Starting from the folklore forum, making up town objects

Chapter 424 Tomb in the Mountains

The first to enter the tomb were the night owls.

The reason he always went down first was simply because his eyesight was the best among all the tomb raiders.

Just like before, the night owl was released into the tomb by the black bear.

After landing, Night Owl looked around and was about to send a signal upwards when he noticed something was wrong.

Previously, Song Feng had taken the skeleton and the embroidered shoes out of the coffin and placed them outside the coffin.

When they left last time, none of them touched those two things.

This time, however, only a skeleton remained outside the coffin; the embroidered shoes were gone!
"Has anyone come down here?"

The night owl quickly scanned the tomb chamber but found no footprints or anything like that on the ground.

I listened intently, but there was no sound.

The night owl sensed something was amiss and decided to send a signal to his superiors.

But as soon as he took a step, he realized something was wrong.

Why are his feet so tight?

Looking down, he saw a pair of blue embroidered shoes on his feet.

The sudden turn of events froze the night owl, a chill creeping into his heart.

Why, why is it on my foot?

wrong!

I have a rope! I have a rope!
The night owl reached for the rope around his waist, but grabbed nothing.

This change made his face grow even paler.

When he came down, the rope was still tied around his waist, so why is it gone?
Turning around, the night owl wondered if his rope had accidentally fallen off.

Then he saw the skeleton lying behind him, bound by ropes.

Turning my head, I saw that the skeleton beside the coffin was gone.

The night owl seemed to understand everything.

It wasn't that his rope was gone, or that his rope hadn't worked; it was that one rope wasn't enough!

……

What's wrong with night owls?

The dog's nose was already prepared, but it just couldn't hear the night owl's voice.

Big Shovel glanced at Song Feng with some concern, and was about to say something when Night Owl's voice came from inside the cave.

"Come down, it's alright!"

"Depend on!"

Dog Nose cursed and ordered Black Bear to lower him down.

But at that moment, the shovel grabbed the rope.

"what happened?"

The dog's nose was puzzled.

The large shovel didn't answer, but listened intently to the sounds coming from inside the hole.

"Come down, it's alright!"

Another sound came, and Big Shovel looked at Song Feng with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

"Our agreed-upon code word is birdsong, and it's always been that way, but this time, the night owl broke the rules."

The dog with the nose suddenly realized what was happening and immediately released the rope that was lowering it down the well.

"Big Shovel, you mean Night Owl got into trouble?"

Dog Nose asked hurriedly, his face turning a little pale.

Big Shovel shook his head and looked at Song Feng.

"I don't know if the night owl has gotten into trouble, but this is definitely not normal, sir. What do you think we should do?"

Song Feng frowned and looked at Song Bin.

“The night owl was on a rope. If he didn’t touch those things, there shouldn’t be any problems. Given the night owl’s alertness and caution, he shouldn’t have touched them. So… those things started to attack.”

Upon hearing this, Song Bin's expression shifted: "It's possible that those things have bewitched the night owls."

Song Feng nodded.

"No matter what, Night Owl is probably in danger right now. Big Shovel, Dog Nose, you two don't go down yet."

After Song Feng finished speaking, he looked around and then found the basket that had been thrown away earlier.

"Get another rope and tie this to it."

The man with the big shovel took the basket and did as he was told.

Seeing that the basket was tied up, Song Feng took out the Netherworld Fox figurine from the bag on his back and put it in the basket.

After thinking for a moment, he took two more reeds off his body and used them to secure the ghost fox figurine to the basket.

"Okay, put it down, slowly."

Song Feng stood up and watched as Hei Xiazi carefully lifted the basket and slowly lowered it into the cave.

Meanwhile, the owl's voice could still be heard coming from inside the cave, and it kept repeating the same phrase.

At this point, everyone knew that Night Owl must have gotten into trouble.

"It's over."

Hei Xiazi looked at Song Feng and said.

Song Feng nodded and said, "Wait."

The time that followed felt both short and long.

Five minutes later, the big shovel suddenly said something.

"The night owl hasn't shouted anymore."

Song Feng nodded, but still had no intention of going down.

He and Song Bin had already returned the raven feather raincoats to Shen Zhihong and the others, since they were rented, not given away.

Shen Zhihong may not mention it, but he cannot refuse to give it.

Friendship is friendship, but if there are no bottom lines, the friendship will slowly be worn away.

Shen Zhihong was a kind-hearted man in the Sanshan camp and knew many people, but there were not many old underworld messengers who were really on good terms with him and his group. Among the new batch of underworld messengers, only Song Feng was on good terms with them.

This is because Song Feng knows when to advance and when to retreat, and he has a bottom line.

Without the raven feather raincoat, Song Feng became much more cautious in handling this supernatural event.

After all, a slight mistake would consume a sticker containing 100 units of Yin Virtue. He had already used up all the blessings from the Peach Blossom Forest quest, and he didn't have any more Yin Virtue to exchange for stickers. Song Bin certainly didn't have any either.

