According to the âClassic of Mountain and Seaâ <sup>1</sup> , and âHuai Nan Ziâ <sup>2</sup> , the âTen Great Mythological Creaturesâ, in ancient times, were mythical and legendary beasts. These ten kind of beasts were: Baize, Kui, Phoenix, Qilin, Taowu, Xiezhi, Hou, Four-eye Bird, Bifang, Taotie, Feifei, Zhujian, Chaos, Qingji, and the Azure Dragon <sup>3</sup> .
Legends say that the Taowu was originally a frightening and loathsome villain, a fierce mythological beast from ancient legends. Itâs said to be one of the âFour Evilsâ, as a result of the resentment caused by the death of Gun <sup>4</sup> , the great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu <sup>5</sup> , and father of Yu the Great <sup>6</sup> . This resentment turned into a: âTiger with dog hair, two feet long, with a human face, tiger feet, pig mouth and teeth, a tail with the length of eight feet, who disturbed the wastelandâ.
The bones of the divine beast mentioned in Su Jingmoâs tomb, are the bones of the Taowu. This was the âthingâ that so many people were fighting for over the past centuries.
The Taowu is a ferocious and dangerous beast, but it also has extraordinary abilities. Itâs said that if you crush and swallow all of its bones, you can ensure immortality. Life and death are ruled by fate <sup>7</sup> . However, not many people believe in fate, and they simply want to live forever, so immortality is a fatal attraction to most people, which is what most people dream of.
But thereâs only one Taowu. His skeleton is divided into countless pieces scattered all over the world, and no one has been able to piece it together for thousands of years.
Even the Taowu bones in Su Jingmoâs tomb are only a part of its skeletonâŠ.
When he thought of the incident caused by the Taowu bones, Su Jingmo chuckled: âLife and death are ruled by fate. The things that should belong to you, are already yours. If the Heavens donât give them to you, then whatâs the use of fighting for it?â As he said this, he remembered when Qin Cheng smiled at him, asking him if he was going to die. Su Jingmo sighed: âItâs not a good thing to live for too longâŠ.â
Right after saying this, Su Jingmo looked at Qu Zhiwen, and said: âHow can Zhen find that Jiang Bo?â
âJiang Bo has been dead for five months, but compared to the rest of the fierce ghosts in this tomb, who are a hundred years old, he should still carry a hint of Yang qi. Youâre also a ghost, and you may havenât noticed yourself, but ghosts like you, whoâve been in the world of the living for more than a thousand years, can feel the difference between a new ghost and an old one, even without any cultivation.â
Su Jingmo nodded his head, and remembered the day when fierce ghosts followed closely behind Qin Cheng when he stepped into the tomb without the jade pendant with him. The fierce ghost that tried to kill Qin Cheng that time, was Jiang Bo, right? That ghost was different from the other evil spirits, because he still carried a hint of Yang qi around him, and he kind of had some consciousness. When Su Jingmo cut off that soulâs arm, that ghost had clearly recognized Qin Cheng, as he rushed to run away.
Itâs justâŠ..
âAt first, Zhen could feel some differences. But the Yang qi in his soul has long been worn away. As for how old the fierce ghosts are, Zhen canât tell them apart.â
Qu Zhiwen knows this was because Su Jingmo has been asleep for most of the time he has been in the tomb, and that he had accumulated a lot of ghostly qi. With this perception, Su Jingmo may be like a ghost whoâs been dead for a few years at most. After thinking about it, he said: âHow many ghosts are in this tomb?â
âAbout seven or eight hundred. But, the grave robbers extinguished a lot of ghosts last time.â
âI canât cast any spells inside this tomb, but I can help you by setting up a formation in the tomb. This formation will allow you to increase your perception of ghosts. By then, you should be able to know Jiang Boâs location. Ghosts can pass through the walls and hide on the stone walls, so Iâm afraid itâs up to you to bring him out.â
After he said this, Qu Zhiwen bit his finger and dropped blood on the ground. Then he took out six incense sticks from his backpack and tried to light them. However, he found that the incense couldnât be lit inside the tomb: âOh, it seems that this incense also has a spiritual nature, and I donât dare to guide a way inside this tomb.â
As he shook his head, Qu Zhiwen put the incense back inside his bag, took out two talismans, and dipped them in a glass of wwine Then he dropped his own blood in the wine. When the yellow talisman and the blood melt into the wine, Qu Zhiwen quickly splashed the liquid in the four corners of the coffin chamber: âThe Taowu in this tomb is so powerful that this liquid made out of yellow talisman, human blood, and wine can only last for a quarter of an hour. Besides, I canât use this liquid in the same place for a second time, so you must find Jiang Bo quickly.â
Su Jingmo looked at the wine soaked with yellow talismans and human blood, and said: âIf this really allows Zhen to distinguish that Jiang Bo from the other ghosts, then a quarter of an hour should be enough.â
Qu Zhiwen nodded his head, and then left the coffin chamber quickly. As he sat cross-legged outside the coffin chamber, his mouth silently recited a mantra. In an instant, four bursts of light flashed around the coffin chamber.
