Chapter 18: The Mysterious Silence

  "Seven Star Luo Yu Formation" originated from Qi Men Dun Jia, aiming to utilize the seven turning points of the earth's vein to achieve a gradual and ever-changing effect. It was later artificially transformed into a half-life and half-death formation with seven chambers, known as the "Seven Star Linked Array", which is most beneficial for guarding the mausoleum of kings and nobles. Later generations' "Seven Star Suspicious Coffin", "Seven Star Morning Sun Formation" and "Seven Star Treading Moon Method" all originated from this.

  Zhou Xing and Su Qin were trapped in the tomb with me, stuck in this Seven Stars formation. We thought we'd never escape this fate, but Zhou Xing believed there was a way out from the stone pedestal. He shone his flashlight for a while, then tapped on the bronze coffin on the pedestal with his finger bones, saying: "Come over, we're getting out of here."

  Su Qin saw him knocking on the copper coffin and knew that Zhou Xing's intention was that the copper coffin was the key to escape. He said, "Just now this copper coffin has been hit by a large python, and it seems that there is no mechanism on it."

  Zhou Xing didn't answer Su Qin, but instead sprang up and jumped onto the stone platform, saying to us: "Push the coffin down."

  I had previously speculated about the name of this tomb, and I also thought about pushing the copper coffin down from the stone platform to see what would happen. However, I was afraid that doing so would trigger another murderous mechanism, so I didn't dare try it easily. Now that Zhou Xing has mentioned this method, I suddenly realized that his speculation must be roughly the same as mine. After a moment of contemplation, I muttered to myself: "So that's how it is."

  Su Qin said to us: "This tomb chamber has already sunk a bit, if this bronze coffin is smashed down again, the whole tomb chamber might collapse, do you want to be buried alive?"

  I said to Su Qin, "Miss Su, you're overthinking this. This tomb has withstood thousands of years of earth energy and can't be destroyed by a small copper coffin. This tomb must be extremely sturdy; otherwise, the massive boulder that just fell would have buried us alive. As the saying goes, 'born in death', Old Zhou's intention is to let this heavy copper coffin smash another section of the tomb."

  Su Qin furrowed her delicate eyebrows and asked me, "How can you be certain that doing this will allow us to escape?"

  I said to Su Qin, "From the moment I knew this was a Seven Star Formation, I had a hunch that this tomb chamber should be the first of the seven passes: taking cinnabar to stabilize the heavenly pivot. This stone pedestal is in the center of the tomb chamber and should be the heavenly pivot position among the seven passes. Bronze belongs to metal, which can indeed stabilize the heavenly pivot. We were all wrong earlier - this stone pedestal didn't change due to the mechanism, nor was it because its foundation was solid. It's because it's being pressed down by this bronze coffin. The bronze coffin and the earth energy are mutually attracted, so they firmly pinched this stone pedestal. Otherwise, if this stone pedestal were fixed in place, how could the seven tomb chambers rotate?"

  Su Qin's thinking was quick, and she immediately reacted, saying to me: "The copper coffin gives the stone platform a downward force, so the earth energy will give the stone platform an upward force. When the copper coffin falls, this balance will inevitably be broken, so at that time the tomb chamber will sink, and the stone platform will rise instead. As a result of this interlocking movement, it is possible that the exit will be exposed, is that right?"

  I smiled and said, "Miss Su is really clever, you've hit the nail on the head."

  Su Qin snorted and said to me, "I'm not clever at all, it's just that you tomb raiders are too powerful. No wonder so many solid underground mausoleums throughout history have fallen into your hands."

  I saw her gritting her teeth, worried that she would continue to speak and scold my ancestors, so I waved my hand and said: "Let's not discuss this topic for now, let's go out first."

  After that, Su Qin and I also climbed onto the stone platform and joined forces with Zhou Xing to push the copper coffin. Fortunately, we three were all practitioners of martial arts, so our strength was not small; otherwise, if it had been three ordinary people, they probably wouldn't have been able to move such a heavy object. Even so, we still used up all our energy, and after pushing for several minutes, we finally managed to push the copper coffin off the stone platform.

  In the darkness, there was a loud crash, and the entire tomb chamber shook again. As expected, the chamber sank another meter, and the stone platform rose more than ten centimeters. After everything calmed down, we raised our flashlights to examine the surroundings again. At this time, we saw that the entrance to the underground palace on the opposite side of the stone platform, which was originally sealed, had opened wide once more.

  The three of them were overjoyed at the sight and immediately jumped down from the stone platform, swarming out of the cave.

