Chapter 1332: Treasure Tomb

At the bottom of the ten-thousand-zhang abyss, the three made a circuit and found nothing of value. It seemed to be nothing more than a place that had been split open by overwhelming force.

Afterward, they returned to the summit.

Looking across this world again, all three found that the more they explored, the more confused they became. They had no idea what had happened here, nor when it had happened.

But they could all sense that whatever catastrophe had overtaken this world belonged to an exceedingly distant past.

Judging from the accumulated traces of age on the ruins, it was far older than the era of the Wu Dynasty. What connection Shang Song and his wife might have had to any of it remained unknown.

"Deal with that signboard." After standing at the cliff edge in thought for a while, Niu Youdao suddenly looked back and reminded Yuan Gang.

Yuan Gang understood immediately.

Wu Chang might come here in the future. If the two halves of the signboard were left as they were, anyone with a little experience would be able to tell that someone had disturbed them.

Yuan Gang was experienced at cleaning up such traces. He turned and went to handle it.

Niu Youdao, meanwhile, searched through the mountaintop ruins. Eventually he found a broken section of stone pillar and began grinding it down, carving characters and patterns into the surface.

Yun Ji, who had been looking around, walked over and watched for a while. Unable to understand what he was doing, she asked, "What are you making?"

"A little trinket." Niu Youdao remained focused on his work and answered casually.

Yun Ji leaned closer to see what trick he was playing.

She still could not understand the overall purpose, but she did recognize the two characters he had carved:

Treasure Tomb.

Then she examined the patterns he was engraving.

They formed a sequence of pictures: people moving objects, then burying them. Combined with the words Treasure Tomb, the meaning was obvious enough. Something valuable was supposedly buried there.

Yun Ji was somewhat surprised that he possessed such delicate craftsmanship. But the longer she watched, the less she understood. At last she asked again, "What exactly are you doing?"

"You'll understand."

Before long, Yuan Gang returned. When he saw the work, he asked as well, "Master Dao, what's this?"

Niu Youdao said, "For you."

Yuan Gang stared. "For me?"

By then Niu Youdao had finished. As he stood, he patted the broken stone pillar. "Take it with you."

Then he looked around once more. "We've seen about all there is to see here. There shouldn't be any major problem. We also shouldn't stay away from the outside world for too long. Let's go back."

Yuan Gang asked no further questions. He hoisted the section of stone pillar onto his shoulder and pursed his lips, making several "woo-woo" calls.

The three snow-feathered flying mounts resting in the distance immediately spread their wings and flew toward them.

The three jumped aboard as the mounts passed, then rose into the sky and swiftly departed...

They flew over countless mountains and rivers and eventually reached the edge of the desert again, where the conspicuous raised platform on the ground came into view.

As they approached, Niu Youdao jumped down first. Yun Ji followed.

Yuan Gang, however, directed his snow-feathered mount into a dive.

Niu Youdao landed atop the pyramid, and Yun Ji drifted down beside him. As Yuan Gang's mount swept past, he jumped from its back and landed beside them.

Then he threw back his head and gave a long call.

The three snow-feathered mounts wheeled upward, circled once, and flew away, free once more.

After watching them leave, Yun Ji turned and saw Niu Youdao reaching into the recess at the summit again.

Her heart immediately jumped. "What are you doing now? You still haven't had enough of being struck by lightning?"

She had gone directly for the sore spot.

Niu Youdao rolled his eyes and could not be bothered answering. He continued probing the recess with his fingers.

Yuan Gang, however, could tell from the movement of his hands that Niu Youdao was measuring its dimensions.

After a while, Niu Youdao held out a hand for the piece of stone pillar.

He laid it across the square stone at the summit, drew his sword, and began chiseling away at the broken end with a series of ringing taps.

At first Yun Ji and Yuan Gang still did not understand.

Once the shape he was carving gradually emerged, they finally realized what he was doing.

