Ahead lay an unknown path. Under his leadership, the two groups had merged, temporarily increasing their strength.
Yet no one knew what dangers awaited them ahead.
“How did you guys get in here?” Fan Debiao asked, breaking the silence in the darkness.
“Old trade, digging a grave tunnel, of course. Look, I even brought a Luoyang spade in my bag, ready to start anytime,” Da Guozhong replied, patting his backpack.
“You… you mean we have to dig again?” Upon hearing about digging, Fan Debiao’s face turned pale.
Da Guozhong lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and blew a smoke ring toward Fan Debiao. “Don’t worry, Brother Fan. This time we won’t need to dig.”
“Why? Because the entrance is right inside there.” Da Guozhong pointed toward the stone door.
After he spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to the stone door at the end of the chamber. It stood about ten meters high, with two arched leaves each around five meters wide. They all pointed their powerful flashlights at the stone door, finally revealing its full appearance.
Engraved on the door were two enormous creatures—dragon heads with bird bodies—extremely unusual. Surrounding the monsters were many smaller creatures of similar appearance. Standing in front of it, Da Guozhong seemed tiny, like potential prey about to be devoured at any moment.
Frowning, he gestured for everyone to approach the stone door. Now, they could see it even more clearly.
There was no keyhole on the door, nor any visible mechanisms nearby. It looked less like a door and more like a solid stone wall. The only clue indicating it was a door was the narrow seam down the middle.
Seeing Da Guozhong staring intently at the door for a while, Liu Dashao asked, “Brother, is this a door or a stone wall? And what the hell are those dragon-bird hybrids carved on it?”
Da Guozhong handed his tools to his assistant, Cai Qingchong, and turned around. “It definitely is a stone door. What’s carved here is Yinglong—a winged dragon from ancient legends. It’s said that when Yu the Great controlled the floods, Yinglong used its tail to draw rivers, channeling the water into the sea, thus becoming famous. But how is Yinglong related to this tomb?”
After listening, Liu Dashao said in surprise, “Forget about dragons or birds. Da Guozhong, if this really is a stone door, there should be a keyhole somewhere, or at least a hidden mechanism nearby. Otherwise, how would anyone open it?”
Sighing, Da Guozhong replied, “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any explosives this time. If I had, two packs would’ve done the trick. I was too rushed when preparing, and now this door blocks our way.”
Fan Debiao suggested, “Then maybe we should send someone out to get some explosives. After all, it’s not that far.”
“Absolutely not!” Liu Dashao snapped. “We can’t use explosives here. The village is too close. If we blow up the stone door, the villagers will definitely hear it. Then we’ll all end up behind bars.”
After Liu Dashao’s explanation, both Da Guozhong and Fan Debiao nodded in agreement.
Fan Debiao scratched his head, frustrated. “Damn it, can’t do this, can’t do that. Then what do we do now?”
Fan Debiao’s words left Liu Dashao shaking his head helplessly.
Da Guozhong scanned the tomb chamber from end to end but found no mechanisms or hidden devices. Just when everyone seemed at a loss, Cai Qingchong stepped forward and pointed at the wings of Yinglong on the stone door. “Don’t these feathers look like goose feathers?”
As he touched the feathers, a loud ‘boom’ echoed. As if activated by some invisible force, the stone door slowly split open, revealing a tomb corridor stretching into the unknown.
Seeing this, Liu Dashao was both surprised and delighted. “Brother, you’re amazing!”
Fan Debiao nodded in astonishment. “Kid, you’ve got potential. Let’s go!”
Without further delay, Fan Debiao stepped into the corridor, followed closely by the other four.
Triggered by the mechanism, the stone door opened slowly, revealing a tomb corridor that stretched endlessly. One by one, they entered.
Inside the corridor, all five switched on their flashlights, pointing them into the darkness. Despite the powerful beams, the corridor remained shrouded in blackness.
Seeing this, Fan Debiao muttered in frustration, “What kind of tomb is this? Even with five high-powered flashlights, we can’t see the end. How long would it take to walk through this place?”
Liu Dashao ignored Fan Debiao and instead shone his flashlight around the corridor. The floor was paved with marble, remarkably preserved after centuries of exposure to natural elements without a trace of moss.
