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墨書 Inktalez
We three had come to an agreement, with the condition that we couldn't kill the Old Mountain Master.
After understanding the spirit of the meeting, Fat Ma raised his fist and charged forward, while Black Glasses kept dodging the Old Mountain Master's attacks. Fat Ma had no such reservations; he swung his fist and struck the Old Mountain Master on the back. The force made the Old Mountain Master lean forward, and seeing this, Fat Ma immediately pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. Then he shouted, "Old Sun, Mud Man, hurry up!"
I hesitated no longer and quickly stepped forward to hold down the Old Mountain Master.
Fat Ma shouted again, "Mud Man, take my place."
Though Mud Man was puzzled, he did not refuse Fat Ma.
Fat Ma grinned as he stood up and pulled out a Black Donkey Hoof from his pocket.
I glanced at him, feeling speechless; this Fat Ma really had a persistent streak of mischief.
At that moment, Black Glasses, standing a few meters away, shouted anxiously, "Fatty, you dare!"
But he was a step too late. As soon as his words fell, Fat Ma stuffed the Black Donkey Hoof into the Old Mountain Master's mouth. At that moment, the Old Mountain Master indeed quieted down.
Could it be that the Black Donkey Hoof really worked? Had the Old Mountain Master turned into Zongzi? Just a second later, I heard chewing sounds. I looked at the Old Mountain Master in shock; he was actually gnawing on the Black Donkey Hoof.
Fat Ma was stunned by this revelation.
At that moment, Black Glasses rushed over and pushed us all aside.
The Old Mountain Master remained on the ground without getting up, seemingly conquered by the taste of the Black Donkey Hoof. Black Glasses tried to help him remove it from his mouth but was pushed away by the Old Mountain Master.
The Old Mountain Master chewed vigorously, blood oozing from his mouth as several teeth fell out.
"Eh?" I was taken aback as I noticed the dark purple hue on Old Mountain Master's face gradually fading away. Black Glasses, witnessing this scene, stopped advancing and remained at the side, watching.
Xiao Nan rushed forward but I pulled him back to the periphery.
The remnants of Black Donkey Hoof mixed with fresh red blood flowed all over the ground, releasing a strange odor that filled the air.
Looking at this scene, my heart ached; it was cruel. Perhaps Old Mountain Master's self-awareness had revived. Fat Ma had stumbled upon a lucky chance, inadvertently saving Old Mountain Master.
About five minutes passed, and the dark purple on Old Mountain Master's face had completely disappeared, replaced by a sickly pale color, his eyes regaining clarity.
Black Glasses and Xiao Nan rushed forward, concerned for Old Mountain Master. He looked very weak and waved his hand at them.
Xiao Nan obediently helped Old Mountain Master trim his excess hair.
Old Mountain Master had fully returned to his original state, except for an injury on his mouth.
Fat Ma blinked at Old Mountain Master, and after confirming he was alright, stepped forward to apologize.
Old Mountain Master spoke in a hoarse and aged voice, "You saved me!"
Fat Ma was momentarily stunned by these words but quickly responded, "No need to be polite, Old Mountain Master. This is what I should do."
Old Mountain Master lowered his gaze and sighed.
Xiao Nan handed him a towel and some wine. After rinsing his mouth, Black Glasses supported Old Mountain Master as he stood up. At that moment, he appeared to have aged four or five years compared to before.
Before descending from the mountain, the old man had consulted Yin Yang Master about his fate. Yin Yang Master said, "If you don't go, you'll be safe; if you do go, there will be more misfortune than good fortune." The old man didn't believe it; he repeated emphatically, "I don't believe it," before breaking into a violent cough.
Xiao Nan helped Old Mountain Master to catch his breath.
Old Mountain Master finally said, "My time is running out!" Black Glasses' gaze had not left Old Mountain Master.
We all fell silent.
Old Mountain Master glanced at Xiao Nan and said, "Xiao Nan, you should follow him from now on." Black Glasses nodded in agreement.
Xiao Nan began to sob, murmuring, "Master, you won't be in any trouble."
I watched everything unfold. Old Mountain Master was passing on his legacy; it seemed he truly had little time left.
Black Glasses called out, "Grandpa."
Old Mountain Master waved his hand at Black Glasses and said, "What grandpa? Just call me Old Mountain Head."
"Grandpa," Black Glasses couldn't help but call again.
Old Mountain Master let out a sigh and said, "It's all in the past; you shouldn't dwell on it anymore."
Black Glasses took off his glasses, his narrow and elongated eyes shining with intensity as he stared at Old Mountain Master. He then performed a deep bow to him.
Old Mountain Master supported Black Glasses. It seemed that their bond ran deep!
The expression on the Mud Man's face was not pleasant; he seemed slightly moved but soon shifted his gaze elsewhere. I knew he had a master too.
Unlike me and Fat Ma, who were self-taught, Fat Ma claimed that his family had been tomb raiders for generations. If we were talking about being self-taught, I was the only one left.
After entrusting his final affairs, the Old Mountain Master perked up and said to us, "This is my last time coming down here. I hope we can work together pleasantly."
