Ancient tomb excavation traces

A faint, scratching sound emanated from the bronze-cast ground, filling us with dread. Faced with this fear, Chen Yi smiled grimly and said optimistically, "We've done this before. Cutting off their heads will wipe them out completely!"

Bao Cai looked around at the commotion in fear, his voice trembling, "How...how do we cut them? These corpses are much stronger than the ones we've encountered in modern times, and the numbers...the numbers are clearly off!"

"What can we do if we don't cut it down? Are we just going to wait to be dinner for these walking corpses?" Old Tiao said, his forehead covered in sweat. He must have been terrified, because the corpse with only one eye showing in front of us was very eerie. It didn't look like a new corpse, but rather like an old one.

The old corpse was wrapped in yellowed strips of cloth, its massive frame vaguely visible. It was incredibly tall, exuding an aura that seemed to surpass us. But what was most unbearable was that its skin was like mud after a torrential rain, not an inch of it intact, making it look like a monster from hell.

Bao Cai and I hesitated, the witch observed the surroundings, and the young Taoist planned to improvise. Only Chen Yu stepped forward in the face of danger, declaring, "Never mind! Even if it's the Demon King blocking our way today, Grandpa Chen wants to live, and they'll have to make way!" With that, he raised his cleaver, but the reality was that Chen Yu looked incredibly small next to the towering corpse. He swallowed hard, the dark shadows enveloping him and suppressing his courage. He chuckled awkwardly, "These ancient people are quite tall, huh?"

I drew my Mongolian knife. This monster couldn't be dealt with alone; only a group attack offered any hope. Just as I decided to step forward to help, something warm and wet dripped onto my cheek. I instinctively wiped it away and looked down—it was blood! I looked up in shock. The dense patterns on the bronze dome were dotted with round holes, arranged like stars. But I couldn't understand why blood was dripping from these holes. Confused, I continued to look up. At that moment, the previously oppressive darkness changed; a faint light shone through. My heart tightened. I thought: Could someone be hiding above us, spying on our actions? Did they disappear after I noticed what was happening above? And the blood… this blood was warm. It must have been someone or some animal that had just been injured, or had recently died… This thought filled me with unease. I had a feeling that something far more evil existed somewhere above us.

However, I can't tell the young Taoist priests what I've discovered so far, because Old Chen shouted and chopped the corpse three times. But after the corpse made a "splattering" sound, it still stared at Chen Chen without moving, as if he were nothing more than a tiny speck of dust in front of him.

Chen Yi, a hot-blooded man, panicked when he saw that his three strikes hadn't reached the old corpse's head. He stepped forward to deliver a fourth blow, but the young Taoist priest hurriedly shouted, "Back off! This old corpse might have been a formidable guardian in the past. If you try to fight him, you'll definitely suffer!"

Before Chen Yu could absorb the young Taoist's words, the old corpse's single eye revealed a cold killing intent. It stretched out its rotten hand and suddenly pressed down on Chen Yu's shoulder.

I thought to myself: Oh no!

Old Tiao screamed in pain as his shoulder was squeezed by the old corpse's thick five fingers. He was in excruciating pain. The young Taoist priest was about to rush over to help, but his foot was caught by the cocoon of corpses wriggling on the ground, and he couldn't break free for a while.

Old Man Lao was baring his teeth, and seeing the situation was dire, I immediately rushed over. The young Taoist priest, while dealing with the corpse cocoons on the ground, shouted to me, "It won't be easy to cut off his head. Aim for his death point! Quick!"

His words startled me, and I quickly asked, "Where is the Gate of Death?"

"Fool, the death gate... the death gate is in the heart!" the old man said weakly.

In the urgency of the situation, I was momentarily dazed and rushed forward without any plan. Just as I reached the old corpse, it suddenly turned its head and stared at me with a pair of bloodshot eyes that were filled with chilling coldness. Seeing its terrifying appearance, my body stiffened and I hesitated. Just then, a huge claw came down towards my cheek.

"Watch out!" the Miao shaman cried out in alarm. I realized something was wrong and hurriedly tried to dodge, but it was too late; my neck was being gripped. The hand on my neck was enormous, and the strength of his fingers was extraordinary. I could feel my neck being squeezed and contracted more and more.

As my eyes began to swell and my vision blurred, someone cried out in panic, "Old Chen, young master, I'm here to save you!" He ran towards us as he shouted. I smiled with relief; it was Bao Cai. He brandished his bronze sword, looking quite heroic. Just when I thought he was being a good Samaritan, he suddenly stopped. Two corpses had suddenly appeared in front of him. I sighed helplessly, my voice hoarse, "Sigh, it was so hard for this money-grubber to have a decent image, but in the end, I still have to save myself!" I held my last breath, fumbling for the gun at my waist. There was only one bullet left. If I didn't hit the old corpse's death gate, Chen Cai and I would be meeting in the underworld right now.

