Patashar saw a woman in Ming Dynasty attire standing motionless on the second floor of the iron structure. A layer of dust covered the iron floor, showing no footprints, suggesting no one had walked there for centuries. Was he seeing a ghost? He let out a cold snort, determined to find out what was strange about this woman. He took two steps forward and raised his hand to slap her shoulder from behind, but his hand passed through empty air.

Patashar’s hand found nothing, and he swiftly pulled back, dodging aside. Where the woman had stood, a cloud of dust suddenly billowed up, spreading throughout the narrow chamber.

The bandits, fearing poison, quickly held their breath and covered their mouths and noses, scattering to avoid it. From the moment Patashar entered this iron structure, he had felt the heavy presence of medicinal vapors, constantly wary of poisonous smoke or traps, and had taken precautions beforehand. But the woman, upon being touched, had instantly dispersed into light, drifting dust, so thick it resembled fog. Within the misty powder, however, no abnormal scent emerged.

Patashar, wearing a glove made of earthen sharkskin, casually swept his hand through the dust cloud before him and held it up to the lamplight for a closer look. What adhered to the glove seemed to be brittle, shattered paper scraps, ground extremely fine, leaving only the faint, skeletal markings of the paper's fibers. It must have been an exquisitely crafted paper figure, left undisturbed in the room for hundreds of years until the fibers had dried out and it disintegrated into ash at the slightest touch. He grew even more perplexed: "Is this woman not human, nor ghost, but a figure made of cut paper? So lifelike, what divine craftsmanship! But since she was dressed in Ming fashion, why would she be in this sealed iron room? What era..."

Patashar had encountered so many strange things in Mount Ping that even with his vast knowledge, he struggled to fathom them. After circling the second-floor iron chamber, seeing no further anomalies—the doors and windows were all tightly locked—he truly found it difficult to understand how the Ming Dynasty paper figure could have been placed there. He even began to doubt his own eyesight. Filled with confusion, he turned and went back downstairs to meet Blind Chen beneath the cassia tree, recounting everything he had witnessed in the open-air room.

Upon hearing the story, Blind Chen also found it astonishing. He racked his brain several times but could not find a single clue. He merely ordered more men to search the other three iron structures, prying and tunneling until every single one was broken open, inside and out. It turned out that these four iron structures were not meant to store imperial treasures. The cavern beneath the well was a secret chamber, and the four pitch-black iron structures were open-air rooms designed to house precious elixirs and classical texts. They uncovered numerous rare artifacts; there were more than a dozen pieces of perfectly formed He Shou Wu alone, but they found no other paper figures in Ming attire in the remaining three rooms.

Blind Chen saw that the haul was considerable. Setting aside whether the pills and pastes from a thousand years ago retained any potency, the very containers—the jars and boxes—were ancient artifacts from the Han and Tang dynasties, each immensely valuable. Yet, they still had not found the old mummy referred to as the "Corpse King of Western Hunan." To give up now would certainly damage his reputation as the leader of the Tomb Raiders; after all, he had lost over a hundred of his men on Mount Ping.

Therefore, Blind Chen decided to continue the search for the great treasure, spreading his crew throughout the cavern where the corpse cassia tree grew. The bandits lit torches to drive the fowl, forming a human wall, meticulously searching every opening and crevice in the surrounding area.

As the search expanded, they gradually discovered that the entire area around the cavern was reinforced with a ring of steel plates and iron walls, forming a courtyard. Besides the four iron structures beneath the cassia tree, there were also alchemy rooms containing brick furnaces and bellows, along with some ancient bronze ritualistic objects. Behind a jade screen was a large door locked from the inside.

Although Blind Chen and Patashar were the pinnacles of the tomb-robbing arts, they had always specialized in raiding ancient tombs. Many items within the alchemy hall were things they had never seen before, causing them to marvel inwardly. After searching several times, they found no trace of the great treasures from the ancient tomb. Finally, they arrived before the large door behind the jade screen and ordered men to smash the lock and pry the door open, determined to proceed deeper.

Blind Chen assessed the terrain of Mount Ping and surmised that beyond this door might lie the base of the rear hall. However, the terrain within the mountain belly was complex and bizarre; there was no trace of the Yuan tomb in the barbican, the main hall, or the elixir well. They had left the rear hall in haste after it was burned, though they recalled seeing burial provisions there—horse bones, weapons, and armor. Given how deep the structure of this elixir well was, perhaps the lowest level of the rear hall also contained secret rooms or hidden caves; the true burial chamber must be nearby.

