Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 181. Mysterious Man in Black
181. The Mysterious Man in Black
Even if Lin Yuan obtained the treasure in the mausoleum, there was no need to kill everyone in the village to silence them. After all, these people were descendants of the loyal courtiers of the Great Founding Emperor from hundreds of years ago. Strangely enough, Lin Yuan, a descendant of the previous dynasty’s imperial family, was unaware of the secret location of the Great Founding Emperor’s tomb. Instead, it was Doctor Lin, who had raised him, who knew. Of course, it might make sense if Lin Yuan had been too young at that time. But if Doctor Lin hadn’t wanted Lin Yuan to harbor thoughts of restoring the former dynasty, he could have completely avoided telling him of his identity. Initially, Lin Yuan was only a year old when he arrived at the village, incapable of remembering anything. Ye Li looked up at the distracted Doctor Lin, then furrowed her eyebrows somewhat. Something about Lin Yuan seemed off. Additionally, the Great Founding Emperor’s treasure surely didn’t constitute typical treasures like gold, silver, or ancient jade wares. Nor did it seem to represent any legendary treasures, such as secrets of the Art of War or precious swords. So, what could it possibly be?
Ye Li looked regretfully at her belly. If she weren’t pregnant and less mobile, she really wouldn’t mind exploring the treasure and secrets of the founding emperor of the previous dynasty.
After sufficient rest, the two of them stood up again and proceeded along the path indicated on the map. Regardless of whether there were dangers in the mausoleum, just the feeling of being in such a confined space was displeasing. Along the way, Ye Li habitually noted the path they took. As a former special forces soldier, having a good sense of direction was a necessity. At least, she was never worried about getting lost, no matter where she was. The two of them pressed forward silently. Seeing the increasing opulence of the decoration around them, Ye Li furrowed her brow slightly and inadvertently asked, "Master, have we taken a wrong turn?"
Doctor Lin looked down at the map in his hand, and then at her. "Oh? Why do you ask?"
Ye Li frowned. "It seems we are moving towards the center of the mausoleum, the complete opposite direction of the exit." Even if the path inside the mausoleum wasn’t straight, it shouldn’t be completely opposite. Despite the Earth being round, this mausoleum doesn’t cover the entire planet. Doctor Lin looked at her and said casually, "Who said the exit is in Hongzhou?"
Ye Li fell silent and looked at Doctor Lin speechlessly. Even if the exit wasn’t in Hongzhou, it surely couldn’t be in the center of the mausoleum? Feeling uncomfortable under Ye Li’s gaze, Doctor Lin eventually said, "Alright, I need to retrieve something, and then we can leave. If you’re unwilling to go, you can wait here for me, or make a copy of this map and leave on your own."
Ye Li felt a bit relieved. At least his words proved that this convenient master of hers did not intend to harm her. Otherwise, although confident she could restrain him, it was uncertain what she might encounter in such an ancient mausoleum. After thinking for a while, Ye Li hesitated and asked, "Could Lin Yuan... have some other way to get inside?"
Doctor Lin apparently didn’t want to give that thing to Lin Yuan; hence, he was trying to rush and retrieve it. Doctor Lin remained silent, but from his expression alone, Ye Li already understood. As expected, the so-called theory of only one exit was never reliable. For example, it has been rumored that the ancient craftsmen who constructed royal tombs would leave hidden secret passages for themselves to avoid being silenced by the imperial family.
Shrugging her shoulders, Ye Li smiled faintly. "I’d better stay with Master. What if I get lost and can’t get out?"
"Are you sure about this? As far as I know, this mausoleum isn’t dangerous. You can wait for me at the exit. If I haven’t returned in two days, you can just trigger the mechanism and leave."
Ye Li looked around and said, "I don’t know if it was dangerous here originally, but it might be now. As a girl, walking alone in a tomb is kind of scary. It might be good to go with you, Master, to bolster my courage." Doctor Lin stared at her for a moment, sighed lightly, then turned around and continued walking. "I can’t understand why this girl insists on following me. If you ever get implicated, don’t blame this old man." Ye Li caught up with him, smiling gently. "Because you’re my master. I know my master is a good person." Doctor Lin gave a snort. "I’m not a good person. Stop pretending to be ignorant in front of me. I’ve seen countless individuals in my lifetime, but very few whose depth I can’t fathom." Ye Li feigned ignorance at his derision, blinked her eyes at him, and asked, "Are you praising me, Master?"
