Chapter Eighteen: The Devil's Tomb

  The one-eyed man's question made Jin and Lan jump in surprise. Blue Heart Lin widened her eyes and said, "Cai Qingqing is my grandmother, do you know her?" The one-eyed man sighed and tightly grasped the Tianyan token, "Your grandmother is a heroic woman, I have never met her before, but I've long heard of her great name and wanted to get to know her. Unfortunately, I never had the chance." "Then how did you recognize my grandmother's name just by seeing this token?" "Although I haven't seen your grandmother, my father and she had a special relationship. This Tianyan token is one-of-a-kind in the world, over a decade ago, my father gave it to her as a gift. So when I saw the token, I called out her name." Life is full of coincidences, Jin and Lan only heard about the one-eyed man's name after arriving at Gushui Street, never expecting that he had a connection with Qingqing. "What should we call you?" The one-eyed man chuckled, "My surname is Mo, I have no children, just call me Old Man Mo." Blue Heart Lin sweetly called out, "Old Man Mo!" "Well done!" The one-eyed man's smile smoothed out the wrinkles on his face. "There's a legend about this token, do you want to hear it?" Jin and Lan nodded in unison, "We want to hear it, of course." The one-eyed man began to speak, "Legend has it that there was a three-eyed god with powers rivaling those of the Second Prince of Heaven. He lived in seclusion, cultivating his powers, so few people knew him. This god had a strange temper, at the Queen Mother's Peach Blossom Banquet, he quarreled with other gods and left Heaven in anger. While passing by our lands, he discovered the beauty of Poyang Lake and Lushan Mountain, and decided to settle down by the lake. Although the three-eyed god was hot-tempered, his heart was kind, and he did many good deeds for the local people, who respectfully called him 'Old Master'. One day, a powerful demon appeared in Poyang Lake, causing trouble for the fishermen. The three-eyed god fought the demon for three days and Three nights, shaking heaven and earth, blocking out the sun and moon. After killing the demon, he himself was severely injured and died soon after returning to shore. To commemorate his great deeds, the local people built a grand tomb in his honor, and on top of it, they constructed a temple dedicated to him. This is how 'Old Master Temple' got its name. According to legend, although the three-eyed god died, his body did not decay, unlike ordinary corpses. The locals left a secret passage when building the tomb, hoping that one day he would come back to life, and this Tianyan token was the key to opening it." Jin and Lan were amazed, never expecting that there was such a story behind the Tianyan token, nor that the old man knew so much about it.

  More and more people gathered around, Du Yan grabbed Lan Xinlin's hand, "There are too many people here, it's not a good place to talk, let's go." Du Yan took the two of them out of Gu Shui Street, hailed a taxi, and drove for over half an hour before stopping on a quiet road. There was an old mansion from the Qing dynasty by the side of the road, and Du Yan pointed at it, saying, "That's my home, let's go in and talk." Lan Xinlin said, "You live quite far out, we're almost in the suburbs now, I've never been to this place before." Du Yan said, "As one gets older, they like peace and quiet, the city is too noisy, an old man can't get used to it." Jin Tianhang looked at the house from a businessman's perspective, "Your house isn't cheap, right? Although the location is a bit out of the way, every brick and tile is an antique, not something ordinary people can afford." "It's nothing special," Du Yan said as he walked to the door, patted the vermilion gate, and shouted, "Fourth Aunt, I'm back! Open the door quickly!" A middle-aged woman opened the door, smiled, and said, "You're back so early today, you look happy, did something good happen?" "It's an old friend, an old friend," Du Yan was a bit excited. "Fourth Aunt, go brew some good tea, and go buy some dishes, I'm inviting them to lunch." "Alright, don't worry about it," Fourth Aunt said as she glanced at Jin and Lan, then supported Du Yan into the house.

  Jin Tianxing whispered to Lan Xin's ear, "I feel like Fourth Aunt was looking at us with ill intentions just now." "I felt it too, let's play it by ear and go in first." The two followed closely behind and walked in.

  This one-eyed man is indeed not an ordinary person, his house's every blade of grass, every tree, every brick and tile exudes a strong ancient charm. After entering the gate, it is a small courtyard, with artificial rocks forming mountains, moss growing on the rocks, and three or two wild flowers growing below. Under the mountain is a pool of clear water, with several red carp swimming in it. Not far away, a row of bamboo is planted, and the wind blows through, making a rustling sound. Everything is so poetic and picturesque. Jin and Lan couldn't help but stop their footsteps and gaze at the scene.

  Duan Yan saw that the two hadn't caught up, and urged them on, "Don't look around for now, if you like it here, there's plenty of time to see everything later. Let's focus on our main business." Jin and Lan quickly ran a few steps to catch up with Duan Yan, and the three sat down in a side room.

