Everyone hurriedly pointed their flashlights toward the right side of the stone door. Jia Zhuangyuan ran his hands over several protrusions that were nearly the same color as the stone wall, murmuring excitedly, “Wow, this is the Seven-Star Linked Lock!”
Everyone looked at Jia Zhuangyuan with confusion. He turned to face them, pointing at several barely visible bumps on the wall. “Can you see these small raised dots? They’re arranged according to the constellation of the Big Dipper in the sky. These seven bumps are the mechanism to open this stone door.”
Liu Dashao couldn’t help but ask, “Then why is it called the Seven-Star Linked Lock?”
Jia Zhuangyuan blinked his small eyes and explained, “I’m sure you’ve all heard of Guiguzi, the teacher of Sun Bin from the Warring States period. Guiguzi, whose real name was Wang Xu, was a native of the State of Wei during the Warring States period (now Qixian County, Hebi City, Henan Province). He was an expert in self-cultivation and diplomacy, and was well-versed in military strategy, martial arts, and the mystic arts of the Eight Trigrams. He authored the fourteen-volume military treatise “Guiguzi,” which has been passed down through generations. He was known among the common people as Wang Chan Laizu, a prominent figure in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, one of the “Hundred Schools of Thought,” the founder of the Diplomat School, and an accomplished educator. He often entered Yunmeng Mountain to collect medicinal herbs and cultivate Dao. Because he lived in seclusion in the Ghost Valley of Qingxi, he was respectfully known as Master Guiguzi. This Seven-Star Linked Lock mechanism was originally created by him. It is exquisitely designed, with each star-shaped protrusion connected to a pivotal mechanism. These seven stars are seven pivotal mechanisms. There is a central pivot inside the stone door, which can only be activated when the seven pivotal points are pressed precisely in the rotational order of the Big Dipper. Only then can the stone door be opened.”
Everyone couldn’t help but marvel at the ingenuity and intelligence of people from the Warring States period who could create such a sophisticated locking mechanism.
Jia Zhuangyuan continued, “Of course, if we miscalculate and fail to press the Seven Stars in the correct order and timing, this stone door will remain forever sealed. Moreover, there could be unknown dangers.”
Seeing that everyone seemed ready to ask more, Jia Zhuangyuan smiled knowingly and continued, “It’s said that this Seven-Star Linked Lock was first used in the secret treasury of the imperial palace of the State of Chu during the Warring States period because Guiguzi once served as the Prime Minister of Chu. According to ancient records, there was once a Qin spy who infiltrated the Chu imperial palace and tried to steal from the secret treasury. He triggered the Seven-Star Linked Lock and was killed. The reason was that pressing the correct sequence of stars would activate the central pivot to open the door, but pressing the wrong sequence might activate the central pivot that triggers the deadly mechanisms.”
“Are you saying there might be deadly mechanisms hidden inside this stone door?” Fan Debiao asked in confusion.
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded slightly and said, “Perhaps inside the stone door, or maybe around it. In ancient times, when people concealed treasures, built tombs, or hid important items, they often set up deadly traps—for example, in ancient tombs. Especially in the graves of historically significant figures, there were often countless traps and hidden weapons. These were designed to protect their bodies from being disturbed by enemies or grave robbers. Common examples include traps, fire, arrows, gunpowder, sand, and other hidden mechanisms that would activate when triggered. Take this stone door, for instance—if the Seven-Star mechanism activates the deadly traps, the ground might collapse into a pit, heavy sand might fall from above, or poison flames and hidden weapons might shoot out from the walls.”
Everyone was stunned, amazed at the ingenuity and intelligence of the ancients. Of course, they were also ruthless. If the ancients had been as civilized as modern people and simply practiced cremation, there wouldn’t be all these hidden traps and mechanisms—how much simpler that would have been.
Jia Zhuangyuan continued, “Actually, these traps and hidden weapons are still manageable. There are many other ancient techniques for preventing theft that you might not know about. For example, raising strange creatures to guard the tomb—like zombies or ancient beasts. Some who practiced magic or witchcraft even raised bizarre creatures. We won’t go into detail about those now.”
After speaking, Jia Zhuangyuan took out a peculiar, octagonal black object from his robe. Smiling at everyone, he said, “This is an ancient star chart compass used to calculate celestial positions. It is engraved with precise celestial coordinates. By rotating the compass, the celestial positions will change, allowing us to accurately determine the positions of the Seven Stars.”
He casually asked, “Does anyone have a watch? What time is it now?”
Liu Dashao looked at his wristwatch and said, “It’s a quarter past one in the morning.”
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded and adjusted the compass needle, then told everyone, “Focus your flashlights on my hands and the Seven-Star protrusions.”
Then, holding the compass, he walked toward the protrusions on the stone wall. Everyone quickly focused all their flashlight beams on the area he was working on, watching his movements anxiously.
Jia Zhuangyuan seemed somewhat nervous too. He took a deep breath, stared at the rotating celestial positions on the compass, and slowly extended his hand to touch the Seven-Star protrusions.
Everyone held their breath as they watched his finger suddenly press one of the stars. A crisp “click” echoed from inside the stone door. Liu Dashao felt sweat bead on his forehead, his heart pounding.
