Side Story 3: The Warring States Period - Chapter 1: The Pavilion

Last time on the northern slope of the ghost city, we were utterly outmaneuvered, played for fools by an ancient person who lived roughly a thousand years ago, and his wisdom left us utterly speechless.

Could the ancients really be this clever? I suspected that from the very beginning, we had walked straight into a trap woven by that ancient master, and with a loadstone of such massive proportions, even my uncle-in-law would likely have lost his bearings here!

If my judgment was correct, then Old Zhang's initial assessment was probably wrong. The fact that my uncle-in-law managed to reach this place from another location suggested that the previous Qinling Mountains, this ghost city, and the place my uncle-in-law came from were all connected—forming what is known as a Dragon-Hiding Lair.

In the realm of geomancy, this is a unique formation, and tombs of this scale are typically reserved only for emperors and feudal lords. Could the tomb where my uncle-in-law was stationed prior to this actually be the true Dragon's Head?

As I was lost in these thoughts, my uncle-in-law walked over and said, "What are you daydreaming about? I called you several times and got no response. I thought you'd been possessed by an evil spirit!"

I turned to look at him and voiced my suspicions. My uncle-in-law paused for a moment and said, "Hmm, what you say makes sense. But if I remember correctly, that ancient fellow should be called... called..."

Mid-sentence, my uncle-in-law began pacing back and forth to the side.

Then, snapping his fingers in sudden excitement, he blurted out, "Ouyang Hongru! Yes, that's him!"

As soon as these words dropped, they caught everyone's attention, including Sanshi and Kaizi, who were on guard duty.

Old Zhang walked over to me and asked in a low voice, "Hey, Feng, what kind of fit is your uncle pitching this time? He scared me so bad I almost dropped my rifle."

Hearing this, I shot back impatiently, "What do you outsiders know? For someone who spent time at the Beiyang Academy, you don't even know who Ouyang Hongru is, and yet you have the nerve to laugh at others. Aren't you ashamed?"

I gave him a side-eye and walked over to where my uncle-in-law was standing. Kaizi sat down on the ground beside my uncle-in-law to drink some water and rest. Sanshi approached my uncle-in-law with a puzzled expression and asked, "Master Feng, did a mad dog bite you to make you yelp so miserably?"

My uncle-in-law glared at him and retorted, "Get lost! Are you doing this on purpose, you bastard? Is this funny to you?"

Realizing he had taken a hit, Sanshi had no choice but to sit next to Kaizi and chat with him.

Suddenly remembering something, Sanshi said, "Right, I know who that ancient person is now. He was the legendary master architect of that era, Ouyang Hongru. Rumor has it that this man was a master of ingenious craftsmanship, the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams, secret chambers, and hidden mechanisms—all unique, esoteric arts. Legend says he had neither sons nor daughters, nor any direct disciples.

Even his only nameless apprentice tragically perished during a tomb-robbing expedition, after which his profound knowledge vanished from the mortal world, leaving only a tiny handful of people who ever knew his name."

Hearing this, I broke out in a cold sweat. An ancient master whose mastery of geomancy could reach such a transcendent level—what kind of person was he? It was terrifying.

In this ancient chess match, before the game had even truly begun and before we could decipher a single move or strategy from our opponent, we had already been checkmated by an ancient entity possessing extraordinary wisdom. An inexplicable emptiness gripped my heart, and my hands trembled so violently that I nearly dropped my fire-starter onto the ground.

About two hours passed before everyone finally regained their composure. It was now my turn and my uncle-in-law's turn to relieve Old Zhang and Haiyang on guard duty.

At this point, my uncle-in-law pulled out an ancient sheepskin scroll. I felt like I had seen that scroll somewhere before, though I couldn't quite place where.

It was densely covered in cuneiform script. My uncle-in-law paused and said, "Great-nephew, aren't you good at reading ancient scripts? Take a look at what this says!"

With that, he handed the sheepskin scroll over to me. I held it up against the daylight and realized this was not merely a simple ancient map. It was a blueprint of an ancient tomb belonging to a mysterious feudal lord from the late Warring States period. Faintly visible on the scroll was the chilling face of a grinning skull, utterly eerie.

As I leaned in closer for a careful inspection, I discovered the hidden catch. It wasn't just a biographical record of the tomb occupant; the biography was merely a facade. The densely packed cuneiform script formed a pictorial representation of an ancient tomb map. Only upon the most meticulous examination could the true design be perceived.

I immediately beckoned my uncle-in-law over to take a look.

