Old Yan felt a sudden jolt in his heart. The stone head rolled to the ground with a rumble. In the dim light, the stone-carved face seemed to carry an eerie aura. Although the eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth were faintly discernible, it seemed as if they were telling an ancient and mysterious story. The slanting break under the stone neck was as if it had been forcibly cut by some mysterious power and was definitely not caused by human hands.
In the water cellar, at the place where the stone head had just been pulled out, a bowl-sized black hole quietly appeared. That hole was like an entrance to an unknown dark world. It was so black that it was terrifying, like an endless abyss that one could not see the bottom of at a glance.
Old Yan and Tang Zhen exchanged glances. Their eyes were filled with astonishment and unease. Tang Zhen slowly squatted down, picked up a stone, and gently threw it into the hole. The sound of the stone rolling was exceptionally clear in the silence. It rumbled and fell downward. The sound grew weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared without a trace, as if swallowed by the darkness.
Tang Zhen looked at Old Yan, his voice trembling slightly. "Dad, what is this thing? Why is there a hole? Should we still dig?"
Old Yan frowned and shook his head. Slowly, he said, "I have lived here for fifty years and have never seen this hole." His gaze was firmly fixed on the pitch-black hole, as if attracted by an invisible force. After a moment, curiosity finally overcame fear. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Dig. We have to see what's hidden in this hole."
The two of them brandished their pickaxes. The heavy pounding sound echoed in the silence. In a short while, the hole had been dug into a large square hole one zhang on each side. Below the hole, an empty room was revealed, exuding a gloomy aura.
The two of them exchanged glances and, after a brief discussion, decided to go down and explore. Old Yan found a rooster, tied a rope to its leg, and then threw the chicken into the hole. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he carefully pulled the chicken back up. The chicken was still lively and jumping, but in this weird atmosphere, it made people feel even more uneasy.
Tang Zhen hurriedly went back to the house and fetched a bag. He took out various items from it. There was a candle. The faint candlelight swayed in the darkness as if it could go out at any moment. There was a fire starter, emitting a dim light. There were also flint and steel, a black rope, an oddly shaped iron tool whose name couldn't be said. In addition, there was a black donkey's hoof, a small bag of glutinous rice, and two cylinders. Then, he took out two pendants from the bag. The pendants were neither wood nor something else. They were extremely strange in appearance. There was a demon-like human figure engraved on them. The right hand held a sword, ready to strike, and the left foot was raised as if about to kick. The appearance was hideous and terrifying. Old Yan had never seen such things on Tang Zhen before. Full of doubts, he asked, "What is this?"
Tang Zhen lowered his voice and said, "Dad, this is for warding off evil spirits. Let's wear one. In case we encounter something unclean in this hole, it can also block it." Old Yan was half-convinced. After hesitating for a moment, he still put on the pendant.
Tang Zhen lit the fire starter and jumped into the hole with Old Yan one after the other. As soon as their feet landed, dust flew around like ghosts. The two quickly covered their mouths and noses with their hands. After a moment, the dust slowly settled. The surrounding scene gradually became clear. This seemed to be the top floor of a tower. The space was narrow and oppressive. On the left, a staircase spiraled down as if it were a passage to hell. On the ground leaning against the wall on the right was a white skeleton.
Old Yan was so frightened that he almost cried out. The clothes on that skeleton were already tattered and worn, as if they had endured the erosion of endless years. There was a Taoist crown on its head. The muscles on its face had long been gnawed clean by insects and ants, leaving only pale bones. There were some ancient scriptures scattered on the ground. The pages were yellowed as if they carried countless secrets. In the light of the fire, there seemed to be words engraved on the wall next to the skeleton.
Tang Zhen gently shook the fire starter and slowly walked over. He saw that from top to bottom on the wall, it was densely engraved with words. Tang Zhen read line by line and became more and more shocked. The hand holding the fire starter couldn't help but tremble slightly as if controlled by a mysterious power. Old Yan was even more puzzled. When he walked over, he saw that at the topmost line on the wall were large characters that read: Someone called himself the Mysterious King. Unexpectedly, he lost his life here. Truly, it is the result of fate and destiny. What else can be said? The handwriting is simple, ancient, vigorous, and solemn, yet the full measure of resentment contained within it seems as if it could break through the restraints and burst out at any moment.
