I carefully examined the stone wall at the end of the tomb raider’s tunnel with my wolf-eye flashlight. Unlike the tunnel on the left, this one had been dug upwards along the stone wall. It seemed that the person trapped in the tunnel had chosen the hardest way out when there was no escape.
The Fishbone Temple tunnel was originally located in a valley, sloping downwards and passing through natural caves in the hills. If someone were to dig a vertical shaft to escape, it would be the longest and most labor-intensive option. Moreover, this mountain had suffered severe erosion, with countless holes that could easily collapse. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would resort to such a desperate measure.
I looked up, but after just a glance, I lost all hope. Less than ten meters above, a large stone blocked the way. These suddenly appearing stone slabs were like a giant stone coffin, sealing everything tightly around us. Being trapped inside felt like having no way out, either to the sky or the ground.
Seeing no way forward, I returned to the fork in the tunnel and explained the situation to Big Gold Tooth and Fatty. Both Fatty and I had faced many dangers before, and although our current situation was strange, we didn’t feel overly anxious.
Big Gold Tooth noticed our calmness and began to relax as well. Humans are strange creatures; panic spreads like a virus in a crowd. However, if most people remain calm, it creates a firewall against the spread of fear.
Excessive panic only clouds judgment. The worst thing is to scare ourselves. From my experience, we just needed to figure out how that strange stone wall appeared. If we could find a clue, we would find a way out and wouldn’t be trapped here.
Big Gold Tooth sighed, “It’s all my fault for being too curious. I insisted on coming in with you two. If I had stayed outside to keep watch, at least there would have been someone to help us. Now we’re all stuck here. What should we do?”
I reassured him, “Don’t worry, Master Jin. We’re not at the end of our rope yet. Besides, even if you had stayed outside, it wouldn’t have helped. That stone slab must weigh a ton. Unless we use explosives, there’s no way to move it.”
Seeing me so composed, Big Gold Tooth asked, “Is it possible that you have a plan to escape, Hu? If so, please share it with us. I must admit, I’m so scared I’m about to wet my pants, and I’m just trying to hold it together.”
I chuckled self-deprecatingly, “There’s no grand escape plan. We’ll just take it one step at a time. If fate really wanted to take us, it would have done so by the Yellow River, not now. I believe we’re not meant to die here; we will find a way out.”
Fatty chimed in, “I’d rather drown in the Yellow River than suffocate like a rat in this tunnel.”
I said to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “Don’t panic. Out of the four tunnels, three are blocked. The last one should lead to the underworld hall of a Tang Dynasty tomb. Also, judging by the surroundings, the tomb raider who dug this tunnel must have been trapped after returning from the underworld hall. We haven’t found his body yet, so he might have escaped elsewhere. We need to check the underworld hall to find out.”
Fatty and Big Gold Tooth agreed with me. The tunnel still had a long way to go before reaching the underworld hall, so we shouldn’t delay. We decided to move forward and see what lay ahead.
Fatty led the way, holding two geese, while Big Gold Tooth and I followed behind, crawling into the tunnel. As I crawled, I cursed under my breath, “Damn it, our bad luck today is all because of this tunnel. I thought it was a safe path made by tomb raiders decades ago, but who knew this tunnel would have so many strange traps? If we make it out of here, I’ll definitely learn my lesson and never be so reckless again.”
Being impulsive is a major flaw in my character. I know it well but can’t seem to change. This trait suits me as a junior officer in the army, but it’s not ideal for a tomb raider. Ancient tombs are full of dangers, and unexpected things can happen. Almost every corner could hold a threat, so “caution” is the most essential quality for a tomb raider.
Suddenly, I thought that if Shirley Yang were here, she definitely wouldn’t let us recklessly dive into the tunnel like this. Unfortunately, she’s a wealthy person and wouldn’t waste her time crawling through tunnels like a rat. I wondered how she was doing in America and if Professor Chen’s mental health had improved.
Just as I was lost in thought, Fatty called out from the front, “Old Hu, we’re about to go through a cave!”
I heard the sound of dripping water and quickly crawled forward. I saw that Fatty had already emerged from the tunnel, so I followed him out. With my wolf-eye flashlight, I scanned the ground and noticed a pile of loose dirt, likely from when previous raiders dug the side tunnels.
At that moment, Big Gold Tooth also crawled out. We looked around and found ourselves in a narrow space within the mountain, not a cave at all. The dripping sound echoed from further away, indicating that we were close to the legendary Longling Mysterious Cave.
