Vollständiges Metamorphose-Handbuch

Kapitel 31

Suddenly, the girl pointed to the moat protecting the coffin and exclaimed, "Look!" We both hurriedly looked into the moat. The originally murky water was now covered with a layer of black lines. Strange tentacles had all emerged, twisting and struggling incessantly.

The girl said they seemed to be in a lot of pain. I said, "Great! So that black corpse is actually the nemesis of this thing. Without them, we can finally get out." The young master nodded in agreement. Only then did I ask him how we managed to pull that black corpse out.

The young master said he didn't know either; he had just pulled hard and the black corpse had come out. I said, "Since this black corpse can lead to the crevice in the stone wall from here, then we can get out too. There's always a way out."

As we were speaking, the strange tentacles that had previously covered the entire moat surrounding the coffin all retracted. In the murky water, a gigantic monster resembling a human face could be vaguely seen, with the hair-like tentacles beside it. At this moment, all the tentacles floated gently in the water, their previous arrogance completely gone.

"Let's go!" the maid said decisively; this was the best opportunity. But the young master was afraid that there was another black corpse hidden in the cave he had just opened, and hesitated to go down. Helpless, I could only climb down the stone wall of the coffin-protecting moat first.

Just now, facing the dual attack of the black corpse and that strange tentacles, I didn't pay close attention. It wasn't until this moment that I noticed that, sure enough, there was a hole in the stone wall of the coffin-protecting river. The iron chain had been pulled out by the young master. The hole was pitch black and not big, but big enough for a person to climb in.

I shone my flashlight around, hesitated for a moment, then climbed in. Behind me, the girl slid down. Then, the young master, having followed my lead, climbed in as well. The entrance was small, but there was enough room for a person to stand and walk inside. I climbed a few steps and groped my way to my feet. I shone my dim flashlight around and found the cave's walls were very rough. Perhaps, as the girl had said, it was an escape route left by the craftsmen who built the tomb, which we were now using.

We walked for about ten minutes in the dark cave without exchanging a single word. I led the way, wielding the ancient bronze sword, while the young master supported the maid behind us. We were both tense, fearing that what awaited us ahead was not a way out, but some terrifying creature, or perhaps another unknown tomb.

The tomb of Liu Qu, the King of Guangchuan, is truly a tomb within a tomb, with each tomb connected to the next.

Fortunately, after taking a few more steps, my eyes were suddenly opened to a sliver of light. Although it was still very dark, we had finally seen the light in the darkness. I was overjoyed, and the maid and the young master also cheered at the same time. We quickened our pace without thinking, and the light became clearer and clearer. Soon, the space in front of me opened up.

This was another stone chamber. A ray of light shone through a crack in the stone, illuminating a corpse on the floor. The girl couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!" and walked over with her flashlight. Now I recognized it completely; this was the same crevice I had discovered. And the corpse seemed to belong to the staff member who had come in with the professor and the others.

The girl was curious about his blue work clothes. I said, "Girl, stop looking. This person, like Professor Bian, is here for some unknown reason."

Because the corpse had been submerged in water for so long, its face was severely decomposed, and the maid naturally couldn't recognize it. The young master had already walked quickly to the crevice in the rock and forcefully pulled away the vines covering it, allowing a ray of bright sunlight to immediately shine into the crevice.

Sunshine! How wonderful! Outside, the sun is high in the sky, and even in the shade of the trees, you can still feel its warmth.

After climbing out of Kowloon Pit, the three of us plopped down on the ground. We looked at each other, and even the girl, whose legs were weak from illness, couldn't help but laugh.

The young master looked down at the Nine Dragon Pit, and after a long while cursed, "What kind of feng shui treasure land is this? It's simply a treasure land for raising corpses!"

I thought about it and realized it made sense; this Nine Dragon Pit really is a breeding ground for corpses. Corpses that get to this place can practically become spirits. However, the fact that we came out alive is a stroke of good luck. The girl's condition is terrible; she desperately needs medicine and hot water, while we're all covered in stench and soaking wet—we're barely better off than ghosts.

