Ma Xiong and Fatty jumped in surprise, quickly moving forward to see what was happening. But when he looked, there was nothing on the ground but a scattering of decayed matter.
What was going on? Why had the object vanished without a trace when it hit the floor? Had the two of them just seen an illusion?
Just as the two were wondering, Fatty rushed over and clapped both of their shoulders, the tightness in his face betraying his anger. Lu Zong and Ma Xiong’s hearts clenched: Bad news, Fatty’s angry.
The last to arrive was the Company Commander. Seeing the three of them standing there stunned, he broke the silence: “What’s wrong? What did you just see?”
Fatty ignored the three, instead squatting down and fumbling around on the ground for a long time until he finally retrieved his gleaming peach-wood sword. It seemed to have been coated with something, as it emitted a faint light in the darkness.
After picking up the sword, he called out to the four of them, “Let’s go.”
At that moment, Ge Mei finally woke up too, walking shakily with Lu Zong’s support. Her face was a mask of shock and fear. Lu Zong held her close, yet felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, as if he had experienced this exact closeness somewhere before. But when he tried to focus, a sharp pain shot through his head, preventing any recollection.
Helplessly, he continued walking, moving without conscious thought.
Suddenly, Ge Mei spoke up: “Wait, why do I feel like that black shadow is connected to the one we encountered in the Queen’s Tomb?”
The statement caused an uproar. They exchanged wide-eyed glances. The black shadow? The shadow from the Queen’s Tomb? How could Ge Mei possibly know? Only a few of them had been there; they hadn't even known Ge Mei back then. How could she know?
Lu Zong looked at Ge Mei, firmly steadying her again, and asked, “Ge Mei, what exactly do you mean? What black shadow?”
Ge Mei looked back at Lu Zong, seemingly bewildered by his confusion, as if the answer were obvious. “Have you forgotten the shadow we saw inside the Queen’s Tomb?”
This stunned everyone even more. Fatty excitedly grabbed Ge Mei’s arm and demanded, “Ge Mei, tell us how you knew about the shadow encounter. Who exactly are you?”
The mystery deepened for everyone. Ever since they entered Cao’s Tomb, confusion had reigned: the multi-limbed corpse, what Fatty saw in the coffin, the statue in the misty pit—what did it all mean?
Ge Mei shook her head and said, “I’m Han Chong. Have you forgotten me?”
The moment the name left her lips, Lu Zong flinched. The muscles in his face twitched, and his hands involuntarily loosened their grip. Although Ge Mei and Han Chong were both women, the difference between them was vast; how could she possibly be Han Chong? He looked down at Ge Mei, shook his head, and said, “Ge Mei, this isn’t funny. How could you be Han Chong?”
Ge Mei looked at Lu Zong with sadness, her surprise fading into a self-evident tone. “What? Did you forget me? I am Han Chong. You don’t remember that day you broke into my house? You aren’t going to deny responsibility, are you?”
Seeing Ge Mei’s agitated state, Lu Zong managed a helpless smile. Women were always like this, suspicious of everything.
He looked at Ge Mei with resignation and said, “Alright then, if you are Han Chong, what proof do you have?”
Ge Mei pointed at her face. “Damn, you don’t even recognize me now?”
Lu Zong looked at Fatty with a mixture of a laugh and a cry, silently begging for help.
Fatty chuckled, “Maybe I mythologized your story with Han Chong so much when telling these two girls that they became overly devoted. Maybe she experienced some kind of shock and imagined herself as Han Chong. It’s fine; she’ll be okay after a good sleep.”
Lu Zong looked down at Ge Mei leaning against him and said, “It’s not that I’m afraid of my wife, brother, but I feel I’m a married man now; I can’t ruin this girl’s reputation. Fatty, you figure out a solution.”
Fatty snatched Ge Mei from Lu Zong’s embrace. No problem, I’m unmarried. Ge Mei was clearly somewhat unhinged; she had actually mistaken Fatty for Lu Zong. What a world of difference!
Fatty looked at the lovely Ge Mei in his arms, his smile wide enough to be deadly. Lu Zong and Ma Xiong didn’t dare interrupt and quietly followed behind Fatty.
Passing through the horde of Corpse Fiends again, everyone felt noticeably better. They personally had nothing to worry about, but in the hearts of Ma Xiong and Lu Zong, one person remained a concern: Ge Rong. They wondered where that fellow was now and what had become of him.