This marble was different from what they’d seen before—smoother, almost polished, reflecting the light from their flashlights. The stone on both sides of the corridor matched the material of the stone door, likely the same type of rock.
On the walls were more carvings of Yinglong. These were different from the ones on the door. The Yinglong on the door had fierce eyes, while these appeared much gentler, giving a sense of calm and comfort.
Suddenly, Cai Qingchong raised his right hand to his lips, signaling silence. With his left hand, he pointed toward the stone door. The others immediately understood, holding their breath and staring toward the door, too afraid to make a sound.
From beyond the stone door came a low, intermittent growl: “Grrr… grrr…”
At the sound, Liu Dashao, Fan Debiao, and Su Yougui looked puzzled. But the expressions of the other two changed drastically—they looked terrified.
Seeing their fear, Liu Dashao patted Cai Qingchong on the shoulder. “Hey, buddy, what the hell is making that sound behind the stone door? Why are you so scared?”
Still shaken, Cai Qingchong replied, “That was the cry of a merman. Another big ‘zombie’ is coming!”
Liu Dashao had no idea what a merman was. But upon hearing “zombie,” his legs started trembling uncontrollably. Looking at Fan Debiao, he saw the same fear mirrored in his face. Liu Dashao turned to Da Guozhong. “But we just came through there, and there was nothing when we passed. How come suddenly there’s a merman now?”
Ahead lay an unknown path. Under his leadership, the two groups merged into one, their strength temporarily bolstered. Yet, no one knew what dangers awaited them.
“How did you get in here?” Fan Debiao asked in the darkness.
“Old habits die hard—digging tunnels. Look, I’ve even brought a Luoyang shovel in my bag, ready to go anytime,” said Big Cricket, patting his back.
“You… you mean we’re going to dig again?” Fan Debiao’s face turned pale at the thought.
Big Cricket lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and blew a smoke ring. “Don’t worry, Brother Fan. This time, we won’t need to dig a tunnel.”
“Because the entrance is right there,” Big Cricket pointed at the stone gate.
After Big Cricket’s words, everyone’s attention turned to the stone gate at the end of the chamber. The gate was about ten meters high, with two arched doors roughly five meters wide. Everyone aimed their high-powered flashlights at the gate, finally revealing its full appearance.
Carved on the gate were two enormous creatures—dragon heads with bird bodies, a truly bizarre sight. Surrounding these creatures were smaller monsters, each slightly diminutive in comparison. Standing before the gate, Big Cricket looked incredibly small, as if he were prey for the two monsters, ready to be devoured at any moment.
He furrowed his brow and motioned for everyone to approach the gate, making it even clearer.
The gate had no keyhole, nor any visible mechanism. It was more like a stone wall than a door. The only indication that it was a gate was the seam in the middle.
Liu Dashao, noticing Big Cricket’s intense gaze, asked, “Brother, is this really a gate or just a stone wall? And what are those dragon-bird hybrids carved on it?”
Big Cricket handed his tools to his assistant, Green Worm, and turned around. “This is indeed a stone gate. What’s carved on it are Yinglongs. Yinglong is a winged dragon from ancient legends. It’s said that during Yu the Great’s flood control, Yinglong used its tail to carve rivers, guiding the waters to the sea, thus becoming a legend. But what does Yinglong have to do with this tomb?”
After hearing Big Cricket’s explanation, Liu Dashao was astonished. “Dragons or birds, Big Cricket, if this is really a gate, shouldn’t there be a keyhole or some mechanism nearby? Otherwise, how are we supposed to open it?”
Big Cricket sighed. “Unfortunately, I didn’t bring any explosives this time. If we had some, a couple of packs would do the trick. I was in too much of a hurry during preparation, and now we’re stuck at this gate.”
Fan Debiao chimed in, “Why don’t we send someone out to get some explosives? It’s not that far.”
“Nonsense!” Liu Dashao cursed. “We absolutely cannot use explosives. This place is too close to the village. If we blow open the gate, the villagers will definitely hear it, and we’ll all end up in jail.”