The Raider Chief, Blind Chen, ordered his subordinates to dismantle the massive door while he and Patashar waited in the courtyard enclosed by the iron walls. At that time, Blind Chen harbored immense ambition. He believed that the assembled ranks of the Xieling Bandits, who constantly engaged in sedition and mass gatherings, were considered "thorns in the side" by the government throughout every dynasty. Although the Xieling faction was powerful, these brigands in times of peace often became the primary targets for government suppression. Now, having chanced upon a period of widespread chaos and warlord contention, it was the perfect time to expand their influence and infiltrate the official sphere of "Mount Kunlun," which he was secretly financing several warlords to do.

Furthermore, Blind Chen was actively recruiting capable and learned individuals from across the land. He sensed that his tomb-raiding skills were perhaps slightly inferior to those of the Mountain Mover Taoist, Patashar. Thus, he had long intended to bring the Mountain Mover Taoist into his fold. With a highly skilled individual like Patashar serving as his right and left arm, he could devote his energies to managing his warlord network; what reason would there be for his grand plans to fail? However, this man was always a loner with exceedingly high standards; persuading him to join was no simple matter.

During this interlude, Blind Chen intended to converse with Patashar, looking for an excuse to bring the Mountain Mover Taoist into his alliance. He then unleashed his nimble tongue, utilizing his silvered speech, starting the conversation with the Corpse King of Western Hunan from the ancient tomb on Mount Ping. He recounted what the guide had said: the deep forests along the Mengdong River region held the most secrets, especially Mount Ping beneath Old Bear Ridge. In the past, people often went up the mountain to collect herbs but were dragged into mountain crevices by zombies, who sucked them dry of blood and marrow. Those few who narrowly escaped claimed the zombie was tall, dressed in a purple robe and gold sash, suggesting from its attire that it was either a noble or a general. Therefore, they called it the Corpse King of Western Hunan. Legend had it that it dared to harm people even in broad daylight, which is why no one dared approach the mountain in recent times. "But we have only seen many poisonous insects on this mountain, never a reanimated spirit. Clearly, the legends spread by the Dongyi people cannot be wholly trusted." Patashar, preoccupied with his own thoughts, casually responded to Blind Chen’s meandering speech: "Chief Chen’s observations are entirely correct. I have heard similar tales from the regions of eastern and western Guangdong. Whenever the remains of a noble are excavated, if the attire is luxurious, especially with a gold belt and jade clasp, the story morphs into a legend of a Corpse King. It seems even zombies can be ranked; a noble’s corpse that transforms is supposedly far more formidable than an ordinary ghoul. The notions held by these ignorant common folk and petty bandits are laughable when spoken aloud."

Blind Chen agreed that his brother spoke wisely. In reality, the means of burial and preservation for the wealthy in life were certainly incomparable to those of the poor. Therefore, when the remains of nobility were unearthed from ancient tombs, the bodies often appeared remarkably lifelike due to the efficacy of the coffin and funerary objects. Conversely, the bodies of the poor buried in mass graves were either dug up and gnawed by wild dogs or eroded by insects and ants; within six months, even the bones would rarely survive intact. Thus, those who were kings and nobles in life still possessed far more dignity in death than common folk, even earning the title of "Corpse King" to frighten us poor tomb-robbing laborers. Thinking of this truly incited anger; it would not be enough unless we looted the tomb to appease the public outrage...

Blind Chen seized the opportunity to pivot the conversation to his main point. He continued, saying that while tomb raiding could bring sudden wealth, outsiders viewed it as an extremely inauspicious profession. Constantly dealing with coffins and burial objects in ancient tombs inevitably stained one with Yin energy. Within their own ranks, they weren't born wanting to dig up ancient relics. But the balance of creation and yin-yang follows its own logic; according to the tenets of your Mountain Mover arts, for everything in the world, there must be a countermeasure, and tomb raiders are the nemesis of those privileged figures of the past.

Considering the current state of the world, disasters and wars followed one after another; when would the common people ever know peace and prosperity? Logically, the wealth inherited by his Chen family ancestors could not be exhausted even in ten generations, but in aiding this turbulent age, it was merely a drop in the bucket. Since he had learned the skills of Xieling tomb raiding, and was elevated by his brothers to become the Raider Chief overseeing the thirteen provinces of the South Seven and North Six regions, he was impatient to merely drift along in the world. He only wished to seize this era of upheaval to raise a righteous banner, using tomb raiding profits to aid the common people.

At this point, Blind Chen sighed, adopting an air of boundless ambition, and continued: "Alas, though my heart is willing, my strength is insufficient; I lack capable men with true skills and genuine means by my side. If you, brother, are willing to join the ranks at Changsheng Mountain, I guarantee you the second golden chair. Our tens of thousands of Xieling bandits at Changsheng Mountain can summon wind and rain. In the future, if you and I join forces..."

Patashar had already sensed his intent. When Chen mentioned joining the faction, he quickly demurred: "Among the three ancient secret arts of tomb raiding—Mojin and Xieling both gather for righteousness and profit to aid the world. Regrettably, the Mountain Mover Taoists do not follow this path. Our ways diverge, so we cannot conspire. Though I appreciate your high regard, I truly cannot agree."

