Chapter 22: The Patriarch’s Tomb

With two sharp slaps, Ma Xu's face instantly bloomed with a pair of bright red handprints. The man in the black jacket hadn't held back in the slightest; the blows were heavy and crisp, snapping Ma Xu back to his senses. He stared round-eyed at the man in the black jacket.

“Brother Pang…” Ma Xu murmured softly, his gaze slowly coming back into focus.

Seeing that Ma Xu seemed to have sobered up, the man in the black jacket shoved him away, then turned his back on both Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang, saying coldly, “Listen up, you two. From now on, all actions are to follow the lead of the young master here. If you cause any more trouble, not only will I wash my hands of you this time, but don’t think about ever joining me on another tomb raid again!”

Ever since entering the tomb, the man in the black jacket had been exercising considerable restraint; this was the first time I had seen him erupt with such fury. But his words had the desired effect—Zhao Zhiqiang and Ma Xu were immediately cowed, nodding vigorously, no doubt too frightened to act up again. That would at least spare me some worries.

“Young master, I think we should rest here for a while in the underground palace. It’ll give you a chance to recover your energy.” The man in the black jacket, having finished admonishing Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang and calmed himself down, finally addressed me. I nodded without reservation. It was indeed time for a rest; the hallucinations earlier had left me utterly drained.

I settled down carefully against the stone coffin, intending to doze for a bit. Drowsiness soon overtook me, and I drifted into sleep.

In my dream, I found myself inside the stone coffin. But now it was no longer a secret chamber—just an ordinary coffin, solid and with a bottom. I walked in slowly and lay down, my eyes wide open. Outside the coffin stood an old man clad in white, who gently lifted the lid, preparing to seal me inside.

I tried to move, but my body was paralyzed, as if nailed in place, completely beyond my control. I struggled to see the old man’s face, but could only make out a void of utter darkness.

I fought with all my might, desperate to break free and escape, but could only watch helplessly as the old man slowly lowered the lid. The light shrank away, dwindling to nothing, until I was engulfed in pitch blackness…

Suddenly, I jolted awake. Across from me, the man in the black jacket and Ma Xu were sitting and resting. Only now did I realize that what I’d experienced had been just a dream—though it had felt far too real, leaving me drenched in cold sweat.

I raised a hand to wipe the perspiration from my cheek, an uneasy feeling nagging at me. Sitting up, I examined the stone coffin behind me in detail. Could there be some hidden secret?

My fingertips brushed lightly over the relief carvings on the coffin—exquisitely crafted, a marvel of workmanship—yet revealed nothing unusual.

“What’s wrong?” The voice of the man in the black jacket sounded in my ear. I didn’t even turn, just shook my head lightly, my eyes still scrutinizing the coffin.

It was then that I noticed, in the lower right corner of the coffin, a tiny line of ancient script!

Without hesitation, I reached out and asked the man in the black jacket, “Do you have a magnifying glass?”

There was only silence in response. The realization struck me at once. I turned around—sure enough, the man in the black jacket wasn’t by my side at all. They were still fast asleep! Who, then, had spoken to me just now?

A chill shot up from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head. A shiver ran down my spine, and goosebumps pricked my scalp.

This place was truly cursed!

I fished a magnifying glass from my backpack and leaned in to examine the lower right corner of the coffin. The characters were indeed ancient, and their meaning was clear: all who come here must die here—a curse from the tomb’s master.

“Have you found anything?” The man in the black jacket’s voice rang out again, making me jump.

Seeing my extreme reaction, he paused, eyeing me curiously, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Recognizing it was truly the man in the black jacket this time, I let out a breath and shook my head. “It’s nothing, just thinking.”

“What did you find?” he asked, following my gaze. Soon enough, he too spotted the line of ancient script.

My expression was grave, a sense of dread gnawing at me. “No need to look—it’s the tomb owner’s curse. All who set foot here must die here. No wonder there’s a burial pit right beneath the coffin. They want us to remain here forever.”

“Ruthless. Yet we still haven’t even figured out the identity of the tomb’s master, nor laid eyes on their remains.” The man in the black jacket’s voice was low and heavy. I shared his concern. Who could have built such a formidable tomb?

“We’ll just have to take things one step at a time. At this point, even surviving this place would be a stroke of luck.” I panted, casting hopeful glances around, searching for any possible exit.

The man in the black jacket nodded, his expression complex. There was nothing else to do.

“I believe there must be more to this underground palace—there’s no way it could be so simple.” I wiped the sweat from my brow, speaking as much to myself as to him.

He seemed to agree, glancing around in search of anything unusual, but to no avail.

“I just fear we’ll leave empty-handed,” he said, a trace of melancholy in his voice—though it vanished almost instantly from his stoic features. He was a strong man, capable of great endurance. Though I’d only known him a few days, I’d already gotten a good sense of his character.

As for Ma Xu and Zhao Zhiqiang, they were clever in small ways, but ultimately insignificant.

Unwilling to waste more time, I grabbed the bone lantern and began inspecting the four walls of the underground palace, hoping to find a clue.

I started with the wall inscribed with ancient script. It was densely packed with text—overwhelming at first glance, but thanks to my father’s instruction in ancient characters, I could make out the general meaning.

It told a legend concerning the Book of Prophecy. During the Tang Dynasty, Li Chunfeng was ordered to search for the Dust-Pellet Pearl. Fearing chaos in the world, he hid half of the pearl and devised the Book of Prophecy. The wall recounted some of the book’s contents.

I was stunned. Could it be that the tomb owner was truly a prophet?

“Young master, do you need a hand?” Ma Xu sidled over at some point, unusually serious for once.

I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the ancient script. “It seems I was right—the tomb owner must have been a feng shui master from the Western Han, skilled in divination and prophecy.”

“You… you mean to say, we’re in the ancestral master’s tomb?” Ma Xu paled. No matter how capable the descendants, could they really contend with their own ancestor?

I said nothing, my grave expression enough of an answer. Ma Xu’s face grew even more ashen.

“Young master, then what do we do now?” Ma Xu grasped my arm, panic rising. Some people simply can’t keep calm—they fall apart at the slightest trouble.

“We’ll take it as it comes. I doubt the ancestral master would wish for all his descendants to perish.” Realizing this, I felt less anxious. Perhaps that’s why, earlier, the mercury receded.

My discovery soon drew the man in the black jacket’s attention. He hurried over to inquire, and after I explained, he too fell into deep thought. Even he, it seemed, had never before found himself inside the tomb of an ancestral master.

“Ma Xu, check the underground palace for any mechanisms—find them all!” The man in the black jacket, seeing Ma Xu trembling, barked a command.

Ma Xu nodded, not daring to disobey, and set off in search of traps.

By now, Zhao Zhiqiang had recovered somewhat. Seeing the grim look on our faces, he offered to help, and was promptly ordered to assist Ma Xu. Clearly, the man in the black jacket shared my hope of finding a last chance for escape.

“If this is truly our ancestral master’s tomb, there must be a way out,” he said, clapping my shoulder, his tone almost comforting. I pressed my lips together and nodded. Deep down, I thought the same.

“If we can’t get out this time, I’ll bear a heavy guilt,” he murmured, sitting listlessly on the ground, eyes vacant.

I found it odd—he’d just been the one reassuring me, and now he was the one despairing? I opened my mouth to comfort him, when suddenly Ma Xu cried out, “Young master, come look at this!”