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Huang Yun: Never.

Me: What about Lu Bai? Does he come here often too?

Huang Yun: Yes, but he also showed no signs of suicidal ideation.

Me: Why didn't you tell the police last time?

Huang Yun: Tell me what?

Me: Tell them that Lu Bai and you often come to the Ghostly Tomb; this might be helpful for the investigation.

Huang Yun: Do you think the ghosts in the ancient tomb are related to Lu Bai's death?

Me: Maybe so.

Huang Yun: Stop joking.

Me: As far as I know, recently many people, like Lu Bai, have committed suicide inexplicably, and they have all come to the Ghostly Tomb.

Huang Yun: Don't exaggerate.

Me: Please believe me, don't come here again.

Huang Yun: Actually, I've already decided that I won't go online after New Year's Eve.

Me: Why?

Huang Yun: You don't need to know that.

Me: Also, what did you and Lu Bai usually look at in the Tomb of the Ghosts?

Huang Yun: Okay, stop asking. It's getting late. I've been greatly reducing my online time lately, so I'm going offline to rest now.

Me: I'm sorry, but I want to know.

She didn't reply. I waited for a long time before realizing she had really gone offline. She seemed to be avoiding something. I left the chat room and went back to the message board, but I couldn't find the message I had just posted. It had only been posted less than an hour; it couldn't have disappeared. I scrolled through several pages of the message board, but it was still gone. All the other posts I had seen were still there, only mine was missing. The only possibility was that the moderator had deleted it. But why? I couldn't understand. So I left the Ancient Tomb Ghostly Realm. It really was a place of trouble. Maybe I should listen to Ye Xiao.

I closed my eyes, leaned my head back in the chair, and Huang Yun's face floated into my mind. I recalled the times I had seen her recently—on the riverside avenue, at the coffee shop, outside the psychiatric clinic—each time leaving me with a sense of unease. This beautiful woman was indeed extraordinary. I began to let my imagination run wild. Perhaps she knew the inside story of Lu Bai's suicide, perhaps she knew everything but couldn't say it for some reason, or even—was it possible that she was the "she" in the underground palace? I dared not imagine.

My mind was getting increasingly chaotic, so I turned off the computer and drifted off to sleep amidst my random thoughts.

I dreamt of Huang Yun.

January 16th

Struggling to break free from the dream, all I could see was Huang Yun's image. I forgot, I forgot what I had dreamt about, only Huang Yun's face remained. I started sweating; I had never sweated so much in a dream before. I suddenly felt guilty, a strange guilt, because I thought of Lu Bai.

I woke up very early, my mind filled with images of the ancient tombs. I carefully recalled my previous two visits to the ancient tombs. The tombstones on the first page didn't have any particularly special content, except for the last Ming and Qing dynasty tomb, which had the message "You are getting closer to her." The Ming and Qing tombs, including "The Ming Tombs," "Dingling Underground Palace," and "Western Qing Tombs," were all just descriptive text. Only after opening "Eastern Qing Tombs" did the message "She is waiting for you" appear. Eastern Qing Tombs contained "Xiaoling," "Jingling," "Yuling," "Dingling," "Dingdongling," and "Huiling." "Xiaoling" was blank, while "Jingling," "Yuling," and "Dingling" each had a portrait of a Qing dynasty emperor. "Dingdongling" featured a middle-aged woman in full Qing dynasty attire. Finally, "Huiling" contained a young emperor, with the message "She is in the underground palace," before I entered the underground palace to begin my maze game.

Why specifically place it in the "Huiling" tomb within the Qing Eastern Tombs, a collection of Ming and Qing dynasty tombs? There must be a connection, and perhaps some clues can be gleaned from this. While the novel *The Ghost of the Ancient Tomb* provides detailed descriptions of other ancient tombs, it offers no information about the Qing Eastern Tombs beyond the phrase "She is waiting for you."

