Chapter 8, The Ubiquitous Strange

At present, I truly lack the motivation to tidy up the house, but I am not well acquainted with Xue, which makes me feel somewhat hesitant. My initial thought was to spend a night at Xiaofeng's place, but now that Xue has suggested it, it seems that going or not going both present a dilemma.

This is something I discovered later, as Ning Huan's tunnel was dug into the wall of the side burial chamber, which means the location where we descended was already in the center of the tomb

Xiaofeng noticed my astonished gaze directed at him, and thus he explained that he would not turn into a zombie. He earnestly pleaded with me not to disclose what was about to happen to anyone, including Ye Cheng and the others above. I was puzzled as to why he insisted on this, and it was then that Xiaofeng revealed that he willingly allowed the zombie to bite him

Since I sincerely want to cover for Xiaofeng, I naturally will not disclose Xiaofeng's matters to Xue. Moreover, Xue is so intelligent that I will refrain from responding. As the saying goes, the more one speaks, the more one risks revealing the truth. The more one says, the more one exposes oneself, and I will not be foolish enough to reach that extent

At that moment, Xue suddenly stood up from the sofa, his eyes fixed on the corner of the wall, and asked me in his usual tone: "What is this thing?"

I nodded and said, "I have never seen one in person, but I have come across its introduction and images in some books. I believe it should be quite similar."

However, the corpse said something to Xiaofeng, yet Xiaofeng stubbornly refused to disclose it. Among the five of us, Xiaofeng and I share a particularly close relationship; I have always treated him like a biological brother, and naturally, I know him very well. His silence must be due to some deep-seated reasons, so I did not pursue the matter further. Moreover, after we arrived, I consistently covered for him until Xue brought this matter up again.

He turned his head to look at me and asked, "Do you recognize this thing?"

Xue is right; the coordination between Xiaofeng and me in the tomb was as if we were one person. Generally speaking, we would not separate, but that time, I don't know what Xiaofeng was thinking, as he actually suggested that we split up. He went towards the entrance of the ear chamber, while I headed towards the main burial chamber.

I cannot help but admire Xue's insight. I heard him say: "Ever since I entered your room, I felt that something was amiss; it turns out this object is the source of the disturbance"

Although Xiaofeng is slightly younger than I am, his experience in the field is by no means inferior to mine. Therefore, when he made this request, I was somewhat surprised, but I said nothing. I knew he would not make an unreasonable request

Therefore, when opening the dome, Ning Huan was very cautious. However, this tomb in Beigou was different. After he removed the bricks from the layer, he discovered that not only was there no "Fire Dragon" inside, but there wasn't even a wax layer. Moreover, based on his initial assessment when searching for the tomb, it was at least a Han tomb, and its scale was so large that it should have reached the level of a feudal lord. Thus, after he successfully created the theft hole, he was left with a face full of confusion and doubt, as well as a sense of bewilderment regarding the *illustration* and *book*. Furthermore, based on his initial assessment when searching for the tomb, it was at least a Han tomb, and its scale was so large that it should have reached the level of a feudal lord. Thus, after he successfully created the theft hole, he was left with a face full of confusion and doubt, as well as a sense of bewilderment regarding the *illustration* and *book*.

The situation at that time was as follows: Xiaofeng and I descended into the tomb. However, just as we entered, I felt a chilling and eerie sensation rushing towards me. The further we walked in, the more intense this feeling became. I asked Xiaofeng if he felt anything, but he seemed completely oblivious, merely shaking his head and looking at me.

I arrived alone and easily found the main burial chamber. In this empty chamber, it can be said that the main burial chamber is the only place where something happened. I only saw four chains extending down from the corners of the chamber, suspending a red and black wooden coffin in the center. The coffin was about one meter above the ground. At that time, I noticed that the ground was very damp, so I speculated that the coffin was placed this way primarily for moisture prevention.

As this thought just crossed my mind, I suddenly felt a chilling sensation run down my spine. I turned around abruptly and indeed saw a corpse with a completely decayed face silently standing behind me. I reached for the black donkey hoof and glutinous rice I had with me, but before I could throw them, the corpse turned and ran away with astonishing speed. I immediately thought of Xiaofeng still being in the tomb, so I chased after it. By the time I reached outside the tomb chamber, there was no trace of the corpse at all. I then headed towards the ear chamber, and when Xiaofeng saw my panicked expression, he looked quite surprised. I briefly explained the situation to him, and he said he had not seen the corpse I mentioned.

