Chapter Nine, The Serpent's Tomb

"That is not a snake; it should be a snake-shaped wall lamp!" Wang Yuqing said in a very assertive tone, as if she already knew it in advance

As soon as I heard it, I was unconvinced, "What do you mean by guessing correctly? This is my skill, do you understand?"

Just as we were rejoicing at finding a way out, that unreliable flashlight began to flicker, its light growing dimmer and dimmer, and with a "pop," our world was suddenly plunged into darkness

Seeing their worries, frustrations, and anxieties, I jokingly said: "What’s wrong with you all? Don’t forget that I, the master, am here. If there are any malevolent forces, with the Frost Soul in my hand, I can surely make them flee in terror. Let’s not overthink it; let’s continue searching for a way out, shall we?"

"That may not be the case," I cannot agree with Luffy's statement. In terms of archaeological knowledge, I admit I am not as knowledgeable as he is, but when it comes to survival, I can guarantee that even ten Luffys would not compare to me. "Bookworm, do not be too pessimistic. Have you not noticed that the fire on the snake lamp is burning quite brightly?"

You see, this carving technique is primarily based on intaglio, with clear and smooth lines depicting the objects, and the figures are vividly and accurately shaped. Accompanied by shallow relief, the colors are bold and bright. Furthermore, the clothing styles of the figures in the murals are wide and thick, all characteristic of the Qin and Han dynasties. In your portrayal of this figure's facial expression, is it not somewhat similar to that of the Terracotta Warriors from the tomb of Qin Shi Huang? Looking at Lu Fei's smug expression, I really don't know if he is trying to fool us, but what he said seems quite reasonable.

The closer one gets to the tomb chamber, the fewer the serpentine patterns become, replaced instead by murals depicting figures. However, due to the passage of time and the damp, ventilated conditions here, the original paintings have become severely faded. Upon seeing these murals, Lu Fei's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Do you know? This ancient tomb has at least a history of two thousand years. I estimate it should date back to the late Qin and early Han dynasties". Lu Fei was so delighted that he momentarily forgot his own surname

"Wind?" They all thought I had been knocked silly by a brick, each of them looking at one another, as if no one besides me felt the presence of the wind. Lu Fei asked in surprise, "Little liar, have you been knocked silly? Where is the wind here?"

Luffy did not hesitate and immediately handed me the lighter. I clicked it open and brought the flame close to the snake's mouth. To my surprise, the fuel inside actually ignited, and a cluster of flames began to burn on the snake's tongue, appearing from a distance like the flames spewed by the snake, giving off an eerie sensation.

Snake, there is a snake on the wall! Normal people feel disgust and fear towards those long, twisting snakes, and I am no exception. Therefore, upon seeing that thing, I appeared extremely terrified and completely flustered

Ah! A sharp scream rang out, and without needing to ask, such a loud voice could only belong to the chubby girl.

I looked at Luffy in surprise and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Luffy looked around, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and nodded as he said: "It seems that the little trickster really guessed it right; this is very likely an ancient tomb, and this passage should lead to the tomb chamber."

Luffy forced a smile for a moment, "This ancient tomb has a history of at least several hundred years. Normally, the earth sealing the tomb entrance should be several meters thick, and it could even be tens of meters. We are not pangolins; we cannot dig our way out. I think the possibility of the four of us getting out alive is very slim"

Although my words may not serve as a calming reassurance, they did manage to divert their attention. A group of people, guided by instinct, walked along the tomb passage for a while, only to find a massive stone door blocking their way. This stone door is a single massive boulder, weighing at least several thousand pounds. It seems that this boulder is intended to seal the entrance of the tomb passage. It appears impossible to exit through the tomb passage. Undeterred, I pushed against the stone door, but it did not budge; such a massive stone is beyond my ability to move. Lu Fei walked over and patted me on the shoulder, saying, "Little trickster, you might as well not waste your effort. Even if you could push this boulder open, we still wouldn't be able to get out"

"Snake lamp? Fire?" Lu Fei did not understand what I meant by this, "What does this have to do with going out?"