Su Jingmo, inside the coffin chamber, closed his eyes when the four corners shone brightly.
As the night fell, the mountainâs forests were covered by the silent and windless night. When suddenly, there seemed to be a strong wind blowing through the leaves, shaking the tree branches, making it seem as if the trees were trembling.
Sure enough, just like what Qu Zhiwen said, Su Jingmo was able to distinguish between the ghosts inside this tomb. The youngest ghost was hidden at the southeast corner of the tomb, five meters deep underground.
The sensation of his spirit passing through the ground was very strange, and Su Jingmo unconsciously ignored this contradictory feeling. Jiang Bo wasnât the only ghost hiding in the ground, so when they found that Su Jingmo had appeared, those ghosts ran away, as if they had seen something scary. Of course, Jiang Bo wasnât an exception.
However, it didnât matter how much he tried to escape, he was still thrown inside the coffin chamber by Su Jingmo, who carried him by his hair.
When Su Jingmo glanced at the ghost in front of him, who was missing an arm, and his mouth was filled with a thick layer of filth, Su Jingmo distanced himself with disgust.
When Qu Zhiwen returned to the coffin chamber, he found that Jiang Boâs ghost seemed to be afraid of Su Jingmo, since he was trembling and trying to escape. However, he was nailed to the ground by Su Jingmoâs swordâŠ.
âSure enough, you arenât soft on anyoneâŠ. I really donât know what Qin Cheng likes about youâŠ.â
Qu Zhiwen said in a whisper, but how could Su Jingmo, who had long been a ghost, not hear it?
As Su Jingmo frowned slightly because of such words, he didnât know how to reply to them, so he had no other choice than to ignore them.
âThis Jiang Bo doesnât have a human consciousness anymore. He died unjustly, and has turned into a resentful ghost. So, how can you ask him anything?â While he said that, Su Jingmo pulled out his sword that was stuck into the floor.
However, before he could put it back into the scabbard, Su Jingmoâs hand trembled violently. âWhaââ
The sword fell on the white marble, making a harsh sound. Suddenly, a great uneasiness struck his heart, making Su Jingmo change his expression. The only person in the world who had a connection with him, was Qin ChengâŠ.
â Iâm afraid, something really happened to Qin ChengâŠ.. â
Because his hands were trembling, Su Jingmo hastily clenched his fists, hiding them under his wide sleeves. With his hands hidden behind his back, he began to walk around the coffin chamber. Even though he tried to act nonchalant, his steps didnât look as indifferent as usualâŠ.
âŠ
The Crouching Tiger Mountain peak was treacherous, and the terrain below the mountain was uneven. Itâs clear that the southwest part of the mountain was filled with many rocks. However, these rocks were very strange, because they were blocking the valley.
As they walked up the mountain road, they soon came to an open meadow. At the opposite side of the meadow, there was a huge stone wall, which was as high as a building facing upwards. It was so high, that if it were to collapse, it would be an aggressive sight. On this stone wall, there were some words written on it, but they were barely visible now due to the pass of time, and the rain and wind peeling off the outer wall. Oak and holly grew in some places on both sides of the rocks, their roots growing between the gaps of the rocks, where they could absorb nutrients. These trees were swaying on the cliff, resembling the feathers of the soldiersâ steel helmets, making this rocky cliff look even more dangerous and terrifying.
Halfway up the mountain slope, Wu Hai and Qin Cheng were led by the six men to the depths of the mountain forest, and didnât climb up anymore. They walked in the direction of the sun, where the trees were more tall and dense compared to the other side of the mountain.
Covered by the overgrown weeds, the path was no longer visible. After 30 minutes of walking, a worn out climbing path, made of stone slabs, appeared in front of them.
âHas this mountain path been here ever since ancient times?â
Tang Jie, who was walking beside Qin Cheng, nodded: âIt shouldâve been built when the mausoleum was built.â
Qin Cheng looked upwards, at the direction of this climbing path. This road was hidden behind the trees, making it impossible to see what was beyond there.
