Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 501 500 Clouds Move
After saying this, the ancestral hall official finally gave Feng Xiuhu a proper look.

Judging from Feng Xiuhu's attire, he didn't think he was a bandit, so he asked, "Where do you come from, sir?"

Feng Xiuhu pointed to a spot not far away—Liu Weisen was standing at the entrance of the main hall, looking around.

Feng Xiuhu said, "That man is Liu the philanthropist from Zhenqiu City. I came here with him."

"I've heard of Liu the philanthropist from Zhenqiu City."

The temple master nodded slightly and sighed, "Your reputation is well-deserved. Right now, you two are the most disciplined people in the temple."

He turned to look down at the courtyard.

The priests and ritual attendants hurried among the treasure hunters, their faces showing exhaustion and helplessness.

The task of these guardians of the Queen's Shrine is actually quite awkward. They have to follow the instructions of the shrine master to "take care" of every brick, tile, and blade of grass in the shrine to prevent these treasure hunters from damaging it, but at the same time they dare not interfere too forcefully.

So he had no choice but to follow closely, repeating the words over and over in a low, almost pleading tone.

"Sir, the inscription on the tombstone must not be wet..."

"Excuse me, this floor tile is very old and can't withstand heavy foot traffic."

“Brave warrior, the paint on this pillar has simply peeled off naturally; it doesn’t have any hidden compartments inside. Please don’t try to pick at it anymore.”

They said a lot, but the effect was minimal. Often, after they persuaded one side, a new situation would arise on the other side, keeping them busy and each of them had fine beads of sweat on their foreheads.

This scene also caught Feng Xiuhu's eye, and he said, "For the Empress's Shrine, the key is not whether there is treasure, but the search for treasure."

The shrine master was stunned for a moment before he understood the meaning behind Feng Xiuhu's words. He looked at him in astonishment and asked, "You don't believe in the treasure story?"

Feng Xiuhu also looked at him: "What? You believe that?"

The temple master shook his head: "Of course we don't believe it. We have been guarding this place for thousands of years, and the affairs of the temple have been passed down from generation to generation. We have never heard of the treasure of restoring the country. If it weren't for the recent uproar about the treasure map appearing in the world, the Empress Temple would not have suffered such an undeserved disaster."

Feng Xiuhu also shook his head: "But it's your business if you don't believe it, they do. Look closely, these people are already blinded by greed. No matter how much you talk, they will only think you are lying and hiding clues. Since that's the case, why not just lie to them?"

The shrine master closed his eyes and pondered without answering.

He understood Feng Xiuhu's good intentions—how could he possibly find clues that didn't even exist? But these treasure hunters wouldn't give up, so it would be better for him, the head of the shrine, to step forward and give false clues to lure the treasure hunters away, thus preserving the peace of the Empress's Shrine.

After a while, the shrine master opened his eyes.

"Have you figured it out?"

Feng Xiuhu asked.

The temple master shook his head with a wry smile: "It's easy to tell a lie, but if treasure hunters follow the clues, they will eventually return empty-handed. If they realize what's going on later, the Empress Temple will definitely be blamed."

"Then it has nothing to do with me."

Feng Xiuhu shrugged – he was just bored and came up with some bad ideas, without considering anything further.

The temple official looked at him speechlessly: "Since you don't believe in the treasure story, why do you ask about the burial place of Empress Yun?"

"Just out of curiosity."

Feng Xiuhu replied, "It's a rare opportunity to visit a tourist attraction, so I have to do my part—I'm mainly worried that if I don't see it this time, I won't be able to see it again next time."

Feng Xiuhu's words were rather harsh, clearly implying that treasure hunters would be insane enough to dig up graves.

But while the words may be crude, the principle is sound; there is indeed such a possibility.

The shrine master's expression changed slightly: "The Empress's tomb is located in the rear hall. I have ordered the priests to guard it strictly. If you wish to pay your respects, you may do so on your own."

After saying that, he turned and walked in another direction.

Feng Xiuhu grabbed him: "Where are you going?"

The temple master replied, "The time has come; it's time to ring the morning bell."

...Feng Xiuhu didn't join the crowd. Once the bell rang, all the treasure hunters would definitely swarm around. Feng Xiuhu had always been skeptical about the authenticity of the treasure, so he didn't plan to join them.

He followed the directions of the temple master and went straight to the back hall.

Upon arriving at the entrance, one can see the tombstone in the center of the hall, as well as the mound behind it made of bricks and stones.

Feng Xiuhu wasn't naive enough to think that the mound contained Empress Yun's remains—given Empress Yun's status, it was impossible for her to be buried in a random pit.

The mounds of bricks and stones that you see in front of you are actually just the earthen mound above the underground palace, which is the structure commonly known as a "tomb".

The actual tomb is located underground beneath it.

There were guards at the entrance to the rear hall. Two priests each brought several ritual attendants. When Feng Xiuhu walked over, they watched him warily.

Before they could speak, Feng Xiuhu said, "I won't go in; I'll just look around from the doorway."

After saying that, he paced back and forth outside the palace gate with his hands behind his back.

Feng Xiuhu rolled his eyes and pondered for a long time before suddenly asking, "Hey, has this tomb been robbed?"

The priest at the entrance changed his expression: "Don't talk nonsense! The Empress's Shrine has been guarded by us since it was built, and it has always been safe and sound. How could it have been robbed?"

Feng Xiuhu grinned and said, "What are you talking about? People who raid tombs don't give you a heads-up before they start, do they?"

These words touched a nerve, and both the priest and the ritual master showed anger on their faces.

Liu Weisen suddenly rushed up from behind, apologized to the priest, and then pulled Feng Xiuhu away.

"You're here to visit too?"

Feng Xiuhu asked.

Liu Weisen complained, "Why did you have to provoke them? You were running around when the bell was about to ring, I almost couldn't find you."

Feng Xiuhu, still feeling wronged, said, "I was just chatting casually."

Liu Weisen was both amused and exasperated: "Then why don't you say something nice? What's the point of bringing up such sore spots?"

"The sore spot?"

Feng Xiuhu was stunned.

Liu Weisen looked behind him, pulled Feng Xiuhu to a secluded spot, and whispered, "...Chen Dejin's ancestors, going back who knows how many generations, had already descended into the underground palace beneath the Empress's tomb."

Feng Xiuhu suddenly realized—that made sense, since the Chen family had the treasure map in their hands, they naturally wouldn't let go of such a conspicuous place as the Empress's Tomb.

Feng Xiuhu pressed on curiously, "Do the people at the Empress's Shrine know about this?"

Liu Weisen shook his head: "I don't know if they know or not, but even if they do, they have to tell the outside world that nothing happened, otherwise it will be their fault for failing to protect the area properly."

at this time.

thump -- thump -- thump --

The melodious sound of bells echoed over the Queen's Shrine.

Immediately following, gasps of surprise came from the courtyard in the distance.

Liu Weisen quickly pulled Feng Xiuhu: "Go and see what happened."

The two quickly returned to the front courtyard, where they saw everyone gazing at the horizon.

That's the west direction.

Following everyone's gaze, Feng Xiuhu and Liu Weisen also looked over – they saw that the clouds in the western sky were surging, while the clouds in other directions did not change significantly, which was obviously abnormal.

(End of this chapter)