“What should we do now?” Bai Erlaizi panicked upon realizing he had entered an ancient tomb. According to rural superstition, disturbing the peace of the dead by intruding upon their burial site would bring retribution.
Tian Guoqiang chuckled and said, “Alright then, you just stand here and don’t move, so as not to disturb the tomb owner’s peace. We’ll go ahead first!”
“No! No! No!” Bai Erlaizi was so frightened he grabbed tightly onto Tian Guoqiang’s clothes.
Liu Dashao sighed and said, “It’s already impossible to go back now. We can only move forward step by step.”
Zhang Enpu nodded and said, “There might even be an exit inside this ancient tomb.”
“Why do you say that?” Liu Dashao asked.
Zhang Enpu explained, “In ancient times, feudal rulers would bury alive all the craftsmen who built the tomb in order to keep its secrets. Some clever craftsmen secretly dug secret passages while constructing the tomb, so that when they were sealed in, they could escape through these hidden paths.”
Liu Dashao asked, “Can you be sure there’s such a secret passage in this tomb?”
Zhang Enpu replied, “Since even something as rare as a human-skin lantern exists, I suspect the tomb’s owner must be no ordinary person. And precisely because of that, this tomb is even more likely to have a secret escape route!”
Zhang Enpu’s words strengthened everyone’s resolve to move forward. Liu Dashao waved his musket and shouted with passion, “The revolution is not yet complete; comrades must still strive! Charge forward!”
Tian Guoqiang rolled up his sleeves, intending to check the time on his German watch, but to his surprise, the watch had stopped working entirely inside the tomb. No matter how hard he hit it, the hands remained frozen at the time when they had first entered the water.
Liu Dashao shone his flashlight downward from the platform. This was no ordinary flashlight—it was a focused spotlight, emitting a concentrated beam of light that didn’t scatter, brighter and with a longer range. It was said that Tian, the village chief, had gone to great lengths to obtain it from the People’s Liberation Army.
Below the platform, they saw stone steps descending endlessly downward like a coiled serpent, with no visible end. Strangely, there were no stone walls on either side—only a chaotic, boundless darkness. When touched, it felt like there was no boundary at all. It was like walking on a suspended staircase, terrifying and spine-chilling, as if one wrong step would send them tumbling into the abyss.
The four of them carefully stepped onto the staircase. Cold winds howled from the chaotic darkness like countless ghosts wailing in agony.
Countless white, glowing threads floated out from the darkness, swirling and dancing around them.
Bai Erlaizi was so frightened his legs went weak. Covering his ears, he screamed, “Mommy! There are ghosts! Ghosts!”
These glowing threads were intangible and unshakable. With every scream, more of them gathered around Bai Erlaizi. His face turned pale, he collapsed onto the ground, his eyes vacant, his whole body trembling like a sieve, shouting nonstop, “Don’t come near me! Don’t come near me!”
Liu Dashao turned to Tian Guoqiang and said, “Quick, go help him!”
Tian Guoqiang muttered, “What a pain in the neck!” Grumbling, he walked over, brushed away the glowing threads, and pulled Bai Erlaizi up, “You always act so brave, but the moment things get serious, you fall apart. Just keep moving!”
Meanwhile, Liu Dashao turned to Zhang Enpu and asked what those things were.
Zhang Enpu shook his head, “I don’t know either. They might really be ghosts.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Erlaizi screamed again and collapsed once more.
It took Tian Guoqiang quite some effort to pull the terrified man back up.
The group slowly descended the staircase. After walking about ten meters, they reached a bend. Suddenly, they saw a figure standing there. Liu Dashao and the others immediately stopped and stared cautiously at the silhouette.
The figure was only half a person tall, motionless, with arms raised as if holding something.
Liu Dashao quickly raised his musket and bravely shouted, “Hey, who or what are you? Identify yourself! I’m warning you—if you don’t speak up, I’ll blow your head off!”
Zhang Enpu stepped forward and politely asked, “Might I ask your honorable name and why you are standing here?”
Liu Dashao impatiently said, “Master, don’t waste words with it! These evil spirits are no good. Let me just shoot it!”
“Wait a second!” Tian Guoqiang gathered his courage and walked forward. Gradually, the figure came into the beam of his flashlight. At the sight of it, he was so startled he nearly dropped the flashlight.
Liu Dashao asked anxiously, “What’s wrong, Qiangzi?”
Tian Guoqiang waved at him and said, “Nothing—it’s just a child!”
A child?! How could there be a child here out of nowhere? Whose child was this, wandering around in an ancient tomb for no reason?
Curious, the others approached. Liu Dashao shone the flashlight on the child.
“Look at this!” he exclaimed.
The child was about half a person tall, kneeling on the ground with arms raised. In its palms rested a bronze disk, on which sat half a candle. The child had a neat face, proper clothing, and a complete body. His eyes were wide open, as if he had not yet had the chance to fully appreciate the colorful world. His expression was lifelike, as if he were still alive.
Liu Dashao poked the child with the barrel of his musket. It made a crisp, hollow sound. The child’s body seemed empty inside.
Confused, Liu Dashao wondered why a child would be here. Could this be another sacrificial offering from the tomb’s owner? “Damn it!” he thought, “If that’s the case, then the tomb’s owner must have been truly heartless!”
Zhang Enpu stepped forward for a closer look and said, “You’re right. This child is indeed a sacrificial offering from the tomb’s owner. It’s called a ‘mercury child corpse,’ as recorded in the ‘Zhengyi Fu Zuan.'”
“Mercury child corpse?” Just hearing the name made Liu Dashao’s hair stand on end.
Zhang Enpu explained, “This was a common sacrificial practice among ancient feudal rulers and aristocrats. They believed that children’s souls were pure and untouched by the corruption of the world, making them the most sacred sacrificial offerings. Usually, they would select children who were handsome and clever.
After being chosen, these children were locked together in a place and treated to fine food and delicacies. Initially, they were happy, enjoying the feasts and living in blissful ignorance. But they didn’t know they were approaching the end of their lives.
After three days of feasting, the rulers would feed them a special drug that would cause them to vomit everything out of their stomachs. Once their stomachs were completely emptied, the rulers would begin feeding them mercury, drop by drop. Over the course of about seven days, the mercury would accumulate in their bodies, slowly corroding their internal organs and seeping into their bones. Eventually, the mercury would flow through their veins like blood. At that point, the children would die.
Their bodies would then be placed into a steaming kiln for three days and nights, turning these poor children into grotesque works of art. After three days, they would emerge as ‘mercury child corpses,’ appearing perfectly lifelike, just like real people.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao felt his stomach churn. He couldn’t help but vomit out all the steamed buns he had eaten earlier. As he vomited, Tian Guoqiang and Bai Erlaizi followed suit. The idea of mercury child corpses was truly horrifying. Just imagining those children being forced to swallow toxic mercury made Liu Dashao’s stomach twist in pain.
Bai Erlaizi wiped his mouth and cursed, “Damn it! Were those rulers even human? How could they come up with something so twisted? They’re not even worth being called people!”
Liu Dashao nodded solemnly, “Those children were truly pitiful. Master, why didn’t the children’s parents hide them? Did they just let the rulers take their children away?”
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