Chapter 8

 Chapter 8: The Tomb of Hui Wang of Pixian [6]

Translator: Xah

Li Shu’s statement did not even make Jin Laoda and the few to retreat, instead they furiously stood up, determined to win this tomb.

After LaoSan’s arm was finished being treated with medicine and hastily bound in bandage, Jin LaoDa asked: “Can you walk? If you can walk then good. Today, you need to work a little harder. Wait until the treasures are in our hands, even if we lay down flat, it is enough for us to be unconstrained for several lifetimes.”

This kind of work not even opened for business at normal times, but still really paid to possibly a stretch of good treasures; whole life would be able to go through comfortably even without working.

Jin LaoDa’s statement was clearly to encourage LaoSan and the few, to disregard any body’s pain. Besides, they already arrived at the entrance, to just going back empty-handed would be more depressing.

Li Shu, when seeing this did not say anything. This time he took the lead to walk at the top front, then turned around to look at Zhang Qiu, “Follow me closely.”

This were the most frequent words that Li Shu had said to him since going down the tomb, but he did not even feel a little vex by it, instead he felt utterly at ease. He nodded his head and followed Li Shu closely from behind.

This time Jin Laoda called Zhang Qiu to stop, let LaoSi threw some supplies at him; a flashlight, two packets of compress biscuits, a bottle of water, and also a dagger.

Zhang Qiu fastened the dagger on the waist, his hand poised above it while the other hand held the flashlight, followed Li Shu to advance towards the entrance. The corridor behind the entrance was a little detailed compared to the corridor they passed a moment ago; the wall was made up of brick fragments which engraved with extremely exquisite decorative patterns, the slabstone underfoot was even a little more bigger.

After walking about ten minutes, they arrived at an intersection, Li Shu turned and looked at Jin Laoda.

“Map.”

Jin Laoda subconsciously pressed down the pocket on his chest, hesitated to take it out, yet his mouth said: “Fellow Li Shu, in the first place of cooperation there’s an agreement; each takes what he needs, you get yours, us brothers’ share—”

“I’m not interested.” Li Shu said point-blankly.

At the side, Zhang Qiu rose in curiosity, Li Shu did not seemed as a person who would go down the tomb for antiques and wealth. At the end, what worth was there in this tomb for Li Shu to come?

He became more and more curious towards this Li Shu person; good skill and also unusually good-looking, then his name was quite odd too, very mysterious.

Jin Laoda already took out the map while at the side, LaoEr held a flashlight. The more Jin Laoda studied the map, the more he tensed; it looked the same as if he want to clamp a fly to death. Only one look and Zhang Qiu knew something gone wrong, he could not refrain from asking: “What’s wrong?”

This time, no one criticized Zhang Qiu. Not yet passed a period of few seconds, Jin Laoda’s forehead washed in a layer of sweat. A pair of eager eyes swept across the map again and again, to the extent of checking the opened up map by overturning it to look, but the more he looked, the more his face whitened. The big bean-shaped sweats on his forehead rolled down the cheeks.

Li Shu stepped forward and directly took away the map in Jin LaoDa’s hand. At the side, LaoEr and the few did not even dare to say more. Zhang Qiu encircled Li Shu’s side to take a look at the map. This part of map was hand-drawn and time-honoured. The person who drawn the map at that time was possibly in a hurry, the drawing was done very sloppily; this here added a stroke, over there missed a stroke. Yet even if it was like this, Zhang Qiu still could make out the clues.

“On this map didn’t have the entrance just now.” Zhang Qiu affirmatively said. The corridor outside the entrance on the map was a straight line, afterwards a T-shaped opening. The deep black stroke gesticulated to go towards the left side but now they went along the corridor outside the entrance, walking to the end, there was only a door, no any T-shaped opening at all.

At this moment, Jin LaoDa’s voice was abnormally dry and hoarse, “but, but downward the tomb passage is correct, even the territory of the group of spider is correct.”

“Big brother, what’s on earth it all about?” LaoEr’s tone carried a note of impatience.

