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墨書 Inktalez
I stared at Fat Ma, waiting for him to continue.
Fat Ma went on, "You can say feelings can deceive people, but when I sink down myself, how could I not know?"
Hearing Fat Ma say this, I remembered that just a moment ago, I had also plunged into the water.
Noticing me lost in thought, Fat Ma leaned closer and said, "You believe it now, right?"
I nodded in response. It was eerie; there was no other way to explain it.
At that moment, as we stood still, looking into the pool, it appeared as if there was a wall; perhaps our direction had changed.
Suddenly, Fat Ma said, "I wonder how Hilly Big Sister is doing right now!"
My heart tightened, and I didn't respond.
The clay figure glanced at me and said, "The place we are in might be the location they requested."
I suddenly recalled the lake marked on the map. I hurriedly pulled out the map, but it had already been dampened by Bubble.
Carefully unfolding the map to compare it, I gradually felt reassured; it should be correct. Thinking this way, Hilly should still be safe for now.
We had arrived at the designated location as instructed.
I tucked the map away again. Fat Ma remarked, "What else is this map good for?"
I replied, "It might come in handy." Just as I spoke, the map tore, and my hand froze in mid-air.
"See? I told you not to waste your effort," Fat Ma said.
I cursed Fat Ma for being a harbinger of doom.
Fat Ma chuckled dismissively; there was nothing we could do now but abandon the map.
I stood up and said, "Let's go!"
This path was completely dry now, but it was still different from the cemented mining tunnel we had entered earlier. This one was called the Stone Path, as both sides were lined with turned bricks, and the ceiling had an arched shape similar to the previous cemented tunnel.
The bricks looked aged, not like they were used for constructing a mining tunnel.
"I feel like we've entered a tomb," Fat Ma murmured.
"I have that feeling too," the Mud Man chimed in.
I touched the wall and said, "If you both feel that way, then it must be a tomb! There’s no doubt about it."
"Damn, good thing I always carry my tools with me; otherwise, we'd be in big trouble this time," Fat Ma said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Last time you were in such a hurry, you still managed to bring your tools?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course! When you're out in the world, you can't forget your skills," Fat Ma replied cheerfully.
"Next, the Mud Man said, 'I brought some too.'
It was a simple statement, yet it encapsulated countless emotions and words.
Fat Ma and the Mud Man shared an unprecedented moment of understanding. They exchanged a few playful banter before parting ways due to a disagreement.
Fat Ma cheerfully remarked, 'If you need anything underground, just call me! Why go through all this trouble? You’re making Sister Hilly suffer!'
The Mud Man and I were left speechless.
At that moment, Fat Ma was as excited as if he had been injected with adrenaline.
The stone path wasn't long. After a turn, a low stone door appeared ahead, about half a meter high. This must be the entrance to the sealed Tomb.
Fat Ma exclaimed, 'Well hidden indeed! If it weren't for Fat Master's good fortune, you would have been buried here!'
Seeing Fat Ma's excitement reach new heights, I reminded him to stay alert and not get caught up in this place!
After my cold splash of reality, Fat Ma calmed down a bit.
It seemed impossible to enter, but just then, Fat Ma burst into laughter.
On the Tomb Gate, there was an inscription carved in traditional Chinese characters that read: 'I lived my life in poverty and have no burial goods. Do not come to rob my Tomb!'
I couldn't help but laugh as well; it was a classic case of trying to hide something while drawing attention to it."
Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of a small line of text on the Tomb Gate, about the size of an ordinary Black Ant.
At first glance, it looked like a slash had been made across it, but upon closer inspection, it was still hard to see clearly; I could only make out the word "curse."
The Mud Man and Fat Ma were still immersed in this grand joke.
Fat Ma laughed heartily, "Who would be so foolish! This is the first time I've ever encountered something like this."
I interrupted their thoughts and urged them to look at the two characters.
Fat Ma's laughter immediately froze; the word "curse" was quite alarming.
"Could this have been carved by someone later?" the Mud Man voiced his doubts.
"Exactly! If 'he' was warning us, he could have just written it out in big letters," Fat Ma chimed in.
What they said made sense. Why would the tomb owner use such absurd language instead of clearly stating a warning? This made me lean more towards the Mud Man's suggestion.
"Whatever! In our line of work, when we encounter a tomb, we must have the courage to face gods and kill gods, face Buddhas and kill Buddhas. Otherwise, we shouldn't even think about stepping into this profession," Fat Ma declared passionately.
His words stirred a surge of adrenaline within me. I glanced at the Mud Man, who looked just as fired up as I felt.
"Alright then! Let's treat this as a joke!" I sighed in relief.
Now, the pressing question was how to open this Tomb Gate.
" Fat Ma " suddenly said to me mysteriously, "Old Sun, do you remember what I told you back in the Northwest?"
I replied, " Fat Ma, you said so much nonsense in the Northwest; how could I possibly remember which line it was?"
" Fat Ma " rolled his eyes at me and then looked at me with a mix of disappointment and frustration. In that moment, I felt a few centimeters shorter than him. It was a blatant disdain, but all I could do was swallow my pride!
The Tomb Gate was made of bricks, and crucially, it had been filled with molten iron, making it quite solid.
In ancient times, wealthy individuals began constructing their tombs long before they died, especially royal tombs, which were built with great effort.
Take the partially exposed Qin Shi Huang's Tomb; it is enough to astonish the world. Then there are the Thirteen Tombs of Beijing, which are also grand and impressive—countless throughout history.
" Fat Ma " first fiddled with the Tomb Gate and said, "Fortunately, it's not as solid as it used to be." He then turned to me and the Mud Man and said, "I need to borrow some of your boy's urine."
Both the Mud Man and I were taken aback by this statement. But thinking about it, he was right; it was indeed boy's urine.
" Fat Ma " continued, "The craftsmanship here isn't very good, and given its age, the molten iron has started to oxidize. It might be near water; moisture has likely eroded the gaps left by the craftsmen pouring the iron. That's where your boy's urine comes into play."
After hearing this, I couldn't help but look at him with newfound respect.
" Fat Ma " took a jug meant for water and gulped down some before offering us a bit to drink. After the Mud Man and I turned away to relieve ourselves, " Fat Ma " explained further, "This kind of Tomb Gate poured with molten iron was traditionally watered down with dung for days on end. Today, I, Fat Master, will break new ground by using boy's urine."
The Mud Man and I exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile in disbelief.
Suddenly, the Mud Man asked, "Fat Ma, aren't you still a virgin?"
Fat Ma was taken aback by the question, mumbling incoherently, and finally said, "Don't pay attention to those details."
His words nearly caused me internal injuries from holding back my laughter.
Fat Ma began to break down the door, and neither the Mud Man nor I dared to interrupt. After some effort, Fat Ma pulled out a Luoyang Shovel from somewhere and started banging on the Tomb Gate.
Finally, the first brick was knocked loose, followed by the second. After some time, the Tomb Gate was breached. Fat Ma was drenched in sweat.
Yet his face bore a look of blissful satisfaction, and in that moment of astonishment shared between the Mud Man and me, Fat Ma underwent a transformative change in his life.
"Let's go in!" Fat Ma's words jolted us awake from our daze.
"Oh, oh!" The Mud Man and I responded in unison.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get some water," Fat Ma said as he placed a pot into the water to clean it out before filling it up. "Just in case."
It made sense; if we got trapped inside, having a pot of water for emergencies would be quite useful.
One after another, the three of us squeezed through the opening.
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