Salle de classe 407

Chapitre 22

He withdrew his hand and instead grasped Yin Li's soft hand. She was warm, the embodiment of Princess Zhaoling's soul. Yin Li felt his intense gaze, looked up, and met his eyes. They were pure, black eyes, deep and dark, with an undercurrent of emotion that made her uneasy. A strange feeling welled up in her heart, and her face burned with a blush.

Tian Qiliang took off the red robe that Princess Zhaoling was wearing and draped it over Yin Li. Yin Li looked at the red robe embroidered with phoenixes in surprise and heard him say, "You are still the most suitable for this priceless dress. Don't give it away to others casually in the future."

"This...this dress..."

"Have you forgotten? This garment was a tribute presented to the Han Dynasty emperor by a certain kingdom in the Western Regions. Legend has it that in ancient times, the goddess of silk, the ancestor of silk, personally wove a piece of cloth from a special kind of silk, which is said to never decay. Later, it was introduced to the Western Regions, where a priest made it into a robe and embroidered a phoenix on it. The Han Dynasty emperor bestowed it upon you as your wedding dress, but to protest his wrongful killing of your father, you never wore it. After arriving in the Western Night Kingdom, you gave it to your personal maid, Feng Yuan."

Some blurry images flashed through Yin Li's mind, as if these things had indeed happened, but she couldn't remember them clearly anymore.

"Qiliang...I..."

“Say no more, let’s go to the main burial chamber.” Tian Qiliang sighed heavily. “Go collect my remains, then take everything from the tomb and leave, never to return. This place is a nightmare for both of us.”

Yin Li nodded. As he stepped out of the large tent and faced his subordinates, he transformed from the infatuated young man back into the commanding Uncle Tian. In a calm and resolute tone, he ordered two of his men to stay behind and watch over the archaeological team, while the rest, carrying various tools, followed him into the tomb to move the burial objects.

Just as they were about to set off, Qin Wen suddenly said, "I want to go with you."

Tian Qiliang glanced at her coldly, but said nothing. Yin Li frowned and said, "Xiao Wen, you..."

"Xiao Li, you don't need to say anything more." Qin Wen's tone was firm. "Have you forgotten? Before we came here, we said that no matter where we go, we will be together and we will never be separated."

“Xiao Wen…” A hint of hesitation appeared in Yin Li’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant. Tian Qiliang sneered and said, “Since you are Li’s friend, come along. But I don’t want you to become a burden to me.”

Qin Wen stared at him fiercely and said, "Never!"

The tomb chamber was still filled with the stench of decay. As soon as they descended the rope ladder, everyone took out gas masks from their belongings. Yin Li and Qin Wen also put one on. The moment she put on the mask, Qin Wen seemed to see the look in Yin Li's eyes. In those eyes that she knew all too well, a kind of madness she had never seen before appeared.

When Tian Qiliang's men saw the room full of treasures, they cheered and hurriedly bent down to pick them up and stuff them into their backpacks. Tian Qiliang showed no interest in any of the burial goods; he simply walked to the skeleton dressed in white. He had seen his past life countless times in his dreams, but what he actually saw was the skeleton of his past life. Yin Li looked up at him; he was wearing a mask, so she couldn't see his expression. She wondered to herself, his heart must be filled with mixed emotions. The cycle of fate is truly a wondrous thing. She wondered if seeing his past life would give him some enlightenment about life.

However, even if it were possible, it would probably be too late.

"Qiliang." Yin Li took off her gas mask, took his arm, and spoke softly. A wave of emotion surged in Tian Qiliang's heart. Yin Li's face gradually became hazy. He saw her appearance slowly change, shimmering with a gentle and warm glow. When the glow faded, a familiar face was revealed: arched eyebrows, alluring eyes, snow-white skin, and a slight curve of her crimson lips, bringing a sense of boundless spring to the room.

“Ling’er…” Tian Qiliang murmured, staring intently at her face, his gaze becoming unfocused.

“Lianglang…” Yin Li leaned forward, letting him wrap his arms around her waist, and whispered in his ear, her voice full of seduction, “Lianglang, please take off your mask? I want to kiss you. Two thousand years have passed, and I can finally kiss you.”

"Ling'er." Tian Qiliang half-closed his eyes, hugged her tighter, and slowly reached out towards his gas mask. Yin Li smiled, a radiant smile, "Lianglang, kiss me..."

Just then, a voice came from above, almost severing their nerves: "Xiao Li, that's enough! This isn't you! This isn't the real you! You're not such a lewd woman! You're not!"

Yin Li jolted, feeling a tightness in her throat as Tian Qiliang's hand gripped her neck. The world seemed to suffocate; she gasped for air, but no air entered her lungs. Her eyes widened in terror as she stared at Tian Qiliang, who wore a mask. His eyes, hidden behind the mask, were filled with coldness and malice: "What do you intend to do to me?"