His complexion turned ashen in an instant, and he muttered, "This... this is the magnificent tomb built by Ouyang Hongru for that mysterious feudal lord."

I was left completely in the dark, baffled and entirely at a loss.

I tried asking my uncle-in-law what was going on, but he just shook his head repeatedly and refused to explain.

After a long sigh, he said, "Ah, that place is cursed. We triggered a hidden mechanism that instantly opened the doors to an underground tunnel, and following that tunnel led us straight into the ghost city."

Hearing him say this, everything suddenly clicked into place. It seemed that the Qinling Mountains, the ghost city, and that mysterious ancient ruin were indeed connected. But why would Ouyang Hongru tunnel through another person's ancient tomb to link it directly to the master's burial site? Was it meant to confuse tomb raiders? That still didn't seem entirely logical.

Plagued by mounting doubts and confusion, I asked, "Uncle, do you think the three ancient tombs we've encountered were all arranged for us in advance?"

My uncle-in-law replied, "Yes, indeed!"

As he spoke, he clenched a corner of the sheepskin scroll in his hand and pointed at an unknown set of coordinates to signal the situation.

Fixing his gaze on me, he said, "The Cloud-Top Pavilion—that's right here!"

I froze upon hearing those words, my heart beginning to race. I thought to myself: "The Cloud-Top Pavilion" was recorded in my grandfather's notes! Could the place my uncle-in-law was talking about be the mysterious ancient tomb documented by my grandfather?

I remembered when my grandfather was still alive, he was always leafing through a thick notebook, yet the tomb-roiding legends and stories he shared with us were exceedingly scarce. The little I knew was discovered only because I had secretly stolen glances at my grandfather's notes. Later on, my uncle-in-law had taken the blame for me. As to why that memory remained so deeply etched in my mind, I couldn't truly say.

At that moment, my uncle-in-law and I swapped shifts, with Kaizi and Sanshi taking over guard duty. I handed the sheepskin scroll back to my uncle-in-law, lay down in the temporary camp, and stared up at the sky. An invisible weight seemed to press down from above. Gradually, the sky grew dark, and everyone was swallowed by the profound night.

I used my marching pack as a pillow, pulled my jacket over myself, and sank into a deep sleep inside the tent.

The next day, as the sun rose, our party resumed our long trek, gradually approaching the vicinity of the faint, skull-faced ghost visage marked on the map.

My uncle-in-law lit a cigarette, pulled that strange pictorial sheepskin scroll from his pack, and looked at it closely. Only then did I realize this was the very same scroll map Fourth Master had been holding. Could this really have been arranged by my uncle-in-law? But how could my uncle-in-law, a member of the younger generation, possibly command someone like Fourth Master?

Feeling helpless, and consumed by confusion and doubt, I walked over to my uncle-in-law and whispered, "Uncle, was it you who sent Fourth Master to find me? Were you trying to tell me through Fourth Master that you were in a place you'd never been before? The moment Fourth Master left, Kaizi and the others showed up. Did you deliberately send them to find me and guide me to you?"

My uncle-in-law shook his head, exhaled a long ring of smoke, and said, "Little brat, knowing too much won't do you any good. If you really want to know... never mind, we'll talk about it when we get back!"

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, we arrived at a desolate and remote location. The comings and goings of people in the small town formed a stark contrast to the surrounding barren landscape.

Faintly visible ahead was a memorial archway bearing the characters "Clock Tower Town." Kaizi asked Sanshi what kind of place this was, but Sanshi replied that he only had a vague idea and didn't know the specifics. At that moment, Old Zhang looked at me, and I looked back at my uncle-in-law.

My uncle-in-law gave a helpless shake of his head and said, "Great-nephew, don't ask. I truly cannot tell you!"

With that, he walked ahead of everyone else into the town. The narrow streets and alleys bustled with a lively scene. The moment we stepped into the center of the town, we drew the gazes of countless people swarming in from all directions. They stared at us and whispered among themselves, treating us as if we were monsters. The lifeless, hollow looks in their eyes made my skin crawl.

Old Zhang gave me a subtle glance, signaling that these people were not to be trifled with. I nodded.

As dusk approached, we had no choice but to seek out a private lodging with a guide. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere, reminiscent of dark clouds massing over a city on the verge of a storm, began to settle in. Walking onward, we finally reached a sparsely populated inn.

Inscribed on the plaque above the inn were four large characters: "Sweet Spring Inn."

