Upon his remarks, I also sensed something unusual about Hansheng, who remained motionless for quite some time. Big Head cautiously inquired, "Has he been bitten? If he turns into a corpse, we'll be in deep trouble. Who can defeat him?"
"Move aside," I replied somewhat impatiently. Although I felt uneasy, considering Hansheng's extraordinary skills, he wouldn't be silent without reason. I addressed the group, saying, "We might have encountered some tricky situation."
Big Head, tightening his grip on the knife, suggested, "Should I go check it out?"
As everyone pondered, Hansheng turned around, apologizing, "Sorry, got too engrossed in my observations. Come over; these people are already completely dead, and there won't be any corpse transformation."
Big Head let out a sigh of relief, indicating that his concern was genuine. We approached, and Hansheng, removing his gloves, pointed to the limbs of the peculiar corpses, stating, "The elbow joints, knee joints, and the spine at the back are all shattered, and moreover..." He paused, his tone carrying a hint of anger, "judging from the technique, they were crushed while still alive."
I took in a sharp breath, realizing that these individuals were brutally crushed while alive, signifying intense hatred. The force applied by the assailant must have been terrifying.
Big Head sighed and remarked, "These are probably the wounded ones. Someone didn't want them to turn into corpses. I wonder who was ruthless enough to do this."
These people met gruesome fates, likely having committed grave sins before their deaths. Covering my nose, I approached, wanting to check if General Cao Tongbing was among them. However, with the bodies piled together, it was impossible to discern individuals.
With no clear leads, Li Xin suggested that based on the scene, Yushan probably discovered "that thing" here. We decided to split up and search, hoping to find some clues.
The copper pillars stood mysteriously and solemnly in the hall, resembling a certain ritual. I took photographs, intending to show them to others later as these could be crucial clues in tracing the visitors from Bashu.
As I was about to change the angle for a better shot, the flashlight revealed something strange. I approached, curious, and was taken aback by what I saw – an exceptionally robust headless corpse. Not exactly headless, as its head, adorned with a half-iron mask, was placed beside the body.
The body wore rusted thick armor, kneeling with its neck resting on the ground. The decorative patterns on the armor, resembling Tang dynasty style, hinted at Mingguang armor.
Realizing it might be Mingguang armor, I speculated that this person was not from Yushan but possibly from the Fox Huhu Kingdom. The idea crossed my mind that this might be the Fox Huhu King himself, given the lion and tiger patterns on the armor, suggesting a military general. I slapped my forehead, thinking, "Cao Nong, you truly underestimated him. This person should be one of the vanished guards from the previous level!"
Before coming up, we had discovered another decapitated body, unmistakably subjected to the same decapitation technique. Their attire confirmed they were the guards, explaining the bloodstains on the stairs. Yushan probably triggered a mechanism on their way up, awakening the "zombified" guards, resulting in injuries until Cao Tongbing finally killed them.
However, a question arose in my mind – who was responsible for breaking the spines of those injured Yushan soldiers? Big Head's speculation seemed correct; they were indeed wounded Yushan soldiers, possibly Cao Tongbing's personal guards. Could Cao Tongbing be the culprit?
Reluctantly, I dismissed the thought as he didn't seem ruthless based on the letters from home. But then, who could it be? Suddenly, a figure popped into my mind – could it be the "Lord"?
I shook my head, realizing that speculating on these matters was pointless now; finding an exit was the priority.
As I stood up to leave, I tripped on something and fell, extinguishing my flashlight. Big Head, nearby, asked what happened, and I casually replied, not wanting to become the subject of mockery. In this situation, stumbling in the dark was quite frightening.
Quickly groping in the direction of the remembered flashlight, I felt something unusual – cold and bony. It was a foot! My scalp tingled, and I involuntarily looked up. In the dim light from others' flashlights, I seemed to see a person standing in front of me, looking down.
Instinctively, I stepped back, and as my hand brushed the flashlight, I quickly picked it up, illuminating the area. The flashlight had some connection issues, flickering before finally stabilizing. Simultaneously, a person tied to a copper pillar appeared in the light.
The first thing that caught my eye was the chest plate, and before I could examine it closely, the person slowly raised both arms to shoulder level, leaning forward. Due to the lower body being tightly bound by ropes, only the upper half could move, making the person tilt at an angle and jump forward.