So I went to a well-known search engine, typed in "Qing Eastern Tombs," and started searching. Sure enough, I found some textual descriptions—

The Eastern Qing Tombs are located in Malanyu, Zunhua, Hebei Province. Construction began in 1661 (the 18th year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign). Covering an area of 2,500 square kilometers, the entire mausoleum area is centered on Changrui Mountain, stretching approximately 125 kilometers from north to south and 20 kilometers from east to west. It consists of 5 imperial tombs, 4 empress tombs, 5 concubine tombs, and 1 princess tomb, burying emperors such as Shunzhi (Xiaoling), Kangxi (Jingling), Qianlong (Yuling), Xianfeng (Dingling), and Tongzhi (Huiling), as well as empresses and concubines such as Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an (Dingdongling). The entire mausoleum area is centered on Xiaoling, with the other tombs arranged on both sides. Its jade and stone halls and painted beams are magnificent and splendid. From the stone archway at the southernmost part of the mausoleum area to the top of Xiaoling, along this approximately 5-kilometer-long sacred path, there are orderly arranged the Great Red Gate, the Stele Pavilion of Sacred Virtue and Divine Merit, stone statues, Ling'en Gate, and Ling'en... The palace, the square city gate, and the Minglou (a type of tower) are solemn, elegant, and magnificent. Emperor Qianlong's Yuling Mausoleum is a treasure trove of sculptural art. Except for the ground level, the walls and vaults are all constructed of granite, covered with various carvings. These include the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Five Buddhas, the Five Offerings, the Eight Treasures, and tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures and mantras inscribed in Sanskrit and Tibetan. All these carvings are characterized by clear, flowing lines and lifelike figures. Despite the numerous patterns, they are arranged with a clear hierarchy, forming a harmonious whole, demonstrating ingenuity. Empress Dowager Cixi's mausoleum is also quite distinctive. The stone railings surrounding her Ling'en Hall are carved with auspicious dragons and phoenixes, and patterns of waves and floating clouds. The steps in front of the hall are carved using openwork techniques, with the dragon below and the phoenix above, creating a scene of dragons and phoenixes playing with a pearl, as if real dragons and phoenixes are flying and dancing among colorful clouds—a masterpiece of stone carving.

"The four emperors Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Guangxu were buried in the Eastern Qing Tombs in Yi County, Hebei Province."

"Xiaoling is the tomb of Emperor Shunzhi. Legend has it that Shunzhi abdicated in his later years and became a monk at Mount Wutai, hence the tomb is an empty mound. In fact, Shunzhi was cremated after his death, following the traditional customs of the Manchus. However, subsequent Qing emperors abandoned cremation and switched to the Han Chinese custom of burial. Therefore, Shunzhi's tomb contains his ashes, and there are virtually no burial objects. Because of these legends, this tomb without treasures has managed to escape the series of calamities that befell the Eastern Qing Tombs two hundred years later, becoming the only tomb in the Eastern Qing Tombs that has never been looted."

Seeing all this, I began to understand. The first tomb I saw in the "Xiaoling" mausoleum was completely blank inside because it contained only ashes, not bones. The piercing-eyed emperor in the "Jingling" mausoleum must be the brilliant and ambitious Emperor Kangxi, while the emperor in the "Yuling" mausoleum must be the amorous Emperor Qianlong. As for the "Dingling" mausoleum, which shares the same name as the Dingling Mausoleum of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Tombs, the occupant of this tomb is Emperor Xianfeng. He must have died in his prime, hence he appears younger than the previous two portraits. The middle-aged woman I saw at the gate of the "Dingdongling" mausoleum must be Empress Dowager Cixi; no wonder her eyes were so sharp, giving off a sense of fear. Finally, in the "Huiling" mausoleum, there is Cixi's son, Emperor Tongzhi. He apparently died at the age of twenty, supposedly from syphilis, which explains why the emperor in the portrait I saw looked so young, almost like a child. Every emperor's tomb has an underground palace, so why would "she be in the underground palace" appear in Tongzhi's tomb? I really can't understand it.

