Commander Feng originally intended to drag Old Sun away with him, but seeing his hesitation, he hardened his resolve and struck him with a pickaxe handle. In truth, this was meant to absolve Old Sun of any connection to the matter, but Commander Feng, being a rough man who had served with a rifle, worried his blow was too heavy-handed. He wondered if the intellectual could withstand it, recalling the force he used when bayoneting the Japanese devils. He might have killed him on the spot. However, the situation was urgent, and there was no time to check if Professor Sun was merely knocked unconscious or dead; he fled the scene in haste.

During his escape, his heart remained uneasy, burdened by the thought of whether he had accidentally killed Old Sun. But now that he was out, there was no turning back to check. All along his journey, crossing mountains and ridges, he deliberately stuck to desolate, dense forests and treacherous peaks. When encountering counties or towns, he sent the Bashan Ape, which had followed him for years, to steal food, drink, and tobacco, while he himself remained hidden deep in the mountains, thus avoiding detection entirely.

Finally, he successfully traversed the Daba Mountains and reached his ancestral home, Qingxi Town. Passing through a tunnel, he was accidentally struck on the head by a sudden collapse. He carried this injury all the way to Coffin Gorge, where, guided by the ancestral "Ode to Mountain Observation and Directional Clarity," he located the hanging coffin tomb that held the key to opening the entrance of the "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals."

Unexpectedly, everything turned out to be in vain. Although Commander Feng had memorized the "Ode to Mountain Observation and Directional Clarity" perfectly, he had not mastered even thirty percent of the arcane arts passed down by the "Mountain Observers of Taibao." With his own abilities, he had no way to open the tightly sealed stone sarcophagus secured by the "Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock." According to the "Ode to Mountain Observation and Directional Clarity" handed down by the Earth Immortals, the secret key to opening the tomb door was hidden within this very sarcophagus.

Commander Feng had contracted a serious illness during his escape, compounded by the head injury. He now felt he couldn't hold on much longer. Seeing no way out, he presumed it was fate intervening—coming so close, only to perish here in regret. A sudden surge of internal fire paralyzed both his legs. His heart turned to ashes; he knew he wouldn't live much longer. He scribbled a few words on a cigarette pack wrapper, hoping that if someone found his body, he wouldn't be mistaken for some nameless vagrant ghost. If possible, he hoped the finder could look for Professor Sun, who was undergoing reform-through-labor at the farm. If this man was already dead, there was nothing more to say. But if his fellow sufferer, Professor Sun, was still alive, he asked the finder to relay an apology on his behalf; nothing else needed to be mentioned.

In his final testament, Commander Feng wrote that he had nothing valuable on him except one item: his ancestral "Great Ming Mountain Observer of Taibao" waist token. It was an heirloom passed down for several centuries, made entirely of pure gold, and hung around the neck of the Bashan Ape. If the ape saw someone giving his body a proper burial on the spot, it would allow them to take the token as a small token of gratitude.

Professor Sun finished reading the will with no tears left, only a long sigh filled with boundless loneliness, as if lamenting the separate paths of the living and the dead. Though his heart was full of words, he no longer had a companion who had shared his hardship to confide in.

I can deeply empathize with Professor Sun’s feelings. Not only I, but I imagine Shirley Yang and Fatty must feel the same way. We have lost too many important companions over the years. Sometimes, in the dead of night, I suddenly feel as if those who have departed are still right beside me, because everyone’s appearance and laughter remain so vivid, and I can still recall every detail. The distant sense of existence imposed by the barrier of life and death becomes incredibly vague. Yet, when I try to recall more clearly, an intense sense of solitude immediately follows. Without those people in life, this world grows increasingly desolate.

Ultimately, Professor Sun decided to bury Commander Feng where he lay. Although the Dragon Qi surrounding Coffin Gorge could preserve the body temporarily from decay and prevent insects from gnawing at it, in deference to Old Feng's dying wish, he deserved to be buried in this land blessed by good feng shui. He used his entrenching shovel to dig a pit and laid Commander Feng’s body to rest in the pine-bark ancient coffin.

Professor Sun took the "Mountain Observer Waist Token" hanging from the Bashan Ape’s neck. He initially intended to place it inside the coffin with the body. Then it struck me: this item was the identification of the "Mountain Observers of Taibao," and it might be needed to enter the "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals." For now, I decided to borrow it and return it for burial later when we properly entombed the body. I asked Old Man Sun to keep the "Mountain Observer Waist Token" for a few days.

