The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 793 Or should we open the tomb at Tiger Hill?

Shen Le stood blankly beside the enormous coffin, a cold glint still lingering in his eyes and heart.

A flash of cold light appeared, and the next moment, it pierced King Liao of Wu's heart. The king was shocked and stiffened; before he could even feel anger, he collapsed.

Enraged, Zhuan Zhu rushed forward and charged into battle. He fought back fiercely, but his single dagger was no match for the many long weapons, and he was killed on the spot in just a few blows.

Meanwhile, armored soldiers rushed in and engaged King Liao of Wu's retinue in battle. The clash of metal was deafening, blood gushed forth, and soon, all of King Liao's followers lay dead on the spot…

Only that thin, sharp blade remained, rolling down the hall and disappearing into the pool of blood...

Shen Le slowly withdrew his fingers, his heart still pounding. He calmed himself, then focused his mental energy to lift himself up, avoiding leaving footprints on the ground.

Having confirmed that nothing in the tomb had been disturbed, he breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly ran his hand over the dagger, from the hilt to the tip, and back again.
"So... you still remember..."

In his youth, he killed King Liao of Wu and ascended to the throne. He then heavily relied on Wu Zixu and Sun Wu, conquered Yingdu, the capital of Chu, and brought Wu to its zenith.

He became one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. At the age of forty-one, he died from his injuries sustained in a failed campaign against Yue.

From becoming the King of Wu to being buried at Tiger Hill, he was full of vigor and fought in the south and north for a total of nineteen years.

Nineteen years later, the dagger named "Fish Intestine" still lies buried in the tomb, beside this generation's king...

Shen Le recalled the contents of the historical records. The Records of the Grand Historian, Biographies of Assassins, states that after King Helü of Wu ascended the throne, he "appointed the son of Zhuan Zhu as a high minister," and indeed he did not abandon his benefactor after using him.

However, what moved Shen Le even more was seeing the dagger intact, lying quietly in the tomb, near the coffin of the King of Wu…

That day, that sword, that man who died wielding the sword—King Helü of Wu still remembers it, doesn't he?

He carefully stroked the dagger again, feeling the vibrant spirit within it.

It's very similar, that unwavering, selfless will that still burns brightly after a thousand years, much like the golden light that lingers on the Dragon Lord's Dharma Ship. But there's still a difference...

Moreover, it's not strong enough, far from strong enough...

Shen Le lingered, exploring the tomb many times, memorizing the dagger's essence and characteristics. He then unleashed his mental power, diligently exploring the entire tomb once more.
After carefully memorizing the entire layout of the tomb and all the important artifacts, he forced himself to sink down, passing through the barrier. Then, he summoned the power of earth, causing the surrounding land to converge inwards:
Wasn't it said that the tomb couldn't be dug up because it would damage the Tiger Hill Pagoda on top?

I've gathered the earth's energy and solidified the land. No matter how much you dig underneath, the Tiger Hill Pagoda will be firmly supported from above. So, there's no need to worry about whether or not to excavate.
While he was fiddling around in the tomb, Gu Yulin would stand up, sit down, scroll through his phone, and look around, his boredom tinged with a hint of tension.
They had no idea how far Shen Le was going, nor where Shen Le was at that moment.

Just as the earth's energy began to gather beneath his feet, Gu Yulin suddenly jolted awake, pulled out a miniature detector, and poked it downwards:
what's the situation?
Did Shen Le suddenly start casting spells?
Keep it down! This place is full of cultural relics, many of them high-grade. If you damage even one, the Cultural Relics Protection Bureau will be suing the Special Affairs Bureau in no time.

Well, Shen Le himself is a professional in cultural relic restoration, so he shouldn't be messing around with things, right?
I waited anxiously for who knows how long, until dawn broke and tourists arrived in droves, making a ruckus and crowding around to take photos.

Suddenly, Gu Yulin saw the detector reading jump from two digits to three digits, and then from three digits to four digits:

"what's the situation?"

His heart was pounding, and he quickly used his eyes, ears, smell, and skin, wishing he could even use his sixth sense, to investigate while silently praying.

Before long, an even stronger sensation arose from beneath the ground, and even the mud showed fine cracks:

"Don't come out!"

Gu Yulin stomped his foot down forcefully. Below, Shen Le, who had stealthily approached, was slightly startled. Upon opening his spiritual power, he discovered a noisy commotion around him.
Before he knew it, he had spent the night underground, and new tourists were flocking to the area around the Sword Pool...