The atmosphere momentarily became strange again, even in the corridor, it was colder than before; everyone was in a state of anxiety. Whatever conjecture of imagination in their mind was hard to say, they simply watched Li Shu stuffed the map to Jin LaoDa’s bosom, voice utterly calm said, “This map shows that someone had reached inside the tomb, but we did not come across the carcass with at the robber’s hole.”

Jin Laoda abruptly came back to his senses when he said where was it strange.

If the map was true, according to that Earth Master’s words, they should come across the carcass of that Earth Master’s group that went down the tomb ten years ago. There was also the group of spider down the robber’s hole. He had sent LaoSan and the rest to look for a circle yet did not found that buried-in-waste robber’s hole.

“But, but we actually found the hole, we’d just be inside the hole.” Jin LaoDa looked at Li Shu a glance, urgently trying to get an answer from Li Shu.

Li Shu doubted the origin of the map. Looking around, down the cross path, it lead to a separate corridor’s direction.

“It seems that the owner of the tomb expended very much thought into building it.” Li Shu looked at Jin LaoDa, who was constantly doubted him, “When on the surface, we were looking for a wrong place.”

“How could it be? Obviously there was a group of spider——” Jin Laoda suddenly stopped himself, he was also an experienced veteran Earth Master. Just now for a short while, he wanted to be domineering, now grasping by Li Shu’s point, he suddenly understood, but the conclusion made him unbelievable, “You mean there were two spider group’s areas, but the compass direction is not wrong.”

Li Shu just coldly stared at Jin LaoDa, and Jin Laoda broke out in cold sweat all over, and he took out the compass from the pocket to see; the pointer swayed at random nonstop.

“We are surrounded by four mountains, once we step in here, the direction will be thrown in disorder.”

Zhang Qiu recalled that on the topographical range, the four mountains were about the same size. Early morning, they had climbed the whole mountain and arrived at this position in the afternoon. If the direction was mistaken, and Jin LaoDa’s preconceive firmly believed in his map, it could seem like Li Shu’s judgement was reliable.

The result of taking the wrong road like this was better than ghosts pounding the wall[1]. Supposed that it was not for Li Shu’s reminder, they would believed in ghosts pounding the wall themselves, then got scared to death by themselves. This was exactly a psychological warfare, after all, the atmosphere in the tomb in fact was stifling and eerie.

“Go.” Li Shu naturally tugged on Zhang Qiu’s hand.

Zhang Qiu: …..

Although both were adult men hand in hand like gays exuded some gay airs, but under this kind of circumstances, he would rather be in towering gay airs!

Li Shu opted to go straight, Jin LaoDa hesitated and said: “Fellow Li Shu, the location of our position now, if according to that kind of analysis of yours, we should take the left path. As long as we had crossed the place of that Earth Master’s group, so the map is actually useful.”

The ancients, when building the housing halls would be all particular about symmetry. The underground tomb also was nothing more than like this; all along would be occupied with statement of death surpassed living. In other words, during one’s lifetime, no matter what livelihood, after death, one would be granted to build an underground palace with the same layout.

Li Shu turned around, the corner of his lips hooked in a ridiculing smile, said maliciously: “You urgently want to follow to keep them company, then feel free to go.”

Jin LaoDa’s face sprouted out fur, yet did not dared to say anything, only felt flesh pain because he spent a big price to buy the map of the hole without it being useful.

They had walked straight ahead on foot; who knew how long they had walked, the end of the tomb passage still could not be seen. The front was forever pitch-black, it looked like a monster with mouth opened wide awaiting for them to walk right into the trap. The more they walked, the more they got goose-flesh. LaoEr at back said in a small voice: “Did you guys heard any sound?”

“Even the fart noise did not hear. Don’t scare yourself.” Jin LaoDa impatiently said.

LaoEr’s forehead broke out in cold sweat, he did not dared to turn his head, stammered to say: “Big—big brother, ka cha ka cha….”

“Where is there a——” Jin Laoda paused.

Ka cha,  ka cha….. [sfx of click, scrape]

The sound came from the back was gradually approaching until it neared, it sounded like something gnawing.

An utterly clear-cut ‘ka cha’ sound. There was not any sound a moment ago, however a few seconds later, the sound became more and more louder. Furthermore, an odd gurgling laughter caused people’s hair stood on end.