"Ryūzī...fire...fire! This thing's fingers are piercing my flesh, I can't take it anymore!" Chen Tiao, under the old corpse's other hand, rolled his eyes and spoke in a weak voice.

Seeing his lifeless state, I smiled bitterly to myself. At this moment, my throat was so tight that I couldn't speak, and my hand holding the gun was getting weaker and weaker. I thought to myself: If he loosens his grip even a little and gives me a second chance, I will definitely... I will definitely kill him!

However, after the gun in my hand clattered to the ground, I knew that I was really going to meet the King of Hell this time. Just as I resigned myself to my fate, a delicate shout suddenly rang in my ears, and then a black figure flashed past my eyes.

Miao witch!

At the crucial moment, she took out a dagger and plunged it deep into the old corpse's wrist. Unfortunately, the undead had no thoughts and felt no pain, so he didn't even cry out and easily pushed the witch away. In the brief moment he shook his head, I was freed, while the witch, not far from me, spat out a mouthful of blood. It must have been that thing's arm was as thick as a water python; being hit by it would have been truly unpleasant.

I coughed violently, taking a moment to catch my breath. When I looked up, Chen Yi was already half-conscious. I couldn't care less about helping my witch; I rushed to the giant corpse's feet, picked up the gun on the ground, and aimed it at the corpse's head. Just as I was about to shoot, something suddenly grabbed my foot. I turned around and saw a corpse with strips of cloth still wrapped around its lower body. It had two red eyes, and under its highly decomposed lips were teeth like those of a mangled grave.

The teeth were making a grinding sound that sent chills down my spine. I kicked him in the face and said angrily, "You bastard, your teeth are itching, you want to bite my flesh, huh? Here, have a goosebump!" As I said that, I kicked him again with all my might. This thing's face was more fragile than I thought. After a few kicks, it was completely deformed. I took the opportunity to break free and quickly crawled to Old Man Chou's side. Looking at his contorted face, my heart ached terribly. I could almost feel the intense pain he was in.

"Hold on!" I gritted my teeth, immediately pulled out my knife, and slashed at the old corpse's ever-deepening arm. But this thing seemed to have a fighting spirit; when it saw the gleaming knife appear, it actually swung its arm and knocked me aside.

I felt like I'd been thrown by a giant tree stump, crashing into the cocoon of corpses that was attacking Bao Cai. Bao Cai gasped for breath, then exclaimed, "Thank heavens, young master, you are my lucky star!"

I spat out a mouthful of blood, climbed off the cocoon, and said to him, "Money-grubber, don't thank me yet. Go and distract that thing, I'll try to make a hole in it!"

In this critical moment, Bao Cai didn't waste any time. He nodded, ran to the old corpse, and, holding a bronze knife, taunted it with trembling hands, "Ugly monster, come on, come on..."

I almost burst into tears watching his actions, because he looked just like the mother hen in the movie "Eagle Catches Chicks." Fortunately, his comical movements and shouting attracted the attention of the old corpse. He looked at Bao Cai, and his eyes gradually became fierce.

Perhaps having found a second target, the old corpse stretched out his left hand to press down on Chen Yu's head. My heart skipped a beat; he was about to snap the old corpse's neck.

In that instant, my blood boiled, and filled with resentment, I raised my gun and shouted, "Money-grubber, get out of the way!"

Bao Cai was a shrewd man. Having received the order, he vanished in a flash. Now, in a straight line, only the old corpse, Chen Yu, and I remained, kneeling on the ground. My friend's life or death was in my hands. I was sweating profusely with tension, repeatedly muttering, "Calm down... calm down... Feng Liu... I must calm down..." I swallowed hard, controlling my trembling hands. The last bullet flew out, striking the old corpse squarely in the head. In an instant, blood and bits of flesh splattered everywhere. The old corpse fell to the ground. I stammered, "It worked... I actually succeeded..."

I breathed a sigh of relief, the pressure on my shoulders instantly slumped, and the gun fell to the ground. After regaining my composure, I was about to help the fallen Lao Tiao when a sharp pain shot through my back. Bao Cai cried out in alarm, "Young Master... little... ah..." Before he could finish speaking, he was grabbed by the cocoon of corpses behind him. I was bent over, preoccupied with my own safety, but I didn't want to see Bao Cai get hurt. In a flash, a bronze sword flew out and pierced the cocoon of corpses behind Bao Cai with unerring accuracy.