I asked, "What do we do?" Finally, the young master said, "It's not far from Sand Town. We went to find Huang Ya, but he tricked us, almost costing us our lives in the Yellow Soup Weak Water, nearly feeding the turtles. We can't forget that. Although I hate that old guy, I have no other choice now. Besides, this bronze ancient sword I'm stabbed with is too conspicuous. Perhaps we should go to Huang Ya's house first to get some food, and then plot against him."

I carried the girl on my back and quickly walked out of the mountains. Although I was already so hungry that my eyes were blurry and my limbs were weak, the thought of being able to have a good meal at Huang Ya's house immediately perked me up.

When we sneaked to Huang Ya's house, he was lying on a recliner by the door, fiddling with an old-fashioned radio. The moment he saw the three of us, reeking and soaking wet, he turned pale with fright and tried to run back inside. The young master darted in front of him, blocking his way, and viciously yanked his clothes away, yelling, "Damn it, you old bastard trying to hide?"

Huang Ya panicked immediately. His body went limp, and he knelt down on the ground with a thud, kowtowing and begging for mercy, "Grandpa and Grandma, I didn't harm you. There's a cause for every grievance, and a debtor for every debt. Go find the boatman, but don't come looking for me. I had no other choice... Please put away your true forms quickly, and I'll go buy paper money to burn for you."

Upon hearing this, I was immediately at a loss for words, both laughing and crying. It turned out this old rascal actually thought we were innocent victims. I've often heard people say that you shouldn't do anything wrong, because if you do, you'll keep regretting it. Perhaps this yellow-toothed guy, although he tricked us into coming here to worship the river god, was still filled with unease, so he was terrified and ran away as soon as he saw us.

I said, "Look closely, are we ghosts? Have you ever seen a ghost appear in broad daylight? Quickly get us some food, prepare hot water, and help this grandma bathe and change her clothes."

After I said that, Yellow Teeth finally came to his senses. He looked at us, then at the sun outside, and after a long pause, he finally said, "You're not dead?"

I nodded firmly. It turned out that although the boatman had run away, he hadn't dared to say we weren't dead when he returned. Instead, he boasted that I had drowned. No wonder Huang Ya was so frightened when he saw us that his face turned pale. I didn't bother to say anything more to him and simply carried the girl inside, taking the initiative.

The girl was quite ill. She had been holding on in the ancient tomb, but now that she was out of danger, she was lying on me, fast asleep. Huang Ya looked at the girl, but before he could say anything, the young master roared, "What are you looking at? Do you have any ginger or brown sugar at home? Quickly make me some ginger soup."

Under the intense pressure from me and the young master, Huang Ya hurriedly boiled water, made ginger soup, and found his daughter's clothes for the girl to change into. The girl took a hot bath, changed into dry clothes, and drank a bowl of hot ginger soup. She looked much better and went to sleep on Huang Ya's daughter's bed. The young master and I weren't so lucky. Although we also took a bath, which washed away a lot of the stench, the young master could manage to wear Huang Ya's clothes, but I couldn't fit into them at all. Helpless, Huang Ya kindly went to the neighbor's house to borrow some old clothes for me.

He then found some clean, dry straw and spread a thick layer on the ground. The young master lay down on the straw, yawned contentedly, and said that this was the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in.

Before we could even lie down and rest, Yellow Teeth, piling on his bottom, came in again, looking miserable, and said, "Grandpas, how long are you going to stay here?"

This old man was probably worried that we'd freeload and stay here. I glanced outside; the sun was already setting. I smiled and said, "Don't worry. Just prepare some food for us tonight, and we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Besides, we won't eat your food for free; we'll definitely pay for everything."

"This..." Yellow Teeth hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something. The young master glared at him fiercely and sneered, "If you dare to say 'no,' our family is not to be trifled with. Hmph! Besides, you know very well what you've done, cheating outsiders in their river god sacrifices. If we report this, it's a capital offense."

