Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

It gets light late in the sinkhole.

The round patch of sky above was hazy and gray, the light not yet filtering through. The fog lingered in the woods, dampening our faces. The camp was quiet, save for the crackling of the firewood.

Zhang Qiling opened his eyes.

He sat cross-legged all night, his back ramrod straight. "Zhang Qiling" beside him opened his eyes at the same time. Their eyes met, they didn't speak, and then stood up.

Fatty was still snoring in his sleeping bag, with Wu Xie curled up beside him. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu, sitting back to back, opened their eyes upon hearing the noise. Hei Xiazi jumped down from the tree, his sunglasses covered in dew.

"Are you up?" Black Bear asked.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

Zhang Qiling nodded as well.

There was a rustling sound in the woods as the others gradually woke up. Kun Ge rubbed his eyes and sat up. Chen Man and Wang Yihan leaned against each other, their faces still pale. Professor Zhou Xu'an took out his glasses and put them on, while Jiang Shouyi flipped through his notes. Lin Guoce and several soldiers were inspecting equipment.

Breakfast was simple: compressed biscuits and water. No one spoke; everyone was staring at the temple on the opposite rock face.

The temple was embedded in the rock wall, with only its facade visible. Two stone statues, each with a human face and a snake's body, stood at the entrance, over three meters tall. The human faces were indistinctly carved, while the snake bodies were coiled, each holding a stone eye in its hand. The temple door was black, its material indiscernible, and it was closed.

"After we finish eating, we'll pack up and leave in fifteen minutes," Lin Guoce said.

People speed up.

Zhang Qiling walked to the edge of the sinkhole and looked at the temple. "Zhang Qiling" walked over and stood beside him.

"Something feels off," Zhang Qiling said.

"Hmm," Zhang Qiling replied.

Neither of them said anything more, but their eyes remained equally heavy.

Fifteen minutes later, the team set off.

To get from the sinkhole to the temple, you have to cross the small stream in the middle. The water isn't deep, just above ankle level, but it's icy cold. People wade across on the stones, their shoes and trousers getting soaked.

The sense of oppression intensified as we approached the temple.

The stone statue's face was directly facing the visitor, its empty stone eyes seeming to stare. The temple gate was made of a single piece of black stone, smooth on the surface, and covered with densely packed eye patterns, smaller and more numerous than any I had seen before; looking at them for too long made me dizzy.

The door was unlocked and had no handle.

Zhang Qiling reached out and pushed the door, but it didn't budge. "Zhang Qiling" walked to the other side, pushed it again, and shook his head.

"It's stuck," he said.

"It was pushed up from the inside," Zhang Qiling replied.

The fat man leaned over and knocked on the door with his entrenching tool, making a dull thud: "How thick must this be? Blow it open?"

"No," Professor Zhou Xu'an said quickly, "It will collapse."

"What should we do then?" the fat man asked Zhang Qiling. "Brother, do you have a plan?"

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He took a few steps back and looked up at the top of the temple gate. There was a line of characters carved on the lintel, in the Jingjue script.

Professor Zhou Xu'an also looked up and adjusted his glasses: "It says... 'He who gazes into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into him.'"

"What do you mean?" Kun asked.

"This is a warning," Jiang Shouyi said. "You might see things you shouldn't see if you go in."

Zhang Qiling's gaze fell on the center of the lintel. There was a small, irregularly shaped groove there. He narrowed his eyes, took out the jade cicada from his pocket, compared it to the groove, and shook his head.

Zhang Qiling also took out his dark jade cicada, compared it, and shook his head as well.

"Not this one," Zhang Qiling said.

"What is that?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He walked to a stone statue with a human face and a snake's body, and carefully examined the stone eye held in the statue's hands. The eye was solid, but there was a small hole where the pupil should be.

He reached in, inserted his fingers into the small hole, felt around, and then pulled it out with force.

"Click."

The stone eyes were pulled out, with a stone shaft attached to the back. As soon as the eyes were removed, the stone statue suddenly emitted a soft "creaking" sound, and several stone scales on the snake's body curled up.

