Geistertagebuch

Kapitel 14

"A princess of the Han Dynasty?" Feng Yuan's eyes were filled with disdain. "If you were a princess of the Han Dynasty, you wouldn't have abandoned your country and family to pursue some kind of happiness. Princess, I advise you to commit suicide. I will submit a memorial to the court, saying that you died for your country."

Zhaoling trembled even more violently: "No, I don't want to die. I want to see Lianglang! Lianglang, come and save me! Come and save me!"

Feng Yuan's face turned completely cold, and she clapped her hands behind her. Two expressionless soldiers took a bow from the wall and walked towards Zhao Ling. Zhao Ling tried to escape, but several palace maids held her arms. She struggled desperately, staring intently at the bow, her deep eyes filled with despair.

"Lianglang! Save me..." Her words were unfinished, and would never be finished. The soldier placed the bow around her neck. Yin Li stared at the gleaming bowstring, her eyes almost burning.

With a piercing scream, Yin Li collapsed to the ground. She watched as Zhao Ling slowly and gently fell, landing on the white wool carpet, her eyes wide open. Life was slipping away from her beautiful face, with streaks of blood trickling from her mouth and nostrils. The contrast of snow-white skin and crimson blood was a beautiful yet cruel scene.

Feng Yuan turned around and said in her usual emotionless tone, "Feed the princess the beauty pill. Prepare her for burial. Today, all the palace maids in this room will be buried alive with her!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in weeping. Several eunuchs began to prepare Princess Zhaoling's body. Feng Yuan seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around, glanced at the corpse, and said, "Put that Nine Phoenix Robe on the princess. She gave it to me; now I'm returning it to her. From now on, we owe each other nothing!"

The world suddenly went dark, and Yin Li collapsed to the ground, her body ice-cold, as if she had fallen into a deep valley of a snow-capped mountain. The human heart is truly the cruelest and most terrifying thing in the world; it's like a sharp blade, ready to pierce you at any moment.

Feng Yuan, that horrible woman, her actions are truly chilling. Having served Zhao Ling for so long, she could still bring herself to kill her, and with such a vicious scheme. A woman's jealousy is truly terrifying.

30. They looked at each other in silence.

Qin Wen unfolded the scattered bamboo slips in her hand, on which a shocking story was recounted in beautiful clerical script. It turned out that Princess Zhaoling's death was a terrible conspiracy. Feng Yuan, who had fallen in love with Prince Zihe, deliberately used a shooting star to lure Prince Zihe to the back garden in order to take revenge. There, he discovered Princess Zhaoling's secret rendezvous with Gongsun Liang, killed Prince Zihe, and framed Gongsun Liang for the crime.

Everything went smoothly; Princess Zhaoling was killed by her. Gongsun Liang was also lured to the tomb and murdered using the princess's corpse as bait. She seemed to have succeeded, clearing all obstacles, becoming a minister to the new king, and even helping the Han Dynasty to subdue the Xiongnu, making great contributions. However, at the height of her success, her nightmare had only just begun.

Feng Yuan wrote this note with a heart full of remorse. From the day the princess was buried, she had been plagued by nightmares. Each time, she dreamt of Princess Zhaoling, Prince Zihe, and Gongsun Liang, all covered in blood, coming to demand her lives. She was terrified, unable to sleep soundly, and even unable to fall asleep at all. Later, even during the day when she strolled in the garden, she would see the princess's vengeful spirit. Wearing the Nine-Phoenix Robe that had once been given to her but which she had returned, the princess stared at her with a cold gaze, her eyes like a knife.

Every time this happens, she screams and faints.

She finally realized that karma had come back to bite her.

She tried every method imaginable, but couldn't drive away the vengeful spirits. She grew increasingly thin, and her husband, having found a new lover, became increasingly distant. She could only deal with political affairs day after day, year after year, even turning to the Kshatriya religion, considered a heretical sect by the Western Regions, in an attempt to escape her fate. She built a grand tomb for Princess Zhaoling, but never sealed it. She believed that she was the one who should be a princess sent for a political marriage, and that she had always done what a princess sent for a political marriage should do; only after her death could she enjoy such an honor.

But now she regrets it, regrets everything she's done. What was the point of all that she did? In the end, she still has nothing.

She finally began to repent for the mistakes she had made, but the misfortune was not over.

She fell ill, and her condition worsened. The princess's face still frequently appeared in her mind, and she knew her time was near. So she made a will, wishing to be buried in a mausoleum after her death. The princess's body was moved to the deepest part of the mausoleum, and she wanted to lie in the most prominent place in the mausoleum in the princess's place. Even if tomb robbers were to break in, it would be her body that would be damaged. For this purpose, she also prepared a black pearl bestowed by the Han emperor. Such pearls had preservative properties, capable of keeping the body from decaying even in the harshest environments.