Before the young master could finish speaking, Yellow Teeth turned pale with fright. It wasn't that he was completely ignorant of the law; it was just the custom in the mountains, and nothing like it had ever happened before. Seeing our disheveled state, he was terrified, even more afraid of being haunted by vengeful spirits. He immediately shrank back, begged for mercy repeatedly, and turned to leave.

In the evening, Huang Ya, probably still frightened by the young master, cooked a large pot of rice, slaughtered a chicken, prepared some side dishes, and opened a bottle of strong liquor to welcome us. The girl slept for a while and seemed much better. She drank some chicken soup, ate some rice, and then went back to her room to catch up on her sleep.

The young master and I shared a bottle of old white liquor. That night, I lay down on the straw mat, using the ancient bronze sword as a pillow. I was plagued by nightmares all night.

One moment the professor, with a sinister and eerie smile, lunged at me menacingly; the next, I wielded an ancient bronze sword, thrusting it at the mutated corpse of King Liu Qu of Guangchuan, whose body, dead for thousands of years, was still desperately kicking and struggling beneath the sword; then, Old Bian, his already rotting eyes, viciously grabbed the girl, shouting, "Stay with me...stay with me...I'm so lonely...it's so cold underwater..."

In a daze, I seemed to see old man Wang Quansheng again, sitting by the Yellow River selling bronze artifacts. I was on the opposite bank of the Yellow River, the rolling waters separating us. I could clearly see that the antiques he was selling were bronze human figures with human faces and snake bodies, but without exception, all of them wore a hideous and terrifying smile.

The scene abruptly shifted; I was still by the Yellow River, but this time I was bound by layers upon layers of black iron chains. Countless people—no, human-faced ghosts—forced me into a rectangular box, which seemed to be a coffin. Then the coffin lid slammed shut. I opened my mouth to scream, but no words came out. I tried to resist, but my entire body was bound by chains.

The coffin seemed to be buried underground. I felt incredibly suffocated, as if my lungs were about to explode. All I could smell in my nose was the stench of rotting yellow sand, mixed with the faint smell of decaying corpses.

No! I'm not dead, I can't be buried in a coffin. I struggled desperately, and with a start, I woke up. Looking up, I saw a faint light coming through the window; dawn was approaching.

Something's not right. I'm definitely awake, but why does it feel like there's something pressing on my chest? It's so uncomfortable. And I can still smell a foul odor in my nose, it smells awful.

Using the sliver of light from the window, I looked down and couldn't help but laugh and cry. It turned out that the young master's big foot was pressing right on my chest, and the stench, needless to say, was his foot odor. I remember hearing from elders when I was little that you shouldn't let something press on your chest while sleeping, otherwise you'll have nightmares.

Now, the young master has pressed a stinky foot onto my chest; no wonder I had nightmares all night.

Now that I was awake, I put on my robe and sat up. I pushed the young master's feet away and took the ancient bronze sword from beside my pillow. I gently drew the bronze sword, and a cold glint shone on my face, chilling me to the bone. The sword was covered with exquisitely crafted lightning patterns and bird motifs, but I couldn't recognize a single one of them.

Looking back at the hilt, there appeared to be a dragon-shaped pattern, intertwined. But wait, no matter what kind of dragon it is, it always has two horns, yet the dragon pattern on this sword only has one horn.

Ah! I suddenly remembered the serpent I had chopped down from the stone tree with my sword. Didn't that monster only have one horn? Could it be that the patterns on it weren't dragons, but that ugly serpent? As soon as this thought came to mind, I seemed to see the serpent falling down again, its black fangs bared, its face displaying a terrifying smile.

That was definitely not my imagination; that beast was indeed laughing! Laughing triumphantly!

While I was in the ancient tomb, I never had time to properly ponder this question. Now that I have finally seen the light of day again, although the curse of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin has not yet been broken, at least we are still alive.

