Buddhist Pagoda Ghost Tomb

Chapter 6

The Devil City of the Western Regions, strange illusions, and a Shang Dynasty bronze cauldron cast during the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Qin Wen's mind was in chaos. These things seemed completely unrelated and sounded absurd, yet they actually appeared in this devil's castle built by nature.

Min Enjun's lips curled into an elegant smile: "Perhaps, after the Shang Dynasty was destroyed by the Western Zhou Dynasty, a branch of the Shang people fled along the Hexi Corridor all the way to present-day Xinjiang, where they continued their civilization."

There seemed to be some truth to it, and Qin Wen was somewhat surprised: "Mr. Min seems to know a lot about ancient Chinese civilization."

"Mr. Min must be a China expert," Caesar sneered. "Otherwise, why would he come to China to dig for gold?"

These words shocked everyone present. The mercenaries gripped their guns tightly, and a strange killing intent spread among them. Min Eun-joon, however, simply gave a meaningful smile and said, word by word, "Likewise."

It's tomb raiders again! Qin Wen's head was throbbing. What sins did she commit in her past life? Xiao Li, you'd better bring the police quickly.

“I’m actually quite interested in this cauldron,” Captain Miller, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. “This cauldron must have been here for several thousand years, right? Even if there was lamp oil inside, it should have completely evaporated by now. Why is it still burning?”

Qin Wen shook her head: "I don't know, it caught fire as soon as I came in."

"Could it be the corpse oil of the merfolk?" Manra exclaimed in surprise. "Legend has it that an everlasting lamp made from the corpse oil of the merfolk of the South China Sea can burn for thousands of years."

Qin Wen rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is a fantasy world?"

"There are words on the tripod!" Miller suddenly shouted. Everyone was shocked and quickly gathered around. They saw that there were indeed two rows of hieroglyphs carved on the bottom of the tripod, which were carved very exquisitely.

"It's oracle bone script!" Min Enjun exclaimed, but then he heard Qin Wen read out each word with difficulty, "Empress Yin - Ziyin".

"You know oracle bone script?" Miller looked at him strangely. To him, knowing hieroglyphs from thousands of years ago was unbelievable. Qin Wen smiled proudly, "Of course, I'm a top student in Chinese literature."

“Indeed, they are descendants of the Shang Dynasty,” Caesar said. “Zi is the surname of the Shang royal family.”

“Wait a minute.” A brown-haired mercenary youth suddenly said, his Mandarin surprisingly fluent. “Didn’t you just say it said ‘Empress of Yin’ on it? The owner of this cauldron should be a queen, not a king.”

As soon as he said that, he was immediately met with a glare from Qin Wen: "In classical Chinese, '后' means '王' (king), and it was only in later generations that it was used to refer to the wife of a king."

The brown-haired youth looked somewhat embarrassed after being rebuked by her. A red-haired youth next to him mocked him, "Jack, you claim to know everything, but it turns out you're just bragging."

Qin Wen was taken aback. He was also named Jack?

At this moment, she suddenly remembered the young tomb raider she had met in the princess's tomb half a month ago. She wondered how he was doing now. She had heard that he had been cleansed by 'reincarnation' and was as pure as a newborn baby.

A red light flashed across the monster engraving on the bronze cauldron. Caesar was startled and shouted, "Oh no!" He grabbed Qin Wen's arm and quickly jumped backward.

Caesar's icy gaze swept over him, but he didn't seem to care at all, and continued, "We've been following you since you came in. It's so dark in the cave, how did you find your way? Could you tell me?"

Qin Wen frowned: "A dancer from the Western Regions led me in. She's been dancing in front of me the whole time, didn't you see her?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Min Enjun's gaze towards her became even more complex: "We only see you; we've never seen any Western Region dancers."

Chapter Seven: The Divine Tree Ruomu

Sure enough, she frowned; those things were only visible to her.

"Looks like you really have seen a ghost," Min Enjun laughed, walking towards the bronze cauldron and circling it once, his eyes full of surprise. "A fine piece, truly a fine piece. Cast at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, it's even taller than the Simuwu Ding. The discovery of such a bronze artifact in Xinjiang would probably shock the whole world."