The note ended abruptly there; the remaining two bamboo strips bore faint writing, impossible to decipher. Upon closer inspection, only two characters were somewhat clear. Upon seeing those two characters, Qin Wen's expression suddenly changed drastically.

Clam cloud!

It's a clam cloud! The clam cloud mentioned on that strange wooden board found in the ancient city of Niya!

What's going on? Could what's written on that wooden board be true? Are there really prophets in this world?

Professor Li noticed her pale face and quickly took the bamboo slip from her hand. After examining it closely, he said, "It's relatively well-preserved, but the writing at the end is a bit blurry. We should be able to restore it after studying it carefully in the lab."

The research lab? Qin Wen smiled bitterly. By the time she got it back to the research lab, it would be too late. Besides, she didn't even know if she could go back to the research lab now.

In the short time she had been reading the bamboo slips, Jack, Lao Si, and Shan Hu had already searched the entire tomb. Aside from some antique bronze mirrors, wooden combs, clothes, and jewelry, there wasn't much of value. Lao Si cursed his bad luck; they had come all this way only to find so much junk.

Jack remained silent for a moment, then suddenly snatched the bamboo slip from Professor Li's hand. Unfortunately, it was entirely written in traditional Chinese characters, most of which he didn't recognize, and he frowned.

"What does the bamboo slip say?" He looked up at Qin Wen and asked.

Qin Wen smiled and said, "The bamboo slip says that the corpse we just saw was not Princess Zhaoling's, and this is not the main burial chamber."

Everyone stared at her in disbelief. Professor Li winked at her, asking how she could tell these tomb raiders something like this. Did they think they hadn't stolen enough?

Qin Wen ignored his gaze and continued, "There must be other burial chambers in this mausoleum. That's where Princess Zhaoling is buried, and there should be a lot of gold and silver treasures there."

Even Jack sensed something was wrong. He stared intently at the girl before him for a long time before finally asking, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Qin Wen smiled, her smile exceptionally bright: "Because I want you to go and save Xiao Li."

"You want to make a deal with me?" Jack sneered. "What if I refuse to go down and rescue them?"

"No, you will definitely get down," Qin Wen said confidently.

Jack's face darkened; he wasn't a fool.

"It seems you've already guessed it." Qin Wen's lips curled into a victorious smile: "The real main burial chamber is beneath that snake cave; that's where Princess Zhaoling is buried!"

Yin Li opened her eyes and saw that she was lying in Situ Xiang's arms. Situ Xiang was leaning against the wall, already asleep, but holding her tightly. Her head rested on his chest, and his strong arms were wrapped around her body, as if protecting a precious treasure.

Seeing Situ Xiang's face so close to hers, her first reaction was to check if her clothes were intact. Only after confirming they were fine did she breathe a sigh of relief. She looked at the man before her with curiosity; he was actually asleep? Had she been unconscious for a long time?

Situ Xiang's eyes were slightly closed. Only then did Yin Li notice that his eyelashes were very long, and his features were more refined than the average man's, making him look like a mixed-race person. He had icy green eyes; presumably, one of his parents was a foreigner?

Curiosity leaped in her chest. She suddenly wanted to know why he had gone down this path. Grave robbing was a sinful act, and also illegal. Why would he take such a risk? What kind of childhood did he have?

Lost in thought, Yin Li was engrossed in watching. Suddenly, Situ Xiang's lips curled into a smile. Yin Li's face flushed instantly, and she jumped up from his embrace, only to be pulled back by him and held in his arms.

"What are you looking at?" Situ Xiang revealed a wicked smile, brought his lips close to her ear, and said, "Do you think I'm handsome, so you've taken a liking to me?"

"There's a limit to arrogance." Yin Li felt embarrassed, as if her thoughts had been exposed, and said through gritted teeth, "Me, interested in you? Don't be ridiculous. With your small eyes, big nose, wide forehead, pointed chin, and all that flabby flesh, I'd be disgusted just looking at you. What girl would like you?"

Situ Xiang wasn't angry; his wickedness only intensified. "You're quite observant. Since you find me disgusting, why have you been staring at me for so long? Do you perhaps enjoy my disgusting appearance?"

Yin Li's face flushed even redder, a surge of anger rising within her. She sneered, "I have no interest in morally questionable tomb raiders. Please let go!"

Situ Xiang's face suddenly turned cold as he stared intently at Yin Li in his arms. Yin Li suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, her heart pounding like a drum. What was he going to do? If he wanted to force himself on her, could she escape? It seemed she had no choice but to use that method. But she had promised her grandfather she would never use it unless absolutely necessary.

