The pair of Pangolin Tunneling Armors, one large and one small, seemed perpetually asleep in the bamboo basket until now. Crawling onto the ground, they stirred as if waking from a dream, their bodies stretching. The sound of their sharp claws scraping the earth betrayed their immense inner strength. Many among the robbers, unfamiliar with the creatures, instinctively backed away a few steps, fearful they might cause harm.

At this moment, Hua Ling and Old Yang Ren stepped forward shoulder to shoulder, gripping the copper rings on the Pangolin Tunneling Armors and pressing them firmly to the ground. The armored beasts kicked their four legs in ceaseless struggle, but they were restrained by the rings locking their vital points; even with the power to break stone and penetrate mountains, escape proved difficult.

The Pangolin Tunneling Armor was a strange creature of this world. Although its appearance closely resembled the Scaly Earthworm Armor, significant differences existed between the two. Over two millennia ago, tomb robbers had managed to tame the Earthworm Armor. By feeding it rare elixirs and medicinal provisions, they encouraged the extreme development of its forelimbs. Through long-term conditioning, it could be used as a formidable digging tool for tomb raiding, hence the ancient name, Pangolin Tunneling Armor.

At that time, most ancient tombs featured mound-shaped earth coverings, often resembling an overturned bowl or bell. Even if they lacked an underground palace or netherworld hall, the interiors were usually wooden sarcophagi, constructed with layered timber in the Huangchang Ticou¹ formation; few utilized burial bricks extensively, and large mausoleums carved directly into mountains were rare. Ordinary grave mounds of rammed earth offered no resistance to the sharp claws of the Pangolin Tunneling Armor.

Later tomb construction gradually incorporated anti-theft experience. Stones became larger and increasingly dense, with molten copper and iron poured into the seams to seal them, causing the Pangolin Tunneling Armor to gradually lose its utility. However, it remained highly effective against common graves in the cold, damp regions of the Xiang-Qian mountains. This ancient technique of utilizing the Pangolin Tunneling Armor, lost since the Tang Dynasty, is now known only to the Mountain Movers, remaining one of the deepest secrets of the Mountain Moving Arts.

The Mountain Movers do not employ the acupoint-piercing methods of the Gold Touch or Ridge Unloading schools. The Gold Touch Officers, relying on the precise art of Fen Jin Ding Xue (Gold Division and Acupoint Fixing), customarily use the Whirlwind Shovel to drill shafts. The Ridge Unloading bandits, with their superior numbers, could overwhelm even the largest earth mounds through sheer mass digging. But the Mountain Movers historically relied on the Earth Digging Armors—collectively known as the "Three Nails and Four Armors." The Pangolin Tunneling Armor is only one of the "Four Armors." Outside of Xiang and Qian provinces, this specific art cannot be employed. Nevertheless, they are adept at adapting to local conditions, also using other Earth Digging Armors, all falling under the "Cutting" principle (Qie Zi Jue) of mountain excavation and grave robbing.

Zhegushao instructed Hua Ling to retrieve several bamboo tubes, filled to the brim with Red-Headed Giant Ants, weighing several pounds. He first fed the two Pangolin Tunneling Armors until they were half-full, then dragged them to the base of the mountain. He smeared the medicinal bait onto the spot where the civet had previously bled and urged them to excavate the earth and stone there.

The Pangolin Tunneling Armors, creatures that instinctively burrow into mountains, especially favored the heavy Yin-infused soil and rock near graves. The slightly smaller one took the lead, its body hunched forward, its thick armor vibrating. Its hooking claws flipped and churned so rapidly they blurred the eye, carving hard earth as easily as scooping soft tofu, piercing the mountain effortlessly.

Old Yang Ren held onto the other, much larger Pangolin Tunneling Armor, tying a chain to its copper ring to prevent it from tunneling into the mountain alongside the first. These two creatures were intrinsically linked; capturing one ensured the other would not stray or escape midway. However, the chain was deliberately kept short, agitating the larger one into spinning wildly on the ground, further widening the already excavated tunnel opening.

