I and Zhang Wenjie wrapped the inner tube around the steel wire and inserted it into the hole, then used the steel wire to encase the yin and yang balls on both sides of the tomb door.
Chen Duoyu pressed the air pump, worriedly asking, "Is this okay? The yin and yang balls weigh a ton. I hope we don't burst them."
I said, "Don't worry, Lao Duan bought the reinforced type. Its load-bearing capacity is greatly enhanced. Nothing will happen."
Uncle Ding's winch has been welded together, with an extra support brace welded on, very sturdy, and is now installed in place.
Securing the steel wire to the winch, we evenly distributed ourselves around it, each grasping a handle as if holding onto a huge ship's wheel.
"Push!"
Everyone exerted force together, and the steel wire instantly tightened.
After several attempts, everyone slipped on the ground, exhausted, but to no avail. The winch didn't budge at all. Chen Duoyu let out a fart from exerting too much force.
"Well, almost blew my pants off. Who didn't exert enough force? I curse him to be forever impotent."
After a brief rest, we regained our composure, pulled ourselves together, and turned the winch again.
The steel wire made a "squeak" sound, and black oil continuously oozed out from inside. Our muscles were about to give out, yet there was still no effect.
Chen Lao Da gasped for breath, "Guangting, your plan isn't working. What's going on?"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and said, "It shouldn't be like this. This is the principle of leverage. According to calculations, the five of us should be able to move the stone ball completely."
"Leverage? What's that? Where is it? Hurry up and bring it out."
I gave Chen Duoyu a disdainful look and ignored him.
Zhang Wenjie shone his flashlight into the main tomb chamber and suddenly realized something. He waved us over and gathered us together.
"According to geomancy, left is yang and right is yin. Yin stabilizes while yang moves. What we're pulling now is the yin ball, a dead ball. The mystery should be on the other side, the yang ball."
Chen Duoyu said, "Why are you saying all this? I don't understand anyway. Just tell us what to do directly."
Immediately, we rallied and went to pull the stone ball on the other side. But dreams are beautiful, reality is cruel. Each of us was exhausted, like dogs, almost sticking our tongues out, but we still didn't make any substantial progress.
"F*ck it, let's just blast it open."
"Big brother, I think you're right. It's quicker and easier."
Chen Duoyu urinated against the tomb door, and for some reason, he was holding his scrotum in his hand, muttering to himself.
"Yin, yang... Hey, Guangting, it's not right. Look, from my perspective and my wife's perspective, the yin and yang are completely reversed."
He pulled up his pants, shivered, and continued, "But that's not right either. We've tried both sides, and neither budged. It's really strange."
The speaker had no intention, but the listener had an idea. Chen Duoyu's words reminded me of something important. We had overlooked an important matter.
Yin and yang are inherently interdependent and inseparable. The key lies in the principle of "change." Take a tree, for example. When the sun rises in the morning, the east is yang. In the afternoon, when the sun shifts westward, yin and yang reverse, and the west becomes yang.
Chen Duoyu stared at me. "Speak in plain language. What does it mean?"
I said slowly, "Pull them both at the same time."
"What? Pull them both at the same time? We can't even move one, let alone two. Don't tire our brothers to death."
Zhang Wenjie pushed his glasses up. "I think Guangting makes sense. It's our only hope."
"Brother Two, Brother Three, let's go, let's try."
Chen Lao Da shouted and spat into his palm, leading the way to the winch, with others returning to their positions.
"Push!"
As the steel wire straightened, there came a creaking sound, like the stretching of a long-dormant body's muscles.
"It's moving, it's moving, the winch is moving!" Chen Duoyu exclaimed excitedly.
Chen Lao Da gritted his teeth. "Lao San, stop talking, push harder."
With a concerted effort, we wrapped the steel wire around the winch. As the rope loop inside shrank continuously, the yin and yang balls were lifted up, and at that moment, as the steel wire was pulled out from under the balls, the inflated car inner tube was wedged in.
Under the pressure, we could clearly feel the yin and yang balls slightly twitch. Then, a rumble emanated from the main tomb chamber, like the passing of a train.
We rushed over and shone our flashlights inside. The yin and yang balls had come out of their slots and rolled aside.
Chen Duoyu, unable to contain his excitement, lifted me up and planted a hearty kiss on my face.
"Guangting, if I were a woman, I'd definitely let you sleep for free, and take good care of you."
I wiped my face vigorously with my sleeve. "No, no, no, even if you paid me, I wouldn't sleep with you if you were a woman."
Chen Duoyu chuckled and patted my buttocks, making me nauseous.
Zhang Wenjie snorted. "Don't celebrate too soon. This is just the first step of a long journey."
We all pushed together, and the tomb door slowly opened.
Standing at the entrance, our flashlight beams converged inside, intertwining and colliding.
Before us were three coffins, one larger in the middle, flanked by two smaller ones. In front of each was a tombstone, three in total.
Once again, majestic murals and carvings adorned the walls, albeit much grander than those in the antechamber. Since the main tomb had been sealed off from the outside world, these murals and carvings remained vivid and vibrant.
Immortals soared through the clouds, mythical beasts roamed the skies;
Stallions galloped for thousands of miles, wild beasts scattered in all directions;
Soldiers stood in formation, valiant and resolute;
Gates towered majestically, altar platforms exuded solemnity.
The sight before us was so awe-inspiring that it exerted immense psychological pressure, even causing our breaths to become rapid.
Zhang Wenjie swept his flashlight over the murals and marveled, "These murals blend the Western Regions' painting style, integrating and coexisting to form a unique feature, spanning from the Han and Jin Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, constituting a glorious chapter in Chinese painting history."
Before he could finish speaking, a series of rolling sounds suddenly erupted.
Glancing sideways, we saw the stone ball on the right side actually moving, rolling back towards us, gaining momentum rapidly. The situation was extremely dangerous.
Everyone quickly dodged. As I stepped back, Zhang Wenjie stepped forward, blocking me. Unable to move forward, I could only take small, slow steps, following closely behind him, with Chen Lao Er behind me.
Things happened quickly, taking only a few seconds in total.
"Guangting, hurry, hurry!"
Chen Lao Er was behind me, pushing my lower back and urging me on incessantly, but it was too late.
Except for Chen Lao Er, we all managed to dodge, but he wasn't as fortunate. As his body swayed, he was knocked into the stone groove.
"Big brother, third brother, save me."