Behind the gate was a narrow, steep ramp leading downwards. Shirley Yang tossed a cold firework down, and it rolled for a long time before finally stopping. By the time it came to rest, its light had dimmed to the point where it was barely visible.
I took a deep breath. If this really was a tomb passage, it was far too long. There were no bodies nearby, and if there were traps hidden along this ramp, those who had come before us would surely have left some signs.
Even so, we couldn’t afford to be careless. One wrong step could lead to disaster. As I walked, I carefully observed my surroundings. Something felt off, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
Shirley Yang said to me, “Did you notice that there are no signs of rats here?”
I nodded and replied, “Exactly. I felt something was wrong earlier, but it didn’t hit me until you mentioned it. This gate is half open, and there’s a stone bridge connecting it. With so many rats in the tomb, how come there isn’t a single one here? Not even rat droppings or fur on the ground. Could it be that the rats instinctively sense this place is dangerous?”
Shirley Yang didn’t respond. She took a few more steps down and suddenly turned to me, asking, “Can you be honest? Have you ever done any tomb raiding?”
I was taken aback by her question and momentarily speechless. I didn’t know how to answer. The people I was with were all involved in archaeology. While archaeology and tomb raiding might seem similar in some ways, they were fundamentally different—like fire and water. My past was a closely guarded secret; how did she find out?
Seeing that I was silent, Shirley Yang continued, “I was just guessing. It suddenly came to mind, and I thought I’d ask. You seem to know a lot about these long-lost Feng Shui secrets and ancient tombs, almost as if you know them better than your own backyard. It does make you seem a bit like someone in the tomb raiding business.”
I cursed inwardly, thinking, “This annoying woman, just making wild guesses. She almost gave me a heart attack.”
On the surface, I tried to remain calm and said to Shirley Yang, “This is a family skill. My grandfather was a well-known Feng Shui master before the liberation, specializing in guiding people on burial sites. My father spent his life as a soldier and never learned this, and I only have a bit of a hobby.” As I spoke, I changed the subject to avoid further discussion about Feng Shui and tomb raiding.
After a long walk, we finally reached the end of the ramp, but there was no way forward. The space around us was vast, yet there was no path beneath our feet. At the bottom of the ramp was a platform, where hundreds of giant stone statues with large eyes stood. The edges of the platform were steep cliffs, and looking up, we couldn’t see the top—just darkness.
In front of us was an enormous underground cavern, its size impossible to determine. Even a powerful flashlight couldn’t reach the end. Had we reached a dead end? However, upon closer inspection, the platform’s surroundings didn’t resemble the underground cave depicted in the murals of the heavenly brick passage.
Shirley Yang said, “The queen’s coffin might still be below. After she was buried, the Jingjue people likely destroyed the passage connecting here, so no one could disturb the queen’s rest.”
I chuckled, “Well then, let’s just head back…” Before I could finish, Shirley Yang pulled out three cold fireworks and tossed them off the platform, wanting to see how deep it was.
We both leaned over the edge to look down. The fireworks landed not far below, revealing that the drop from the platform was only about thirty meters.
With the light from the fireworks, we saw a large flat area below, piled high with various gold and silver vessels, pearls, gemstones, and ancient jade. I exclaimed, “Damn, so all these treasures are here! The coffin of the Jingjue queen must be down there too. But there’s no way down.”
At that moment, Shirley Yang found a rope ladder at one end of the platform. It was hanging from a large rock that jutted out, with both ends secured by old safety locks.
Shirley Yang said, “This might have been left by previous explorers. The ladder looks sturdy, but it’s been here for a long time. Let’s go back to the stone bridge and get our own ladder.”
I replied, “That would be simple, but have you thought about why those explorers didn’t take any of the treasures? Those foreigners aren’t exactly good people. They might call themselves explorers, but let’s be honest—they’re here to steal from us. Thieves never leave empty-handed.”
