Even if Lin Yuan obtained the treasure from the Imperial Tomb, there was no need to kill everyone in the village to silence them. After all, these people were descendants of loyal ministers from the founding emperor of the previous dynasty hundreds of years ago. What was even stranger was that Lin Yuan, despite being a descendant of the last imperial family, didn’t know the secret location of the founding emperor’s tomb. Instead, it was Lin Doctor, who raised Lin Yuan and knew about it. Of course… if explained by Lin Yuan being too young at the time, it could barely make sense. However… if Lin Doctor didn’t want him to have thoughts of restoring the dynasty, he could have simply not told him about his identity. When Lin Yuan first came to this village, he was only one year old and couldn’t possibly remember anything.
Looking up at Lin Doctor who sat lost in thought to one side, Ye Li slightly raised her eyebrows. This Lin Yuan… something felt off about him. And that treasure of the founding emperor wasn’t ordinary treasure like gold, silver, or ancient jade artifacts. It also didn’t seem like secret manuals, military tactics, precious swords, or other legendary treasures. So… what exactly was it?
Ye Li looked at her abdomen with some regret. If it weren’t for having the baby making things inconvenient, she wouldn’t mind exploring the secrets and treasures of this founding emperor’s tomb.
After resting enough, the two got up and continued forward along the route shown on the map. Regardless of whether there was danger in this imperial tomb, just being in such an enclosed space was unsettling. Along the way, Ye Li habitually memorized the route they had taken. As a former army special forces soldier, having a good sense of direction was essential. At least she never worried about getting lost anywhere. The two walked forward silently, and Ye Li frowned slightly at the increasingly elaborate decorations around them, casually asking: “Master, have we taken a wrong turn?”
Lin Doctor looked down at the route map in his hand, then turned to look at her. “Oh? Why do you say that?”
Ye Li furrowed her brows and said: “We seem to be heading toward the center of the imperial tomb, which directly contradicts the direction of the exit.” Even if it was impossible to have a straight path to the exit in the imperial tomb, it shouldn’t be the opposite, right? Even if the Earth is round, this imperial tomb hadn’t occupied the entire Earth’s surface.
Lin Doctor looked at her calmly and said: “Who said the exit was in Hong Prefecture?”
Ye Li fell silent, looking wordlessly at Lin Doctor. Even if it wasn’t in Hong Prefecture, it couldn’t be at the center of the tomb, right?
Being stared at by Ye Li this way, Lin Doctor also felt somewhat uncomfortable and said: “Alright, I need to retrieve something before we can leave. If you don’t want to go, you can wait here, or you can copy this map and leave by yourself first.”
Ye Li felt slightly relieved inside. Being able to say this at least proved that this adopted master had no intention of harming her. Otherwise… although she was confident she could subdue him, it was hard to say what they might encounter in this centuries-old imperial tomb. After thinking for a moment, Ye Li hesitated before asking: “Lin Yuan… is there another way to get in?”
Lin Doctor didn’t want to hand that thing over to Lin Yuan, which was why he wanted to hurry and retrieve it. Lin Doctor remained silent, but just from his expression, Ye Li already understood. Sure enough… those claims about there being only one exit were never reliable. For instance, it was said that craftsmen who built ancient imperial tombs would always leave themselves a secret passage in case the imperial family tried to silence them by killing them.
Shrugging her shoulders, Ye Li smiled faintly and said: “I’d better go with Master. What if I get lost and can’t find my way out?”
“Think it through carefully. As far as I know, this imperial tomb isn’t particularly dangerous. You can wait for me at the exit. If I haven’t arrived in two days, just activate the mechanism and leave by yourself.”
Ye Li looked around and said: “Originally I didn’t know whether this place was dangerous or not, but now that’s not necessarily true. I’m a young woman, and it’s a bit scary walking alone in a tomb. It would be better to follow Master for some courage.”
Lin Doctor gave her a deep look and sighed softly before turning to walk forward. “I don’t know why you insist on following me, girl. Don’t blame this old man if you get caught up in trouble.”
Ye Li smiled, catching up two steps ahead, and said softly: “Because you’re my master, and I know Master is a good person.”
