Dodging and weaving, Wang Yang evaded the attacks of numerous wooden figures. With a roll, he came to my side and began using his dagger to free me.
After quickly breaking off one of the wooden figures' legs, I also managed to break free from the pile of wooden figures.
Just as we were preparing to run towards the doorway, the tables and chairs also came to life, rushing towards us with incredible speed.
Seeing a table about to collide with me, Wang Yang grabbed my clothes and threw me directly onto it. I landed on the table with a thud, and like riding a roller coaster, I sped through the hall.
Wang Yang leaped, rolling over a table, and quickly reached the doorway.
I originally intended to do the same, jumping off the table and rolling away, but just as I was about to make my move, the wooden door of the hall slammed shut with a bang, blocking our exit.
The sound of wood colliding was incessant, and I could only dutifully hold onto the wooden table beneath me.
After several turns, I also became somewhat dizzy.
This mechanism is truly uncanny. How did these wooden figures and tables lock onto our positions?
With no time to ponder, Wang Yang said to me, "Look!"
Following his gaze, I saw that a bronze drum with a sand tray had appeared before Li Zha Si. He was moving things on the sand tray with his hand.
So, it was this guy controlling these wooden figures?
In a moment of urgency, Wang Yang pulled out his pistol, seemingly intending to shoot Li Zha Si. I quickly stopped him, telling him not to act rashly.
But Wang Yang didn't listen to me. He suddenly pulled the trigger. Only after the gun fired did I realize he wasn't shooting at Li Zha Si, but at the lamps on the pillars.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Gunshots echoed in the hall, and soon all the lamps were shot down by Wang Yang, plunging the surroundings into darkness.
After about a minute, there was no more movement in the hall. The wooden figures and chairs stopped moving.
I took out my flashlight and shone it towards Li Zha Si's direction, discovering that Wang Yang had already reached him and knocked him out.
"Hurry over and help!" Wang Yang called out.
I quickly jumped off the table and hurried over.
"What in the world is going on?" I asked.
Wang Yang said, "There's something wrong with the lamp oil."
"Lamp oil?"
"Yes, they must have added something in there that causes hallucinations. As soon as it burns, it releases harmful substances, and once inhaled, it causes hallucinations."
"How did you know?"
"I was about to smoke just now and noticed a peculiar smell in the room. I felt something was amiss, but I didn't know where the smell was coming from. Later, when I saw the black smoke coming from the oil lamps, I realized it," Wang Yang explained.
It seems his deduction was correct, otherwise, Li Zha Si wouldn't have stopped moving after the oil lamps were knocked over.
Putting Li Zha Si aside, I shone my flashlight on the bronze drum. The sand tray's structure was identical to the hall. I tried moving the wooden figures on the sand tray, and the hall began to stir.
Shining my flashlight, I saw that when I moved the wooden figures on the sand tray, the wooden figures in the hall would also move, and without any effort.
This mechanism is truly ingenious. But why build such a mechanism?
Could it be that the emperor of Da Chang He, when he had nothing to do, enjoyed controlling these wooden figures for amusement?
The thoughts of ancient people are truly beyond my comprehension.
"Let's get him out of here first. I'm afraid he's inhaled too much of the harmful gas," Wang Yang said.
I nodded and lifted Li Zha Si, realizing he was indeed exceptionally heavy. With my waist still injured, I couldn't exert much strength.
Suddenly, I had an idea. I asked Wang Yang to place Li Zha Si on a table, then I moved the sand tray, and soon Li Zha Si was delivered to the door. Then, I opened the door on the sand tray.
Seeing my somewhat childish demeanor, Wang Yang shook his head helplessly.
After carrying Li Zha Si out of the hall, I took out a water bottle from my backpack and poured a few mouthfuls into him. After a while, he woke up.
"Boss Xiang? What happened to me?" Li Zha Si asked me with a look of confusion.
I recounted what had happened. His face turned grim after listening, seemingly quite frightened. Then, looking at the dragon robe he was wearing, he shivered and quickly took it off.
We sat by the entrance of the hall to rest for a while, ate something, and then prepared to check out other halls.
We explored the surroundings and found that each room was similar, mostly containing wooden figures.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, we only stood at the doorways of many rooms and looked inside, without entering.
After all, with the previous lesson learned, I didn't want to risk touching any more mechanisms.
Li Zha Si and I went together, while Wang Yang went alone. After searching for a while separately and finding no other exit, we returned to our original spot.
As a result, Li Zha Si and I waited for a long time, but Wang Yang didn't return. So, we had to go find him.
When we found Wang Yang, he was standing in a clearing behind the building, lost in thought.
I walked over and asked him what he was doing there. His expression was a bit strange, and he stared at a house with an open door not far away, hesitant to speak.
"Is there something in that room?" I asked.
He nodded.
"What is it?"
"Coffins."
"What's so scary about coffins?" I said grumpily.
"No... those coffins..."
"What about those coffins?" I asked.
He sighed and said, "You'll know when you see."
I felt a bit contemptuous. Wasn't this guy usually quite brave? How could he be so scared just by seeing coffins?
However, judging by his expression, he didn't seem to be overly frightened but was contemplating something.
Thinking this, I became more curious and walked up to the room, shining my flashlight inside.
It wasn't a big deal at first, but after a glance, I was also somewhat dumbfounded.
Inside the room, there were over a dozen coffins, all suspended by chains. Each coffin was hanging in mid-air, looking incredibly eerie.
This was simply unheard of and unseen!
No wonder Wang Yang had that expression. Anyone who saw these coffins would be stunned.
I was curious if there was anything inside these coffins.
Wang Yang came up to me and said, "Do you think these might contain the royalty and nobles of Da Chang He?"
"That can't be, can it?" I said. "How can they be buried like this? Hanging coffins?"
I paused and said, "Perhaps, like the other rooms, these coffins also contain wooden figures."
Wang Yang said, "I had the same thought just now, but..."
As he spoke, he led me to the courtyard. In the courtyard, there was a stone mill, and around the mill, there were many crisscrossing grooves on the ground. In those grooves were pieces of black material, like cracked earth.
Of course, I didn't think those were ordinary cracked pieces. They looked like dried blood!