Chapter 185: The First Watch

We found a relatively low spot and helped each other up, pushing and pulling in a clumsy scramble. Despite the undignified process, we finally managed to scale the canal wall, which stood as high as a city rampart. Once I was up, I helped Lu Ayao while scanning our surroundings. The canal stretched out before us, so long that the ends were lost to sight.

He Yu leaned in and tapped my shoulder, pointing toward the opposite side. “Look over there. Don’t those look like the Ancient Corpses that attacked us down below?”

I quickly turned to look. I immediately noticed a row of dark shapes perched along the stone rim of the opposite canal wall. The silk wrappings on their bodies had turned black with age. These Wrapped Ancient Corpses gripped long spears, spaced out every few meters like sentries standing guard.

“The Main Hall you mentioned… it couldn’t be that ship, could it?” Tian Xiaoqi suddenly clicked her flashlight to its brightest setting, staring in shock at a point ahead. Seeing the look in her eyes, I followed the beam of her light.

About dozens of meters away from the canal, a massive Stone Ship appeared. The prow was shaped like a Snake-Tortoise, similar in style to the caisson ceiling we had seen in the Side Chamber. The Snake-Tortoise bore the main burial chamber on its back, which looked like a small manor. It was truly magnificent.

The Stone Ship was so large that the stern was invisible. It had multiple levels, looking as though several stone ships had been stacked together to create such a spectacular scene. However, compared to the unpredictable Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces outside, the exterior of this Main Hall seemed somewhat plain.

He Yu walked over. “This must be the Main Hall. The outside was so fancy, so why is the Main Hall itself so shabby? It’s actually made of stone. I thought there’d be white marble steps, golden covered bridges, or something like that.”

“What do you know?” I countered. “Things in the sea are the hardest to preserve. Craftsmanship was limited back then, and the number of artisans who knew how to perform sea burials was even smaller. Besides, even if it was buried successfully, there’s the issue of how long it would last. Using stone might look plain, but it significantly extends the lifespan of the entire burial chamber. It’s better for both preservation and anti-theft measures.”

“Fine, fine, you’re the scholar, I won’t argue with you.” He Yu waved his hand and moved to support Lu Ayao. “His injuries aren’t light. We’re about to enter the Main Hall, so I’ll carry him on my back to let him rest for a bit.”

I thought about it quickly and said, “No, I should do it. There’s too much weird stuff out here, and who knows what dangers lurk inside the Main Hall. If you carry him, we’re in trouble. I don’t have any martial arts skills; holding a knife in front is just for my own peace of mind, it won’t do much if something actually happens. You’re the one with the skills, so you need your hands free.”

Lu Ayao leaned on the two of us, looking utterly exhausted. He must have sustained more scratches during the fight with those Ancient Corpses. The nails of those Wrapped Ancient Corpses were so long, and since even the Tomb-guarding Beast’s head was coated in poison, it was hard to say if these corpses weren’t coated with something as well.

He Yu paused, perhaps realizing my logic made sense. “Then keep a steady grip. Don’t drop him.”

With that, he pulled a small tied pouch from a pocket close to his body. He pinched a black pill out of his precious pouch and held it to Lu Ayao’s lips. Lu Ayao seemed to know what it was; he obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it. Tian Xiaoqi immediately unscrewed a water bottle and handed it to me.

As I helped Lu Ayao drink, I asked, “What is this?”

“A life-saving pill Bai Shenxian spent ages tinkering with. I don’t know the exact ingredients, but it’s what we used to bring you back after that White Corpse Turtle Immortal bit through your hand. Bai Shenxian said this only temporarily dulls the pain from toxins; it’s nearly impossible to clear the poison entirely in one go. How are you feeling? Do you need one?”

I checked my condition. Aside from some lingering pain in my chest, I felt fine, so I shook my head. “I’m okay. Old Lu is in bad shape; better save it for him.”

“Right.” He Yu scratched his backside and took a pill himself.

I suspected he felt he might have been scratched by the White Corpse Turtle Immortal earlier and was taking a preventative dose just in case he was poisoned like me.

Once Lu Ayao had swallowed the medicine, I assessed everyone’s condition and said to He Yu, “We set off a heavy blast just now, so those things probably won’t dare come out for a while. Let’s find a place to rest and reorganize. You guys haven’t slept since you came in.”

“Good idea. I’m so hungry I’m losing my strength. A rest would be good,” He Yu agreed immediately.

My energy was still holding up, likely because I’d rested while I was unconscious from the poison in the Side Chamber. But while I was resting, Lu Ayao and He Yu had been rushing to save me without a moment’s delay. By my count, we had been down here for at least two or three days. I had no idea what the situation was like on the surface.

Looking around, everywhere except for the Stone Ship was empty space. I didn’t want to consider those open areas. For one, we were all exhausted; if we fell asleep there, we would sleep like the dead, and the lack of walls would create a terrifying sense of vulnerability. Secondly, it was much colder here than in the tunnels. We needed a suitable place to build a fire for warmth.

So, I set my sights on the Snake-Tortoise.

The four of us sat in the small gap beneath the Snake-Tortoise’s neck, with our backs against the Stone Ship. He Yu started a fire, but the flame was tiny. He ended up stuffing the white paper and empty notebooks he’d scavenged into the fire, which finally made the flames leap up a bit.

The three of us warmed ourselves for a while, and our body temperatures gradually returned to normal. Only Lu Ayao remained cold; despite being closest to the fire, his hands and feet were icy. He Yu felt Lu Ayao’s arm and looked up at me with a worried expression.

“Is there anything we can do? His temperature is way too low,” He Yu asked Tian Xiaoqi.

Tian Xiaoqi replied, “This poison is just like that. You saw what happened when Gan Ji was poisoned before.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be okay once I push through this stretch.” Lu Ayao spoke dismissively, as if he had experienced this many times before. Leaning against the stone, he gave us a slight shake of his head, then closed his eyes and began to sleep.

I felt my clothes, thought for a moment, then moved closer to the fire and started to toast my jacket, front and back.

Confused, He Yu leaned over. “What are you doing?”

“He says he’ll push through, but are we just going to let him suffer? We only have so much paper; once it’s gone, the fire goes out, and it’ll get even colder. His temperature is already this low. If the fire dies and he gets hypothermia, isn’t that just waiting for death?”

As I spoke, I took off my warmed jacket, revealing a short-sleeved shirt underneath. I toasted the jacket inside and out once more, then took the warm garment and tucked it tightly around Lu Ayao.

“Before, he was alone, so he had no choice but to endure it. But now he has us. We’re with him.”

Hearing this, Tian Xiaoqi looked up at me. She was currently taking the notebooks apart, tearing the pages in half and feeding them into the fire at regular intervals to make the fuel last longer.

He Yu nodded at me and sat down next to Lu Ayao to rub his hands. Deciding the stone slab behind them was too cold, he simply let Lu Ayao lean against him. “You’re right. This time he has us. We’re with him.”

By now, Lu Ayao was drifting out of consciousness, with only shallow breaths letting us know he was still alive. I looked at the flickering flames in front of Tian Xiaoqi, frowned, and reached out to take the paper from her hands.

“You guys sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”

He Yu let out a surprised “Ah?” and asked, “Can you handle it on your own?”

I pulled the knife from his waist and gave it a couple of sharpenings against a stone. “You guys looked after me when I was injured and poisoned, didn’t you? Now it’s my turn to look after you. Sleep easy. If anything happens, I’ll wake you.”