After Ye Qiu shattered the bronze immortal gate with a single punch, a dark, shadowy entrance appeared.
Ye Qiu approached the entrance, peered down, and saw a staircase leading straight into the ground.
It was impossible to see the bottom.
“Get ready, we’ll enter the tomb shortly,” Ye Qiu said.
Tang Fei quickly responded, “I’ll bring a few soldiers to go in with you.”
Master Longbrow said, “Tang Fei, you shouldn’t go in. This tomb is full of strange dangers, and there will surely be risks below.”
Tang Fei replied, “It’s precisely because it’s dangerous that I’ve decided to go in. An extra person means extra support.”
Master Longbrow smirked, “For ordinary dangers, the lad and I can handle them. If it’s something even we can’t deal with, you going in would only cause trouble.”
Tang Fei was left speechless by the retort.
Ye Qiu thought for a moment and said, “Old Tang, come with us, but no need to bring anyone else.”
“Alright,” Tang Fei nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Uncle Guardmountain stepped forward and said, “Mr. Ye, please allow me to enter the tomb with you. If we encounter danger, I can protect Chief Tang.”
Uncle Guardmountain knew the tomb might hold dangers, which was exactly why he decided to go with Ye Qiu. Only by doing so could he build a closer relationship with him.
Ye Qiu wasn’t comfortable leaving Uncle Guardmountain on the surface. This old man had the strength of a Dragon List warrior. If they went down and he took the chance to slip away, the soldiers wouldn’t be able to stop him.
“Fine, you come with us into the tomb. Your main task is to ensure Old Tang’s safety.”
Ye Qiu said sternly to Uncle Guardmountain, “Old man, let me be clear: if we come out safely, your protection of Old Tang will count as atonement for your past mistakes, and they’ll be wiped clean. But if you fail to protect him, I won’t let you off.”
Uncle Guardmountain swore earnestly, “Mr. Ye, rest assured, I will protect Chief Tang with my life.”
“I hope you keep your word.”
Afterwards, the group made preparations.
Five minutes later, they began entering the tomb.
“Captain Qin, the surface is in your hands. Be careful,” Tang Fei instructed Qin Feng.
Qin Feng replied, “Chief, don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control.”
“Alright,” Tang Fei nodded.
Before entering the tomb, Master Longbrow pulled two talismans from his pocket and handed them to Tang Fei and Uncle Guardmountain.
“I’m worried there might be corpse poison in the tomb. To be safe, keep these talismans in your mouths; they will protect you from the poison,” Master Longbrow said.
“Thank you, Master,” Tang Fei quickly put the talisman in his mouth, frowning slightly.
Uncle Guardmountain also put the talisman in his mouth, then muttered, “It smells strongly of sweat.”
Whoosh!
Master Longbrow turned his head, glaring coldly at Uncle Guardmountain, and snapped, “If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute. Say another word, and this Taoist will blast you with a thunder talisman.”
Uncle Guardmountain shrank back in fear and quickly shut his mouth.
“Old man, how long has it been since you bathed?” Ye Qiu asked casually.
Master Longbrow replied, “Not long, almost a month.”
At this, Tang Fei and Uncle Guardmountain felt a wave of nausea, nearly spitting out the talismans.
“Into the tomb,” Ye Qiu took the lead, descending first.
Tang Fei, Uncle Guardmountain, and Master Longbrow followed closely behind.
As soon as the four entered the tomb, a strong musty smell hit them, causing Tang Fei to cough.
They walked down the staircase, continuing downward.
Tang Fei and Uncle Guardmountain held torches, and with the light, they could see their surroundings.
The steps were made of bluestone, three feet long and one foot wide, each step intricately carved with dragon patterns.
“Dragon-patterned steps,” Master Longbrow’s expression shifted slightly.
“Is there something special about them?” Ye Qiu asked.
Master Longbrow explained, “In ancient times, dragons symbolised emperors, who called themselves the True Dragon Sons of Heaven. Whether it was an official’s tomb or an ordinary citizen’s grave, dragon-patterned steps were forbidden. Yet this tomb has them, which suggests it might be an imperial mausoleum.”
An imperial mausoleum!
Tang Fei and Uncle Guardmountain were stunned.
Uncle Guardmountain asked, “Master, if it really is an imperial mausoleum, would there be many treasures inside?”
Smack!
Master Longbrow slapped Uncle Guardmountain on the forehead and scolded, “You useless thing! I warn you, even if there are treasures inside, you can’t take them. That would be a crime.”
Tang Fei added, “The Master is right. Everything in the tomb is an artefact, and private individuals are not allowed to excavate or take them.”
Uncle Guardmountain said, “Don’t national archaeological teams dig up many tombs? Why can’t ordinary people like us do it?”
“Is that the same?” Tang Fei replied, “Archaeological teams are state departments. They excavate tombs to protect artefacts, and they need multiple levels of approval beforehand…”
Uncle Guardmountain interrupted, “In the end, isn’t it still tomb-robbing?”
“It’s not the same,” Master Longbrow said. “They’re state-sponsored tomb-robbers.”
Uncle Guardmountain was stunned.
A moment later, he turned to Master Longbrow, gave a thumbs-up, and flattered, “As expected of the leader of Dragon Tiger Mountain, you hit the nail on the head.”
Heh heh…
Master Longbrow loved being flattered, his face blooming with a smile like a chrysanthemum in full bloom.
Smack!
Suddenly, Master Longbrow slapped Uncle Guardmountain on the forehead again.
Uncle Guardmountain clutched his head, bewildered, and asked, “Master, why did you hit me?”
“It’s your fault for interrupting my train of thought! I wasn’t done speaking,” Master Longbrow said. “Based on the dragon-patterned steps, I deduce that even if this isn’t an imperial mausoleum, the tomb’s owner must be related to an emperor, like an emperor’s son, wife, or brother. In short, this tomb is extraordinary.”
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes.
Obviously, even a fool could tell this tomb was extraordinary!
The four continued down the steps, walking for a while before reaching the end.
Uncle Guardmountain said, “I counted just now, there are three hundred and sixty-five steps. Master, does this number hold any special meaning?”
Master Longbrow replied, “I don’t know if it has any special meaning, but I do know normal people don’t count steps. It only proves one thing: you’re full and have nothing better to do.”
Uncle Guardmountain: “???”
After descending three hundred and sixty-five steps, they faced a bronze door.
This bronze door was smaller than the bronze immortal gate they saw outside, one metre wide and two metres tall.
“I’ll look for a mechanism,” Master Longbrow said.
But before he could act, Ye Qiu smashed a fist into the bronze door, prompting a quick shout, “Lad, don’t be reckless…”
Boom!
A loud crash.
The bronze door was shattered by Ye Qiu’s punch.
Tang Fei shone his torch inside, and instantly, a look of terror appeared on his face.