The tunnel continued through this narrow space, extending at the same angle as before. Big Gold Tooth pointed in the direction of the dripping sound and said, “Do you hear that? There must be a large cave over there. Why didn’t the person who built the Fishbone Temple try to find a way through the cave instead of digging this tunnel?”
I replied, “The locals call those caves a maze. Inside, it’s easy to lose your sense of direction, making it hard to find a way out. But since we haven’t found that predecessor’s body, it’s possible he entered the maze when he realized he couldn’t escape the tunnel. Whether he could get out from there is another story.”
Fatty chimed in, “Why worry about that? We haven’t even reached the end of this tunnel yet. I think we should go into the underworld hall first. If there’s really no way out, then we can consider going that way.”
I said, “You’re just pretending to be strategic. I’ve never seen you so eager before. You must be thinking about treasures in the underworld hall. But don’t you realize that if we can’t get out, those treasures won’t do us any good?”
Fatty replied, “I’m looking at the bigger picture. Think about it: we don’t know if we can escape, but it’s clear that there are valuable items in the ancient tomb’s underworld hall. Let’s grab those items first, and then figure out how to get out. If we can escape, we’ll be rich; if not, at least we’ll die with something valuable instead of being broke.”
I waved my hand to interrupt Fatty, “Alright, enough of that. I only asked one question, and you’ve gone on and on. Save your energy for figuring out how to escape, okay? Let’s do as you say and head into the underworld hall.”
Fatty pushed the two large white geese into the cave and was about to crawl in himself when I quickly stopped him. I reminded both him and Big Gold Tooth to put on their gas masks and keep an eye on the geese. The previous section of the tunnel connected to an opening in the mountain, and it seemed there might be a cave in the distance, so the air quality shouldn’t be a problem. However, the last section of the tunnel was connected to the underworld hall of the ancient tomb. I suspected there would be an upward path leading out from below the hall. If that was the only exit in the tomb, the air would stagnate long before it could be refreshed, so we needed to be cautious.
We put on our gas masks and soaked towels in the water from our canteens, wrapping them around our necks. Big Gold Tooth handed Fatty a jade pendant of Guanyin, while I gave Big Gold Tooth a paratrooper knife for protection.
After a brief preparation, we crawled into the second section of the tunnel. This part was quite short; after crawling for over fifty meters, it turned upward for another ten meters, and we indeed passed through a section of blue bricks.
The blue bricks from the Tang Dynasty were about three to four palm widths thick and were used as the base for the tomb. They could be pried open with a shovel or iron pick. These bricks were only laid at the bottom of the underworld hall, while the rest of the ground and walls were made of large stones secured with iron bars, sealed tightly with iron paste. Everything was completely airtight, except for this small area in the center of the hall, which was slightly weaker.
Starting from the Yuan Dynasty, the practice of leaving a “weak spot” for airflow changed significantly because such areas were easy to breach. However, the tradition of leaving a “weak spot” continued into the Qing Dynasty, though it was reduced to just a few inches, too small for a person to enter.
Overall, the sturdiness and luxury of Tang tombs are among the highest in Chinese history. Below the tomb path, there were several massive stone doors, deep within the mountains, surrounded by thick stone walls. It was more secure than one could imagine.
Above the weak spots in Tang tombs, there were one or more traps. These mechanisms were hidden within the bricks of the underworld hall. Once the weak spot bricks were broken, the traps would be triggered. According to the layout of Tang tombs, there could be quicksand, pits, stone stakes, and even falling panels that would completely seal the hall. They would rather break the weak spot than let tomb raiders take the valuable items meant for the deceased.
Fortunately, the mechanism had already been triggered by a previous tomb raider, so we avoided a lot of trouble and didn’t have to deal with those traps ourselves.
Fatty placed the two large white geese at the entrance of the tunnel above us, letting them test the air quality in the underworld hall while we waited in the tunnel. I couldn’t stop thinking about the stone walls surrounding the tunnel. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and I had never heard of such a powerful mechanism. Could it be a ghost wall? But the legendary ghost walls were never like this. What strange things were hidden in this ancient tomb? Who was the tomb owner? Had that previous tomb raider escaped?
At that moment, Fatty pulled the two geese back. Seeing nothing unusual, he tugged at me, and the three of us crawled out of the tunnel into the underworld hall. The scale of this ancient tomb’s hall was impressive, covering at least two hundred square meters. With our wolf-eye flashlights illuminating the area, we couldn’t help but ask, “Where are the coffins in the underworld hall?”