So after waiting for another five minutes, Song Feng said to Song Bin, "I'll go down first. If there are no problems after I go down, I'll pull the rope three times and shout out my nickname. If I don't do that, you can put the remaining Netherworld Fox puppet down as well. If that still doesn't work, then we'd better run away."

Seeing that Song Bin was about to say something, Song Feng shook his head: "I have stickers, you don't, I won't die."

Song Bin then shut his mouth.

"Black Bear, let me down."

Song Feng said to Hei Xiazi.

Neither Big Shovel nor Dog Nose objected to his decision.

After all, they felt their lives were more important than befriending Song Feng.

To Song Feng's surprise, Hei Xiazi did not hand him the rope. Instead, he took a new rope and threw the other end to Tang Cai's two bodyguards.

"I've got you, I'll get off first."

Hei Xiazi's actions surprised everyone.

Song Feng tried to stop him, but he failed.

It was all because Hei Xiazi said one sentence.

"I'm willing to take the risk. If something goes wrong, I'll accept the consequences. If nothing goes wrong, could you take me with you when dealing with these matters in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Song Feng gave Hei Xiazi a deep look.

"Let's come back first. If you see a black cat down there, don't be afraid."

Black Bear nodded, and amidst the grim expressions of Big Shovel and Dog Nose, he was lowered down by the two bodyguards.

A minute passed.

The rope was pulled three times, and the sound of the black bear mimicking a bird's call came up.

Seeing this, Song Feng grabbed the rope that had pulled him up and went down into the tomb.

As soon as he went down, Song Feng put a mesh screen on his face.

Upon seeing this, Song Feng felt a sense of relief.

Under the sieve of the net, apart from an even denser yin energy than before, there were no traces of ghosts in the tomb chamber. Removing the net, Song Feng looked directly below.

There, in the basket containing the ghost fox figurine that had been placed down earlier, the figurine remained unharmed, but one of the two reeds that had secured it was missing.

Song Feng quickly found the reed next to the night owl lying on the ground.

Seeing this, Song Feng mentally recreated the scene when the Netherworld Fox came down.

The night owl was controlled by the ghost and pounced on the Netherworld Fox Puppet when it saw it. At that time, the Netherworld Fox Puppet was not yet activated. The reeds broke free from the Netherworld Fox Puppet and tied up the night owl.

Without the Night Owl's interference, the Netherworld Fox Puppet was activated immediately upon landing. The Netherworld Fox appeared, eliminating the ghostly presence on the Night Owl, and the reeds also fell off.

Shifting his gaze, Song Feng looked at Hei Xiazi standing next to the Netherworld Fox Figurine.

Judging from the footprints on the ground, the other party must have done something in the minute they came down.

In response, Song Feng had some thoughts about Hei Xiazi.

After landing, Song Feng saw Hei Xiazi's hand pointing in a direction.

“Sir, there’s a black cat in that half-excavated tomb passage, but it didn’t attack me.”

Song Feng nodded: "I understand."

He then left Black Bear to guard the place while he went deeper into the tomb.

Soon, he saw the black cat licking its paws in the unfinished tomb passage in the side chamber.

After spotting Song Feng, the black cat merely glanced at him with its eyes, which glowed with an eerie green light in the darkness, before continuing to lick its fur.

This was the first time Song Feng had seen the Netherworld Fox among the Netherworld Fox figurines. It seemed rather aloof.
But it doesn't matter, as long as I can get rid of the ghosts, I don't care about being aloof!
Song Feng then looked around at other places, including the ghostly entity itself, but it was all gone.

This made him marvel at the power of the Netherworld Fox Figurine.

If it weren't for the restriction that it could only be triggered in the graveyard, the Netherworld Fox Figurine might have become a talisman favored by the underworld officials, just like the Candle Night Stone Town and the Reed Catkin.

Although the town of Candlestone also has restrictions on houses, it is still very popular.

The difference between a house for living and a grave for the dead becomes apparent.

When Song Feng returned to the main tomb chamber, Da Chanzi and the others had also come down. Now only Tang Cai and his bodyguards were upstairs.

"The evil spirits in the tomb have been dealt with, you can continue digging."

"Good, good."

Big Shovel didn't say much, and led the dog by the nose toward the side chamber.

When he passed by Hei Xiazi, he thought about asking him to join him, but he hesitated and didn't.

After Hei Xiazi took the lead, his status changed.

To Big Shovel's surprise, Black Bear would offer to help.

“With the night owl not here, your efficiency will be slow. Let me help you.”

As he nodded, Big Shovel felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and reflection).

He used to think that Hei Xiazi was quiet, but not stupid.

Only then did he realize that this wasn't just being smart, it was actually a case of great wisdom appearing as foolishness!

Big Shovel even wondered if Black Bear didn't speak because he disdained to speak.