I immediately agreed. Xiaofeng told me that the corpse did not resemble a typical corpse; it was more like a living person. It could speak and had a clear thought process. Aside from the decay of its face and body, it was almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person

However, when I approached the wooden coffin, I changed my mind, for I saw the coffin lid suspended at the edge of the coffin, one end resting on a chain, and the body inside was already gone. Yet, from the condition inside, it was evident that a body had lain there; there was a clear human-shaped imprint on the corpse pad, which was clearly a mark left by the seepage of decomposed body fluids that had dried up. At that moment, I immediately realized that the body here had already risen.

He probably felt that this tomb appeared somewhat eerie, so when Xiaofeng and I were about to go down, he particularly reminded us to be extra cautious

Later, just when we had given up on the idea of going up, I noticed that Xiaofeng had been hiding his right hand, as if concealing something. At that moment, I thought he had found something he didn't want me to see. However, when I looked closer, I discovered a wound on his right wrist, and there were bite marks around the wound.

Xiaofeng originally intended to keep this from me; it was only after my questioning that he revealed it was bitten by a zombie inside. I know that once bitten by a zombie, the corpse poison will quickly spread through the bloodstream, and it won't be long before Xiaofeng himself becomes a zombie.

We were not deterred from the tomb by the sight of a corpse that had risen, so we returned to the main burial chamber, which still resembled what I had seen before. However, we searched the entire tomb and found no burial items, let alone any spirit vessels, and thereafter we did not see any trace of the risen corpse.

I was even more surprised; Xiaofeng is not the kind of person to act foolishly. However, despite my repeated inquiries, he refused to explain the reason. In the end, it seemed he could no longer endure it, and he said he would tell me why he did this, but on the condition that after we go up, we must say to Ye Cheng and the others, as well as to Ming Lao, that this is an empty tomb and we did not discover anything.

Recalling that time, I feel as if I have returned once again to that tomb. Indeed, as Xue said, I lied to everyone. The tomb beneath the northern ravine of Longtan Gorge is not an empty tomb; I did see some things inside, and I personally witnessed the corpse that had already risen.

I shared my observations from below with Xue, but I did not mention Xiaofeng. After I recounted some of the events, Xue simply remarked, "Xiaofeng's actions down there are quite unusual"

However, at that time, I heard him say that the opening of this tomb wall was somewhat simple, because generally for such large tombs, once the tamped earth layer is opened, there is a brick dome built inside. The dome and the tomb wall form a single unit, resembling a cover that encloses the tomb chamber within. Inside the brick layer, there is usually a layer of wax, sandwiched between the inner and outer brick layers and the books. Within the wax layer, there is something referred to as "Fire Dragon," which is a strong acid or strong alkali. When someone opens the tamped earth layer and forcefully pushes against the brick layer until it collapses, the wax layer behind the brick layer will rupture, and like a cover, it will enclose the tomb chamber inside. The strong acid or strong alkali will then pour out through the ruptured wax layer, incinerating those behind the brick layer into char.

We entered the tomb chamber through the passageway, and the side chamber was completely empty, with not even a trace of anything that had been placed inside, let alone any burial goods. Moreover, this tomb was not sealed at all, meaning there was no tombstone to ward off intruders; the tomb door was simply left open, covered only by the dome above.

Xue thought for a moment, probably recalling something, and then he looked at the mess in my room before saying, "Why don't you come stay at my place? It's already a complete mess here."

As he spoke, he had already reached the corner of the wall. I saw him crouch down and pick something up from the ground. I also approached him and saw that he was holding a small piece of something about the size of a thumb, resembling a fragment of plaster. However, upon a second glance, I was certain that this was not plaster, but rather a fragment of something that only exists in graves, and even in graves, it is rarely seen.

The layout of this tomb is quite similar to many others I have seen before. Although the walls of the burial chamber are insulated with rammed earth layers made from glutinous rice and the urine of young boys, Ning Huan generally carries vinegar with him. He is already very experienced in digging theft holes, and these are essential items before going underground