Hearing my call, everyone's desire to survive was ignited, and they almost instantly surrounded me. "Really, this stone brick is truly loose," Lu Fei exclaimed excitedly while touching the stone brick, his voice trembling incessantly.

It is true, and I don't know what is going on. Recently, I have been having the same dream repeatedly. In the dream, I often come here, with serpentine tomb lamps, serpentine patterns, and..." Wang Yuqing hesitated, almost driving us crazy.

In the dream? Wang Yuqing's response surprised the three of us greatly; was this not a joke?

"Could it be a ghost?" The chubby girl's expression changed dramatically, clearly frightened by her own words

A few days ago, the dormitory kept experiencing power outages for no apparent reason, so I specifically bought a candle to use, carrying it with me at all times. I never expected it would come in handy today! Oh no! Just as the flame of the lighter disappeared, Lu Fei suddenly cried out in pain, which truly startled us.

As I walked and looked around, I felt something strange in the surroundings. Following the wall with my gaze, it seemed as if there was a dark shadow. I walked closer and squinted to take a look, and was immediately startled, retreating several steps. The others were also taken aback by my reaction and hurriedly asked me what I had seen.

Hmm? We were all quite surprised, considering that I had only taken a vague glance. Why was Wang Yuqing so certain? Filled with doubt, I mustered my courage and leaned in for a closer look. Indeed, as Wang Yuqing had said, it was a sculpture. The ancient artist's carving skills were truly remarkable, making the statue appear lifelike, almost like a real snake. Especially the head of the snake, which had a fierce, biting expression, and even the forked tongue was not omitted. With lingering doubt, I bravely leaned in for a closer inspection, and it was indeed as Wang Yuqing had described; it was a sculpture. The ancient artist's craftsmanship was exceptional, rendering the statue so vividly that it resembled a real snake. The head of the snake, in particular, had a menacing, biting posture, and even the forked tongue was not overlooked. The mouth of the snake was hollow, and for some unknown reason, I felt an inexplicable urge to reach inside and touch it. My intuition told me that I should give it a try.

The light from the lighter is very dim, and it is difficult to see anything clearly even at a slight distance. However, by the faint light of the lighter, I can vaguely sense that we are in a passageway. This passageway is not very spacious, approximately two meters high and about one and a half meters wide. There are several areas of collapse around, and it is extremely damp, with a small amount of seepage on the walls. In the extremely quiet environment, the sound of water dripping onto the ground can be clearly heard

I pondered over Wang Yuqing's words. Although they sounded unreliable, I noticed a trace of ominous energy in her demeanor during the day. In retrospect, it is likely connected to this ancient tomb. However, I cannot yet comprehend the specifics of this connection.

Come here quickly, this stone tile seems to be loose

I said, "Fat girl, could you please not be so startled? At this point, without finding a way out, I might just be scared to death by you!" I was already feeling annoyed, and being startled by her like that made me unable to help but complain a few words.

What on earth is this, is it a good thing or a bad thing? I tightened my grip on the cold blade in my hand, secretly thinking, There is only one path ahead, regardless of whether it is a beautiful woman or a corpse, with the cold blade in hand, there is nothing to fear!

Time waits for no one. As soon as Lu Fei's lighter could ignite again, I did not hesitate to be the first to rush through. The moment I passed through, I felt as if I had fallen directly into an ice cave; a penetrating cold seeped through my skin and drilled straight into my bones. "Wow, is this place an ice cave? Why is it so cold?"

What else is there? Do speak up! I asked impatiently

The chubby girl suddenly asked timidly, "Lu Fei, don't you think this tomb is strange? Why are there snake patterns all over the tomb? Could it be that this is a snake den?"