So, I was temporarily relieved and recalled the scene in the ancient tomb. The girl said that the strange snake was a transformed snake with nine tails.

I shook my head and smiled wryly. The thinking of the ancients was truly incomprehensible. If, as the girl said, the ugly black serpent in the ancient tomb was indeed a Huashe (化蛇), then why was it cut in two, with its tail attached to the bronze figurine, while its head became a pillar supporting the giant stone tree?

How did the ancients, whether in the Western Zhou or Western Han dynasties, manage to connect an animal's body to bronze and stone, and still allow that animal to continue living? Moreover, what is the origin of that white jade platform above the pool, and this ancient bronze sword I've been given?

Chapter Twelve: Arrested

"Heaven is broken, earth is flawed!" I stared blankly at the four characters on the hilt of the ancient bronze sword, lost in thought.

"Old Xu, what are you daydreaming about?" The young master had woken up sometime earlier and asked me lazily while yawning.

I said, "What am I spacing out about? I was thinking about how to bring this bronze sword back." That is indeed a problem. Chinese law has strict control over weapons. Let alone an ancient artifact, even an ordinary sword would be impossible for me to bring onto a train so openly.

The young master was stunned and asked me what to do. I said, "If I knew what to do, I wouldn't be racking my brains." The young master thought for a moment and said, "We can't keep something like this. Let's donate it to the country." I knew I couldn't keep it, but if I donated it to the country, what if people asked, "Where did you find this?" I couldn't very well say, "I stole it from a tomb!" I could keep the smaller items and sell them for money, but this national treasure should be donated to the country to promote Chinese civilization.

Seeing that I didn't speak, the young master assumed I was reluctant to part with it and said earnestly, "Old Xu, this is a divine artifact. There may only be one in all of China, no, there is only one bronze ancient sword in the whole world."

I scoffed. Whether this was the only bronze sword in the world, I wasn't sure. But the young master was right; it was indeed a divine weapon. The ancient Chinese, using some unknown technique, had managed to keep this bronze sword incredibly sharp for over a thousand years. I finally understood what the ancient texts meant by "cutting iron like mud."

Before the young master could say anything more, I sneered, "Don't be a pig-headed idiot. You're offering something like this to the country? I ask you, how are you going to explain the origin of this ancient bronze sword to them?"

When I asked the young master, he was dumbfounded and mumbled for a long time without being able to say anything. Just as we were talking, Yellow Teeth came in and said that breakfast was ready and asked if we wanted to eat now.

I understand Huang Ya's thoughts. I said yesterday that I would be leaving today, so he prepared breakfast early to send us off on our way. Actually, I don't want to stay here any longer either. Although Ya's health has improved—Ya even went to the township clinic yesterday to get some cold and anti-inflammatory pills for her—it's still best for her to have a thorough check-up at a major hospital.

But the ancient bronze sword in my hand is giving me a real headache. The best solution, of course, would be to throw it into the Yellow River and end it all. But the young master and I are in the antique business, and the girl is an archaeologist. Faced with such a treasure, we simply can't bear to part with it.

After breakfast, the three of us sat around the table, discussing how to sneak the ancient bronze sword onto the train without leaving a trace. The young master suggested packing it in a large travel bag, making it look like we were fleeing a famine.

The girl was so angry she almost slapped him, saying he wanted to beg for food, but she didn't want to be a beggar; whoever wanted to flee the famine could go ahead. This ancient sword was over three feet long, that's more than a meter. While I wouldn't say I didn't have a travel bag that big, it was still rare, and definitely an eyesore—not a good plan.

The girl and I couldn't think of any good ideas either. Finally, Yellow Teeth sneaked over and said he had a way. The three of us immediately perked up and asked him what his idea was.

Huang Ya said that in the rural areas of the south, the elderly would hire a "Bayin" (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) to play music and create a lively atmosphere. I knew what "Bayin" was, but I didn't understand how it could possibly have anything to do with ancient bronze swords. Huang Ya continued, "It's precisely because of this 'Bayin' that, with reform and opening up, the instruments used in it have become more sophisticated. Originally, a person would just use one erhu, but now they carry it in a box on their back, traveling all over the country."

