The Lost Tomb Vol. 7

Chapter 39: Small Hair

Xiao Hua lit a flare and threw it in to illuminate the whole area in front of us. We could see the black "hair" all over the ground and it seemed to cover everything, including the walls. After we had quieted down, we found that the whole cave was chilled. The sweat on our bodies cooled quickly, causing our pores to shrink and goosebumps to rise up.

At the same time, I saw that there were small alcoves all over the walls that were full of things. Most of them could be identified as bamboo scrolls, but some of the alcoves had apparently been cleaned out already and were empty. I figured that the most important silk books Jin Wantang had translated must have come from here.

There were a large number of bamboo scrolls along the "corridor" of the cave, and many were placed on both sides, making it look like a secret library corridor.

The cave was so deep that our flashlights couldn't reach very far. I estimated that the distance was at least three hundred meters, which was frighteningly deep.

This scene reminded me of a dragon kiln I had seen in Longquan, but it hadn't been this long. The two of us stood at the mouth of the cave, suddenly unsure of what we should do.

The inside was as cramped as the outside, so we'd have to crawl in order to get in. Xiao Hua tried to climb in, but I quickly grabbed him. I knew that kind of jar. I had seen it in Tamutuo before. These jars looked very similar to the ones that had heads, and if it were true, then it was very likely that those bugs were in them.

When I told Xiao Hua this, he looked at the iron-clad body behind him and said, "So, that iron garment may not be for Taoist training, but a protective garment against these insects. Maybe the craftsmen who set up these jars wore them at the time."

I nodded as I pointed the flashlight in front of me. As expected, I found that the open space in front of me was full of red corpse-eating bug carcasses. Their shells were broken and scattered all over the place, which made me feel uncomfortable.

Xiao Hua shined his flashlight on a jar. The hair in it was really frightening, and it was hard to convince myself that there wasn't something else in there.

"How did you say they got in back then?" I asked. "They didn't step on these jars, did they? That's disgusting." Moreover, the jars were placed very neatly and didn't look like many people had trampled on them.

Xiao Hua shined his flashlight on the wall and ceiling, smiled at me, and then said, "It was too easy for them to get in."

He was smiling a bit like a thief, and I didn't know what to make of it. He pulled out two arm-length rods from our equipment pile— I didn't know what material they were made of— picked them up, took off his gloves exposing his sweaty hands, and made his preparations. Showing off his excellent flexibility, he put both of his palms together and turned them in a circle.

I didn't know what he was going to do, but I didn't think of stopping him. He picked up the rod, suddenly propped it up on the ground in front of him, turned like an acrobat in the narrow space, and then vaulted and stepped in one of the holes on the side of the cave wall.

Before I could react, the stick he held on the ground loosened and pulled back, dancing like a shadowy flower in the air. At the moment he lost his balance, the stick reached the hole in the cave wall on which he was standing and bounced him again, pushing him to the other side of the cave with an action that was so amazing, one could say it was inhuman.

I felt my jaw drop as I saw him repeating this process, and I couldn't help thinking that the rod was like a magic wand. In a very short amount of time, he quickly flipped and jumped across the cave wall, looking similar to a fairy with his effortless movements that were like rolling clouds and flowing water. In a few seconds, he had left me behind.

"Professional." This was the word that suddenly popped into my head. Compared with grandpa and Chen Pi Ah Si, who would carefully touch the walls bit by bit to find the trap mechanism, this amazing stunt was undeniably on a different level. It was definitely the most efficient and safe method when it came to grave robbing.

After some time had passed, I heard a loud roar come from further in and his flashlight beam shot out across the distance. It appeared this tunnel wasn't as deep as I had originally thought.

"How is it?" I asked, creating an echo in the cave.

"It's not as hard as I thought, you can come easily!" He called back. "There's a cave in here."

"Easy my ass, what should I do?" I was so angry that I couldn't even make the first move.

"Wait a minute, I'll think of something. Don't move." Xiao Hua's voice sounded like it was coming from inside the cave. "I see something strange."

His voice echoed constantly in the tunnel and sounded muffled because his face was covered in bandages.

"What is it?" I immediately asked.

After a moment of silence, his voice came floating faintly through the tunnel: "I don't know, it's hard to say. It seems to be made of iron." As he said this, I heard a metal tapping sound start up from inside.

"Describe it." My curiosity was suddenly piqued and many strange images appeared in my mind.

"Uh..." He hesitated. "I don't know how to describe it."

"What's so hard to describe?" I shouted impatiently. "Round, square, long, flat? What size is it?"

"It's a huge iron plate, like a cymbal. There are many strange lines on it." Xiao Hua said. Listening to his voice, it was clear his attention had been completely captivated by that thing.

"What's so strange about it?"

"Brother." Xiao Hua's voice dropped slightly, as if in disbelief. "This thing is spinning. It's turning by itself."