Zhang Qiling walked to another stone statue and did the same thing. Both stone statues made a sound at the same time, and the stone scales on their bodies rose up, revealing dark cavities inside.

"A key hub of the organization," Xie Yuchen said.

"In the image," Black Bear added.

Zhang Qiling handed the stone eye to Wu Xie, then reached under the raised scales of the stone statue's snake-like body and groped around. After a moment, his fingers gripped something and pulled it outwards.

A black, wrist-thick iron chain was pulled out, rattling loudly, and covered in rust.

"Zhang Qiling" pulled out one as well.

Two iron chains extended from the stone statue, the other end disappearing into the ground. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" exchanged a glance, then simultaneously exerted force, pulling the chains backward.

The heavy iron chains screeched against the ground. As they were pulled, a muffled rumbling sound came from inside the temple door, as if something enormous was moving.

After pulling for about three meters, the chain reached its end.

"Gah—"

The temple door made a long thud and slowly opened a crack. The crack grew wider and wider until it was completely open.

It was dark inside. When the flashlight shone in, you could only see a small patch of ground, which was made of bluestone slabs covered with a thick layer of dust.

A musty wind with a strange, stale smell blew out from inside.

People held their breath.

Zhang Qiling was the first to walk in, followed closely by "Zhang Qiling". The flashlight beam pierced the darkness, creating a path.

The temple was very spacious. It was a rectangular hall, about ten meters high and twenty meters wide, its depth unclear. Many stone pillars stood on both sides, their surfaces carved with reliefs of eyes and snakes. Scattered on the ground were some things, like fragments of pottery jars and rotten wooden artifacts.

The most eye-catching part is the depths of the main hall.

There was a high platform with nine steps. On the platform sat a huge stone chair with a high back carved into the shape of a snake's head. Sitting in the chair was a person.

No, it's not a living person.

It was a dried-up corpse.

Wearing a tattered black robe and a strange crown adorned with faded gems, the mummified corpse had its head bowed, obscuring its face. Its hands rested on the armrests of a chair, its fingers long and dry, its nails black.

It just sat there, facing the temple gate, as if waiting.

"This...this is the King of Jingjue?" Professor Zhou Xu'an's voice trembled.

"It might be the high priest," Jiang Shouyi said. "Look at that crown; it's not a royal one, but something used for sacrifices."

People slowly entered the main hall, their flashlight beams flailing wildly. Kun Ge, Chen Man, and Wang Yihan followed at the back of the group, their legs feeling a little weak. Lin Guoce and the soldiers, guns at the ready, vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" ignored the mummified corpse and quickly circled both sides of the main hall. Behind the stone pillars were walls with some murals, but they were badly peeled and illegible. They found no other doors or passages.

"This is it?" the fat man asked in a low voice. "Nowhere else?"

"There should be a hidden door," Xie Yuchen said.

"Under the chair," Black Bear pointed to the platform.

Zhang Qiling walked towards the high platform. The steps were covered in a thick layer of dust, leaving clear footprints with each step. He climbed step by step, stopping about three meters from the stone bench, and looked at the mummified corpse.

The dried corpse didn't move.

"Zhang Qiling" went up from the other side and stopped there as well.

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Qiling stepped forward, reaching out to touch the dried corpse.

Just then.

The dried corpse's head slowly rose.

It wasn't the way a living person would lift their head; it was a joint rotation that made a crisp "crackling" sound. The head lifted, revealing a face—a withered, distorted face, the skin clinging to the bone, the mouth open, revealing black and yellow teeth. The most frightening thing was the eyes; there were no eyeballs, just two black holes, but something inside them was glowing, a ghostly green.

"Hmm..."

The mummified corpse made a gurgling sound from its throat, and then it stood up from the stone chair.

Its movements were stiff, but swift. Once it stood up, it was over two meters tall, its gaunt limbs visible beneath its black robe. It lowered its head, its two greenish black holes "looking" at Zhang Qiling.

"Trespassing...the divine realm...death..."

