Chapter 10, Exploring the Tombs

Upon witnessing such a scene, our first reaction was that tomb raiders must have been here; otherwise, this tomb chamber could not be in such disarray. However, conversely, this is indeed excellent news for us. Since there are tomb raiders, there must be an escape route. "Haha, we are saved!" I hurriedly searched everywhere, hoping to find the location of the tunnel. Finally, following the direction of the water flow, I discovered several pried-up floor tiles in a dark corner, along with a large hole that let in a cool breeze. Since there are tomb raiders, there must be an escape route. "Haha, we are saved!" I hurriedly searched everywhere, hoping to find the location of the tunnel. Finally, following the direction of the water flow, I discovered several pried-up floor tiles in a dark corner, along with a large hole that let in a cool breeze.

Ah? At that moment, I realized I had lost my composure and quickly helped Wang Yuqing up. It was quite embarrassing, but thinking about how Wang Yuqing fainted for no apparent reason and the strange arching in the tomb, I hurriedly asked, "Miss, how could you faint out of the blue, and what exactly is in that tomb?"

"Indeed, indeed, Brother Lu, just say it?" Even the usually silent Fat Girl spoke up, and with the addition of the term "Brother," Lu Fei no longer put on airs. He organized his thoughts and began to explain, "The State of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period was primarily located in what is now the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and did not include present-day Fujian Province. Ancient emperors and generals would absolutely not bury their tombs in the territory of other countries, so the character 'Yue' on this mural and the State of Yue of King Goujian should not have a direct connection. Since this tomb is in Fujian, I estimate that this 'Yue' is not the same as that 'Yue,' and should refer to the later Minyue state in history." Ancient emperors and generals would absolutely not bury their tombs in the territory of other countries, so the character 'Yue' on this mural and the State of Yue of King Goujian should not have a direct connection. Since this tomb is in Fujian, I estimate that this 'Yue' is not the same as that 'Yue,' and should refer to the later Minyue state in history.

Who is that brother? Do not be too envious

Damn it, nerd, can't you just say it all at once? If you keep putting on airs, do you believe I won't beat you up!

Luffy nodded and said, "I feel the same way, so we must continue to observe this mural."

"As Wang Yuqing said, this time I looked closely; it is not a giant turtle at all. It turns out that the floor of this tomb chamber is actually raised upwards, forming the shape of a turtle shell. Coupled with the patterns of the bricks, at first glance, it really does resemble a gigantic turtle," Lu Fei said excitedly. "This method of constructing a tomb chamber is something I have never seen before." Lu Fei had encountered many tombs with his mentor, but he had never seen such a peculiar tomb chamber.

I kept muttering to myself, although I am not a history major, I do understand a bit of historical knowledge. I have heard the story of King Goujian of Yue who endured hardships and tasted bitterness, and I know that the State of Yue was a powerful nation during the Spring and Autumn period, but it was only a fleeting moment before being destroyed by the State of Chu. However, the time frame I am referring to regarding the State of Yue seems to not align with what Lu Fei mentioned about the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, so I curiously asked: "Bookworm, what is this Yue? Could it be the Yue state of King Goujian?"

Several individuals passed through the tomb gate one after another and entered the tomb chamber. I noticed that there were snake lamps on the walls of the tomb chamber, so I hurriedly lit one. However, when the lamp illuminated, the scene before us left us astonished; the entire tomb chamber was in disarray, utterly chaotic. Moreover, the coffin, positioned at the highest point in the center of the tomb chamber, appeared to have been opened, with the coffin lid ruthlessly discarded to the side.

Wow, I never expected that my first time entering an ancient tomb would be a royal mausoleum. If this gets out, won't my roommates be envious to death? The chubby girl became excited upon hearing Lu Fei's words, her mind filled with fanciful thoughts

I organized my thoughts and poured out my analysis. Consider this: in ancient times, there was a strong emphasis on social status and matching families, and marriage had to be formal and legitimate. However, looking at this mural, it seems that Wu Zhu saved this woman on the battlefield, and then she offered herself to him. According to the ancient rites, a woman of such status could only be a concubine and not a wife. Now, looking at the third mural, who are these two additional women? They do not appear to be very happy. I suspect one is Wu Zhu's mother, and the other is likely his first wife. They must oppose Wu Zhu being with this woman, likely because of her lowly status. According to the ancient rites, a woman of such status could only be a concubine and not a wife. Therefore, I conclude that this woman should be Wu Zhu's secondary wife or perhaps an unacknowledged mistress.

The three of us quickly gathered closer to examine it carefully; it seemed that in this corner there was a depiction of a toppled battle flag, with only a blurred half-character on it, which appeared to be an ancient character and was difficult to discern. Seeing that we were puzzled, Lu Fei smiled and said, "Don't you think this character looks a lot like the character for 'Qin'?"

The door was pushed open little by little, but just as I had not yet seen what was behind the door, I suddenly heard a shrill scream from behind me: "Yuqing, what happened to you? Don't scare me!"

