Tang Huan smiled slightly and said, "Such mechanisms have quick braking and often have limited range. They are generally designed to increase lethality by using short-range and dense firing. Once you escape the range, you'll be fine. However, the normal reaction of most people when attacked is to retreat immediately, but this mechanism can't be retreated even a step. Every step back will trigger it."
Mo Xi thought to himself: This mechanism only triggers when the final step is taken, then uses the natural reaction of retreating to set up a series of deadly attacks. Incredibly clever!
Mo Xi looked into Tang Huan's eyes, which were so close to hers, and chuckled softly, "You're so heavy."
Tang Huan then realized that he was on top of her, so he quickly turned over and stepped back, and stood up.
Mo Xi also scrambled to her feet. Suddenly, she heard Tang Huan say softly, "Sorry, I'll let you be on top next time."
Mo Xi nearly lost her balance upon hearing this… She turned her head to look at Tang Huan, only to see his completely sincere face. She thought to herself: So, it seems only modern people have such wicked ideas…
The two rolled to the end of the maze, where they found themselves in a larger palace with a glazed tile roof.
In the center of the palace, two ornately carved stone coffins stood side by side, made of the same material as Tang Xin's reliefs: white marble inlaid with shell powder to create butterflies. The difference was that one of them was slightly larger, and it was inscribed with large characters in running script:
Meng Tao, my husband:
We have been husband and wife for ten years, and you have loved me deeply, yet I have always failed you. In my lifetime, your love for me has only grown stronger, and the truth has become increasingly difficult for me to tell you. Yet, our love is so deep, and I have deceived you for over ten years; how can I bear to die without revealing the truth? Therefore, I have inscribed the truth on this stone coffin, hoping you will read it. I know you are magnanimous and will not blame me. If I perish, it will be the bitter fruit of my own actions, a punishment from heaven, which I should bear. My only regrets are for you, my husband, and our young daughter. Please take care of yourself for Xiaoyi's sake.
Throughout my life, I, Tang Xin, have acted recklessly and without regard for consequences, yet this one mistake has haunted me for the rest of my life. Born into a collateral branch of the Tang Clan, despite my exceptional talent, I was still looked down upon by the members. I devoted myself to studying poison arts, hoping to one day rise above my circumstances. Heaven rewards the diligent; at the age of thirteen, I discovered the construction plans for the Tang Clan's underwater palace in a hidden ancient book. I vowed to find the palace and make the Tang Clan look at me with new eyes. However, to find the palace, I needed to master a skill that allowed me to hold my breath underwater for an hour. This skill was truly unbelievable and unheard of, and I had already given up hope. But while traveling the martial world, I accidentally learned that the *Ling Shu Jue Qi Pian* (Spiritual Pivot Qi-Controlling Chapter) within the Shu Mountain Sect's treasured Langya Staff was a skill that, once mastered, allowed for prolonged underwater breath-holding. Thus, I began to ponder day and night how to obtain the Langya Staff. Ultimately, I decided to utilize a woman's greatest weapon—beauty. But I was born with an ordinary appearance, so I could only compensate through hard work, focusing on my expertise in poisons. After countless experiments, I finally created the 'Soul-Destroying Incense'. If taken for a long time, over several years, this medicine could transform an ordinary-looking woman into a stunning beauty that would shake the martial arts world. Back then, I was unaware of the effects of love and believed that all men in the world were worthless and unworthy of a lifelong commitment, so I didn't take the fact that taking the 'Soul-Destroying Incense' would prevent me from falling in love to heart.
My husband, whenever you recall our first meeting in the Peach Blossom Garden of Mount Shu, you are filled with gratitude for the destiny bestowed upon us by Heaven. Little do you know, every time I hear of it, my heart burns with anguish. For our meeting was no accident; it was a carefully orchestrated arrangement by me, all for the sake of the Langya Staff. Later, as your feelings for me deepened, I saw that the time was ripe. I lied to you, claiming that I had been poisoned and that I needed to cultivate the "Ling Shu Jue Qi Chapter" within the Langya Staff to be cured. Without a word, you took out the Langya Staff and gave it to me, and to take me on a journey across the world, you resolutely betrayed the Mount Shu Sect.