Shirley Yang understood my point. “So you’re saying they wouldn’t leave the treasure behind without a fight. The reason these riches are still here is that there must be traps or fierce beasts down below.”`
I said, “Exactly. That’s the point. Good things don’t just fall from the sky. The simpler something seems, the more complicated it often is. Do you remember what An Liman said about an ancient curse in the Black Desert? Anyone who takes treasures from the Black Desert will be buried there forever along with those treasures.”
Shirley Yang replied, “That legend is also recorded in the ‘Records of the Western Regions.’ The city buried in the Black Desert is called Jieluojialai. I don’t think the curse is a problem. Professor Chen and his team are archaeologists; they won’t just mess with these things. What I’m more worried about is your fat partner. You need to keep an eye on him.”
I retorted angrily, “What do you mean by that? Are you saying we look like thieves? Let me tell you, we may be poor, but we have principles. I can guarantee that as long as I say not to touch anything here, my buddy won’t take a thing. You should worry about yourself. Remember back in the Boxer Rebellion when the Eight-Nation Alliance came to China, killing and stealing? How many treasures did they take from us? Among those eight nations was your America, right? What right do you have to think we look like thieves?”
Shirley Yang’s face turned pale with anger. “So now I look like a thief to you?”
Realizing that she had saved me before, I felt my words had gone too far. I swallowed my pride and apologized. We then made our way back along the same path, this time in silence, the atmosphere heavy and tense.
Professor Chen and his team had been waiting impatiently. When we finally returned, they eagerly asked for details. I boiled some water from the underground river and, while drinking, described what we had found below, with Shirley Yang adding her observations.
When Professor Chen and his students heard about the treasures below, Fatty was overjoyed at the mention of the burial goods. Without waiting, he immediately headed toward the ancient tomb’s gate.
I was the last to enter. As I stepped inside, I touched the heavy gate. If it were to fall, no one would get out. But with so much dynamite around, I felt a bit more at ease. I lowered my head and walked into the tomb passage.
Everyone was busy preparing the rope ladder on the platform. I figured it was pointless to advise them at this point, so I just warned Fatty not to take anything from below. I didn’t believe in any curse, but I couldn’t let Shirley Yang have any leverage against us.
Fatty said, “Old Hu, don’t worry. We’re men, after all. We can’t let ourselves down. This time, no matter what, I won’t take even a single hair from a rat. I’ll wait until we come back.”
Once the rope ladder was set up, I went down first as the scout. I initially thought the absence of rats might mean there were black snakes or something similar down there, which scared the rats away. But as I descended, I found the place eerily silent. There were no rats, snakes, or even tiny bugs.
The nearby rock walls were adorned with numerous bronze lampstands shaped like kneeling figures, holding up oil lamps. The lamp oil had long since burned out, and there were so many of these bronze lamps that I couldn’t count them. Just one of these lamps, with its craftsmanship, age, and origin, would be worth a fortune on the market.
Standing atop the pile of treasures, I felt my heart racing. It took a lot of self-control not to get distracted by the riches around me. The only way to manage was to avoid looking at the treasures and focus on something else. I blew my whistle, and those waiting above began to climb down the rope ladder one by one.
Each person who came down was stunned by the mountain of treasures. These rare and exotic items had been collected by the Jingjue people from various countries in the West. Even Professor Chen couldn’t name them all, but one thing was certain: each item was incredibly valuable.
Fatty’s eyes widened in amazement, and he quickly forgot his earlier promise to me. He reached out to grab a nearby jade wine pot.
I quickly grabbed Fatty and whispered, “What the hell are you doing? Didn’t we agree not to touch anything here?”
Fatty paused for a moment before realizing, “It’s so strange. My hand just wouldn’t listen to me. I was telling myself not to move, but I couldn’t control it.”
I said, “Stop making excuses. You clearly had the urge to grab something. Don’t just stand there; hurry up and move forward.” I turned to look at Shirley Yang, who was busy helping Professor Chen down from the rope ladder with Chu Jian, completely unaware of Fatty’s actions.
