Haricots rouges du Sud

Chapitre 49

Even now, the death of Shan Jun remains a pain in my heart. If I could do it all over again, I would never have asked Wang Quansheng to buy any bronze artifacts, and I would never have left Shan Jun all alone in the Yellow River...

Thinking of Shan Jun, the image of Ya Tou reappeared before my eyes. During Ruo Shui's foolish moment, I accidentally saw her body. I thought she would be angry, but instead—she asked me, "Am I pretty?" I had wanted to tell her this countless times. Yes, she was beautiful, truly beautiful. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

But now that the girl is gone, do I still have the chance to say those words?

I patted the young master on the shoulder, assuring him I wouldn't do it again, and then with a "plop," I jumped into the water. The young master busied himself lowering the rope, and I kicked hard twice before diving in.

Based on my feeling from earlier, I figured the water wasn't too deep. I dived down as far as I could, and after my eyes adjusted to the underwater world, I tried to open them. The miner's lamp above me was dim and unclear, and in the water it was a blurry, yellowish mess. In the distance, the ripples on the water made it impossible to see anything clearly.

I tried to dive down a few more moments, and when I looked ahead suddenly, I was startled. My God... what was that?

I roughly estimated the location, and it should be below the water platform, at most two or three meters above the water. It actually looked like a palace. Through the water's reflection, the pavilions and waterside terraces were vaguely visible in the distance, but they were definitely there.

I swam forward a few more moments, wanting to get closer and see what was going on, but at that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my lower back, and the rope that was originally tied to me was suddenly pulled very tight.

"Damn it, young master! We agreed on five minutes, but it hasn't even been three minutes yet. What's with the rope?" I cursed angrily and turned to surface, but as I moved, I suddenly realized something was wrong. The rope was being pulled underwater.

I was immediately terrified and struggled desperately, but the harder I struggled, the stronger the pulling force behind me became. My hands unconsciously thrashed about in the water, trying to break free from the restraints behind me and break through to the surface, but the pulling force behind me only grew stronger.

In the blink of an eye, I finally understood how Shan Jun had died.

He must have been like me now, with the rope tied around his waist being pulled, and he was struggling to swim to the surface, so he was flailing his arms and legs. To us, it looked like he was fighting with someone. Then... he must have seen something terrifying, and in his extreme fright, he drowned in the Yellow River.

Am I going to die too?

This thought was etched into my mind: No… I can’t die like this! I jumped up, frantically turning myself upside down.

The ancient bronze sword was used to slash back at the rope that was being held tightly behind him.

Just as I was about to burst out of the water, a pale, waterlogged face appeared before me, bearing a sinister, eerie smile, its disheveled hair billowing in the water...

I hurriedly brandished my ancient bronze sword and slashed fiercely at the figure—or rather, the corpse—while desperately swimming towards the surface of the water.

"Young Master... Mr. Huang... there's something underwater..."

As soon as I finished speaking, I sensed something was wrong. The young master and Huang Zhihua were nowhere to be seen on the water. Apart from the dim yellow light emanating from the miner's lamp above my head, everything around me was pitch black.

I was shocked. I calculated the time. From the moment I entered the water to the moment I emerged, it was at most three minutes. In such a short time, where could the young master and Huang Zhihua have gone? Moreover, there was water on all sides; it was impossible for them to have gone anywhere.

"Young Master..." My voice echoed on the water, but there was no response. It was as if everything had returned to the beginning, and I was the only one left in the world.

All was silent!

A musty, stale smell of yellow sand filled the air, and before my eyes flashed images of once vibrant lives—Wang Quansheng, the professor, Shan Jun, Old Bian…

They're all dead, and my and the young master's days are numbered. All our efforts have been in vain. The maid is gone, and the young master is gone too...

I closed my eyes in despair; in such an environment, all my efforts seemed to be in vain.

Splash...splash...Suddenly, water splashed everywhere behind them, and the young master's hoarse voice came from behind: "Old Xu, what are you doing? Holding onto the rope so tightly, you dragged me into the water too..."

"Young Master!" I snapped around, overjoyed, and didn't pay attention to what he was saying. Sure enough, right behind me in the water, the young master was wiping the water droplets off his face, spitting out murky groundwater, and cursing me loudly.

"I'm here!" Huang Zhihua also jumped out of the water, panting heavily, and complained, "Old Xu, what are you doing? You were pulling the rope randomly underwater. The young master wasn't paying attention and you pulled him down. I was afraid that the reckless guy might get hurt, so I had to follow him down."

I pulled the rope? When did I ever pull the rope? Suddenly remembering the thrilling scene underwater, he hurriedly said, "When did I ever pull the rope?"