Soon, the three of them also squeezed in, and their feelings were the same as mine: one word, cold! Two words, very cold! Three words, extremely cold! I really wanted to curse, it is so damn cold! We couldn't help but tighten the thin clothes on our bodies.

In the tomb passage, every few meters, there is a snake-shaped lamp on the wall. We decided to light up all the nearby snake lamps, and the entire tomb passage became clearly visible before our eyes. At that moment, I realized that not only the wall lamps were in the shape of snakes, but most of the decorations in the tomb passage were also related to snakes. The ceiling of the tomb passage was also carved with snakes, and the murals on both sides depicted numerous snakes. Even the floor tiles had snake patterns. The abundance of snake motifs can only indicate one thing: if the tomb owner did not have a particular fondness for snakes during their lifetime, then it signifies a special totemic worship of snakes.

Come on, everyone lend a hand, perhaps we can push it open! With the hope of survival, everyone was exceptionally invigorated. The strength of one person is insignificant, but with four people working together, especially driven by the desire to survive, each person performed beyond their usual capabilities. The hundreds of pounds of heavy stone bricks were truly pushed open by us with sheer effort. "Thud!" The pushed stone bricks rolled to the side, revealing a dark hole, and a gust of cold wind rushed in from the hole we had opened. Especially driven by the desire to survive, each person performed beyond their usual capabilities. The hundreds of pounds of heavy stone bricks were truly pushed open by us with sheer effort. "Thud!" The pushed stone bricks rolled to the side, revealing a dark hole, and a gust of cold wind rushed in from the hole we had opened

"How do you know that is a wall lamp? Have you been here before?" I asked tentatively.

Wang Yuqing said discontentedly, "Enough already, what time is it, still talking about these unproductive things? Even if we know this is an ancient tomb, can we make it out? Should we go left or right?"

A few people regained their confidence and followed the tomb passage towards the burial chamber. Along the way, there were several areas with severe collapses, and the number of places with water seepage was increasing. The seepage on the walls gathered into a small ditch beside the tomb passage, slowly flowing in the direction we were heading. Although the path ahead was difficult to traverse, there is always a way out in dire situations. We crawled and rolled, finally managing to pass through the most severely collapsed section.

At this moment, I finally understood why it was carved so intricately; it turned out that this snake's tongue served the purpose of a wick. Once the snake lamp was lit, the visibility in the entire tomb passage significantly improved, and the lighter could finally take a temporary retirement

"You are not just talking nonsense, how do you know when it is?" I chuckled.

Indeed, the fire is burning so fiercely, indicating that this is not a confined space, and the wind here is quite strong, suggesting that the air inlet is not small. Therefore, everyone should not be pessimistic; if this path is blocked, we shall take another route instead!" I pointed in another direction, which is the direction of the tomb.

The light from the lighter is very faint, yet in this completely dark world, it brings some comfort to our hearts. "Bookworm, you don't smoke, do you? How come you have a lighter on you?" I asked.

It's good that nothing is wrong! My heart is slightly at ease now; this is a critical moment, and even the slightest disturbance can cause our hearts to race.

"Do not be afraid, I am here with you, Miaomiao, hold my hand tightly!" Wang Yuqing encouraged, though she herself was also very scared inside, but she simply did not show it.

Wang Yuqing bit her lip and said, "There is also a woman in ancient costume wearing a red gauze dress!"

"Do you feel the wind?" I exclaimed excitedly

"How could I possibly have been here?" Wang Yuqing's expression became even more unnatural, resembling that of a little girl who had done something wrong. However, the more she acted this way, the more I began to doubt her, and even Lu Fei and the chubby girl cast suspicious glances at her.