He was fashioning the broken end into a tenon shaped precisely to fit the recess.

Was he planning to stand this stone pillar upright on top of the platform?

Yun Ji's eyes flickered. Then she remembered the pictures carved onto the pillar and the two characters, Treasure Tomb.

Understanding suddenly dawned. She stared at him in surprise. "Niu Youdao, who are you planning to harm now?"

The reasoning was simple.

Anyone who came here, saw the carvings on the pillar, and mistook this platform for a place where treasure had been buried would inevitably try to force it open.

And what happened when someone tried to force it open?

Niu Youdao had already demonstrated that personally by getting struck by lightning.

Yun Ji asked, "You want to lure someone here and use the power of this formation to kill them?"

Still working, Niu Youdao gave a cold laugh. "Do I look like I have nothing better to do? Who do you think I'd be luring?"

"Wu Chang?"

"Wu Chang doesn't need to be lured. He knows how to enter this place, and he knows what this platform is. This trick won't work on him. Nor is it convenient to tell the other Nine Saints about this place for now. No matter which of them came in, they'd have to pass through Monkey. That would be sending Monkey straight to the gates of hell."

Yun Ji remained puzzled. "Then why are you being so mysterious about this?"

Niu Youdao said, "Sister Yun, I find you're becoming more and more like Hongniang. I'm making one more contingency, just in case."

Yun Ji still did not understand.

Once he finished the work, Niu Youdao lifted the stone pillar upright. He slowly fitted the newly shaped tenon into the recess.

When he let go, the dimensions proved exact.

The pillar, about three feet long, stood steadily atop the square stone at the summit.

After confirming there was no problem, Niu Youdao pulled it back out again.

Then, with a casual flick of his hand, he tipped it over.

Yun Ji and Yuan Gang stared.

The stone pillar went tumbling down the pyramid's tiers with a series of heavy thuds. Momentum carried it all the way to the bottom, where it bounced and crashed into the desert sand.

The two turned back toward Niu Youdao, having no idea what he was doing.

Niu Youdao said to Yuan Gang, "Remember exactly where it landed."

Yuan Gang did not understand the purpose, but he knew Niu Youdao would not have done it without reason. He studied the pillar's resting place in relation to the pyramid and, after fixing the location in his memory, nodded. "Remembered."

Niu Youdao cleared away the stone chips left behind at the summit, then flew into the air and drifted lightly down onto the sand.

He picked up the already weathered section of stone pillar and went to work on it again, deliberately aging the fresh cuts and carvings.

Yun Ji and Yuan Gang came down one after another and watched him.

After a while, Yun Ji asked in bewilderment, "You work like an old hand. Back in your village, did you train as a stonemason or something?"

Niu Youdao gave a noncommittal sound. "Something like that."

The corner of Yuan Gang's mouth tugged stiffly upward.

Once the work was finished, Niu Youdao hauled the pillar upright and looked directly at Yuan Gang.

"Right now, what worries me most about you here is Lü Wushuang. I don't know how much she truly knows about this place, but I do know she will try every possible means to deal with you. With her power and influence, too many things are impossible to predict. Some dangers may be impossible to guard against."

"You're no longer beside me, so I may not always be able to protect you. But I still hope you'll listen carefully to one piece of advice."

"It's the same thing I've told you many times before: the overly hard are easily broken; those who know how to yield are not defeated."

"Brother, not everything has to be met head-on. If you're ever forced into a situation with no other choice, judge the circumstances and act according to the moment. If Lü Wushuang comes for you, don't rely on nothing but reckless courage and throw your life away for no reason. Don't rush to fight to the death."

"Remember that there is still a road of retreat here. It may save your life."

"Dying is easy. Staying alive is hard. If the circumstances allow it, soften once in a while. Submit a little if that's what it takes to survive. Don't make this whole trip of mine pointless. Do you understand?"

Yun Ji finally understood.

Her expression changed, deeply moved. She found herself regarding Niu Youdao with new respect. For this brother of his, the man had truly worried himself sick.