After Liu Dashao’s words, both Big Cricket and Fan Debiao nodded, agreeing with his reasoning.
Fan Debiao scratched his head. “Damn it, this doesn’t work, that doesn’t work. What are we supposed to do now?”
Hearing Fan Debiao’s frustration, Liu Dashao shook his head, indicating he had no solution.
Big Cricket carefully examined the tomb chamber from start to finish but found no mechanisms or anything useful. He sighed in resignation. Just as everyone was at a loss, Green Worm walked up to the gate and pointed at Yinglong’s wing. “Does this feather look like a goose feather to you?”
As he fiddled with the feather, a loud “boom” echoed, and the stone gate slowly began to part, as if responding to some unseen force. The gate opened, revealing an endless tomb passageway.
Seeing this, Liu Dashao was both shocked and delighted. “Brother, you’re really something!”
Fan Debiao, equally surprised, nodded. “Kid, you’ve got a bright future. Let’s move!”
With that, Fan Debiao stepped into the tomb passageway, and the other four followed without hesitation.
Due to the mechanism, the stone gate slowly opened, revealing an endless tomb passageway. One by one, they entered the passage.
Inside the passage, all five flashlights pointed into the darkness. Despite the high-powered beams, the passage remained pitch black.
Fan Debiao, baffled by the situation, muttered, “What the hell kind of tomb passage is this? With five high-powered flashlights, we still can’t see the end. How long will it take to get out of here?”
Liu Dashao ignored Fan Debiao and instead shone his flashlight around the passage. The corridor was paved with marble, which, after thousands of years of physical and chemical weathering, showed no signs of moss.
The marble here was different from what they usually saw outside—it was smoother and reflected light when illuminated. The stone walls on either side seemed to be made of the same material as the gate.
Carved on the walls were many Yinglongs, but these were different from the ones on the gate. The Yinglongs on the gate had fierce eyes, while those here appeared much gentler, evoking a sense of comfort.
At that moment, Green Worm raised his right hand to his lips, signaling for silence, and pointed toward the gate with his left. The others immediately understood and held their breath, staring at the gate, not daring to make a sound.
From outside the gate came intermittent growls: “Roar… roar…”
Hearing this, Liu Dashao, Fan Debiao, and Su Yougui looked confused, but the other two turned pale, their faces filled with terror.
Seeing their fear, Liu Dashao patted Green Worm on the shoulder. “Hey, buddy, what’s out there? Why are you so scared?”
Green Worm, still shaken, replied, “That sound was the cry of a Jiaoren. It’s another big zombie!”
Liu Dashao didn’t know what a Jiaoren was, but hearing it was a big zombie, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably. Looking at Fan Debiao beside him, he saw the man was just as terrified. Liu Dashao asked Big Cricket, “Didn’t we just come from there? There was nothing there before. How did a Jiaoren suddenly appear?”
Big Cricket explained, “The Jiaoren originated in the Han Dynasty. Its full name is Black-Scaled Jiaoren. It’s said that the oil from a Jiaoren has a very low ignition point, and just one drop can burn for months without extinguishing. In ancient times, nobles often used its oil as an eternal lamp in their tombs. The Jiaoren from the East Sea is known for its lustful nature, craving blood. They gather under an island formed from dead coral, where the caves are intricate and unfathomable. That’s their lair. They lure passing ships with their calls, and those who fall victim are devoured completely, leaving no bones behind. If someone captures a live Black-Scaled Jiaoren, they kill it, dry it, and fill it with its oil to make a long-lasting candle, worth three thousand gold pearls.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Jiaoren emerged from behind the stone gate. Its body was covered in black scales, and its large eyes glowed red. Upon seeing the group, it let out a deafening roar, its blood-red fangs sending shivers down everyone’s spines. With a swipe of its hand, the Jiaoren split the massive stone gate in two, as if it were a mere branch.
As his words faded, the merman emerged from behind the stone door. Its body was covered with black scales. Its two large eyes glowed red. Upon seeing the group, it let out a terrifying howl—”Aaaauugh!”—its two blood-red fangs making everyone’s skin crawl. With a single swipe of its arm, it shattered the massive stone door like a twig.
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