âHow do you know about this tomb?â
âItâll be impossible to live here for generations without getting to know about it.â The middle-aged man took out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket, after lighting the cigarette, he smoked two sips: âThis mountain belongs to our Tang family, itâs written in our genealogy. All the things in this mountain are naturally ours.â
âDo you guys know who was buried in the mountain mausoleum? Which Emperor is it?â Qin Cheng said, pretending to be confused: âThis tomb was built by digging a mountain. Since this mountain is a mausoleum, it must be a tomb from the Tang Dynasty, right? Is it the mausoleum of a Prince, or a dignified official?â
âYouâve learned something. But itâs a pity, the people buried in this mausoleum arenât Emperors or Princes of the Tang Dynasty!â When the middle-aged man heard that what Qin Cheng said was wrong, he sneered: âWhat the fuck did you learn from Li Guoxian? What kind of mausoleums were built in the Tang Dynasty? Did you fucking know that the Han Dynasty also had such a burial system?â
Qin Cheng, who had been thinking of making a statement, wasnât annoyed. He simply sighed lightly: âSo what kind of tomb is this? I see that you guys arenât sure either. Havenât you all been inside the tomb?â
âDo you fucking think that you know more than us?â A bald man with a knife cursed at Qin Cheng. âNo one knows more about this tomb than we do! Even though itâs written in our family tree that this tomb belongs to the âXu Dynastyâ, I believe itâs wrong. This should be a tomb from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, more specifically to the Northern Qi Dynasty!â
However, as soon as he said this, the middle-aged man threw the cigarette butt, and slapped that man on his bald head: âYouâre just a kid that talks bullshit all day long. How many times have you been caught by the police because you canât see past your bald head? Would it kill you to speak less?â
âSecond uncle, whatâs the point? Sooner or later, these two will die. So what are you so afraid of? Itâs just that I canât stand them. They think that simply because theyâve read some books, they can look down on others who donât have an academic background! So what if theyâre college students? Even if they studied in a university, they donât even have the basic knowledge!â
Qin Cheng glanced at the bald man who spoke, and didnât speak nor tried to keep asking more questions. He just heard what he wanted to know. These men know about the existence of the Xu Dynasty, and if what that bald man said was true about their family tree writing down about such a dynasty, then that meant that the Tang family can only beâŠ.the gravekeepers of this Imperial Mausoleum.
In ancient times, when the Emperor was on the throne, he would begin to build his own mausoleum. After the mausoleum was built, some people were given money and food so that they would move close to the mausoleum, and live there. On one hand, the mausoleum wouldnât seem lonely, and the residence of the Emperor wouldnât be deserted after his death. On the other hand, these people would become gravekeepers in the future, guarding the mausoleum for generations. Qin Cheng has seen many gravekeepers, and these people live close to the mausoleums for generations, living a self-sufficient farming life until present days.
Some of them might not remember their original identities over the passage of time. In the modern era, there are a very small portion of people who know that their ancestors used to be gravekeepersâŠ
It was quite obvious that the Tang family didnât know much about their ancestorâs time period, so they mistakenly thought that their genealogy was simply written wrongâŠ.
When the bald man, who was slapped by his second uncle, looked back and saw that Qin Cheng didnât take what he said seriously, he thought that Qin Cheng was mocking him.
âDid you fucking hear what I said?!â
The bald man was already very angry, but the more he saw Qin Cheng, the more furious he got. Before they could reach their destination, the bald man raised his machete with the intention of hitting Qin Cheng.
Qin Cheng was in danger. However, since he already knew that these people wanted them dead, Qin Cheng was naturally on guard all the time.
Since Qin Cheng is a tall man, and his reaction wasnât slow, before the machete could hit him, he avoided it. When he saw that not far away there was a messy hole dug by the grave robbers, and that there were tools placed next to it, his heart was delighted. Then, he glanced at the stone ladder mountain road, and his heart felt ruthless. Qin Cheng suddenly snachted the machete from the bald man, raised his foot, and kicked him down. In the past, the construction of this stone ladder wasnât a priority, so in this towering and dangerous hillside, the bald man fell down making a âthumpâ sound, rolling down the hill!
âRun!â Before the other five men could react, Qin Cheng grabbed Wu Haiâs arm and ran towards the hole dug by the grave robbers he saw just now.
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When the five men reacted and chased after them, Qin Chen and Wu Hai had already slid into the tomb along the hole dug by the grave robbers.
âSon of a bitch!â The middle-aged man was so angry that he turned around and stomped his feet before the grave robbing hole. âIf it werenât because of the dangers of that tomb, I would go find those two, and skin them alive!â
âWhy donât you guys go and see what the hell happened to Tang Chenggui! Iâll stay here to guard. I donât believe that those two wonât come out!â
Qin Cheng and Wu Hai didnât know how angry the people outside the tomb were, but they also didnât care.