44. The Birth of the Nine Phoenixes

Yin Li tried to speak, but only broken, hoarse sounds came out of her throat. Qin Wen was shocked and was about to save her friend when she suddenly felt darkness fall and she was forced to the ground. Jack looked at her coldly and said, "You'd better not move, or I don't know what I might do."

Situ Xiang, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, suddenly changed his expression. Before he could move, a gun was already pressed against his waist, while another gun was stuck in Lao Si's temple.

"You want me to take off my mask so I can poison you? Do you really think you're so smart?" Tian Qiliang sneered. "I know you have strange medical skills and your voice has strange power. Jack is a good subordinate. Everything you did was within my expectations."

Yin Li sobbed, feeling her world shrinking and the air in her lungs dwindling. She gritted her teeth and struggled desperately. Situ Xiang's heart tightened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he saw a dagger already stuck in the hand of the man pointing the gun at him. He lunged at Tian Qiliang.

"Brother Xiang, it seems you don't want your brother's life anymore." Ang Te's voice came, along with Lao Si's wail. He stumbled, a sharp pain shot through his back, followed by a barrage of punches and kicks.

“It seems even Situ Xiang, who is usually indifferent to women, has been captivated by you. Your seductive skills are indeed powerful.” Tian Qiliang’s hand slowly tightened as he admired Yin Li’s pained expression. He said slowly, “I have said that I will not forgive anyone who dares to betray me, not even Ling’er’s reincarnation.”

"Hahaha..." Yin Li suddenly burst into laughter, the laughter sharp and piercing. Tian Qiliang gasped, and found that his body seemed to have turned into a fossil in that instant, so hard that he could not move an inch.

Yin Li broke free from his grasp and fell to the ground, coughing and laughing shrilly. Everyone seemed to be paralyzed, unable to move, and the jewelry and guns in their hands fell to the ground.

"Why..." Tian Qiliang stared in disbelief at his stiff body. "Why is this happening? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." Yin Li stood up, a bluish finger mark appearing on her neck, but she seemed oblivious, her eyes flashing with a scarlet, almost beastly light. "It's fate! It's all fate! This main tomb chamber was originally overgrown with Apocynum venetum. Apocynum venetum has the effect of causing hallucinations. Did you think wearing masks would protect you? Hahahaha... You probably never expected that after Apocynum venetum mixed with the smell of blood fermented for a long time, it would produce an effect that would make people's bodies stiff and unable to move. Ordinary gas masks couldn't filter out its toxins at all! And today was the perfect time for it to take effect. Hahahaha... Fate! It really is fate!"

“Xiao Li…” Qin Wen and Situ Xiang both stared at her in surprise. The fierce look in her eyes was exactly the same as that in Professor Li’s and Shan Hu’s eyes. Could it be that she had also been poisoned?

Yin Li burst into wild laughter. Suddenly, the earth and sky shook, and a deafening roar resounded all around, pounding on everyone's eardrums. Debris kept falling from the ceiling, and a sense of fear swept through everyone's hearts like a gust of wind. Could it be... could it be an earthquake!

Yin Li stopped laughing. Tian Qiliang fell in front of her. She looked down at him, her red robe trembling slightly, the golden phoenix seemingly about to leap out.

Her expression grew even more crazed. She pulled a machete from Angte's body and slowly walked to Tian Qiliang's side. The surroundings were still shaking, but her steps were unusually steady, and even the falling pebbles seemed to deliberately avoid her.

“Lianglang, do you believe in gods?” Her expression grew even more frantic. “I do, so I received a divine summons. The moment I first saw this robe, I saw nine phoenixes burst forth from the sky, circling and howling around me. I knew they were calling me, calling me to offer a sacred sacrifice to the gods. Originally, I didn’t need to do it myself, but that Professor Li was too incompetent. His stupidity defiled the gods, so he was punished by the gods and sent to the deepest hell. He died before he could complete the sacrifice, and this last sacrifice can only be offered by me personally. Don’t worry, I will deliver you to the gods without any pain.”

Having said that, she raised her cleaver, and everyone's eyes widened rapidly. They saw the phoenixes on her robes scream and rush out, flapping their dazzling wings and circling throughout the tomb. The nine phoenixes cried out in unison, as if singing a hymn of praise to the gods.

"Listen, Lianglang, this is God's call." Yin Li laughed, and under Tian Qiliang's terrified gaze, the sharp cleaver fell heavily. Qin Wen and Situ Xiang shouted in unison, "Stop! Xiao Li! Stop!"

The machete continued to fall, as fast as lightning. Qin Wen screamed, but suddenly saw it stop on Tian Qiliang's forehead, and then she began to tremble violently.

