Ancient tomb excavation traces

Tie Ge noticed his companion's expression change and was about to ask him what was wrong when he himself suddenly realized something was amiss. He stared in astonishment as something fell from his head. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he touched his wet ear. What he saw next startled him.

Brother Tie let out a horrified howl, looking at the blood on his hands, then at his smiling ancestor. The ancestor leaned against a tree, arms crossed, and said nonchalantly, "This knife isn't used to cut people anymore, but your thing doesn't look like a human, so..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Black Mountain Army realized they had encountered a master. They cried out in alarm and stumbled backward in an instant. Before long, they were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing these people fleeing in such a disheveled state, Bao Cai spat out a contemptuous "Pah!" and cursed, "A bunch of cowardly blusterers!"

The young Taoist priest looked at the weapons that had fallen to the ground, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes. He shook his head with a sigh and said with a bitter smile, "My master lived a carefree life, but I never thought that he would end up losing his life to these worthless bastards. And I, in my ignorance, followed in his footsteps, along with you all, wanting to do something for the Black Mountain Army. Now it seems that it was all for nothing."

My gaze lingered on the departing figure, and I comforted the young Taoist priest, saying, "The Central Plains are currently rife with war, and various forces are vying for power. The Black Mountain Army is just one of them. Among them are many upright and honorable men, and of course, there are also these scoundrels who cannot bear to see the light of day. So what we are doing here is not entirely worthless. However, war requires gold and silver to sustain it. We cannot spend our lives searching for tombs for them and providing them with backup forces. We do not have enough manpower or enough energy... The so-called warhorses neighing and weapons gleaming, war is a matter that harms the common people, and..." I hesitated, knowing that although the Black Mountain Army was brave in history, it was ultimately defeated. So I knew that what we were doing now could not change the fate of the Black Mountain Army; it could only be said that we were fulfilling the last wish of the young Taoist priest's master.

The ancestor retrieved the red copper, then turned to see the young Taoist priest with a worried expression. Remarkably, he asked seriously, "Little Celestial Master, what do you think of this ancient tomb?"

The young Taoist priest raised his eyes, his gaze deep, and said, "Danger is everywhere, corpses litter the ground, it is extremely dangerous."

The ancestor nodded: "What would happen if a scoundrel like the one just now entered this ancient tomb?"

"The entire army was wiped out," the young Taoist priest replied without hesitation.

The old ancestor smiled. "That's inevitable. I've circled this ancient tomb quite a bit. Indeed, it's filled with countless treasures. But the more treasures there are, the more dangers there are. I think that of the Black Mountain soldiers who went to such lengths to get here, half will surely perish on the way, and the other half will enter the tomb. What do you think will happen?"

The young Taoist priest frowned slightly and did not answer. The patriarch continued, "Although the Demon Lord is dead, the Ancient Tomb is still the underworld. Do you think a bunch of useless living people can get out? They might have the chance to see him, but not the chance to enjoy the afterlife..." After saying that, he patted the young Taoist priest's shoulder meaningfully, took a few steps, and resumed his sly smile. He turned back and said, "You might as well come with me and do something practical." After saying that, he ran off excitedly to play with the three little tigers.

The young Taoist priest glanced at his retreating figure, lost in thought for a long time. I knew he was conflicted about his purpose for this trip, so I didn't disturb him further. Although this incident happened suddenly, it made us see many things clearly. We usually try to eliminate beasts, but we've truly underestimated human selfishness and cruelty. At that moment, the young Taoist priest, who had been focused on finding the Black Mountain Army and revealing the tomb's location, lost all hope. He could tolerate the bad apples among the Black Mountain Army, but he couldn't bear to entrust all his hard work to such despicable and selfish people. He could fulfill his master's last wish, but what the Black Mountain Army was pursuing was a bottomless pit. Today they were willing to travel thousands of miles to find treasure, but once that treasure was exhausted, they would go on to find the next one. The underground wealth couldn't satisfy everyone's desires, and he didn't want to join them, to be tossed about in this turbid sea. He believed that the true way to save this chaotic world was not through uprisings and wars, but by doing his part for the people amidst this cruelty, ensuring they had food and clothing, and preventing the increasing number of people freezing to death, dying of disease, or dying in battle.

