1600 years is too long. Not only had times changed several times, but Dynasties passed one after the other. It wasnât like the snap of a finger, this was history.
The mountains have changed their appearance, and the solid formation inside this tomb has weakened with the passage of time.
Otherwise, how would the ghostly qi that has been suppressed inside this tomb for thousands of years, rise up to the sky?
During this long, long period of time, Su Jingmo understood well the changes happening inside his tomb. From time to time, when he woke up, he would find that the formation inside this tomb was weaker than the last time he was awake. Su Jingmo has never been a fool, so he could understand perfectly well what this meant.
He has been away from the outside world for more than a thousand years, and he hadnât entered the cycle of reincarnation, not even once. After all this time, his soul was practically integrated with the tomb. Like a big tree growing its roots, his soul has been confined within this space. Besides, there hasnât been a trace of his real body for thousands of years.
Even though Qin Cheng wanted him to leave this tomb, wanted him to reincarnate, wanted him to no longer be restricted by this horrifying formation, Su Jingmo was perfectly awareâŚ.that he and the tomb were almost one.
If, one day, he were to leave the tomb, the tomb would certainly collapse. Not only that, but he was certain that once he left the tomb, he wouldnât be able to reincarnateâŚ.
In the past, he could only guess that this might be the case. But now, he was sure of itâŚ.
At the same time, Su Jingmo also discovered an unprecedented emotion creeping through his heart. Because Qin Cheng couldnât see him, he had accidentally passed through Su Jingmoâs soul form. This made him feel a sudden pain exploding inside his heart, while his mind buzzed in confusion. It was so unbearably painful that he could barely stand straight.
Although he knew that something like this would happen sooner or later, he didnât expect that it would arrive right when Su Jingmo had decided to accept Qin Chengâs feelings for him, right when he was just enjoying their shared love.
Su Jingmo found himself unable to bear it.
Because he was scared.
At that moment, Su Jingmo could clearly see his own fear.
If, from now on, Qin Cheng could no longer see himâŚ. Su Jingmo couldnât even begin to imagine what he would do.
Su Jingmo has never been a gentle person, and he would never let what belongs to him slip away from his hands. If he had met Qin Cheng sooner, he would have accepted this fate more casually, but now he canât accept it. Qin Cheng treats him with so much love that he doesnât want to give him to anyone. Qin Cheng belongs to him, and he must belong to him for the rest of his life. Even if it means killing Qin Cheng!
However, when Qin Cheng hugged him tightly, and when he heard every word Qin Cheng had to say, Su Jingmo knew he couldnât do itâŚ.
Qin Cheng didnât know everything that had happened just moments ago, and since it wasnât easy for him to get the man he loved to give him a hug of his own accord, he was naturally very happy. He was determined to hug Su Jingmo as close to him as he could, without the slightest intention of letting him go.
âJingmo, you havenât even said where you went just now. In the blink of an eye, you just disappeared from my sight.â
âI didnât go anywhereâŚ.â Su Jingmo, who was still leaning on Qin Chengâs shoulder, chuckled: âQin Cheng, if I were to suddenly disappear one day, what would you do?â
âDonât say that!â As soon as he heard this, Qin Cheng frowned. The thing Su Jingmo was asking about just so happened to be the thing Qin Cheng feared the most. Qin Cheng knew too little about ghosts, and many other things were extremely complicated for him. Just like the time when Su Jingmo lacked yang qi and wasnât conscious, even though Qin Cheng wanted to help, there was nothing he could do about it.
Su Jingmo has long been a dead man, so who knows whether his soul will suddenly disappear one day? Qin Cheng was able to see and touch Su Jingmo simply because he relied on that jade pendant. If, one day, he were to accidentally lose the jade pendant, what should he do? He wonât be able to see Su Jingmo again, let alone touch himâŚ.
It wasnât that Qin Cheng didnât think about it, in fact, he thought about this way too much. But this wasnât something he could solve. Unlike Tang Jiaming and Qu Zhiwen, Qin Cheng was just an ordinary manâŚ.
âIf onlyâŚ. If only I were a Taoist priest who could see ghosts any timeâŚ.â
When Qin Cheng said this, Su Jingmo, who couldnât understand what he was trying to say, laughed: âYou are you, Qin Cheng, youâre already a successful historian. Why would you need to be a Taoist priest?â
ââŚ.I know that. I just donât like the fact that I canât do anythingâŚ. Iâve thought countless times that if I were unable to find you one dayâŚ. I thought that since Qu Zhiwen wants the Taowu bones so much, I should use the one I got from the tomb in Pingyao and give it to him in exchange for his help. Then, when the reason behind the disappearance of the Xu Dynastyâs history gets resolved, I will come to you, and because you are in this tomb, Iâll come here to accompany you till the end of the world. If you go to the Underworld, I will also go there. I only hope that if you get there first, you will wait for meâŚ. ifâŚ.â
At that moment, Qin Cheng paused, only to say next: âIf you disappear from existence, I will also disappear with youâŚ. I donât want you to say to me âhow can you know you will not love someone else in your next life?â Because if I donât have a next life, then I wonât love anyone else.â
Since the man in his arms didnât speak, Qin Cheng didnât know what else to say. He simply hugged Su Jingmo closer and tighter.
Reluctant to let him go, Qin Cheng intoxicated himself in Su Jingmoâs smell as he occasionally kissed his temples. Even when Su Jingmo tried to push him away, Qin Cheng was reluctant to let him go.