"Damn it!" The young master, sitting right next to me, cursed angrily, "Old Xu, if you weren't just pulling the rope haphazardly, what else could it be but a ghost...?"

A ghost... I shuddered. Maybe it really was a ghost. I immediately recounted what happened underwater, and then couldn't help but laugh bitterly, "I finally understand how Shan Jun died. Maybe he encountered the same situation as me in the Yellow River."

The young master said that less than a minute after I entered the water, fearing something might happen to me, he stood on the edge of the platform on the water's surface, watching the water. But at that moment, he suddenly felt the rope in his hand tighten abruptly. Without thinking much, he hurriedly tried to continue letting the rope out, but at that moment, a strong force came from underwater, and the young master lost his footing and was pulled directly into the water.

The young master immediately started yelling and cursing at me. Before he could finish speaking, he sank into the water. Huang Zhihua was smart. Seeing that something was wrong, he quickly dove down and grabbed the young master, struggling desperately to get up.

However, the young master's body became heavier and heavier, as if a powerful force underwater was dragging them both down to the bottom.

So when I emerged from the water, there was naturally nothing on the platform. I never expected that the ghostly creature underwater, while pulling me into the water, would be so insidious as to try to capture us all at once, including Young Master Ba and Huang Zhihua.

Huang Zhihua told me that he and the young master struggled underwater for a while and realized something was wrong. The young master was pulling the rope so hard that it was taut underwater, and the force was astonishing. Huang Zhihua asked the young master to let go of the rope, but the young master refused. The two then started arguing in the water.

As a result, the force of the rope pulled him deeper and deeper into the water. The young master was also frightened and had to let go of the rope. Without the restraint, Huang Zhihua had to use a lot of effort to pull him out of the water together. Naturally, he was a little later than me, which gave me quite a scare.

There's definitely something in this water. I told Huang Zhihua about my underwater discovery, and he asked me if the real tomb might be underwater.

I said it was possible. Although it was underwater and I couldn't see clearly, the scale of the underwater building was still very grand.

But if the real burial site is underwater, then who was buried in the original wooden coffin above? Just thinking about that automatically sliding coffin lid sends chills down my spine.

The three of them stood on the platform, looking at each other, each hoping the other could make a decision, but no one spoke. After all, no one knew what was in that underwater world. The young master was almost pulled down and drowned, while I witnessed the pale, lifeless face with my own eyes.

My stomach rumbled, a reminder that the living have no right to compare their leisure time with the dead. We need to eat, drink, and relieve ourselves to sustain life, while the dead need nothing—that's their advantage. I had to find a way out quickly. Right now, all I could see was a vast expanse of groundwater and that tomb chamber within it. Instinctively, I already categorized it as a tomb, even if it wasn't originally intended to be one. But after so much time, with everyone dead, it was a tomb, even if it wasn't.

“Let’s all go down together!” I finally said.

"Okay! Everyone be careful." Huang Zhihua nodded in agreement. The three of them discussed it for a moment. I was in the front, Huang Zhihua brought up the rear, and the reckless young master was sandwiched in the middle. I thought about it again and said that if anything went wrong, whoever could run should run and not worry about the others.

After all, it was underwater, unlike on land, and this underwater tomb had too many unbelievable twists and turns. Especially when I thought of those pale, lifeless faces, my heart couldn't help but pound wildly. With a "plop," I jumped into the water first and dived in the direction I had come from, followed by the young master and Huang Zhihua.

This time I was prepared. After going down less than a meter into the water, I opened my eyes and looked around. I finally understood that the platform we had just been standing on was actually the top of a building. I just didn't know why there seemed to be several pillars standing up in mid-air, supporting the platform. I didn't know what the platform was for.

I dived down another two meters and gestured to the young master following behind me, meaning I was going to go and see why this underwater tomb needed to have a few pillars supporting a platform. Were they afraid that people wouldn't find it?

The young master shook his head repeatedly and pointed ahead, meaning that everyone should go together. Huang Zhihua also gestured wildly. Good heavens, in this underwater world, communication is really difficult. Only then did I realize how important it is that humans invented language.

Finally, the three of us reached a consensus and swam towards the water platform together.

When I was on it, I felt that the material of the water platform was a black stone, completely different from the pure white translucent stone used in all the buildings here. This stone blended into the water, especially in such dark underground water. If I hadn't discovered it by chance, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between it and the water surface. Especially under the light of a flashlight, this stone would emit a faint ripple, just like water ripples.

But when we dived down beneath it, I was even more shocked to discover that this was definitely not an ordinary stone. Not to mention its enormous size, even when it was submerged in water, under the light of our flashlights and miner's lamps, it emitted a faint, water-like luster, as if it had been polished from a super-large piece of jade.

