I said to Big Gold Tooth, “Master Jin, are you making fun of me? If I knew what the features were, I wouldn’t need to ask you!”
Big Gold Tooth replied, “Oh, you know how I talk. It’s just my habit to use all that fancy talk about antiques, trying to sound deep and impressive to confuse buyers.”
Fatty chimed in, “Exactly! Old Jin, come on, look at the situation. Let’s skip the nonsense. Let’s just talk straight and keep it real.”
Big Gold Tooth nodded and continued from where we left off, “I’m not an archaeologist, so I can’t be sure about everything. But the features of the human face from the Western Zhou period are very clear. I once saw a summary at the Luoyang Museum, and it left a strong impression on me. So I can confidently say that the human-faced stone coffin is from the Western Zhou.”
He explained that the main characteristic of the Western Zhou human face carvings is their smooth and flowing lines, lacking any gender traits. The ears are larger than normal, but you can’t tell if the face belongs to a man, woman, or child. Moreover, only the Western Zhou period in China valued thunder patterns, and if you look at the bottom of the stone coffin in the Underworld Hall, you’ll see layers of thunder pattern decorations, which is the best proof.
In contrast, some artifacts from the Shang Dynasty before the Western Zhou often had facial carvings or patterned designs, but they looked rough and lacked smoothness. The gender traits were also clear, with features like bushy eyebrows and round eyes indicating a man, based on the legend of the Yellow Emperor’s four faces. After the Han Dynasty, human face designs and carvings became even more distinct, with men depicted having beards.
I understood what Big Gold Tooth meant. Since the Shang Dynasty, there had been facial carving techniques, but during the Western Zhou, a strange, genderless face style suddenly appeared, and then later aesthetics and techniques returned to earlier styles. I asked Big Gold Tooth, “Why did this change happen only during the Western Zhou period?”
He admitted he didn’t know and suggested we ask an expert. While he could tell that the face carving on the coffin belonged to the Western Zhou style, he couldn’t explain why this strange stone face was created.
I then asked Big Gold Tooth, “What does the legend of the Yellow Emperor’s four faces refer to?”
This legend is quite well-known, and most people who study history and early antiques know a bit about it. Big Gold Tooth explained, “As the name suggests, it says the Yellow Emperor had four faces, one on each side, looking in different directions. There’s also another version that says he sent out four messengers to inspect the four corners.”
I said, “I see. But that doesn’t seem to relate to the stone coffin in the Underworld Hall. There are five faces on that coffin, and one on the lid is facing upwards. Could that face be related to the owner of the tomb?”
I knew it was a pointless question. The three of us were still lost, unable to figure out where we were. From Big Gold Tooth’s words, we couldn’t confirm if the stone coffin and the strange tomb walls were indeed from the Western Zhou period.
Seeing my skepticism, Big Gold Tooth added, “If we can find some tripods or places with inscriptions nearby, that would help confirm things.”
Fatty asked, “Old Jin, you know about inscriptions too? I’ve never heard you mention it before. I didn’t know you were so knowledgeable. Your hairstyle doesn’t match your wisdom; you really can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Big Gold Tooth, with his slicked-back hair, always used a lot of hair oil, and Fatty often teased him about it. Now, reminded of his unkempt hair, he quickly spat into his palm and slicked his hair back, showing off his gold tooth as he said, “I can’t claim to know much, but if we find an inscription, I could take a look and see if it’s from the Western Zhou.”
After discussing for a long time, we still couldn’t come to any conclusions. The tomb passage on both sides was passable, but we had no idea where it led. Above us was an opening, right above where the giant human-faced coffin was placed in the Underworld Hall.
I said to Big Gold Tooth and Fatty, “We’re in a pretty awkward situation right now, and we can’t even figure out where we are. But if this tomb passage is really what Big Gold Tooth says it is—a Western Zhou structure—I can at least make some guesses about the layout. The ancient tombs from the Shang and Zhou dynasties aren’t as luxurious as those from the Tang Dynasty, but they are quite large, built with big stones to create grand halls, and they have multiple levels, not just a flat layout. When we first entered the tomb, we were blocked by a thick stone wall, which is likely the outer wall of the Western Zhou tomb, set some distance from the main burial chamber. But I still can’t figure out how it just appeared out of nowhere. Damn it, getting out of here is going to be tough.”
Fatty said, “Old Hu, stop overthinking it. This isn’t something we can figure out. I thought the three of us could handle any ancient tomb. You have the skills, Old Jin has the experience, and as for strength, I’m not bragging, but I can at least hold my own against both of you…”
Big Gold Tooth interjected, “We have skills, experience, and strength, but what we lack is brains.”
Fatty replied, “Old Jin, haven’t you heard the saying that three cobblers can outsmart Zhuge Liang? We’re definitely smarter than three cobblers!”
I said to both Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “I think we have the skills, experience, and strength, but what we really need is a goddess of luck. Our luck is terrible right now, and we need to find a way to turn it around. Let’s not waste time here; the more we think about it, the more confused we get. If this is indeed a Western Zhou tomb structure, the lowest level of the passage leads to the burial pit, and there won’t be an exit. I suggest we head back to the upper level of the Underworld Hall and look for the exit of the tomb.”
Fatty said, “Wait a minute! Shouldn’t there be some treasures in the burial pit? Why not grab a couple of things on the way back before looking for the exit? It’s not our style to come back empty-handed; otherwise, it would all be for nothing.”
Big Gold Tooth replied, “Let’s skip it, Fatty. You might have the strength, but I can barely move my legs. We shouldn’t go looking for trouble. As Old Hu said, it’s best to go back and find the exit. Besides, this place is so strange; who knows if there are traps in this passage? We might regret it later.”
Seeing that both I and Big Gold Tooth were determined to climb back up, Fatty reluctantly grabbed two geese to follow us and suddenly said, “Hey, shouldn’t we pry open that stone coffin and see if the corpse inside has that strange face? Maybe there’s a mask or something valuable inside.”
Neither Big Gold Tooth nor I paid him any mind; in this situation, we didn’t have the mood for such thoughts. I supported Big Gold Tooth and pushed him up the passage to the Underworld Hall, and then Fatty and I followed.
The Underworld Hall hadn’t changed. The large stone coffin with the bizarre human face was still quietly resting in the corner. We turned on all three flashlights to search for the entrance to the tomb.
The entire Underworld Hall was empty except for six stone stands meant for placing six jade pieces and the stone coffin in the corner. It was hard to imagine that a stone coffin from the Western Zhou period was sitting in a Tang Dynasty Underworld Hall.
Fatty pointed to where we had just climbed out and said, “Where’s the other exit? The place we just came from is the same old tomb entrance, right?”
I shone my flashlight down and saw that it was indeed the same entrance we had crawled through at first. But how did jumping down lead us to a tomb passage? Before I could think it through, Big Gold Tooth noticed something: “Old Hu, look next to the coffin—there’s a… staircase!”
Fatty and I looked in the direction Big Gold Tooth pointed, and sure enough, a staircase had appeared next to the coffin, leading upwards. The steps were wide, made of large stone slabs stacked together. I walked to the bottom and shone my flashlight up, but the beam seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, and I couldn’t see what was above.
I couldn’t stay calm any longer and said to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “Damn it, this ancient tomb is really something! The tomb entrance turned into a passage, a Western Zhou coffin appeared in a Tang tomb, and now there’s this stone staircase. I think we should just go for it. If the tomb entrance is a dead end, then this staircase next to the coffin should lead to the uppermost level of the tomb, which connects to the tunnel. Maybe we can find a way out.”
Fatty said, “What are we waiting for? I’ll go first, and you two follow.” Before he finished speaking, he stepped onto the staircase. After a couple of steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask me, “Old Hu, what did you say that tunnel was for?”
Big Gold Tooth and I also stepped onto the staircase. As I walked, I explained to Fatty, “The tunnel, in simple terms, is a passage. When they built the tomb, they had to dig out the mountain. All the dirt and stones they removed were taken out through the tunnel. After the burial, they sealed it up and buried the workers and slaves alive inside. If we’re lucky, we might find a secret passage left by the workers, and that could lead us out of this hellhole.”
As we talked and walked, about five minutes later, I noticed something strange. When I first stepped onto the staircase, I had seen a crescent-shaped notch on the edge of the second step, likely chipped off during construction. However, as we climbed up, I noticed the same crescent-shaped notch appearing every twenty to thirty steps. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but after counting carefully, I realized there was one every twenty-three steps.
This was no coincidence; we might be going in circles. I quickly called out to Big Gold Tooth and Fatty to stop climbing. If we kept going up like this, we’d exhaust ourselves without reaching the end.
The three of us turned around to head back down, but the way down seemed endless as well. We moved quickly down the steps without much effort, but after a long time—far longer than it took us to go up—we still couldn’t find our way back to the Underworld Hall.
We were all panting heavily. Big Gold Tooth, who already had health issues, was now breathing hard, sounding like a wheezing bellows.
I realized that if we kept going down, Fatty would have to carry Big Gold Tooth. It wouldn’t be easy to carry someone down these steps, and we had no idea if we could even return to the Underworld Hall. This wasn’t a good situation, so I suggested that Big Gold Tooth and Fatty take a break.