  Just a few steps away, Su Qin suddenly stopped us and said: "Isn't it already beyond the range of that Seven Star Array by walking here? Shouldn't we be pursuing 'Black Button'? They're still trapped in other chambers of the Seven Star Array, right?"

  I said: "Judging from the situation earlier, the girl in 'Black Button' is not simple. I think this Seven Star Array won't be able to trap them for long, they will definitely be able to escape. As for our companions, it's highly likely that they have also walked into the Seven Star Array. Instead of going after 'Black Button' to settle accounts, why don't we go find Oil Sub and the others first, help them get out of trouble, and then reunite with them quickly?"

  At this time, Zhou Xing suddenly said to me: "No need, there are also tomb-raiding masters among those people, and the Seven Star Array can't trap them either."

  I wondered to myself: Are there also masters among those people? Is Zhou Xing pointing at You Zi? It's unlikely, although You Zi's means are not shallow, but among those people who know the strange gates, only he is familiar with it, and his power is too weak, I'm afraid it's still difficult to think of a way to break the formation. If it's not You Zi, then who could it be? Could it be him?

  I hastily asked Zhou Xing who the expert he was referring to was, but unexpectedly, Zhou Xing remained tight-lipped and only glanced at Su Qing with a hint of intention. I sensed something and already had an answer in my mind. Earlier, when we were outside the mourning hall, I noticed that Zhou Xing had been staring at one of Su Qing's subordinates, Gao Yexiong. It seemed that the expert Zhou Xing was referring to was probably him.

  It seems that Zhou Xing is not unaware of human feelings and worldly affairs, but rather is very meticulous. At this moment, it's already difficult for Su Qing to believe us, so how can we easily expose Gao Ye's true nature in front of her? This Gao Ye has hidden himself so deeply, he must be a person with a heavy heart and deep schemes. For someone like him, it would be easy to deceive Su Qing into trusting him, otherwise she wouldn't have brought him along on this trip. If we two "bad people" were to tell Su Qing that Gao Ye is a grave-robbing expert in front of her, she definitely wouldn't believe us and would instead think we're trying to stir up trouble.

  So I also never mentioned this matter again, and pretended to agree with Zhou Xing's words, saying: "That's right, with the means of the oily ones, they will definitely be able to get out of the Seven Star Array. Miss Su, I think it's best for us to enter the underground palace first, take the initiative to occupy the 'first come, first served' advantage, and find an opportunity to ambush the 'Black Button' gang."

  Su Qin listened to me saying that the oil son can bring others to break through, and was also eager to pursue the 'black button', so she nodded in agreement, temporarily walking forward first, and entering the underground palace to talk later.

  The three of us continued to move forward, and this was a straight tomb passage. We could see a huge space in the distance, Zhou Xing held a flashlight and gripped a dagger to explore the road ahead, while Su Qin and I followed him on both sides. This way, even if something unexpected happened, it wouldn't be possible for all three of us to fall into danger at the same time.

  As I walked, I suddenly became a little worried about the safety of Youzi and others. They still didn't know that Gao Yexiong was an "inside ghost". If this guy suddenly made some move that would harm everyone, they really wouldn't be able to defend themselves. However, after thinking again, I felt that I was being overly cautious. Youzi and Aixia weren't easy to deceive, and besides, there was still Li Xiang by their side. Even if Gao Yexiong was very capable, he probably wouldn't dare make any reckless moves.

  As we indulged in wild fancies, the three of us had already walked out of the tomb passage and entered a vast space. This place was a slightly trimmed cave, very similar to the terrain before entering the ancient tomb, but with lower terrain, requiring several levels of stairs to enter.

  Su Qin shone her flashlight downwards and said to us, "It's very strange. Logically speaking, this place should be a gas well. The ancients said, 'A dragonfly touches the water, one point after another.' This gas well is an essential part of the tomb's layout, but how can it be a large cave here?"

  I said to Su Qin, "It seems that you archaeologists also have some skills, and can see that this place should be excavated for a well. However, you may not know that the cave in front of us is actually a well. The scale of this royal tomb is so large, it's impossible to ventilate with just an ordinary 'six-foot well'. But this well is too big, what a stir! Even a dragon entering the sea wouldn't make such a commotion."

  Su Qingguang's first words when he saw me were, "Don't look down on archaeologists. The contributions our predecessors have made to the world are indescribably enormous. It's you tomb raiders..."

