eyes still darting around. Third understood what White Python meant.
He carefully searched inside the coffin, and soon he made a discovery: a jade plaque was held in Third's hand, engraved with the character "Wu" in clerical script.
The already unsettled heart of Third surged with turmoil. "How did I end up on this path?" he murmured repeatedly, feeling in his pocket a handkerchief and a letter made of paper.
He wondered how these items had been preserved. Still lost in thought, White Python nudged Third, bringing him back to reality.
Calmly, he said, "Cover it up; let it return to its original place."
This time, White Python did not defy Third's will and closed the coffin lid. Then, he activated the previous mechanism, and the Bronze Coffin returned to its position above.
Third gestured for White Python to be silent, and White Python stood upright, nodding in acknowledgment.
Returning to the group, they hadn't even noticed when Third had left them.
Five wooden boxes had already been opened, each containing rare treasures—gold, jewels, and various riches.
Suddenly, Third spoke up, "This is a Ming Tang."
Seven instinctively responded, "What is a Ming Tang?" Wang Er Gou chimed in, "A Ming Tang is a place for rituals; it's where all the earth's energy converges."
As Wang Er Gou explained, Third nodded. It was only then that Wang Er Gou realized what he had said: "You mean this is a Ming Tang?"
"That's right," Third replied.
"But isn't a Ming Tang a place where living people hold grand ceremonies? How could it be built underground?" Wang Er Gou voiced his doubts.
"Who said this is underground?" Third retorted.
Wang Er Gou was momentarily at a loss for words.
Second opened several more boxes in succession, but lost interest as nothing changed. Why would they need so much money anyway? Seven, however, remained enthusiastic, continuing to open boxes.
Second grew annoyed and began to criticize Seven. With Second's remarks, Seven lost interest as well.
It was time to get serious. "Wealth is just an external possession; you can't take it with you when you die," Third said. Seven didn't respond. Wang Er Gou added, "If this isn't underground, then what is this place?"
Third explained, "We are beneath this mountain. If we go outside now, we'll be right at the base of the mountain, exactly where we started."
At that moment, a grumbling sound echoed, and everyone looked at each other in surprise. Second sheepishly glanced at the others and said, "It's normal to feel hungry after not eating for a while." With that, he took a sip of water.
With no food available, they could only fill their stomachs with water. The group fell silent for a moment. Seven turned to look at the jewels, antiques, and gold behind them and sighed inwardly; there was no way they could take everything with them.
The key issue now was how to survive and get out of here; otherwise, having all that wealth would be meaningless.
With that thought in mind, Seven steeled himself. White Python lay beside Third, watching the others. Second looked at White Python and asked, "What do we need to do to get out of here?"
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