"Xiao Li!" Qin Wen exclaimed. Yin Li loosened her grip, and the cleaver fell to the ground. The fierce light in her eyes disappeared in an instant, leaving them as pure and bright as a mountain that had been washed clean.

"What...what am I doing?" She stared at her hands in horror. "I...I'm killing people...I'm actually killing people!"

“Xiao Li!” Qin Wen exclaimed, “You didn’t kill anyone, you defeated the ‘Linglong Aperture’! You…” She paused, then suddenly saw a patch of green on the ground in front of Yin Li.

It's a jade pendant! Even Situ Xiang couldn't help but exclaim. Its shape, neither like a butterfly nor a moth, was clearly the jade pendant that the prophet Apul had given them in the ancient city of Niya!

"When the tomb door opens, the sleeping phoenix will awaken once more, bringing fear and disaster to the world. If the most desperate moment comes, the Clam Cloud will be with you."

So... so the phoenix really did refer to the phoenix on the clothes, and the razor cloud that I couldn't understand all along was actually that jade pendant!

Could that strange insect, which resembles neither a butterfly nor a moth, be called a clam cloud?

Yin Li knelt down, picked up the jade pendant, and suddenly burst into tears, thanking the gods. She was just a hair's breadth away from falling into the evil hell! At that time, it would have been an eternal damnation!

The tremors intensified. Yin Li, clutching the jade pendant, stood up and looked around. Cracks had appeared in the ceiling, and stones were falling continuously, their sizes growing larger. Situ Xiang shouted, "Xiao Li, quick! Get out of there! The princess's tomb is about to collapse!"

A hint of fear flashed in Yin Li's eyes. She glanced at Situ Xiang and Qin Wen, gritted her teeth, picked up the cleaver from the ground, and slashed her wrist. Crimson blood gushed out, contrasting with her snow-white skin, creating a strange and beautiful effect.

"Xiao Li! Are you crazy?" Qin Wen exclaimed anxiously. "You didn't kill anyone, why would you try to commit suicide?"

"Who said I was going to commit suicide! I'm going to save you all!" With that, she squatted down and fed her blood to Tian Qiliang, and then fed it to everyone in the tomb. When Qin Wen drank the blood, besides the strong fishy smell, there was also a faint medicinal fragrance. As soon as the blood entered her mouth, she felt a soreness in her limbs, and her body, which had been like a fossil, suddenly regained feeling.

She was extremely surprised. Just how many things was Xiao Li hiding from her?

Yin Li noticed the doubt in her eyes and said, "Don't ask yet. I'll tell you if we can get out of here alive."

"Why did you save me?" Tian Qiliang's voice came from behind. "I was going to kill you, why did you save me?"

"Why so many questions!" Yin Li said impatiently. "Escape is the priority! Everyone, climb up the rope ladder quickly! Hurry!"

After saying that, everything went black, and she fell backward. Situ Xiang caught her and tore off a piece of his own clothing to bandage her wounds. Qin Wen asked anxiously, "What happened to her?"

"We've lost too much blood, we need to get out of here!" With that, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and turned to grab the rope ladder. In no time, several rope ladders were filled with people, and the floor of the main tomb chamber began to collapse, making the rumbling sound even more deafening. As soon as Tian Qiliang climbed the rope ladder, he felt a weight on his back. He turned around and saw a face that he knew all too well.

He had seen that face countless times in his dreams; it was still stunningly beautiful.

“Ling’er…” His eyes began to glaze over, his hand loosened, and he fell to the broken ground, embracing Princess Zhaoling intimately.

The ground was still collapsing. Jack turned around and saw that cracks had appeared in the stone ground beneath Tian Qiliang's feet. A surge of excitement welled up in his chest, and his blood rushed to his head. Finally, he shouted, "Uncle Tian, tell me! Where is Stellia? Tell me quickly!"

Uncle Tian turned around, looked at him, and gave a calm smile. The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open, and his body sank into the endless void. Jack cried out in desperation, his voice almost drowning out the sound of the earth splitting: "Uncle Tian, please, tell me, where is Stanley? Where is Stanley?"

Tian Qiliang remained silent, and Jack's shouts abruptly ceased, his eyes filled with surprise and fear.

He saw that what Tian Qiliang was holding in his arms was a skeleton dressed in a red robe!

The world began to spin. Yin Li leaned on Situ Xiang's shoulder, her vision blurred, but she still saw it—the skeleton dressed in a red robe. It opened its mouth as if to reveal a charming smile.

That smile was the last thing she saw.

45. Seemingly real yet illusory

"Miss Yin..." A gentle voice swept across Yin Li's chest like a spring breeze, and in the hazy dream, she seemed to be in a void, like the chaotic world before creation.

Who is it? Who is calling me? She struggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. She heard the voice approaching from afar, coming to her ear, and whispering, "Miss Yin, it's me, Zhaoling. We're leaving now. I've come to thank you. Without you, I wouldn't be able to see Lianglang again. Thank you."