Zhang Qiu’s hold on Li Shu’s hand tightened, when he heard the sound he turned around, and at the same time noticed Jin LaoDa’s flashlight shone at the back, his pupils immediately shrank, “LaoSan has disappeared.”

“Big—big brother. It’s LaoWu coming, carrying LaoSan in his hands.” LaoEr’s legs trembled, he even almost pissed his pants in terror.

A shadow of human figure approaching more and more near at the back of the corridor. Zhang Qiu also noticed what being said by LaoEr. The supposedly missing LaoWu’s red eyes stared at them, chuckling. An arm was clutched in his hand and was stuffed inside his mouth, which constantly chewing. The other hand was dragging a person—as if it was a doll. It was the supposedly missing LaoSan.

They had walked for a long time, LaoSan’s disappearing unexpectedly had not been discovered by anyone.

LaoSi pulled out his gun and fired several shots at LaoWu. The other shook his lower body. He walked faster than anyone else; like a runner. Zhang Qiu was scared to stay where he was. He heard Li Shu’s cold voice in his ear. “Stand still.”

The figure had disappeared, and like a ghost, in the next second LaoWu appeared in front of them. In Li Shu other hand held a dagger —he quickly and accurately plunged it into the middle of LaoWu’s eyebrows. LaoWu giggling laughter sounded like the card owner’s voice, then he dropped on the ground, completely motionless.

It happened so fast that Zhang Qiu didn’t know how Li Shu did it —just like watching special effects fights in movies. It was so handsome!

Zhang Qiu was still in a starry-eyed infatuation state, when he was suddenly knocked down —his back bumped to the back of the wall. Before he saw who it was, the other person was running all the way —stumbling at the foot and almost fell down. The other person was like having no consciousness, only knew to run madly.

“LaoSi, what are you doing!”

“LaoSi, come back!”

“Fellow Li Shu, what are do— forget it. Quickly pursue.”

Zhang Qiu was dragged by the other person and ran away without knowing how long it was —he was breathless. He looked up and saw LaoSi. As he beginning to be relieved, he saw that LaoSi was staring at him as if he was looking at other people; a moment of frightened and a moment of resentful, amidst all, he looked like evil.

“LaoSi?”

Zhang Qiu called softly, and as if he had stabbed the other person, LaoSi stared at him fiercely with his facial features twisted.

Not good.

Zhang Qiu looked around quietly to minimize his sense of being. He touched the dagger at his waist with one hand and slowed down his breathing. They were now standing in the corridor. He could see the stone gate at the direction behind LaoSi, which was about a hundred meters away.

He weighed his own force against LaoSi’s skill, and did not fight hard, but the other person had already jumped over. Zhang Qiu, in a flash ducked down from LaoSi’s waist, rolled to the ground and ran desperately to the front of the stone gate.

Just now his legs almost could not stand up. Zhang Qiu gritted his teeth and ran wild. He did not have to look back to know that LaoSi was following him closely. The wind was blowing in his ear. The stone gate was near in front of his eyes. But he hesitated —remembered that LaoSan’s arm had been burned just now. LaoSi just chased too tightly behind him. The killing intent of  LaoSi was not like playing a game. He bit his teeth and pushed the gate and gambled!

The stone gate was very easy to push, Zhang Qiu had no time to breathe, his foot felt light —his whole person felt weightless and fell down.

Motherfucker, there are traps!

Bang!

Zhang Qiu felt that he was about to break all over, but he was fortunate that there was no Kendo blade on the ground, otherwise he would be a kebab now.

It was dark all around, and when he had just fallen, he seemed to hear the sound of a flashlight rolling on the ground. Zhang Qiu recognized the direction below by the sound and reached out to touch the ground.

Ice-cold, like a stone, stiff and strange skin feeling——

Zhang Qiu’s hairs all stood up. He did not know what he had touched.

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Footnote:

[1] 鬼打墙 refers to the fact that people tend to walk around in circles when they’re in situations where there is not enough light or visual cues to help them navigate. The idea is that a person is obstructed by walls that some ghosts have thrown up in front of them, thus forcing that person to walk in circles.

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