The Thirty-Sixth Chapter: The Non-Existent Sound

  The next thing to do was to escape with our lives, we turned around and ran towards the outside of the cave, shooting back as we ran. The Kunlun Lizard wanted to chase us out of the cave, but we didn't dare let it succeed. We quickly threw the explosives we had prepared earlier at it. The Kunlun Lizard rushed forward, just in time to be blown up properly, and fell to the ground, struggling for half a day without being able to get up, constantly letting out angry roars of unwillingness.

  Our hearts were pounding wildly and we didn't dare slow down our escape, running until we couldn't hear any noise behind us before stopping to start walking.

  Liu Dapao panted heavily, still not fully recovered from his exertion, and burst out laughing: "Young master, I feel like I've returned to the days when I followed the old master on his travels all over the country. It's... it's really too damn exhilarating!"

  I also burst out laughing, "Uncle Liu, you're really something! You're still sharp as ever, and I've learned a thing or two from your tactics at Longmen Mountain!"

  So we chatted all the way back to the temporary camp, where Oil Kid came up and asked if we had picked any immortal medicine. Liu Dapao and I exchanged a smile, then took out that small Begonia flower.

  Youzi looked at the small, unremarkable flower and was a bit skeptical, asking us: "Are you sure you didn't pick the wrong one? I feel like this thing is probably the bitter vegetable flower we grew in our old home's courtyard?"

  Liu Dapao puffed out his chest and glared, saying: "Bitter vegetable flower? I'm telling you, Master Fang, are you still dizzy from that fall yesterday and haven't recovered yet? Can bitter vegetable flowers even grow on snowy mountains?"

  I know that Oil Child is calm and composed in urgent moments, but once he relaxes, he becomes crazy and talks nonsense all the time. I pushed him away: "Forget it, forget it, whether it's a black flower or a white flower, as long as it can cure the disease, it's a good flower. Hurry up and let me pass, saving people is urgent."

  Liu Dapao didn't even bother to argue with Youzi, and quickly walked over to Su Qin's side. He flipped open Su Qin's eyelids and took a look, then let out a sigh of relief: "It's okay, it's not too late." Then he took out a small mortar and pestle, mixed the flowers in his hand with some water, mashed them up, and applied some to Su Qin's wound. The rest he poured directly into Su Qin's mouth.

  At this time, Zhou Xing squeezed over, smelled the smell in the crucible, and suddenly nodded: "Snow Mountain Ice Cream, Su Qin is saved."

  Liu Dapao exclaimed while busy, "Ah! Xiao Zhou is indeed a connoisseur. Fang Shao Ye, I think you should learn from him more often. Don't spend all day indulging in wine and pleasure. Your uncle's family has no children, he's been looking forward to you making a name for yourself!"

  "Alright, alright, I'm scared of you, Liu Ye. Why do all of you old folks always lecture like my uncle? Hurry up and focus on saving people!"

  Liu Dapao was also busy, and he plopped himself down on the ground, wiping his sweat and saying: "Everyone can rest assured, this Snow Mountain Ice Lotus is very potent. I guarantee that by tomorrow morning, this little girl will definitely be jumping around and disturbing us to get up. However, we're not done yet. The fragrance of this spiritual flower is too enticing, so we need to sprinkle some strong-smelling things around the area to prevent any other monsters from being attracted by the scent of the Snow Mountain Ice Lotus."

  I felt a stone in my heart finally drop to the ground, and suddenly I was overcome with fatigue. I struggled to hold on and helped everyone else tidy up before collapsing to the ground to rest.

  Dazed and confused, I fell asleep, and I don't know how long I slept. In my dream, I kept seeing that Kunlun lizard chasing me from behind until someone shook me awake.

  I opened my eyes to see a lovely face in front of me, and I quickly sat up and pulled her arm over to examine the wound. The Snow Mountain Ice Dew was indeed a lifesaving elixir - Su Qin's arm had not only reduced swelling, but also the bite marks on top had disappeared, without even leaving a scar behind.

  Su Qin saw me holding her hand and staring at it, so she blushed and withdrew her arm. "I'm fine, but what about you? You went to steal the immortal grass yesterday, did you get hurt anywhere?"

  I said to Su Qin: "Joking, what can I hurt? Who am I? I'm..."

  Su Qin interrupted me and said: "Alright, alright, I'm not in the mood to listen to your bragging so early in the morning! Let me tell you something."

