"Are you coming to your senses now? Let's wait for the drug to wear off before we leave, which should take about half an hour. To be on the safe side, let's wait a little longer." Having said that, Third Elder Sun carefully put away the bottle of powdered medicine.

"Third Brother, that stuff is quite potent. You said you borrowed it from an Underworld Friend? What kind of friend?" I asked curiously.

Third Elder Sun shook his head, "This, well, I borrowed it from Lame Man Xiang of the Eight Eccentrics. It's a good thing I came prepared."

Many have heard of something called Bewitching Incense. In ancient TV dramas, there would be villains who poked a hole in the window paper and then blew smoke inside through a hollow bamboo tube.

This is not entirely a figment of imagination. The scent of incense from the Underground Palace has lingered for a thousand years, astonishing all who encounter it.

Before the Republican era, those mixed up in the Martial Arts World were partial to the Eight Gates, the Orthodox Eight Gates, and the Yin Seven Gates, which also encompassed the Eight Wonders of Tianqiao.

What are the Eight Wonders of Tianqiao?

Golden Skin and Colorful Hangings, Review Group Fragrant Willow.

The Lame Man Xiang that Third Brother mentioned is the penultimate member of the Eight Eccentrics, ranking above Willow Gate. This Willow Gate is a Brothel Madam, engaged in the Flesh Trade Business.

Waiting for the drug to wear off would take half an hour. I was somewhat curious about the Eight Eccentrics he mentioned, so I took the opportunity to learn a bit more.

Third Brother said that some descendants of the Eight Eccentrics are still around today, while others have vanished, much like the Gold Touching Mountain Unloader from our Tomb Raiding circle, who could move mountains and shape hills.

These individuals each had their own nicknames in the Martial Arts World of the time. One Incense Stick's Time Enchanting Lame Incense is just one of them; there were many other remarkable people.

The Beggar Swordsman Hua Jian Liu, Sticky Candy Man Zhang Xiao Hong, Su Qin Carrying Sword Little Tuft Head, Pear Blossom Drum Little Song Rong, Shenyang Chess Player Wei Guotong, Tianjin Storyteller Bai Yuqing, Beiping Meteor King Shao Yuan, Roof Walking Swallow Li, and so on. Each one of these individuals possessed extraordinary skills.

In that era, those of us in the lowly tomb raiding trade were not the sort to grace the stage of respectability, with only a few among us ever gaining any renown.

I quietly took note of these names, thinking that should the opportunity arise, I would like to meet these extraordinary individuals of the martial arts world.

Feeling the effects of the medicine subsiding, A Mole, weighed down by thoughts, asked, "Third Elder, just how vast is this underground palace? Moth Mountain is but a speck, isn't it?" He shook his head helplessly, "I don't know. We'll just have to take it one step at a time."

"Cloud Peak, Big Brother, the medicine should have worn off by now. Let's continue our search. If we don't get to the bottom of this Western Zhou underground palace, months of our hard work will have been for naught."

After regrouping, we continued on our way.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

About ten minutes later, we came across a rather peculiar structure.

At the heart of the underground palace, there was a dried-up circular depression. Its edges were smooth, and within it stood three headless stone statues in long robes, their necks ending in neat, flat breaks. We surmised that the heads were intentionally omitted during construction; had they been vandalized, the breaks would not have been so clean.

The pit in the underground palace resembled a reservoir and it was clear that it had been deliberately excavated.

"Hey, what are all these holes for?" A Mole suddenly noticed something at the edge of the pool.

I saw it too. Indeed, as A Mole had pointed out, there were many small holes arranged around the edge of this concave pool, their purpose a mystery.

Third Brother, the boldest among us, was the first to jump down.

He walked to the center of the pool, frowning at the three headless statues.

"What's wrong, Third Elder? Found something?" we asked, following him into the pool.

"Big Brother, look at this," Third Elder Sun pointed to the chest of one of the headless statues.

I saw it too. The statue's chest that he was pointing at was slightly indented. The depression wasn't obvious, but upon closer inspection, it was clear.

"Third Elder, don't move yet!"

But it was already too late.

Almost simultaneously, Third Elder Sun pressed down with his right hand, a few seconds too late for Big Brother's warning.

We watched as the chest of the stone statue caved in, standing frozen in place, daring not to even breathe.

"Clank, clank..."

I was the first to hear it. From beneath the pool came a series of sounds, like that of heavy iron chains being pulled taut.

At the same time, the ground beneath our feet suddenly began to sink!

"Run!"

Third Elder Sun's reflexes were incredibly quick. Barely sensing something was amiss, he took three large strides and leaped out of the pool, with Eldest Elder Sun quickly following suit.

The clanking of iron chains grew louder and louder.

At that moment, three headless stone figures suddenly turned around to face me directly.

"Cloud Peak! Little Red! Hurry and jump up here!" Third Brother shouted anxiously.

The concave reservoir was sinking rapidly; in a moment of distraction, it had already descended nearly two meters. By now, my jumping ability was insufficient to escape the rapidly lowering ground.

"Ropes! Boss! Get the ropes!" A Mole, her expression one of urgent concern, cried out loudly.

Then, abruptly, there was a loud snap, like the sound of a chain breaking.

Before Big Brother could lower the climbing rope, the reservoir's descent accelerated even further.

"Come over to Cloud Peak!" A Mole's forehead was beaded with sweat.

"It's too late! Squat down! Hug the stone sculpture!" She demonstrated urgently for me to follow.

Overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of weightlessness, I could no longer see Big Brother and Third Brother above me. Frozen in place, I was petrified, unsure of what to do.

Seeing my dazed state, A Mole bit her lip and dashed over to drag me to safety.

Only then did I snap back to reality, hastily embracing the same stone figure as A Mole, mimicking her slightly bent knees.

That's when I noticed the walls around us were lined with thick bronze chain locks, easily numbering in the hundreds!

A Mole and I clutched each other's arms, powerless to do anything but watch as we and the reservoir continued to sink.

A massive sound of water rushed in.

The impact was so forceful that I could no longer hold onto the stone figure and was knocked backward.

First, my back felt cool, and then the chill spread throughout my body.

It was the icy water of an underground river.

The water rose rapidly, and my head was still spinning; by the time I regained enough clarity to think of escaping, it was already too late.

Unable to swim, I choked on several mouthfuls of water and screamed for help with all my strength.

I flailed my legs and arms in panic, shouting and crying out.

My body began to sink.

I felt as if my lungs were about to burst, my entire being submerged, blowing bubbles uncontrollably.

As my consciousness began to blur, my mind raced through memories like a slideshow on fast-forward.

Images of my grandmother, my brother-in-law's gaze, a teacher's guidance, and Li Jing's smile flashed before me.

I desperately tried to cling to these memories, but I couldn't hold on to any of them.

My consciousness was fading away, bit by bit.

And then, in what might have been a pre-death delusion, I suddenly felt someone embracing me from behind. (To be continued)

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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/7b136c