Chapter 18 Letters from Home

Another Cao Hansheng. In my recollection, Hansheng mentioned that his name was given by Second Master. Speaking of Second Master, I know very little about him. However, he doesn't strike me as someone who would engage in meaningless endeavors. Therefore, this name might carry some significance. Moreover, this Cao Hansheng belonged to the Imperial Mountain during the Qing Dynasty, just like Second Master. This connection deepens the mystery. I was astonished; explaining it as a coincidence seems too forced.

While pondering the reasons behind this, I suddenly recalled something. Subsequently, a bold idea crossed my mind. However, I didn't delve into it immediately; I was somewhat startled by my own thoughts. I need to consult Old He about this; only he can verify my speculations.

Deciding to temporarily set aside this thought, I turned my attention to the content of the letters. Despite the passage of centuries, the paper used was high-quality Shengxuan. Although some parts had yellowed, the acidic aging stains were minimal, ensuring relatively intact preservation.

Considering the circumstances, this was already commendable. Paper acidification and aging primarily result from factors within the paper, such as raw materials, additives, and copying techniques. If it were regular paper, it might not even be readable now.

The Han seal script, also known as regular script, was popular during the Qing Dynasty. I had some foundation in it, allowing me to decipher the content of the letters roughly.

The first letter was a family letter from Cao Hansheng's wife, stating that, given the urgency of the project, he didn't need to return for the Golden Festival. She would take care of the children and his mother. Then came some words of taking care of his health.

Picking up the next letter, it was more verbose. It expressed the idea that one should bear the worries of the lord's stipend and military responsibility, as a military commander should set an example. The younger one was sensible and wouldn't blame him. However, he must fulfill the promises of the wooden horse and wooden sword before the Spring Festival. After the festival, the younger one would go to a private school. When they went to see the teacher, the teacher mentioned his exceptional talent, foreseeing him becoming a pillar of the court.

This letter contained two key pieces of information. First, Cao Hansheng was unexpectedly the general of the Imperial Mountain, the highest-ranking officer of this unit, and likely the tomb raider mentioned by Hansheng.

Secondly, roughly calculating, the Golden Festival for the Manchu was on the tenth day of the tenth month, and the Spring Festival was on the first day of the first month. If there were no other letters in between, these two letters were separated by nearly three months. Although seemingly insignificant, it implied a lot.

Firstly, based on these two replies, we could infer that General Cao extended his stay, likely informing his wife of this decision. As the highest-ranking officer at that time, if it weren't for an important tomb, he could have delegated the task to his subordinates without personally overseeing it. It didn't make sense for the general to be directly involved.

Moreover, according to the previous speculations, Cao Hansheng must be a Feng Shui master. He should have a good understanding of the size, era, and location of the tomb. Why would he repeatedly extend his stay? It seemed that unexpected events beyond his initial calculations occurred during the excavation, leading to this situation.

The following letters were of similar content, but it was evident that the general's wife was becoming increasingly worried. She inquired about why this task was taking so long, among other things.

After a considerable time gap, the subsequent letters revealed the wife's complaints. The general hadn't written for a long time, causing concern for the younger one and the elderly mother. The sudden influx of silver notes also puzzled her, as the family was already financially sufficient.

I suddenly had a bad feeling and looked at the next letter. Surprisingly, it lacked the recipient's name. As I unfolded the letter, my heart skipped a beat. This letter was completely different from the previous notes. After reading a few lines, I understood. This family letter was written by the general himself, but strangely, it was not sent.

Continuing to read, the general explained that it wasn't that he didn't want to return home. Instead, this mission was peculiar, and he felt fear about what he had unearthed. He metaphorically expressed, "It seems I've dug up the gateway to the Underworld."

Apart from this explanation, there was a section with instructions to his wife: take care of the younger one and the elderly mother. She should swiftly move away with the steward Li's family and hide in their hometown. If there was a chance, he would return to reunite with them.

The letter seemingly concluded here, but there was an additional sheet afterward. Its gist was that the general was uncertain if this letter could be sent. "That person" had sealed everything here, and he found it too dangerous to continue digging. Even the official letters reporting to the court were intercepted. He was aware that his time was running out, fearing the worst. If someone found this letter, he hoped they would bring his remains back to his hometown, providing detailed address and gratitude.

