At that moment, a series of rapid gunshots rang in his ears. It seemed the companions on the shore had spotted the dangerous creature behind the two men and opened fire.
Liu Dashao and Fan Debiao struggled to climb above the water’s surface, and Yang Weidong quickly pulled them up to safety.
As the two looked back, they were startled to see a black, spindle-shaped aquatic creature shrieking in pain as bullets struck it, before it sank into the depths with a “zzz” sound. Because it sank so quickly, Liu Dashao couldn’t get a clear look at its appearance. After watching it disappear beneath the water, everyone finally turned their attention to their current surroundings.
The place they had surfaced in was a large, circular pool resembling a well opening. The area they stood in resembled a courtyard, surrounded by walls several meters high. Beyond the walls, illuminated by flashlight beams, appeared to be an open space.
Even more startling was the sight before them: on the wall directly in front of the group was a black door—likely the courtyard’s exit. On either side of the door stood a thick, towering tree. Looking back, they saw a white, two-story house standing abruptly in the depths of the courtyard. Fan Debiao whispered in shock, “Goodness, where the heck are we? It feels like we’ve walked into someone’s private yard. How can there be such a place a kilometer underground?”
Jia Zhuangyuan coldly replied, “Ancient people believed in treating death like life, especially the wealthy and powerful. They often built their tombs to resemble their earthly homes. Some emperors even replicated their entire palaces underground—for example, Emperor Qin Shi Huang. So finding a small courtyard like this isn’t that surprising.”
Fan Debiao nodded and asked, “That makes sense, but how are these trees growing without sunlight?”
Jia Zhuangyuan replied ominously, “Go take a closer look if you want to know.”
Fan Debiao tugged Yang Weidong’s arm and said, “Dongzi, let’s go check it out together. I feel like this place is really creepy. Come with me.”
Yang Weidong, being a simple and straightforward guy, agreed and walked slowly with Fan toward the trees. As they approached, both men suddenly screamed in terror and ran back, muttering, “Oh my God, there are so many human heads!”
Seeing their pale, terrified faces, Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled, “Did you get a good look at what those trees really are?”
Fan and Yang shook their heads and replied, “No, we couldn’t see clearly. We just saw a bunch of round objects hanging on the trees that looked like human heads. It scared the hell out of us!”
Jia Zhuangyuan explained, “In the study of geomancy and tomb architecture, this place is known as a ‘yin residence.’ The two symmetrical trees on either side are referred to as ‘yin trees.’ These are not ordinary trees from the world of the living. Instead, they are made from durable materials such as iron or copper, crafted into tree-like shapes to replace the trees typically found in a living person’s courtyard. In some cases, especially for the exceptionally wealthy, rare ‘yin sinkwood’ might be used to create these yin trees.”
Fan Debiao asked curiously, “What exactly is yin沉wood? And what does hanging those head-like objects on the yin trees mean?”
Jia Zhuangyuan answered, “Yinchenmu is said to be a type of wood that has become extinct. Some say it grows in the underworld, while others claim it sprouts in the sunless deep valleys of the Kunlun Mountains. Legend has it that it grows only a few centimeters every ten thousand years. Its wood is extremely hard and heavy, and it’s said to be as valuable as gold—equal in weight, equal in value. The round objects hanging from the yin trees aren’t actually human heads, but rather spherical ornaments carved to resemble them.”
Seeing Fan Debiao about to ask more questions, Jia Zhuangyuan waved his hand and said, “Enough for now. We don’t have time to go into all the details of tomb geomancy. This yin residence is likely someone’s afterlife dwelling. It would be best if we didn’t enter. Let’s just open this courtyard gate and find our way out.”
Everyone nodded and headed toward the black gate.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan called out, “Wait a second, something feels off.”
Everyone turned back in confusion, watching him frown deeply in thought. After a while, he looked up, his eyes clouded, and muttered, “A yin residence appearing in the passageway leading to the entrance of the Infinite Magic Vault—it doesn’t quite fit traditional tomb styles. Where did I go wrong? Could my decades of expertise be wrong?” He looked troubled, clearly doubting his own knowledge and feeling a bit lost.
Liu Dashao stepped forward and said to Jia Zhuangyuan, “Master Jia, the Infinite Dao Vault is just a legend. We can’t use our current knowledge and experience to explain it. You shouldn’t doubt yourself. Finding the entrance from the volcanic lake already proved your judgment was crucial. What we’re facing now may be a domain no one has ever entered before. We should work together to uncover this ancient mystery.”