My God! If this really is jade, how big must it be—this is a world-renowned treasure. Just as I was examining the material of the water feature, the young master pulled me aside. I turned my head and saw that he was holding a waterproof flashlight, shining it on something not far ahead.

I looked in the dim, yellowish beam of the flashlight and was immediately startled. Not far from us, in a blurry, indistinct way, a figure was staring at us menacingly.

My heart skipped a beat for no reason. How absurd and ridiculous! Would there be anyone in this place? Apart from the three of us alive and the missing girl.

Huang Zhihua swam over and made a gesture at me. This time I understood it easily—let's go take a look.

I nodded, and mustered my courage to swim forward first. Huang Zhihua suddenly patted me gently, gestured, and pointed to the figure ahead, as if to say that it didn't seem to be human...

Damn it, do you think I didn't know that wasn't human? Is there anyone else in this place besides us?

Seeing that I didn't understand, Huang Zhihua grew anxious, shaking his head repeatedly. He then pointed to the figure in front of me, and then to the bronze sword in my hand. This time, I finally understood. He meant—that looked like a bronze figurine…

I was skeptical. If it was a bronze figurine, how could it float in water without sinking to the bottom, given the heavy density of bronze?

But after looking at it closely, I still couldn't quite believe it was a person... Whether it was a living person, a dead person, a dummy, or even a ghost, I had to go and see for myself. I swam forward and gradually finally saw it clearly. I was shocked to discover that it was indeed a bronze human figure, standing there quietly. The original bronze decorations had naturally peeled off badly, making it impossible to determine its exact age. The reason it could float in the water was that it was bound to a pillar behind it by a thick iron chain.

The pillar is made of the same material as the water platform above. When illuminated by a flashlight, it shimmers and blends into the water, making it impossible to spot unless you get very close.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Since there was an underwater tomb here, it was common to find bronze human figures buried with the deceased. I swam over with the help of the flashlight in the young master's hand and touched it hard. It was indeed a very heavy bronze material. I also tugged on the iron chain binding it. It was quite heavy and sturdy. It was not an ordinary bronze decoration.

Curiosity piqued, I followed the lines of the chain and was astonished to discover that one end of the chain firmly bound the bronze figure to a stone pillar behind it, while the other end passed through the figure's chest—presumably its ribs...

Could this be considered some kind of ancient torture? As I pondered this, I couldn't help but touch the face of the bronze figurine, trying to find a breakthrough in the casting process of its face. Unfortunately, the bronze figurine had been soaking in water for too long. Although the mud and sand on its face fell off when I wiped it with my hand, the bronze itself was severely corroded, and I couldn't see any clues. The only thing I could be sure of was that this bronze figurine was wearing armor of level fifty. Judging from its appearance, it somewhat resembled the warrior lying on the white jade coffin in the Guangchuan King's Mausoleum.

I was puzzled. It was reasonable for Western Zhou kings and nobles to cast bronze human figures or use a large number of slaves as funerary offerings, but there was never any legend of casting warriors in this form for burial. Bronze warrior figures were usually buried as guards of royal tombs, either standing at the entrance or near the coffin. But everything here completely overturned much of history.

I carefully examined the samurai's face, and there was a vague sense of familiarity about it, as if I had seen it somewhere before. How strange.

For some reason, when I saw this bronze human figure, I had an urge to swing my sword and cut the chains binding it. At that moment, the young master behind me pulled me up, gestured to me, pointed upwards, and then we swam upwards.

As soon as we surfaced, all three of us couldn't help but gasp for breath.

“Old Xu, there’s something strange about this underwater area, but without diving equipment, it might be difficult to get in,” Huang Zhihua analyzed.

Diving equipment? My heart skipped a beat. Didn't we bring a small oxygen tank? I asked the young master, who just smiled wryly and said that the oxygen tank had been a heavy burden all the way, and he had lost it halfway and hadn't retrieved it.

Huang Zhihua said that there should be someone with the girl... I thought to myself, isn't that obvious? If the girl were here, there would be nothing more to say. The most urgent thing now is to find her. But in the end, it all boils down to one thing: none of the three of us have an oxygen tank. So, whether we can dive down depends on our individual abilities. I'm confident I can last two or three minutes underwater and then need a breather. Huang Zhihua is a soldier and has received rigorous training; he shouldn't be any worse than me. But what about the young master?

I can't rest easy leaving him alone on the water platform, even for just two or three minutes. We've already lost the girl; we can't afford to lose the young master too.

I lay on the platform on the water, thinking and thinking, but I couldn't come up with a solution. Finally, Huang Zhihua said that the three of us should go down from the three corners of the platform and see if there is a bronze human figure on the supporting pillars in each corner. Then we should meet in the middle of the platform and see if we can find the entrance to the underwater tomb.