"Wait a minute," Qin Wen interrupted him, "Isn't this ding (a type of ancient Chinese bronze vessel) from the Shang Dynasty?"

"The style is indeed from the Shang Dynasty, but it incorporates casting techniques from the Qin and Han Dynasties," Min Enjun said. Qin Wen glanced at Caesar in surprise and saw that he also looked astonished. What does it mean that a Shang Dynasty bronze ding incorporates casting techniques from the Qin and Han Dynasties?

The Devil City of the Western Regions, strange illusions, and a Shang Dynasty bronze cauldron cast during the Qin and Han Dynasties.

Qin Wen's mind was in chaos. These things seemed completely unrelated and sounded absurd, yet they actually appeared in this devil's castle built by nature.

Min Enjun's lips curled into an elegant smile: "Perhaps, after the Shang Dynasty was destroyed by the Western Zhou Dynasty, a branch of the Shang people, in order to escape, followed the Hexi Corridor all the way to present-day Xinjiang, where they continued their civilization."

That seemed to make sense. Qin Wen was somewhat surprised: "Mr. Min seems to know a lot about ancient Chinese civilization."

"Mr. Min must be a China expert," Caesar sneered. "Otherwise, why would he come to China to dig for gold?"

These words shocked everyone present. The mercenaries gripped their guns tightly, a strange killing intent spreading among them. Min Eun-joon, however, merely gave a meaningful smile and said, word by word, "Likewise."

It's tomb raiders again! Qin Wen's head was throbbing. What sins did she commit in her past life? Xiao Li, you'd better bring the police quickly.

"I'm actually quite interested in this cauldron," Captain Miller, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "This cauldron must have been here for thousands of years, right? Even if there was lamp oil inside, it should have completely evaporated by now. Why is it still burning?"

Qin Wen shook her head: "I don't know, it caught fire as soon as I came in."

"Could it be the corpse oil of merfolk?" Manra exclaimed in surprise. "Legend has it that an everlasting lamp made from the corpse oil of merfolk from the South China Sea can burn for thousands of years."

Qin Wen rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is a fantasy world?"

"There are words on the tripod!" Miller suddenly shouted. Everyone was shocked and quickly gathered around. They saw that there were indeed two rows of hieroglyphs carved on the bottom of the tripod, which were carved very exquisitely.

"It's oracle bone script!" Min Enjun exclaimed, but then he heard Qin Wen read out each word with difficulty, "Empress Yin—Zi Yin."

"You know oracle bone script?" Miller looked at him strangely. To him, knowing hieroglyphs from thousands of years ago was unbelievable. Qin Wen smiled smugly, "Of course, I'm a top student in Chinese literature."

"Indeed, they are descendants of the Shang dynasty," Caesar said. "Zi is the surname of the Shang royal family."

"Wait a minute," a brown-haired mercenary suddenly said, his Mandarin surprisingly fluent. "Didn't you just say it said 'Queen of Yin'? This cauldron belonged to a queen, not a king."

As soon as he said that, he was immediately met with a glare from Qin Wen: "In classical Chinese, '后' (hòu) means 'king,' and it was only in later generations that it was used to refer to the wife of a king."

The brown-haired youth looked somewhat embarrassed after being rebuked by her. A red-haired youth next to him mocked him, "Jack, you claim to know everything, but it turns out you were just bragging."

Qin Wen was taken aback. He was also named Jack?

At this moment, she suddenly remembered the young tomb raider she had met in the princess's tomb half a month ago. She wondered how he was doing now. She had heard that he had been cleansed by 'reincarnation' and was as pure as a newborn baby.

A red light flashed across the monster engraving on the bronze cauldron. Caesar was startled and shouted, "Oh no!" He grabbed Qin Wen's arm and quickly jumped backward.

Almost simultaneously, the fire inside the cauldron suddenly exploded, and Qin Wen heard several screams, followed by a shower of sparks falling like fireworks.

She broke free from Caesar's embrace and saw that the Ziyin Cauldron had fallen to the ground, the fire extinguished, and something inside was emitting a red glow. Jack and the brown-haired young man were closest to the cauldron and couldn't dodge in time; they were blown to smithereens. The air was filled with a suffocating stench of burning flesh. In just a few seconds, this Devil City had claimed two lives.