"Uh……"

Shen Le could only silently sink down, silently connect with the earth's veins, and silently travel back to his own mansion. He took out his phone and sent a message to Gu Yulin before burying himself in his computer:

Record!

Take notes quickly!

Everything I saw in the tomb of King Helü of Wu, including the magical barrier outside the tomb and the layout of the tomb, I must carefully write down!
Regardless of the source of the information, just tell me whether this information is accurate or not!

Even after Gu Yulin muttered countless times to himself, "It's not easy to find a job," and drove back, Shen Le was still buried in her work at the computer.

This took another whole day. After he finished entering all the information, he turned around and saw Gu Yulin looking at him with a tired and helpless expression.
"nailed it?"

"Ok?"

Did you bring anything with you?

"No."

"So...should we excavate it?"

"Let's not excavate for now." Shen Le hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"This isn't a decision I'm qualified to make... Besides, the Fish Intestine Sword inside has a slightly different path; it's quite complete..."

The different pathways indicate lower absorption efficiency;
It is quite intact, which means that it does not need to be repaired at all. This also means that Shen Le cannot communicate with it or become familiar with the power it contains by repairing this cultural relic.

Since that's the case, he doesn't want to disturb the tomb unless absolutely necessary, so he'll let the experts, the truly qualified archaeologists, make the decision...

"I need your help with something. Send the information I've recorded to the Special Affairs Bureau and have them forward it to the Cultural Relics Bureau."

The barrier around this tomb is still quite difficult to overcome. If they decide to excavate it, I will definitely help if I have the time!

...So you won't help if you don't have time, huh?

This supernatural barrier is very difficult, and it is not recommended for ordinary people or cultivators who are not strong enough to touch it rashly, right?
Oh right, and you're so morally fastidious. It's one thing not to open the tomb, but you also won't take out the Fish Intestine Sword—if you really need it, take it out, use it, and then put it back.

So all that going back and forth, you've only been walking my legs?
Gu Yulin accepted the task with a sigh. While fiddling with his email, he asked, head down:

"So what's next?" "Next, please accompany me to a few more places..."

Carrying the scroll, Shen Le ran around to several different places. He circled around the center of XT City and the surrounding area of ​​Xingtai seven or eight times, feeling utterly lost.

"Gone...everything is gone...more than two thousand years have passed, who knows where the original collection has been lost..."

With a sigh, he turned back south. In Zhi, the territory of the State of Han during the Warring States period, the mountains and rivers still remain, but the cities are gone, and as for the villages and tombs of that time, there is no trace of them at all.

Shen Le held the scroll, comparing it back and forth, circling it, even stimulating it to resonate with the surrounding landscape, but couldn't find a single clue:

That assassin who once painted his body with lacquer, swallowed charcoal, and killed his enemy by striking his clothes three times; that assassin who once rushed into the court and beheaded the prime minister, "pouring out his own skin and eyes, disemboweling himself, and thus dying"...

Their tombs, their remains, their weapons—all have been lost to the heavens and earth, only their heroic names shine in the annals of history, forever immortal…

"But I can't use history books to repair the Dragon King's ship!" Shen Le sighed.
"This spot is gone too. Oh well, let's move on to the next place!"

He went to three or four different places, going up mountains, down into water, and underground, using his mental energy to search desperately, but he couldn't find even the slightest trace of the ruins.

After searching for half a month, Shen Le's confidence began to crumble. He was considering whether to just give up and go back to open the tomb of King Helü of Wu, or take out the Fish Intestine Sword and use it.

Although this sword isn't very powerful and isn't quite right for me, it'll do for now. I'll just return it when I'm done.

Forget it, let's wait and sweep up the last spot first!
This is the last spot!

You really need to put in a lot of effort!
The last spot wasn't so easy to scan either. Holding the scroll, Shen Le followed the coordinates calculated by the Special Affairs Bureau, parked the car, bought tickets, entered the scenic area, and sighed:
"What a huge mountain range... How am I supposed to find it..."

The Special Affairs Bureau has done its best to help, and the scroll has tried its best to indicate the location. The problem is, the accuracy is really limited, quite pathetic; it can only pinpoint this mountainous area.
Unlike last time at Tiger Hill, where the entire city of Suzhou was relatively small and he could easily follow the golden light to his destination, this time, a vast scenic area unfolded before him:

Yunmeng Mountain Scenic Area covers an area of ​​38 square kilometers.