Jia Zhuangyuan looked at Liu Dashao, took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “You’re right, young Liu. Whether this is the Infinite Magic Vault or not, it’s definitely one of the three secret treasures. I believe the Infinite Dao Vault might be right in front of us.” He then signaled everyone to open the courtyard gate.
Cai Qingchong, the one at the front, placed his hand on the black gate and turned back to say, “For safety, everyone stand aside. I’ll open the gate.”
Everyone nodded and moved to the sides of the gate. Cai Qingchong pulled the ring on the gate sideways. A low, eerie creak echoed as the gate slowly opened. Outside, there was a deathly silence.
As everyone prepared to step out of the courtyard, a sudden gust of cold wind rose from the ground. The black gate slammed shut with a loud “creak” and a bang. A strange, eerie atmosphere began to seep from the yin residence.
Jia Zhuangyuan whispered, “This is bad!” before the red doors and windows of the white house began to creak open slowly in the wind. The yin trees also rustled like ordinary trees.
Everyone huddled together near the gate, weapons raised, eyes fixed nervously on the ominous changes unfolding in the yin residence.
The chilling wind grew stronger. Suddenly, a crisp, childlike wailing echoed from inside the white house. In this eerie setting, it sent chills down everyone’s spines.
Then, the crying seemed to grow closer. Everyone saw two children with topknots, a boy and a girl, walking hand in hand out of the red door. The girl wore a red dress, the boy a green one. Their faces were pale green, and they hopped forward, wailing loudly as they approached.
Jia Zhuangyuan muttered through clenched teeth, “Whoever did this must have no conscience at all, using two child ghosts to guard a yin residence.”
At that moment, the round, head-like objects hanging on the trees began to fall one after another with loud “plops,” rolling all over the courtyard.
The two child ghosts suddenly stopped crying. They bent down and each grabbed a dark round object, bringing it to their mouths.
Everyone watched in shock as the two child ghosts revealed sharp, white teeth and began biting into the round objects. Dark red liquid dripped from their mouths.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Fire! Don’t let them eat enough, or we’re all in danger!”
Everyone panicked and immediately raised their guns, firing at the two child ghosts.
The child ghosts, likely from ancient times, probably didn’t expect modern weapons to attack from such a distance. They were instantly shot down, their bodies slowly leaking dark red liquid.
Just as everyone began to relax, thinking the ghosts were defeated, the two children suddenly jumped up, stuffing the uneaten round objects into their mouths and swallowing them. Despite the bullet wounds still oozing dark red liquid, they continued to wail and advance.
Everyone was stunned. These child ghosts couldn’t be killed? Their guns fired again, but this time, the two child ghosts didn’t fall. They only staggered slightly and kept coming. Everyone was at a loss. Jia Zhuangyuan shook his head and said, “I didn’t expect these two child ghosts to become full from just one yin fruit. Looks like I’m really unlucky. Well, I guess I’ll have to do this myself.”
He took out a black, round object in his left hand and a long, whip-like rope in his right, and stepped forward to face the child ghosts.
The two child ghosts opened their mouths and wailed loudly, their sharp white teeth stained with dark red blood. They reached out their small hands toward Jia Zhuangyuan, as if wanting to be held. Suddenly, everyone saw the children’s hands begin to curl into claws, their nails growing rapidly to about seven or eight centimeters in length.
Everyone watched in horror, unsure what would happen next, deeply worried for Jia Zhuangyuan.
Jia Zhuangyuan approached to within about a meter and a half of the child ghosts and coldly laughed, “Little ghosts, do you want to mutate? Old Master Fei is here to catch little ghosts.”
With that, he swung the whip-like rope in a circle and accurately looped it around the red-dressed girl’s neck. He quickly pulled her toward him and swiftly shoved the black round object into her open mouth.
Her wailing immediately turned into a mournful “muffled” sound as her mouth was blocked. Jia Zhuangyuan quickly pulled her backward while shouting, “Shoot the boy! Don’t let him join hands with the girl!”
Yang Weidong and Fan Debiao immediately raised their guns and fired at the green-dressed boy. The girl, now being pulled by Jia Zhuangyuan’s rope, struggled violently. Her pale skin began to darken and turn purple from her face and neck, spreading downward. She desperately grabbed the rope around her neck, shaking her head to try to escape. Her strength was surprisingly immense, forcing Jia Zhuangyuan to struggle with all his might to hold onto her.