âDid you just say that you took a Taowu bone from the tomb in Pingyao?â
âHmm, yes.â As Qin Cheng replied, he took a small box from his pocket, and handed it to Su Jingmo: âThere it is. At that time, I didnât know the formation inside that tomb would put a curse on me. Because of that, Ning Qing gave the three of us a piece of a Taowu bone, to save our lives.â
Su Jingmo nodded, took the box from Qin Chengâs hand, and opened it. Inside the box, there was indeed a bean-sized Taowu bone.
In fact, even if Ning Qing hadnât given Qin Cheng a piece of the Taowu bone, Qin Cheng would still have been alright. After all, Su Jingmo had integrated a Taowu bone into the jade pendant before Qin Cheng went to Pingyao. Thatâs why Su Jingmo thought nothing bad would happen to Qin Cheng, as long as he had the jade pendant with him.
However, Su Jingmo didnât tell Qin Cheng that the jade pendant itself was able to cover up the qi of the Taowu bone. Su Jingmo wasnât afraid of Qin Cheng becoming the target of others if he wore the jade pendant, but this piece of Taowu bone was different.
âCarrying it around will attract a lot of people with bad intentions. Give me the jade pendant.â
âThe jade pendant?â Qin Cheng was stunned for a moment: âIf I give it to you, I wonât be able to see you.â
âJust put it on your palm.â Su Jingmoâs eyebrows curved as if he was smiling: âIâll integrate this piece of Taowu bone into the jade pendant, so no one will be able to detect it. I forgot to tell you about the jade pendant before I drove you out of the tomb not long ago.â
âYou can incorporate it into the jade pendant?â This took Qin Cheng by surprise. âHow will you do that?â
âThe Taowu bone is a divine object. It looks tangible, but in fact, it can be transformed into a formless object. As long as you activate it, you can integrate the Taowu bones into anything.â
Qin Cheng heard this from Qu Zhiwen. But he said that in order to use the Taowu bone, you needed a divine artifact as a helper to activate the Taowu bone. But, was Su Jingmo able to do it himself?!
âYou can activate the Taowu bones?!â
Su Jingmo shook his head: âI canât. The ghostly qi on me, and the Taowu boneâs qi, are mutually exclusive. Only those with the same source can dissolve it. I can only use my ghostly qi to break the Taowu bone and inlay it on the jade pendant. This jade pendant can cover up the Taowu boneâs qi, so it can also reduce your troubles.â
Last time, Su Jingmo took advantage of the moment Qin Cheng had spent organizing the pottery in the tomb room adjacent to his coffin chamber. At that moment, he took the jade pendant from Qin Chengâs body, inlaid the Taowu bone into the jade pendant, and then put it back on him. Because Qin Cheng was too immersed in tidying up the pottery, he didnât realize the jade pendant had been taken away from him.
With this in mind, Su Jingmo took out the Taowu bone, which was somehow hanging in the air and close to his palm.
After Qin Cheng took out the jade pendant, he saw Su Jingmoâs fingertips moving slightly. Right the next moment, the Taowu bone turned into powder, and it fell evenly on the jade pendant. There was a silver-white flash of light, the Taowu bone disappeared completely, and the jade pendant remained as it was before.
Qin Cheng was stunned beyond words.
When Su Jingmo looked at Qin Cheng, who had his mouth open in astonishment, Su Jingmo couldnât stop himself from laughing out loud.
âWhat is this? Are you surprised?â
âYesâŚ.â
âYou wouldnât be so surprised if you saw me burying an entire army with only my hands.â
âAre you referring to the Ming Dynastyâs army? The one from 500 years ago?â
Su Jingmo nodded, then shook his head again: âMaybe, I donât know when it happened. But now that you mention it, it should have been around that time. Nearly a thousand people died in this tomb.â
â Iâm afraid the army must have come for the Taowu bones. Itâs impossible to say whether someone else knew about it at the time, just like the person who wrote that poem⌠Now that I think about it, when my colleagues died in the tomb, the person who posted anonymously on the internet said a lot of things that were right! â
After thinking about this, Qin Cheng suddenly felt as if his scalp had turned numb: âJingmo, do you still rememberââŚ.?â
âYes, but letâs not talk about it today. If you have any questions, you can come to ask them tomorrow. Your complexion isnât looking good.â Without letting Qin Cheng finish his words, Su Jingmo interrupted him. Then he said teasingly: âIf you donât leave now, you canât step into the tomb tomorrow.â
Qin Cheng looked at Su Jingmo, and sighed helplessly: âAlright. Iâm currently living at the foot of the mountain, and because the archeological team hasnât started working yet, I can come early tomorrow.â
âAlright.â
Even though Qin Chen was reluctant to go, there was no way he didnât feel how tired his body actually was. If he doesnât get a good meal and rest for the rest of the night, he wonât be able to go on.
âThen, Iâm leaving.â As soon as he said this, Su Jingmoâs figure disappeared in front of his eyes. Thinking that Su Jingmo might have returned to the tomb, Qin Cheng only sighed and walked down the mountain.
When Qin Cheng finally walked away, Su Jingmo came out of the stone wall. At that moment, he heard a rustling sound coming from outside the tunnel. With a sneer, Su Jingmo said: âSince youâre already here, like the peeking rat you are, why donât you just show yourself?â
The thing I love about this novel is that it has so many foreshadowings that when you catch them later on, youâre like âAh! This reference was said so early!â hahaha
I swear, I read this novel just once before I decided to translate it, and now that I have to take my time with each chapter, Iâm catching every little detail I didnât catch before! Like so many things that havenât happened yet are already foreshadowed in previous chapters! Lol I love this~~