The remaining four mercenaries were pale and gloomy. None of them spoke. They silently stared at their comrade's body lying on the ground, took off their Uyghur hats, and mourned their fallen comrade.

Qin Wen felt as if a huge rock was pressing on her heart, making it hard to breathe. Before coming to Xinjiang for tourism, such a scene of life and death was just a plot in a TV series for her, but now it was playing out so realistically in front of her.

Perhaps, it will continue to unfold.

The mercenaries drew their Swiss Army knives, slashing their hands with them. Blood gushed out, dripping onto the two charred corpses. Qin Wen stared at them in astonishment, wondering what they were up to. Caesar coldly remarked from the side, "They really are 'Blood Wolves.'"

"Blood Wolves?" Qin Wen looked at him questioningly. He said calmly, "Blood Wolves are an internationally renowned mercenary group, fierce, ruthless, and highly skilled. One of their defining characteristics is that if a comrade dies in battle, all members must offer their own blood in remembrance."

Qin Wen was taken aback: "Isn't this how the ancient Xiongnu people commemorated their heroes?"

Caesar sneered: "They consider themselves the inheritors of the Hunnic spirit, taking pleasure in killing and war."

Qin Wen frowned. Of all the things to learn, why imitate those beasts, the Huns? Back then, the Hun cavalry invaded Europe and slaughtered countless people. As descendants of the enslaved, they actually took them as role models. It's truly incomprehensible.

"Damn it! I want to see what this thing is that managed to blow up two of my brothers in one go!" One of the slightly overweight mercenaries, his eyes bloodshot, suddenly roared, rushed to the bronze cauldron, and reached out to grab the glowing red object. "I refuse to believe that the Chinese from over two thousand years ago still had bombs!"

"Stop! Fatty!" Miller tried to stop him, but it was too late. The moment he touched the thing, Fatty suddenly burst into flames, as if he had been doused with gasoline. The flames engulfed his entire body in an instant. He screamed and struggled. His comrades tried to put out the fire, but the fire was too intense and they could not get close. They could only watch helplessly as he perished in the flames.

The screams grew fainter and fainter until they were completely inaudible. In less than five minutes, a bronze cauldron had killed three members of the 'Blood Wolf' gang.

Qin Wen felt a chill run through her chest. For the first time in over twenty years, she had witnessed such a horrific scene. Her hands trembled uncontrollably. Caesar glanced at her and said, "Don't be afraid. I won't let you get hurt until we get that thing."

"Thank you." Qin Wen's mind was blank; she could only reply blankly. Caesar shook his head. A woman is a woman.

Min Eun-jun suddenly walked up to the bronze cauldron, bent down, and carefully examined the object that emitted a red light, the light of which almost turned the entire cave crimson.

"Mr. Min." Miller barely managed to maintain his composure, but his face was extremely grim. The deaths of three team members felt like a knife to his heart, the pain excruciating. "Please step back and come with us back to the cave we were in before. This thing is very dangerous."

Min Eun-joon seemed not to hear and continued, "It's a tree branch."

"Wood?" Qin Wen was startled and rushed over. Caesar frowned; hadn't she just been trembling with fear?

As she got closer, Qin Wen realized that it was indeed a tree branch, with clear wood grain, but the whole thing was crimson red while the leaves were green.

She gasped sharply, her face filled with utter astonishment: "How...how could this be...this...is actually..."

"Are you stuttering?" Caesar gave her a disapproving look. "Speak properly."

Qin Wen seemed not to hear him. Her eyes widened, and she said blankly, "In the Great Wilderness, there are Hengshi Mountain, Jiuyin Mountain, and Jiongye Mountain. On them grow red trees with green leaves and red blossoms, called Ruomu."

"Ruomu?" Min Enjun exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the divine tree in ancient Chinese mythology that grows where the sun sets?"

"Impossible!" Qin Wen shook her head. "Ruomu is a mythical tree, the place where the sun rests at sunset. It couldn't possibly exist in reality. I must be mistaken!"

"Look, there are words." Min Enjun pointed to the inside of the cauldron. By the light of the lamplight, the dense oracle bone script was clearly visible to her. Caesar seemed interested as well and asked, "What does it say?"