I asked Chu Jian, “Why are you down here? Didn’t I tell you to stay on the platform and watch over Ye Yixin?”
Chu Jian replied, “Big brother, I just wanted to take a look at the ancient tomb down here. I’ll just peek and then go back.”
Not just him, everyone present was eager to see the coffin of the Jingjue queen. The legends surrounding it were so captivating that, despite the potential dangers, curiosity was hard to resist, especially for those involved in archaeology.
Professor Chen had just climbed down the rope ladder, panting heavily. He said to me, “Let them take a look. This is a rare learning opportunity. It’s good to broaden their horizons. No matter how powerful that queen was, she’s been dead for two thousand years. Her kingdom was overthrown by slaves after her death, so there shouldn’t be any danger. We just need to remember the principles of archaeology and not damage anything here.”
I thought about it and agreed. After all, the queen was dead. Even if she had some magical powers, they couldn’t be used now. Those who had encountered danger in this tomb before were likely blinded by greed for the treasures, which is why they could never escape. It seemed that these burial goods were the biggest trap; the only way to resist temptation was to avoid looking at them.
The Jingjue queen had so many legends surrounding her, wielding power in the Western Regions, yet in the end, she still met her demise. This showed that the world is like a chess game, constantly changing, with fortunes determined by fate. No matter how capable she was, she couldn’t escape the laws of nature.
At that moment, Ye Yixin, with Sa Dipeng’s help, descended the rope ladder. Everyone began to move forward, feeling their way in the pitch-black cavern. Could it be that we had reached the heart of Mount Zagalama?
The space in this large cave was so vast that we couldn’t make out the surrounding terrain. In this situation, the powerful lighting equipment we had been saving would finally come in handy.
I assembled a portable searchlight that weighed eight kilograms, equipped with a high-pressure xenon bulb and a pure platinum-nickel reflector, capable of illuminating up to 2.5 kilometers in a vacuum. This device consumed a lot of power, so we had been reluctant to use it until now.
I put the searchlight together while Fatty connected the battery pack to the back of the lamp. Sa Dipeng, who was severely nearsighted, curiously leaned in to look at the lamp’s opening, but Shirley Yang pulled him back, saying, “Be careful! The light is too strong; it can cause temporary blindness within a hundred meters. Don’t look directly at it.”
I quickly finished assembling the powerful searchlight, instructed everyone to stand behind it, and flipped the switch. A solid beam of light shot out, illuminating the surroundings clearly.
This was indeed the bottom of Mount Zagalama. Above and around us were dark rock formations, and the area piled high with burial jewels was a sheer cliff. Besides the burial items, there were countless tall stone statues with large eyes, and below the cliff was a large circular hole.
Just as depicted in the murals of the temple passage, the hole had a diameter of about a kilometer, far too large to have been excavated by human hands. Surrounding this unfathomable pit was a spiral staircase built by people, leading downwards.
Shining the powerful searchlight down, I saw that the staircase wound around the cave wall several times before abruptly ending. It seemed that human efforts had reached their limit; the deepest it could go was just there. Looking further down with the searchlight revealed an abyss that seemed endless. A chilling wind whistled up from the depths, creating a sense of immense and dark pressure that made it hard to look down any further. If I kept staring, I might lose my mind and jump in without realizing it.
Shirley Yang said, “This must be the sacred site of the Jingjue Kingdom. The name ‘Ghost Cave People’ might have come from here. Ghost cave… where does it lead below?”
Seeing such a vast cavern sent a shiver down my spine. “The ghost cave might lead to hell. Damn, it really makes me dizzy just looking at it.”
Professor Chen chimed in, “Hey, Hu, you’ve been a soldier; how can you still believe in ghosts and gods? I think this big hole is a natural formation, a true marvel of nature. The ancient people two thousand years ago must have seen it as a miracle.”
Fatty shone the searchlight to a spot and shouted for us to look. The beam of light stopped in the middle of the cave entrance, revealing a stone beam suspended in mid-air. This beam was long and narrow, jutting out from the cliff and extending just above the cave.
