Everything returned to silence, leaving Xiao Tang shivering as he hugged himself, eyes brimming with tears.
“Why am I always the one who gets hurt?”
Lin Qiang shot him a cold glare. “Because you’re the weakest.”
“Professor Shen, I won’t be cursed by the venom, will I?”
Shen Koudan smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry, it’s over now.”
However, Shen Mo said, “The Black Serpent Gu isn’t a particularly strong curse, but it’s very vicious. The cursed person, besides being controlled by the one who cast the Gu, will grow scales if they leave a certain range, turning into a snake-bodied monster. Eventually, they dry up and die. This Gu is usually used on prisoners. It’s safer if you go back and take a couple of doses of medicine along with the students.”
“You don’t mean the Gu worms you just caught, right?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t want that!” Xiao Tang looked like he was about to cry. He suddenly felt nauseous. He’d rather have the worm crawl inside his body than have to eat it through his mouth!
Jiang Xiaosi glanced around and asked, “Aside from these Gu worms, are there no other traps or mechanisms in this tomb?”
“The excavation went smoothly, without much interference.”
“That’s strange. How did they get all the blood plasma down to the bottom of the tomb?”
“Blood plasma at the bottom?”
“Yeah, directly beneath us, very deep.”
Shen Mo frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly said, “Not far from here, there’s a cliff.”
The group retraced their steps out of the tomb and arrived at the edge of the cliff. Looking up, they saw a sea of clouds, with distant mountains rising like ink paintings. Pine trees clung to the cliff, and if they reached out, they could touch the floating clouds.
Jiang Xiaosi walked to the edge of the cliff and leaned against a tree to peer down. The mountains below were wrapped in clouds, making it impossible to see clearly. No one knew how deep the cliff was or what lay at the bottom. Jiang Xiaosi felt the cold wind rushing up, making her feel as if she might float away. For a moment, she was tempted to leap into the sea of clouds.
Shen Koudan summoned her little ghost cat, sending it down to investigate. The cat drifted into the clouds, soon blending in and disappearing from sight.
About ten minutes later, the cat returned and reported, “There’s a plank road built into the cliff wall that leads down to a cave.”
“A plank road? Xiao Tang, you’re injured. You and Jiang Xiaosi stay up here and guard the entrance.” Shen Mo said as he located the right spot and began lowering a rope.
“I want to go too!” Jiang Xiaosi didn’t want to be left behind at this crucial moment.
“It’s fine, let her come. Xiaosi, stay close to your dad and don’t wander off.” Jiang Liu suddenly said. To him, having Jiang Xiaosi within sight was the safest option.
Since her father had spoken, Shen Mo didn’t say anything further.
Lin Qiang pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. “I’ll stay up here. You all go ahead.”
Someone had to stay and watch the ropes to ensure the others could return safely, and also to prevent anyone from escaping. There were too many strange things inside the tomb, and guns wouldn’t necessarily solve the problem. It was better for him to stay out of the way. Besides, leaving Xiao Tang alone would be risky—if danger appeared, he wouldn’t be able to run fast enough.
Shen Mo climbed down the rope, the little ghost cat floating beside him. After descending about twenty meters, he saw the plank road. Although it was ancient, it had clearly been recently repaired, so it was sturdy.
The wind was strong, and he carefully held onto the cliff wall as he cautiously walked along the creaking plank road. After confirming that it was stable, he called for the others to come down.
Jiang Xiaosi was nervous as she clung to the cliff wall like a gecko, cautiously shuffling her feet. The old plank road seemed like a fragile ribbon hanging along the cliff, and they all moved carefully as if a single misstep could send them plummeting into the abyss below.
After about ten minutes, the path gradually descended, eventually leading to a dark cave entrance.
Once inside, they found that unlike the narrow tunnels they had seen before, this cave was spacious. Their flashlights revealed countless startled bats taking flight.
“This is a natural cave. It should lead to the bottom of the pagoda tomb.” Jiang Xiaosi said, following Shen Mo and Jiang Liu closely. Jiang Liu held her hand, while Shen Koudan marked the path behind them.
“Dad! Look, there are so many glowing mushrooms!” Jiang Xiaosi let go of Jiang Liu’s hand and bounced ahead.
In the distance, small glowing mushrooms created a trail of light, winding deeper into the darkness like a river of stars.
“Xiaosi, don’t touch them. They’re poisonous.” Jiang Liu warned.
Jiang Xiaosi quickly jumped aside, careful not to step on them.
Shen Koudan put on gloves and picked a few mushrooms, placing them in a jar. “I wonder how they managed to transport so much blood here. Judging by the scale of their purchases, it must be tens of tons.”
“That’s why they needed to set up a pipeline.” Jiang Liu said, pointing to traces of pipes along the path.
“But getting it all up this mountain would still be difficult.”
“They probably used helicopters. Whoever is behind this has a lot of resources. If it’s the Mei Mansion, it’s certainly within their capabilities.”
The group continued following the glowing mushroom trail. The path had been artificially cleared, making it relatively easy to navigate. The cave was much warmer than outside, making it feel like they had suddenly walked from winter into summer. They all grew hot and started shedding their outer layers.
“We’ve been heading downward the whole time. We must have descended at least twenty or thirty levels of the pagoda tomb by now. How deep does this thing go?” Shen Koudan, who had taken the appearance of a young girl about Jiang Xiaosi’s age, asked in a high-pitched voice. Shen Mo was long used to her disguises, but Jiang Liu still found it a bit disconcerting.
Just then, a massive circular archway appeared ahead of them, adorned with intricately carved depictions of nine three-clawed golden dragons. Even in the darkness, they shimmered with a faint glow.