Lin Doctor snorted lightly. “I’m not a good person and don’t pretend to be naive in front of me. This old man has seen quite a few people in his lifetime, but there aren’t many whose true nature I couldn’t discern.”
Ye Li ignored his sarcasm, blinking her eyes. “Is Master praising me?”
Master and disciple walked on and off, moving slowly due to both consideration for Ye Li’s condition and Lin Doctor’s advanced age. With no sunlight in the imperial tomb, Ye Li could only roughly estimate the time. When they entered the tomb, they walked and stopped for three to four hours, then rested in a stone chamber for several more hours. They had spent nearly more than a day here. But they had only just reached the entrance to the inner part of the imperial tomb.
Standing before an imposing palace gate, Lin Doctor turned to Ye Li and said: “Be careful when you go in, don’t touch things you shouldn’t. Don’t blame your master for not warning you if you trigger any mechanisms.”
Ye Li looked at him. “Master clearly said it wasn’t dangerous in here.”
Lin Doctor snorted lightly, his expression showing a hint of pride. “Of course, it’s not dangerous following your master. But it might be different following someone else. The outer areas of the imperial tomb we passed through were just illusions, but the mechanisms and traps inside are at least five times more numerous than outside.”
Ye Li wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead. “Master, your disciple feels like she’s fallen into a trap. What would have happened if I hadn’t come in with you earlier?”
Lin Doctor pulled his lips into a smile without any humor. “The mechanisms at the exit are no fewer than inside. Moreover, the map for solving the mechanisms is kept with the treasure.”
“You know it so well,” Ye Li muttered under her breath. In the silence of the tomb, Lin Doctor could hear Ye Li’s voice. He smiled proudly and said: “This tomb was designed and built by our ancestors. Do you think there’s anyone in the world who knows it better than I do?”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, closely following Lin Doctor’s steps as they walked inside.
Only upon entering the inner tomb did Ye Li truly understand what an imperial tomb meant. No one knows what the inside of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb looks like. Most of the imperial tombs Ye Li had seen in her previous life were either looted by grave robbers or had been excavated and could only be considered ruins. Ye Li remembered that the Records of the Grand Historian had recorded about Emperor Qin’s tomb: “It penetrated three springs, descended to bronze to reach the coffin, with palaces and officials, strange devices and wonders filling it. Mercury was used to simulate the hundred rivers, streams, and seas, mechanically flowing. Above were constellations, below was geography, with man-fish oil used as eternal lamps.”
She didn’t know if this tomb could match the grandeur and magnificence of Emperor Qin’s tomb, but the scene before her eyes was enough to prove that it at least rivaled its luxury and elegance. The floor and walls were exquisitely carved from marble, with streams of mercury and stars densely distributed throughout the incredibly vast burial chamber. Looking up at the starry sky overhead, those were all star charts decorated with various kinds of luminous pearls. The burial goods in the chamber weren’t bronze vessels and such things, but various elaborate gold items, jade pieces, jewels, and so on. Long-burning lamps were placed around the chamber, and with all the gold items, luminous pearls, and countless treasures, the entire chamber was as bright as day. Looking at the splendid golden tomb before her, which appeared to be a miniature version of the imperial city, Ye Li couldn’t help but turn her attention back to those few brief lines in the Records of the Grand Historian… Were ancient imperial tombs so similar across different times and spaces?
“I wonder if there are terracotta warriors or something like that near the imperial tomb?” Ye Li muttered softly, following Lin Doctor cautiously forward. Even though every item before her was a priceless treasure, she had no intention of touching anything.
Lin Doctor turned to look at her. “How did you know about the terracotta warriors?”
Ye Li was startled. “There are some?” Could this founding emperor of the previous dynasty be the reincarnation of Emperor Qin? Ye Li shook her head to dismiss the wild thoughts in her mind. Though Emperor Qin unified the six states, and the founding emperor of the previous dynasty was also a supreme martial artist, he still fell short in comparison. Lin Doctor examined her for a moment, then turned back and continued walking inside while saying: “According to ancestral records, there were indeed some. However, at that time, the empire had just been unified, and it was impossible to spend such enormous resources on building an imperial tomb, so two-thirds of the founding emperor’s original design was cut. The terracotta warriors are only mentioned in a very few secret histories about the founding emperor.” Ye Li marveled – if this scale was only one-third, if he had built the entire tomb as planned, the previous dynasty might have fallen one or two hundred years earlier.