Upon hearing this, my expression stiffened for a moment.
However, Fat Ma quickly chimed in, "It’s our honor to collaborate with you, old man."
The Old Mountain Master nodded.
Fat Ma chuckled lightly.
To say that working with the Old Mountain Master would be a disadvantage for us would be an understatement; after all, he was an old-school figure whose skills and experience far surpassed ours.
Previously, we had been 'dividing the spoils' with the Old Mountain Master, but now he was solemnly stating that he wanted to cooperate with us, which held a different significance.
I asked with some concern, "Old Mountain Master, how is your health…"
The Old Mountain Master suddenly replied firmly, "Don't worry! There won't be any problems with the expedition." Since he had made that declaration, I felt it was inappropriate to question him further.
Fat Ma slapped the clay figure and said, "Let’s get moving; why are we still dawdling?"
The clay figure shook off its daze but quickly regained its composure.
The Old Mountain Master surveyed the area and when he spotted the White Jade Chair flanked by the Stone Carved Beasts, a hint of color returned to his previously pale face, indicating a shift in his emotions.
Fat Ma remarked, "Old Mountain Master, you came from that White Jade Chair earlier."
The Old Mountain Master looked at Fat Ma in surprise.
Black Glasses whispered a few words into Old Mountain Master's ear, and he nodded absentmindedly.
Above us was a Star Chart. I wondered why the ancients would paint a Star Chart on the ceiling of a tomb after death, along with the circular hole at the top and the mysterious face within it.
"Old Mountain Master, what do you think we should do next? We will follow your lead," Fat Ma said politely.
Old Mountain Master replied, "The tomb has a flat-roof structure, and it's quite rare to have a Star Chart drawn on such a roof! This should be related to Geomancy." He pointed at the faintly glowing 'stars' above and continued, "The arrangement of these stars is likely meant to lock in the tomb's spiritual energy, concentrating it into one point for self-nourishment."
After finishing this explanation, Old Mountain Master spoke slowly.
Fat Ma and I were left in confusion. The Mud Man furrowed his brow and said, "According to what you said, if we disrupt the star arrangement above, the spiritual energy of this tomb will dissipate."
Old Mountain Master added, "In theory, yes. But dispersing the spiritual energy of a Yin residence is a major taboo!"
I felt as if I had grasped something important.
Speaking so much had taken a toll on Old Mountain Master's body. Seeing this, Black Glasses hurriedly supported him.
Old Mountain Master pushed Black Glasses away and forced himself to stand steady.
This old man was quite stubborn! Suddenly, I thought of my grandfather, who seemed to share this trait—becoming more unwilling to give in as he aged.
Fat Ma didn't care about these theories that had nothing to do with him; he preferred practical action. So he asked, "After all that talk, how can we get through?"
Old Mountain Master weakly replied, "The stars above and the layout below can be referenced from stone carvings: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—each corresponding to seven celestial bodies. There are four divine beasts in each row, opposing each other in pairs. So if I haven't miscalculated, there should be 56 stars scattered above."
I raised my head in response and began counting. The further I counted, the more shocked I became. In the end, it turned out that Old Mountain Master's analysis was correct.
Fifty-six stars scattered across the sky, each corresponding to a divine beast.
After counting the stars, I shifted my gaze to the two divine beasts nearby. Indeed, two Black Tortoises lay prostrate before us. When we first entered, we hadn’t paid much attention to them, but now that the Old Mountain Master pointed them out one by one, I felt a calmness settle in my heart.
This was a technique of tomb layout. A question arose in my mind: why was this layout used in this chamber rather than in the main burial chamber where the coffin was stored?
It seemed the Old Mountain Master had seen through my thoughts. "The four chambers of southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast are typical layouts for ordinary tombs; such methods are rather crude," he said.
I looked at the Old Mountain Master in surprise.
He continued, "I have heard of a Ghost Tomb, which we refer to as the Ghostly Heavenly Palace. However, no one has ever found it, yet some have not given up hope."
The name Ghostly Heavenly Palace sent a shiver down my spine.
The Old Mountain Master nodded gravely. "This pertains to an ancient civilization that has long since vanished. It has been quite some time—over three thousand years." He raised three fingers. "Chinese Civilization has only been around for over five thousand years, while this ancient civilization endured for more than three thousand years." The Old Mountain Master took a breath, and his spirits seemed to lift somewhat.
We listened intently, no one interrupting as he spoke with enthusiasm. He recounted, "When this Ghostly Heavenly Palace was half-built, it attracted divine punishment from the heavens. This shows that even constructing this Ghostly Heavenly Palace was not permitted by Heaven itself. Yet this civilization refused to back down; it took several generations to finally complete it. Legend has it that just after its completion, immortals came to visit."
We were captivated by his tale.
"But this fierce and strange race slaughtered countless beings to avoid the attention of the immortals. In the end, they washed the Ghostly Heavenly Palace in blood, and no immortals ever descended again. Afterward, this Ghostly Heavenly Palace vanished without a trace, yet it left behind some clues—deliberate or not."
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