Although the Ridge Unloading bandits were seasoned tomb raiders, they had never witnessed such methods and stood stunned. It turned out the two Pangolin Tunneling Armors, despite their size difference, were a perfect pair for coordinated attack: one excavated the horizontal and vertical passages, while the other enlarged the tunnel's diameter. Their speed in digging and boring through earth was almost unimaginable to ordinary men; had they not seen it with their own eyes, who would believe such a strange technique existed?

The tunnel opened by the Pangolin Tunneling Armors was wide enough for a man to move through crouching. The angle was parallel to the ground, cutting straight into the sloping mountain base. The distance to the underground palace behind the barbican city was not short. Despite the divine speed and ferocity of the twin armors, penetrating directly to the central chamber would undoubtedly require considerable effort.

Zhegushao seized the opportunity to sit cross-legged on the ground, closing his eyes to conserve energy. Once the twin armors breached the underground palace, they had no idea what dangers awaited them in this remarkably structured ancient tomb. He could only hear the muffled roars echoing within the mountain, presuming the Ridge Unloading leader, Old Blind Chen, had already led his men to set explosives and blast the mountain open. Yet, Zhegushao knew clearly that Mount Bottle’s structure was solid, and its soil tightly packed. Blasting open the stone from the sunny side would not be accomplished in a day or two. If the Pangolin Tunneling Armors met no resistance, they should reach the main tomb chamber sometime after dark. He wondered what the elixirs and scattered pearls within the tomb might be, but since they had arrived, haste was futile. There was nothing left but to slowly row the boat and catch the drunken fish, waiting for developments, gradually letting his spirit drift beyond worldly concerns, like a high monk entering deep meditation.

The Ridge Unloading bandits dared not disturb him, so they rested nearby at the foot of the mountain. Miss Hong, having spent the past few days near Zhegushao, observed his resourcefulness, his casual demeanor, and his crisp speech. He was entirely unlike the men of Ever-Victorious Mountain, from Chen Luo down to countless followers, who were either boorish and rude or filled solely with ambitions of dominance. Only by marrying someone like him could her life be truly fulfilled. She felt a pang of regret for her vow never to marry, realizing the truth in the saying, "Looking at the bright moon from the tower at night, only Chang’e remains unmarried." Contemplating this, she let out a soft sigh, but her mind was made up: come what may, in the future, she would follow him, regardless of oaths or curses. Still, she wondered if this Mountain Mover had ever taken a wife.

With this thought, Miss Hong quietly approached Hua Ling, Zhegushao’s junior apprentice sister. However, such a direct inquiry was awkward, so she decided to circle around: "Little sister, you are so beautiful, are you seventeen or eighteen this year? Whoever marries you will be blessed in their past life. Has your senior brother arranged a match for you yet?"

Hua Ling was unfamiliar with such customs and replied in surprise, "Sister, why would my senior brother arrange my marriage? My parents are still alive. Although they are bedridden, they still..."

Miss Hong insisted, "Logically speaking, since your esteemed father and mother are indisposed, such important matters should be the concern of the senior brother. Men should marry and women should wed; as the saying goes, 'once a radish is pulled, the earth widens.' If you marry, it eases your brother's mind. Your senior brother always looks troubled, as if carrying heavy burdens; I wonder if he has ever thought about these things for you. Has... has he married himself? Probably not, he’s been too occupied."

Hua Ling was only seventeen and rarely interacted with outsiders; she couldn't grasp Miss Hong’s true meaning, only finding her questions rather strange. However, many among the Ridge Unloading bandits were veterans of the pleasure quarters. Those with sharp ears likely guessed Miss Hong’s intentions. Hearing her roundabout questioning of the young girl about whether the Mountain Mover had taken a wife, they couldn't help but chuckle internally, surprised that even this ice-beauty had a romantic inclination.

The more they thought about it, the funnier it seemed. One bandit couldn't hold back and let out a small laugh, which Miss Hong clearly heard. She knew she had messed up; in her haste, she forgot that secrets shared within the mountain cleft could be overheard by others.

Angered, she immediately slapped him backhanded, knocking out two of the bandit’s front teeth. The others, aware of her formidable temper—she dared to strike even Old Lame Luo, let alone the Ridge Unloading Chief—knew better than to provoke her. The underlings from Ever-Victorious Mountain quickly composed themselves, feigning indifference, making the atmosphere intensely awkward.