“This isn’t bad. If future generations face any difficulties, dismantling this imperial tomb would be quite sufficient,” Ye Li said with a slight smile. A cold snort came from Lin Doctor ahead. “Even the most unworthy descendants would never dismantle their ancestors’ tomb.” Ye Li blinked. “Then what’s the point of hiding so much gold and silver treasure here?” Of course, she knew the reason – perhaps those who had never been emperors could never understand the significance of building such an imperial tomb. With so much money, it would be better to leave it for descendants to use in times of emergency.
They continued without further conversation. Even under Lin Doctor’s guidance, the two carefully avoided several mechanisms before approaching a palace-like building at the very center of the tomb. Ye Li understood this was where the tomb owner’s coffin was placed. It was a building carved entirely from white jade, standing in the most prominent position of the entire burial chamber. Even from far away, one could see this snow-white palace. Up close, the intricately carved window lattices and halls revealed dragon cubs crouching on the eaves, and lifelike flowers and plants carved from jade hanging beneath the eaves. The palace steps were carved with majestic and elegant dragons and phoenixes. Most importantly, a huge white dragon coiled around this white palace, its head resting on the palace roof, with a pair of huge eyes made of luminous pearls glaring at visitors. For some reason, seeing this palace that could be said to combine luxury, grandeur, and majesty, Ye Li couldn’t help but twitch her lips, a very strange feeling rising in her heart. However, seeing Lin Doctor’s excited, admiring, and nostalgic expression, Ye Li decided it was better not to say anything.
“Master, shall we go in?” Seeing Lin Doctor lost in thought, Ye Li couldn’t help but ask.
Lin Doctor came back to his senses, hiding his expression and taking one last lingering look at the white building before nodding.
The two stood at the palace entrance, each lost in thought. The palace doors were tightly closed, with neither locks nor anything else. There was only a black jade stone carved with characters, surrounded by coiled dragons. The two looked carefully – it was a simple arrangement of characters without any pattern, though these character blocks were movable, clearly needing to be rearranged. Ye Li raised her delicate eyebrows, looking at the characters before her – “sweep,” “unite,” “six,” “lord,” “below,” “across,” “reign,” “heaven.” A very simple eight-character puzzle that should form “sweep across six directions, reign over all under heaven.”
Watching Lin Doctor step forward to start moving the character blocks on the door, Ye Li’s fine brows furrowed slightly with an inexplicable feeling of unease. But even after carefully looking for a long while without seeing what exactly was wrong, Ye Li could only stand to the side carefully watching Lin Doctor. Suddenly, Ye Li seemed to see one of the character blocks twist very strangely. Ye Li blinked, wanting to confirm whether she was hallucinating or had seen something. Staring intently at the character for “heaven,” she finally noticed that something under the character was somehow crooked, and looking carefully, one could see something slowly squirming. A thought flashed through Ye Li’s mind, something quickly passing through her consciousness. Without time to think it through, she reached out and grabbed Lin Doctor, who was bent over moving the character blocks, pulling him away.
“Ah!” Lin Doctor cried out in surprise, already backing away repeatedly without needing Ye Li to pull him, staring in shock at his fingers. Two fingers had some strange black things slowly squirming on them, and his fingers were being corroded at an extremely fast rate. Lin Doctor’s face changed dramatically. Without time to think, Ye Li grabbed Lin Doctor’s hand, and her sharp dagger flashed two silver lights – the skin on Lin Doctor’s two fingers and some of the corroded flesh had been cut away onto the ground. Then the two were shocked to discover that the rotting flesh on the ground was continuing to corrode the white jade foundation.
