Liu Dashao asked, “Jia Zhuangyuan, what should we do next?”
Jia Zhuangyuan rolled his eyes, his expression turning serious. “I’m not sure what this mechanism is either. Everyone stay alert. I’m going to operate it now.”
Everyone nodded. Jia Zhuangyuan slowly reached his hand into the groove, placing it on the round sphere and gently pressing down.
At that moment, a faint sound came from underground, gradually growing louder until it became a dull rumbling noise.
Everyone stood rooted in place, tense and unsure of what would happen next.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao whispered, “Quickly, look at the heavy water lake! What is that?”
Following the direction he pointed, everyone saw a black, elongated object rising rapidly from below the transparent green lake surface.
Yang Weidong shouted, “Stay alert!”
Everyone hastily stepped back from the lakeshore, raised their guns, and stared nervously at the heavy water. Liu Dashao wondered what would emerge this time.
With a whoosh, the black object shot out of the heavy water, swayed a few times on the surface, and floated there. Now everyone could see clearly—it was a small boat made of some unknown material.
As they looked closer at the boat, a chill ran down everyone’s spine. Inside the pitch-black vessel sat someone—an individual wearing exotic attire, a living person! A young girl with a graceful, fluid presence illuminated by the lake’s eerie green glow!
Everyone exchanged startled glances. At that moment, the girl slowly began to row, gliding the boat toward the shore where they stood.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan burst into laughter, making everyone jump with fright. He exclaimed, “Ingenious craftsmanship! Truly extraordinary! This boat would be an invaluable treasure if brought to the surface world!”
After saying this, seeing the angry looks from the others, Jia Zhuangyuan awkwardly added, “I got carried away with joy. Please forgive me, comrades.” Then with a sly smile, he continued, “Didn’t you notice that the girl in the boat is just a mannequin?”
Everyone was stunned and looked at him in confusion. Fan Debiao opened his mouth wide and asked, “You’re saying that girl in the boat is fake?”
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded with a smile, “You must have been so startled by the boat’s sudden appearance that you didn’t notice. Haven’t you seen that the girl’s body remains completely still, only her right hand moves mechanically to row? Look at her facial expression—doesn’t it remain unchanged the entire time?”
By now, the boat was nearly at the shore. Following Jia Zhuangyuan’s explanation, everyone looked carefully. Sure enough, the girl’s expression never changed, and she only mechanically rowed.
Despite this, everyone still hesitated nervously in place. Jia Zhuangyuan gave them a disdainful glance and walked toward the edge of the heavy water, as if to greet the girl in the boat.
When the boat reached him, Jia Zhuangyuan grabbed its bow and pressed on the girl’s right arm that was rowing. Then he turned around with a grin and said, “Comrades, come aboard. Let me be your ferryman.”
Seeing that pressing the girl’s arm stopped the boat, and she remained motionless, everyone finally felt reassured and stepped forward.
Approaching the boat, everyone saw up close that the girl was indeed just a wooden figure. They marveled at the exquisite carving skills and ingenious craftsmanship of ancient artisans.
After signaling everyone to board, Jia Zhuangyuan pointed to the girl’s arm and said, “See this triangular button? This is the control mechanism for the boat. Turn it left, the boat turns left; turn it right, it turns right. Rotate it to the tip of the triangle, and the boat moves forward. Press down, and it stops.”
He demonstrated as he spoke and then sighed, “The wisdom of the ancients is simply beyond comprehension. This trip to Tibet has truly broadened my horizons.”
Now facing the palace, Jia Zhuangyuan slowly rowed the boat forward. Suddenly, Liu Dashao asked him, “Master Jia, what material is this boat made of? It feels strange—flexible yet elastic. It doesn’t seem like rubber or wood.”
Jia Zhuangyuan smiled and said, “I noticed that when I first pulled the boat. But I don’t know what it’s made of either. What matters now is that this boat is our only means to cross the heavy water.”
Liu Dashao nodded without further comment.
The small boat slowly drifted toward the palace at the center of the vast, heavy water lake. Everyone gazed at the mysterious palace, uncertain about what awaited them inside. In truth, everyone had become somewhat numb by now—golden ancient cities, crimson flowers of the afterlife, water monsters, haunted mansions… so many wonders and eerie sights had filled their journey along the way.
Fortunately, the heavy water remained calm, emitting its gentle green glow without any anomalies.
As the boat drew closer to the palace, a long white jade staircase extended down from its entrance high above. Looking at this magnificent palace that had slumbered underground for who knows how many years, Liu Dashao suddenly felt a sense of heaviness. He wondered whether their unexpected intrusion thousands of years later would disturb the serenity of this sacred place. And how would this underground palace respond to these strange intruders—would it welcome them or punish them for their disturbance?
Under Jia Zhuangyuan’s control, the boat stopped in front of the white staircase. Everyone remained alert as they boarded the steps one by one.
Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Earlier, you all saw those bubbles rising from the heavy water, transforming into white-robed female illusions flying toward this palace. I feel it’s not random. Once inside, be extremely cautious—don’t wander or touch anything recklessly!”
Everyone responded affirmatively and slowly ascended the staircase.
Now leading the way, Jia Zhuangyuan seemed particularly cautious. He paused slightly every few steps. It took quite a while to climb the hundreds of steps to the top.
Stepping onto the platform in front of the palace, everyone suddenly felt as if they had become small. The grand palace radiated golden brilliance, so magnificently stunning as to take one’s breath away. Truthfully, Liu Dashao had seen Emperor Zhu Youxiao’s underground tomb and visited the golden ancient city before. Yet inexplicably, all those sights seemed far less impressive compared to this palace above the heavy waters. A sudden thought flashed through Liu Dashao’s mind: this palace appeared almost supernatural, as though it responded to one’s very thoughts. This sensation sent a chill of terror through Liu Dashao—it felt as if the palace were alive! Suddenly, Liu Dashao snapped out of his trance, bit his tongue hard, and solemnly shouted, “Infinite Heavenly Venerability!” Glancing at his companions, he noticed they too had just blankly awakened from some deep contemplation or daydream.
At that moment, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly cursed sharply, “Damn it, this palace feels eerie. Just now, I thought I saw it move.”
Fan Debiao also said, “I felt something strange too. Just now, I almost got my soul sucked away. Fortunately, I heard Dashao’s shout and snapped out of it.”
Others also expressed similar feelings.
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