Now, he can find someone who plays eight kinds of music and buy a larger instrument case. I just need to put the bronze sword inside the case, pretending it's for playing "eight kinds of music," and it won't get in the way on the train. After all, trains aren't like airplanes; they don't check everyone's luggage.

I considered it for a moment and felt his method was feasible, so I immediately nodded in agreement. Yellow Teeth then hurriedly ran out. About two hours later, he returned carrying an extra-large instrument case. Not only that, he also brought back a flute and an erhu.

I asked him what he was doing, and he grinned lewdly, saying that the flute was for the maid and the erhu was for the young master, so that they would look more like they were playing "eight kinds of music." The young master and I knew nothing about music, and if we got on the train and someone asked us to play a few tricks, we would probably be exposed on the spot.

However, the zither case Huang Ya found was large enough to fit the bronze sword perfectly. The three of us immediately said goodbye to Huang Ya, bought train tickets, and headed straight for Taiyuan. The reason was simple: we needed to send the girl back first, and then study the scroll of gold and silk. To be honest, although the young master and I are both in the antique business, when it comes to classical Chinese, we still have to rely on the girl, who has professional knowledge.

Even after boarding the train, the girl touched her hair and said it still smelled bad. She felt like her whole body smelled bad, and she absolutely had to take a rose-scented bath when she got back. The young master said that she couldn't take a rose-scented bath; roses, roses, those are bad luck, absolutely not to be messed with, which immediately earned him a big eye roll from the girl.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I knew how the young master was pursuing the girl. If he relied on this method, I was afraid that in the end, the girl would still not give him a good look.

Suddenly, the girl screamed, causing everyone in the carriage to stare at us. I quickly smiled and nodded apologetically to everyone, while whispering, "Girl, don't be so jumpy. Do you think we don't have enough trouble already? If the train police check our luggage, we're doomed."

The girl asked, "What day is it now? Has the professor's time passed yet?" I was taken aback, thought for a moment, and then lowered my voice to say, "It's been a day. According to the professor's deduction, we should already be dead..."

For some reason, an absurd thought rose in my mind again: Are we still alive? Since the professor and Old Bian were buried in the tomb of the King of Guangchuan after they died, were they really dead or just pretending to be dead?

To this day, I still find it utterly unbelievable that the professor and Old Bian appeared in the tomb of King Liu Qu of Guangchuan. We escaped from King Liu Qu's tomb by the skin of our teeth and saw the light of day again, but that doesn't mean the curse on us is lifted.

Perhaps the professor's time calculation was inaccurate? Perhaps there's some other reason why we're still unharmed? In fact, the young master and I were among the first to come into contact with the contents of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin. From the moment Wang Quansheng sold me that bronze artifact, I came into contact with this eerie dragon coffin and this terrifying tomb.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. So many people have died, but the young master and I have overlooked an important issue: what has become of those two scoundrels?

If it weren't for those two, the young master and I might not have gone into the water that night. Moreover, those two southerners had said that when they were crossing the Yellow River, an elder saw through the terrain and discovered treasure beneath the river. This elder must have been a master.

I kept my eyes closed the whole way, letting my mind wander. The train roared along, finally stopping in Taiyuan in the evening. I took a taxi with the young master and the girl back to the young master's hotel. I was originally staying at his place, but the girl, feeling guilty, didn't dare go back. The young master busied himself arranging a room for her, his face beaming with a silly grin.

That evening, the young master prepared a feast, saying he wanted to celebrate our survival. But we had only eaten half of the food and drinks when the door, which had been closed, was suddenly and rudely pushed open by a group of uniformed armed police. The young master stood up and demanded to know what was going on.

