Stove

I swiftly closed the walkie-talkie, and in the midst of the pounding heartbeat, the surroundings plunged into absolute silence. Uncertain whether I had truly heard a mocking laughter moments ago or if it was merely my imagination running wild in this eerie and mysterious environment, my nerves instantly reached their limit. I dared not linger, fearing that any slight movement might drive me to madness.

I found myself in this situation again, trapped in the unknown darkness that unsettled my heart. As I rummaged through my backpack, my eyes constantly scanned the vicinity of the burning pit, a fear gripping me, dreading that something might silently observe me from above.

This backpack belonged to Zhao Min, whom I had taken over carrying after she injured her leg. Thus, I was clueless about its contents. Fumbling inside, I discovered a folded entrenching tool, bringing unexpected joy. Opening the shovel head, I chiseled a foothold into the pit's wall stained with human oil. Fortunately, due to repeated burning, the rock's hardness had significantly diminished. With the entrenching tool in hand, both a climbing aid and a weapon, I gained a semblance of security.

Realizing the danger of being alone, my immediate priority was to reunite with Hansheng and the others. The illumination from the glow sticks had limited coverage, so I turned around and noticed a small door. Walking through it revealed a long corridor.

Though the mine tunnels twisted and turned, the vertical and inclined shafts inside were meticulously designed. Multiple entrances were typically set to avoid intersecting with mining layers. Comparing my location with the spot where Hansheng and the others had entered, I deduced that I was one level deeper, beneath their mining level.

If they hadn't descended yet, I should find the way up first. Even if I couldn't locate them, finding the entrance they used would be beneficial. In this perilous place, every second was tormenting.

Calculating in my mind, I proceeded down the corridor. After a short distance, a side archway appeared. Boldly, I entered, feeling a chill in the air, suggesting a spacious area with echoing footsteps.

Holding the glow stick aloft, I cast light into the darkness, revealing a massive shadow. Initially startled, I later realized it was some form of structure. Approaching it from different angles, I discovered a large furnace, resembling a modern blast furnace.

This unexpected find puzzled me. If it were for smelting ore, it should be located outside the mine pit. Moreover, these individuals from the Qing Dynasty were clearly here for the Fox Emperor's tomb below. Why would they be mining here?

Perplexed, I inspected the furnace closely. It stood six or seven meters tall, with a minimum bottom diameter of four meters and a slight narrowing in the middle. Opening the door at the bottom, I crouched inside and found walls about 5-60 centimeters thick. Different from the exterior walls made of gravel stones, the inside was constructed with refractory sandy clay. I discovered charcoal, green stones, and some unmelted ore chunks.

Standing up, it dawned on me that this ancient furnace was indeed used for iron smelting. In that era, iron was typically smelted using charcoal and catalyzed by green stones. However, the question lingered—why would there be a smelting furnace here? Did the Yushan team, primarily a tomb-raiding force, also dabble in blacksmithing? Did they stumble upon iron ore while digging the tomb and decide to make some extra money by forging iron goods? It sounded absurd.

Frustrated by the lack of answers, I decided to leave. Just as my glow stick flickered, I noticed a peculiar wall behind the furnace. Investigating, I discovered that what appeared to be an arched doorway was sealed, using the same construction method as before, topped with a layer of black dry skin. It looked strangely familiar, resembling the black dog blood we had encountered earlier.

Knowing the purpose of black dog blood, an indication that those individuals believed something inside was impure, my intuition told me that whatever lay sealed within was connected to this smelting furnace, the missing piece of truth.

Suppressing the urge to press my ear against the wall to listen for any sounds, I left the smelting room, convinced that whatever was sealed inside was beyond my capability as an amateur to handle.

Continuing down the lengthy corridor without any branches, I walked for about fifteen minutes before encountering a partially open stone chamber. Simultaneously, my eyelids twitched, and my breathing quickened because at the center of the chamber lay a coffin, tightly bound with iron chains.

Pausing for a moment, I approached slowly. Facing the coffin, there was a small door that required passing by the coffin's side to reach. Thankfully, this semi-open space allowed me to hug the wall, maintaining a distance of over two meters from the coffin.