I was so shocked I couldn't speak. I thought to myself: He really is the legendary Zhang Bansian! He didn't hesitate at all when he struck. If it were me, I don't know where that sword would have gone!

Seeing Bao Cai escape danger, I breathed a sigh of relief. Just as I was about to straighten up, I heard a strange sound behind me. I turned around and saw a corpse that had completely broken free of the cloth binding it, revealing a bluish-gray body. It was a fresh corpse, with some clothing still on its body, and a wooden plaque tied around its waist. The plaque clearly read "Wang Yu"!

"Wang Yu!" I was shocked. This was the son of my benefactor!

Just as my attention was completely focused on Wang Yu, his bloodied hand suddenly lunged towards my chest. I had no chance to dodge and stumbled backward. I didn't notice that behind me stood another corpse, a cocoon with a wooden plaque at its waist. When I entered the ancient tomb, the ancestor had Chu Ba make one for each of us, saying that the underground was dangerous, and even if we died a gruesome death, we wouldn't end up as nameless corpses. Seeing the plaques identifying them, I realized this was Ge Yun's tomb-raiding team.

Fulfilling my promise and finding Wang Yu's remains is paramount, but given the current situation, I'll likely have to stay here. Just as I was being attacked by two fresh corpses, a white figure leaped out, shielding me from Wang Yu's claws. Behind me, Bao Cai clung to a corpse, shouting, "Young Master, I, Liu Bao Cai, will risk everything for you today!"

Looking at Bao Cai's appearance, I felt a mix of gratitude and amusement. I said, "Brother Cai Mi, your method of hanging a corpse like a monkey is truly unique."

Just as I was speaking, the young Taoist priest suddenly turned Wang Yu's corpse around. Wang Yu's body flailed wildly in mid-air. I was about to plead for him when the young Taoist priest, without any emotion, plunged the bronze sword into Wang Yu's vital point. Then he released him, looked at me, and said, "I know what you're going to say, but he's a dead man..."

Since things had come to this, I nodded. Hearing the old man groaning in pain on the ground, I immediately ran to his side. When he saw it was me, he said in a deep voice, "Liuzi, I can't take it anymore. My whole body aches. My blood vessels... my blood vessels feel like they're about to burst."

Upon hearing what Lao Tiao said, I was immediately terrified, thinking: He was pinched in the shoulder, very deeply, but why are his blood vessels about to burst? Then I noticed that his cheeks were a purplish-brown, and his whole body was convulsing.

I had never seen him like this before, and I couldn't help but feel panicked. Just then, the Miao witch walked up to me. She looked at Lao Tiao's face and said to me with certainty, "He's been poisoned."

"Poisoned?" I looked at him in confusion, suddenly remembering the bamboo slip poison that had affected him and my ancestor. I cursed inwardly: Damn it, that damned poison, and that damned Chu witch! She's so strange. If she wanted to be buried with the musician, she shouldn't have set up so many dangerous things in her tomb. Now look what's happened—the movers have arrived, but they're all tormented by the poison! Thinking this, a thought struck me, and I quickly asked the Miao girl, "Do you know what kind of poison he was poisoned with?"

The Miao girl nodded and said, "His poison is extracted from the seeds of a poisonous flower. It won't kill you, but it will cause you immense pain."

"Is there an antidote?" I asked, tearing a strip of cloth from my body to stop Chen's bleeding. He was in so much pain that he was gripping my wrist so tightly that bruises had formed.

The priestess shook her head apologetically, then said, "Once we get out of here, I can make the antidote for him..."

"Get out..." I looked at the open bronze door, then said, "Then let's go..." Seeing the old man's pained expression, I decided to put everything aside. I helped him up, and the witch got up with me. I asked her how often the poison would take effect, and she said it was uncertain, but each time it would last for a full hour, which is two hours in modern terms.

Two hours isn't a long time, but it was unbearable for Chen Yi, and given the current situation, we might not be able to get out in two hours. I was extremely anxious, and just at this critical moment, I heard a dull thud, and the bronze door behind me inexplicably closed.

"No!" Bao Cai scrambled to avoid the attack of a corpse cocoon. Seeing that his only way out was blocked, his despair was unimaginable.

I stared blankly at the sudden situation, feeling utterly miserable. The door closed, trapping us in this space that wasn't too big or too small, forcing us to fight to the death. If we won the fight but couldn't find a way out, many other ways awaited us: starvation, suffocation, depression, or death from fright.

Speechless, I helped the old woman up. Just then, the witch closed her eyes, seemingly lost in thought. I was wondering what was going on when she suddenly opened her eyes and said to me, "Young Master Feng, do you believe me?"

The question came out of the blue. I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. She looked at my reaction, smiled faintly, and then said, "I have a way out."