The master and disciple walked intermittently. Mindful of Ye Li’s health and Doctor Lin’s advanced age, they did not walk fast. The mausoleum was cut off from daylight. Ye Li could only roughly estimate the time. They had been walking for about six to eight hours since their entrance and had rested in a stone chamber for several more hours. They had spent almost an entire day inside, yet they had just reached the entrance to the interior of the mausoleum. Standing before an imposing palace gate, Doctor Lin turned to Ye Li. "Be careful once we’re inside, and don’t touch what shouldn’t be touched. If you trigger any mechanisms, don’t say I didn’t warn you!" Ye Li looked at him. "But Master, you said it’s not dangerous inside." Doctor Lin snorted, a hint of pride in his demeanor. "It’s not dangerous when you’re with me. But it might be different with anyone else. Outside the mausoleum were nothing more than some distractions, but the number of traps inside is at least five times greater."
Ye Li wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead. "Master, I feel like I’ve fallen into a trap. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t entered here with you?"
Doctor Lin responded with a wry smile. "The exit of this place is no less trap-infested. And the map to decode the traps is kept with the treasure."
"You seem to know quite a lot," Ye Li muttered under her breath. The tomb was silent, and Doctor Lin could clearly hear her. He chuckled triumphantly. "This mausoleum was designed and constructed by our ancestors. Do you think anyone in the world could know it better than me?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and quickened her pace to follow Doctor Lin deeper inside.
Only after stepping inside the mausoleum did Ye Li truly understand what an imperial tomb meant. No one knew what the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang looked like; the imperial tombs Ye Li had seen in her past life were mostly looted by tomb robbers or were mere ruins after excavation. She recalled historical records describing Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum: "They dug through three subterranean streams and poured molten copper for the outer coffin case. Palaces and scenic towers for a hundred officials were built, and the tomb was filled with rare artifacts and wondrous treasures. They used mercury to simulate the hundred rivers, the Yangtze and Yellow River, and the great sea, and set them to flow mechanically. Above, they represented the heavenly constellations; below, the features of the land. They used mermaid oil for candles, calculating that they would burn for a very long time." She was unsure if this mausoleum could compare to the magnificence of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, but the spectacle before her eyes attested that it was at least as opulent and majestic.
Exquisitely carved marble floors and walls, rivers of mercury, and star-like patterns spread throughout the astonishingly vast tomb chamber. Looking up, the ceiling was adorned with countless luminescent pearls forming constellations. The burial objects in the tomb chamber were not simple bronzeware but rather delicate gold items, jade, gemstones, and more. Eternal lamps were placed around the tomb chamber. Combined with the gleam from countless golden artifacts, luminescent pearls, and other treasures, the entire chamber was as bright as day. Looking at the dazzling tomb in front of her, which seemed like a smaller version of the imperial city, Ye Li couldn’t help but return to those few sentences in the historical records... Were all ancient imperial tombs so similar across different times and spaces?
"I wonder if there are Terracotta Warriors or something similar near this mausoleum?" Ye Li muttered under her breath. Following Doctor Lin carefully, even though every item in front of her was a rare treasure, she had no desire to reach out and touch any of it.
Doctor Lin looked back at her. "How do you know about Terracotta Warriors?"
Ye Li gasped in astonishment. "Really?" Could the Great Founding Emperor of the previous dynasty be the reincarnation of Qin Shi Huang? Ye Li shook her head to dispel the random thoughts in her mind. Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, and while the Great Founding Emperor also possessed incomparable martial prowess, he still fell a bit short. Doctor Lin observed her, then turned and continued walking, saying, "According to our ancestors’ accounts, there truly are. But back then, the realm had just been pacified; we couldn’t afford to spend such vast funds to construct the imperial tomb. In the end, two-thirds of the Great Founding Emperor’s vision was scrapped. The Terracotta Warriors were only mentioned in a few select secret histories about the Great Founding Emperor." Ye Li gasped in admiration. This scale is only one-third of the original plan? If he had truly completed the entire tomb, the previous dynasty might have perished a couple of centuries sooner!
