Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 166: Sword Emperor's Tomb

The storytelling session with Sisi had actually gone on for quite some time. Dusk had already fallen when they had been interrupted. Yet, none of them had the appetite for dinner. They headed straight to the Sword Emperor’s tomb.

Thanks to the dimensional fragment no longer being disconnected from the world, there was no need for them to enter through the Lu Clan’s forbidden area like before. The place where the sword pond originally was had been pierced open by the ancient sword, creating a large opening through which they could descend directly into the tomb.

When Tang Buqi said that there was no rear mountain anymore, he had actually been exaggerating a bit. Tiger Hill had not just suddenly disappeared, though it was quite a mess at the moment. It was just the place where the sword pond was that had been turned into a gaping hole, surrounded by broken trees and rocks. Despite the mess, it was still a fine place, except that its designation as a forbidden area seemed much more appropriate now.

There were some members of the Tang Clan guarding the edge of the pit cautiously. There were still sporadic bursts of sword qi that came from inside, and there was still dense vicious qi that lingered in the area. The area actually posed considerable danger. Even without Tang Wanzhuang’s strict orders, none of the timid members of the Tang Clan would have dared to approach.

Originally, Tang Wanzhuang planned to wait for a few days to allow the sword qi and vicious qi to dissipate, as well as let Zhao Changhe fully recover from his injuries, and then they would explore further. However, the sudden tremors that came from below made waiting impossible. They had to investigate the cause and they had to do it immediately.

Tang Wanzhuang did not come alone. The elite forces of the Demon Suppression Bureau were mobilized for this task, as well as hundreds of soldiers led by Wu Weiyang, who had arrived from afar. They meticulously began surveying every path in the tomb.

Their organization and professionalism indicated extensive experience in this type of exploration.

However, Zhao Changhe still placed more trust in Sisi with her knowledge of the previous era. It was likely that no one knew the architectural styles, traps, and other such things of the previous era better than her. She might have even lived in structures similar to this tomb.

Finding the correct path seemed to be as easy as pie for Sisi. Figuring out where the sword qi was weaker and where the main tomb was, which had taken the Lu Clan generations, she had done in an incense stick’s worth of time. No matter how professional the Demon Suppression Bureau was, they probably could not reach such a level.

And indeed, this time was no exception. While the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau surveyed various areas. Zhao Changhe and Sisi headed straight for the entrance of the main tomb. If there were any issues, they were most likely within the main tomb rather than the peripheral passages. Tang Wanzhuang silently accompanied the two, ready to provide support if needed.

When they arrived outside the gate to the main tomb, the body of the old man from the Lu Clan was still there. His face carried the remnants of a smile from his final moments. Due to the heavy vicious qi around him, his body actually seemed to exude a sense of power, stronger than before. It was as if he could rise up at any moment and strike with his sword again.

Zhao Changhe said, “My first instinct was that the vicious qi may have driven this corpse to do something, but that does not seem to be the case.”

Tang Wanzhuang nodded. Zhao Changhe’s speculation was reasonable. The vicious qi in this area was still strong. Under the influence of this intense vicious qi, even the unconscious sword qi had been directed to surge upward. It would not have been surprising if the body had been made to get up and slash around randomly. While it did not seem to be the case at the moment, it remained a possibility.

This further corroborated the possibility of the Sword Emperor’s revival.

Tang Wanzhuang examined the massive stone gate. This was the main tomb, which made it so that it was not just a single chamber that held a corpse but rather a vast complex. The defenses inside would no longer be the simple sword qi like the one set up outside. Instead, they harbored unknown levels of terrifying lethality.

The so-called seismic activity originated from within.

If there had not been any unexpected changes, Tang Wanzhuang believed that permanently sealing off the area, as suggested earlier by Zhao Changhe, would have been the best solution. There was no need to disturb the tomb of a predecessor. They could simply pretend that it no longer existed. But now that something had happened, it needed to be addressed.

However, they could not open the entrance to the main tomb, and they had no idea what exactly had happened. How were they going to solve this case then?

Zhao Changhe asked Sisi, “Do you know how to open this gate? We can’t just hack at it like the old man did, can we?”

“Of course not. That would only anger the imperial tomb once again.”

“Then how are we supposed to get in? Are there any mechanisms in the passages outside?”