At that point, Fatty exclaimed, "The burial is done. Can you all stop looking like deflated basketballs? Are we going to see our great tomb-raiding career through to the end or not? That stone sarcophagus holds the key to opening the tomb door—let’s get to work. I’m just wondering... what can such a stone slab coffin withstand? I bet we could smash it open with rocks. How did Commander Feng fail? The Earth spins daily, the world changes daily. My comrade, failing to use his brain is indeed a problem. Old Hu, let’s try hitting it with some rocks..."

I quickly said, "Hold on. If it could be smashed with rocks, it would have been opened long ago. I heard Chen Xiazi mention that some ancient tomb coffins with the Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock mechanism are double-layered, concealing corrosive water and poison fire inside. Opening these nine locks requires a fixed sequence; otherwise, if the wrong sequence is used or external force is applied, the medicinal agents hidden inside the sarcophagus will erupt instantly, destroying everything inside—a clever trap against tomb raiders. Commander Feng likely knew there was a trap but never learned the ancestral principles of the Nine Palaces, which is why he died in regret."

I then asked Shirley Yang if there were any ways to open it other than the formal method. Shirley Yang said she could think of a few possibilities, but none could be guaranteed successful; even a slight error would not only waste all previous efforts but also permanently bar them from entering the "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals."

Professor Sun seemed dejected at this point and said to everyone, "Let's give up on such fanciful notions. Commander Feng’s will only mentioned the key being inside the stone sarcophagus; he didn't leave behind a single true word from his ancestral Mountain Observation Ode. Even if we had the key, where would we use it?"

I countered, "If we have the key, we'll find the keyhole. Don't forget we still have our 'Ancient Mirror of Returning Void.' Let's find a place without bodies, cast a divination, and perhaps get some inspiration. Even if we get no inspiration, I will absolutely not return empty-handed. Last time we went to the South China Sea to gather pearls, we brought back many valuable secret treasures of the South Sea. But without the help of the pearl-diving commoners, we would likely be reporting to Old Ma by now. One should never forget kindness. The lives of those 'commoners' might mean little to others, but I absolutely cannot stand by and watch her die. Otherwise, how could I face Gu Cai in the future? I would dig up the entire 'Coffin Gorge' to find the 'Alchemy Cauldron' hidden in the 'Ancient Village of Earth Immortals.' If you, Old Man Sun, want to chicken out, I won't stop you. We’ll see each other when we get back to Beijing."

Fatty chimed in, "Hey... Old Hu, how can you let Old Man Sun go back? You're letting him off too easily! Who was it that said the world's biggest fear is the word 'serious'... Whoever said it, your Fatty insists on being serious about everything. If we really trace it back, why did we take such a huge risk at the South China Sea Coral Spiral Shoal? Wasn't it all started by Old Man Sun? If he hadn't falsely claimed that the national treasure in the sunken ship was the Qin Emperor's Bone-Revealing Mirror, would we have gone? If we hadn't gone, would Old Ruan, the diver, have died?"

I slapped my thigh and said to Fatty, "That's right! You reminded me, I completely forgot. Old Nine can’t leave. Once we open the ancient tomb door, we'll still need him to walk ahead and trigger the landmines for us."

Professor Sun heard this and immediately became enraged: "You desperadoes are simply bandits... warlords! And you are trying to frame me at every turn!" As he said this, he felt a flicker of fear, and added, "The matter of the Qin Emperor's Bone-Revealing Mirror sinking in the South China Sea was indeed fabricated by me; I admitted that long ago. But... but I didn't say I was going back to Beijing just now. I made a huge decision to enter these mountains; I’ve already abandoned my job, how could I give up halfway? I’m saying we shouldn't harbor fanciful notions; we should treat the facts objectively and calmly, analyze them. When... when will you return my notebook?"

Shirley Yang interjected, "Stop arguing. All these trivial matters, adding up to a little over a hundred years, are insignificant. This stone sarcophagus can be opened. Little Sister learned skills from the Beehive Mountain; the Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock won't stump her."

Fatty, Old Man Sun, and I immediately stopped talking and looked towards Little Sister. Could this young girl really have learned the entire "Beehive" technique? I worried she was overconfident. The "Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock" was a complex interlocking mechanism; if the sequence was wrong, the key to the ancient tomb inside would be lost. The "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals" was meticulously arranged; without that key, who knew how much trouble it would take to enter—it wasn't a matter to be trifled with lightly. I asked her if she knew the principle of "Nine Palaces Jumping Stream." The number 'Nine' is extremely significant in Chinese traditional culture. Since the name involved 'Nine Palaces,' I suspected it utilized the principle of "Nine Palaces Jumping Stream" from the Luo Shu mathematics.