In the final sentence, Cao Hansheng expressed his gratitude.

After reading this letter, I tried to piece together the truth of the events at that time. General Cao, leading the Imperial Mountain, was called to excavate the tomb of Fox Hu King. However, it seemed he didn't know what lay beneath.

Furthermore, the letter mentioned "that person," whose identity remained uncertain. From the general's tone, there seemed to be a sense of "fear." Perhaps this fear stemmed from an official rank, as the Qing Dynasty's hierarchy was strict. Or it could be due to some other status. Regardless, this mission was unusually different, not directly ordered from higher authorities but assigned by this higher-ranking official, "leading" them to excavate the tomb.

This also explained why the general couldn't send out the letters in the end. From the past letters, it was evident that Cao Hansheng had never mentioned this mission to his wife. This could be due to the external letters being monitored, and also, he didn't know what the mission truly entailed. Everything was dictated by "that person."

Before I could think further, in the quiet and lifeless stone chamber, a sound of iron chains scraping suddenly echoed. My heart skipped a beat, followed by rapid thumping. I stiffly turned my head towards the stone chamber's entrance, as if to confirm my speculation. Outside, accompanied by the sliding of iron chains, there was a clattering sound.

My feet weakened, and I retreated to the wall, peering outside. Indeed, it was the coffin by the door. The stone coffin lid was being lifted from the inside, but due to the bound iron chains, it wasn't directly pushed open; it kept rising and falling with each attempt.

I was on the verge of tears. Encountering a millennia-old corpse like this was incredibly unlucky. Even the coffin of a tomb raider like Cao Hansheng had to be locked. It indicated how dangerous the occupant inside must be.

Before it fully rose, I initially thought of leaving quickly. However, just as I took a step, the

 coffin shook again, and the coffin lid tilted to the side. I immediately retracted my step. I lost the courage to run over in case the ancient corpse inside bumped into me as soon as I reached the coffin.

I looked around, and Cao Hansheng's office was a dead end. There was no place to hide or escape. While anxiously seeking an exit, the coffin shook again. The stone lid was almost pushed open, and a hand with curved fingernails reached out. The stone coffin then quieted down, leaving the hand suspended in the air.

My heart was about to leap into my throat. Images of the ancient corpse sitting up, turning its head, and locking eyes with me raced through my mind.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck. I saw the vertical well outside the stone chamber. Although I didn't know where it led, it was better than waiting here to die. Without much thought, I rushed over. I pulled each of the iron chains on the left and right. The right one was for ascending, and with alternating pulls, the platform beneath my feet slowly rose. However, due to the long period, the pulleys above had some rust. Every pull emitted a harsh metallic friction sound. In this silent mine, it felt particularly eerie.

The well was quite long. After ascending about five or six meters, when I felt it was about to end, the platform suddenly swayed. Subsequently, it sank a bit. I silently cursed. Something below was pulling the other iron chain.

I quickly tried to pull the ascending chain, but whatever was below had unexpectedly strong force. The platform descended a bit more, and it seemed the ancient corpse had noticed me.

This wasn't a solution. Anxiously looking around, I realized that my current position wasn't far from the well opening. Without much consideration, I used my mouth to hold the glow stick, stepped on the platform, and leaped up. I grabbed the other iron chain, and as the platform was pulled downward, the chain I held onto was lifted up.

I clung to the well opening, flipped over, and used the glow stick to illuminate. I saw that this place was also a corridor. Meanwhile, the iron chain in the well was shaking violently. I looked down, and something was climbing up along the chain.

I cursed inwardly, picked up the glow stick, and ran. Initially, I thought of analyzing the direction, but now, completely lost, I just hoped to find a way up. Fortunately, this level wasn't far from the exit. If there was an upward passage, it was probably the well opening connecting to the surface.

Thinking so, an entrance to a stone chamber appeared in front of me. Driven by the possibility of an exit, I directly turned in. However, I didn't expect the stone chamber to turn into a pit. I couldn't brake in time and fell down.