I suddenly remembered a Chinese film I'd seen before, about a group of warlords during the Republic of China era who looted Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb; it was based on a true story. Other books also mentioned this warlord, Sun Dianying, who used explosives to blast open several tombs in the Eastern Tombs, making a fortune. I started searching again, spending several hours piecing together the scattered information to get a general understanding of what had happened—

In July 1928, the down-on-his-luck warlord Sun Dianying, under the pretext of suppressing bandits, led his troops into the imperial tombs. Over seven days and seven nights, using explosives, they opened the underground palaces of Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi, looting the palaces and their burial treasures. This act became a shocking case, arguably the largest tomb raiding incident in human history. Some horrifying details emerged: more than a month after the raid, when investigators entered the Eastern Tombs, they found a scene of utter devastation. Inside the underground palace, Cixi's body lay on the coffin lid, her upper body completely naked (obviously stripped naked by the tomb raiders), her lower body reduced to only a pair of trousers, her socks almost completely removed. Her entire body was moldy, and her face was covered in white mold. To obtain the luminous pearl in her mouth, Sun Dianying had his men cut open Cixi's lips with bayonets. In short, it was a terrifying ordeal. In Qianlong's underground palace, the remains of one emperor and five empresses were all excavated. It is pitiful that this once-famous "Perfect Emperor," regarded by Westerners as the greatest monarch in the world, was so desecrated by later generations. What is even more regrettable is that his tomb was full of calligraphy and paintings. The ignorant soldiers only knew how to steal treasures and did not understand the value of art. As a result, these priceless treasures were trampled underfoot and destroyed.

Perhaps this is retribution. Empress Dowager Cixi harmed countless people throughout her life, pushing China to the brink of destruction. She enjoyed immense wealth and luxury in life, but less than 20 years after her death, her body was thrown out of her coffin, stripped naked, and, according to legend, even defiled by soldiers. From another perspective, it truly is a case of Heaven having eyes and evil reaping evil; it is a case of using the hands of evil to subdue evil, akin to "fighting poison with poison." As for Emperor Qianlong, although he is portrayed as infinitely glorious in folk tales and even depicted as a kind father in the popular TV series starring Qiong Yao, in reality, he was nothing more than a tyrant who instigated numerous literary inquisitions. The so-called "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperity" was merely China's last gasp before its demise.

I continued searching for a while, but the information available online was actually limited. It was all here, mostly repetitive, with no more detailed information. I pondered for a moment, recalling what I'd seen in the ghost stories of the ancient tombs. Why was the most important item in Tongzhi's tomb? It should be said that among the imperial tombs in the Eastern Tombs, because Tongzhi died so young, his Huiling Tomb was the most inconspicuous and crudest. What I found wasn't enough; something must have been missed. Did that "she" refer to Empress Dowager Cixi? Or someone else? I had to figure it out.

The sky outside the window was overcast, and I felt a chill creeping into my heart.

January 17

It rained heavily today.

Heavy rain in winter is a rare treat, but Shanghai has seen more frequent winter rains in recent years, perhaps because it hasn't snowed in the city for a long time. I walked along the street, umbrella in hand, the rain pattering against it, splashing droplets onto my face. Looking around, the distant streets, the yellow and white plane trees, the checkered buildings, were all shrouded in a misty rain, hazy and indistinct, like a watercolor painting fallen into water. Then I remembered a poem I wrote when I was nineteen, "Heavy Rain Taps the City's Forehead."

I arrived at Dr. Mo's clinic. Before leaving, I made a special phone call, and Rose said on the phone that Dr. Mo was out seeing patients and not at the clinic, so I came. If she had said Dr. Mo was there, I definitely wouldn't have come. Yes, I came to see Rose.

I rang the doorbell, and Rose opened the door for me. I was soaking wet, and I took off my coat, feeling a little lighter. The room was filled with a damp atmosphere, seeping into my very being.

She still made me a cup of hot tea. The steam from the hot tea covered my face.

"Dr. Mo went out and said he might not be back until four or five o'clock."

"It's okay, I came here because I wanted to—" But I was too embarrassed to speak.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I want to ask you something." I suddenly became stammering.