"Actually, this is not bad at all. If future generations face any difficulties, they could dismantle this tomb; it would be a real windfall," said Ye Li with a slight smile. From ahead, she heard a disdainful snort from Doctor Lin. "Even the most disgraceful of descendants would not demolish their ancestor’s tomb." Ye Li blinked. "So why is so much gold and treasure buried here?" Of course, she knew the logic behind that. Perhaps those who have never been emperors will never comprehend the significance of constructing such imperial tombs. It would have been better to leave the wealth behind for future generations to use in times of emergency.
The two continued their journey in silence. Despite Doctor Lin’s guidance, they cautiously circumvented several traps before approaching a palace-like structure situated in the center of the tomb. Ye Li understood that it was where the coffin of the tomb owner lay. This was an edifice entirely carved from white jade, standing at the very center of the tomb. Even from afar, one could see this snowy-white palace. A closer look revealed intricate carvings on the windows and chambers, mythical dragon whelps perched on the roof, and exceedingly lifelike jade-carved flora hanging from the eaves. The stairs to the palatial entrance were adorned with a majestic dragon and phoenix. Most importantly, a giant white dragon entwined around the white palace, its head resting on the roof, its eyes made of huge luminescent pearls glaring at any incoming guest. For some reason, glimpsing this palace, which embodied opulence, grandeur, and dominance, made Ye Li unconsciously twitch her lips; an eerie feeling surged within her. But upon seeing Doctor Lin’s face, filled with excitement, admiration, and longing, she decided it was best to hold her tongue.
"Master, shall we go in?" asked Ye Li, interrupting Doctor Lin’s reverie.
Coming back to his senses, Doctor Lin composed his expression and gave the white structure one last, reluctant glance before nodding in agreement.
Both of them stood at the entrance in a daze. The palace door was tightly shut with neither a lock nor other contraptions. There was only a black jade stone engraved with characters and encircled by coiling dragons. Upon careful observation, there were several characters arranged irregularly, but these character blocks were movable—evidently needing to be rearranged. Ye Li reflexively raised her eyebrows at the sight of the characters—Sweep, Universe, Six, King, Under, Horizontal, Overlook, Heavens. A simple eight-character puzzle; the correct arrangement should be "Sweep the universe, the king overlooks all under the heavens."
Watching Doctor Lin step forward and begin to adjust the character blocks on the door, Ye Li, with a brow faintly knitted, felt an inexplicable sense of unease. But after keen observation for a long time, she still couldn’t spot any issues, so she could only stand aside and watch Doctor Lin meticulously. Suddenly, Ye Li seemed to see one of the character blocks twist very strangely. Ye Li blinked, trying to ascertain if it was merely a hallucination or if she had truly seen something. Staring hard at the character for "Heavens," she finally noticed that one of its strokes was somehow slightly askew, and upon closer inspection, something seemed to be slowly wriggling underneath it. A thought flashed through Ye Li’s mind. Before she could think it through, she reached out, grabbed Doctor Lin, who was engrossed in moving the character blocks, and pulled him back.
"OUCH..." Doctor Lin exclaimed. Even without Ye Li pulling him, he had already stumbled back several steps, staring at his fingers in shock. Two of his fingers were coated with some strange black substance that was slowly wriggling, and his fingers were being corroded at an alarming rate. Doctor Lin’s face paled. Before he could react, Ye Li grabbed his hand. Her sharp dagger flashed twice like silver light, and the skin and part of the corroded flesh from Doctor Lin’s two fingers were sliced off, falling to the ground. Then, both of them discovered in horror that the decaying flesh on the floor was continuing to corrode the white jade foundation beneath it.
They both whirled around to look at the main door. The characters on it were gradually blurring as more small black things wriggled on its surface, looking as if they were about to detach. Ye Li pulled Doctor Lin back two quick steps and said, "Master, we’re in big trouble. Let’s go, quickly." Doctor Lin looked at his still-bleeding right hand, his expression grim. "The ancestral secret records never mentioned this." Ye Li said, "Obviously, the Great Founding Emperor of the previous dynasty set you up."
