Chapter 9 Realizing the Truth

Hearing this monster, neither human nor ghost, suddenly speak, both Xiao Liang and I were startled.

Although we hadn't confirmed its identity, we subconsciously treated it as some mountain spirit or water demon—either a kappa or a dwarf mule.

But it unexpectedly spoke human language, which truly stunned us.

And right after saying that, the golden-faced dwarf actually stood tall on the stone coffin, constantly waving his hands at us in a gesture of driving us away, as if, in his role as the tomb's master, he was ordering us to leave this ancient tomb!

At that moment, Xiao Liang was completely terrified. She leaned close to my ear and whispered:

"Chen, Chen Rongsheng, could it really be like Uncle Mei said... that it crawled out of the coffin?"

I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure, and then asked Xiao Liang:

"Xiao Liang, weren't you the one who didn't believe in all this feudal superstition? Aren't you a highly educated university student? How come you're starting to believe Uncle Mei's words too?"

Xiao Liang said, her face pale and trembling, "But it... it said so itself, that it had been sleeping here for thousands of years and we disturbed it..."

At first, I was indeed intimidated by this golden-faced dwarf. After all, the atmosphere was so intense that it really did have a touch of the supernatural, but once I calmed down and thought about it, I immediately spotted the flaw:

"Heh, I refuse to believe that some old coffin corpse from thousands of years ago can speak fluent Mandarin! And with a Sichuan accent! This guy isn't some coffin corpse at all, nor is he a kappa or a dwarf mule. He's a rat! A rat wearing a golden mask!"

Once I understood this, I felt much less apprehensive.

I pulled out my diving knife from my waist and pointed it at the golden-faced dwarf, shouting:

"Stop pretending to be a ghost! Get down here!"

The reason I shouted so loudly was partly to embolden myself, and partly to test this Three-Inch Nail. Although I was eighty percent sure that he was just a tomb robber, there was still a twenty percent chance that he was something else.

If he really was a coffin corpse or some mountain spirit, he wouldn't be frightened by my diving knife. But if he was a tomb robber, he should be running for his life right now.

My trick worked. My shout startled the golden-faced dwarf, who stopped pretending to be a ghost. He turned around, jumped off the stone coffin, and ran towards the other end of the tomb chamber.

I turned to Xiao Liang and shouted, "Chase him!"

After saying that, I stepped forward. Only then did I notice that there was a back door in the tomb chamber. The Three-Inch Nail had gone through that back door.

But after all, he had short legs and ran slowly, and I had already cut him twice, so he was injured. I followed the rustling sound, chasing closely and shouting, "Stop! Stop right there!"

I don't know if it was because of my good luck, or if my shouts carried far enough to be heard, but just as I was forcing the golden-faced dwarf onto the passageway, I suddenly heard footsteps from the other side. Then I heard Jiang Yongguang's voice calling out:

"Xiao Chen? Is that you, Xiao Chen?"

I quickly replied, "It's me! Come and catch the rat! The rat that killed Officer Zhang!"

Before I finished speaking, Jiang Yongguang, Uncle Mei, and several other Xiaoling Guards emerged from the other side of the passageway, forming a pincer attack with me, trapping the golden-faced dwarf in the middle.

The golden-faced dwarf looked around, knowing that he had nowhere to escape. Just as he was at his wit's end, Jiang Yongguang rushed forward, wielding his diving knife. He slashed at him first, then kicked him to the ground. Immediately, two Xiaoling Guards pinned him down.

"Don't move!"

"Stay still!"

At this moment, Jiang Yongguang realized that he had caught the strange golden-faced dwarf. He looked at me in confusion and asked:

"Xiao Chen, how did you know this guy was a rat?"

I smiled and said, "I cut him twice just now, and he bled human blood. Then I cornered him in the tomb chamber, and this bastard actually pretended to be a coffin corpse, telling me to get out of the ancient tomb... I could tell from his accent that he was a living person. No old coffin corpse speaks with a Sichuan accent."