"Ask away." She smiled at me.

"Please don't mind, there are some questions I shouldn't ask, like my age. I know it's inappropriate and might even cause you to misunderstand, but—"

"I'm 22 years old," she said first.

"Oh, so you've been here for a long time?"

“It’s only been a few months; I just graduated from university last year.” She answered much faster than I asked the question, which made me feel embarrassed.

"Is the question I'm asking stupid? You don't think I'm here to do some boring market research, do you?"

"You're really funny."

"Why work for Dr. Mo? Someone like you could find a better, more suitable position." My tone sounded like something you'd hear at a job fair.

"Because the work here is quiet and leisurely. I don't like the kind of work where you're busy all day long, racking your brains over trivial things. I just want to be like this, sitting alone, undisturbed, looking at the banana leaves and flowers outside the window, and the misty rain, quietly listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves and eaves. You know what? It's a very pleasant sound, much better than listening to a CD. Calm down and listen carefully."

I could hear it clearly: the sound of raindrops outside the window, and the rushing water from the drainpipe, like a miniature waterfall. The empty room was now empty except for her and me. We both fell silent, listening to the rain outside and watching the flowers swaying in the wind and rain, lost in thought.

"How do you feel?" she asked me.

I then came to my senses and said, "You're right, working here is indeed a pleasure."

"I like a simple life. The simpler the better, like a raindrop, coming quietly and going quietly, unnoticed by anyone. To people, this raindrop doesn't exist. If to you I don't exist, then I'll be very happy."

She really is a girl unlike any other. I would describe her as having a calm and serene mind. I said softly, "I really envy you. You know, my mind is a mess right now. I'm entangled in so many troubles. If I could see things the way you do, I wouldn't be here for this inexplicable treatment."

She smiled slightly: "You'll get better."

"Thank you, but with Dr. Mo's treatment method, I'm afraid I'll only get worse. I'm sorry, I was too blunt."

"He's a PhD in psychology."

"Is he really a doctor?" I shook my head, incredulous. He seemed more like a charlatan. I continued, "Have you seen his treatments?"

"No."

"It's alright, it's best not to watch it."

She suddenly chuckled, and I inexplicably laughed too. Our laughter echoed and clashed in the empty corridor and stairwell, reminding me of the past, of another person who seemed to have returned to me from many years ago. Then silence fell again. We seemed to have a tacit understanding, holding our breath as we listened to the sound of rain pattering on banana leaves, as if we were listening to a performance of traditional Jiangnan silk and bamboo music.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier.

"Where do you live?" I suddenly broke the silence.

“I live in this area and I rent a house.”

Do you live alone?

“Of course, did you think it was two people?” she asked me with a smile.

“No, no, I mean why you don’t live with your parents.” I tried to dispel her misunderstanding.

"We broke up a long time ago, why do you keep asking these questions?"

"It's nothing, I just felt—"

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Rose opened the door, and Dr. Mo came in, followed by someone—it was Huang Yun. Dr. Mo was surprised to see me, and Huang Yun was even more surprised. She gave me an extremely awkward smile.

"Why are you here?" Dr. Mo asked me rather coldly.

"I'm here for treatment," I replied coldly. His sudden return to the clinic was very disappointing. I had a good talk with Rose, and he ruined it all. Moreover, Huang Yun was with him. I found myself disliking him more and more.

"Don't come unless I ask you to. I'll let you know when you need treatment, understand?"

I turned my head away, looking at Rose, not wanting to talk to Dr. Mo. Suddenly, all four of us fell silent, the atmosphere becoming somewhat awkward. Finally, I spoke: "Huang Yun, hello."

"Hello," Huang Yun replied weakly.

Are you going to the Ancient Tomb Ghost again tonight?

Her expression suddenly changed, and she shook her head vigorously, but remained silent. Only then did I notice Dr. Mo's gaze; he was staring intently at me, seemingly very nervous. Perhaps I had said something I shouldn't have, I didn't understand.