  Duyan didn't rush to speak, but instead chatted with the two about family matters. Jin and Lan took the opportunity to observe the furnishings in the room, from the tables and chairs to the decorations on the walls, all of which were antiques and cultural relics, openly displayed without fear of being stolen, revealing Duyan's astonishing wealth.

  Waiting for Fourth Aunt to finish brewing tea, she went out to buy vegetables. Du Yan watched her leave the courtyard before closing the door tightly. Jin and Lan looked puzzled, and Du Yan explained, "Fourth Aunt has followed me for many years, doing laundry, sweeping, and cooking. I trust her, but what I want to tell you is a secret related to our two families, which has nothing to do with her. So, I found an excuse to send her out." Jin and Lan looked enlightened, and Lan Xinlin asked eagerly, "Can you speak now?" Du Yan pointed at Jin Tianxing and asked, "Who is he?" Lan Xinlin saw that Du Yan was not going to speak if Jin Tianxing didn't have a reliable identity. She blurted out, "He's called Jin Tianxing, my fiancé." Jin Tianxing widened his eyes, staring at Lan Xinlin, just about to clarify when Lan Xinlin pinched him hard under the table, forcing the words back into his mouth.

  "That's good." The one-eyed man took a sip of tea and was ready to begin.

  Put down the teacup, Duye asked, "First, let me introduce myself. My name is Moyi. Do you know why people call me Duye?" "No idea." Jin and Lan shook their heads together.

  Here is the translation:

  "Because I only have one eye." The one-eyed man took off his sunglasses, revealing that his left eye was missing, with a sunken eyelid. "The troubles between our two families, my missing eye, it's all related to this." The one-eyed man slammed the Tianyan token on the table, "I thought everything had ended, but today I saw the Tianyan token again. It seems that the ghost gate is going to open again."

  The one-eyed man poured himself a cup of tea and Blue Heart Lin asked anxiously, "What's this about the ghost gate?" The story is long, let me drink some tea first." "Please do," Jin Tianhang pushed his teacup in front of the one-eyed man, "If it's not enough, you can have mine too."

  "Enough, I'll start from my grandfather's generation. My grandfather was named Mo Shui, a geomancer during the Qing dynasty, skilled in Fengshui and divination. He traveled to Poyang Lake and was captivated by its beauty, building a hut on the lake shore. A few days later, villagers came to seek his help, saying that the lake was haunted, with ships often disappearing without reason. This wasn't unusual, as long as they avoided the area. However, recently, fishermen had seen a white-clad woman wandering along the shore, only to vanish when approached. They thought it was a female ghost and asked my grandfather to perform a ritual to capture her."

  Jin Tianhang asked, "Isn't this haunted lake the same as Lao Ye Temple Lake?" The one-eyed man was surprised, "It is indeed Lao Ye Temple Lake, how did you know?"

  Blue Heart Lin said, "This story is also long, let's finish yours first." "My grandfather wasn't skilled in capturing ghosts or demons, but he couldn't bear the villagers' pleas. He went to Lao Ye Temple Lake and felt something strange - the water was yin, prone to gathering spirits, yet nearby was Mount Lu, a yang mountain with a strong presence, belonging to the Southern Dragon vein, with dragon energy suppressing evil spirits. Why would there be ghosts? My grandfather investigated carefully and discovered that beneath the shore lay a massive tomb, its scale astonishing. He searched ancient books but couldn't find any records of who this tomb belonged to. This mysterious and strange occurrence naturally piqued my grandfather's curiosity."

  He brought fishermen to guard the shore for seven nights without result, but on the eighth night, he saw the white-clad woman alone. She wasn't a ghost or human; after a fierce battle, my grandfather obtained the Tianyan token from her. Since then, there were no more rumors of female ghosts haunting the lake shore.

  Blue Heart Lin sighed, "So this is how the Tianyan token came to be. But how did it end up in my grandmother's hands?" The one-eyed man replied, "That's not urgent, I'll tell you later." Jin Tianhang asked, "You said the white-clad woman wasn't a ghost or human, what could she be? Could it be a mountain spirit or water demon? These events happened over a century ago, how do you know so clearly?"

  The one-eyed man looked at Jin Tianhang with approval, "Good job noticing details. I learned this from my grandfather's notes; he and my father both kept journals. As for what the white-clad woman was, I apologize, but my grandfather's notes didn't say, so I don't know either." Could this white-clad woman be Luo Yi? Jin Tianhang felt a bad premonition, his heart tightening.