As I reached the coffin's side, I held my breath. This coffin was extraordinary, adorned with strange paintings in gold lacquer and two passages of unreadable text. The drawings seemed to depict a grand project, with countless workers toiling on slopes. Ancient art tends to be abstract, so my guesses were broad. While studying, I suddenly exclaimed, recognizing a figure in one of the depictions.

The person did not reveal his face, just a tall figure. Contemplating these words, a flash in my mind suddenly reminded me. Back when we were at the Chaoxian Tomb, we discovered a mural. In that mural, there was a figure clad in Daoist robes, exceptionally tall, overseeing construction. The resemblance between that image and the depiction on this coffin was striking. No, it wasn't just a resemblance; it was too coincidental. Two tombs, both featuring depictions of the same person. In ancient times, individuals with exceptionally tall stature were often regarded as anomalies, not casually wandering around.

Excitement surged within me at this realization. Chaoxian Tomb had three layers, constructed in different eras. I recall that one layer was built during the Tang Dynasty, matching the era depicted in the mural. Could it be that the person in the painting was the same, overseeing the construction of grand tombs in Wumeng and Fox Hu Kingdom?

After careful consideration, I dismissed this speculation. The mural's location was on the second level of Chaoxian Tomb, which, based on style and protocol, should be a Han tomb. How could a mural from the Tang Dynasty appear in a Han tomb?

This raised questions. How could someone live for so long, spanning the vast history from the Han to the Tang Dynasty? Could this really be a coincidence? Yet, I refused to believe it was mere chance. Second Master's information pointing to the Fox Hu King's tomb was not without purpose. There must be a reason, perhaps a connection to the investigations my father and the others conducted. This correlation made me believe it couldn't be a coincidence.

I decided not to dwell on these perplexing matters for now. The current situation was already strange enough. Was this coffin placed here just for people to conveniently observe the paintings on top of it?

Considering the coffin's peculiar position, could it be that what Yushan wanted to excavate initially was related to these paintings? That was my assumption, but I dared not approach to confirm. The iron chains on the coffin were thicker than my wrist, evidently a precaution against something. After so many years, I wondered if whatever they guarded so carefully had returned to dust.

Passing by the coffin, beside the small door ahead, there was a vertical shaft I hadn't noticed before. The shaft wasn't large, with two planks about the width for one or two people. Two iron chains were suspended above.

This mechanism resembled the wells we had back home when I was a child, where planks served as handles for lifting buckets. However, the control for ascent and descent wasn't on the well; instead, it relied on the two iron chains. These chains worked similarly to the pull cords for window curtains, with one pulling up while the other lowered.

I didn't immediately ascend; usually, vertical shafts were for transporting people up and down. Unlike the wide wells I was accustomed to, this one could only accommodate one or two people at a time, somewhat like a private elevator within.

Glancing at the small door not far away, this stone chamber had a CEO's office vibe. Whether the unique coffin outside or this internal elevator, they weren't designed for the general populace. Judging from this, it seemed likely that behind this small door was the CEO's office.

I hesitated for a moment, abandoning the urge to ascend immediately. Holding the glow stick, I entered the small door. As expected, it led to a very private room. Two bookshelves were in the corner, facing a desk and a high-backed chair. To the right, there was a display table with various scattered items.

Upon entering, my attention was drawn to a sandalwood box on the desk. These boxes were moisture-resistant and insect-proof, precious even in the Qing Dynasty. Such a valuable box must surely contain something important.

Holding my breath, I delicately picked up the box and gently opened it. On top was a piece of Shu brocade handkerchief, beneath which lay a stack of letters.

My spirits lifted, as letters were the best carriers for preserving historical records. Countless secrets were passed down through them. Carefully picking up the top letter, the aged yellow cover displayed the recipient's name. In the upper left corner was a distinctive red seal – the character "Xiu," resembling a woman's signature. It seemed to be a private letter for this high-ranking official, as official documents typically carried seals from various departments.

Continuing down to read the name, I was momentarily stunned. Could it be this coincidental?

Cao Hansheng.