"I'm sorry, the clinic is closing early today," Dr. Mo said curtly.

He was practically telling me to leave. I looked at Rose, who was still smiling at me and waving: "Goodbye, and welcome back next time."

I smiled at her, then glanced at Huang Yun's beautiful but pale face. Rose and she each had their own beauty, and I really couldn't tell which one was more charming. But in my heart, I always felt that Rose was more approachable, kind, and understanding. I picked up my umbrella and, under Dr. Mo's disgusted gaze, finally left the clinic.

The rain outside was still heavy. I opened my umbrella and walked into the rain alone. After walking a few dozen steps, I looked back at the clinic building, which seemed to be shrouded in mist and rain, gradually turning into a phantom.

January 16th

Struggling to break free from the dream, all I could see was Huang Yun's image. I forgot, I forgot what I had dreamt about, only Huang Yun's face remained. I started sweating; I had never sweated so much in a dream before. I suddenly felt guilty, a strange guilt, because I thought of Lu Bai.

I woke up very early, my mind filled with images of the ancient tombs. I carefully recalled my previous two visits to the ancient tombs. The tombstones on the first page didn't have any particularly special content, except for the last Ming and Qing dynasty tomb, which had the message "You are getting closer to her." The Ming and Qing tombs, including "The Ming Tombs," "Dingling Underground Palace," and "Western Qing Tombs," were all just descriptive text. Only after opening "Eastern Qing Tombs" did the message "She is waiting for you" appear. Eastern Qing Tombs contained "Xiaoling," "Jingling," "Yuling," "Dingling," "Dingdongling," and "Huiling." "Xiaoling" was blank, while "Jingling," "Yuling," and "Dingling" each had a portrait of a Qing dynasty emperor. "Dingdongling" featured a middle-aged woman in full Qing dynasty attire. Finally, "Huiling" contained a young emperor, with the message "She is in the underground palace," before I entered the underground palace to begin my maze game.

Why specifically place it in the "Huiling" tomb within the Qing Eastern Tombs, a collection of Ming and Qing dynasty tombs? There must be a connection, and perhaps some clues can be gleaned from this. While the novel *The Ghost of the Ancient Tomb* provides detailed descriptions of other ancient tombs, it offers no information about the Qing Eastern Tombs beyond the phrase "She is waiting for you."

So I went to a well-known search engine, typed in "Qing Eastern Tombs," and started searching. Sure enough, I found some textual descriptions—

The Eastern Qing Tombs are located in Malanyu, Zunhua, Hebei Province. Construction began in 1661 (the 18th year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign). Covering an area of 2,500 square kilometers, the entire mausoleum area is centered on Changrui Mountain, stretching approximately 125 kilometers from north to south and 20 kilometers from east to west. It consists of 5 imperial tombs, 4 empress tombs, 5 concubine tombs, and 1 princess tomb, burying emperors such as Shunzhi (Xiaoling), Kangxi (Jingling), Qianlong (Yuling), Xianfeng (Dingling), and Tongzhi (Huiling), as well as empresses and concubines such as Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an (Dingdongling). The entire mausoleum area is centered on Xiaoling, with the other tombs arranged on both sides. Its jade and stone halls and painted beams are magnificent and splendid. From the stone archway at the southernmost part of the mausoleum area to the top of Xiaoling, along this approximately 5-kilometer-long sacred path, there are orderly arranged the Great Red Gate, the Stele Pavilion of Sacred Virtue and Divine Merit, stone statues, Ling'en Gate, and Ling'en... The palace, the square city gate, and the Minglou (a type of tower) are solemn, elegant, and magnificent. Emperor Qianlong's Yuling Mausoleum is a treasure trove of sculptural art. Except for the ground level, the walls and vaults are all constructed of granite, covered with various carvings. These include the Eight Great Bodhisattvas, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Five Buddhas, the Five Offerings, the Eight Treasures, and tens of thousands of Buddhist scriptures and mantras inscribed in Sanskrit and Tibetan. All these carvings are characterized by clear, flowing lines and lifelike figures. Despite the numerous patterns, they are arranged with a clear hierarchy, forming a harmonious whole, demonstrating ingenuity. Empress Dowager Cixi's mausoleum is also quite distinctive. The stone railings surrounding her Ling'en Hall are carved with auspicious dragons and phoenixes, and patterns of waves and floating clouds. The steps in front of the hall are carved using openwork techniques, with the dragon below and the phoenix above, creating a scene of dragons and phoenixes playing with a pearl, as if real dragons and phoenixes are flying and dancing among colorful clouds—a masterpiece of stone carving.