"But, aren't people really scared?" A timid voice from the chubby girl emerged from the darkness

"Ah, no, no, no." At my question, Wang Yuqing appeared somewhat flustered and a bit incoherent

I took out the cold blade from my bosom and walked towards the direction where I felt the wind coming from. After just a few steps, I reached the end, only to find that the source of the wind I sensed was actually that seemingly indestructible stone wall. I carefully explored every part of the stone wall and indeed discovered that the originally seamless wall had cracked open a gap at some point. Excited, I inserted the cold blade into the gap and pried it a few times with force, then pushed it hard with my hand, faintly sensing that the stone bricks I had pried were slightly loose. I carefully explored every part of the stone wall and indeed discovered that the originally seamless wall had cracked open a gap at some point. Excited, I inserted the cold blade into the gap and pried it a few times with force, then pushed it hard with my hand, faintly sensing that the stone bricks I had pried were slightly loose.

"Little trickster, what are you doing?" Lu Fei looked at my actions in surprise, "If there are any traps or poisonous insects inside, your hand will be doomed!

We are currently situated between the tomb chamber and the tomb entrance, with darkness enveloping both ends, and we have no idea how long this passageway is. There is no choice but to randomly select a side and proceed cautiously. Having seen movies and read novels, we are aware that many ancient tombs contain traps, so we tread carefully with each step, uncertain if a hidden arrow might suddenly shoot out and claim our lives. However, after cautiously walking a short distance, we have not encountered any traps or mechanisms, suggesting that this is merely a relatively ordinary ancient tomb, unlike those royal mausoleums where one might encounter a pit every five steps or a trap every ten steps. Having seen movies and read novels, we are aware that many ancient tombs contain traps, so we tread carefully with each step, uncertain if a hidden arrow might suddenly shoot out and claim our lives. However, after cautiously walking a short distance, we have not encountered any traps or mechanisms, suggesting that this is merely a relatively ordinary ancient tomb, unlike those royal mausoleums where one might encounter a pit every five steps or a trap every ten steps

By the light of the wall lamp, I noticed that Wang Yuqing's complexion was not very good, and her eyes were occasionally darting around, as if she were restless. Moreover, her ability to foresee that it was a wall lamp and not a real snake made me suspect that she must know something. "Beautiful lady, your complexion does not seem well; is there something on your mind?"

"Bookworm, what happened? Is something wrong?" I asked nervously

Seeing the distrustful gazes of everyone, Wang Yuqing knew that if she did not speak up at this moment, it would lead to a lack of trust in her. Therefore, she mustered her courage and said: "Alright, since you want to know, I will tell you that I have indeed been here, but not in reality, rather in a dream"

Lu Fei's words startled me, causing me to immediately pull my hand back. However, I found that my hand had come into contact with a sticky substance. When I brought it to my nose to smell, it seemed to be something oily. At this point, I completely believed what Wang Yuqing had said; this must indeed be a wall lamp. I just didn't know if it could still be lit, so I turned to Lu Fei and shouted, "Bookworm, hand me your lighter!"

I understand! Wang Yuqing suddenly showed a look of joy, as if she had a brilliant idea, "Little trickster, are you suggesting that there is another way out here!"

This. Both Lu Fei and I were scolded by Wang Yuqing, and we both felt guilty. Is there a way out here? Even if there is a way out, where should we go?

Suddenly, a gust of cold wind surged out from the hole we had opened, the howling sound of the wind resembling a series of mournful wails. A strong sense of foreboding once again struck my mind, and the figure of the woman in ancient attire flashed through my thoughts once more

In the darkness, Luffy's voice emerged: "It's nothing, my hand got burned by the lighter for a moment. This lighter shouldn't be on for too long; a burned hand is a minor issue. If it stays on too long, it might even explode!"

Is there nothing? I calmed my mind and carefully sensed it. Whoosh! A slight flow of air brushed past my ear. Although it was not very obvious, I indeed felt it.

With a crisp sound of "ka-cha!", a glimmer of hope suddenly illuminated our prospects. We saw Lu Fei magically holding a lighter in his hand, grinning as he said: "Fortunately, I have a lighter; otherwise, we would all be blind with our eyes wide open!"