We three commenced our mad dash without a second thought, while Big Head, running alongside, cursed the grandson scheming against us from behind. I pondered, observing the situation. Perhaps our actions in using the lamp post to block the creature had been witnessed by this fellow, who might have been tailing us all along. Who could it be? Could it be the persistent "Braided Horns" causing us trouble?
Suddenly, I remembered something and asked Big Head, "What did you actually see near the giant statue?"
At that time, he mentioned seeing long hair on the stone statue. I felt he was evading the truth, and considering his character, if I had questioned him like that, he would have climbed up and plucked a strand to prove himself. How could he keep quiet without showing off?
After running for an unknown duration, even Big Head seemed a bit exhausted. He stopped, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. I was almost on the verge of collapse, sitting directly on the ground. Zhao Jun, carrying Zhao Min, was in better shape, not as drained as the two of us.
Big Head spoke, panting, "Back then, I said I was afraid of scaring the piss out of you guys. I wanted to feel Fox Beard King's treasures. Now that we're here, I'll tell you, I indeed saw hair up there, but not just hair. There was actually a woman up there. I couldn't see her face clearly, but I could sense her staring at us."
Zhao Jun scolded, "What if that thing had come down? Our lives are more important than your treasures."
Big Head retorted, "I was paying attention. If something happened, I would have signaled. Besides, it was so far; I wasn't sure if it was a living person. And what are you pretending for? Following Old Wan down, aren't you doing the same risky business?"
Feeling Big Head getting worked up, I couldn't help but say, "Your words are going too far. The three of us are in the same boat now. Even if you touch Fox Beard King's treasures, can you carry them out by yourself?"
Big Head realized he had spoken carelessly and softened, "Alright, alright. You guys have the say. I'm working for you."
Knowing his temperament, I reminded myself that he might look like this now, but with treasures in sight, he might revert to his landlord appearance. I silently cautioned myself to keep a close eye on him and avoid trouble.
Not wanting to dwell on this matter, I asked, "Who do you think is scheming against us from behind? Could it be that little... Braided Horns?"
Big Head gritted his teeth, "Regardless of who it is, once Grandpa catches them, they won't escape being hammered to death."
Seeing the two of them lost in thought, I took the opportunity to glance around. Previously, we were focused on running, but now that we stopped, I realized we had exited the corridor.
Holding the torch, I surveyed the surroundings. The interior appeared rougher than the exterior, with walls made of low-quality stone slabs. Even the floor... Huh? I suddenly noticed that, apart from the two central stone slabs, the sides had been replaced with rough striped slabs.
"Damn!"
I walked over, bending down to take a closer look. I shivered in fear, sitting down on the ground as I discovered a large number of dried corpses piled beneath the hollow stone slabs.
Big Head and Zhao Jun were startled by my reaction. Approaching and looking, they were equally shocked.
I stood up, waving the torch around. The entire auxiliary hall was filled with these hollow stone slabs, creating what seemed to be a dungeon.
Big Head exclaimed, "With such a large quantity, could Fox Beard King have brought the entire nation inside?"
The number of bodies here was astonishing. According to historical records, the population of Fox Beard Kingdom was not large. Could it be, as Big Head suggested, that Fox Beard King mobilized the entire country to build the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform, preparing to lead them to ascension, ultimately leading to the death of the entire population of Fox Beard Kingdom?
At that moment, I noticed something smeared on the wall beneath the dungeon. I asked Zhao Jun to take a look, and after examining it, he confirmed, "There is something here, it seems like drawings."
Most of the clues we found inside this tomb came from murals. These murals transcended language barriers, depicting stories from thousands of years ago. They were crucial evidence for reconstructing the truth of that time.
Although I didn't want to, these clues were crucial for us. I said, "We need to go down and see."
We pried open one of the hollow stone slabs while holding onto the wall, revealing a deep pit. Big Head went down carefully with a six to seven-meter rope, ensuring he was cautious. He took out a black donkey hoof from his bag, putting it in his pocket, and descended with the torch. After a while, he signaled to us, and we followed suit.
Upon reaching the bottom, the first reaction was the cold, and the ground was filled with dried corpses. It felt uneasy standing above them; it was somewhat bearable from a distance, but up close, I dared not lower my head.
Without wasting time, we went straight to the wall with the drawings. These drawings were clearly made by these people. Though crude, they were understandable. The style was entirely different from what we saw earlier, resembling two distinct cultures.
As I looked at them, it suddenly dawned on me that my guess might be correct. It also unraveled the mystery of the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform.
These people were not from Fox Beard Kingdom; they belonged to another nomadic tribe. Due to political unrest at that time, the entire tribe split into two parts—those migrating south and those migrating west. This group belonged to the westward migration.
When passing through Fox Beard Kingdom, they encountered a formidable army. Even if the soldiers were killed, they would stand up again. They were quickly defeated and captured to work as laborers. Hearing my explanation, Big Head asked in confusion, "So, who are these people?"
I smiled. These people were undoubtedly captured laborers brought in to build the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform. Their account was likely truthful. If not fabricated, these people must be Uyghurs.
In the past, the Uyghur Khaganate was defeated by the Khitans, leading to its split into two parts. One migrated southward, while the other went westward. This matched the drawings on the wall and roughly corresponded to the timeline. Previously, we speculated that the manpower in Fox Beard Kingdom wasn't substantial. Where did these skilled craftsmen come from? The answer was revealed.
The mystery of this part was solved, rejuvenating our spirits. Big Head urged, "Quick, let's keep going."
Without him saying, I also focused my attention to continue reading. After these people were captured, Fox Beard King promised to let them go once they finished building the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform. From then on, this group of Uyghur people began their miserable slave life. Many died during this period, and after several years, they completed all the construction.
Big Head, noticing me pausing, asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
I replied,
"One reason is that I don't recognize some of the Uyghur script. Second, this illustration... is somewhat eerie. Look here; I initially thought the Nine Dragons Platform was an altar or a stage. But what's depicted here is a building. On top of it are figures with snake heads and human bodies, six hands, and four hooves. I've never seen such a bizarre cultural representation in the Central Plains, or even heard of it in the Western Regions. This reminds me of the 'old corpse' Fox Beard King excavated from the mountain. These things he brought must be the source. If we can trace the origin of these totems, we might uncover the root cause of all this."
The subsequent drawings were relatively straightforward. Even without understanding much of the Uyghur script, one could roughly guess—they depicted common themes like "birds perish, bows are hidden," and "rabbits die, dogs are cooked." After completing the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform, Fox Beard King chased all these people into the dungeon. In fact, it was foreseeable. Fox Beard Kings throughout history never treated the fate of the craftsmen kindly. The mass slaughter of artisans was not an unfamiliar occurrence.
Moving forward, there was almost nothing left. Although I knew little about Uyghur script, there were some expressions of curses against Fox Beard King and prayers to their gods. The Uyghur people followed Manichaeism, the predecessor of Mingjiao in the Condor Trilogy, and it did originate from the Persian plateau.
Thinking it was over, I shook the torch and, at the end, discovered a few separate murals. After looking at them, I found that these were not from the same hand as the previous ones. These drawings were much messier, and with some simple Uyghur script, I surprisingly discovered a big secret.
Big Head tapped me, "What did you find? Why does your face suddenly look so bad?"
My thoughts were in disarray. It took me a long time to calm down. I said to them, "Fox Beard King might not have died; he's just unable to leave his own tomb."
At the same time, probably due to the torch running out of fuel, the flame flickered once before extinguishing.