Meanwhile, the green-dressed ghost boy snarled and waved his hands—now claw-like—with a “hissing” sound, charging toward Jia Zhuangyuan at incredible speed. The bullets barely slowed him down.
As the boy approached the red-dressed girl, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Try to stop him! If they join hands, all my efforts will be in vain!”
Suddenly, Cai Qingchong rushed forward with a dagger. He swung the dagger with a strange glow at the green-dressed ghost boy’s head.
The ghost boy quickly dodged, then snarled at Cai Qingchong and grabbed the dagger with both hands. With a piercing scream, he pulled the dagger toward himself, extending his head to bite Cai Qingchong’s hand.
Cai Qingchong was startled and tried to pull the dagger away, but it wouldn’t budge. The ghost boy’s sharp teeth were already near his hand. Panicked, Cai Qingchong quickly let go of the dagger.
The green-dressed ghost boy proudly threw the dagger to the ground, let out a piercing scream, and glared at Jia Zhuangyuan with blood-red eyes before charging again.
At that moment, Liu Dashao let out a sharp whistle, leaped into the air, and landed between the ghost boy and Jia Zhuangyuan. He shouted, “Evil spirit, your reign of terror ends here!” He waved a talisman he had just drawn, and a powerful Daoist energy burst from his body. The talisman flew straight, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
The ghost boy seemed to sense the Daoist energy and, knowing that Daoist priests were known for exorcising ghosts, performed a graceful backflip to dodge Liu Dashao’s lightning-fast strike.
After landing, it began to wail again—not as fiercely as before, but with a sound that made everyone’s hearts race. As it cried, the courtyard was suddenly filled with a fierce cold wind, and the head-like objects on the ground flew into the air, revealing hideous faces as they rushed toward the group like a storm.
Liu Dashao coldly snorted, raised both hands, and chanted a long incantation. All the flying heads immediately seemed to lose their power and fell to the ground with loud “plops” around the group.
Liu Dashao turned back to face the green-dressed ghost boy. For some reason, the ghost began to whimper and slowly retreat, clearly terrified of Liu Dashao now.
Liu Dashao watched as the ghost retreated into the white house before calmly walking to where Jia Zhuangyuan was struggling with the red-dressed ghost. He said, “Master, let her go. These two ghosts are pitiful souls.”
Jia Zhuangyuan hesitated but released the rope. The red-dressed ghost glared at Liu Dashao with bloodshot eyes, tore the rope from her neck, and fled toward the white house with the black object still in her mouth.
At that moment, the doors and windows of the white house silently closed, and the cold wind in the courtyard stopped. Except for the scattered head-like objects on the ground, everything seemed to return to normal.
Jia Zhuangyuan silently shook his head, picked up the rope and Cai Qingchong’s dagger from the ground, and handed the dagger back to Cai. He then said to everyone, “Those two ghosts won’t bother us anymore. We can leave the yin residence now.”
Cai Qingchong walked to the gate and quietly pulled open the black courtyard door again.
As the gate opened, a long street paved with rectangular bluestones came into view. On both sides stood ancient houses of varying heights and styles.
One by one, they exited the yin residence. As the last person stepped out, the black courtyard gate silently closed behind them.
Standing on the long bluestone street, everyone realized they had entered a dead-end alley. Uniform brick walls and blue paint surrounded them, except for a thick stone door in one corner.
“Do any of you understand ancient mechanisms? This stone door has some secrets! If we can’t open it, we’ll be trapped here forever,” Jia Zhuangyuan said after a moment of silence.
Everyone was unfamiliar with ancient underground architecture and remained silent at his question.
Jia Zhuangyuan looked helplessly at the group and sighed, “Looks like I’ll have to solve this mystery on my own. None of you can offer any help.”
He walked toward the plain stone door and began examining it closely.
Everyone stood behind him, exchanging helpless glances. Indeed, none of them had any experience with ancient underground structures and couldn’t offer any useful suggestions.
After inspecting the stone door from both sides, Jia Zhuangyuan said, “The person who installed this stone door was definitely a master. Opening it will require finding a mechanism—an extremely delicate and dangerous one.”
He asked everyone to shine their flashlights on him while he slowly ran his hands over the stone walls on both sides of the door.
Soon, he exclaimed in excitement, “I found it!”
Everyone gathered around, eager to see how the ancients designed the mechanism to open this several-thousand-pound stone door.
Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Focus all the flashlights on where my hands are!”
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