Ancient tomb excavation traces

(Thank you to reader Bai Qingzhu for the 588 Qidian coins. The programmer will work hard.)

This technique is very similar to the megalithic carvings in Venezuela. Xue Wei once visited the site with his parents and said that the seemingly ordinary boulders, under certain times and when exposed to sunlight, would reveal exquisite reliefs, but after a while, these reliefs would disappear on their own. Many people find it hard to believe that this was done by humans, so they attribute it to the work of extraterrestrials.

It's understandable that ordinary people wouldn't believe this was man-made, because in ancient times, many people who saw such exquisite carvings attributed them to miracles, saying they were divine revelation. Therefore, this relief carving has another name besides hidden carving: "divine craftsmanship," meaning a carving that only a god could complete. Its power lies in achieving a mysterious and concealed effect.

The old ancestor said that Princess Chu might have wanted to hide some important clues, so she had someone use "divine craftsmanship".

This technique appeared during the Western Han Dynasty. Our ancestors said there was a craftsman skilled in "divine craftsmanship" who, to swindle a wealthy man who was particularly devout, carved a cryptic message at the rich man's frequent shrines, suggesting he would lose money to ward off misfortune. The mysterious appearance of the relief deceived the rich man, who then placed his gold and silver treasures in a secluded cave believed to be the abode of the gods. Predictably, the treasures ended up in the craftsman's hands.

The craftsman's surname was "Feng," which was my great-great ...

Hearing this, I was on the verge of tears. It turns out that the history of my Feng family's rise to power involved deception and fraud. Our ancestors were quite generous in revealing the family's "glorious" deeds.

I sighed inwardly. Chen Yi suppressed his laughter and said seriously, "If our Party had used this 'divine method' during the revolution, the underground work would probably have been even more covert."

This statement is indeed correct, because the relief carving combines the craftsman's top-notch skills with his understanding of optics. If our ancestors hadn't found the right angle, it would have been difficult to see the paintings and words on the relief carving, because its depth was controlled without the slightest deviation. And there was no light source in this coffin chamber. Apart from the temporary torches we are wearing now, there were only eight eternal lamps on the four sides.

The ancestor discovered this strange place because he had encountered this type of coffin before, and the ever-burning lamp here was different from those in other parts of the ancient tomb, so the ancestor immediately thought of its purpose.

To put it more vividly, you can't see the hidden secrets inside a banknote unless you hold it up to the light. This ever-burning lamp, however, uses some optical principle we don't yet understand, which makes me marvel at the ingenuity of the ancients.

The coffin was over two meters long, and one long lamp couldn't see enough information at once, so the young Taoist priest and I brought two more lamps and shone them on the coffin, following the speed at which our ancestor moved.

The coffin was decorated with images, including three shamans dressed in magnificent robes adorned with cloud and bird patterns—symbols of deity worship. Strangely, these three wore intricately carved masks of oxen, horses, and sheep, which looked somewhat comical.

Chen Yi said softly, "Oxen, horses, and sheep are all considered superior beings in sacrificial rites, and ordinary people can't use them. Although people in ancient times were extravagant, they still followed the rules. So don't be surprised by the strangeness of these oxen, horses, and sheep; their entourage was quite grand."

I nodded, surprised by this reason. It was strange, though, that such a grand ceremony wasn't presided over by Mi Ling, but by only three shamans. They stood on the high sacrificial platform, surrounded by layers of people, seemingly court officials and commoners. Although their positions were carefully chosen and their social ranks clearly defined, at this moment, their expressions were all synchronized, their eyes filled with reverence as they gazed at the sky.

Judging from their expressions, actions, and clothing, they were performing a ritual. Above them, auspicious clouds enveloped the scene, and above them, gentle cranes and deer hovered in the clouds, holding sacred herbs in their mouths. The scene was dreamlike and enchanting, captivating the soul.

At both ends of the coffin, there are exaggerated mythical beasts carved. The beasts are majestic and solemn, with the character "地" (earth) in their mouths. Below the character "地" is a human face with its eyes closed. The face protrudes outward, like a strange mask without any expression, exuding an aura of mystery.

There are dense characters around the mythical beast and the convex surface. These characters are neither recognized by me nor by me, so I have to let the ancestors see them.

