Chapter 66: The Tomb of King Ding

  The cold hum was not loud, but it had a chilling effect that pierced deep into one's heart.

  Chou Shen was the first to come back to his senses, and he slapped Tian Qi once.

  "What is this?" was deeply shocked, Tian Qi also woke up, this feeling can't be described, it's like a fear from the depths of his soul.

  The fat boy stood there motionless, his eyes somewhat dull and clearly still not fully awake.

  "Ouch, it's killing me!" Tian Qi slapped the fatty a few times and found that he didn't react, so he pinched him hard. The pain should stimulate him to wake up.

  The three of them stood there without advancing any further, and no matter who made that sound, they were not his match. The difference wasn't just a little bit; they weren't even on the same level.

  But if we don't move forward, we won't be able to find Yinying or the reason why the villagers died tragically in one night. So, there's no reason not to continue moving forward.

  Tian Qi said to Bao Zi: "Brother Bao, you just stay here and wait for us, get ready for our exit."

  "Do you think I would agree?" said the fatty seriously, he knew clearly in his heart what kind of reception was waiting for him, and that cold hum just now wasn't something he hadn't heard. If they continued to move forward, it was really possible that they wouldn't be able to come back. Tian Qi didn't want him to follow, but waiting here for him might not necessarily mean he could get out alive either. However, if they entered, it would be a matter of nine deaths and one life.

  Tian Qi knew that Pangzi would say so, but he didn't want Pangzi to follow him into the adventure. "Maybe Yingying isn't inside, and if she finds this place, you can still meet her and tell her what happened."

  Tian Qi didn't refute what Hua Zi said, instead he took the lead and walked up to the front of the tomb path, his footsteps surprisingly firm.

  Chou Shen glanced at Tian Qi and followed Huang Zi's footsteps without saying a word.

  Looking at the two of them, Tian Qi couldn't help but shake his head. This is what it means to be brothers. Sometimes you don't need to say much, nor do you need to explain. When there's trouble, everyone works together to solve it. When there's danger, everyone charges forward together.

  Thinking of this, Tian Qi's mood also became much brighter. Even if he really died here, with his brothers by his side, he wouldn't be lonely.

  A person has three yang fires, the top of the head and both shoulders. Even ghosts would be afraid if they saw them. If the yang fires of the three people just now were a bit weak, then they have clearly become much stronger now.

  This is the human "essence" spirit, people with weak and depressed "essence" or those who are sick and weak will have a very weak three fires on their body, at this time the soul is unstable and it's easy to be hooked by evil spirits.

  "What's written on this stone monument?" asked the fat man.

  The path was not very long, and the three of them soon reached the end. Unlike what they had imagined, there were almost no buildings on the ground, nor any plants, only a stone "gate" leading underground, with a stele standing at its side.

  "The Tomb of Ding Wang." There were only three ancient characters on the epitaph. Tian Qi had been studying them since his university days, so he naturally knew what they meant.

  "It's a king's tomb, there must be plenty of good stuff inside!" Although Fatty didn't know who Ding Wang was, anyone who could be called a king must be very powerful, and his greedy nature showed through again.

  Tian Qi recalled in his mind that there were not a few people who were called Ding Wang in Chinese history, mainly because he didn't know which dynasty it was. There were only these three words on the tombstone, and there were no other words before or after.

  "Judging from the architecture of the 'Maze' Palace, it should be from the Ming and Qing dynasties, which narrows down the time frame. In history, there is a record of a king named Ding during the Ming dynasty, who was actually Zhu Ciyan, the third son of Emperor Chongzhen. When Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he appointed Zhu Ciyan as Duke of Ding'an, but when Li Zicheng retreated, his whereabouts became unknown. Could it be that this is really his tomb?" Tian Qi speculated, because apart from judging from the architecture of the 'Maze' Palace, there is currently no other evidence to prove it.

  "It's probably really him, but he's also a king after all. During the Southern Ming dynasty, he was even posthumously honored as King Ding'ai. How can it be possible that there is only a tomb here without a mausoleum? It's too simple according to the definition of a king." said Qiu Shen.

  "What king are you talking about? I'm too familiar with it, but I don't know either. There were so many kings in Chinese history, and how many of them didn't even have a tomb?" said the fat man.

