Before I could react, I stared at the scattered fish bones on the ground and whispered, "I'm terribly sorry, Big Brother. I was so hungry that I couldn't help myself—I ate them all."

He suddenly stood up with such speed that he knocked over a piece of burning firewood.

I quickly raised my voice, "Don't get violent! Let's talk this out!"

His fists clenched as he glared at me, "Do you have any damn idea how long I've been trapped here? Do you know how hard it was for me to catch that fish?"

I was caught off guard when he suddenly crouched down and began to cry.

I took three steps forward, crouched beside him, and gently patted his shoulder, "Big Brother, you said you've been trapped here for a long time? Where did you come from before this? Surely you didn't fall from up there?" I said, pointing to the cave ceiling.

"Cut the crap!"

"Don't think I don't know—you're definitely from the north, all of you burrowing rats, don't pretend to be a pet cat!" His direct speech and loud voice were a stark contrast to the foolish tone he had adopted moments before.

My eyes narrowed as I ventured, "One river flows, two different sceneries seen; wood chopped on the mountain, fires lit below. May I ask Yuan Liang, how many Mound Gates have you dismantled?"

No sooner had I finished my sentence than his expression went from puzzled to utterly animated.

"Hey, you're quite the kid, aren't you? Barely grown and you dare to play the Black Mouth Game with me? Alright, young man, listen up."

"A bag of soil packed to the southwest, a shovel for digging east and west, partridges descend the ridge and follow the water path, light skill floating on water, little earth dragon in the soil!"

Hearing him say this, I breathed a sigh of relief. These words were also jargon from the tomb raiding community, and although our paths were different, we shared one thing in common—we were both tomb raiders.

Through our conversation, I gradually pieced together a clearer picture.

It turned out that this man, surnamed Chen and named Jiansheng, was a tomb raider skilled in the Water Touching Cave technique from the Southern Sect. In his group, he served as a Middle Layer Soil Worker. According to him, he had been stuck in this cave along the Underground Dark River for six or seven months, surviving on river fish and rats thanks to his good swimming and climbing skills.

I asked him, "What about the others in your group?"

"Dead," he said nonchalantly.

"Dead! The whole group is dead? How did they die?"

The thought of the infighting often heard of in our line of work immediately put me on high alert. With Red Sister unconscious, if I were harmed, we would both be doomed.

Seeing my wary stance, the man scoffed, "Look at you, scared as a chicken. You'll disgrace your Northern Sect. How they died is none of your business. It wasn't me who killed them. By the way, kid, who's your head? Give me a name to hear."

After some thought, I replied in a low voice, "Our leader's surname is Wang, called Mr. Wang, but everyone refers to him as King Leader."

"Mr. Wang? King Leader?" He rubbed his head, "Seems... I've heard of this man a few times."

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"Alright, I've introduced our side. What about the head of your Southern Sect? Wait! Don't tell me yet, let me guess... Is it a man with the surname Chen?"

The fire crackled on, the underground dark river flowed gently, and he kept his head down, not speaking. For a moment, both sides fell into silence.

After about five or six minutes, he suddenly looked up at me, "Have you seen Old Chen's body?"

I nodded, "Yes, we saw it in a coffin, but the body had already begun to decay, not much flesh left."

Hearing this, his eyes reddened, "Head Chen, you held on for so long, I didn't expect that in the end..."

"Condolences," I said perfunctorily.

"Hey, by the way, you mentioned you've been here for six or seven months? What's that about? Can't find your way out? That can't be right..."

"Ha... the way out?" He looked at me and sneered, "You think I didn't look for it? The space beneath this Western Zhou Large Tomb was deliberately designed by the Tomb Owner, like a private garden. Enough talk, lad. Take the woman with you. If you're still not convinced, I'll show you around. Then you'll understand."

So, I hoisted Red Sister onto my back again and continued to follow the man.

There were some questions he didn't answer directly, but as we walked, I speculated.

The Yellow Cypress Old Face and the Exotic Phoebe Fragrance could cause hallucinations. We were unaffected because we woke up quickly, thanks to the medicinal powder Third Brother had obtained from his martial arts world friends.

Could it be that these Southern Sect tomb raiders also succumbed to hallucinations, and without the medicinal powder, ended up turning on each other? Sometimes this man's speech was crazed and foolish, other times lucid—could it be the aftermath of those hallucinations?

Of course, these were just my speculations. If the person in question was unwilling to share, there were details I could never fully deduce.

Following the underground river for about an hour, we reached a fork where the river split in two—one stream flowed east and the other west, with a dead end in the middle, blocked by stones.

"So, what do you think now that you've come this far?" he suddenly turned and asked me.

Looking at the scene before me, I frowned and said, "The structure above this Western Zhou Large Tomb is similar, overall forming a T-shape, which is consistent with the direction of this underground dark river's flow."

He clapped his hands in approval and said, “You've got a fairly discerning eye, kid. Indeed, the feng shui layout of this tomb, from top to bottom, was intentionally designed by the tomb owner. It taps into the Hidden Dragon Vein beneath Moth Mountain. Moreover, the cave has been dark, damp, and sunless for centuries, eventually becoming what geomancers refer to as Damp and Shady Ground.”

“As I see it, it’s very likely that the tomb owner wanted to harness the nurturing essence of the Dragon Vein and Damp and Shady Ground to come back to life…” He continued to lead the way, muttering to himself as he went.

Following behind him, I grew more and more astonished by his words. My heart pounded wildly, dreading the possibility that he might be speaking the truth.

It’s a common occurrence for hair and nails to continue growing after death and before burial—a fact many are aware of. However, through a series of exaggerations over time, the myth of the reanimated corpse, or 'jiangshi,' came into being.

But Shadow Corpses are entirely different from jiangshi. The hopping zombies of old Hong Kong movies are a far cry from the more sinister Shadow Corpses.

From what I understand, Shadow Corpses, Damp and Shady Ground, and the uncorrupted bodies all refer to the same phenomenon, extensively documented in the original texts of the Tang and Song versions of the Burial Scriptures.

“Yin Moist Corpses come in dry and wet forms. Firstly, Long Moistening of the Dry rejuvenates hair growth. If the Yin Corpse's Mouth Opens Half an Inch, it will bring calamity upon three generations of the family. If the Yin Corpse's Mouth Opens One Inch, six generations will be cursed. Should the Yin Corpse's Mouth Opens Three Inches, the lineage will be extinguished. Secondly, if the Wet Yin Moisture is Back Against Yin Mountain, with the Head Rests Towards Yin and feet planted in the yin earth, it constitutes a Great Evil. Once discovered, Strangers Keep Away. Let the masters refrain from involvement, and may descendants heed this warning.” These are the original words from the old Burial Scriptures.

“What’s the matter? Are you scared, kid?” The man asked me, looking at me sideways.

“Scared? Of what?” I retorted, with firm conviction: “They’re just dead people, nothing but fabrications from ancient times. I’m not afraid at all!”

“Hmm, alright, you’ve got guts, kid,” he said, and continued on his way without looking back.

But there was something he hadn’t noticed.

When I was talking, trying to sound brave like Red Sister...

My legs were trembling. (To be continued)

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