Volume Three — The Fox Immortal’s Tomb Chapter Forty-Nine — The Mysterious Room

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At this thought, I let out a bitter smile. After picking up the Soul-Cleaving Blade, I glanced at Li Kun beside me. Although Li Kun looked quite disheveled, thankfully he was unharmed. Meanwhile, Big Dog’s clothes were tattered, evidently damaged by the scorching heat as well. In contrast, Xu Tian was the cleanest and most well-kept among us, which made sense since he was our squad’s strategist.

We hadn’t yet encountered any antiques or porcelain wares; otherwise, with Xu Tian’s keen eye, he would surely have been able to distinguish their authenticity and estimate their value. That was, after all, Xu Tian’s most important role.

However, none of us anticipated that upon entering the tomb, after seeing that single ingot of gold, we wouldn’t find anything valuable. Instead, I ended up battered and bruised.

Li Kun suddenly recalled this and said, “Hey, do you think there’s no treasure in the Fox Spirit’s tomb? We’ve traveled quite a distance and found several chambers, but we haven’t come across anything worthwhile.”

Xu Tian responded, “It’s not that we haven’t found treasures. Don’t you remember the bathhouse we passed when we first entered? It was filled with jade. Just a single piece could be worth tens of thousands.”

Hearing Xu Tian, Li Kun was secretly surprised. He hadn’t realized the jade in that bathhouse was so valuable. That meant the jade piece he pried off the Jade Rabbit Lantern might fetch a high price.

With this in mind, Li Kun quietly rejoiced, planning to find time to have Xu Tian appraise the jade he had taken.

We exchanged looks. Seeing that none of us were seriously injured, I finally relaxed. I scratched my singed hair and said, “It seems we have broken through the Twin Dragon Cutting Yin Formation. Next is the ultimate goal of our journey.”

Upon hearing this, the others nodded. Big Dog asked, “Brother Liu, shouldn’t we just leave? Do you have other matters here?”

I nodded, patting Big Dog’s shoulder. “Yes, there’s one more thing. But we’re here to save a life, so we have no choice. Big Dog, it’s safer for you to stay close to me. That Headless Ghost will probably come after you again. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought you into the tomb to take such a risk.”

Big Dog was stunned for a moment. Putting my words together, he thought maybe Brother Liu brought him along because he knew the Headless Ghost would target him. That would explain why, earlier, when Brother Liu was breaking the sixth rune, the Headless Ghost suddenly grabbed Big Dog, intending to kill him.

But seeing Brother Liu breaking the formation, it released Big Dog and went after Brother Liu instead. So, in a way, Big Dog felt he had become a burden.

Feeling guilty, Big Dog quietly approached me, lowered his head, and whispered, “Brother Liu, I’m sorry for holding you back.”

Li Kun and Xu Tian were a bit confused by this, but I patted Big Dog’s arm and said, “It’s not your fault. That Headless Ghost is to blame. It must be working for that Evil Immortal, which is why it targeted me.”

Hearing this, Li Kun and Xu Tian finally understood. I began explaining the situation in the tomb, and after some thought, they fully grasped it.

I turned to the others and said, “The danger ahead will be the greatest yet. Compared to what’s coming, those two red-haired corpse fiends earlier were mere child’s play. But we cannot give up.”

Li Kun nodded firmly. “Brother Liu’s right. Our mission isn’t just to liberate the ancestors of Goutou Village, but to contribute to our country. Once we return, our names will be immortalized.”

Xu Tian smiled and agreed. “From now on, we must be prepared to risk everything. That Evil Immortal has surely discovered we destroyed three formations, but she probably doesn’t know we’ve taken care of the red-haired corpse fiends.

This is our chance to find the Good Immortal. If we meet her first, we’ll have a chance to leave safely. But if the Evil Immortal finds us first, we must be ready to embrace death with honor.”

Li Kun stepped forward, patting his chest. “Leave that to me, Old Liu. You two go ahead without worry. I’ll cover the rear.”