  I just realized that everyone else was still fast asleep, so I quickly looked at my watch and found out it was only 5 o'clock in the morning. I thought to myself, "Has this woman taken too much of some kind of herbal medicine?" So I sat up straight and asked her, "What's going on? What is it?"

  "After this matter is settled, don't be a grave robber again, okay? If you can't find a job in the future, I can introduce you to our archaeological team. You're so clever and skilled, you'll definitely be able to handle it."

  I didn't expect her to say these things, thinking that this woman was too much, even if I no longer did that grave-digging business, it doesn't mean I have no way out, a seven-foot-tall man, how could I rely on a woman for food?

  So I said to her, "Miss Su, I think you'd better leave these positions for people who have ideas and are prepared. I'm not interested in archaeology at all. Why don't you go ask Old Zhou? He's much more capable than me, and he doesn't seem like someone with a fixed job either. If you introduce him to the archaeological team, I guarantee he'll thank you for eight lifetimes."

  Su Qin saw me reject her outright, and then used Zhou Xing to persuade me, thinking that I didn't want to give up the tomb raiding profession. Suddenly, she became a bit anxious: "Long Qiu, I'm telling you this because I want you to return to the right path. Tomb raiding is too dangerous, and sneaking around isn't a long-term plan. Don't be stubborn about it, okay?"

  I told Su Qin, "Don't misunderstand me, I never actually planned on becoming a grave robber. I didn't think about it before and I won't consider doing it in the future. At first, I was worried that Uncle Liu would go bankrupt. You know he's in the antique business, but because he wanted to help me lift the curse, he had no choice but to put my dad's heirloom on the market at a price that buyers couldn't accept, making his business harder and harder to do. He's been losing money badly lately, so I reluctantly thought of going to rob graves, planning to use the methods passed down from my dad to help him get some big deals. As long as I solved his bankruptcy crisis, I would quit. Who knew that on my first try, I accidentally entered the Three-Eyed God's Tomb and got pulled into this whole thing? Don't look at me like I'm not a good person, actually, I have a lot of psychological pressure, it's like I don't know where to vent. Just stop wronging me."

  I don't know why I suddenly said so many things to her, but after I finished speaking, a wave of inexplicable weakness surged up in my heart, and I let out a deep sigh.

  Su Qin was also stunned after listening, and looked at me with tears in her eyes for a while before saying to me: "I've never heard you mention these things before, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

  I've always been afraid of seeing a woman's tears, and when I see her about to cry, I get anxious. I hurriedly wave my hand and say: "Can't I just think that even if I curse, it won't come true? Besides, you didn't ask me this question before. Fine, fine, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? Look at how you're still sulking, shouldn't I be the one who's sulking? You're even competing with me to cry, isn't that bullying?"

  Su Qin heard this and burst out laughing, quickly wiping away her tears and speaking seriously: "Then... what are your plans for the future?"

  "I haven't thought that far ahead, let's talk about it later. For now, let's focus on solving the current problem. To be honest, you've managed to escape with your life this time, but mine is still uncertain. I don't even know if the curse on my forehead can be lifted. Now that things have come to this, do you have anything you want to say to me?"

  Su Qin didn't dare look into my eyes and turned her face away, saying: "What is there for me to say?"

  I stretched my neck and asked deliberately: "Really not?"

  Su Qin turned around and was about to say something to me, when Zhou Xing, who had been sleeping on the side, suddenly sat up with a start, as if he had received some kind of shock.

  I found it strange and wondered if Zhou Xing would have nightmares too? Or was there another sudden situation in this dark space? I quickly walked up to him, squatted down and asked: "Old Zhou, what's wrong?"

  Zhou Xing's eyes were a bit dazed, he turned his head and stared at me blankly, opening his mouth as if to say something, but didn't say anything. I looked into his eyes and found that he seemed to still be in a stunned state, worried that something was wrong with him, I pushed him gently and asked: "What's wrong with you? Had a nightmare?"

  He was pushed by me and suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes instantly regained their luster. Seeing me staring at him, he immediately moved his gaze elsewhere and shook his head slightly towards me. I've been with him for a while, seeing him behave like this, knowing that he must have something on his mind, but even he himself is not sure, so he won't say it easily.

  Su Qin also walked over and asked me in a low voice: "What's wrong with Zhou Xing?"

  I was just about to answer when Zhou Xing suddenly stood up and said to me and Su Qin, "Call everyone else, let's go."