Miss Hong’s face burned, and she wished she could crawl into a crack in the earth. Just then, Old Yang Ren emerged from the tunnel, dragging the two Pangolin Tunneling Armors behind him. He reported to Zhegushao, "The mountain has been pierced; wind is rising and water flows." "Wind rising and water flowing" (Feng Sheng Shui Qi) was a common code phrase in tomb raiding. "Wind" referred to air circulation within the ancient tomb, indicating no stagnant, miasmic energy. The barbican city at the front of Mount Bottle was sealed off, serving as a decoy; hence, there were no poisonous insects. The tunnel dug by the Pangolin Tunneling Armors cut directly into the sealed passage behind the barbican. "Water" signified "wealth" or "funerary objects"; the presence of "water" confirmed the existence of a netherworld hall and underground palace.

Hearing this, Zhegushao rose and immediately ordered everyone to prepare to enter the tunnel. He strapped a kerosene lamp to his body, checked his two German-made box pistols loaded with full clips, and pulled a black veil over his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. The rest of the men swiftly organized themselves, disassembled the Centipede Climbing Ladders, and carried them, standing in formation before the tunnel entrance, awaiting orders.

Seeing everyone prepared, Zhegushao lifted the Angry Sun Chicken from the bamboo basket. The rooster, with its multicolored plumage and golden talons, seemed to sense the presence of a mortal enemy in Mount Bottle’s tomb, aware that a life-or-death battle lay ahead. It immediately lifted its head, surveyed the area, flapped its wings, and crowed fiercely, its spirit exceptionally aroused.

Zhegushao nodded subtly. Whether the rooster understood human speech or not, he addressed it publicly, instructing it to use whatever skills it possessed today—skills it had displayed since being saved from the butcher’s cleaver at the Jinfeng Village mountain folk’s home—lest it tarnish the reputation of the Angry Sun Golden Rooster, or fail to repay the life-saving kindness of the Mountain Movers.

The dozen or so Ridge Unloading bandits who witnessed this knew the Angry Sun Chicken could drive away tomb vermin and centipedes. They had all seen the Six-Winged Centipede emerge from the deep, misty clouds, realizing ordinary firearms were useless against it. They thought that if this large rooster could dispel all poisons and allow the Mountain Movers and Ridge Unloading to seize the tomb’s treasures, they would gladly address it as "Rooster Lord" in the future. The lives and fortunes of the entire group now depended on it.

Zhegushao then dispatched four men: two to Mount Bottle to report to Old Blind Chen. Hearing the intermittent sounds of explosions from the mountain, he surmised the engineering troops on the summit had yet to make headway. Since the tunnel at the mountain base was connected, he asked Old Blind Chen to bring his men down to rendezvous. The other two remained at the tunnel entrance to manage communications.

The rest followed Zhegushao into the tomb. After setting up necessary arrangements, he led the group into the excavated passage. The bandits carried many iron spikes. After walking a distance, they drove two spikes into the tunnel wall, crossing them to support a simple leather lantern as a marker for illumination.

Continuing onward, they observed that the tunnel, bored by the Pangolin Tunneling Armors, was remarkably wide and smooth. Men could advance without stooping, only needing to bend at the waist. The bandits marvelled that the twin armors had penetrated not only hard earth but also many solid rock strata, constantly praising the remarkable efficacy of the Pangolin Tunneling Armor technique.

The length of the tunnel was shorter than Zhegushao had estimated, but it still spanned several hundred paces. The bandits moved cautiously through the crawlspace. After a long journey, they reached the end, emerging onto a sloping ramp. The stone slabs covering the ramp had been pushed aside. Holding their torches high, they surveyed the surroundings: the lower area was sealed off by massive stone blocks with no gaps, while the upper parts featured enormous vaulted ceilings of bluestone.

Occasionally, a few swiftly fleeing centipedes or similar creatures darted out from cracks in the rock face. Due to inherent biological opposition, these creatures were natural enemies of the Angry Sun Chicken, and seeing it, they only had the instinct to flee for their lives. Normally, all the poisonous insects within the mountain would exhale toxic miasma in the darkness of night, but at the cry of the Angry Sun Chicken, not a single poisonous insect dared to release venom. They scurried desperately into the deepest fissures of the mountain, striving to get as far away from this natural predator as possible.

