Chapter 190: Entering the Hall

Hearing the time Lu Ayao mentioned, I instantly lost all desire to enter the Stone Ship in front of us. Going into the Main Hall would undoubtedly waste a lot of time. I didn’t care much about whatever gold, silver, or jewels were buried inside; I cared far more about the safety of our team.

I looked up and shone my flashlight toward the open space above the Stone Ship, but the ceiling of the Main Hall was too high. Relying on our few small flashlights, we couldn’t reach the top at all.

Right then, I remembered Qiao Sangui, who was still sitting on the ground. He wasn’t the type to leave himself without a way out. Since he had the nerve to dig a robbery tunnel all the way here, he must have already planned an exit.

I turned and walked back to Qiao Sangui, crouched down, and asked, “Third Master, you’re older than all of us, and you used to work under Liu Sanshui. I respect you as an elder, so let’s speak frankly. Tell me, how do we get out of here?”

Qiao Sangui chuckled when he heard my question. “Ah, so you don’t know how to get out. If you want to know, then let me and those fools go, give us back our guns, and I’ll tell you right away how to leave.”

He Yu’s temper flared instantly. Without a word, he kicked Qiao Sangui. “Fuck your whole family! Did asking you a question give you some kind of leverage? Old Man Qiao, get one thing straight: we’re the ones interrogating you. You don’t have a choice but to talk, and we sure as hell aren’t begging you!”

Qiao Sangui gave a dry laugh and shut his mouth, refusing to speak another word. I felt it would be tough to wring anything out of this old bastard, but since I didn’t know our current location, I hadn’t thought of any effective trick yet. I simply stood up from in front of him.

Tian Xiaoqi stepped over and said softly, “Staying here won’t get us anywhere. Why don’t we go into the Main Hall and check it out? We don’t have flares, and this Stone Ship is tall. Maybe we can see more from inside it.”

Her words snapped me to my senses. We couldn’t see the whole space from our current position, but the Stone Ship rose up high like a building. We could use that height to observe the structure of this place.

No sooner said than done. I slung on my pack and called out to He Yu, “Old He! Dig out your bag, pack up, and let me know when you’re ready to head into the Main Hall. Bring this old bastard along, and tie the rest up and leave them outside.”

I yanked Qiao Sangui up from the ground. Once He Yu dug out his mud-caked bag, I grabbed Qiao Sangui’s arm and dragged him toward the tomb doors. We gathered in front of the entrance and discussed how to open this heavy stone door.

He Yu spoke up first. “In my experience, doors like this usually have massive block-stones behind them. No matter how many people push, they won’t move.”

I looked the stone door up and down. It was easily over ten meters high, carved from a single slab of stone into the shape of a door. However, the workmanship was quite rough; the surface was bare, with no carvings or special locks. Its simplicity left me a bit baffled.

Before I could move closer to inspect it, Lu Ayao stepped past me. He gave the door a gentle push, and the stone door abruptly opened just wide enough for one person to pass through. As it turned out, someone had already opened it.

He Yu couldn’t help letting out a “holy shit” beside me, drawing a sneer from Qiao Sangui.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” He Yu cursed.

Qiao Sangui snorted coldly. “A bunch of greenhorns like you, daring to come down this deep without knowing a single rule—you must have eaten a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall^[1].”

I said, “If you’re so experienced, how did you end up in the hands of us greenhorns? I only call you ‘Third Master’ out of respect for the Five Masters. Word on the street is that your relationship with Yujingzi has always been bad. If she knew you were in this state right now, do you think she’d be happy?”

“You!” Qiao Sangui was so infuriated he nearly choked, his face turning red as he broke into a coughing fit.

“So I suggest you behave yourself. Once we get inside, don’t say a single word unless I ask you a question.”

Lu Ayao stepped into the hall. Having just helped He Yu vent some anger, he was in a much better mood. He told me to stay close and quickly squeezed inside second. Holding onto Qiao Sangui, I ruthlessly shoved him in first to He Yu, then motioned for Tian Xiaoqi to enter.

It was pitch black inside the Stone Ship. We switched on our flashlights, casting some light across the hall.

Shining my light ahead, I felt my way toward the pillars at the four corners of the Stone Ship. Sure enough, Ever-Burning Lamps^[2] hung on them. Standing on tiptoe to check, I found wicks inside and even some remaining oil. He Yu leaned over and sparked his lighter, reigniting the wick.

He Yu went around and lit the Ever-Burning Lamps on the other pillars, illuminating the hall in an instant. The four walls of the Main Hall were composed of countless Ship-Burial Coffins, held up by stone crossbeams that extended into the darkness.

The center of the hall dipped down into a recessed section. Unlike the rest of the hall, this part was crafted with great precision, featuring a ring of jade steps. The floor was made of jade as well, translucent and clear. Two Snake-Tortoises were carved into its surface, and at the point where they met sat a four-layered Giant Golden Silk Phoebe Coffin.