The most critical part was the end of the stone beam, where a massive log was placed. The log was over two meters in diameter, resembling a section of a large tree that had been cut straight off without any processing. Branches were still attached to the trunk, and it even had several green leaves growing on it.
The log was secured with several large iron chains that connected it to the stone beam, anchoring it in place. Even more astonishing was that a giant green flower was growing on the log. The flower was the size of a large bucket, with a narrow opening and a thick base, its petals tightly rolled together and entirely green. Surrounding it were large blood-red leaves, and its roots wrapped around the log, intertwining with the iron chains.
I was taken aback. “This log… it’s the Kunlun Divine Tree! My grandfather once told me that the best material for coffins is the heartwood of dark wood, and there’s a rare type of wood mentioned in ancient texts—the Kunlun Divine Wood. Legend has it that even a piece of this wood, when removed from soil, water, and sunlight, will not wither. Though it may stop growing, it retains its original appearance. If a body is placed inside Kunlun Divine Wood, it can remain uncorrupted for thousands of years. Could the body of the Jingjue queen be inside this Kunlun Divine Wood?”
Shirley Yang’s voice trembled slightly. “It must be. This is a coffin made from the Kunlun Divine Tree. Ancient texts say this tree is as old as Mount Kunlun itself. Even Qin Shi Huang sought the Kunlun Divine Tree for his coffin. It seems the Jingjue queen was truly remarkable; there may never have been a coffin more valuable in history.”
Everyone was unable to contain their excitement and wanted to move closer for a better look. Professor Chen tried to stop them, as he seemed to have something important to say, but in his haste, he stepped on a loose stone and twisted his ankle.
We had no choice but to go back and help the professor up. He had twisted it badly and could no longer walk, so he sat on the ground and said, “You must not carelessly go over and disturb those things. Didn’t you see that strange flower on the coffin?”
Fatty chimed in, “Professor Chen, you think that’s a flower? It looks so bizarre; I thought it was a giant taro. How could a plant grow on a coffin? Did they bury the queen as a seed in the divine wood, and she sprouted and bloomed?”
Professor Chen rubbed his injured ankle and replied, “Do you know what that flower is scientifically called? It’s called the Corpse Flower, or ‘Shixiang Moyu.’ It’s an extremely rare plant, and there may be only this one left in the world. Moreover, this plant is very dangerous.”
“Corpse Flower?!” We were taken aback by this revelation. Even Shirley Yang had never heard of such a peculiar flower before, so we asked Professor Chen to explain further.
He continued, “When I studied the ancient civilizations of the Western Regions, I came across some remnants of ancient murals and historical records that mentioned the Corpse Flower. It originally grew in the land of the Later Yuezhi and once made its way to the Central Plains via the Silk Road, but it became extinct due to unsuitable soil and water conditions. The Corpse Flower can grow in ancient tombs and is said to preserve corpses from decay while emitting a pleasant fragrance. It is extremely valuable. The ancient Western Regions civilization is shrouded in mystery, with complex religions and myths intertwined with historical facts, making it difficult to distinguish between them. I initially thought this was just an ancient legend and not to be taken seriously.”
Shirley Yang looked at the strange flower on the stone beam and asked the professor, “If it’s such a miraculous flower, why do you say it’s dangerous?”
Professor Chen replied, “What I just mentioned is only part of its characteristics. It is said that the Corpse Flower is associated with evil spirits. Once it fully matures, living people should not approach it. It’s rare to have a coffin made from the Kunlun Divine Wood, and only the ancient magical flower, the Corpse Flower, could grow here.”
I had experienced many strange things in my life, but I had never encountered such a mysterious and eerie coffin or the evil spirit flower. I said to Professor Chen, “This is truly remarkable. In the heart of Mount Zagalama, where there is no sunlight for photosynthesis, plants can still grow. These mysterious elements align perfectly with the queen’s identity; they are all anomalies that defy the laws of nature.”
