King Hu Hu

"Perhaps what the Fox Huhu King desires is the eternal life of all things!"

I clapped my hands, capturing the attention of several people, and remarked, "Li Xin's analysis is quite accurate. The envoy from Bashu likely presented the Fox Huhu King with an elixir of immortality, or an incomplete formula. The Fox Huhu King used that formula to create an army of living dead, hence his belief in the existence of the elixir of immortality. In return, he promised the envoy to construct this Spirit Suppression Tower."

"Unbelievable," Big Head skeptically looked at me. "According to what you're saying, the envoy went to great lengths just to offer warmth. With such abilities, why wouldn't they use it for themselves, instead of building this dilapidated tower?"

"Location!" Li Xin hit the nail on the head. "This location is crucial. In a certain sense, building this tower might be more important than achieving longevity."

We all fell into contemplation. What was the true purpose of the people who traveled from Bashu to this place? It was a question that perplexed everyone, but one thing was certain – this Spirit Suppression Tower held an importance beyond imagination.

After some more discussions without reaching any conclusions, Big Head stored away the bronze object from the human-faced fox's neck, and we continued our journey.

Not long after, the staircase reached its end, and two doors had already been opened by someone. Inside was pitch black, indicating that we had reached the second level of the Spirit Suppression Tower.

Han Sheng whispered, "It seems we guessed right. The Fox Huhu King is indeed practicing alchemy here."

Zhao Min looked at him strangely and asked, "How do you know?"

Han Sheng pointed at his nose, closed his eyes, and sniffed. He discerned, "Lead, cinnabar, saltpeter. Most likely used for the Fox Huhu King's alchemical processes."

After checking that there were no traps at the entrance, we entered through the door. The space inside was vast, and Han Sheng's flashlight was running low on power. Big Head illuminated the surroundings with his light.

"Brother, you're truly skillful," Old Wan marveled at the two rows of enormous alchemical furnaces.

Left in awe, Big Head exclaimed, "These dragon heads are quite majestic."

Standing in front of one of the furnaces, Han Sheng shook his head and said, "It's not a dragon, it's a 'kui.'"

It was my first time hearing about 'kui.' Curious, I went over to see. Each furnace had an imposing animal head resembling a dragon. They looked like totems or some kind of emblem.

Li Xin stopped in front of another furnace, seemingly discovering something. "Come and see, there's something peculiar about the reliefs on this furnace."

I looked over and saw several giants carrying mountains and chasing the moon carved on the furnace in front of him. I quickly turned to the one in front of me, where an old man soaring in the wind was depicted, with mountains, rivers, and earth beneath his feet. As I shifted my gaze to others, each was different – a general riding a horse with a sword, fierce mythical beasts, and more, each with extraordinary abilities.

I had a thought that these reliefs might represent the effects of the elixirs inside the furnaces. I looked at Li Xin, who was also looking at me. "Very likely, but probably not as exaggerated," he commented.

Suddenly, Big Head exclaimed, calling me to come over. As I approached, I saw a person sitting cross-legged in the clouds on the relief before him. In the left hand was the sun, and in the right hand was the moon. I remarked, "This is clear – 'to live and die with the sun and moon.' It probably signifies immortality."

To my surprise, Big Head shook his head, directed the flashlight upwards, and asked me to look. I examined the furnace and saw that its lid had a gap that seemed to have been opened before our arrival.

Big Head handed me the flashlight and said, "Shine it for me, I'll go up and take a look. If there's an elixir, I'll split two hundred years with you."

I was frightened by the proposition and quickly tried to stop him, but I stumbled over a pit in the floor. Big Head turned back, puzzled, "Why are you kneeling to me?"

Annoyed, I scolded him, "Kneel your big head. I tripped over something." I used the flashlight to inspect and found a groove about a foot wide. Following the groove with the light, I discovered it extended deep into the tomb.

Han Sheng came over, smelled it, and said, "It's oil."

"Underground river?" Big Head suggested.

Hearing this, Han Sheng lit a match and set the groove on fire. The bright flame quickly burned along the groove, illuminating the tomb, revealing a magnificent structure in front of us.

The building had a trapezoidal structure, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with approximately five or six floors in height. In the middle was a staircase leading straight up. The exterior resembled a Taoist temple, with two open shrines on the left and right sides, each about a meter high, containing statues. There were likely more inside, but from our position, we could only see these.

The stone steps leading to the altar were steep. Climbing up, we noticed many grotesque creatures carved under the hollowed-out steps – yakshas digging into human livers, evil pythons gnawing on skulls, and many small demons struggling to climb the stairs, making people feel uneasy.

Big Head, with a disdainful expression, remarked, "The Fox Huhu King is quite perverted."

Li Xin smiled and explained, "This is actually a kind of ideology. If I'm not mistaken, this staircase should have ninety-nine steps, representing the 'ninety-nine sorrows of separation.' Above the steps is the immortal realm of Taoism, and below is the reincarnation hell. By constructing such a staircase, the Fox Huhu King probably wants to convey that ascending it would secure a place among the immortals."

Big Head, unimpressed, said, "Whether one becomes an immortal is not important. Just let me grab a few valuable items; that's the key."

At the end of the stairs was the altar, with two censers on top, a dark brown object that seemed to be a cushion, and scattered bottles and jars.

Zhao Min wanted to go up, but Han Sheng stopped her, pointing to the ground, "Look."

I finally noticed a row of footprints on the ground, which seemed to be quite old and not very clear. Looking around, I was stunned. Only the footprints coming from inside the altar were visible, and no footprints leading in other directions.

What did this mean? Was someone walking down from here in the past?

Even Old Wan had beads of sweat on his forehead. We exchanged glances, and he cautiously asked, "Could it be the Qing soldiers?"

I shook my head. "There must have been footprints from the past to make sense." We approached carefully, and Han Sheng found some food residues in the jars

. Zhao Min found water in a chicken-mouthed bottle. Old Wan identified the brown object as a cushion, and it seemed that someone had survived here for quite a long time.

"Second Master."

Han Sheng tossed over a sandalwood box. I took it, and it felt quite heavy. After opening it, there was a golden box inside, and within that was a jade box. I suddenly realized what was inside. As I opened the jade box, a finely crafted jade seal lay quietly inside.

The jade seal had plain walls, uniform color, and a round carving of intertwining dragons as the knob. The dragon claws tightly gripped the seal, displaying a solemn and dignified demeanor. From both the craftsmanship and the quality of the jade, it was undoubtedly an authentic piece.

I handed the jade seal to Old Wan, who was an expert in this field. As soon as he touched it, he could distinguish its authenticity.

He exclaimed, "With the same intertwined dragon knob, the quality is no less than that of Emperor Jiaqing's 'Fuchuntang Treasure' jade seal. To be honest, judging from the color, it even surpasses it by quite a bit. However, the value will take a considerable hit. Second Master, if this is a Qing Dynasty seal, we could live comfortably for the rest of our lives."

I responded, "Indeed, if it's a Qing Dynasty jade seal, we could go back home." 

Although we had made some gains, all of us seemed uneasy, constantly glancing at the long decayed cushion. With the appearance of the jade seal, it was apparent that the person who had meditated here and left was none other than the Fox Huhu King!

The alchemical furnace representing "eternal life" had been opened. There was only one set of footprints descending. Could it be that the Fox Huhu King truly attained his elixir of eternal life?

I had a headache. I had never encountered something so absurd yet compellingly believable. If the Fox Huhu King had achieved immortality, where had he gone?

At that moment, I heard a cry from Big Head. Turning around, he pointed at an empty shrine and shouted, "Damn it, this statue has disappeared."