My tailbone felt like it was shattering, making me grimace in pain, completely devoid of strength.
Soon, a light shone upon me, and Wu Tingxiu approached, extending a hand. "Are you alright?"
I gripped her hand and slowly stood up. Just as I was about to say I was fine, I realized Bai Hanyan was gone.
The moment we fell, we had let go of her hand. Had the woman fainted from the fall?
Turns out, I was overthinking it.
Soon, she and Wang Yang descended a few steps ahead of me.
Only then did I truly understand. The place where I had fallen had steps leading down from the front.
It was a pity that I hadn't understood Wu Tingxiu's intention at the time and had arrived there a step earlier.
"Let's go," Wu Tingxiu said.
"Where to?" I couldn't help but ask.
She pointed behind me. "The main tomb is inside."
I turned my head and saw a stone door that had already been opened.
Not long after we entered, Song Bing also squeezed in. We all worked together to close the stone door, preventing those rats from chasing us.
I had to admit, Song Bing’s combat strength was the highest among us. He stayed behind to cover our retreat, yet emerged completely unscathed.
This was a large tomb chamber, larger than any we had passed through before, and it contained many artifacts. Besides the sarcophagus in the center, numerous burial objects were piled around the perimeter.
Wu Tingxiu recounted what had happened earlier. When she and Song Bing emerged from the side chamber, they found we were gone and began searching for us, eventually discovering this main tomb.
Not seeing us here, they doubled back and then encountered the rats.
I asked her if she had seen anything else. She looked puzzled and asked, "Anything else?"
I told her about the thing that had chased me. She listened, her brows furrowed in thought.
"The thing that chased me, it wasn't a Zongzi, was it?" I asked.
Wu Tingxiu didn't reply, but Song Bing spoke up, "What's there to be afraid of from a Zongzi?"
Hearing this, I felt a strange sense of bewilderment. Wang Yang also said he wasn't afraid of Zongzi. Why wasn't Song Bing afraid of them either?
Did it mean Zongzi were no longer that formidable?
Song Bing pulled out a dark object and handed it over. "If you encounter a Zongzi, use this. I guarantee even a Zongzi will run when it sees you."
Curiosity piqued, I took the item and found it was a black donkey's hoof.
I had heard of the legend of the black donkey's hoof. It was said that Zhang Guo Lao's donkey was a divine beast, and thus, black donkey's hooves had the power to subdue zombies.
Holding the black donkey's hoof in my hand, I thought that regardless of its effectiveness, it could at least serve as a defensive weapon.
"Besides us, there should be other people here," Wang Yang stated.
Wu Tingxiu looked at him. "Did you see someone?"
"Yes," Wang Yang nodded. "They must have entered around the same time we did. We came through the main entrance of the tomb chamber; they might have entered directly from above."
"Isn't Huzhi guarding the outside?" Song Bing remarked.
Wu Tingxiu pondered for a moment, then said, "Everyone, replenish your energy and rest for a bit. We'll leave once we get the item."
Song Bing distributed some food and drink to us. After filling our stomachs, I found Wu Tingxiu and asked her whose tomb this was.
She replied, "I'm not too sure."
"Then your grandfather's clues didn't mention anything? He just told you that the Marquis Sui's Pearl might be here?" I asked.
Wu Tingxiu took a deep breath, her expression hesitant. "The Marquis Sui's Pearl isn't here..."
Upon hearing this, I was stunned.
The Marquis Sui's Pearl wasn't here? Then why had we rushed over here?
If I had known, what was the point of coming at all!
"There are only clues related to the Marquis Sui's Pearl here," Wu Tingxiu explained. "My grandfather's records state that this tomb is the burial place of one of Guiguzi's five hundred disciples."
"You mean, that Jue was a disciple of Guiguzi?" I asked.
Wu Tingxiu nodded. "Very likely."
"How is that possible? Guiguzi was from the Warring States period, and this is a tomb from the Western Jin Dynasty. There's a difference of several hundred years between them. How could that Jue be Guiguzi's disciple? Unless Guiguzi lived from the Warring States period all the way to the Western Jin?"
Wu Tingxiu said, "It's very possible..."
Hearing this, I almost burst out laughing. But when I saw her serious expression, I couldn't help but ask with a mix of disbelief and doubt, "Can people truly live forever?"
Wu Tingxiu slowly shook her head. "I don't know... However, throughout history, many people have sought immortality. As for whether such a method exists, no one knows..."
Looking at her complex expression, I suddenly thought of something. "Could it be that your grandfather was also searching for the Marquis Sui's Pearl for..."
She sighed and gave a bitter smile. "That's right... My grandfather's purpose in finding the Marquis Sui's Pearl was indeed for immortality."
I was taken aback. For some reason, I thought of my father. Could his search for the Marquis Sui's Pearl also be for this purpose?
This was too ridiculous!
How could there be anything in this world that granted eternal life?
If such a thing existed, what chaos would ensue?
I absolutely didn't believe it, primarily because it was beyond my comprehension.
My father must not have been looking for the Marquis Sui's Pearl for immortality.
Besides, if the Marquis Sui's Pearl truly possessed the power of immortality, why did Qin Shi Huang die in the end?
Moreover, whether the Marquis Sui's Pearl even existed in this world was a complete mystery.
After we rested for a while and our strength had mostly recovered, Wu Tingxiu suggested we open the coffin.
Song Bing took out three telescopic steel poles and set up a tripod above the sarcophagus. He then attached a chain hoist and secured it with a rope to the sarcophagus lid. With a mighty pull, the sound of clanking chains echoed.
Following that, the sarcophagus lid slowly rose. In a short while, the lid was lifted.
"Come give me a hand," Song Bing said, looking at me.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yang and I moved closer. We pushed the suspended sarcophagus lid with force, and the lid instantly slid to the side.
With a loud "bang!", the sarcophagus was opened!
The rising dust made me cover my mouth and nose, my eyes stinging.
The air down here was already thin, and the dust made it difficult to breathe.
After more than ten seconds, the entire tomb chamber was shrouded in a hazy mist. Even with the light, the surroundings were unclear.
In this situation, we could only wait for the dust to settle before things would improve.
After a moment, I saw Wang Yang staring at me blankly, his eyes wide open.
Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, he pointed behind me.
Instantly, goosebumps erupted all over me. Without a second thought, I knew there must be something behind me!