After hearing this, Jiang Yongguang looked at me with admiration and praised, "Not bad, kid. You even dared to use your knife on this thing! You've got some guts!"

Uncle Mei, upon hearing this, quickly rushed to my side and looked me up and down, asking:

"Are you alright, lad? Are you hurt?"

I quickly shook my head and said, "Uncle Mei, don't worry, I'm not hurt."

Uncle Mei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Jiang Yongguang raised the diving knife in his hand and used the tip to pry at the Three-Inch Nail's face, immediately removing the golden mask he was wearing. Shining his headlamp on it, he saw that behind the mask was indeed a stubble-faced human face.

Presumably, this person had a congenital disability, suffering from dwarfism, which was why he was so short and oddly behaved. Such people are not uncommon in society.

Jiang Yongguang then realized what was going on and sneered, "Hmph, pretending to be a ghost! So it's a dwarf! That's right, you're naturally short in the arms and legs, small in stature, but your strength is no different from that of an adult. You're perfect for going down into tombs and digging holes, working as a tomb-robbing rat. I must say, this can be considered a gift from God."

Then, grabbing him by the collar, he asked:

"Black Crow Explores the Dragon Raises the Treasure Canopy, Moving Mountains Opens Mounds to a World of Caves. Judging by your grappling and kicking skills, you must be a top-notch tomb robber. Who's the head of your operation? Who's the appraiser? How many people are in the gang? Are you a legman or a laborer?"

This string of underworld jargon made the golden-faced dwarf turn pale. He knew he had run into an expert. He was indeed knowledgeable, squinting his eyes and asking:

"Ten Thousand Years of Songs and Dances Buried in the Tomb, Ninefold Divine Palace Above Kunlun. Are you a Xiaoling Guard?"

Jiang Yongguang gritted his teeth and said:

"Now that you know I'm a Xiaoling Guard, you still dare to touch my people?"

The Three-Inch Nail gave a self-deprecating laugh and said dejectedly, "We groundhogs who dig up graves are doomed when we run into the authorities. Not to mention that you're Xiaoling Guards, even if you were heavenly kings, grand immortals, I'd still have to grit my teeth and take a chance!"

Jiang Yongguang snorted coldly, "Alright, you've got guts!"

After saying that, he grabbed the wound on his arm that had been cut by the diving knife and pinched it hard!

The wound tore open, and blood spurted out!

The rat bared his teeth in pain and screamed!

Even I, upon seeing it, felt a tremor run through my body and my scalp tingle!

Jiang Yongguang, however, remained calm, his tone indifferent: "I'll ask you again, who's the head of your operation? Who's the appraiser? How many people are in the gang? Are you a legman or a laborer? You've heard the saying, 'leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist,' right?"

The rat had been given a rude awakening by Jiang Yongguang, but he didn't submit. He was also a ruthless character, sneering in disdain:

"Heh, leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist? Bullshit! Don't think I'm easily fooled. Once you've touched anything in this ancient Shu tomb, there's no such thing as leniency! Once we get out, it's a bullet in the head!"

Jiang Yongguang sneered, "You're a smart one. Since that's the case, I won't play games with you. As long as you tell me everything honestly, I guarantee that your last few days will be a little more comfortable."

The rat narrowed his eyes and retorted, "What if I don't?"

Jiang Yongguang immediately grabbed his neck and said in a deep voice, "You killed two of my brothers right under my nose. I have to settle that score with you!"

Saying that, he lifted the Three-Inch Nail up, dragged him back to the tomb chamber, and threw him into the stone coffin.

The rat was tossed around and disoriented, but he still refused to give in, shouting loudly, "I don't believe you authorities dare to kill me! Xiaoling Guard, you're knowingly breaking the law!"

Jiang Yongguang, however, didn't bother to waste any more words with him. He gave an order to his brothers:

"Come on, seal the coffin for me!"