Chapter 18: A Rocky Start

Once the makeshift pulley was securely fastened directly above the pit, everything was ready. The two professors entered the large tent one after the other. We followed closely behind. I initially intended to listen attentively to their arrangements, but as they spoke, I found it was like being in a math class—after a few sentences, I started to feel sleepy. So I moved over to sit next to He Yu.

Most of the meeting was dominated by Wu Yili and the bald professor, with Tian Yuqing and Tan Qiu only occasionally offering their opinions. It was clear that they had reached a certain level of tacit understanding.

The list of the first batch of personnel was quickly decided. Tian Yuqing, with some inexplicable confidence, firmly placed Tan Qiu in the “supply team” category. Thus, the first team consisted mainly of professional archaeologists, with only a few familiar faces.

He Yu brought over two sets of clothes, reminding me to change. I took them and found they were full sets of professional expedition gear, something I had never seen, let alone worn before. He Yu even fastened the belt before I could figure out which end was which.

He Yu came over to help me with the belt and the convenient pockets, moving so fast I could barely keep up. As he wrapped the belt around me, he remarked, “Why does it feel like this thing has grown an extra section on you?”

After twenty minutes, we finally got the whole outfit on. We each packed our backpacks, stuffing them with the distributed compressed biscuits and water. Tian Yuqing had previously reminded me to carry the Nine-Ring Jade Casket with me, so I carefully wrapped it and placed it in the innermost layer of my bag before zipping it up.

A crowd had gathered around the pit, but this time they made way for He Yu and me. Tian Tinghan was already secured with a safety rope and had a Yellow Bell tied to his waist. It was clear he was going to be the first one down.

This surprised me a bit, thinking to myself that Tian Yuqing was quite a bold person.

I stood by and watched as the people behind shouted in unison, and Tian Tinghan was soon suspended in mid-air. He showed no fear, his eagle-like eyes fixed on the bottom of the pit. As the rope slowly lowered him, his figure gradually disappeared from my view.

After more than thirty minutes, the rope gave a slight shake, followed by the clear sound of a bell ringing.

Tian Yuqing immediately climbed to the edge of the pit, shining a flashlight into the dark opening below. He then tugged on the now slack rope and commanded, “Pull it up!”

The rope was easily pulled up, and the clip had already been undone. Tian Yuqing stepped aside and signaled to several archaeologists in the team. It was then that I realized the Yellow Bell was actually a special communication method.

One by one, the team members were lowered. The thought of the dark, damp, and sunless environment below made my previously calm mood inexplicably anxious.

When the last archaeologist descended, I took a deep breath and was about to take the rope Tian Yuqing handed me when He Yu suddenly stepped between us.

“I’ll go first. You follow me,” he said, taking the rope from Tian Yuqing and giving me a smile.

He Yu could be very direct at times. This was his boldness as the youngest generation of the He family. Often, he didn’t act alone but represented the entire family’s reputation. In comparison, I was much gentler in my actions, and I secretly envied his irreplaceable courage.

I watched as he was lowered by the rope. When it came back up, Tian Yuqing personally helped me with the clip. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Stick close to Lu A’yao when you get down there. There are too many people here, and I can’t control everything.”

I felt a strange sense of unease. I wasn’t sure what Tian Yuqing’s intentions were in telling me this, but his actions gave me a sense of discord.

The rope began to tighten, and I was soon lifted. Among my peers, I wasn’t particularly heavy, so only three people were needed to pull me up.

The descent was smooth. As I reached the halfway point, I felt a chilling breeze rising from the depths, giving me goosebumps. Up close, the pit was surprisingly spacious, with regular walls, so I didn’t feel claustrophobic during the descent.

Soon, I saw the tomb ceiling. The boundary between the tomb bricks and the upper soil was not obvious, but the bricks were relatively thick. There seemed to be a layer of glazed tiles attached to the upper layer, glistening slightly. I wasn’t sure if they were actually glazed tiles, but they looked like it.

They had only removed two of the largest bricks, revealing an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. Before I could get a clear view, the rope around my waist suddenly tightened, leaving me suspended in mid-air, the rope slightly tilted.

I found it odd and looked up just as the rope suddenly slackened. It was so abrupt that I had no time to react, and I fell, rolling through the air.

“Ah!” I screamed as I plummeted from above.

I was really falling, and the rope around my waist was no longer of any use. Resigned to fate, I closed my eyes. All I could hear was the wind rushing past, my heart pounding as if it would burst, my mind going blank.

In an instant, something seemed to catch the rope, and I was abruptly halted, swinging in mid-air. The jolt was so painful I nearly vomited.

“Gao Ji!” He Yu’s voice reached my ears from below.