After this thought formed, he felt relieved. He didn't want to be a force that fueled the arrogance of others when they fought wars and the common people were plunged into hell. He preferred to be like the tomb raiders of the ancient times, giving limited wealth to an unlimited number of people.

In addition, he felt that what his ancestors said was true. This ancient tomb was not only far away and full of troubles, but also extremely dangerous. If the Black Mountain soldiers came here, they would at most become cannon fodder. Therefore, whether or not the specific location of the ancient tomb was given, the final result would be in vain.

Having figured things out, Zhang Zhuyi felt much better. As for us, although this journey had been fraught with setbacks and losses, and we might not have even acquired a few funerary artifacts, it might have brought peace of mind to our friends. But what did it matter? Moreover, amidst all the threats, we obtained another treasure—the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl. It was something many people, including Emperor Meng, longed for, but its significance was too great; it didn't belong to us…

Back in Xidi, I took out the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl. A few days ago, I had already explained to Gu Cheng the old master's instructions and the brilliance of his last moments. I handed the jade carving of the human face back to him. Gu Cheng is a very sentimental person; he felt that the jade carving was something the old master had given me, a memento, and asked me not to give it to him.

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Besides the Gu family, Chen Tianzhou, who had traveled a long way, also wanted the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl. He had lost two of his trusted disciples, so refusing to give him the pearl seemed unreasonable. This gave me a huge headache. My ancestor sensed my distress, and one day, he summoned Chen Tianzhou and insisted on giving this Nine Yin Sect leader a funerary object he had retrieved from a tomb, telling him not to take the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl. Chen Tianzhou was both amused and exasperated. He then came to me and explained that his desire for the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl wasn't his own, but rather a request from someone else. He told me that my ancestor had been pestering him relentlessly, and in order to live a few more years, he wanted me to give the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl to the Gu family, who truly needed it.

Upon hearing this result, I felt a sense of relief. When I handed the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl to Gu Cheng, he burst into tears. This nightmare of being without a soul had haunted his family for far too long, and no one could know the bitterness and grievances they had endured. Now that they were finally free, how could they not be excited?

Having fulfilled Grandpa Gu's instructions, I've never felt so carefree. However, this gathering for the ancient tomb is about to end. On our last night, we chatted about everything under the sun all night long, with the three tiger cubs and their mother keeping us company quietly not far away.

The next morning, a gentle breeze stirred, signaling it was time to leave. The tigress seemed to know we were leaving, and she got up and glanced back at us every now and then. Bao Cai said that the tiger seemed to be trying to lead the way. In reality, I certainly wouldn't believe that wild beasts would have such spirituality, but today I finally experienced it.

We followed the tiger through the forest, and by some miracle, after traveling for a long time, we actually saw "Fa Da Cai," who had initially fled, along with several other camels. You Chi hadn't killed them. I thought I would never see these saviors again, but unexpectedly... For a moment, we were speechless, and everyone hugged the necks of these smelly camels with deep emotion.

Led by the mother tigress, our path was almost entirely free of danger and obstacles. Once we were out of the forest, the mother tigress stood watching us, her eyes filled with obvious reluctance. The cubs leaped and bounded to our feet. We couldn't take them with us; they belonged to this forest. Before leaving, Bao Cai gently stroked the cubs' heads and said softly, "Don't encounter any more danger. Grow up quickly!"

Little Tiger affectionately nuzzled Bao Cai's hand, a heartwarming scene that brought tears to my eyes. This trip, besides making many new friends, unexpectedly led us to forge deep friendships with some animals. The bond forged in life and death will surely be unforgettable at parting. Despite our deep reluctance to leave the Gu family we had just met, we had to say goodbye gracefully…

At the moment of their embrace, all they could say was "Take care, and may we meet again someday." Gu Cheng was deeply moved. As they parted, he said, "Go, if there is a future, I will repay your kindness with all my might!"

I nodded. Even so, this was in ancient times. Who knew how long it would be before we met again? Perhaps for the rest of my life, they would only exist in my memories…

As he watched Gu Cheng and the others leave, his eyes welled up with tears. This time, Bao Cai, who loved money more than anything, didn't care about those funerary objects, because he now carried a bond more precious than treasure: the legendary Fire Monkey!

(End of Volume Two - The Soul Song of Loulan)

I like tomb raiding.