Jia Zhuangyuan continued pressing the other star positions on the wall. Within about ten seconds, as the “clicks” continued, the stone door began to tremble slightly. When his hand stopped, the stone door suddenly became still, no longer making any sound or movement. Just as everyone’s hearts sank, suspecting the old man might have pressed the wrong positions, the stone door suddenly emitted a deep, dull “thud,” sending a shiver through everyone’s hearts. As they were still reeling from the shock, the stone door slowly began to rise, releasing a musty, decaying odor from the gap beneath it, filling everyone’s nostrils.
As the stone door slowly lifted, everyone’s hearts raced. What would they see inside? What strange things would they encounter next? With a deep, metallic “clang,” the stone door stopped rising. Inside was eerily silent, filled with a dark, oppressive atmosphere.
Jia Zhuangyuan lit a match and slowly approached the doorway, peering inside. After a few seconds, it seemed he couldn’t see clearly with just the small flame. He turned back and said, “Focus the flashlights inside and illuminate the area.”
As seven or eight flashlights simultaneously shone into the doorway, the sight inside shocked everyone. Beyond the stone door was a vast underground canyon. The black cliffs on the opposite side stretched endlessly in both directions, while their current position was on a cliff wall directly facing that ridge.
Jia Zhuangyuan extinguished the match, took a flashlight from someone, and shone it downward. A winding stone staircase descended into the darkness, its depth unknown.
Jia Zhuangyuan turned back and said, “It seems the construction here is magnificent. Although I can’t yet see the underground structures, this natural underground canyon alone tells me a lot. Follow me closely and descend carefully.”
The steps were narrow and steep, seemingly carved by craftsmen following the slope of the cliff. One by one, everyone followed Jia Zhuangyuan slowly downward.
About ten minutes later, they finally reached the bottom of the canyon. The sight before them was breathtaking.
A massive underground canyon stretched out before their eyes, about a hundred meters wide, with no telling how long it extended in either direction. The canyon walls on both sides were steep and towering, as if sliced by an axe.
Jia Zhuangyuan signaled everyone to wait and carefully moved forward with his flashlight, stepping cautiously. After advancing about ten meters, he waved for everyone to follow.
As they approached, Jia Zhuangyuan was squatting on the ground, examining something. When they got closer, a strange odor filled their lungs. Looking past Jia Zhuangyuan, everyone saw a pitch-black underground river flowing slowly along the canyon’s course.
Jia Zhuangyuan sniffed deeply and said, “Strange, this underground river seems to be entirely filled with crude oil. Everyone, be careful—no smoking. One spark could blow us all to pieces.”
Liu Dashao asked, “So where do we go now? Upstream or downstream?”
Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “According to the orientation, we should head downstream.”
Jia Zhuangyuan stood up and continued, “Everyone must stay alert. I feel very uneasy here—it’s a gut feeling I’ve developed after many near-death underground experiences. The moment we opened that stone door, I sensed an indescribable evil presence in this space. So, everyone must remain vigilant and remind each other. At the first sign of anything unusual, alert the group immediately.”
Everyone nodded. Jia Zhuangyuan waved his hand and said, “Let’s go!”
So, the group followed the underground river through the canyon, heading downstream.
Along the way, apart from the sound of their footsteps and breathing, everything was eerily silent. Even the slowly flowing oil river made no sound. This silence made everyone feel oppressed and frightened.
About ten minutes later, a massive dark shadow suddenly appeared ahead, like a mountain or perhaps a large structure. In the darkness, they could only see its silhouette, unable to make out its full shape.
Suddenly, Fan Debiao shouted, “Damn you, Dead Green Worm! Why did you touch my ass? Are you trying to be gay with me?”
“You old hag! When did I ever touch your ass?” Cai Qingchong, behind Fan Debiao, shouted back.
Liu Dashao turned around and scolded, “Will you two stop fooling around? Don’t you see the situation we’re in?”
At that moment, Cai Qingchong also shouted, “Who the hell touched my ass from behind?”
Yang Weidong, behind him, quickly defended himself, “I didn’t touch your ass!”
At that moment, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Everyone, be careful! Something’s here!”
He raised the whip in his hand and swiftly ran behind the group. Everyone quickly turned around and saw a thin black shadow dart from behind Yang Weidong, leap onto the right cliff wall, and vanish in an instant.
Still shaken, Fan Debiao swore, “What the hell was that thing? Touching my ass like that!” Liu Dashao stared at the small black shadow for a moment and solemnly said, “If I’m not mistaken, that was a Yin Monkey.”
“What? Yin Monkey? What kind of creature is that?” Fan Debiao asked in confusion.
Liu Dashao explained, “According to ancient texts, the Yin Monkey is a strange beast that grows in the underworld. It’s said to be lecherous and cunning by nature, feeding on human essence and blood. Once it targets someone, it’s almost impossible to escape death from drained vitality.”
Jia Zhuangyuan walked over and added, “The young man is right. That was indeed a Yin Monkey, but it was still young. It was too short to reach higher, so it only touched your butts. If it had been an adult Yin Monkey, the comrade whose butt was touched would already be in serious trouble.”
Fan Debiao asked stupidly, “Then what would happen?”
Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled and said, “Then it would have touched the back of your neck. What do you think would happen? You’d probably turn into a dried-up corpse in just a few dozen seconds.”
Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong looked at each other, their cold sweat pouring. Shaking his head, Jia Zhuangyuan said to Liu Dashao, “Your two brothers are a bit slow. I don’t know why the big grasshopper chose them to engage in grave robbing.”
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