Jiang Xiaosi’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Could this be the tomb of an emperor? There must be a ton of treasure inside! Let’s take as much as we can and sell it at the Tuogu Xiang shop—we’ll make a fortune!”
Although Miaoyan often helped them, she was notoriously stingy and always charged them a high fee. Plus, her dad loved to donate large sums of money to charity, leaving the shop constantly running at a deficit. This time, they could finally pay off their debts to that ghost woman! Hahaha! Jiang Xiaosi chuckled to herself as she fantasized, barely restraining herself from rushing forward to scrape the gold powder off the door.
But how would they open it? Jiang Xiaosi carefully inspected the door but found no seams or visible mechanisms.
Shen Mo crouched down, examining some dark red stains on the ground. He pinched a bit of the soil and brought it to his nose, then studied the dragon carvings on the door. Turning to Jiang Xiaosi, he asked, “Are you blood type B?”
Jiang Xiaosi nodded.
“Drip a few drops of your blood into the mouths of the nine dragons.”
Jiang Xiaosi’s mouth dropped open. More bloodletting? She had already lost 400cc before, and she hadn’t even replenished herself yet! Reluctantly, she made a small cut on her finger and dripped a drop of blood into each dragon’s mouth.
As soon as she finished dripping the last drop, the dragons seemed to come to life, rapidly moving along the door, as if they were about to soar into the air. The dragons twisted into a strange formation, and with a loud *clunk*, the massive door slowly began to rise.
A gust of cold wind blew from within, causing the four of them to shiver.
“Be careful!”
Sensing danger, Jiang Liu reached out to grab Jiang Xiaosi, who had foolishly rushed forward in pursuit of treasure. But before he could, Shen Mo had already pulled her aside, moving her to a safer corner.
Five gnarled, black fingers like withered branches reached out toward him. Jiang Liu lightly jumped back, landing gracefully a meter away. He looked up to see a male and a female zombie standing before him, the classic zombie stereotype—cheongsam, mandarin jackets, platform shoes, and long braids, with faces as white as powder, and two bright red spots of rouge on their cheeks.
Jiang Xiaosi, despite the danger, doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach. Their owner must have watched way too much *Mr. Vampire* to dress them up like this! She had seen plenty of zombie comrades in her time, but none with such stereotypical appearances.
Shen Mo grabbed her and tossed her into a corner before joining Jiang Liu in dealing with the zombies. There was no need for pleasantries with mindless zombies—they jumped straight into the fight.
These two little zombies were extremely unlucky to encounter two Daoist priests and a thousand-year-old zombie. They didn’t stand a chance. In no time, they were subdued, each with a talisman slapped on their foreheads, standing like guardian statues at the sides of the entrance.
Once they had taken care of the two doorkeeper zombies, the group finally had a chance to take a closer look at their surroundings. Unlike the dark areas outside, this chamber had clearly been man-made. The corners were inlaid with luminous pearls, and instead of treasure chests, the corners of the room were filled with weapons and armor, which, despite the passage of time, still gleamed with a cold, piercing light.
They moved further into the tomb, finding several rooms, all filled with weapons.
“Uncle, are we inside the pagoda tomb now?” Shen Koudan asked.
Shen Mo shook his head. “It looks like there’s an underground palace built around the pagoda tomb.”
Jiang Xiaosi inspected the surroundings. “Why would someone build an underground palace this deep? Excavating down here would be impossible, and it would be even harder to access from the cliff.”
“If I’m not mistaken, this is an extinct volcano. The tomb owner built the underground palace inside the crater, then constructed the pagoda tomb above it, filling it in over time. After many years, it became what it is now.”
Jiang Xiaosi clapped her hands, laughing. “If the volcano erupted, the burial would turn into a cremation!”
“They must have carefully studied the geology to confirm there was no risk of eruption. And after all, time changes everything. As long as enough time passes, there’s no place in this world that’s a permanent paradise.”
Hearing Shen Mo’s words, Jiang Liu glanced at him. Throughout the journey, he had noticed how Jiang Xiaosi’s gaze constantly followed Shen Mo, her expression filled with excitement and joy—just like how Liu Zhi had looked when she first fell in love with Zhao Bing. Jiang Liu couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of concern.
If he didn’t stop this now, it might be too late. Jiang Liu decided that after they found the Violet Seal Emblem, he would move to another city with Jiang Xiaosi. They had been drifting from place to place for so long that it had become a habit. Though he said he wanted Jiang Xiaosi to experience love, in his heart, he didn’t want her to fall for anyone and change their current lifestyle. He would help Shen Mo find the emblem and then take Jiang Xiaosi away.
The tomb chambers were clearly guarded by an array, but Shen Mo and Jiang Liu skillfully located the “living gate” allowing the four of them to enter the pagoda tomb. This level was much larger than the ones above, divided into several chambers. Shen Mo guessed it was the lowest level and estimated that the pagoda had at least thirty floors. Considering the mountain had an altitude of over 3,000 meters, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
The chambers were opulent, leaving Jiang Xiaosi wide-eyed with awe, practically drooling. The walls were encrusted with gemstones and pearls of various colors, while the chests were filled with jade, gold, silver, ancient paintings, and precious swords and bows. There were also jars that probably contained medicinal herbs. Jiang Liu casually inspected them, finding many offerings.
“This pagoda tomb is from the Song Dynasty.” Jiang Liu remarked, frowning slightly. He had a bad feeling.
Suddenly, a strange, ethereal voice echoed from somewhere, calling out, “Shen Mo?”
Be my Patron~
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨
