Chapter 9: The Ice Palace (3)

  Qin Zhong and Ying Zi had already let go of each other's hands, but when they saw that Guo Da Fu's hand had reached into the ice sculpture, it seemed as if a huge suction force was generated inside the sculpture, as if it was going to swallow Guo Da Fu's entire body.

  Qin Zhong looked at the carving again, and it seemed as if water was already flowing in the carving. However, due to the refraction of light caused by the flowing water, the lower half of the double-headed giant python's body appeared to be moving. Guo Dafu's hand should have been grasping the tail of the python.

  Qin Zhong saw that something was wrong and immediately shouted: "Guo Dafu, move your body back, stand still!" As he said this, he wrapped one arm around Guo Dafu's wrist, planted one foot on the edge of a stone on the ground, and with a fierce kick, his entire body flew backward, pulling Guo Dafu along with him.

  After Guo Dafu's hand was pulled out of the ice body, the water flow from the ice body seemed to stop and returned to its original appearance. However, when looking at Guo Dafu's hand again, it seemed to be covered with a thick layer of something. When Qin Zhong leaned in to take a closer look, he sniffed and was hit with a strong fishy smell, which was the smell of a snake's body.

  This matter is indeed inexplicable, Qin Zhong was instantly immersed in confusion and surprise. He was confused about what other things might be ahead, surprised that he might discover a world wonder, fulfill the unfinished wish of his grandfather, uncover the ancient legend of the Jurchen people, and most importantly, find proof that Shaman helped the Anti-Japanese League defeat two companies of devils back then.

  Qin Zhong handed a piece of cloth to Guo Dafu, who endured the pungent smell and wiped his hands clean with it. However, he still seemed to smell something, so he rubbed his hands in the sandy soil on the ground again and then wiped them once more. This time, the smell appeared to be gone, and he discarded the cloth that was full of the smell to one side.

  "What's going on here? Could it be that these two statues are actually this amazing?"

  Just as Guo Dafu was grumbling, Yingzi had already knelt down in front of the two statues with her palms together, seemingly praying for something. Qin Zhong also stood up to show respect and bowed deeply to the two statues, as if he too were praying, saying softly: "We have no way out, I hope that when I push open the door, what I see is light, is hope."

  Yingzi also finished her silent prayer, and Guo Dafu finally put away his things. He hastily walked up to Qin Zhong and asked, "Boss, can we leave now?"

  "Ah, see that door? Come on, let's push it open!" Qin Zhong said, and together with Guo Dafu, they approached the large ice crystal door. It was unknown how the mastermind who designed this place had managed to craft the ice into such a beautiful and long-lasting thing, and even more incredibly, into a door that could be pushed open, which made it even harder to imagine and left one feeling incredulous.

  The ice door was pushed open by Qin Zhong, and the sound of "ka-chunk" echoed loudly. The sound was extremely clear, and the heavy dragging sound seemed even clearer than other heavy objects being dragged.

  Yingzi got up, her eyes filled with purity and piety, gazed at the two statues for a moment, then followed Qinzhong into the inner chamber.

  As the three people entered the door, it suddenly closed quickly. Qin Zhong wanted to turn his head to see what was going on, but he suddenly felt that the two stone statues at the door were very spiritual. After entering the door, he saw a long ice path that seemed endless; this was hope. The entire interior of the gate was no different from a normal palace, except that all the utensils in the palace were made of ice, and this was where the light was.

  All the pillars, walls and offering tables inside were made of ice sculptures. When Qin Zhong saw the offering table, he suddenly felt that this was not a palace, but rather a tomb. If it was indeed a tomb, then everything here could be explained. All the burial objects here were made of ice sculptures, but what attracted people's attention was not these exquisite ice sculptures, but the water flowing incessantly inside the ice body.

  After seeing this scene, Qin Zhong and others were even more astonished.

  Guo Dafu looked like a newcomer who had just entered a fresh place, looking around and staring everywhere, his whole person was stunned: "My god, what is this place after all, how can it be like this, it's too shocking."

  Qin Zhong, however, saw the entrance on the entire ice wall. The trajectory of the water flowing through the ice body formed a picture, and if it weren't for color blindness or the glare being too harsh, one would easily see the murals on the ice wall.

  Yingzi stared at the ice wall, seemingly stunned. The mural on the wall depicted the experience of the two men who had taken down the two ferocious beasts at the entrance. On another part of the mural, two other shamans were painted, appearing to be performing some sort of ritual, handing over flags to the two men at the entrance. It seemed that these two shamans should be the masters of the two men at the entrance.

  On the other side of the gate, however, the ice wall depicts a group of people. In the center are two people, both shamans, each holding a drum in one hand and either a whip or a drumstick in the other. Behind them is a banner, and they appear to be telling something to those around them. Standing upright against a large tree is a black bear wearing a crown on its head. In its left hand is the two-headed python of sin, and in its right hand is the one-horned eagle of destruction.

  Qin Zhong didn't know what the behaviors of the shamans in these paintings meant, whether they were legends or true stories. However, he could deeply understand the intention of the builder of this ice palace, because it was located at the northernmost tip of Northeast China, a place that was extremely cold. Building an underground ice palace here seemed to be intended to preserve the legacy of the shamans and leave it for people with a special connection to discover.

  Such an idea seems ridiculous, but Qin Zhong can only think so, and he has not thought of any other reasons for the time being. There is also no relevant event that can prove the reason why the shaman left this relic.

  But thinking that this is a relic of the Shaman, there should be a coffin here. He asked Yingzi: "Tell me how Shamans are buried after they die?"

  "Uh, it should be wind burial, we will worship them in the same way as our ancestors."

  Qin Zhong nodded: "Normally, the burial method of your female chastity's noble family, Wanyan, is similar to that of the Song Dynasty at that time. So, does this mean that Shamans are superior to nobles?"

  "Of course, they are divine men, sent by nature and the ancestors; they are prophets."

  It is unknown to what extent Yingzi and his tribesmen trusted the shaman, but when Qin Zhong saw the end of the mural, he excitedly discovered something that thrilled him.

  Just as the crowd of people behind the big tree stretched back, they saw a palace, which seemed to be where they were themselves. The palace was surrounded by golden and silver lights that shone brightly, dazzling the eyes. Inside the palace, roads intersected each other all the way to the end, where two ice sculptures of shamans stood.

  "Isn't this the map of this place?" Qin Zhong said excitedly, he had memorized the entire map in his mind, and thought to himself that if what was drawn on it was true, then it was very likely that at the end of the palace, he would see that so-called big tree, and perhaps even more exquisite ice carvings, this was simply a heavenly masterpiece crafted by a divine artisan.

  Suddenly, he felt that the entire ice surface seemed to have started turning red, and the color looked like the sunrise in the east. However, looking through the ice body, he couldn't see the outside scenery. It was only then that he understood the meaning of the golden and silver light flashing in the painting. The effect that could be achieved inside the ice palace was just like this. Perhaps after a while, what would emerge from the ice surface first wouldn't be the red glow of sunrise, but rather the refracted golden sunlight, and at night, it would be the refracted moonlight and starlight.

  This design is simply the divine brush of the heavenly palace, the ghostly device of the underworld, but what Qin Zhong was most happy about was that he had already found hope for survival. Because it's translucent here, it proves that this place is not far from the ground. So if they move forward, they should be able to find the gap where the seal was originally opened. From that gap, they can go out and absolutely reach the ground. Once on the ground, they can find their way back.