Ancient tomb excavation traces

The seven-inch nail vibrated incessantly, like a cup on a table during an earthquake, making a "clinking" sound that sent shivers down one's spine.

In the "Records of Antiquities," the "Lotus Box" is described as a treasure for warding off evil spirits, with inscriptions on the seven-inch nail containing the lotus flower. The cotton needle mentioned by our ancestors was actually a poisonous item placed inside the seven-inch nail by the designer to prevent unscrupulous individuals from releasing the evil spirits within. Anyone who dared to attempt to release the monsters contained inside would be punished.

However, according to the records in "Ancient Artifacts", the seven-inch nail is a treasure with both advantages and disadvantages. It can be said that "what makes it successful can also make it unsuccessful". According to the designer's original intention, it was used to suppress evil spirits, but "the devil is always one step ahead". If the seven-inch nail encounters a powerful ancient corpse, it will lose its effect and will instead be used by the ancient corpse to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, and eventually return to its original state.

Although the "Lotus Box" is a legendary divine object, with mythical connotations like Sun Wukong's "Ruyi Jingu Bang" (the magic staff), seeing it with my own eyes now makes me realize that this thing is not just a figment of people's imagination, but a real existence.

This made me wonder: "Could it be that Sima Yan foresaw this day coming and used seven-inch nails to seal the golden nanmu coffin?" Various questions swirled in my mind, but upon closer examination, they seemed to be disconnected.

However, the only thing that can be confirmed at present is that the ancient corpse in the coffin is a man, and a very powerful one at that.

Just as we were filled with doubt and surprise, four witches ran over. They didn't attack us, but instead knelt down under the platform and kept kowtowing, looking very strange.

The old ancestor sensed something was amiss, so he told me and Bao Cai to step back and observe what was inside. Bao Cai was terrified and wanted to run away immediately, so he hurriedly went to the young Taoist priest and the others.

Just then, a ghostly wail suddenly erupted from the coffin, and the seven-inch nail sealing the lid was finally pushed out amidst the violent shaking. Seeing the mottled bloodstains on the nail, I felt a chill run down my spine. The young Taoist priest had kept his eyes closed, and the jade pendant on his chest shone brightly, as if it were about to explode.

I was more worried about him than about the sudden situation before me, so I quickly checked his breathing. He reached out and grabbed my hand, saying, "I'm fine... It's just that the world has changed drastically. The people inside have probably been waiting for hundreds of years. Now, taking advantage of the solar eclipse, when the yin energy is gathering, they broke out of their coffins, intending to be transformed into immortals."

As soon as the words were spoken, a mournful song rang out. The song was sung by a woman, and the bronze walls depicting celestial palaces, and even the strange mythical beasts on the bronze pillars, all bled. In an instant, the main coffin transformed into a hellish scene.

An immense, malevolent aura surged down from above my head. I gasped for breath. I had witnessed this scene before when I was unconscious in modern times, when a hand pierced my chest. Now the scene was repeating itself. Could it be that this was the fulfillment of that dream?

I clutched my head, the shrill singing making my brain throb. Just then, the old man said seriously, "Little rascal, calm yourself down!"

I couldn't bear it any longer; I felt my heart was on the verge of collapse, drawn by the sight of blood flowing everywhere before me.

At this moment, Chen Yi suddenly stood up, slapped me on the forehead, and said, "Damn it, Liu Zi, what are you doing!" Before he could finish speaking, he clutched his chest in great pain, probably because the movement he had just made had aggravated his wound.

My heart clenched, and I immediately supported him. He gave a bitter smile and said to me, "Liuzi, you've been precious since you were little. As Cao Xueqin said, 'I'd risk my life to pull the emperor off his horse.' We can't let the evil forces in the underground palace scare us!"

Seeing Chen Yi, despite being seriously injured, still so spirited for me, I was pulled back from the cliff. I laughed and said, "Didn't you only read Water Margin? When did you become so literary and start reading Master Cao?"

Old Jiu said, "When I read *Water Margin*, I was still growing up, full of youthful passion. Now I'm so old, and I haven't even found a girl. I have to turn to the world of women and find my 'beauty' in books!"

As we were talking, the blood mist on the golden nanmu coffin gradually gathered, forming a human shape. The person had no nostrils, exposed teeth, and looked like a skeleton. This skeleton had a pair of bulging eyes! I was horrified and exclaimed, "Damn, what is that? Could it really be as the little Taoist priest said, that this thing is about to ascend to immortality?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than it flew toward us like a ghost.

Chen Yi hurriedly grabbed me and pulled me back, saying, "If immortals really look like this, I bet that rascal monkey won't want to worship them anymore!" He pulled a wooden box from his waist and said, "This valuable treasure should come in handy." In his haste, he opened the box, revealing an ancient bronze mirror. He said, "Let's check it out and see if it's the legendary 'Candlelight Mirror'!" Saying this, he pointed the ancient mirror at the blood-red shadow and shouted, "Fuck your grandpa, let's see the real deal!"

I've heard of "Zhuzhao Youying" before. They are the two sacred beasts of Yin and Yang, named "Sun Zhuzhao" and "Moon Youying." They are rarely heard of in our modern mythology. However, in the State of Chu during the Warring States period, many crafts featured carvings of these two sacred beasts to ward off evil spirits.

Once, in the Chu palace, there was a treasure said to have been forged by the Chu king, who was skilled in witchcraft. This treasure was the "Mirror of Illuminating the Netherworld" in Chen Yi's possession. There was once a concubine in the harem who was not pregnant, yet her belly was swollen. Such a thing was already strange, but in ancient times it was even more extraordinary. Rumors spread like wildfire. People in the palace said that this concubine had been intimate with a demon, had committed adultery, and conceived a child. Using the "Mirror of Illuminating the Netherworld," they found it to be true! In the end, the concubine was burned to death.

This fabricated accusation, to put it bluntly, was instigated by someone, who also wanted to showcase the power of the bronze mirror and the divine shamanism of the King of Chu. However, this bronze mirror is still used by many people in modern times for warding off evil spirits, because as early as the time of the Yellow Emperor, it was endowed with this special power. It is said: "In the past, the Yellow Emperor used liquid metal to create divine objects, thus making mirrors. There were fifteen in total, collecting the essence of Yin and Yang, taking the number five from Qian and Kun, so that they could match the brightness of the sun and moon, communicate with the will of ghosts and gods, ward off evil spirits, and cure diseases."

The belief that bronze mirrors can ward off evil spirits is even recorded in the medical classic "Compendium of Materia Medica," so this thing can be considered a rather divine funerary object. Unexpectedly, it was buried with the Chu princess in her tomb.

The blood-red shadow flew in, and strangely enough, the mirror seemed to possess a magical power; the moment it reflected the blood-mist's face, it instantly distorted, and in excruciating pain, could only raise its hand to shield itself. At that moment, I instantly understood why Chen Cai didn't hesitate to choose any valuable treasures, opting only for a wooden box. With eyes that could recognize treasures from across the land, he naturally wouldn't skimp on funerary objects. Although I didn't know the value of this ancient mirror, I was certain that in this era, during the next grave excavation, it would allow Chen Cai to avoid anything with heavy yin energy, making it far more practical than those funerary objects that could only be sold for money.

The blood-mist ghost was stunned by the bronze mirror, clutching its own head and howling like a wolf. It looked extremely unwilling. However, the bronze mirror was powerful. Chen Yi held it up and approached step by step. It hissed and bared its teeth, issuing a warning sound to Chen Yi. But before long, it could not withstand the power of the magic weapon to suppress evil and finally shattered with a crash, turning into hairy blood streaks that hit our faces.