The legendary place where Guiguzi lived in seclusion and taught...

Yes, 38 square kilometers is the area designated by the scenic area, excluding the area outside the scenic area, where mountains stretch out one after another.

Not to mention, there are only a few paths within the scenic area, and only a few sights to see from afar or up close, most of which are man-made.

To search every single peak, ridge, cliff, stream, cave, and even the interior of the mountains... that's a huge undertaking...

Shen Le's face was already stiff. Gu Yulin turned to look at him and sighed helplessly:

"Shall we explore the entire scenic area first? Walk along all the roads and visit all the attractions, get a general feel for the area, and then conduct a more detailed search?"

It seems... this is the only way. Shen Le sighed deeply, reached out and patted Gu Yulin, adding a gentle breeze to make his steps lighter.
"go!"

Walk, walk, walk, walk! A main road, two large side roads, and several smaller side roads branching off from each other, they strode forward, step by step.

Even with the aid of wind magic, Gu Yulin's back and legs ached from walking.

"How much longer until we arrive... We've walked around this whole area, and it's all man-made tourist attractions! Not a single one! Not even an ancient one!"

"You're overthinking it, it's impossible." Shen Le shrugged. Guigu Temple, Guigu Ruins, Sun Bin Cave, Pang Juan Cave, Heavenly Book Cliff, Military Drill Ridge, Eight Trigrams Formation, Coiled Dragon Formation…

Which one looks real?
None of them can be real. They're all just houses built by later generations, signs erected, ropes strung together, and that's how they become tourist attractions!

If there aren't many attractions, how can we charge admission? Without creating a decent number of attractions, how can we convince tourists that we've visited the place where Guiguzi lectured in ancient times, and that today's tour is worth the price of admission?

"Why don't you take a rest, and I'll fly there tonight to find them?" Shen Le looked at Gu Yulin sympathetically. Hearing this, Gu Yulin took a deep breath, gripped his trekking pole tightly, and slammed it downwards:
"No need! Let's finish the tour first! If we finish and still can't find it, I'll accept my fate. But if we don't finish, I absolutely won't let you fly around alone!"

"This scenic area is quite large, and there are accommodations inside. Tourists might come out to explore at night! What if they scare one or two people?!"

"Alright then..." Shen Le couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she shrugged and continued walking. As she walked, she unleashed her mental energy, trying her best to cover the outside world:

If what he is looking for really exists, then that wisp of spiritual will must be extremely special, and perhaps it will be touched by him!
After a day of intense walking and searching, Shen Le felt quite stressed—but thankfully, he had made some progress. Upon checking into his hotel within the scenic area, he turned and smiled:

"Then I'll go alone?"

Gu Yulin lay on the bed, feeling sore all over and unwilling to move. He waved to Shen Le, who smiled in return, changed into a dark black trench coat, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and stepped out.
One step, two steps, three steps, and suddenly there was no ground beneath my feet, and I plummeted straight down.

Yunmeng Mountain is also a branch of the Southern Taihang Mountains, known for its grandeur, danger, and wonder, with towering cliffs and dense forests of peaks.

Their hotel was just a hundred steps ahead of a cliff. Shen Le jumped off, and immediately rose into the air:

He avoided the so-called Bagua City, and avoided places like Bing Shu Cliff, Xi Chen Cave, and the Military Altar. Here, Shen Le did indeed sense a faint military atmosphere, but it had long been overshadowed by human warmth—

There were far too many tourists. He wandered around the peaks, eventually reaching a secluded path and turning into a quiet valley.
Closer, closer. The terrain here is exceptionally complex, the hills and valleys exceptionally deep, and the human presence exceptionally sparse.

The scroll he had unfolded in his hand also began to glow, the points of light flickering slightly, as if guiding, or perhaps urging:
right here!

It's nearby!

Shen Le plunged down. He entered the mountain wall, crossed the pool, and went into the cave, winding his way forward.

After passing through the section of the cave that has already been developed within the scenic area, we continued inward, making three or five turns in succession:

He finally knelt down, pressing his hands into a thick layer of dry soil!

"--rise!"

With a soft shout, the earth split open. A rectangular piece of soil, five feet long, three feet wide, and three feet thick, containing its contents, rose steadily.

(End of this chapter)