Unexpectedly, these men didn't say a word, but rushed in like wolves, grabbed the three of us, and handcuffed us behind our backs. The young master was still defiant, shouting loudly what crime we had committed. However, the armed police didn't answer at all, and instead ransacked the room, taking everything out of it.

My bronze ancient sword couldn't be kept secret either. Seeing a burly armed policeman grab the sword, examine it closely, and then try to pull it out, I quickly smiled and said it was a replica, bought at the Nangong market. The policeman glared at me fiercely, snorted coldly, and remained silent.

Fortunately, these people didn't find the scroll of gold and silk. I secretly rejoiced; the girl had clearly kept it close to her body. As long as the scroll remained, the bronze sword was too conspicuous, so it was fine if they confiscated it! Although it pained me, there was nothing I could do. After all, our only goal was to break the curse of the Yellow River Dragon Coffin and survive.

However, looking at the armed police, I was secretly surprised: these people are not simple! They are not like ordinary police officers. First, their uniforms are not like those of ordinary police officers, and second, there are far too many of them.

If they only wanted to arrest the three of us, they were really giving us too much credit. There were only three of us, one of whom was a delicate young woman, while they sent more than ten people, fully armed and carrying guns. It was clear that if we dared to resist, they would not hesitate to shoot us dead.

It's strange. Even if the young master and I are guilty, it's just dealing in antiques. Nangong has plenty of antique plates like these. We're not exactly villains, just money-grubbing merchants. Even if they wanted to arrest us, two or three policemen would easily intimidate us. We'd obediently follow them without even needing handcuffs.

Generally speaking, for people like us, unless we're selling something unusual, even if we get caught, we'll only be fined at most. Do we really need such a big fuss?

After dozens of armed police officers ransacked our room, they took out black covers and put them over our heads. I felt a complete darkness. Having just crawled out of the tomb of that old pervert, Liu Qu, the King of Guangchuan, I felt a deep aversion to this kind of darkness that never sees the light of day, and I couldn't help but twist my arm.

Someone shoved me hard from behind, and I stumbled, almost losing my balance. Then, someone seemed to say something, but the voice was too soft for me to hear. Immediately afterwards, someone came over and shoved us out of the way.

There were other guests in the restaurant, and someone seemed to exclaim in surprise. I heard a middle-aged man say that they were on official business, arresting several fugitives.

Holy crap! When did I become a fugitive?

However, under such circumstances, I no longer had the courage to wield the ancient bronze sword and fight my way through the black corpses. I obediently let the armed police push and shove me into a car, not daring to utter a single word.

The car bumped along the way, and we had no idea where we were going. I was so frustrated! The three of us had finally managed to crawl out of that old perverted King Liu's tomb, and before we even had a proper meal or a good night's sleep, we were inexplicably arrested without even knowing why.

Finally, the car stopped. I couldn't see the girl and the young master; I only knew that someone pushed and shoved me into a room. One of them removed the black hood from my head, forced me down into a chair, and then handcuffed my hands to the chair. It was that same burly man who turned on the lamp on the table and then, with a "snap," shone the light directly into my eyes.

I instinctively closed my eyes, and only after my eyes adjusted slightly did I open them again and look around. It was a small, square room. There was a desk and two chairs, the difference being that the chair I was sitting in was made of iron, while the one opposite me was a cushioned chair.

A powerful desk lamp sat on the desk, clearly indicating an interrogation room, furnished very simply. Aside from a door, there weren't even windows. It involuntarily reminded me of a tomb. In fact, tombs and houses for the living are perhaps not so different; the only difference is that one houses the living, and the other houses the dead.

It was the same burly armed policeman from before. He gave me a cold look. I didn't see the girl or the young master. I felt uneasy. I guessed they were separating us to prevent us from colluding.

"What's your name?" the burly armed policeman asked me coldly.

"Xu Sanqing!" I answered honestly. I knew in my heart that it was just a formality. Since these police officers had arrested me, how could they not know my name? The people's police do not arrest people arbitrarily.

"Where are you from?" the armed police officer asked again.