The first mural depicts a magnificent battlefield, where countless soldiers are engaged in fierce combat. The most prominent figure is a general riding on horseback. He is stationed at the center of the army, commanding his troops to fight valiantly. Behind him, there is a large flag, on which an ancient character seems to be inscribed in seal script. As for what the character is, I truly cannot discern.

Luffy, you have the most extensive knowledge of history here, so please share your thoughts, and everyone can refer to it! Wang Yuqing also studies history and archaeology, so she is naturally very interested in such matters

Then how do you know it is Wu Zhu, and not another king of Minyue? Wang Yuqing raised a very pointed question

Oh! Is that so? I took out the compass, but found no anomalies. Instead, the faint aura of阴气 that originally seemed almost imperceptible on Wang Yuqing was now much more pronounced.

"Beautiful girl, you are awake!" I exclaimed with joy. Wang Yuqing's face turned bright red as she struggled to free herself from my embrace, shyly saying, "Could you please not hold me so tightly? It hurts me."

Before long, we arrived at the entrance of the main tomb chamber, following the passage from the burial tunnel. A heavy solid wood door was sealed tightly, and in front of it was a copper lock that had rusted beyond recognition. The red paint on the door had nearly all peeled off, leaving only a thick layer of dust. One thing was certain: no one had entered this tomb chamber since it was sealed. Surprisingly, there were small holes on both sides of the door. Initially thought to be holes made by tomb robbers, a closer inspection revealed that these holes were very neatly constructed and relatively narrow, making it impossible for a person to crawl through. They did not resemble robbery holes; rather, they seemed to be intentionally made. Moreover, the water seeping through the walls had flowed into the tomb chamber through these two small holes, and this peculiar design was truly perplexing.

The second mural is a continuation of the first, yet the style has changed significantly. Although it still depicts a battlefield, the main characters have transformed into two: one is the same general, while the other is a woman. From my perspective, it is likely that this general rescued a woman affected by the war on the battlefield.

We inadvertently stumbled into an ancient tomb filled with "snakes". Although this tomb is not large in scale, it is peculiar in every aspect, especially the shapes of the snakes, which are truly baffling.

The third painting depicts a scene of showing affection, but the main characters have changed to four individuals. In addition to the male and female protagonists in the front, there are also two elegantly dressed women pointing and commenting on the couple.

"I don't think this is a royal tomb," Wang Yuqing shook her head and said, "Although this tomb is somewhat grand, it is still far from being comparable to a royal tomb. Moreover, we have not seen any symbols of royal authority, such as patterns of dragons and phoenixes."

"How can we know if we don't go? Let's take a look at the main tomb chamber; perhaps Wu Zhu will give us a backdoor access." I don't even believe what I'm saying, but there's no other way forward at this moment

What happened? I asked the chubby girl, but she kept shaking her head, hesitating as she said, "I... I don't know either. Yuqing suddenly fainted, and I really don't know what happened."

Wang Yuqing rubbed her temples and said, "I don't know why I fainted either. When you opened the tomb door, I felt something hit me, and then everything went dark in front of my eyes. As for the strange bulge in the tomb chamber, I'm not very clear about it; it was quite vague in my dream. I only know that it was a protrusion from the ground, resembling a turtle's back, and it was definitely not some kind of monster"

As soon as Luffy said this, it immediately piqued our curiosity, and we seemed to completely forget that we were looking for a way out. Each person was intently gazing at the murals on the wall, examining them one by one. The murals were divided into sections, meaning that each mural illustrated a specific event.

At this moment, our feelings were a mix of joy and disappointment. The joy stemmed from the fact that this tomb door had never been opened, suggesting that there might be a wealth of burial goods inside. The disappointment arose from the diminishing hope of finding a way out. The main burial chamber is generally the most central part of the ancient tomb, and theoretically, it should not have an exit. However, given the circumstances, we decided to take a chance. I took out the cold blade and gently pried it open; this millennium-old broken lock was easily dealt with by me

"Luffy, why are you decorating so many snakes? Could it be that this is a snake den?" The chubby girl's words were quite frightening, but they were by no means an exaggeration; otherwise, how could one explain the decoration of so many snakes

There is a certain connection, but it is not entirely correct! Luffy paused after saying a sentence, deliberately keeping us in suspense, looking at us with a smug expression. That gaze clearly conveyed the message, "Beg me, and I will tell you!"

Minyue Kingdom? The three of us read these three characters with a sense of partial understanding.

Lu Fei glanced at us and said with a smile, "What you may not know is that after Wu Zhu's death, the Minyue Kingdom split apart. By the time of Emperor Wu of Han, he could not tolerate the growing power of the regional authorities in the remote areas. He dispatched four armies totaling several hundred thousand troops to swiftly pacify Minyue. Do you think there is any other Minyue king besides Wu Zhu who has such great achievements that could be depicted in this mural? Moreover, look here." Lu Fei pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the mural. Moreover, look here." Lu Fei pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the mural.

Wang Yuqing stood up stubbornly, forcing a smile as she said, "I am not as weak as you think, let's go!"

