The deeper we went, the deeper the mud underfoot became. By the time we reached the innermost area, we found a space of over a hundred square meters.
It was densely packed with the excrement of those lizards. Looking at the mountains of droppings, my already hungry stomach instantly lost all feeling.
Not far away, a pile of excrement was wriggling, as if something was encased within it.
I called out, "Elder Zhou!"
A muffled sound was heard, and then a person emerged from the wriggling pile of excrement – it was Zhou Yongxiang.
Seeing him covered in "mud," I couldn't help but laugh and cry.
You'd think a respectable Guangling Grand Appraiser would stay in Guangling and not come to this place to suffer. I couldn't imagine what he was after.
The moment he emerged, his accompanying troop also crawled out of the muck.
"Shopkeeper Xiang!" Zhou Yongxiang saw us and waved.
We hurried over, only to discover that he and his entire troop seemed to be trapped within.
I wanted to pull them out, but I couldn't bring myself to touch them. Wang Yang was the same, so we stood there awkwardly.
Li Zha Si was the smarter one. He took off his jacket, handed one end to them, and told them to hold on.
The three of us worked together, pulling him out of the mud like we were harvesting radishes.
Zhou Yongxiang was completely listless. After all, he was of that age, and having gone through such suffering, being alive was already a great fortune.
I asked them how they ended up here. Zhou Yongxiang sighed before explaining the events.
They had descended into this place, passing through several tomb chambers without finding what they were looking for. Finally, they discovered a cave and went inside.
As a result, they encountered large lizards. They fought with the lizards, killing many, but they themselves suffered.
One person was dragged away by a lizard, and the two of them were forced into a corner by the lizards, eventually falling into this lizard laten pit.
After hearing his ordeal, I felt a sense of relief. Compared to them, we were quite fortunate.
Emerging from the dung pit, we came outside. Zhou Yongxiang and Da Jun took off their clothes. The rest of us pooled our resources, giving them a few pieces of clothing to change into.
Zhou Yongxiang also took off his pants and had to temporarily cover himself with a shirt.
"This underground palace is too vast and full of mechanisms," Zhou Yongxiang said, splashing some water from his backpack on his face.
My eyes darted around as I asked, "Elder Zhou, who is the tomb's occupant?"
Upon hearing my question, Zhou Yongxiang pondered for a moment and replied, "If I'm not mistaken, it should be the tomb of the Great Changhe Emperor."
I feigned ignorance, asking, "What is Great Changhe?"
"An ancient kingdom of Yuncheng," Zhou Yongxiang said. "Why did you venture in here?"
I replied, "I saw you hadn't come out for a long time, and I was worried something might have happened to you, so Boss Wang and I came to check."
"And from what place did you arrive here?"
I didn't hide the process of our journey, explaining it to him in broad strokes.
When he heard about the ancient buildings at the bottom of the cliff, his face lit up, and he insisted that was the main tomb.
"Impossible? We didn't find anything there, except for some wooden figures and sacrificial coffins. Nothing else," I said.
Zhou Yongxiang explained, "Zheng Maisi was originally from the Tang Dynasty. He usurped the throne and seized the Great Changhe imperial power, but he still yearned for the Tang. He knew he could never become the Emperor of Tang, so he built this underground palace. He merely wished to unify the land in the underworld after his death."
"No way. If that's the case, why did he conduct sacrifices?" I asked.
Zhou Yongxiang inquired, "Have you ever heard of 'borrowing a corpse to return a soul,' Shopkeeper Xiang?"
"Borrowing a corpse to return a soul?"
"Indeed. It's an ancient sorcery. Legend has it that by using the fresh blood of three hundred boys and girls, immersing them for forty-nine days, and placing the deceased into the blood pool, one can be reborn and become the person they wish to be."
"You're not suggesting that Zheng Maisi conducted this 'borrowing a corpse to return a soul' to become the Emperor of Tang, are you?"
Zhou Yongxiang nodded, "Precisely!"
"He wanted to become the Tang Emperor?"
I found it too absurd. Ancient people truly went to any lengths to become emperors.
Thinking of those three hundred boys and girls, my heart sighed.
Although I knew ancient sacrifices were often bizarre, hearing about such a sacrificial method still sent a shiver down my spine.
It was fortunate I was born in this new era; otherwise, I might have ended up as a sacrifice.
"Elder Zhou, is the rubbings you're looking for related to borrowing a corpse to return a soul?"
I asked casually, but Zhou Yongxiang's expression turned unnatural upon hearing this. He avoided the question and changed the subject, saying, "Everyone is tired. Let's rest for a while, and then we'll go to the bottom of the cliff."
With that, he sat down by a corner of the wall, and Da Jun took out food and drink from his backpack and offered it to him.
Wang Yang and I exchanged glances, walked to the side, pretended to eat, and began a hushed conversation.
"Did you see that just now?" I whispered.
Wang Yang nodded. "The moment you mentioned the rubbings, that old man's face changed..."
"Do you think he might also want to 'borrow a corpse to return a soul'?"
Wang Yang replied, "That's unlikely, right? Such a ridiculous thing, he believes it? That old man is so shrewd; I don't think so."
"Then what do you think he wants the rubbings for?"
"It's not clear yet, but it's definitely not for borrowing a corpse to return a soul."
I took a sip of water, asked Wang Yang for a cigarette, lit it, and slowly took a drag.
Why was Zhou Yongxiang so determined to find that rubbings, no matter the cost?
When he called me to come here, his tone was far from joking.
If I came, he would give me the Guangling collection. Although he hadn't mentioned it until now, I knew he wasn't joking.
He used all his savings to go down into the tomb, risking his life. What secret did that rubbings hold?
This old man was so tight-lipped; he wouldn't say anything no matter what I asked...
As I thought about it, I was reminded of Zheng Shuxuan.
That woman was able to live for so many years, which proved that there were truly unknown things in this world.
Could it really be possible to borrow a corpse to return a soul?
I glanced at Zhou Yongxiang not far away and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
Regardless of whether he wanted to borrow a corpse to return a soul or not, my purpose for coming this time was because the rubbings contained clues about the Marquis Sui's Pearl Map. As long as I found that clue, my objective for coming here would be achieved.
As for whether Zhou Yongxiang wanted to borrow a corpse to return a soul or had other intentions, it had nothing to do with me.
I briefed Wang Yang, telling him that if anything unexpected happened, our first priority was to protect ourselves and not lose our lives here.
Wang Yang nodded, took out the first-aid kit, and redressed my wound.
I didn't realize until the wound was redressed that the injury on my waist had already started to fester.
No wonder it had hurt so much all the way here...