I scoffed. “Don’t speak so defeatist. We haven’t even started the next step. And you’re already talking about covering the rear? Not so fast. The Soul-Cleaving Blade in my hand isn’t just for show. Even if the Fox Spirit shows up, I’ll carve her into pieces.”

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Hearing that, everyone shivered. Li Kun quipped, “Old Liu, I think in your past life you must have been an executioner. Otherwise, how else could your beheading skills get so sharp?”

I punched Li Kun lightly. “Hey, cut it out. Now you’re mocking me too.”

Xu Tian laughed heartily. “Old Li, that’s no mockery. That’s high praise.”

The oppressive atmosphere in the tomb vanished with our laughter. After this light-hearted moment, the four of us were filled with renewed energy.

I glanced down the corridor and said, “Next, we’ll start searching for the Good Immortal. Let’s take a moment to drink some water and get ready.”

Everyone nodded. Li Kun and Xu Tian pulled some food and water from their packs. We quickly ate a few bites and began packing up.

Once ready, I looked toward the corridor ahead. “Let’s move out.”

With that, the four of us slowly made our way back down the passage.

Not long after, we reached the fork we had passed earlier upon entering.

Looking at the sky-blue stone bricks and flickering firelight inside the corridor, I nodded to the others and stepped inside.

The corridor was over three meters wide, with dragon-head candle holders lining the upper sides.

After about ten minutes, we spotted a pair of large wooden double doors on the left.

Li Kun exchanged a glance with me and said, “Old Liu, I feel like I’ve seen the material of this door before.”

I nodded. “We have. The coffin in the general’s tomb was made from this same material.”

Li Kun recalled suddenly, “Is this golden-thread nanmu wood?”

I confirmed. Xu Tian added, “Looks like there’s something special behind these doors. Should we keep moving forward or check it out first?”

Li Kun said, “Why move forward? We’ve come this far; we must see what’s inside. After all, the door’s made of golden-thread nanmu. The contents won’t be simple.”

I nodded in agreement. “I agree with Old Li. Since we’re here, we might as well look. If there’s anything valuable, we’ll take it. That way, our trip won’t be in vain.”

Li Kun clapped his hands. “Exactly! Let’s go check it out.”

I nodded and stood behind the door, inspecting it. “The door opens outward. Old Li, cover me.”

Li Kun’s expression grew serious, almost like we were back on a military mission. He raised his Type 87 rifle and positioned himself at the side of the door.

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Li Kun said, “Position two is set.”

I said, “Position one ready to open. Three, two, one—open.”

As I pulled the door open, Li Kun raised his rifle and charged inside. I quickly followed, weapon ready.

Xu Tian looked on enviously at Li Kun and me. He had once dreamed of joining the military to gain experience, but with his father often away and the family business unattended, he had no choice but to start studying antiques and business from a young age.

Once inside, we placed our flashlights on the side of our rifles and scanned the room. Suddenly, the lights inside the chamber flickered on.

Li Kun glanced to the right. “Right side is clear.”

I swept the left side. “Left side is clear. No enemies inside.”

“Understood.”

We began examining the room.

Three neat rows of display racks stood inside, each holding numerous books.

On the floor beside the third row was a line of enormous bronze urns.

Seeing these bronze urns, Xu Tian’s interest was piqued. Without even glancing at the books, he hurried to the urns.

He crouched and wiped the dust off one, then began inspecting it closely.

Li Kun stood behind Xu Tian, eyeing the large urns. Even the smallest was over a meter tall, each remarkably huge.

After a moment, Xu Tian was clearly astonished. He beckoned Li Kun over. “Old Li, come help me!”

Li Kun’s voice trembled slightly as he carefully grasped the top of an urn to tilt it. “Wow, this thing’s heavy! Old Xu, could this big urn be some valuable treasure?”

—End of excerpt from Volume 3, Fox Spirit Tomb, Chapter 49: The Mysterious Room—