Zhegushao knew this ancient tomb was riddled with traps and mechanisms, so he dared not underestimate the danger. He advanced slowly along the wide ramp, the bandits following close behind, carrying the Centipede Climbing Ladders flanking him. Not far in, they saw an extremely large stone tablet on the rock wall. Four characters, written with vigorous, flowing strokes, adorned it. Zhegushao lifted his lamp to read: "Red Dust Reflection" (Hong Chen Dao Ying). He had no idea what it signified.

Upon reaching the end of the slope and passing through a stone beam carved with swirling cloud dragons, their vision suddenly opened to a dazzling array of lights. Within a vast cavern carved out of the mountain, several multi-eaved, hip-and-gable roofed palaces stood in rows. The halls towered, the pavilions loomed grandly, with intricately arranged flying eaves and Dougong brackets, embellished with carved beams and painted rafters, yet maintaining an atmosphere of solemn majesty. Lights blazed brilliantly, layer upon layer, extending beyond sight both inside and outside the halls, making the golden bricks and jade tiles exceptionally brilliant.

Stone vapor rose from the rock strata within the cavern, causing incense smoke to swirl through the palace, which shone like the Milky Way, imparting an indescribable, ancient mystery—a scene akin to a celestial paradise. Yet, situated within the mountain belly, it felt particularly grim, shrouded by clouds and mist, appearing incredibly unreal, ethereal and shimmering like an illusion reflected in water—no wonder the tablet read "Red Dust Reflection."

It turned out that although Mount Bottle was solid, the mountain’s constant tilt had created numerous fissures, large and small, that were difficult to discern from the outside. Inside the mountain was a treasure trove of Feng Shui, where vital energy continuously surged. Ancient artifacts stored within remained as new as the day they were placed. The ten-thousand-year candles and glazed lamps between the terraces and halls were arranged precisely according to stellar constellations, intricate yet orderly, presenting a majestic and rigorous atmosphere.

This place was originally the "Immortal Palace" built and maintained since the Qin and Han dynasties, dedicated to the emperor’s consumption and refinement of elixirs. Many relics dated from different periods, but all bore the mark of imperial heritage. Those glazed lamps held precious millennia-old candles and lamps that could burn for ten thousand years; a tiny wick could keep them lit for a thousand years without extinguishing. Even after several centuries, most lamps and candles were still burning, especially the Eight Treasure Glazed Lamps, still radiating a splendid luster under their own candlelight.

The bandits followed Zhegushao, stunned speechless by this palace complex resembling an immortal realm within a bottle. Their greedy eyes were fixated, and even with their vast appetites, they had never dreamed of such a massive netherworld hall; the ancient lamps alone seemed inexhaustible.

Hua Ling, having been out of the mountains for less than half a year and having seen little of the world, felt a chill in her heart as she sensed an ominous aura enveloping the deep parts of the palace. She clutched Zhegushao’s arm and hid behind him, asking, "Senior Brother, that strange place ahead... it looks like a Daoist temple for refining elixirs. How can it be a netherworld hall for the dead?"

Zhegushao had begun grave robbing with the previous generation of Mountain Movers at the age of thirteen. He had plundered massive imperial tombs and those of feudal lords. Although the underground palaces in those mausoleums were luxurious and magnificent, none possessed the celestial aura of the scene before him. It was as if an entire Daoist holy mountain had been transplanted into the cave. Yet, the profound Yin energy within the mountain made it feel like a ghost palace, utterly lacking in immortal aura.

At Hua Ling’s question, Zhegushao replied casually, "Seeking immortality through ingestion? Heh heh... it was merely an emperor's spring dream. Later, when the state crumbled, this Immortal Palace and Golden Hall was ultimately used as a tomb by a great general from the Yuan Dynasty. I will go over and see the Western Hunan Corpse King in the Immortal Palace... to check if it has three heads and six arms, or if it’s covered in bronze skin and iron armor."

¹Huangchang Ticou: "Huangchang" refers to the square logs of cypress wood stacked around the coffin chamber. "Ticou" refers to the manner in which the ends of the logs were uniformly faced inward, signifying the box-like structure built with cypress logs surrounding the inner chamber of Western Han imperial tombs.