How could I remain unmoved by your treatment of me? Ironically, the 'Soul-Stealing Incense' is actually a top-grade aphrodisiac, a kind of lustful poison. If one doesn't fall in love, all is well; but once true love takes hold, the blood and qi surge, and there's no saving her. That's why, when Xiaoyi was three, I forced her to swear a solemn oath never to use poison, fearing she would be as clever as I was and ultimately harm herself. Who knew my mistake would be passed on to our daughter? She was born with poison. Since the time a cinnabar birthmark gradually appeared between her eyebrows when she was eight, I've been utterly devastated. My husband often boasts that the red butterfly between my eyebrows is the most beautiful in the martial arts world, little knowing that that cinnabar mark is from the 'Soul-Stealing Incense.' Every time I see that crimson mark between Xiaoyi's eyebrows, I feel a heart-wrenching pain. Therefore, I repeatedly warn her never to fall in love with anyone, only hoping she can live a peaceful life.”
Mo Xi stood before the coffin, carefully reading Tang Xin's letter, and couldn't help but sigh.
"It turns out that the 'Soul-Destroying Incense' was something Senior Tang Xin deliberately poisoned herself to change her appearance so she could trick Meng Tao into giving her the Langya Staff. She never expected that she would ultimately succumb to temptation and fall in love with Meng Tao for real. Tang Yi's poison is inherited from Senior Tang Xin. Senior Tang Xin forbade her daughter from learning poison to prevent her from following in her footsteps. Unfortunately, it was too late." She thought to herself: People say that heaven is jealous of beautiful women, but who would have thought that Tang Xin, this beautiful woman, had such a background? It turns out that Tang Yi sought out countless different men, without any discernment, because she feared that settling on one would lead to developing feelings and death. Unfortunately, she ultimately fell in love with Yuan Qingze. She knew the consequences of falling in love, yet she still chose to be a moth drawn to a flame. And the truth is so unbearable; the love she chose to give her life for, burning brightly, was actually a trap. Tang Xin used her beauty to trick Meng Tao into leaving Mount Shu, thus planting the seed for Yuan Qingze's lifelong ambition to reclaim the Langya Staff. Yuan Qingze then used his charm to retrieve the staff from Tang Yi, ultimately leading to Tang Yi's suicide by jumping off a cliff. The cause and effect in this world are all predetermined.
Tang Huan sighed softly, "In my Tang Clan, whether male or female, we are all devoted people. Look here, there is even Senior Meng Tao's engraved reply."
"Tangxin Azuma:
"Upon learning the truth of what happened back then, I am filled with grief. It's not that I'm angry that you framed me, but rather that I'm heartbroken by the mental and physical torment you've endured over the years. How could you be so foolish? Even if you were plain-looking, I would have cherished you."
Mo Xi thought to herself: Meng Tao's words were naturally heartfelt. But the truth might not be so simple. It's not surprising, nor is it necessarily superficial, to develop feelings for someone based on their appearance. After the initial attraction fades, the feelings cultivated through daily interaction will naturally surpass or even replace physical attraction. At that point, it wouldn't be difficult to say that you only love their inner qualities. However, who can guarantee that they will fall in love with the heart from the start? That's much harder than falling in love with a mere shell.
Thinking of this, she glanced at Tang Huan, thinking: This guy is quite an oddball. He's a world-destroying genius, yet he can ignore my unremarkable appearance. But what's there to like about my heart, riddled with wounds...?
After calming her thoughts, Mo Xi said, "This stone coffin is very large. Perhaps the couple were buried together." Thinking of this possibility, she suddenly rose into the air and landed next to another stone coffin. With a bit of strength in her left hand, she slowly pushed open the veil.
What came into view was indeed a female corpse, with a jade-green object about a meter long lying beside her. The Langya Staff!
Upon closer inspection of the stone coffin, it was clear that like mother, like daughter. Tang Yi had also carved words on it. However, Tang Xin carved her words hoping Meng Tao would see them, so the characters were very large and conspicuous. Tang Yi, on the other hand, carved her words simply to express her feelings, leaving only a row of tiny characters on the coffin lid.
It contained only one sentence:
"Your heart is bound to mine for a lifetime, yet you have caused me countless tears."
