We rested briefly in the water channel, but soon had to resume our journey. The reason was our long-standing shortage of supplies. While one can survive for a dozen days by drinking water alone, maintaining combat readiness is essential in this eerie tomb. Fortunately, Zhao Min, though still unconscious, showed signs of improvement as the fever had subsided. Carried by Zhao Jun, we climbed out through the water channel and indeed returned to the smelting room I had passed earlier.
Upon hearing my description, Da Tou stood in front of the sealed archway, contemplating for a moment. Frowning, he remarked, "There might be treasures inside."
His words nearly made me spit out blood. I retorted, "Can you ease up a bit? Our fortune lies in making it out alive this time. Don't complicate things unnecessarily."
Surprisingly, he made a reasonable point, "Comrades, we have a spirit of exploration. Since we've risked our lives to come down here, we can't go back empty-handed. The dynamite we used earlier isn't depleted yet."
He began unpacking his backpack, taking out those blocks of "rubber clay" again. "Let's be cautious. We'll just make a small opening to have a peek. It's unlikely something like a mud loach demon will just crawl out."
I, too, felt a sense of curiosity. I wanted to uncover the secrets of what the Yushan group had sealed inside. Despite the rational part of me warning about potential danger, Da Tou's encouragement sparked my curiosity.
Zhao Jun seemed curious as well. He approached Da Tou and said, "Be careful."
My rational side chimed in, "Can you handle it?"
Da Tou pounded his chest loudly, "Rest assured, I'll show you what I've got when I act."
He used a knife to remove the black dog blood from the wall, made some gestures, and applied the rubber clay. Then, with a quick dash, he motioned for us to stand aside, explaining that the explosive was designed for vertical blasting. He pressed the detonator.
The dynamite from Dragon Mountain Pavilion was indeed impressive; its sound was minimal, resembling the firecrackers from childhood. With a "whoosh," the wall burst open, leaving a fist-deep dent, but it didn't go through.
Da Tou chuckled, "Well, blind man lighting a lamp, a waste of wax."
Although the wall didn't break, I felt a mixture of disappointment and relief. I thought, perhaps there's something dangerous inside, and it's better left untouched. As I was about to pull Da Tou away, a cracking sound came from the deepest part of the small pit. We all turned our heads simultaneously, and that section unexpectedly shattered on its own. Da Tou poked it with his knife, and the bottom fell out.
He looked bewildered, muttering, "Why does it feel like someone opened it for me?"
On the other side of the hole, it was pitch dark, and a cold breeze emanated. Da Tou wanted to reach in, but Zhao Jun stopped him, saying, "Damn, do you know what's in there? I don't want my arm anymore."
Da Tou grinned awkwardly, "Old habits die hard." Then, he turned to me, saying, "Your eyes are good; take a look."
I handed him a glow stick, saying, "Look for yourself."
I have a phobia of looking into small, dark spaces, fearing to encounter a staring eye. Da Tou took the glow stick and peered inside. However, due to the limited light, we couldn't see clearly. After fumbling for a while, he threw the glow stick inside.
With a soft "thud," it seemed to hit something. The glow stick bounced back and fell to the ground. Da Tou bent over and, with a strange expression, said, "Damn, it's really strange in there. Seems like there are many iron tombs."
"Iron tombs?" I asked.
Da Tou explained, "There's a cruel punishment outside the Great Wall. Because some ethnic groups believed that sealing a body in iron could trap the soul, preventing them from reincarnating. So, those who committed serious crimes were poured with molten iron before death, forming this lump of iron, known as an iron tomb. I happened to see one on the other side of Changbai Mountain a few years ago."
"That's too inhumane," I commented. Then I asked him, "Did you see clearly?"
Da Tou shook his head, "Your damn glow stick has too limited light. I can't see ghosts, but it seems like there are iron tombs inside. Too far away, couldn't be sure."
Zhao Jun asked, "Anything else?"
Da Tou looked disappointed, "All black and unclear. Take a look yourself."
Seeing him like this, I found it amusing. However, I consoled him, "It's okay; the hole you made still serves a purpose. At least, it exposes the hidden side of ancient decaying culture, stripping feudal superstition bare, and contributes to a great reform. In the past, you could be considered a Columbus under the grave."
Da Tou completely ignored my mockery, rolling his eyes. I couldn't help but chuckle. Looking at the hole Da Tou opened, it seemed like there was something inside staring at us, making it impossible to look directly.
Da Tou swallowed saliva, "I suggest a strategic retreat, everyone."
I had no mood to mock him further, nodding grimly. Zhao Jun carried Zhao Min, and we retraced our steps along the same route I had taken before. After passing through the low-thief hole, we arrived at the alley that Zhao Min and I had discovered earlier.
Continuing forward, judging by the size of this constructed alley, it should connect to the top of the mine. As long as we followed it, we could reunite with Hansheng and the others. However, the downside was that the brightness of our glow sticks had diminished significantly, and the chemical reaction was likely nearing its end. Also, I had checked Zhao Min's backpack, and although she had a flashlight, it seemed to have been damaged during the "gu" possession. We could only pray that the glow sticks would last until we reunited with Hansheng.
As we walked, we came across a crossroads. After estimating the direction, I pointed to the left passage and speculated, "Hansheng and the others should have come out from this entrance."
Da Tou took the glow stick and checked the other two paths. He reported back to us, "The opposite path likely leads to Fox Hu's lair. I saw deep wheel ruts on that route. Yushan should have transported the coffins from there. But, as Xiao Cao suggested, if something unexpected happened to Lao Wan and Hansheng, they probably didn't have time to judge the direction like we did. They just randomly picked a path, making their whereabouts unpredictable. What do you think?"
The current situation was giving me a headache. Whichever path we chose, without finding Hansheng and the others quickly, we were in danger. Losing illumination in this dark and sinister ancient tomb was terrifying.
Suddenly, Zhao Jun asked, "What do you think Boss and the others encountered here?"