"What if," Situ Xiang finally spoke after a long pause, his expression almost frighteningly serious, "what if I weren't a tomb raider?"

"Huh?" Yin Li didn't react for a moment. "You, what did you say?"

"It's nothing." Situ Xiang raised his head, looking somewhere, but his arms around her remained firmly in his grasp. "Pretend I didn't say anything."

Yin Li was stunned. What did Situ Xiang mean? If he wasn't a tomb raider? Did he want to quit for her sake? Did she have that much charm?

Yin Li had never been confident about her appearance. If someone told her that a man had given up his job for her, she definitely wouldn't believe it. But the man in front of her was a tomb raider. Perhaps he too was tired of living a life of constant danger and wanted to change careers?

If he wasn't a tomb raider...

She suddenly felt a little lost. What if he wasn't a tomb raider? Would she be his girlfriend? But he had broken the law after all!

"You still don't know my surname, do you?" Situ Xiang's expression calmed down, still gazing into the distance. "My surname is Situ, and my given name is Xiang. Just call me Situ."

Situ Xiang.

Yin Li silently murmured the name, gazing at the man before her, feeling as if the whole world had darkened. Situ Xiang noticed her gaze, lowered his head, and met her eyes with unusual tenderness.

Suddenly, the same wish arose in their hearts: that this moment could last forever. But life is unpredictable; if things always went according to plan, there wouldn't be so many people cursing the injustice of fate.

Just as the two were staring at each other in a daze, a scream suddenly rang out. Startled, they both nearly fell over. They turned around and were immediately dumbfounded.

A rope, as thick as a wrist, hung down from the huge hole in the ceiling, less than a meter above the ground. A girl, holding the rope, was slowly descending. Her beautiful, large eyes stared blankly at the two people, her mouth almost big enough to stuff a chicken inside.

"Xiao, Xiaowen?" Yin Li jumped up like a young wife caught in the act by her husband, rushed to the rope, grabbed it and shook it, "Xiaowen, you have to believe me, we didn't do anything."

Qin Wen was hanging from the rope, swinging wildly and spinning in the air. Jack, who was following behind her, also saw this scene, swinging back and forth nearly five meters off the ground. Even after the strong wind and heavy rain, he couldn't help but change color.

"Xiao Li, stop, stop shaking me!" Qin Wen cried out, her face pale with fright. "I'm about to lose my grip. Do you want me to fall and die?"

Only then did Yin Li realize that the two people above were in imminent danger, and she quickly withdrew her hand. Her face flushed, and she said, "You, you should come down first."

The two jumped down with trepidation, and then saw the archaeological team members climbing down the rope ladder one by one. Everyone looked ashen-faced; asking them to risk such a great danger to climb down the rope ladder was simply too much to ask.

"Xiao Li." Qin Wen stared wide-eyed at Yin Li in front of her. Yin Li felt every hair on her body stand on end, as if a thousand needles were pricking her back: "Xiao Wen."

"Xiao Li, what's going on?" Qin Wen asked, emphasizing each word.

"You, you let me explain."

“There’s nothing to explain.” Situ Xiang stood up, a nonchalant smile on his face. “It’s just as you see it.” With that, he pulled Yin Li into his arms. “She’s my woman now.”

31. Fiery Hell

Everyone felt a jolt throughout their bodies and suddenly opened their eyes.

The moment the words left his mouth, everyone was stunned. Even Jack's eyes widened, and Lao Si and Shan Hu were completely dumbfounded. Their Brother Xiang had always been a paragon of virtue, unmoved by temptation. Once, when Uncle Tian offered himself to an international supermodel, he didn't even blink. Now, in this godforsaken place, he was actually interested in this little girl? So their boss had such a taste?

"What...what did you say?" Yin Li's face seemed to be burning with fury. She whirled around and slapped him on the shoulder. How much force could a girl's slap have? Situ Xiang didn't even think about dodging. Unexpectedly, his right arm felt heavy, and he felt a tingling, numb sensation spreading from where she had slapped him to his entire arm. His skin felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, both painful and itchy, as if countless ants were swarming beneath his skin. He screamed in agony, clutching his right arm, and collapsed to the floor, his facial muscles contorted and trembling with pain as he groaned incessantly.

"Brother Xiang!" The two men were shocked and rushed over to help him up. They found a thin silver needle stuck in his shoulder. They quickly pulled it out, and Situ Xiang's pain lessened considerably, but his entire right arm was still completely weak, and he couldn't even lift it.

"You bitch!" the fourth brother roared at Yin Li. "What did you do to Brother Xiang?"

