I instinctively looked around, and the situation they encountered must be quite tricky; otherwise, with Hansheng's skill, it wouldn't be so difficult.
Dàtóu urged, "Regardless of the direction, we might as well take the path to the Fox Barbarian King's lair. I want to see what these Qing soldiers have dug up down there."
Zhàojūn looked at me. Although I knew this path would be challenging, I had no reason to persuade them to choose another one. I could only reluctantly agree.
Dàtóu's judgment was correct. There were indeed deep wheel marks on the ground, indicating the effort required to transport heavy loads. Moreover, we discovered some scratches on the wall, white marks about three fingers wide, appearing at intervals. They seemed to be the result of long-term scraping.
The three of us took turns carrying Zhàomǐn on our backs, with Dàtóu in the middle. As we walked, he suddenly exclaimed, puzzled, "Did you guys notice? Besides corpses, I haven't seen a single snake, insect, rat, or ant on this entire journey."
Zhàojūn, leading the way, also commented, "I've noticed that too."
The alley was very dark, and the fluorescent effect was fading. I could barely see them, following the glow, and said, "This is quite common. In ancient imperial palaces, to prevent insects, they often took measures such as adding a large amount of arsenic or mercury to the backfilled soil."
Dàtóu said, "No wonder. By the way, have you ever thought about how much treasure an old guy like the Fox Barbarian King would hoard in his tomb after death?"
I couldn't help but curse, "Your mind is full of treasures. Look at our current situation. Stop daydreaming."
Dàtóu snorted and said without turning back, "You don't understand. This lady is heavy, and I'm starving. I'm relying on this mental compensation to keep going. Don't talk cold words. You'll take your turn later."
After he said that, I suddenly regretted following them into this place. If I had walked out near the mine, maybe I would have been out by now.
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but get angry and deliberately provoke him, saying, "The Fox Barbarian King was obsessed with becoming immortal. Maybe he has already accepted the reality, and there's nothing in his tomb. Just a pile of dry bones and a dustpan."
"Ah!" Dàtóu, frustrated, said, "After working so hard to get in, if he's really poor, I'll set his tomb on fire."
"We're here!"
Zhàojūn, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. Dàtóu, thinking we reached the tomb, quickly approached, "Quick, go in and take a look."
Zhàojūn stopped him, "Be careful, there are steps in front. There should be a structure below, but I can't see it clearly."
Dàtóu put down Zhàomǐn and took the fluorescent rod. After a glance, he couldn't see much. I said, "Don't guess. I still have an illumination flare."
Dàtóu took the signal gun, aimed it at a high place, and fired. The dazzling light instantly tore through the darkness, revealing another huge mine in front of us. Unlike the previous one, it was not a direct descent but a three-tiered structure, each platform being about ten meters wide. It looked somewhat like a modern football field.
With the illumination flare descending, we saw a strange building standing in the middle of the field. It resembled a massive sealed well, but it was undoubtedly the only passage to the Fox Barbarian King's burial site.
We didn't immediately go down, opting to rest first. Dàtóu heated some water with a smokeless stove, and after drinking it, feeling warm, they asked me to rest first. I was too tired to refuse and agreed to take the next shift.
The sleeping bags were left outside, so I took off my tactical jacket and covered myself, leaning against the wall near the stove, slowly drifting into sleep.
I didn't know how long I slept, but in a daze, I felt a bit cold. Initially, I thought the stove had gone out, so I curled up in my clothes. However, the chill persisted, and even after bundling up, it felt drafty. I woke up frequently, making me extremely uncomfortable.
Thinking about it, I decided to lift my clothes and get up. Suddenly, a shadow fell on my clothes.
Outside, the smokeless stove should be lit, casting a faint light through my tactical jacket. The sudden appearance of the shadow was undoubtedly a person standing between me and the stove.
I initially thought it was Dàtóu, ready to wake him up and let him rest. But as I looked at the shadow, cold sweat broke out on my back. It was definitely not Dàtóu or anyone from our group.
The shadow was short, and upon closer inspection, I vaguely saw two braids on the head, resembling a little girl. She seemed to be observing me.
In such a mysterious underground tomb, how could there be a little girl? This thought made me nervous. However, after a moment, I considered that with Dàtóu and Zhàojūn around, even if there were unexpected changes, they would have called me. How did this little girl silently appear here?
While I was lost in thought, the shadow suddenly swayed and left my line of sight. I didn't move, just listened, and there was indeed no sound. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
However, in an instant, the shadow of the girl appeared in my field of vision again, much closer this time. I felt she was right above me, separated only by my clothes, scrutinizing me.
My heart pounded violently. There was a feeling that she could see me, and I tried hard to hold my breath, clutching the clothes tightly. At this moment, this thin layer of clothing became my last sense of security.
