The stone ball rolled in with a resounding bang, the tire burst, and the sound of bones breaking immediately followed, as Chen Lao Er's limbs twisted in the opposite direction.
Chen Lao Da and Chen Duoyu were desperate to rescue him, and their strength naturally matched their determination. With a strong tug, they directly tore Chen Lao Er's upper body apart.
The incident was too sudden for Chen Lao Er to feel any pain. His face was pale, his features contorted as he looked at his severed torso, mouth opening a few times, but no words came out before his eyes stared lifelessly.
A trail of blood-red drag marks was glaringly visible, the heavy scent of blood pervading the air, the scene too gruesome to bear.
"Lao Er!"
"Second brother!"
The two brothers shouted in anguish, but Chen Lao Er would never hear them again.
"Guangting, lend a hand."
Zhang Wenjie and I pulled out Chen Lao Er's blood-soaked lower body and placed it next to the upper body.
I had never witnessed such a sight in my life. I felt acid rising in my stomach, almost vomiting, my legs trembling incessantly, feeling a bit stunned.
Chen Lao Da slowly reached out his trembling hand and placed it on Chen Lao Er's face, closing his eyes.
Chen Duoyu wiped away tears continuously. "Second brother, rest assured, big brother and I will take good care of your family. Rest in peace."
Zhang Wenjie sighed, looked around, then squatted down, carefully examining the ground.
Tomb defense is divided into two types: offensive and defensive. The perimeter focuses on defense, while the interior leans towards offense.
The main tomb is the most cunning, often containing the most traps, such as mercury poison gas, crossbows, rolling stone traps, and more. Most triggers are located on the ground because human activity increases the likelihood of triggering them.
Many tomb raiders become careless after entering the main tomb, seeing priceless treasures, and end up losing their lives.
After a moment, Zhang Wenjie stood up and said there were no anti-theft mechanisms here, but nothing is absolute, so we should still be careful.
"Isn't that better? Why the furrowed brows?"
"Guangting, the unknown danger is the most frightening."
Zhang Wenjie took out an incense burner, a bottle of Xifeng wine, lit two white candles, and burned three sticks of incense, holding them over his head.
According to the legends of the Tomb Raiders' Guild, this is the tradition when disturbing the peace of the ancients. We must apologize with a single shout and perform the Three Kowtows and Nine Bows as an act of contrition.
With the advancement of society, the tomb raiding industry has progressed, but this tradition remains, because fearless individuals eventually meet their doom.
The four of us stood in position, Zhang Wenjie in front, with us three behind him in a row.
"With our ancestors above, we, the younger generation, have disturbed you today, only seeking to make a living. We mean no offense and hope for forgiveness."
Next comes the complete Three Kowtows and Nine Bows, a tradition that many young people nowadays have forgotten, which is a pity as it's part of our cultural heritage. But my father had just passed away, and I still remember.
The incense was inserted into the incense burner, then we stepped back two paces, bowed, knelt down, and knocked our heads three times.
Standing up, we bowed, took a step forward, bowed again, knelt down, toasted three cups of wine, poured them on the ground, and knocked our heads three times.
Standing up, we bowed, stepped back one pace, bowed again, knelt down, knocked our heads three times, stood up, and bowed.
The ritual was complete.
The movements must be slow, three times slower than usual, to show sincerity and intention.
Immediately, the dismantling of the coffin board began.
After a brief discussion, it was decided to focus on breaking through the coffin of Emperor Wen, intending to concentrate our efforts on this major task.
Chen Lao Da and Chen Duoyu each took a flat shovel and began to break the coffin board along the seams. Zhang Wenjie and I held pry bars, assisting them.
Although thin burials were practiced during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with only one layer of the coffin, the coffin board was thick, estimated to be around thirty centimeters. Each piece weighed over a thousand catties, making it far from easy to dismantle.
After over an hour, a gap had been pried around the top of the coffin board, and wooden wedges were hammered in.
The wooden wedges were made of jujube wood and were extremely hard due to the nature of jujube wood, which was determined by the senior Yin Yang Zi through extensive practice.
Chen Lao Da and Chen Lao San were on one side, while Zhang Wenjie and I were on the other. Two people hammered the wooden wedges in with iron hammers, while two others used pry bars to pry them apart simultaneously.
"Creak!" A sound.
As the force was relieved, the coffin board came loose, and the four of us pushed it aside. Amidst the pungent smell of decay, a coffin of dark red color was revealed, adorned with dragon and phoenix motifs, emitting a somewhat sinister aura.
The interlayer between the coffin and the coffin board was filled with burial items, similar in size to those found in the Right Ear Chamber, but with more gold and silver items, all exquisitely crafted and in excellent condition.
"This meat will last us a while. We can have a good year ahead."
Chen Duoyu was ecstatic and immediately began to pack.
Zhang Wenjie and I carried the burial items out, while Chen Lao Da and Chen Duoyu were responsible for packing. The sound of "crackle crackle" from tightening the plastic wrap was incessant.
Throughout the process, Zhang Wenjie remained calm, even somewhat despondent. I knew he was thinking only of one thing, and that was Fan Zhen's "On the Annihilation of Gods."
However, until the last item was packed into the woven bag, "On the Annihilation of Gods" had not been found.
I said, "Could it be that the person brought it with them?"
The "person" refers to the occupant of the coffin, namely Emperor Yuanbao of Western Wei.
"It's very likely. Let's open it up and see."
Zhang Wenjie stared fixedly at the dark red coffin, showing a determined stance that he would not rest until "On the Annihilation of Gods" was found.
With a rope in his mouth, Chen Duoyu, while tightening the woven bag, said, "It's just a worthless book. How much could it be worth?"
The coffin was exquisitely crafted, brightly colored, and meticulously crafted, fully intact after nearly 1,500 years, with no seams visible, making it impossible to insert a dagger.
At this moment, the voice of Ding Laotou came over the intercom, saying that lights were gradually coming on in the village, and even the sound of sheep could be heard, indicating that we should prepare to go up.
The coffin is the resting place of the tomb owner, and even though the body and fabric may have decayed, they may still emit toxic gases and need ventilation. Today, no matter what, it must be opened, or opening it tomorrow morning would be in vain.
Chen Duoyu's motto was that brute force could solve any problem, without using his brain. Holding a flat shovel, he pounded away and then used a pry bar to turn in circles.
The coffin lid, both in size and material, was much smaller than the coffin board. After the Chen brothers had finished operating it, there was a "creak," and the coffin lid actually loosened.
Exchanging glances, everyone was excited, but there was also a hint of tension.
As the coffin lid was slowly pried open, an extremely eerie thing happened: with a "snap," the coffin lid closed again, as if there was a mysterious force inside struggling against us.
"This isn't right. It seems like it's alive."