The Lost Tomb Vol. 1

Chapter 4: Corpse Cave

These guys had encountered many dangerous things over the years and were very skilled so I had full trust in them. So, when Pan Zi said this, I was well aware of the situation. Big Ah Kui also gave me a look, which meant that I should stay back and keep my nose out of trouble.

I couldn't help but smile. Why would I go looking for trouble? Ah Kui could knock a cow out with just one punch and Pan Zi was a war veteran with scars all over his body. And ever since he was a child, Uncle Three was the type to go all out in a fight. There was also that mute bastard, who didn't look like he'd show any sort of kindness at all. As for me... ever since ancient times, scholars had always been the most useless in a fight.

Uncle Three came up and shoved an army knife into my hand, but it felt too heavy and awkward. How was I supposed to use this?

Just as I was thinking about what else I could use to defend myself, Lu Dandan came swimming back with a loud splash. The old man knocked his pipe against his pants leg and said, "Let's go! The boat's coming."

Sure enough, two flat boats emerged from behind the mountain in tandem. On the boat in front of us stood a middle-aged man, who was shouting at us while he punted the boat.(1) These boats were quite large and seemed more than able to hold both us and all of our equipment. The old man patted the ox on the neck. "You guys don't need to unload all of your equipment. I'll pull the ox and the cart onto the second boat and we'll all sit together on the first boat. It's better to save your strength while you can."

Pan Zi smiled, "Some of our things shouldn't be exposed to water; it's better to carry them with us. What if the ox happens to dive into the water? Then we'll really be screwed."

The old man smiled and nodded, "What you've said is reasonable, but this ox isn't a buffalo. It'll never jump into the water. If it does happen to jump, then this old man will help you fish your stuff out of the water until every single item is retrieved."

As he spoke, he led the ox towards the approaching boats. We each slung our bags over our shoulders and followed behind him. The middle-aged man steered the boats very quickly and soon landed with a few skilled strokes of his pole.

While the old man was pulling the ox and cart onto the second boat, I looked at the middle-aged man who was punting the boat. His skin was dark and suntanned and he looked extremely ordinary, but for some reason—maybe it was a psychological effect or something else—I couldn't help but think that this man looked sketchy. I remembered Uncle Three's story about eating corpse flesh and suddenly felt that the more I looked at this guy, the more horrifying he seemed.

"When we get to the cave, please speak quietly and don't disturb the river god," the man said. "And especially don't speak ill of the river god."

"How long will it take to get through the cave?" Uncle Three asked him.

"If it's fast, it'll only take five minutes to pass through. The current inside is very swift—at least, it was moving swiftly yesterday."

"Are there times when it's slow?"

"Yes, sometimes the water flows upstream. When you saw me coming over, I was coming downstream. But now we must go upstream, so it'll take a long time. I estimate that it'll take fifteen minutes. There are some turns in the cave that are quite dangerous to maneuver around."

"Is it bright in there?"

The man laughed, "It's pitch black in there, how can you expect it to be bright? You might even say it's as dark as night." But then he pointed to his ears, "I've been a boatman for more than ten years. I just need this pole and my ears."

"Then can we use a flashlight?" Pan Zi raised the miner's lamp in his hand. "It's ok, right?"

"It doesn't matter," the man said. "But don't let it shine on the water. Otherwise, you'll be scared to death!"