Card Room Book 2

CR: Chapter 373

The corridor of the ancient tomb was wet and cold. Only their footsteps sounded in the eerie silence. This type of environment felt weird and it was even worse when no one spoke.

It was pitch black in front of them so everyone quickly took out their Night Pearls. They used the light from the Night Pearls to find that there was a paved dirt ground and the surrounding walls were also made of dirt. There weren't any bricks.

Was this the entrance to the tomb?

Sure enough, they walked for a while and found a stone door in front of them. There were strange totems painted on the door and two lanterns next to the stone door which were always lit. The light might be dim but the oil in it seemed as though it would burn forever. Once everyone approached, the wick started to sway gently and cast strange ghostly images on the surrounding walls, like two ghost fires floating in the darkness.

Ye Qi wasn't afraid of these illusions and curiously asked, "This place is a centuries old underground tomb, right? Can the lamp oil burn for so long?"

Lu Jiuchuan wanted to go forward to take a look but Yu Hanjiang was worried. His brother had just been hurt and might not be able to avoid any traps. Thus, he reached out to stop his brother and went forward himself to check the two lights.

Yu Hanjiang observed carefully before saying, "The lamp oil added in here should be made of a special substance. It isn't the same as other oil lamps we've seen." He glanced at Xiao Lou as he spoke, as if waiting for Xiao Lou's explanation.

Xiao Lou walked up to him and also observed it for a few seconds. "This is the 'Eternal Flame Lamp'. It can burn for hundreds of years without being extinguished. Putting it in a tomb has another precept apart from lighting the tomb. For those who believe in Buddha, if they want to see liberation after death then they will use their body as a lampstand and their heart as a lamp burner. An additional precept is to add oil and they will be as wise as the lamp."

The team members listened carefully. Several times before, Professor Xiao had led everyone to pass the Diamonds secret room. His knowledge was extensive so they didn't feel surprised to hear him explain the meaning of the lamp. On the contrary, they felt like it was normal for Professor Xiao to know this. After all, Xiao Lou was a top student who had 'submitted the answers while others were still reading the questions'.

However, this was the first time that Lu Jiuchuan's group of four were cooperating with Xiao Lou's team.

Lu Jiuchuan heard him explain the meaning of the Eternal Flame Lamp and made an expression that said 'the person my brother likes is really smart'. Chu Huaying was expressionless but she listened very carefully. Tang Ci looked indifferent while Teacher Gui smiled and didn't interrupt. He just listened to the explanation.

"This is the first time I've seen an Eternal Flame Lamp. The lamp oil added to this should be the beeswax in the legends?" Xiao Lou stated.

"Beeswax?" Lu Jiuchuan raised an eyebrow. "The secretion of bees?"

"Yes, to be precise, it is the fatty substance secreted by worker bees and it is also the material for constructing honeycombs. The ancient people were very wise. They melted honeycombs with hot water and refined it into beeswax. Lamp oil made of beeswax burns very slowly. If placed in the tomb, it can burn for a long time as long as there is a constant supply of oxygen. This is the origin of the Eternal Flame Lamp."

"Professor Xiao is right," Teacher Gui suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Archaeologists found an Eternal Flame Lamp in the Dingling Tomb of the Wanli Emperor and confirmed that the material for making the lamp was beeswax. As for the so-called 'man-fish lamp oil' from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, there is currently no final conclusion in the scientific community." Gui Yuanzhang looked at Xiao Lou. "I didn't expect you to be so interested in history and archaeology at your young age."