The ancestors fumbled around and only read out the key part, which read, "The Lingtai Bridge leads to the highest heavens." The rest was summarized into two words: "immortality" and "ascension to heaven," which were the ancient people's vain desires.

There are engravings resembling talismanic characters on all four sides of the coffin lid and body seal. The characters on the engravings are small, but they have a powerful and intimidating force. The content is as follows: "The essence of the five stones, may I rest peacefully in the earth, benefit my descendants and bring them good fortune for thousands of years. Those who dare to disturb my tomb, may they be struck by five thunderbolts, burned by raging fire, and die of illness in their descendants."

These words were a protective incantation for the tomb, a chilling warning. To be honest, when the ancestor recited them, I felt a chill run down my spine, as if the coffin were the dark gate to hell. After the gate opened, eerie smoke would billow out, and countless bluish-gray hands covered in corpse spots would emerge from within—just like the abyss of hell that Chen Yu, Bao Cai, and I saw when we traveled from the modern world.

I let out a chill as I indulged in endless fantasies, but the ancestor nonchalantly said, "Such tombs are rare, but we've seen plenty of these warning words, yet we haven't been cursed to death. It's just that if we harbor fear in the underworld, evil spirits will invade. We are masculine men; we must not let these few words corrupt our minds!"

The old man's words certainly emboldened Bao Cai and me. He was right; once a person is afraid, many things will go against their wishes, and misfortune will follow one after another. Since it's already here, we might as well face it openly. Anyway, we've already died several times, so what's one more time?

After deciding to open the coffin, the ancestor instructed Chu Ba and Chen Yi to fetch some usable weapons from the front room. He tapped the coffin with his red copper scimitar; the coffin sounded sealed, suggesting that the inner coffin was quite large.

He assigned us to positions where we could use our strength, and then we gritted our teeth and moved it open. After the coffin lid was opened, it revealed a long-sealed smell, but there was no foul odor; instead, there was a faint fragrance of wood.

To see the main coffin as soon as possible, everyone put in a lot of effort, prying and moving it. The dark blue stone was extremely heavy, almost killing them. But hard work pays off, and after the outer coffin lid was put down, the inner coffin was revealed.

It was a cedar coffin painted with red and black lacquer, in a distinct Chu style. Its exquisite craftsmanship goes without saying; the craftsmanship of a coffin used to bury this mysterious Chu princess was beyond question.

The wooden coffin was pressed tightly against the stone outer coffin, leaving only a narrow gap. The coffin was covered with a layer of high-quality animal leather shaped like a bird, its plumage dazzlingly beautiful. Above the bird were three sets of clothing: one consisting of a leather coat, a plain robe, and a hemp belt; another with a five-colored bird feather crest and a gorgeous robe; the third had a black upper garment and a red skirt, with a strange bronze mask placed on top, and a halberd and a shield placed beside it.

The ancestors explained that these were the costumes worn by the shamans during rituals. The top set was for celebrating a good harvest, the middle set was for praying for rain, and the last set was for exorcising evil spirits.

Four side boxes were placed in the four corners of the coffin. Chen Yu was excited when he saw the exquisitely carved boxes that faintly emitted a fragrance. He reached out to take them, but the ancestor slapped his head and said, "You slippery fellow, you lose all sense of order when you see treasures. There are four side boxes, and they are arranged so neatly. There must be something wrong with them. We've already been tricked by the musician's tomb. Aren't you afraid of adding poison to poison, to the point that even your own mother wouldn't recognize you?"

The old ancestor was younger than Chen Yu, yet he acted like a younger brother lecturing his older brother, which made me chuckle and almost want to tease him. If it were Bao Cai or me patting Chen Yu's head right now, he probably wouldn't stop. As the saying goes, one thing subdues another, and I secretly clapped my hands in approval.

After the instruction was finished, the patriarch instructed Chu Ba to hold his two short swords, place them on the side boxes, and retrieve them for balance. Three side boxes had already fallen to the ground, and just as they were retrieving the fourth, Bao Cai sensitively asked, "Did you hear any strange noises just now?"

Chen Yi was still upset after being taught a lesson by his ancestors and wanted to take it out on Bao Cai. Just as he uttered the word "you," he heard an extremely fine scratching sound, very slow, like chalk rubbing on a blackboard.

My heart clenched. The scratching sound was amplified infinitely in the dense space, making people uneasy and unconsciously looking towards the source of the terror...