Chapter 240: The Tomb Passage

Right by the stone wall to the left behind the door, several slabs of bluestone extended from the crevices. We planned to follow these slabs down to see if there was a passage at the bottom of the pit leading into the mausoleum.

Before stepping onto the bluestone, I took a moment to estimate everyone’s weight. I had no idea how many years those slabs had been wedged into the wall; they might have become incredibly brittle. Stepping on them with too much weight risked a snap. Even if they broke, it was only a three or four-meter drop, but the bottom of the pit was a mass of skeletal remains. These animal bones were far harder than human ones, and with a bit of bad luck, they could impale a person straight through.

We finally settled on an order. I would lead the way to test the integrity of each slab. Old Qian was unarmed, so he took the middle. He Yu had the heaviest load since he had to carry Han Zhuo, so he insisted on bringing up the rear. He claimed that if he fell, he’d make sure to use Han Zhuo as a cushion, saying that no one would lose any sleep over a dead man named Han.

I slapped him on the shoulder and said, “Comrade He, show some perspective. If there really is a passage down there leading into the mausoleum, having Han Zhuo with us means an extra pair of hands. Have you forgotten what happened to Qiao Sangui and his lot? They were the definition of ungrateful, short-sighted ingrates. We need to agree now: once we’re inside, no infighting and no more talk that undermines our unity. Only sincere cooperation will ensure we overcome these hardships.”

When it came to lecturing, He Yu couldn’t win against me if he had ten mouths. He waved me off, his gun slung over his shoulder. “Fine, fine, you’re always right. Let’s just get down there. Can’t you see I’m already raring to go?”

We shared a quick grin. I stepped out, planting one leg on the first bluestone slab. I tested it a couple of times with my foot, and once I found it was sturdy enough, I waved for them to follow.

With flashlights in hand, we descended step by step. He Yu had to be extra careful while carrying Han Zhuo to keep him from slipping. Old Qian held two flashlights from behind, and since my only burden was my backpack, I reached the bottom easily.

I looked at the piles of skeletons around my feet and swept my light into the distance. Not far from our position, I spotted a cavern. It had been bored through the stone wall, leading off to parts unknown.

I strode over to the edge of the man-made hole and ran my hand along the wall. The technique used to carve this tunnel was strikingly similar to the ones I had crawled through in Gansu and Yunnan. I hurriedly called He Yu over to take a look; having been through the tomb robbery tunnel in Gansu with me, he should be able to recognize it.

He Yu touched the wall and froze as well. “Does this mean someone was here before us?” he asked.

Old Qian leaned in too, though he didn’t quite understand what we were talking about. He Yu and I gave him a brief rundown, explaining that we had found nearly identical tunnels in a Warring States tomb in Gansu and at the site of the Myriad Infant Pagoda in Yunnan. Once we finished, we stepped aside to let him examine it.

Old Qian’s ancestor, Qian Chuanzi, had once traveled the length and breadth of the country with Ye Yuzhu. He had dealt with Mojin Xiaowei and the descendants of the ancient Imperial Astronomers, witnessing many of their extraordinary skills. I figured letting Qian Deli have a look might reveal more than what we amateurs could see.

Old Qian crouched down, stroking the stubble he hadn’t had time to shave, and squinted as he felt the stone wall. He Yu and I followed behind him with hunched shoulders and lowered heads. We watched as he moved two steps, tilted his head, moved another two steps, and let out a few clicks of his tongue. After watching him for a long while without any result, He Yu lost his patience.

“Hey, hey, we asked you to take a look, but you’re acting like you’re back in that crummy Treasure Pavilion of yours. Do you have a theory or not? Tell us something!”

Old Qian finally scratched his head and stood up, giving me a sheepish smile. “I’m ashamed to say it, but I’ve spent my years appraising gold, silver, and precious trinkets. Although my ancestors were well-acquainted with the Mojin Xiaowei, not much of that knowledge was passed down to me. Examining tunnels is truly not my forte.”

He Yu flared up instantly. “If you don’t know, why didn’t you say so earlier? Dammit, you’ve been staring at it for so long, you’re just wasting time!”

I grabbed him. “Calm down, let Old Qian finish!”

“I may not understand the tricks of the Mojin Xiaowei, but I can still tell which way a tunnel goes,” Old Qian continued. He pointed to a spot and beckoned me over. “Young Master, look here. If you look at the direction of these chisel marks, you’ll realize the person who dug this didn’t start from the outside.”

I leaned down close to the section of the wall he was pointing at. There were layers of chisel marks, very old and faint. If one didn’t look with extreme patience, they were almost invisible.

“Are you saying the person who dug this tunnel was digging their way out from the inside?”

Old Qian nodded and added, “Furthermore, I am becoming more and more convinced that the hexagram Gan Zhao cast in the Burial Bone Testament was absolutely correct. If not for this earthquake, this tomb should have remained buried deep underground, never to see the light of day again.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. If my great-grandfather’s hexagram had accurately predicted this day decades in advance, it meant that before our arrival, no tomb raider could have possibly entered. Yet, upon entering, the first thing we found was a man-made tunnel. If the divination was correct and no one could get in, the only explanation for the tunnel’s existence was that someone had tunneled out from within the tomb.

But who could have come out of a sealed tomb? Could our earlier guess be right? Was that tomb door the final escape route for the builders, and the tunnel was made by craftsmen escaping being buried alive? If so, our previous theory about Liu Sanshui digging the tunnels was completely overturned. But if this new explanation was correct, why were there tunnels carved with the same technique in the Warring States tomb in Gansu?

He Yu looked back at me. From his expression, I could tell he was thinking the exact same thing.

He shifted Han Zhuo on his back. “Forget it, I don’t think there’s any point in us guessing blindly here. Maybe once we get into this old Gune’s tomb, all the answers will come to light.”

I pushed aside my chaotic thoughts. Looking back at the pitch-black tunnel through the beam of my flashlight, I no longer felt afraid. He Yu made a lot of sense. Taking the lead, I raised my rifle and stepped into the tunnel.

I had expected to trudge through at least a hundred meters of man-made tunnels, but before we had even covered twenty meters, we emerged into a winding corridor.

This passage ran perpendicular to our path, and stepping into it finally gave me the true sensation of being in a mausoleum. The entire corridor was paved with blue flagstones, and the walls were lined with stone horses, guardian figures, and stone pillars. Every three meters stood a pedestal holding an ever-burning lamp. The flames atop these lamps were still flickering, bathing the entire passage in bright, steady light.

I stared at the candles in disbelief. “This is insane. How are these lamps still lit after all these years?”

He Yu explained that the white grease in these lamps might be the “mermaid tallow” mentioned in ancient texts. It was said to be rendered from the fat of the mermen of the Eastern Sea to serve as fuel for candles. Legend had it that a single drop could burn for months, and a single lamp could stay lit for ten thousand years. I was truly seeing something extraordinary; the shock of it was beyond words. I leaned in close to one of the lamps, studying it intently. This was something most people wouldn’t see in a lifetime, yet here I was, looking at the real thing.

Happy New Year to all my readers!