With a sigh, the large shovel arrived at the location of the tomb passage that had been half-excavated.

But as soon as he lowered his head, he froze.

The Nether Fox stood quietly in the center of the tomb passage.

From Song Feng's previous words, Da Chanzi knew that this was not a ghost, but something to eliminate ghosts.

So many ghosts were wiped out by this cat, how could Big Shovel dare to make any rash moves?
After thinking for a moment, Big Shovel put his hands together and said to Nether Fox, "Great Immortal, could you please move aside?"

The fox didn't move; it just stared at the large shovel.

Big Shovel was sweating profusely. He turned to Black Bear and said, "Why don't we call the doctor over? I'm too scared to touch it."

Upon hearing this, Hei Xiazi squatted down and looked at Mingli, also putting his hands together and saying, "Great Immortal, please move aside. We need to clear this place and enter the next tomb."

Big Shovel, standing to the side, didn't think Black Bear could persuade the Dark Fox to leave, but as soon as Black Bear finished speaking, the Dark Fox walked out of the tomb passage, squatted down beside the passage, and began licking its paws.

This action startled all three of them.

After exchanging a glance, they said nothing. Big Shovel took his entrenching tool and went into the hole, Dog Nose followed behind, and Black Bear stood at the outermost edge to catch the soil being sent out from inside.

The three of them continued digging under the supervision of the Dark Fox.

When Song Feng and Song Bin came in and saw this scene, they were both stunned.

……

after an hour.

When the shovel pierced a hole in the soil in front of him, a smile immediately appeared on his face, which was covered with sweat and dirt.

Before he could turn around and speak to Dog Nose and the others, he saw a dark shadow flash past his face and disappear into the small hole he had smashed.

He was stunned for a while before he realized what it was.

Just then, Song Feng's voice came from outside.

"Big shovel, have you dug through? Is the cat inside?"

Big Shovel swallowed hard and replied, "It's through, cat, the cat went inside."

"Understood. Widen the opening a bit, but don't go in. Come out as soon as you've finished digging."

Upon hearing this, the big shovel immediately put all its strength into shoveling.

Go in?

What a joke!
Even if it were the tomb of the founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, he would not step inside!
It only took five minutes for the large shovel to be pulled out of the hole.

"Sir, the digging is complete, but..."

The big shovel hesitated for a moment.

"but what?"

Song Feng originally wanted to go inside and take a look, but he stopped after hearing what the big shovel said.

“When we dug through, I noticed a breeze, which suggests that the tomb may have already been opened.”

"Of course, this is only one possibility."

“I just peeked inside and it seems to be constructed using cavities inside the mountain. There might be some wind, which means it was originally connected to the outside, but that's unlikely. If it was connected to the outside, it wouldn't be a sealed environment, and the things inside the tomb would be difficult to preserve.”

“Ancient people would not build tombs like this, so either that ancient tomb has been opened by other people in the same industry, or it is possible that what we opened up was not the ancient tomb itself.”

Song Feng understood part of it, but not all of it.

What do you mean by "not the ancient tomb itself"?

The man with the big shovel explained, "That means when the ancients built that tomb, they sent craftsmen into the mountain, found a spot inside the mountain, and dug the tomb."

"In this way, unless people from the outside enter the mountain or happen to discover the tomb next to it like we did, they will not be able to find that tomb."

"So if you want to go in, you might have to find the location of that tomb."

Seeing Song Feng frown, Big Shovel immediately said, "Sir, if the other party built the tomb inside the mountain, there will be obvious traces."

"The ancients believed that the mountain itself was already a shelter, so they rarely continued to hide inside it. If there really was a tomb built inside, it would probably have something like a door."

The big shovel explained it this way because he didn't want to go inside.

Otherwise, if Song Feng had them lead the way, the danger would have increased dramatically.

After saying that, perhaps still feeling unsure, Big Shovel looked at Black Bear beside him and said, "Black Bear knows a little too."

Hei Xiazi glanced at the big shovel, then nodded to Song Feng and the other man.

"Let me take you inside, sir."

Song Feng did not refuse. After instructing the two to keep an eye on the Netherworld Fox Figurine, the three of them entered the tomb passage and went into the mountain.

Once only Big Shovel and his companion remained in the tomb, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's go, let's go outside, it's creepy staying here."

Dog Nose nodded, and glanced at the tomb passage one last time before leaving.

"Big shovel, I think I smelled some water vapor just now. Is there an underground river over there?"

The big shovel shook its head.

"I don't know. It's not surprising that it exists. Ancient people liked to build tombs in the mountains and rivers. This tomb was built in the mountains, so it's not surprising that it was built next to an underground river."

"Too."

After saying that, the two left the side room.

Not long after entering the mountain, Song Feng and his two companions also felt the dampness.

But Song Feng, wearing a mesh screen, could see things differently than a dog could.

That dampness wasn't water vapor, but rather a dense layer of yin energy!

……

(End of this chapter)