  "I'll continue then. After my grandfather obtained the Tianyan Token, his personality changed greatly and he became obsessed with the idea of alchemy and immortality. He spent the rest of his life by Lake Poyang and never left. My grandfather didn't achieve enlightenment or ascension in his lifetime, but before he died, he told my father about the Tianyan Token and the Ghost Tomb. My father was young and vigorous at the time, so after burying his father, he dared to explore the waters of the Old Master Temple. He indeed found an ancient tomb, which was comparable to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. However, it was impossible for him to uncover its secrets alone. At that time, my father was a famous fortune teller in the area around Lake Poyang. One afternoon, a beautiful young woman with two attendants came to ask him to read her fortune. My father easily saw through her disguise and realized she was a trusted member of the Angry Dragon Gang. He took out the Tianyan Token and told her about the Ghost Tomb. Your grandmother, Cai Qingqing, was overjoyed when she heard this, as she had been looking for something exciting to do lately. The two of them joined forces, and after half a year of preparation, my father and your grandmother led half of the Angry Dragon Gang's elite members into the Ghost Tomb. I don't know what happened inside, but they lost half their men and returned to the surface. My father had lost an eye, and he gave the Tianyan Token to your grandmother. From then on, they never contacted each other again. I never thought that in my lifetime, I would see the Tianyan Token and a member of the Cai family again. This is too unexpected." Blue Heart Lin asked, "What about your eye?" "When I read about the Ghost Tomb in my father's notes, I went to explore it alone. Before I even found the entrance to the underground palace, I was injured by a trap and lost an eye. However, this adventure gave me a deeper understanding of the Tianyan Token - it's not just a token, but also the key to entering the Ghost Tomb. The Tianyan Token is very important; with it, I have a 90% chance of success if I enter the tomb again. As far as I know, there's another group from Hong Kong who are after it, called the Zongtian Group." "The people from the Zongtian Corporation!" Jin Tianhang gritted his teeth and said.

  Here is the translation:

  Now that he had learned about the Heavenly Eye Token from Dugu, Jin Tianxing decided not to deceive him anymore. He told Dugu his true identity and everything he knew. Dugu listened without getting angry, but instead said in confusion, "Young man, I appreciate your honesty. The mysterious cave you mentioned is probably the Ghost Tomb? But how did you meet Cai Qingqing? This time-traveling business I don't believe at all. And what about Zong Kuo? Did he also go to the Ghost Tomb? Without the Heavenly Eye Token, it's impossible for him to come out alive." According to my knowledge, the Ghost Tomb was excavated by a group of daring grave robbers three years ago, and there was no one with the surname Zong inside. Lan Xinlin was greatly surprised - the Ghost Tomb mentioned by Dugu was actually the ancient tomb discovered at the old temple's waterfront three years ago. It was also the time when the Zongtian Group used force to seize cultural relics, angering Captain Han. Who would have thought that Dugu knew about this too? But from Captain Han's account, the ancient tomb wasn't very big. She asked, "Grandfather Mo, how much do you know about the grave robbing incident three years ago?" "You're asking the right person," he said. "In the antique world, it's inevitable to deal with 'officials'. I heard that the Ghost Tomb was discovered by two people from Hong Kong, but unfortunately, they didn't understand the rules and exposed themselves. They went down into the tomb, and the local 'rats' followed them through the tunnel they dug. The rats found no trace of the two people in the tomb, so they took out the valuable things and left. When the sun rose, the locals discovered the tunnel and excavated the tomb, taking all the antiques inside. Later, the government intervened and recovered most of the cultural relics, but didn't find any ancient corpses in the tomb. I heard from the rats that the coffin was originally empty, with only a three-eyed Buddha head inside. When they took out the Buddha head, it triggered some kind of powerful mechanism in the Ghost Tomb, which even shot down an airplane in the sky! It's quite an exaggeration. The other day, I heard someone selling a three-eyed Buddha head on Ancient Water Street, but I didn't see it myself and don't know if it's real or fake." After hearing Dugu's words, Jin Tianxing couldn't help but think of the two skulls he encountered in the cave, which seemed to match the time and equipment of the Hong Kong grave robbers. It was highly likely that they were sent by the Zongtian Group. So, it seemed that the cave was indeed part of the Ghost Tomb, but there was no sign of artificial excavation.

  "Then do you know who sells the Three-eyed Buddha head?" Lan Xinlin continued to ask. "Not only do I know, but I also recognize him, his name is..." Du Yan suddenly stopped talking and tiptoed to the door, suddenly opening it wide, and Si Jie was standing outside the door.

  Fourth Aunt was a bit flustered, "Old master, I bought a fish and a duck, planning to make wine-braised fish and beer duck, do you think it's suitable?" One-eyed smiled and said, "Whatever you decide is fine." Fourth Aunt turned around and left, the smile on One-eyed's face instantly disappeared, his eyes flashing with a cold light.