"The four emperors Yongzheng, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Guangxu were buried in the Eastern Qing Tombs in Yi County, Hebei Province."

"Xiaoling is the tomb of Emperor Shunzhi. Legend has it that Shunzhi abdicated in his later years and became a monk at Mount Wutai, hence the tomb is an empty mound. In fact, Shunzhi was cremated after his death, following the traditional customs of the Manchus. However, subsequent Qing emperors abandoned cremation and switched to the Han Chinese custom of burial. Therefore, Shunzhi's tomb contains his ashes, and there are virtually no burial objects. Because of these legends, this tomb without treasures has managed to escape the series of calamities that befell the Eastern Qing Tombs two hundred years later, becoming the only tomb in the Eastern Qing Tombs that has never been looted."

Seeing all this, I began to understand. The first tomb I saw in the "Xiaoling" mausoleum was completely blank inside because it contained only ashes, not bones. The piercing-eyed emperor in the "Jingling" mausoleum must be the brilliant and ambitious Emperor Kangxi, while the emperor in the "Yuling" mausoleum must be the amorous Emperor Qianlong. As for the "Dingling" mausoleum, which shares the same name as the Dingling Mausoleum of Emperor Wanli in the Ming Tombs, the occupant of this tomb is Emperor Xianfeng. He must have died in his prime, hence he appears younger than the previous two portraits. The middle-aged woman I saw at the gate of the "Dingdongling" mausoleum must be Empress Dowager Cixi; no wonder her eyes were so sharp, giving off a sense of fear. Finally, in the "Huiling" mausoleum, there is Cixi's son, Emperor Tongzhi. He apparently died at the age of twenty, supposedly from syphilis, which explains why the emperor in the portrait I saw looked so young, almost like a child. Every emperor's tomb has an underground palace, so why would "she be in the underground palace" appear in Tongzhi's tomb? I really can't understand it.

I suddenly remembered a Chinese film I'd seen before, about a group of warlords during the Republic of China era who looted Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb; it was based on a true story. Other books also mentioned this warlord, Sun Dianying, who used explosives to blast open several tombs in the Eastern Tombs, making a fortune. I started searching again, spending several hours piecing together the scattered information to get a general understanding of what had happened—

In July 1928, the down-on-his-luck warlord Sun Dianying, under the pretext of suppressing bandits, led his troops into the imperial tombs. Over seven days and seven nights, using explosives, they opened the underground palaces of Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi, looting the palaces and their burial treasures. This act became a shocking case, arguably the largest tomb raiding incident in human history. Some horrifying details emerged: more than a month after the raid, when investigators entered the Eastern Tombs, they found a scene of utter devastation. Inside the underground palace, Cixi's body lay on the coffin lid, her upper body completely naked (obviously stripped naked by the tomb raiders), her lower body reduced to only a pair of trousers, her socks almost completely removed. Her entire body was moldy, and her face was covered in white mold. To obtain the luminous pearl in her mouth, Sun Dianying had his men cut open Cixi's lips with bayonets. In short, it was a terrifying ordeal. In Qianlong's underground palace, the remains of one emperor and five empresses were all excavated. It is pitiful that this once-famous "Perfect Emperor," regarded by Westerners as the greatest monarch in the world, was so desecrated by later generations. What is even more regrettable is that his tomb was full of calligraphy and paintings. The ignorant soldiers only knew how to steal treasures and did not understand the value of art. As a result, these priceless treasures were trampled underfoot and destroyed.