Sisi replied earnestly, “When people see a door, they immediately think to open it, but they never consider that this is someone’s tomb. After you’re buried, would you want others to enter your resting place? Why would there be a mechanism left outside for others to open?”

“Well, then why make it in the shape of a gate?”

“Because the tomb was made during his lifetime, and the door was for him to enter when he was dying. Or perhaps he died outside, and his relatives or disciples carried him in. Either way, the point of the design is that once it’s closed, the mechanism disconnects and it remains permanently sealed. If you and I were to design our own tombs, it would probably be the same. There would not be a mechanism for outsiders to open our tombs.”

“That makes sense... Then how do tomb raiders get in?”

“The structure of the tomb is still made up of bricks, stones, and soil. With enough digging, they can break in. However, no one dares to recklessly excavate and blast open the tombs of powerful beings. One wrong move and they could end up dead without a complete corpse.” Sisi sighed. “But in reality, there are better ways. We can just use some corrosive substances to slowly melt open a gap in this stone gate, without causing any disturbance or triggering any of the prohibitions or defenses.”

Zhao Changhe’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

Sisi glanced at Tang Wanzhuang, who had been listening quietly all along. “Yeah, but I don’t have any corrosives with me. However, the Demon Suppression Bureau definitely has something of the sort. After all these years since the founding of the Great Xia, there must have been no shortage of such tombs for them to explore.”

Tang Wanzhuang finally spoke up, “We do have such substances. However, there’s also a type of restrictive array that triggers if the thing it protects is damaged in any way. This method may not be reliable. I’d like to hear if you have any other ideas.”

“No,” Sisi shook her head. “What I meant was that this gate does not have that kind of restriction. Such defense mechanisms were only put in place in later tombs as the method had become known to be used by tomb raiders. However, the Sword Emperor died way earlier than that. Back then, they had not yet begun to pay attention to such details.”

Zhao Changhe stood with his hands in his pockets, looking like a newbie listening to a professor’s lecture.

Even Tang Wanzhuang’s eyes flashed with a hint of amazement. This level of understanding of the previous era is quite extraordinary. How does she even know when the Sword Emperor died?

For most people, their impression of the powerful beings of the previous era was that they perished in the apocalypse that took place at the era’s collapse. Few people seriously considered the span of time within the previous era, which itself encompasses multiple historical periods. And even for those who did consider it, it was difficult to confirm the era of each legendary figure, due to how long a time had passed.

Not to mention the previous era, even when it came to the history of the current era, there were many unverifiable parts... At the very least, the Demon Suppression Bureau truly had no idea when the Sword Emperor had died.

In any case, Tang Wanzhuang did not question Sisi’s judgment. She immediately took out a bottle and gently dripped the liquid inside onto the gate.

In no time, the corner of the hard and heavy stone gate visibly began to soften and become brittle. Even Zhao Changhe could feel it and tried prodding it with Dragon Bird, which effortlessly pierced through.

Zhao Changhe was amazed. “There really is such a liquid? If someone were to drink even a bit of it, wouldn’t it be more terrifying than any other poison?”

How did they acquire such substances...

“It isn’t tasteless and it’s really difficult to use it to poison others, but you should indeed be careful not to get splashed,” Tang Wanzhuang remarked simply. She then bent forward and slipped through the small hole.

Watching her bend over to crawl through, Sisi smirked and commented, “I didn’t expect you to have such a nice butt.”

Tang Wanzhuang: “...”

Zhao Changhe rubbed his forehead and said, “You really have nothing better to do, huh? Hurry up and crawl through, I’ll cover the rear.”

“Are you trying to check out my butt? You go first!” Sisi pretended to kick him, urging him to move ahead.

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes and could not be bothered to argue with her. He took the lead to crawl inside.

In fact, he knew what Sisi was afraid of.

Just like back then with Chichi... Chichi had told him not to expose his back to others. Especially in cramped spaces where they faced the possibility of treasures being ahead.

Tang Wanzhuang showed her sincerity by taking the lead, though she was confident in her own strength and was unafraid of being ambushed.

However, Sisi did not dare do the same... In fact, Sisi also knew that even if she were to face some trouble, it would not be when they had yet to see anything. It was just her instinctive, subconscious choice to stay at the back.

She claimed that they were already friends, playing and joking around, but deep down, she had never trusted him.

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