  I was suddenly confused, but seeing his slightly furrowed brow, I knew I couldn't be slow, so I let Su Qin go wake up Youzi and Liu Dapao. The two weren't sleeping very soundly and were awakened by Su Qin's gentle push. Soon, everyone gathered in front of Zhou Xing, asking him what was wrong.

  It wasn't until later that we found out, since falling into this underground space, Zhou Xing had always had a certain feeling. He kept thinking that there was a voice calling him from the depths of the cave, but every time he listened carefully, the voice would disappear. Because this situation could very likely be just an illusion, at first he didn't tell us about it.

  Just now when he was in a deep sleep, he heard that voice again in his dream. This time, he woke up with a start and hurriedly pricked up his ears to listen carefully. This time, the voice did not disappear. He listened carefully and found out the direction of the voice, which was located in the depths of the cave in front of us.

  I also found it strange when I heard him finish speaking. We've been together all along, and if there's a sound coming from the depths of the cave, we have no reason not to hear it. If Zhou Xing is telling the truth, then who exactly made that sound? Who was calling out to Zhou Xing? This bottomless place shouldn't have anyone, nor could it be "Hei Niukou".

  What's even stranger is why can only Chow Sing Chi hear it?

  Youzi was also puzzled, wondering if it wasn't just now when he slid down the ice path that Old Zhou had gotten confused? How could this desolate place possibly have someone speaking? And yet, they were only talking to him alone?

  Zhou Xing shook his head and said that this shouldn't be an illusion of his, there must be something in the depths of the cave. He remembered when he was camping outside the Witch King's tomb, he knew about the copper key to the dragon gate because he heard a call from within the earth at the time.

  "I asked in surprise: 'So that day you were able to bring us into the Witch King's tomb, was because you heard a certain call from within the ancient tomb, but what exactly is going on? Why can you hear this non-existent sound?'"

  Liu Dapao suddenly said to me, "Young master, in fact, this kind of thing is not impossible in the eyes of our Jin Tong, and it has been mentioned in the art of physiognomy that 'people have different fates'. Each person has their own destiny, born with high or low status, wise or foolish. The Yellow Emperor was born in the dragon's belly and died on the dragon's back, so he was destined to be the true Dragon Son of Heaven. Chi You was brave, but he was ultimately defeated by the Yellow Emperor, this is fate."

  He said this, and found that the topic had gone off on a tangent. He paused for a moment before continuing: "Of course, these are just legends, and it's impossible to verify them now. But in reality, there do exist some people with extraordinary talents, including a type known as 'lingqí' (spirit mediums). These individuals have an unusually developed sense of perception from birth. In the 'Eight Treasures Divination Method', such people are divided into three categories: 'tiān méi' (heavenly mediums), 'dì méi' (earthly mediums), and 'rén méi' (human mediums). Among them, the 'tiān méi' is said to be the most formidable type of spirit medium, capable of receiving information that doesn't belong to this world. It's really quite astonishing."

  "Your meaning is... Old Zhou is that so-called 'Heavenly Matchmaker'?"

  Liu Dapao nodded and said: "It's possible, otherwise it can't be explained why he is in this state."

  At this time, Su Qin said to us: "In fact, from a scientific point of view, the medium is indeed existing. Medical proof shows that under the Baihui acupoint on the human brain, there is an organ called 'upper gland', also known as 'pineal body'. In the past, someone had discovered that many extinct species' skulls had a hole, and later research found that this hole was the eye socket of the third eye. That is to say, in ancient times, many species' ancestors had a third eye, and later some scholars suspected that human ancestors were also three-eyed creatures, only the third eye gradually degenerated, and the pineal body was the legacy of the third eye's degeneration. In Taoism, this is called the 'heavenly eye', and it is said that as long as the heavenly eye is opened, one can not only sense the five elements' veins but also receive information that ordinary people cannot receive. Perhaps mediums are a class of people who are born with an abnormally developed pineal body."

  "Wow! This is the Heavenly Eye? I've only heard my uncle mention it before, but I never took it seriously. I didn't think Old Zhou was actually a master who had opened his Heavenly Eye! No wonder you always detect danger ahead of time! You...you're too awesome! Next time I buy lottery tickets, you have to give me some tips!"

  Zhou Xing still had that calm and collected face, after we finished discussing, he said to us: "I think that sound is not simple, I have a hunch, what 'Hei Niou' is looking for is at the source of this sound. Let's go take a look at what's calling me."