They quickly descended the palace steps and headed out, but it became evident that the tomb’s occupant had no intention of easily letting go of those who had desecrated his mausoleum. The bridge piers, originally built over the Shuiyin River for passage, suddenly all sank into the water. Ye Li even heard CRUNCHING sounds from many places—clearly the activation of certain mechanisms. Let alone being unable to leap across this Shuiyin River now, even if they could, the subsequent traps and hidden weapons would likely be unbearable. The designer of the tomb chamber had definitely considered the possibility of martial arts experts breaking in.
They looked back towards the entrance. The black mass had grown larger than before, completely obscuring the characters that were previously visible. Some parts had detached from the main body, flying out like tiny insects. Both had witnessed the potency of these small creatures. Doctor Lin had only been touched by a tiny amount, and two of his fingers were corroded; there was also a hole the size of a wine cup in the white jade foundation. If these things latched onto them, they would not only die but die gruesomely.
"What are these things..." Doctor Lin frowned. Although his family had long ceased involvement in matters related to tomb construction, their family records were still numerous. But he was certain he had never seen anything like this before. Ye Li pulled Doctor Lin, retreating while searching for a safer spot, her gaze fixed warily on the black mist not far away. "Master, you know about Cordyceps, right?" Doctor Lin was puzzled. "Cordyceps? What does this have to with Cordyceps?" Ye Li explained, "A worm in winter, a plant in summer. This is similar: worms when warm, like jade when cold. When you moved the character blocks earlier, Master, the warmth from your fingers brought these little things to life. Do you have a solution, Master?"
Doctor Lin said helplessly, "I’ve never even seen these ghastly things before. What solution could I have?"
Ye Li said, "That’s troublesome. If these little things fly everywhere, not only will we be in danger, but all the treasures in this entire mausoleum will probably be ruined too."
"You still have the mind to worry about these things now?" Doctor Lin shot her a sideways glance and said irritably.
Ye Li smiled faintly. "Just because I’m not worried about them doesn’t mean others aren’t, right?"
Doctor Lin was taken aback. "Who else?" Just as he finished speaking, a black shadow leaped up from the opposite side. With a few SWOOSHING sounds tearing through the air, several sharp arrows shot towards the airborne shadow. The black-clad person somersaulted in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the arrows. Then, a row of huge spiked boards pressed down from above. The black-clad person, still airborne and unable to land, had to flip again to arduously dodge the spiked boards. A RIPPING sound indicated their clothes had been torn. Only then did the black-clad person land awkwardly on their side, swaying for a moment before steadying themselves. Ye Li moved like lightning. Her dagger flashed with a cold glint. The moment the black-clad person stood firm, the icy tip of her blade was already pressed against their spine. "Don’t move. If my hand slips, it might not kill you, but it could leave you bedridden for life."
The man in black turned his head slightly. "Princess Consort Ding? So, you’re still alive?"
Ye Li smiled playfully. "So, we’re acquainted? However... among the people this Princess Consort knows, I don’t seem to recall someone like you."
The man raised his hands, threw his weapon to the ground, and said, "Princess Consort, no need to be nervous. I won’t harm you, and I definitely won’t let you die. At least... I absolutely won’t let you die here."
Ye Li smiled gracefully. "I’m truly touched. However, Your Excellency should first state your origins. Otherwise... I can’t guarantee you won’t die here." As she spoke, Ye Li, holding the dagger in one hand and gripping the man with the other, turned him around to face Doctor Lin. She smiled and asked, "Master, do you recognize him?"
Doctor Lin looked at the black-clad man before him with a complicated expression. After a long moment, he sighed deeply and said, "You came after all."
The man said matter-of-factly, "I’m just here to retrieve what rightfully belongs to me. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Ye Li tilted her head, looking at the two of them, and chuckled. "I’m growing increasingly curious about who Your Excellency truly is."
The man chuckled. "Princess Consort, why don’t you come forward and see for yourself?"
