After entering through the stone gate, there was a passageway. This passageway was not long, only about ten meters.
Passing through the passageway led to the main burial chamber.
The main burial chamber was about eighty square meters. In the center was a coffin, made of an unknown type of wood, which was already somewhat decayed.
At the very back was a ferocious-looking Buddha statue, and the surrounding stone walls were covered with murals.
The entire tomb chamber was very well preserved and completely undisturbed.
"Miss Guan, it seems the Kwantung Army never entered here," I said to Guan Zhenwan as I walked up to her.
She had a serious expression, looking around at everything, and seemed to be in a bad mood.
This place was tiny, and honestly, it didn't look like an imperial tomb at all. If it weren't for the records on the murals, I wouldn't have believed it was an imperial tomb.
"Brother Xiang, what does this say?" Fatty asked, pointing at the murals.
I said, "This tomb belongs to Emperor Yuan Wuzong, the third emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, and the great-grandson of Kublai Khan."
"Yuan Wuzong? Why is this guy's tomb so shabby? Is this an imperial tomb?"
"It is an imperial tomb, but the Yuan Dynasty burial customs emphasized simplicity, not grand ostentation or many burial objects," I explained.
"Then what's the point of being an emperor if you have nothing after death?" Fatty grumbled.
"Xiang Fei, come look at this, what is this?" Bai Hanyan called out to me.
I walked over and saw many small holes on the left stone wall, with small Buddha statues placed inside each hole.
"These look like Arhats," I said.
"Arhats?"
I nodded. "However, I don't know much about Tibetan Buddhism."
Speaking of Tibetan Buddhism, didn't Guan Zhenwan know a lot about it?
I turned to find that woman standing by the coffin. She looked like she was about to open it.
"Come give me a hand," Guan Zhenwan called to Song Bing.
Song Bing went over, gestured for her to step aside, and indicated he could do it alone.
As expected, Song Bing inserted a crowbar into the gap of the coffin and gently pried it open from all sides. Soon, the coffin lid loosened. Then, he pushed with both hands, and the coffin was opened.
We leaned closer and found a mummified corpse inside, nothing else.
"This is too simple, isn't it?" Fatty said. "So what if there are no burial objects, but there's nothing inside the coffin either?"
This tomb was truly simple, so simple that it made one doubt if it was an emperor's tomb.
Guan Zhenwan was quite disappointed and went to look around again.
I thought for a moment and also began to wander around. My purpose for coming here was to find clues about the Marquis Sui's Pearl, and I couldn't forget about it.
I began to examine the content of the murals, trying to find any trace of the Marquis Sui's Pearl.
After I finished looking at the murals, I discovered a problem: the murals were somewhat contradictory.
The first half of the murals stated that Emperor Yuan Wuzong continued the policy of religious freedom, highly promoted Confucian culture, and particularly valued Tibetan Buddhism, but disliked Taoism.
The latter half, however, said he highly promoted Taoism and disliked Buddhism.
Isn't this contradictory?
Furthermore, this tomb was filled with elements of Tibetan Buddhism, yet a Taoist temple was built above the tomb.
I was a bit confused. Was this done intentionally by someone, or did he order it to be done this way?
What was the purpose of doing this?
"Ah!"
Just as I was pondering this, Bai Hanyan's scream startled me.
Everyone turned to look at her. She was standing in front of the ferocious-looking Buddha statue, seemingly frightened by something.
I quickly ran over. She was trembling, and her hands were a bit cold. I wanted to pull her, but she gave me a look, signaling me not to move.
I was a bit confused. When Fatty's flashlight beam shone on the Buddha statue, I saw a snake's nest on its head, with dense clusters of snakes.
And these were snakes I had never seen before. They were entirely fire-red, with triangular heads. It was easy to imagine that if bitten, the consequences would be dire.
Being so close, I also hesitated to move, fearing that if I made a move, the snakes would pounce on us.
Seeing this, Song Bing took off his jacket and threw it forcefully over the Buddha statue.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I quickly pulled Bai Hanyan aside.
We both retreated several meters.
The snakes quickly began to crawl out from the edges of the jacket. The space was already limited. Seeing this, I could only say to everyone, "Let's get out first!"
Upon hearing this, everyone headed towards the exit.
After we retreated, I realized Guan Zhenwan was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Where did that woman named Guan go?" Fatty asked. "She isn't still inside, is she?"
Hearing him say that, I thought about it and was about to go in to find her when Song Bing said to me, "I'll go."
With that, he re-entered.
After waiting for about ten minutes, two figures emerged from the passageway. Song Bing was limping, being supported by Guan Zhenwan, and appeared to be injured.
"Brother Song! What happened to you?" I quickly went forward to ask.
His face was a little pale. Before he could speak, Guan Zhenwan said, "He was bitten by a snake. He needs to be sent to the hospital immediately."
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Bing's eyelids rolled back, and he fainted.
I hadn't expected the snake to be so potent. I quickly told Fatty to carry Song Bing on his back and return to the Taoist temple.
Upon returning to our lodging, the wound on Song Bing's calf had already begun to rot.
And Guan Zhenwan, that woman, had disappeared somewhere and was completely neglecting Song Bing.
I suddenly felt angry. After thinking for a moment, I quickly told Fatty to carry Song Bing and prepared to head to the hospital.
Bai Hanyan also wanted to come with us, but I stopped her. I told her to stay put: "You stay here and watch. If anything happens, you can tell me."
She hesitated for a moment and then nodded, "Alright, you be careful on your way."
I nodded and quickly descended the mountain with Fatty.
The path from Xiaoqing Temple to Shizi Ridge was not easy, but there was no other way. The situation was urgent, and no matter what, we had to get Song Bing to the hospital as soon as possible.
I heard that if the snake venom wasn't treated with antivenom within twenty-four hours, there was a high chance of a life-threatening outcome.
Although I didn't know what kind of snake it was, judging by Song Bing's condition, it was definitely not ordinary.
After finally reaching Shizi Ridge and loading Song Bing into the car, Fatty drove us directly to Mohe.
By eight in the morning the next day, we arrived at the hospital. After admitting Song Bing, Fatty and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
We were both exhausted, sleepy, and hungry. We grabbed a quick bite at a noodle shop outside the hospital, went back to the hospital corridor, and slept for a while. By noon, Song Bing had finally passed the critical stage.
The doctor said that thankfully, we brought him in promptly. If we had been any later, Song Bing might not have survived.