Little Sister shook her head, "How could there be any 'Nine Palaces Jumping Stream'? The 'Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock' is just a locking pin mechanism; there's no esoteric art involved. Techniques like 'pin traps' are basic stuff in 'Beehive Mountain.' What's so difficult about it?"

She continued, "It's just that the 'Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger Lock' changes based on its arrangement, much like a safe with a combination lock at a credit union or bank. Just now, that Bashan Ape kept pointing at a high mountain carved in relief on the outer shell. The incantation for arranging the 'Nine Palaces Chi-Tiger' might be based on landscapes. It was probably trying to remind everyone that the ape is extremely intelligent. Commander Feng likely knew that the mountains and rivers carved on the shell were the code while he was alive but couldn't decipher it until his death."

Seeing Little Sister speak so clearly and possess such meticulous attention to detail, I confirmed she was indeed an expert in disassembling "Beehive Boxes." Since she had this skill, I felt a great sense of relief, trusting her from the bottom of my heart. If she could indeed help us unravel the mystery of the "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals," the primary credit would belong to her. I then asked her to guide us on how to proceed.

Little Sister said that if the incantation was correct, opening this stone sarcophagus would be as easy as turning over one's hand. "There are nine auspicious clouds carved on the mountain, called the 'Nine Palaces Ascending Mountain' configuration. Master Lu's ballad is very clear: 'Speak of the Nine Palaces, name the Nine Palaces. Cycling back and forth, with no gap in between: The Nine Palaces are fundamentally a rootless number, Master Lu left the writing clear; Because no one recognizes the Nine Palaces, the Immortal Mountain is taken as the measure...'"

Little Sister employed the methods from "Beehive Mountain." Following the words in the ballad, she meticulously picked open the nine Chi-Tigers one by one. Suddenly, a loud "Kalong!" sound came from the stone sarcophagus; the mechanism had been tripped, and the lid of the sarcophagus loosened by a crack.

I cheered, "Well done! Our Little Sister's craftsmanship is excellent. It seems she learned all the old proprietor's tricks. Even having boundless wealth is not as good as possessing a skill. Don't think these traditional crafts have been phased out and are not worth learning. In fact, the more lost these things are, the more precious they become, and they will surely be useful someday." At the same time, I felt fortunate; if we hadn't brought her out of that small town, we would have spent untold effort on this sarcophagus. Thinking that the key to the "Ancient Village of Earth Immortals" was inside, we all roused ourselves, stepped forward, and jointly moved the sarcophagus lid aside.

Inside the stone sarcophagus was a coffin without a lid, with a layer of "sea quilt" spread out at the bottom to cover the body. However, there was no corpse, only a golden box nearly two feet long lying in the coffin. When the beam of the "Wolf's Eye flashlight" hit the golden box, it immediately glittered brilliantly, dazzling the eyes.

At this moment, my heart pounded "thump, thump, thump," beating a little too fast. I took a deep breath, poked the entrenching shovel down, hooked the sea quilt, and pulled both it and the golden box out of the sarcophagus.

Fatty was overjoyed: "The Earth Immortal Lord truly lives up to his reputation as a great landlord and mine owner—very generous! Even the box holding the key is pure gold. If we don't raid this tomb today, Fatty won't sleep tonight! Let's first see if the key inside is gold or silver..."

I reminded him to be careful that there might be injurious pins inside the box, lest he fall for a trap. Fatty then pointed the golden box toward an empty space and lifted the lid from the back to inspect its contents.

The golden box was engraved with layers of patterns, connected inside and out. It was not tightly sealed, had no lock, and no hidden devices. Inside, it was completely open, and everything within was visible at a glance. Everyone clearly saw what was inside and froze on the spot: "That’s not the key—what on earth is this thing?"

Everyone recognized the object inside; it was the most common thing imaginable, yet utterly not a "key" in the conventional sense, not even remotely related to a key. It was precisely because this object was so ordinary and unremarkable that I could barely believe my eyes, my mind suddenly blank.

It was Little Sister who spoke first, asking Professor Sun, "It doesn't look like a key. What kind of thing is it?"

Old Man Sun was equally baffled: "Yes, this... what... what is this thing?" As he spoke, he and Fatty turned their heads to look at me, seemingly seeking an answer from me. In fact, they recognized what was in the box, but upon seeing it, they were all somewhat bewildered.

I saw Shirley Yang looking at me with confusion too. It seemed they were relying on me. I had no choice but to grit my teeth, risking being seen as a "fool," and forced myself to tell everyone, "This thing... in the world, I believe it’s called a... writing brush."