I was drenched in cold sweat, retreating in fear and shouting, "Help! Someone!"
My loud voice alarmed everyone, and Hansheng was the first to rush over, standing in front of me. As he approached, he couldn't help but inhale sharply. Zhao Min and Big Head also hurried over, with Big Head muttering, "Another one."
Hansheng frowned, "No, this person hasn't undergone corpse transformation."
Big Head, puzzled, blurted out, "So, he's alive? Carrying him out could be lucrative."
I understood Hansheng's point, explaining to Big Head, "This corpse is not affected by the elixirs in the tomb."
Hansheng nodded, staring at the zombie, "This person might have been soaked in various herbs from a young age. Although his armor is decaying, I can still smell the medicinal fragrance. Most likely, the herbal essence has permeated his bones, which might be the reason he resisted corpse transformation."
Big Head, uncertain, asked, "Impervious to all poisons?"
"It's not impossible," Old Wan interjected. "I heard from an old friend that during the early days of liberation, their elders explored the mountains and accidentally encountered a minority group called Ji Hu. They originated from Southern Xiongnu and, due to living in the mountains, had a limited grasp of Mandarin. However, they soaked in herbal baths from childhood to adulthood. If bitten by a venomous snake during hunting, they would rest for a while, and they'd be fine, almost god-like."
Big Head's eyes lit up, "That's amazing! I should visit them sometime, bring a couple of
TVs, and get their medicinal recipes."
Old Wan shook his head, regretful, "I tried looking for them, but the whole group disappeared. They probably moved away."
At this point, Li Xin raised a questioning tone, wiping his glasses. Putting them on, he pointed to the protective mirror on the zombie's chest, asking, "Look at this, the talisman on his chest."
I looked, and to my surprise, turned to Hansheng with a side glance.
We had seen this talisman before, among the materials left by Er Ye. At that time, it took considerable effort to find some records about it.
This talisman, whose name couldn't be traced, dated back to the Qin Dynasty. Passed down by the cultivators of that era, it was a malevolent sealing spell. The soul of the person under the spell would be forever barred from reincarnation.
Hansheng nodded, evidently having noticed the talisman as soon as he arrived. I explained the meaning of the spell to everyone, simultaneously boldly speculating, "This person is likely the general from back then."
Big Head, who had been silent, suddenly interjected, "You guys say this dude is immune to all poisons, but what about the corpse poison?"
I furrowed my brow, "Are you saying he's infected with corpse poison?"
"Look at how he's tied up, the same way they dealt with that head-stuffed one below," Big Head shrugged, a nonchalant expression, "No need to guess; internal conflicts in the tomb are quite common. I'm telling you, this guy probably got hit with corpse poison, so his buddies tied him up here to die. Compared to him, the group below is even more unfortunate."
His words woke us up. This man's armor resembled the Qing dynasty style, and the corpse-binding technique was indeed similar to those below. Hence, we could conclude that he was from Yushan. Examining the decapitated zombie in front of him, along with the immunity to all poisons and the peculiar circumstances, it suggested he was undoubtedly Cao Tongbing.
For this unseen "Cao Tongbing," I felt an inexplicable discomfort. Unfortunately, he didn't escape this calamity in the end. This essentially confirmed that the mastermind behind all this was undoubtedly the "Lord."
He orchestrated the tomb raid, with Yushan being a mere tool in his hands. Cao Tongbing probably discovered something, leading to his unfortunate demise. The crucial question remained – what did he take away from this place?
"The Feng Shui here is a bit strange. This person's body has undergone some transformation in this unique location. We better not mess with it," Hansheng assessed the surroundings. "They must have come for something specific here."
I raised my flashlight, casting light on the iron chains above, "Could it be up there?"
The pillars had many engravings, making them easy to climb. However, for safety, we wrapped ropes around them, securing ourselves with climbing buckles. This way, we could also lean back and rest our hands.
The copper pillars were icy to the touch, seemingly solid without visible seams, as if cast in one go.
I tapped the copper pillar, finding it solid. Considering the abundant copper reserves, there must be a large copper mine nearby, as casting so many copper pillars would be impossible otherwise.
As the climbing rope had limited length, we divided into groups to climb different copper pillars. Li Xin was below me, suddenly tugging at my pants. I asked what was wrong, and he, nervously, asked, "Cao, do we have six people?"