Qin Wen carefully deciphered each word and slowly read aloud:

"The reeds are green and lush, the white dew has turned to frost. The one I long for is on the other side of the water. I trace my steps back upstream to find her, but the path is long and difficult; I follow the current downstream to find her, and she seems to be in the middle of the water. The reeds are withered and sparse, the white dew has not yet dried. The one I long for is on the bank of the water. I trace my steps back upstream to find her, but the path is difficult and steep; I follow the current downstream to find her, and she seems to be on a sandbar in the water. The reeds are abundant and lush, the white dew has not yet ceased. The one I long for is on the edge of the water. I trace my steps back upstream to find her, but the path is difficult and winding; I follow the current downstream to find her, and she seems to be on a small island in the water."

Chapter 8 The Man-Eating Glutton (1)

"The Book of Songs: Reeds and Rushes?" This poem is so famous that even Caesar, who doesn't have a deep understanding of classical Chinese culture, knows its origin. He frowned. It seems that this tripod could not possibly have been cast during the Yin-Shang period. Perhaps Min Enjun guessed correctly. This is a treasure left behind by the descendants of the Yin-Shang who fled here.

"Wait, there are more characters after this." Qin Wen exclaimed in surprise. The five oracle bone characters sent a chill down her spine, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. "My beloved—Kui Ji."

In classical Chinese, "遗" originally meant "to give away". This poem was given by the owner of the tripod to his beloved woman, Kui Ji.

Kui Ji… weren’t all those rotting corpses that appeared in her hallucinations called her Kui Ji? I remember Xiao Li also had hallucinations in the princess’s tomb, because Princess Zhaoling was her past life.

Could this Kui Ji be her past life?

"Witch, you bewitched the king, instigated war, and turned tens of thousands of my citizens of Saka into demons! You are utterly wicked, even the sorceress Daji cannot match your evil!"

The angry shouts of the rotting corpses still echoed in her ears, and Qin Wen shivered. Could it be that her past life was really such a terrifying woman?

"Did you... hear anything?" a mercenary suddenly asked. Everyone froze, then fell silent. Sure enough, they could faintly hear a rumbling sound, like thunder.

"What is this?" another mercenary asked.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not just a rumor."

Miller raised his gun: "Thomson, Hughes, Marshall, you stay here and protect Mr. Min. I'm going out to check."

"Captain," one of the tall, thin men said, "I'll go with you."

"I'm the captain, I'm in charge here!" Miller glanced at him coldly and walked into the dark passage. Min Eun-joon seemed completely unconcerned about the lives of these mercenaries and continued to carefully study the Ruomu tree.

Qin Wen's mind was a complete mess. She rubbed her forehead. "Xiao Li, if only you were here with me right now. At least we could talk about how we felt when we saw things related to our past lives."

"Are you alright?" Caesar's voice came from beside her, but this time it wasn't as unpleasant. Qin Wen, flustered, said impatiently, "Do I look alright? It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I'd be in a hotel taking a hot shower, watching TV, and eating potato chips right now!"

Caesar didn't speak again. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her body and realized that Caesar had taken off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. She stared at the handsome young man in astonishment. Had he lost his mind? Caesar glanced at her and said, "What are you looking at? I just didn't want to take a sick woman with me."

Qin Wen narrowed her eyes. I knew you weren't up to any good.

The rumbling thunder grew louder and louder, even the cave trembled, and a lot of dirt fell down. Just as everyone was getting worried, Miller suddenly rushed in, his face filled with terror: "Quick! Everyone run! There's a monster!"

Monster? The group exchanged bewildered glances. This was the heart of the desert; how could there be any animals here? Even if there were monsters, there was only one way out. Which way could they run?

Miller seemed to sense this as well, a look of resignation on his face. He turned around, pointing his gun at the passage, and his teammates rushed forward. The rumbling grew closer, and a huge figure gradually appeared before them.

Qin Wen's eyes widened rapidly. It really was a huge monster, shaped like a sheep, with curved horns on its head. It seemed to have no eyes, but upon closer inspection, one could see that its eyes were actually located under its armpits. Its huge mouth contained sharp teeth that gleamed with a cold, white light.