  I saw her scolding the tomb raider again, and my intestines almost turned green with regret. I thought to myself that I was indeed reckless with my words, forgetting that this woman's emotional attachment to cultural relics is higher than a mountain and deeper than the sea. She probably hates us artisans who make a living by selling fake antiques more than anything in her life, so it's better not to provoke her for now.

  So I quickly nodded and said: "Yes, yes, yes. Archaeology is a great and noble profession. It brings cultural heritage to the world and historical truth to the people. Although we are tomb robbers, we still have great respect for archaeologists. In terms of dealing with history, it cannot be denied that archaeologists have made contributions to the world and their ability to uncover history. I was wrong earlier, and here I apologize to all archaeologists in the world."

  Su Qin heard this and finally relented, saying: "This is more like it."

  As we spoke, the three of us reached the bottom of the cave. We shone our flashlights around and found that the surrounding area was empty except for a tunnel entrance in front of us. I felt very strange, thinking to myself how could it be so simple after passing through the Seven Stars Formation? Could it really be possible to walk all the way into the main tomb chamber without any obstacles?

  It's clear that this is impossible, and often the truly dangerous things are hidden behind a seemingly calm appearance. Only by being extremely cautious can one avoid danger. Zhou Xing and Su Qin also understood this principle, so at this time, all three of them were walking with extreme caution, paying attention to any possible signs of trouble.

  Su Qin had previously heard me say that the Ya Shen Queen would cast a spell, and she was somewhat unwilling to believe it. At this moment, walking in this empty and quiet air well, she couldn't help but think wildly and ask me: "Long Qiu, you said that the Ya Shen Queen would cast a witchcraft spell, so will you and the curse of You Zi also be a kind of 'witchcraft'?"

  I shook my head and said to Su Qin, "I'm not sure about this, but it's definitely fishy. However, according to Youzi, he suspects that the three-eyed stone beast's eyes might contain a special radioactive mineral, and our curses might be a reaction from being exposed to radiation."

  Su Qin nodded and said, "This is also a good explanation. In short, I think the so-called evil techniques in this world should all be based on some scientific knowledge that we can't imagine, including physics, chemistry, biology, etc. So, if we encounter these things, let's not panic first, but think carefully about what they are and how to solve them in the shortest time."

  I was listening to Su Qin when I suddenly noticed a faint light coming from the cave in front of us, and I was immediately surprised. I exchanged a glance with the other two, and saw that Su Qin's eyes were also filled with astonishment, while Zhou Xing still had that calm and unruffled expression. I always felt that Zhou Xing's complexion was not good, so I said to him: "Old Zhou, you really should take this opportunity to rest well, your face is too pale."

  I said again: "The light in front seems a bit off, maybe there's someone over there, let's be careful and go take a look."

  The three of us slowly emerged from the air shaft and found ourselves in a stone cave, where we saw another straight tomb passage ahead. A faint light was coming from the front, but it seemed to be sometimes near and sometimes far, making it impossible to judge how far away the source of the light was. I told the other two that this beam of light was probably coming from deep within the underground palace, and the light source might be in the main tomb chamber itself, which must still be a considerable distance away from us. So let's not rush forward recklessly, I feel more and more uneasy as we go deeper.

  Su Qin looked around and said to me, "The anti-corrosion measures on this tomb passage are not very good, and the stone bricks are not very tightly laid, it doesn't seem like there would be any mechanisms."

  I said to Su Qin, "It's precisely because of this that I'm getting more and more worried about our situation. The front room is still outside the tomb's range, yet it's already set up with a seven-star array formation. If we look at it this way, shouldn't the road ahead be increasingly difficult? How can we possibly walk into the tomb unimpeded?"

  Su Qin said: "What you say is reasonable, but haven't we really found anything else to prevent theft? The thoughts of the ancients are originally incomprehensible to modern people. Let's be careful, I see that the terrain ahead is complex and can be used for us to ambush. When 'Black Button' and his men come over, they will fall into our trap."

  I listened to her and nodded in agreement, then concentrated and continued to explore the road ahead with Zhou Xing.

  This tomb passage is also very short and quiet, the three of us walked straight out and entered a larger cave. This cave has some bends, from the uneven ground and the rugged and strange stone walls, it can be seen that this place is a naturally formed underground space, and no artificial decoration has been made, it seems that there will not be any large array mechanism.

  I increasingly felt a sense of foreboding, and I couldn't shake the feeling that behind this eerily quiet and desolate scene, there might be some unknown danger or even conspiracy lurking - irrefutably, I had indeed caught wind of a conspiracy.

  And that faint light which had been appearing in front of us all along was still shining with its usual brightness, far ahead of the three of us.