  Tian Qi nodded, and Pangu said it wasn't unreasonable. If it was really the Ming Dynasty's Ding Wang, at that time, they had already declined, where would they have the financial resources and manpower to build large-scale mausoleums?

  The answer to this question is also temporarily inconclusive and can only be discussed after entering the cemetery.

  Tian Qi used his flashlight to illuminate the surroundings. Earlier, all three of them had turned on their flashlights on the tomb path, it was impossible to proceed in complete darkness.

  But when he shone it on the ground in the cemetery, his face changed and said: "Look at that soil color."

  Tian Qi said so, Pangzi and Chou Shen shone their flashlights in that direction.

  "It's just red soil, what's the big deal? I've seen this kind of soil in many places!" Fatso said nonchalantly.

  However, Tian Qi and Qiu Shen observed carefully that the soil was absolutely not its original color. It should have been the same grayish-black color as the surrounding soil at first, but for some reason it had changed color later on, looking more like it had been stained red with blood, exuding an eerie and evil aura. Looking at it for a while would make one feel dizzy.

  Chou's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, Tian Qi was indifferent and silent. To what extent would it take for the soil to change color? He had seen descriptions of this kind of soil in the residual volume of his ghost-catching diary. If the soil of a grave or tomb turned an abnormal red color, it meant that the corpse inside had undergone a transformation, but that could only be seen by using something called a Luoyang shovel to dig deep into the ground. The soil on the surface shouldn't have changed much, at most it would produce various cracks.

  And now this tomb, which may be the grave of the Ming Dynasty's Ding Wang, has even changed the color of the soil on its surface. The corpse inside is probably not just a simple corpse, and from that cold hum, it can be felt that the spiritual intelligence has been opened.

  Isn't King Ding's corpse buried inside? Was that cold hum emitted by him?

  It seems that this explanation is also understandable. Since ancient times, those who have been able to become kings or prime ministers have had some heavenly aura on their bodies, and naturally they are not like ordinary people. When they were alive, they were the king among men, and even if they became zombies after death and did not enter reincarnation, they would still be powerful zombies.

  No time to think too much, the three of them walked down from the steps of the tomb passage and came to the front of the stone 'gate' of the cemetery.

  The area of the stone gate is not very large, about three meters high and two meters wide, with no other patterns engraved on it.

  The fat man pushed hard, but found that the stone door didn't budge at all.

  As for entering the tomb, none of the three had any experience. Tian Qi and Qiu Shen had been in a few times before, but they were all paths that others had already opened up beforehand.

  Whether it's an archaeological pick or a grave-robbing Luoyang shovel, they don't have any now.

  "The front 'gate' of the cemetery must have been reinforced," said Qiu Shen. "If it was that easy to get in, someone would have vandalized it a long time ago."

  Tian Qi nodded in agreement with Ou's view, "Yeah, that's right. As the main 'gate' of the tomb, not only is it heavily fortified, but there must also be many mechanisms and traps. If someone really wants to rob the tomb, they generally won't choose to enter from the main 'gate', but instead will dig a new path from another part of the tomb, which is much safer."

  Fatso interrupted Tian Qi's words: "I know this, some powerful people can directly enter the main room of the tomb, right?"

  There are masters among the people, although Tian Qi has never met such a formidable person, but it cannot be denied that his existence is possible. The ancestor of the Chen family, the owner of the ghost-catching diary, should have this ability, even if he is not a tomb raider.

  Can't go in through the front door, can only look for other ways in, don't know if it's still possible after all these years.

  Tian Qi was in the front, Qiu Shen was in the middle, and Bao Zi followed behind. The three of them began to search around the perimeter of the tomb, but it was pitch black and visibility was poor. Bao Zi suggested going up to take a look, as there might be a direct passageway into the main chamber, but Tian Qi vetoed the idea, saying it was better to keep a distance from the soil's color.

  "Ah yo!" He was walking fine just now, but suddenly Fatty let out a startled cry.

  Tian Qi and Qiu Shen turned around, only to find that the fatty had fallen into a pit, with just his head exposed outside.

  The fat guy fell down just now, Tian Qi and Qiu Shen also passed by, nothing happened, maybe it's because he is a bit heavier.

  "Chubby, you might have made a contribution!" Tian Qi said, with some excitement in his tone.