Fatty plopped down on the ground, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to me, “My God, Old Hu, if we keep this up, we’ll starve to death in this hellhole in just a few hours.”
When we came to the Fishbone Temple, we had brought plenty of food—wine and meat—but to make room for the treasures we hoped to find in the tomb, we left most of the food behind and only carried a jug of water each.
Even though we had eaten before crawling into the tomb, after all this time, our stomachs were starting to rumble. As soon as Fatty mentioned being hungry, all three of our stomachs growled in unison.
Our situation was getting worse. We had recklessly climbed the staircase and found ourselves trapped, unable to reach either end. It would be better to think of another way in the Underworld Hall. It really echoed Big Gold Tooth’s earlier comment about Fatty; we’d regret it later.
I sighed and cursed myself for being so reckless. If I hadn’t had this flaw back in the army, I wouldn’t be in this situation now, wishing I could slap myself.
Fatty said to me, “Old Hu, complaining about yourself won’t help. Even if we hadn’t taken this staircase, we’d still be stuck somewhere else. Save your energy and think of another way out.”
I thought for a moment and said, “It seems like this staircase repeats every twenty-three steps, both up and down. No matter which way we go, we can’t reach the end…”
Fatty replied, “Then we’re done for. This is definitely a ghost wall; we’ll never get out and will just end up dying here, waiting for the next group of tomb raiders to come collect our bodies.”
Hearing Fatty’s words, Big Gold Tooth was overcome with sadness and couldn’t help but shed a few tears. “Poor me, my eighty-year-old mother and my eighteen-year-old sweetheart… I’ll never see them again in this life. If there’s a next life, I swear I won’t do this job again…”
Fatty, annoyed by his lamenting, said to Big Gold Tooth, “What’s the point of crying now? Why didn’t you think of this earlier? If we’re going to die, we should at least do it like men. Stop whining, or I’ll just pry that gold tooth out of your mouth myself!”
Big Gold Tooth treasured his gold tooth almost as much as his hairstyle. When Fatty mentioned prying it out, he quickly covered his mouth and said, “Fatty, let me make this clear: we’re all on the brink of death here, so you better leave me with my whole body. Don’t wait until I’m too weak to fight back and take my gold tooth when I’m vulnerable.”
I said to both of them, “Stop talking nonsense. We can’t just starve to death in this hellhole; that would be too pathetic. If we’re going to die, we should at least find a quick way out.”
Fatty replied, “That’s easy to say, but finding a quick way to die in this place isn’t simple.” He pulled out his paratrooper knife and said, “I see two options: one is to roll down the stairs and break our necks. After all, this staircase seems endless. The other option is to cut our wrists. If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can do it for both of you. A little blood loss, and we’ll be close to death; that’s the quickest way.”
Big Gold Tooth said to Fatty, “When did you become so honest, Fatty? Didn’t you catch the meaning behind Old Hu’s words? If I’m not mistaken, he’s implying that we’re not at our last resort yet, and we’re not going to die.” He turned to me and asked, “Old Hu, is that what you meant?”
I replied to Big Gold Tooth, “What I said earlier was just out of frustration, but I think I might have found a clue. You two be quiet; let me think.”
Seeing that I was finally coming up with some ideas, Fatty and Big Gold Tooth immediately fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
I was just trying to reassure them that I was close to finding a solution, but I needed them to stop arguing. With the silence, I replayed everything from when we entered the Fishbone Temple to being trapped on these steps in my mind, trying not to miss any details.
I don’t know how long I thought, but then I asked Big Gold Tooth, “In this ancient tomb, it feels like we’ve hit a ghost wall. No matter which way we go, strange things keep popping up. Have you heard of ghost walls, Master Jin?”
Big Gold Tooth replied, “I’ve heard of them but never seen one. There was a time when people were scared to walk down Di’anmen Street after midnight because they’d just end up wandering around until dawn without getting anywhere. I’ve heard some stories from other places, but what we’re experiencing shouldn’t be a ghost wall, right? Ghost walls are just circles; this feels different. Plus, we’re wearing so many protective charms; how could we encounter a ghost wall?”
Fatty added, “Old Hu, don’t you remember? You said that places with good Feng Shui gather energy and won’t have lingering spirits or zombies. Why are you bringing up ghost walls now?”
I shook my head and said, “I’m not saying we’ve encountered a ghost wall; I just want to confirm that our current situation isn’t one. If it’s not a ghost wall, then my analysis might be correct.”
Fatty asked, “So, what do you think it is? Let us help you analyze it.”
I thought for a moment and said to Fatty and Big Gold Tooth, “I think I might know what we’re dealing with, but… when I say it, you two better not be scared.”