It uttered indistinct syllables, but they were understandable.

As soon as the words were spoken, it moved.

It didn't walk, it floated—its feet were completely invisible under its black robe, it just glided along the ground, raised its right hand, its five fingers forming a claw, and grabbed straight at Zhang Qiling's face! Its fingernails were black and long and sharp, bringing with them a stench.

Zhang Qiling sidestepped, his claws grazing the tip of his nose. He drew his black-gold ancient sword from its sheath in his right hand, and with a flash of light, slashed horizontally at the waist of the dried corpse.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out. The blade struck the black robe, sparks flying as if it had struck an iron plate. The dried corpse swayed, but did not retreat. With a backhand swing, it swept towards Zhang Qiling's neck.

Zhang Qiling ducked to dodge, then swung his blade upwards, aiming for the dried corpse's chin. The corpse tilted its head back, and the blade missed. Its black robe fluttered, and suddenly another hand—no, not a hand, but a dark, snake-tail-like thing—reached out, moving with lightning speed, and coiled around Zhang Qiling's wrist holding the blade.

Zhang Qiling released his grip on the sword and slid back two steps. The snake's tail missed its target and retracted into its black robe.

At the same time, "Zhang Qiling" made his move from the other side. He didn't draw his sword, but pounced directly and punched the dried corpse in the back of the chest.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud. The mummified corpse staggered forward, its black robe billowing, from which two more snake tails emerged, one coiling towards "Zhang Qiling's" neck, the other sweeping towards his lower body.

Zhang Qiling didn't retreat. He grabbed the coiled snake tail with his left hand and pulled hard, turning the dried corpse around. He clenched his right fist, the knuckle of his middle finger protruding, and delivered a short, fierce punch to the dried corpse's chest.

"Snap!"

A cracking sound of ribs breaking. Blackish-green slime seeped from beneath the mummified corpse's black robe. It roared, and the black robe suddenly ripped open, revealing six snake tails that lashed wildly, like a blooming black poisonous flower.

Zhang Qiling had already retrieved his knife and, together with "Zhang Qiling" on the left and right, attacked simultaneously.

Blades flashed and fists clashed, intertwining with the snake's tail. The dried corpse possessed great strength, and the snake's tail was agile, but the two spirits were even faster, their coordination seamless. Zhang Qiling severed one of the snake's tails with a single strike, black blood spurting out. "Zhang Qiling" seized the opportunity, kicking the dried corpse in the back of the knee.

The dried corpse knelt on the ground, and Zhang Qiling's blade flashed again, striking down on its head.

"clang!"

The blade pierced half an inch into the skull and got stuck. The dried corpse roared, and its remaining five snake tails simultaneously coiled towards Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling crashed in from the side, his shoulder striking the dried corpse in the ribs, knocking it to the ground. Zhang Qiling then drew his sword, gripped the hilt with both hands, and thrust it downwards.

"Pfft!"

The knife tip pierced through the dried corpse's eye socket, protruded from the back of its head, and embedded itself in the bluestone slab.

The dried corpse's body trembled violently, its snake tail twitched wildly a few times, and then went limp. The green light in its eye sockets flickered a few times and then went out.

It stopped moving.

Zhang Qiling drew his sword and shook off the black blood. "Zhang Qiling" also stood up and shook off the sticky liquid on his hands.

The battle lasted less than two minutes from start to finish.

The hall fell silent, with only the heavy breathing of the people inside.

A floating live-streaming sphere flew in, filming the dried-up corpse on the ground and the two figures in black standing beside it.

The comments scrolled by:

Prophet: I knew it!

This is a scathing critique of so-called experts: This thing looks really ugly.

Brother's fan club: Are the husbands okay?

"What...what is this thing?" Kun's voice trembled.

Professor Zhou Xu'an cautiously approached, shining his flashlight on the mummified corpse: "Judging from the attire, it is indeed a high priest of Jingjue. But inside its body... those snake tails..."

"It's grafted." Jiang Shouyi's face turned pale. "To attach the tail of a live snake to a person. This must be... an incredibly cruel form of witchcraft."