Yuan Gang's cheeks tightened slightly.

Then he nodded.

"Then remember it well. Remember where this thing is!"

Niu Youdao suddenly barked the words and struck out with one palm.

Bang!

The stone pillar shot straight into the sand and vanished completely beneath the surface.

Yuan Gang stared at the point where it had disappeared, then looked back toward the base of the pyramid.

He counted the stone blocks corresponding to the buried location, judged the direction and distance, and finally turned back and nodded. "I've memorized it."

Niu Youdao swept a hand through the air. "Let's go. We're heading back!"

...

Inside the command tent, Luo Zhao stood before a map and personally explained the present dispositions of the two armies to Yucang and the others.

Outside the tent, Guo Xingshan strode in quickly and went straight to Yucang. "Master, a scout reports that Ximen Qingkong has arrived!"

"Oh? This quickly?" Yucang turned around in surprise. "He's fully recovered from his injuries already?"

Luo Zhao stopped speaking and looked over. He too had heard something of what had happened in the Qi capital.

Guo Xingshan said, "We don't know."

"How many people did he bring?"

"Only himself!"

"Alone?" Yucang clasped his hands behind his back and paced. "So impatient... It seems our original approach was wrong from the beginning. We should have let him know Xuan Wei was dead much earlier. One corpse is enough to make him dance however we please!"

He stopped and looked back. "General Luo, the man who does not fear death has arrived. Make your preparations carefully. Don't let yourselves get caught in the crossfire."

Then he turned to Guo Xingshan and barked, "Notify everyone along his route. Let him through. Allow him to come here!"

"Yes!"

More than ten li from the main camp, a lone rider flew across the grassland like the wind. A gray cloak whipped behind him from horseback.

Ximen Qingkong, his face covered in scars, galloped toward the army alone.

After making contact with Mist Bureau agents in the surrounding area and confirming the position of the enemy's central command, he had simply ridden there by himself.

Countless gentle slopes rolled across the grasslands, the terrain rising and falling without end. The horse's four hooves flew like shadows.

Now and then Qin patrols appeared around him. The closer he drew to the main camp, the more frequently those patrols came into view.

The place where the vast army had gathered gradually appeared ahead.

Closer.

Closer still.

Rows of anti-cavalry barricades blocked the entrance to the camp.

Standing on a slope inside, Yucang watched from afar with a smile.

The man the Ghost Doctor had rescued had delivered himself back to Yucang's door this easily.

"Clear the way!" Yucang shouted.

The guards at the entrance received the order. A group rushed out and dragged the barricades apart to either side.

They had barely cleared a path when Ximen Qingkong galloped straight through it and into the camp.

On another rise in the distance, Luo Zhao watched the scene and sighed softly. "What courage."

There was a touch of regret in his voice.

He felt pity for a true man.

Ximen Qingkong gradually reined in his mount and stopped beneath the slope.

Sitting upright on horseback, he swept an expressionless gaze around the camp and immediately saw that the defenses had already been laid out with extreme care.

At last his eyes settled on Yucang.

Before reaching Yucang, however, they lingered for an extra moment on Dugu Jing.

Yucang laughed loudly. "Brother Ximen, I've been waiting for you."

Ximen Qingkong said, "Where is Xuan Wei?"

Yucang replied, "Where is the thing I want?"

"I see her first."

"Easy enough." Yucang waved a hand.

Several men behind him immediately carried forward a board covered with white cloth. The shape of a human body was obvious beneath it.

Once they brought it before him, Yucang personally lifted one end of the cloth.

A face was revealed.

Xuan Wei.

Her features remained lifelike, her eyes peacefully closed.

The board was tilted slightly so Ximen Qingkong could see her face clearly.

Yucang made a grasping motion over Xuan Wei's lips.

Her mouth slowly opened.

A crystalline pearl radiating cold air floated out from within.

[End of Chapter 1332]