Below there is a line of small characters: Someone named Yan Tianding was born in troubled times and found himself among the common people. By accident, he obtained the Dragon and Tiger technique. For more than sixty years, he roamed all over the world and never suffered a defeat. In his seventies, he obtained the strange book "Qingwu Jing." Only then did he realize that in life, there are many mysteries unsolved. The theory of feng shui is not unfounded talk. I was deeply immersed in it and never stopped for years. Later, I made a grand vow to travel through the nine regions to search for dragon veins and locate acupoints, to explore the ancient tombs in the deep mountains and famous towers on the vast seas. After another ten years, I explored the tombs of the Seven Yin and Seven Wonders of the world. I obtained the spiritual beauty of heaven and earth and the essence of heaven and earth. The rare treasures hidden in the tombs are countless. So, I drew and described their shapes and wrote them on sheepskin paper. My friend Mr. Zhenxuan then drew the pattern of Kuixing kicking the Dipper on it and named it the Kuixing Kicking the Dipper Picture. It is hidden in the Seven Yin Beads. Fearing that people of our generation would have evil thoughts and rob ancient tombs underground and take out treasures in the dark night, I kept one bead for myself and gave the other six beads to my fellow disciples. The key to open the beads is also hidden on me. Those who have the beads but no picture should not damage the thousand-year-old tombs today. Underneath the Nine Springs, I should be worthy of my ancestors.
Since I was young, I have been painstakingly practicing the art of alchemy. In this tower, I suddenly encountered a great disaster. I was bitten by a poisonous snake and lost my life here. This is also fate. This tower is the seven-story pagoda of Buddhism. The first floor must never be entered. Remember, remember.
The content below seems to be unfinished. Tang Zhen slowly walked towards that skeleton. He saw that the skeleton's bone was black. On the white bone, there was a faint black air seeping out. The skeleton's hands were tightly clenched, as if holding something. Tang Zhen's eyes shone brightly, and his breathing gradually became rapid. He walked towards the skeleton.
When Tang Zhen came to the skeleton, under the illumination of the firelight, sure enough, a faint red light was revealed between the finger bones of the skeleton's left hand. Tang Zhen transferred the torch to his left hand and used his right hand to pry open the finger bones of the skeleton. A piece of jade as red as blood and shiny instantly appeared before his eyes. That piece of jade was completely crystal clear and transparent. From the outside to the inside, the red color became deeper and deeper. Deep in the center of the jade, it was actually the color of rosewood.
Tang Zhen then pried open the skeleton's right hand, and a pitch-black bead fell to the ground.
Tang Zhen reached out and picked up the red jade and the black bead.
Old Yan was stunned. Seeing Tang Zhen pick up the jade and the black bead, he coughed and said, "Zhen'er, this is not quite right."
Tang Zhen's eyes were fixed on the red jade and the black bead. Slowly, he said, "Father, you don't know. This senior Yan Tianding is of the same sect as us."
Old Yan frowned. "Your sect?"
Tang Zhen raised his head and looked at Old Yan. "Father, to be honest, I am a Tomb Raider. This Mysterious King is a fellow of my Tomb Raider sect. Coming here today is also a kind of fate. Taking the jade, this senior should not blame."
Old Yan said, "Tomb Raider? Humph, it sounds nice. Isn't it just tomb robbing?" His words were full of displeasure.
Tang Zhen nodded. "Yes. Things have come to this. I don't want to say much more."
Old Yan snorted and said nothing.
Tang Zhen put that piece of jade and the black bead into his bosom. He reached out and groped the skeleton's clothes. The skeleton's clothes rotted as soon as they were touched. From head to toe, this time he found nothing. A trace of disappointment showed on his face slightly. Tang Zhen said, "Father, let's go to the next floor."
Old Yan nodded. Tang Zhen walked in front, and Old Yan followed behind. The two of them walked down to the next floor along the stairs. Just as they walked out of the corner of the stairs, they saw a black thing lying there at the end of the room. A pair of eyes were shining with a bluish-green light.