Wu Xie also came over to look, his brows furrowed: "Professor, do you think the Jingjue Kingdom worships eyes or snakes?"

"It could be all of those," Professor Zhou Xu'an said. "The eyes represent 'seeing,' and the snake represents...rebirth? Or perhaps, an evil god?"

Zhang Qiling ignored their discussion. He walked to the stone chair and carefully examined the back of it. There was a huge eye pattern carved there, with the pupil recessed, and its shape was somewhat similar to a jade cicada, but larger.

Zhang Qiling was also looking at it. He reached out and pressed the groove, then shook his head.

"It's not Yu Chan," he said.

"What is that?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He turned around and looked at the walls on both sides of the main hall. During the fight, he noticed that although some murals had peeled off, the outlines of the patterns were still intact.

He walked to the left wall and shone his flashlight on it. The mural was strange; it depicted a group of people kneeling in worship, but their object of worship was neither a person nor a snake, but a… vortex. The vortex was very large, filling the entire wall, and in its center was an eye.

"This is..." Professor Zhou Xu'an followed, excitedly pushing up his glasses, "They don't worship a specific god, they worship this... this 'eye vortex'! This might be a symbol of... a passage!"

"A passage?" the fat man leaned closer. "Where does it lead?"

The professor shook his head: "I don't know. But judging from the scale, the Jingjue people might believe that through some kind of ritual, they can pass through this vortex and reach... another place."

On the other side, Zhang Qiling also discovered a mural on the right wall. It depicted a sacrificial scene, with the high priest (the same mummified corpse from before) standing in the center of a high platform, holding something in his hands. Below him, many people were kneeling, some bound, some with their hearts ripped out.

"A human sacrifice," Black Bear said, "a human heart offered as a sacrifice to that vortex."

Looking at the mural, Huo Xiuxiu said softly, "Those who were sacrificed all had holes in their chests, just like those forbidden women in the mural."

The atmosphere was heavy.

Zhang Qiling walked back to the stone chair and looked at the groove. Suddenly remembering something, he took something out of his pocket—the piece of jade he had dug out of Tie Miansheng's chest earlier.

The jade piece had turned grayish-white and was covered with cracks. He tried to put the jade piece into the groove.

The size is just right, but there's no response.

Zhang Qiling also came over and took out his half of the bronze military token (which Wu Xie had picked up in the Seven Star Lu Palace). He placed the token next to the jade piece.

Still no response.

"We're missing something," Zhang Qiling said.

"What's missing?" Wu Xie asked.

Zhang Qiling didn't answer. He looked around the hall, his gaze finally settling on the dried corpse on the ground. He walked over and used the tip of his knife to pry open the corpse's tattered black robe.

Beneath the black robe, on the mummified corpse's chest, there was a hole the size of a bowl, its edges charred black, just like the Forbidden Woman's. But the hole wasn't empty; something was embedded inside.

It was a black stone, about the size of a palm, with a smooth surface and an irregular shape.

Zhang Qiling used the tip of his knife to pry the stone out. The stone was heavy and cold to the touch. He walked to the stone chair and placed the stone into the groove.

The size is just right.

Zhang Qiling simultaneously pressed the jade piece and the military tally onto both sides of the stone.

"Click".

A soft, crisp sound.

Immediately afterwards, the stone chair began to vibrate and slowly moved backward, revealing a dark opening below. The opening was small, about a meter square, with steps leading down into it.

A colder, more stale wind surged up from below.

It was pitch black inside, and the bottom was nowhere in sight.

"This...this is the real entrance?" Professor Zhou Xu'an said excitedly.

"What's down there?" Lin Guoce asked.

no one knows.

Zhang Qiling walked to the cave entrance and looked down. The steps were steep, leading straight down into darkness. He listened intently; there was the sound of wind below, and... a very faint sound of dripping water.

"Get down," he said.

Zhang Qiling nodded.

The two walked down the steps, one after the other.

The figure was quickly swallowed by the darkness.