Just as I was about to knock on the door, a burly young man emerged from within. Nodding and smiling ingratiatingly all the while, he began guiding us inside. His words and demeanor exuded a sly, sinister craftiness, instantly convincing me that this fellow was dangerous. More than that, he treated my uncle-in-law with utmost reverence and even addressed him by his title.

Just as I was about to ask my uncle-in-law what was going on, he glanced back at our bewildered faces and flashed a meaningful look at the group.

Following that, my uncle-in-law and the young man pressed forward, leaving us with no choice but to follow them into the courtyard. Once the courtyard gates were shut, everyone began selecting their guest rooms.

We were assigned three to a room, with the exception of the female member. Kaizi, Old Zhang, and I took the east room; my uncle-in-law, Haiyang, and Sanshi took the west room; and since Han Xin was a woman, she was given a private room to herself in the middle of the second floor of the north building.

As night gradually fell, having traveled all day, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted. We all settled our heads on our pillows, pulled up the quilts, and fell into a heavy sleep.

The following day, the party resumed our expedition to unearth the mysterious ancient ruins.

However, this time things were different: we had hired a local guide named Lin Qiang—the rugged young man who had received us the day before. The tomb we were about to raid was unlike any we had encountered previously; it was an entirely brand-new underground burial site, bound to be fraught with extreme peril where survival was a nine-to-one gamble. Yet, having a guide meant our work would certainly proceed with twice the efficiency for half the effort.

Besides, my uncle-in-law was leading the expedition and possessed the topographic map of the mysterious ruins. Even if we ran into danger, he would find a way out.

Several days later, our group arrived at a dragon's eye indicated by the map. Through Lin Qiang's explanations, we learned that this was located in the remote and resource-rich region of Tibet, and the town we were staying in was called Zhada.

After a day of recuperation and reorganization, our party set off toward the dragon vein traced on the map. Before long, we arrived at an ancient ruin that appeared to be the dragon vein itself, and everyone stopped to rest on-site.

My uncle-in-law sat on a nearby stone pillar, silently smoking a cigarette while studying the sheepskin scroll. Sanshi sat next to him drinking water, and Haiyang was busy cleaning his firearm.

Han Xin remained as aloof as an iceberg, sitting motionless in her spot with her eyes closed in meditation. Old Zhang stared at his Luopan compass, calculating something in his mind.

By midday, I began to feel a bit hungry. I pulled some compressed rations from my marching pack to replenish my energy, and under the mild sunlight, the group pressed onward.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the surrounding scenery grew increasingly desolate. Ancient ruins and broken walls were everywhere, with shattered eaves and fragmented tiles scattered about. Massive stone pillars lay haphazardly across the barren earth.

At that moment, my uncle-in-law—who had been silent the entire journey—unexpectedly spoke up: "We've arrived at the spot. Keep your eyes peeled—we're here to loot treasures, not to throw away our lives!"

With that, everyone nodded.

We walked another hundred meters or so before my uncle-in-law waved his hand to signal the team to halt.

He called the local guide over and subjected him to a detailed cross-examination. After pacing back and forth a few times, my uncle-in-law used a Luopan spade to mark out the exact spot for digging and commanded, "Sink the spade! Put your backs into it and give it some real muscle!"

Everyone immediately pulled their Luopan spades from their packs, walked over to the designated spot, and began driving the piles.

About an hour later, my uncle-in-law inspected the reddish soil brought up from the excavation and announced, "Alright, it's about ten meters deep. Bring out the gear!"

Without missing a beat, my uncle-in-law gripped his Luopan spade, swung it with all his might, and began digging downward. Since Han Xin's injury had only recently healed, and the guide Lin Qiang had no tools of his own, the two of them rested by a nearby stone pillar.

Before long, a flight of stone steps was cleared, leading straight down into the depths. The tunnel was swallowed by profound, pitch-black darkness.

For a moment, nothing could be seen below. My uncle-in-law switched on a waterproof flashlight, began descending, and waved his hand to signal us to follow right behind him.

His figure gradually vanished into the ancient tunnel, and seeing this, the rest of us had no choice but to follow in his footsteps, making our way downward step by difficult step.

Once everyone reached the bottom, we came face-to-face with an engraved ancient stone monument, three meters tall and one meter wide. Inscribed upon the stone was a single line of cuneiform script.

At that moment, my uncle-in-law called me over and said, "Great-nephew, take a look at what this says!"

I narrowed my eyes and read the inscription aloud: "Step through the mysterious gates of the heavenly palace, reach the sacred cloud-top pavilion, find the infinite treasures, and uncover the ultimate secret."