The moment I laid eyes on the giant coffin, my heart jumped into my throat. It was carved from the exact same mold as the one I had seen in my illusion. But in my illusion, that giant coffin had already been moved to a research institute by an archaeological team and opened.

Yet here, this Golden Silk Phoebe coffin sat perfectly intact.

“I told you already, relying on illusions for your deductions just doesn’t work. You said the coffin was carried off by archaeologists, but here it sits, completely intact,” He Yu said, patting my shoulder.

I stared at the giant coffin, a complex feeling rising in my chest. Looking at the stone bar moved aside behind the door, I countered anyway, “But the stone bar was moved, and the Ever-Burning Lamps still have wicks and oil. Someone was definitely in here before.”

“Tch, you just refuse to believe it,” He Yu laughed.

I ran my hand over the stone pillar. Every one of them was carved with the exact same Snake-Tortoise as the prow of the Stone Ship. I asked, “These tortoises are everywhere. Is there some special meaning to them?”

He Yu walked a circle around the tomb chamber before coming back to sit at the base of a pillar. He unscrewed his canteen and took a sip. “That’s no ordinary turtle. That’s the most primitive totem of the Black Tortoise, technically called a Snake-Tortoise. Most people think the Black Tortoise is just a turtle, but that’s actually a bit misleading. The original depiction of the Black Tortoise was a divine beast composed of a snake and a tortoise, the head of all creepers. As for the specific meaning of carving it here, I can’t say for sure. I can only guess.”

I turned to look at him.

“What else could a tortoise symbolize? Longevity, obviously. Maybe they wanted the tomb owner’s descendants to live long, or maybe they hoped the owner would achieve immortality after death. Either way, there are so many theories about divine beasts that any guess could be right,” He Yu said.

At that moment, Qiao Sangui, who was sitting to the side, chimed in. “From the moment we entered this hole until now, whether it’s the damn murals or the stone carvings, there hasn’t been a single item related to immortality. We haven’t even seen a broken stove. If the tomb owner wanted immortality, they’d have buried an alchemy furnace in here at the very least. A tomb chamber shouldn’t be like this: no proper style, no standard specifications. It’s neither fish nor fowl. What kind of mess is this?”

“Maybe they just liked the ‘mix and match’ style. What’s it to you?” He Yu was determined to antagonize Qiao Sangui.

Qiao Sangui didn’t back down. “You, kid from the He family… I suggest you watch your tongue. Don’t think our two families won’t have business to do in the future.”

“Piss off. Who wants to do business with your family? Don’t worry, my family has never taken anything from Yunnan. If we do, I’ll tell the warehouse to pack it all up and send it right back to you. My family’s business is huge; who needs yours?”

I noticed a strange detail. Ignoring the content of their argument, I paced over to Qiao Sangui and asked, “What did you mean just now when you said it has ‘no standards, no style, and is neither fish nor fowl’?”

Qiao Sangui gave a cold snort. “Exactly what it sounds like. Whoever built this place had a surface-level understanding of Feng Shui at best. They just followed that book, The Yin-Yang Eight Directions Almanac, and haphazardly threw together a Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces out of stone to swindle people. That’s the extent of their ability.”

He cleared his throat. “Look, the exterior is incredibly crude. The entire burial site uses commoner Ship-Burial Coffins from the seabed, and they were clearly scavenged at that. Yet, the Main Hall uses the most precious Phoebe zhennan wood. Even though they dug a moat, there’s no water in it. The Main Hall has no murals, no epitaphs… calling this a solitary grave wouldn’t be an overstatement. The style and standards are an absolute mess.”

I didn’t understand the intricacies of Feng Shui, so after he finished, I looked toward Lu Ayao. He was standing before the only stone wall in the Main Hall, staring at it incessantly.

I called out to him, “Old Lu, did you hear what Third Master Qiao said?”

Lu Ayao didn’t turn around, nor did he acknowledge me. He kept staring at that wall, and I couldn’t fathom what could possibly be so interesting about a lousy stone wall.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. “He’s right. No matter which dynasty you look at, the layout of this tomb would be spat upon.”

Qiao Sangui was self-taught, relying on years of practical experience, whereas Lu Ayao had been immersed in the craft since childhood. Formally trained and vastly experienced, his mastery of Feng Shui was far superior to Qiao Sangui’s. Hearing that even Yin Pozi didn’t refute him, Qiao Sangui became visibly pleased with himself.

However, Lu Ayao added at the end, “Layout rules are set by men, so naturally men will criticize them. But from a Feng Shui perspective, this can hardly be called ‘chaotic’.”

He turned to look at Qiao Sangui with a gaze clearly like that of an elder looking at an ignorant junior. “You know the ‘what’ but not the ‘why’. This tomb cost you so many men, yet you still haven’t learned your lesson. Showing off before an expert… when you get back, you had better spend more time with your books.”