They turned together to look at the main door. The characters on the door had gradually become blurred with more black things squirming on them, seemingly about to break free. Ye Li pulled Lin Doctor back a few quick steps, saying: “Master, we’re in big trouble. Let’s go quickly.” Lin Doctor looked at his still-bleeding right hand, his face very ugly. “The ancestral secret records didn’t mention this.” Ye Li said: “Obviously, that founding emperor of the previous dynasty tricked your family.”
“What are those things?” The two quickly descended the palace steps and walked out, but obviously, the tomb’s owner had no intention of letting those who had offended his tomb off so easily. The bridge piers built over the mercury river for people to cross suddenly all sank to the bottom. Ye Li even heard many places making cracking sounds, obviously, the sound of certain mechanisms activating. Let alone that neither of them could leap over this mercury river now – even if they could get across, the mechanisms and hidden weapons that would follow would probably not be pleasant to deal with. The tomb’s designer absolutely would not have failed to consider the possibility that those breaking into the tomb might be martial arts experts.
The two looked back toward the entrance. Those black things had already started to become larger than before, with the original characters completely invisible. Some parts had separated from the main body and were flying out like tiny insects. Both had witnessed how formidable these small insects were – Lin Doctor’s two fingers had been corroded just from touching a bit, and there was still a wine cup-sized hole in the white jade foundation. If they let these things touch their bodies, not only would they die, but they would die very ugly deaths.
“What are these things…” Lin Doctor frowned. Although his family had long since stopped being involved in tomb matters, there were still quite a few records in the family. But he could be certain he had never seen anything like this before. Ye Li pulled Lin Doctor while looking for a place to retreat, all while vigilantly watching the black mist not far away. “Master, you know about cordyceps, right?” Lin Doctor was confused. “Cordyceps? What does this have to do with cordyceps?” Ye Li said: “In winter it’s an insect, in summer it’s grass. This is the same – when warm they’re insects, when cold they’re like jade. When Master was moving the character blocks earlier, the temperature from your fingers made these little things come alive. Master, do you have any solutions?”
Lin Doctor was helpless. “I’ve never even seen these damned things before, what solution could I have?”
Ye Li said: “Then we’re in trouble. If these little things fly everywhere, not only will we be in trouble, but all the treasures in this entire tomb will probably be ruined too.”
“You still have time to worry about these things now?” Lin Doctor gave her a sideways glance and said irritably.
Ye Li smiled faintly. “Just because I’m not thinking about it doesn’t mean others aren’t?”
Lin Doctor was startled. “What others?” As soon as the words fell, a black shadow flew up from the opposite side. Only the whooshing sound of several arrows quickly shooting toward the black shadow in the air could be heard. The person in black twisted in mid-air, barely avoiding the arrows. A row of giant nail boards pressed down from above, and the black-clad person still unable to land had to flip again to arduously avoid the nail boards. With a ripping sound, some clothing was torn. Only then did they see the person in black land awkwardly on this side, swaying on the ground before steadying themselves. Ye Li’s hand moved like lightning, her dagger flashing a cold light. The person in black had barely steadied themselves when the cold blade tip was already pressed against their spine. “Don’t move. If my hand slips, I might not take your life, but I’m afraid you’ll spend the rest of your life lying in bed.”
The person in black turned their head slightly. “Princess Ding? So you’re still alive?”
Ye Li smiled sweetly. “Oh, so we’re acquainted? However… I don’t seem to know anyone like you?”
The man raised his hands and threw his weapon to the ground, saying: “Princess, you don’t need to be nervous. I won’t hurt you, and I definitely won’t let you die. At least… not here.”
Ye Li smiled charmingly. “I’m truly touched, but first state your background when you came. Otherwise… I can’t guarantee you won’t die here.” As she spoke, Ye Li held the dagger in one hand while using the other to turn the man around to face Lin Doctor, smiling as she asked: “Master, do you know him?”
Lin Doctor looked at the black-clad man before him with complex eyes, finally letting out a long sigh after a while and saying: “You still came after all.”
The man said matter-of-factly: “I’m just here to take back what belongs to me, what’s wrong with that?”
Ye Li tilted her head looking at the two of them, smiling: “I’m becoming more and more curious about who you are.”
The man smiled and said: “Why doesn’t the Princess come to the front and see for yourself?”