Is it Princess Zhaoling? Yin Li was startled and tried desperately to open her eyes, but it seemed as if this body was not her own. No matter how hard she tried, she could only open her eyes a small crack. In the haze, she saw a blurry red shadow, and a white figure stood beside her.

The red figure bowed to her, then took the white figure's hand, and the two turned around and walked further and further away until they were swallowed up by the chaos.

As Yin Li watched them walk away, she felt the huge weight on her heart suddenly disappear, and her body felt light, as if she were floating in the clouds.

It's over. It's all over.

Suddenly, she felt her body sink, and an irresistible force pulled her down hard. She cried out in surprise and opened her eyes.

It was all white, still pure white, but within this whiteness sat a girl. The girl looked at her with eager eyes, and upon seeing her awake, she immediately screamed, "Xiao Li! You're finally awake! Do you know you've been unconscious for three days and three nights?"

"Xiaowen?" Yin Li struggled to sit up, her head still spinning. "What happened to me? Where am I?"

"You have the nerve to say that!" Qin Wen shoved her head hard and said, "You lost almost a third of your blood! The doctor said if it had been any more, you wouldn't be alive! Do you know that?"

"I wanted to save you, and this is how you treat your savior?" Yin Li rolled her eyes at her, leaned back on the pillow, and said, "Is this a hospital? A hospital in Ye City? Who brought us here?"

"Oh, right." Qin Wen grabbed her arm and exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Li, I'm telling you, you'll never believe it, that Situ Xiang is actually a policeman! He went undercover to arrest Uncle Tian! The day we came out of the tomb passage, we saw a huge group of fully armed policemen. My God, I've never seen anything like that in my life!"

“Oh…” Yin Li nodded. Qin Wen’s expression froze, as if she had suddenly realized something. She grabbed Yin Li’s collar, pulled her close to her, and said, “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”

"Why should I be surprised?" Yin Li pretended to be clueless.

"You..." Qin Wen frowned, gritting her teeth as she said, "Did you already know?"

"Well..." Yin Li rolled her eyes, "I only guessed a little bit..."

"You..." Qin Wen jumped up, "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't hide anything from me? Why didn't you tell me something so important?"

"There was nothing I could do, he forbade me to tell him." Yin Li quickly shifted the blame completely. "Think about it, if you forbade me to tell you your secret, but I did, wouldn't you be angry?"

Qin Wen was speechless. It felt like there was a fishbone stuck in her throat, something she couldn't swallow or spit out. Finally, she stomped her foot, sat back down heavily in her chair, and said, "Then you have to treat me to a Western meal to make up for it!"

"No problem." Yin Li breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Oh, right." Qin Wen seemed to suddenly remember something. "Xiao Li, you might not believe it, but that tomb didn't collapse."

"What?" Yin Li suddenly looked up. "We didn't see it with our own eyes that day..."

“Yes, we saw the mausoleum collapse with our own eyes, and Tian Qiliang was even pulled into the sinkhole by Princess Zhaoling. But when the police who rushed to the scene entered the mausoleum, they found that it was perfectly fine inside, and all the buildings were undamaged. But…” She paused and said, “But there was nothing inside.”

"Nothing left?" Yin Li was stunned, and for a moment her mind couldn't quite process it.

“Yes, everything is gone. The Apocynum venetum, the Ghost Jade Coffin, the gold and silver treasures scattered all over the ground, the exquisite murals, even the slaves who were buried alive with the dead—all gone. Inside is just an empty shell made of huge stones.” Qin Wen’s eyes were full of disbelief. “I really don’t know if this counts as a miracle. The police have invited many experts to study it.”

Yin Li paused for a moment, then suddenly understood and laughed: "Research? Is it necessary? That tomb never belonged to this era. Everything about Princess Zhaoling has sunk into the river of history along with that magnificent mausoleum. It will never fall into the hands of mortals."

“Maybe…” Qin Wen murmured to herself, her expression bewildered, “Maybe it was all just a dream.”

"Perhaps..." Yin Li's smile brightened even more, like a ray of gentle sunshine.

At this moment, a black figure walked in. Yin Li looked up and saw Situ Xiang wearing a police uniform. She was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "You look better in camouflage."

"Do you really think so?" Situ Xiang put down the large bag of fruit he was holding, looking at her with gentle eyes.

Qin Wen was quite sensible. She took out the biggest apple from the bag, wiped it, took a big bite, and said, "I'm going out for a walk. You guys chat." As she spoke, she winked at Yin Li and didn't forget to close the ward door when she left.

Situ Xiang sat down in the chair and said, "I thought I had hidden it well, but I didn't expect you to see through it at a glance. I'm such a failure."