On the dungeon wall, we uncovered a staggering secret: Fox Beard King had not died. After the tomb was sealed, he had actually visited this place.
Big Head, his mouth agape in astonishment, exclaimed, "Are you saying that Fox Beard King has truly become an eternal monarch for thousands of years?"
I shook my head and elucidated, "The inscription suggests that after the tomb entrance was sealed for some time, most of them gradually perished. Just before their deaths, some witnessed Fox Beard King's presence here. However, at that time, Fox Beard King seemed transformed, resembling a person possessed by malevolent spirits. The surviving Uyghur people speculated that Fox Beard King achieved immortality through this mysterious process."
Pointing to the paintings on the wall, I directed their attention, "The cracks on the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform depict malevolent spirits emerging. This implies that Fox Beard King was conducting some sinister ritual, and the ghostly soldiers below represent his undead legion."
Big Head sighed, "These poor Uyghur people, not only enslaved but also subjected to the mental dominance of the landlord. Look closely, they are starting to experience hallucinations. If Fox Beard King truly possessed such abilities, he would have conquered the Central Plains long ago, instead of hiding in this remote place. I suspect the old fellow failed in his ascension, got deceived by some immortal, tried to leave, but found the tomb already sealed. So, he came out wandering aimlessly."
Attempting to discern more details from the wall, I noticed a significant detail – a ripple pattern. Touching it, I concluded, "This was originally a water dungeon... and the water here."
As I contemplated, a bold idea emerged in my mind. Before I could dwell on it, an untimely metallic friction sound emanated from above, resembling the light tapping of iron.
Startled, I almost slapped myself for getting engrossed in the paintings and forgetting the monster behind us. Now, we were completely trapped. Going up would provide an opportunity to confront the creature directly.
Observing the situation, Big Head suggested, "The enemy of our enemy is our friend. These undead friends might be a great inconvenience for Fox Beard King. Let's use them as cover, wait for the ghostly creature to descend, and then strike. We might even have a chance to escape."
Concerned about the peculiar corpses around us, I warned them, "These undead are problematic; try to avoid touching them as much as possible."
Big Head retorted, "We can't worry about that now. We can't expect a hole to appear in the sky for us to escape."
I clapped my hands, agreeing, "Exactly, a hole! Quickly, let's search. There must be an opening nearby; perhaps we can find a way out."
While I focused on the surroundings, Big Head and Zhao Jun followed the wall, searching. Despite Big Head's initial hesitation, he chose to trust me, understanding the urgency.
As the eerie sound approached from above, Big Head suddenly exclaimed, "Damn it, Cao Banxian, come and see."
Hastily moving closer, I saw that a crack had appeared, small but just enough for us to climb out. Relieved, I said, "Excellent, let's go."
The passage was low, requiring us to crawl. Big Head led the way, asking about my knowledge of finding hidden paths. I cautiously explained that my inspiration came from the murals on the wall. The monster might already be catching up, and we needed to move quickly.
Reaching the end of the passage, Big Head announced, "We've arrived."
Before us was a crack, not large, but sufficient for us to climb out. Big Head held a torch and surveyed our surroundings. We found ourselves inside a peculiar structure – narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, resembling a circular platform. At the top of the platform was a dark "skylight," likely leading to the outside.
The structure was divided into multiple layers, each with varying numbers of stone chambers. Although referred to as chambers, they were merely recessed stone niches, not deep. Due to the structure's narrowing nature, more chambers were present as we descended. The bottom layer was approximately two meters from the circular platform, almost reachable by hand. Around us, several arched doorways led to unknown places.
Counting them, Big Head marveled, "There must be over a hundred of these holes. It seems like Fox Beard King enjoys taking a stroll, constructing this gigantic birdcage."
Observing the layered chambers, I had a foreboding feeling. What I least wanted to confront had finally occurred. Seeing my troubled expression, Big Head inquired about what I had discovered.
I sighed and revealed, "Have you noticed that each 'platform' is interconnected internally, but there is only one 'skylight' as the external exit? If we observe this structure from a third-person perspective, it resembles a beehive. This intricately designed structure serves a clear purpose – storage or management. Now, the question is, what was originally stored in these chambers? In fact, we have all seen it."
Raising a finger, I gestured upwards. Big Head looked up and suddenly exclaimed, realizing, "Are you referring to those in the mine?"
I nodded, "Exactly. These chambers are all empty, and the inexplicable addition of numerous coffin boards in the mine above. Don't you think this is the 'incident' that Yushan unearthed?"
Big Head, swallowing hard, was about to say something when Zhao Jun interjected, "Zhao Min has awakened."
Turning our attention to Zhao Min, we saw her looking around in confusion. Clearly weakened, Zhao Jun offered her some water, asking how she felt. Surprisingly, Zhao Min had no recollection of recent events.
Curious, I inquired, "What is the last thing you remember?"
Furrowing her brow in concentration, she replied, "We were underground in the mine, walking. I became increasingly tired, and then everything went black. By the way, why is it just the few of you? Where are the others?"
Exchanging glances, Big Head and I realized that during the parasitic period, she had no memory of the events. Big Head suggested taking a break and getting some rest, considering their prolonged hunger. Despite the makeshift arrangement, we managed to prepare hot water for drinking.
Leaning against the stone wall, Big Head fiddled with his old Nokia phone and asked, "What's the plan now?"
The complexity of the situation overwhelmed me. Each step closer to the truth seemed to unveil new problems. Rubbing my temples, I replied, "I don't know. But I do know one thing – we are not far from the Nine Dragons Spirit Platform."