Yin Li's face turned deathly pale, seemingly quite frightened. She composed herself, feigning nonchalance, and said, "It's nothing, just a needle stuck in his pressure point. It won't kill him, just aches for two or three hours." She had studied traditional Chinese medicine with her grandfather since childhood, and by fifteen, she was already well-versed in it. Even if she woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, she could easily locate acupoints. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; once you're familiar with acupoints, subduing someone isn't too difficult. That's why her family felt comfortable letting the two girls travel alone. Even so, in her twenty-plus years of life, she had never actually used this method against anyone. This time, even she herself was ashen-faced with fear.

"You!" The fourth brother suddenly stood up and strode towards her menacingly. Qin Wen immediately blocked her way and said coldly, "What do you want to do?"

"She injured Brother Xiang's arm, so I'll take her arm!" The fourth brother's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he looked at the two girls. The two girls felt a chill run down their spines, and a sense of fear rose in their hearts.

He's serious!

"Fourth brother, stop." Situ Xiang finally caught his breath, his face pale, but his cynical smile remained. "It's just lovers flirting. I like feisty women."

"You, you," Yin Li finally understood what it meant to be audacious and shameless. She raised her hand, and another silver needle was already between her index and middle fingers. Qin Wen quickly reached out to stop her, saying righteously, "This isn't the time to talk about this. Don't forget why we're here."

Only then did they realize that the archaeological team had already begun taking photos and organizing the artifacts in the tomb. Situ Xiang signaled to Lao Si and Shan Hu not to act rashly. Jack hesitated for a moment, then bent down to pick up the treasures on the ground and stuffed them into his backpack.

Seeing his actions, the members of the archaeological team couldn't help but frown. But because of the gun in his hand, no one dared to raise any objections, and they simply watched him with anxious and complicated eyes.

After photographing the murals, Professor Li approached the unusual jade coffin. Donning gloves, he excitedly stroked the rare jade, murmuring, "This is truly a wondrous tomb. Look, this jade coffin is made from a single piece of jade. Apart from the lid and body, there are no traces of cutting or splicing. It's unimaginable that such jade exists in the world. The entire Western Night Kingdom must have poured its resources into building this tomb."

By this time, Jack's backpack was already full, and his gaze fell on the jade coffin. Professor Li noticed his gaze and quickly hugged the coffin with his arms, his face full of fear, saying, "You, what do you want to do? You can take everything in this tomb, but not this coffin."

"Why not?" Jack sneered.

"I advise you not to push things too far," Qin Wen said coldly. "If you go to extremes, the relationship will inevitably end sooner. Besides, robbing someone's tomb is ultimately a sin against one's karma. Even if you are a Christian, you should know how great a sin it is to disturb the peace of the deceased."

“But the person in the coffin is a heretic, and Christian doctrine is useless to heretics,” Jack said. “Uncle Tian specifically requested this body, and I must take her back.”

With that, he walked towards the jade coffin. Yin Li, in a moment of impulsiveness, leaped forward to block the coffin. Staring directly at him, she said sharply, "If you want to take her away, you'll have to step over my dead body!"

Jack gave a disdainful smile: "You think I wouldn't dare?"

"I don't know if you dare, but I do know you don't have the ability!" A strange light flashed in Yin Li's eyes. Jack was slightly taken aback and involuntarily took a step back.

What was going on? He stared in astonishment at the girl in front of him, barely twenty years old. A noble aura seemed to be slowly and continuously emanating from her. That aura stood before him like a barrier, making him almost unable to move!

Who exactly is she?

Situ Xiang and his two companions clearly noticed Yin Li's unusual nature. The fourth brother whispered, "Brother Xiang, this girl..."

"Shut up." Situ Xiang said in a low but authoritative voice, stopping him from continuing. "Let's wait and see."

The fourth brother fell silent, suddenly feeling a chill of fear. What would have happened if he had actually tried to break the girl's arm?

“Little girl, you seem to have forgotten your situation.” Jack suppressed his unease, picked up the Luger P-85 9mm pistol again, and pointed it at the girl in front of him. “I’m in charge here now, and it’s not your place to tell me what to do!”

Yin Li suddenly let out a cold laugh, which even surprised Qin Wen slightly. She had never seen Yin Li with such an expression since she met her. It was as if she had changed after arriving at this tomb, becoming increasingly unfamiliar.

In a daze, she suddenly had a strange feeling: she wasn't Xiao Li! She wasn't the Xiao Li she knew!

"Do you think having this pistol is some kind of protective magic weapon? You must know what happened to those who dug up Tutankhamun's tomb a hundred years ago, right? Do you think this pistol will be of any use in the face of curses and gods?"