As if she realized I was pretending to sleep, she kept stretching her neck closer. In the end, her face pressed directly against my clothes, as if trying to squeeze in.
This kind of fright almost made me collapse. I thought, "I'll confront you," and suddenly stood up. I used my clothes to push forward, not caring about anything. I kicked in the direction of my clothes without hesitation.
Dàtóu, who was sleeping against the wall on the other side, was awakened by my shock. He lazily opened his eyes, glanced at me, and was about to close them again. Suddenly, he jumped up, patting Zhàojūn next to him and shouting, "Damn, Cao Nong's mental pressure is too much. He's gone crazy. Look."
Exhausted from my efforts, I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Seeing that he was awake, I quickly said, "Be careful, there's something unclean down there."
Upon hearing me, Dàtóu reached into his backpack and pulled out a knife. Along with the awakened Zhàojūn, they approached me, exchanged
glances, and then Zhàojūn swiftly kicked my clothes up, while Dàtóu was ready to slash at whatever might emerge. However, there was nothing beneath the clothes, and Dàtóu shrugged, saying to the ground, "Hmm, this place is indeed not very clean, but let's not focus on it."
I was shocked and picked up my clothes, turning them inside out to check, but found nothing. I wondered what happened; it was as if the little girl had disappeared into thin air.
Seeing me standing there in a daze, Zhàojūn patted me, "Did you have a nightmare? Sit down and take a rest."
Dàtóu pressed my shoulders, making me sit on the ground. I rubbed my temples, thinking that it might indeed be a nightmare. However, it felt too real. How could it be a dream?
The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. I recounted the "dream" to them. Dàtóu, unusually serious, said, "To be honest, encountering strange things like demons and ghosts down here is not surprising. But I heard that those who are not tough enough tend to attract such things. You really need to be careful."
After this incident, they were also reluctant to sleep. We packed up our gear and started walking towards the lower levels of the mine.
The massive pit had been dug into three tiers, and each tier was separated by a height of seven to eight meters. However, where we descended to the third tier, the space was quite low, just over a meter, allowing us to jump down directly.
Dàtóu held the fluorescent rod and walked ahead. On this platform, we saw various remnants of buildings, appearing like ancient defensive structures.
Dàtóu wondered, "What are these, bathhouses?"
Zhàojūn commented, "I think it's some kind of fortification."
I nodded, "That's plausible. It looks like ancient defensive structures."
"Defensive structures?" Dàtóu walked to a building that resembled a battlement, "Were people in ancient times so timid? What was there to defend against? Moreover, this scale is not just one or two. Could it be that there's an enhanced guard connected to guarding the Fox Barbarian King's tomb?"
After he mentioned it, I remembered something. I asked Dàtóu, "Do you still remember when Lǎo Wàn said that the Fox Barbarian King had an immortal army?"
"Huh? That old vegetable bun." Dàtóu glanced at Zhàojūn, "Ahem, that old man's story was taken with a grain of salt. Do you really believe he had an immortal army? What would he need immortality for after burping? Besides, if he had such an army, he would have called them back to guard his tomb."
I stared at him, "The army isn't the Fox Barbarian King's; it's a mysterious group he dug up from the mountains. The term 'immortal army' might have been exaggerated, but 'immortal' also implies longevity, perhaps even post-mortem combat capability."
"Are you saying he has a group of undead soldiers?" Dàtóu asked.
I shook my head, "Not sure. It's all speculation. However, considering the scale of these defensive structures, it's evident that Yùshān must have faced intense resistance during the excavation of the Fox Barbarian King's tomb."
"I think it's entirely possible. Geographically, this three-tiered structure is inherently defensible. When Yùshān was digging up the tomb, they certainly encountered strong opposition," Zhàojūn speculated.
Dàtóu clicked his tongue twice, "This old guy's tomb is more troublesome than expected. Even after a thousand years of death, he's still causing trouble. Maybe after he belched, he really called back that army of the living dead."
As we speculated, we advanced. I noticed Zhàojūn had been carrying Zhàomǐn for quite a while and asked if he wanted to rest and let me take a turn. He said it was okay; this amount of weight was nothing. I thought that among the people who entered this time, both Li Xin and I were the weakest. In terms of physical endurance, maybe I was slightly better, but he was more knowledgeable about frontier culture. In comparison, I had no advantage. My participation was mainly due to the reputation of "Er Ye."
While I was lost in thought, Dàtóu suddenly shouted, his voice strange. Before I could see the situation clearly, I felt a cool breeze brush the back of my neck, making me shiver. It felt as if someone was blowing air on the back of my neck.
I quickly turned around, but forgetting the fluorescent rod was in Dàtóu's hands, the area behind me was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything. Dàtóu yelled, "Damn, there's more than just us four here. Something else is here."