I nodded in agreement with his idea. The platform on the water wasn't too big, and the three of us could look after each other with the help of the lights when we went into the water at the same time.

Huang Zhihua determined the direction and avoided the spot where we had just gone underwater. In this damned underground world, without any landmarks, we really couldn't tell which way was which.

"I'll count to three, and everyone will go into the water together. After one minute, we'll meet in the middle. Anyone who can't hold on has to get out of the water immediately," Huang Zhihua said.

The young master and I both agreed, and I quickly added, "Turn on all the lights; this is not the time to save money."

one two three.....

The three of us jumped into the water again. The stench of rotting yellow sand still lingered in my nose. Ignoring the nausea, I plunged back in and began to dive. This time, I was smarter; I practically clung to the large stone pillar supporting the platform as I slid down. After descending less than a meter, sure enough, there was a bronze human figure tied to the pillar, looking exactly like the one I'd seen before. I wiped the mud and sand from the bronze figure's face and, in the dim light of the miner's lamp overhead, looked at it. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed, as if I'd seen it somewhere before…

Wait... why does this bronze figure look so much like me?

Suddenly, I was so shocked by this discovery that I shivered all over and couldn't help but reach out to pinch my face. But with the thick underwater mask on, I couldn't touch it, though I still knew exactly what I looked like.

Although the bronze human figure in front of me had been submerged in water for many years and was extremely corroded, its face still bore a resemblance to mine.

I couldn't help but reach out and touch the bronze figure again, peeling away the surface dirt and sand. I even felt a faint sense of resentment. A surge of evil energy welled up inside me, making my lungs feel like they were about to explode. All the fear and unease I had felt earlier transformed into a raging fire in that instant. I suddenly drew my ancient bronze sword and viciously slashed down at the iron chains binding the bronze figure.

The ancient bronze sword emitted an eerie, chilling light in the pitch-black water—it struck the iron chain with a piercing clang of metal. It was unclear whether the bronze sword was too sharp or the iron chain was too heavily corroded underwater to withstand the blow.

With a "bang," the iron chain snapped easily, and the bronze figure, now free from its chains, swayed and plummeted into the water.

Chapter Three: Underwater Tombs

But at that moment, I suddenly felt a force pulling me toward the middle. I was startled and quickly grabbed the pillar supporting the underwater platform.

Unexpectedly, the pillar was covered in moss and mud. I lost my grip and slid involuntarily towards the center. When I looked ahead, I was startled. The once calm water surface had been stirred up by someone, and a huge whirlpool had formed around the ink-painting platform. And now, I was being swept into this whirlpool...

That bronze figure... it was used to maintain the balance of the water, huh?

In an instant, I understood the key, but it seemed too late. How could my individual strength possibly contend with such a strange force of nature? I just couldn't understand why the faces of those bronze terracotta figures looked like my own. Was it an illusion? Was the mechanism designed so that I would cut the chains and be swept into the vortex of groundwater and drown?

No… Could it be that the person who set up this mechanism thousands of years ago knew that some tomb raiders in later generations would appear wielding sharp and strange ancient divine weapons? Otherwise, cutting the iron chains underwater would definitely not be an easy task.

Before I could think any further, my entire body was pulled into the vortex, feeling as if I were trapped in the eighteenth level of hell, my body being ground over and over by a sleeping millstone, squeezing the blood in my abdomen so hard it almost gushed out. I wanted to raise my head to look at the young master and Huang Zhihua, but my head seemed to no longer belong to me.

In a daze, I don't know how long I struggled in the vortex. I only felt as if all the bones in my body were being torn apart, which made me think of an ancient form of torture—dismemberment by five horses.

However, this swirling groundwater now acts as the executioner, tearing my flesh apart alive.

My head was throbbing terribly. I could vaguely hear a thousand horses galloping and howling, or countless worms gnawing at my brain...

I don't know how much time passed in the darkness. I was in a daze, and in fact, I couldn't tell whether I was alive or dead.

Suddenly everything seemed to freeze. I moved, and thankfully, my back was just aching from something poking it. I crawled over and rolled over, but ended up falling on top of someone.

I almost screamed in fright. Was there anyone else here? Of course, they were all corpses... Thinking of this, I hurriedly reached for the miner's lamp above my head, but no matter what I did, the miner's lamp wouldn't light up. The poor miner's lamp, after so many disasters, finally met its end.

Just as I was fiddling around, the "corpse" I was pressing down on suddenly moved strangely. My heart almost jumped out of my chest. Damn it... I can't see anything at this point, so I really hope it doesn't turn into a zombie.

Living people need light, but I wonder if the dead do? If they don't need light, I'll be at a huge disadvantage. No way, whatever it is, I'll strike first. I forcefully struck the "corpse" beneath me.