Seeing Wang Yuqing able to walk, I felt relieved. However, I still had Fat Girl assist Wang Yuqing. If it weren't for the principle of propriety between men and women, I would have taken the initiative to help her myself

I slowly placed my hands on the door, took a deep breath, and pushed with all my strength. To my surprise, this seemingly heavy door could still be moved. "Creak, creak." The door to this tomb, sealed for a thousand years, was opened once again

"Little third party?" Wang Yuqing seemed to have come to a realization, "No wonder this tomb is grand in scale yet lacks any symbols of royal authority. Little trickster, what you said this time seems quite reasonable."

Cut it out! In response to my obnoxious show-off behavior, the three of them simultaneously displayed their disdain, leaving me feeling embarrassed for quite a while

Ah," I sighed, "how tragic it is that this unworthy one can also be considered a sentimental being. Since ancient times, those who are sentimental have only been left with lingering regrets, and this regret is endless and unceasing!

I casually remarked, "I think it should be the concubine of Wu Zhu buried here!" My words were bold and unrestrained, yet they did not fully agree with my confident assertion. Wang Yuqing, feeling unconvinced, asked, "How do you know it is a concubine?"

Can you still walk? Beautiful lady? I asked Wang Yuqing attentively

In the fourth painting, a man is seen weeping while holding a baby at a grave. Upon seeing this, we all understand who is buried in this tomb; it is likely the wife of Wu Zhu.

I was taken aback and quickly turned around to see Wang Yuqing collapsed helplessly on the ground, while the chubby girl looked panicked and didn't know what to do. I couldn't care less about what was inside the room; even if there were a mountain of gold, I wouldn't have minded. I rushed a few steps to Wang Yuqing's side and helped her up, noticing that her face was pale, her eyes tightly shut, and she was sweating profusely.

"If we go further, we will reach the main burial chamber. Little trickster, do you really think there is an exit in the chamber?" Wang Yuqing asked somewhat dejectedly, as she felt that this possibility was very slim.

"When are you going to stop pretending to be a romantic hero?" Wang Yuqing shot me a glance and said, "First, let's think about how we can get out of here"

"That is not a turtle, but rather a raised area on the floor of a tomb!" Wang Yuqing, who had been in my arms, murmured as she woke up at some point.

Luffy pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said: "Well, let me put it this way, this is Fujian, also known as Min. Do you know the origin of the character 'Min'? In ancient times, the Min people worshipped snakes as totems, often keeping snakes in their homes, which is why the character 'Min' was created. Since it is a totem worship, the numerous snake patterns here are not difficult to explain. However, as for the specific time period of the tomb and whose tomb it is, it is likely to take some effort to figure out. Large ancient tombs generally have epitaphs, and by examining the content of the epitaphs, it is usually easy to determine the details. However, it seems we have not discovered any epitaphs, so we cannot tell at the moment. But perhaps after looking at the murals, it will become clear, as the murals in ancient tombs are generally related to the identity of the tomb owner, and they usually contain a wealth of information."

"What a monster!" A startled exclamation came from Lu Fei behind, "Could it be that someone is raising a giant turtle inside?" Lu Fei asked in fear

Listening to his explanation, it indeed resembles it, and the more I look at it, the more it resembles it. If this character is Qin, then the figure described in the mural should be the Minyue King Wu Zhu mentioned by Lu Fei

Wang Yuqing's words brought everyone's spirits down. Noticing the atmosphere was off, I cleared my throat twice and said, "There is no need to be so pessimistic; there is always a way out, and perhaps the exit is just ahead."

Luffy adjusted his glasses habitually and said with a smile, "Where do you find someone like you asking for help? If you force me, I simply won't say anything!"

What is it that causes them to display such expressions? I couldn't help but approach to take a look...

The primary objective of the three of them was not to search for a hidden entrance, but rather to head straight for the coffin that had already been opened. This does not imply that they were greedy, but rather reflects a professional habit. When their gazes were fixed on the coffin, I could discern an expression of incredulity in their eyes.

Yes, it should be the Minyue Kingdom," Lu Fei paused and continued, "Minyue was a small state in the southeastern region during the late Qin and early Han dynasties. After the State of Chu destroyed Yue in 334 BC, the remnants of Yue retreated to Fujian, where they established a kingdom under the leadership of Wu Zhu, who is recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian" as the king of the Minyue Kingdom. At the end of the Qin dynasty, King Wu Zhu of Minyue led the Min soldiers to participate in the great uprising against the Qin, and subsequently took part in the wars of Han Gaozu Liu Bang against the Chu overlord Xiang Yu, achieving remarkable military accomplishments. In 202 BC, Liu Bang ascended to the throne and reinstated Wu Zhu as the king of Minyue, thus making Wu Zhu the founding monarch of the Minyue Kingdom. I believe this mural depicts the scenes of Wu Zhu in battle." Lu Fei spoke with solid evidence, as if reciting from a history book, clearly stating even the specific years, and one cannot help but acknowledge that this young man is indeed a scholar.

I turned around and indeed saw a large oval object resembling a turtle inside the wooden door. Due to insufficient light, I could not see it clearly and did not know what it was

"It is the character '越'!" Lu Fei recited without a moment's hesitation