Blind Chen had assumed this Mountain Mover Taoist was now utterly alone, and his speech had been designed to capture hearts: "The Duke of Zhou spits out the offerings, and the world submits." What sincerity he showed by inviting him to join Changsheng Mountain! To be rejected outright surprised and annoyed him slightly. He asked, "The Way of Tomb Raiding is generally understood as 'robbing with a moral code'; must the Way of the Mountain Movers be different? Could you speak frankly, to clear my ignorance?"

Patashar was somewhat disheartened now and had no interest in those schemes of rebellion and dominance. He told him directly: "Little brother has some matters on his mind that are difficult to discuss before others. Since you ask, Elder Brother, I dare not conceal it?" He briefly explained the Mountain Mover Taoists' objective of searching for the Muchen Pearl through tomb raiding. This clue was growing increasingly faint; it seemed the Mountain Mover lineage was down to its last member, as if decreed by Heaven, beyond what human effort could compel. However, as long as he lived, he was bound by his ancestors' injunction to continue searching for this pearl in ancient tombs across the land.

Blind Chen suddenly understood; it was a quest for an "immortality elixir." He laughed: "Why didn't you say so sooner? Once we return from Mount Ping, Elder Brother will send more men to investigate leads everywhere..." Being skilled at winning people over, he was about to make sweeping promises to resolve Patashar’s difficulties, confident that the Taoist would then have no choice but to join. But halfway through his words, they heard a shout from the bandits who were prying open the stone door.

Blind Chen and Patashar knew something was amiss and hurried over with the others to investigate. It turned out the bandits had already breached the massive door. This great stone door set into the iron wall could only be opened from the inside. Beyond it lay a mountain tunnel, its corridor winding and deep, filled with faintly moving mists that swirled like incense smoke, obscuring the view deep within.

Blind Chen was displeased by the bandits' excessive alarm, feeling it tarnished the prestige of Xieling. He frowned and demanded, "What was all that shouting about? It’s just a passage; it’s most likely the Yuan burial chamber in there..." As he spoke, he lit a lamp and peered out past the stone door. To his shock, he saw the smoke in the tunnel flowing lightly, as if a person were sitting cross-legged on the ground. In a haze, he saw the figure was clad entirely in black, with a peculiar costume. The body was large and tall, with a lion-like nose, a wide mouth, a beard like a trident, and piercing eyes that shot sparks of light. The moment their gazes met, a cold sweat broke out on Blind Chen's back. When he tried to look closer, the figure was obscured again by the mist.

The men standing near Blind Chen had also clearly seen the figure in that brief instant. The guide’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and he could barely stammer out words: "A zombie... it's... it's the Corpse King from the ancient tomb on Mount Ping!"

Upon hearing this, the bandits immediately readied their sharpened bamboo poles, unfolding fishing nets to confront the foe. Some zombies died but did not decompose, and others became animated by the living’s Yang energy to attack. If they truly encountered a Dazongzi (major zombie), water, fire, blades, and guns might not be effective; the only ways were to pin it down under a net or force a black donkey's hoof into its mouth.

Just as Blind Chen was about to rally the men to attack, the aggressive male Nuqing rooster suddenly sprang up from the flock of chickens, balancing perfectly on one leg on Blind Chen’s shoulder, craning its neck to crow fiercely. This rooster had been mingling with the other roosters, chasing centipedes throughout the palace since Patashar fell into the elixir well. The bandits had brought large numbers of fowl into the open-air rooms and iron chambers to guard against poisonous insects, and nothing unusual had occurred until now. But the sudden, majestic cry of the Nuqing rooster signaled an impending warning.

The bandits paused slightly at this sight, their feet hesitating. They all had a vague premonition that getting close to the Corpse King of Mount Ping would immediately lead to trouble. Seeing this, Patashar said, "That fellow inside is absolutely unusual; perhaps he isn't made of colored paper cutouts either? The corridor is enveloped in mist, suggesting sorcery at work. Allow me to go in alone first to ascertain the situation." With that, he prepared to enter with his lamp.

Hong Guniang stopped him: "Wait a moment. Don't you all recognize it? The robes, the hat, the boots—how would a Yuan noble be dressed like that?"

Both Blind Chen and Patashar found it strange how Hong Guniang knew about that bizarre black attire. What kind of dress was it? Hong Guniang explained, "I used to make a living as a traveling performer in the Moon Mountain area. Storytelling, opera, and ancient performance arts were all within my trade, and I was familiar with all the various troupe management roles. I saw it clearly just now: only the actors and performers in a troupe would dress like that. That entire ensemble of black robes, boots, and a hat is clearly the costume of the 'Ghost of Death' enacted in plays!"