His call brought me back to my senses. I opened my eyes to see several flashlight beams directed at me. I immediately felt a sharp pain in my calf, likely from hitting the tomb bricks during the fall. I forced myself to calm down and began to assess my situation.

I could no longer feel any force pulling the rope from above. I was hanging on the uneven rock wall, the stones digging painfully into my back. He Yu’s flashlight was at a certain distance below.

Meanwhile, I heard the clip making a creaking sound as it wedged in the stone. The rope would likely snap soon, and there was no time for Tian Yuqing to find another rope to rescue me. From here to where He Yu stood was at least thirty to forty meters. Falling from this height would at best leave me half-crippled.

At that moment, I saw a flashlight flashing rapidly below—it must be He Yu. I watched as he ran directly beneath me.

But it was too dark all around. I moved my wrist slightly and slowly bent my arm, using my hand to hook the flashlight on my waist and turn it on. As the light shifted, I caught a glimpse of a small stone platform below and to my right, just a leg’s length away. A Wooden Coffin rested on it. Just then, the clip made a crisp “click” sound, and I dropped half a meter, the shock making my hands tremble.

When the clip caught again, cold sweat soaked through my clothes. Soon, I heard the sound of a climbing pickaxe piercing the stone. I hadn’t expected He Yu to be so skilled. He had somehow climbed to the stone platform below.

At this point, I couldn’t care less about coffins or the dead. My voice trembled, but my mind was clear: “He Yu, my clip is stuck in the rock. We’re too far apart, and I can’t move without a foothold. The clip might only hold for ten minutes. I need you to climb onto the stone platform and secure yourself. I’ll throw you my spare rope.”

I quickly relayed the most efficient plan I could think of to He Yu. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was my only option.

He Yu climbed the rock wall, grabbed the edge of the stone platform, and flipped onto the Wooden Coffin. I could hear the coffin creaking loudly under his weight. He quickly moved toward me. The rock wall was too uneven, with no secure points. In desperation, he pulled out a sharp, custom-made climbing pickaxe and wedged it into a crack, hanging himself from it.

“Try to swing over. I’ll catch you!” He Yu extended his hand toward me.

I swallowed hard and tossed my spare rope to He Yu. The rope was short, not enough to reach the ground. Looking at the dizzying tomb bottom, if He Yu didn’t catch me, it would be a fall to regret for eternity.

I took a deep breath, my voice almost in tears: “He Yu! If you don’t catch me, I’ll haunt your dreams as a ghost!”

“Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up, or I’ll come down and collect your body!” He Yu cursed.

The clip behind me made another ominous creaking sound. I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes, and thought, “If I’m going to die, so be it.” I bit down on the flashlight, judged the position with the remaining light, and pushed off the rock wall, leaping forward.

The clip snapped instantly, and He Yu caught the spare rope. I clung tightly to the rope, curling up as I swung, crashing into the rock wall. My wrist scraped against the stone platform’s edge, burning with pain, likely losing a layer of skin.

Even though I was lighter than most my age, catching a grown man mid-air was no easy task. Just holding onto me was a struggle for He Yu. We were connected by a single rope, half-hanging off the coffin’s edge. Thankfully, He Yu’s climbing pickaxe held firm; otherwise, my weight would have pulled him off the platform.

“Damn! Can’t these idiots help out?” He Yu was clearly struggling.

I was suspended in the air, using the flashlight in my mouth to scan for any protruding rocks. But the rock wall was as smooth as polished glass, with no footholds except for the stone platform.

Damn! What rotten luck. I hadn’t done anything to deserve such a miserable end, had I?

He Yu’s face was turning red: “I can’t hold on much longer!”

I was about to tell him to let go when I saw someone descending from the opening at the top of the tomb.

I almost cried with relief. What a savior! My hero!

Lu A’yao quickly descended to my level. He shook the bell on his ankle, halting his descent. He braced me with one hand, swiftly tied a rope around my waist, and secured the clip to his line, shouting to He Yu, “Let go!”

He Yu saw him and immediately released the rope. Lu A’yao’s hold was firm, but I was so shaken by the ordeal that I clung to his clip, unable to let go. He shook the bell again, and the rope began to lower us slowly.

When my feet finally touched the ground, I realized my legs had gone weak. The places where I’d been hit started to throb with pain. Lu A’yao supported me, setting me down and asking, “Are you okay?”

I was dizzy, shaking my head with my eyes closed: “I’ll be fine. Just need a moment. Go check if He Yu is down.”

Lu A’yao quickly unfastened the clip, shining his flashlight to help He Yu. He Yu climbed down the rock wall, grabbed Lu A’yao’s hand, and jumped down, exclaiming, “Brother Lu, you were just in time. A few more minutes, and we’d both be goners.”