Mo Xi sighed, "I don't know if Tang Yi knew she had fallen in love and was about to die, so she deliberately jumped off the cliff of Shu Mountain in front of Yuan Qingze to make him never forget her; or if she was truly desperate and wanted to die but failed, so she returned to the Tang Clan, back to her parents, to stay with them, and slowly waited to die."
Tang Huan said, "If the real Tang Yi is here, then who built the fake tomb on the back mountain? Could it have been her?" He paused, then suddenly realized, "I was foolish. The other day you said that Tang Xin might have told a highly respected elder of the Tang Clan about the underground palace. In that case, the fact that she left so many clues in the tomb must have been with that elder's tacit approval. Since it's a secret, guarding the items in the tomb is equivalent to guarding the secret. Since Elder Yin doesn't know the details, then the person who knows must be another elder."
Mo Xi nodded in agreement, "Very likely. But I guess this secret isn't absolutely forbidden to be known, otherwise keeping those records of clues would be meaningless. Perhaps that senior wanted you, the sect leader, to know the location of the underground palace. He might have known everything we did in Tibet, but he never interfered, which should be a kind of tacit approval and approval."
Tang Huan said, "Our ancestors spent a huge amount of money to build this underground palace, so there must be a reason for it. Let's look for it."
So the two of them walked clockwise around the main hall with its glazed tile roof, searching through each of the smaller halls connected to it. But they found no secret passages or anything that defied common sense.
Mo Xi felt that this place was like an underground Louvre, with all kinds of exquisite jeweled vessels, ancient scrolls and paintings, and the layout was no less magnificent than that of a royal palace. Even Tang Huan found it more and more amazing the more she looked around.
Upon arriving at the last small hall, a quick glance revealed that the furnishings were exactly the same as before. Mo Xi casually picked up an inkstone, only to find it surprisingly heavy in her hand. She pulled out the dagger she carried with her and scraped it off. After a thin layer of stone powder peeled away, a whole piece of gleaming gold was revealed inside.
Seeing this, Tang Huan immediately followed suit.
The two of them worked for a while, checking the entire small hall from the smallest brush washer to the largest desk, and found that everything was made of gold.
Mo Xi thought to himself: With just these things, even if all the disciples of the Tang Clan in this generation are not up to par, it would not be difficult for them to maintain their prosperity for another hundred years.
Tang Huan said, "If these things were left to future generations by our ancestors for unforeseen circumstances, why not establish a method of inheritance like the Four Treasures of the Tang Clan? If no one ever discovers the secrets of the Wind-Tracing Lamp, wouldn't this place be forgotten forever?"
“Your ancestors must have had their own considerations. Now that we’ve found the place, we can think about these things later. Let’s find the way out first, because going back the way we came is impossible. The water in the pipe is flowing so fast, and the space is so limited. If we try to go against the current, we’ll be exhausted in the water.”
Tang Huan nodded and said, "Since there's something strange about this room, the way out is very likely to be here."
The two searched for a long time but made no progress. They felt trapped and frustrated.
Author's Note: Okay, my mischievous nature has flared up again. Those who are having trouble adapting, please let me know. I'll try my best to overcome it in the future.
That's the end of this episode tomorrow. Yay! *sprinkles confetti*
"Remembering the Capital" by Liu Yong
The original line is "My heart is bound to you for life, yet I bear the burden of a thousand lines of tears for you."
See the light of day again
( ) Mo Xi suddenly said, "Perhaps we are wrong. We came from the water, so we should go back to the water. Besides, Tang Xin didn't give any guidance except for the maze map. Maybe we should really go back to the bronze gate and find a way out."
Tang Huan pondered for a moment and said, "You're right. I was just thinking that, structurally, this underground palace might use bronze doors and a maze as two water barriers to avoid being flooded. If that's the case, the main body of the underground palace wouldn't be connected to the waterway outside."
"Then let's go back. I just don't know if there will still be traps in the maze when we go back."
"We can only deal with things as they come."
So the two returned to the maze the way they came.
In the darkness, Tang Huan took Mo Xi's hand. The two walked silently together.
Although it was in reverse, we had already gone through it once, so going there was actually faster than coming there.