Ge Mei and Fatty were complete enigmas to them, like crystal balls brimming with secrets, drawing the three forward in pursuit.
The Company Commander walked at the rear; he was much clearer-headed now, and his initial distrust of Fatty and the others had completely vanished. He stood on the same side as Fatty and the others now. He scanned their surroundings, which were enveloped in a murky, gray mist.
He sighed, “How about we rest here for a bit? Look at Ge Mei, she’s dizzy nonstop. Perhaps the corpse energy here has affected her, causing her nerves to act up? If we rest, give her some quiet time, maybe she’ll recover.”
Fatty looked at Ge Mei in his arms and agreed, “Sure, resting for a bit is fine, especially since there seems to be no immediate danger here.”
With that, he set Ge Mei down and, ignoring their objections, flopped onto the ground and immediately fell into a deep sleep, snoring loudly.
Hearing Fatty’s snores, Lu Zong and Ma Xiong muttered curses: Damn, he has no backbone. Then they too lay down, looking at Fatty, a strange thought stirring in their minds: Could this be Fatty laying down a blanket of false security, lulling them into sleep?
Though they held this thought internally, neither voiced it. Lu Zong and Ma Xiong exchanged a knowing smile; they understood each other instantly.
Ma Xiong cursed, “Damn it, I’m exhausted. I’ll rest for a bit. Lu Zong, you keep watch here.”
Then he lay down, perfectly still.
Lu Zong retorted, “Damn it, why does a place this safe need watching? I’m going to sleep too. Whoever wants to watch can watch; I can’t take it anymore.”
With that, he rolled over and immediately fell asleep.
Silence descended on the surroundings, a deathly quiet. After an unknown amount of time, their breathing gradually evened out, with only the occasional strange cry breaking the stillness.
Perhaps those calls were simply too faint to notice, or perhaps the four of them were sleeping too soundly for them to be disturbed.
Suddenly, one of Fatty’s eyes snapped open. He quietly sat up, then tiptoed over to Lu Zong and Ma Xiong, whispering softly, “Ma Xiong.”
Ma Xiong was snoring loudly, having heard nothing. He appeared to be truly asleep.
A sinister smile flickered across Fatty’s lips. He moved back to Lu Zong’s side and gently shook him, calling out, “Lu Zong.”
Lu Zong remained unresponsive, continuing his deep sleep.
Fatty’s smile grew even more pronounced.
He pulled a stick of incense from his pocket and sprayed a puff into each man’s nostrils before finally letting out a relieved breath. Then he woke up the Company Commander.
The Company Commander seemed wide awake, sitting bolt upright at Fatty’s call. He looked at Fatty, rubbed his eyes, and asked, “All set?”
Fatty responded with an almost deferential tone, “Yes, all set. We can relax now.”
The Company Commander sat up from the ground and then woke Ge Mei from her slumber: “Han Chong, wake up, let’s go.”
Han Chong mumbled an acknowledgment, “Okay,” and also sat up. Looking at the two sleeping men, she rubbed her eyes and asked, “Are they taken care of?”
Fatty chuckled, hooking his arm playfully around Ge Mei’s waist. “Does that even need asking? Your Brother Fatty isn’t that stupid.”
Ge Mei shoved Fatty away. “Be serious! We need to go quickly.”
Fatty grinned playfully. “And you dare say that? Do you know how close we came to being exposed just now because you let your guard down?”
Ge Mei shrugged helplessly. “Can’t be helped. That corpse energy was too strong.”
The Company Commander interrupted their exchange. “Let’s hurry with our actual business. It won’t be good if those two wake up.”
Fatty agreed. “Right, let’s move. I can’t let them get suspicious of me.”
The voices of the three gradually faded, until they were gone.
At that moment, Ma Xiong, deep in his feigned sleep, coughed once and then gasped heavily, pulling in large drafts of air, as if he had been holding his breath for a long time.
He patted his dizzy head, then glanced at the spot where the three had disappeared, a look of confusion slowly spreading across his face.
He looked at Lu Zong, who was clearly still unconscious from the incense. Ma Xiong lifted Lu Zong off the ground and slapped him hard across the face. Lu Zong gradually opened his eyes, looking groggily at Ma Xiong, and asked, “Did they make their move?”
Ma Xiong nodded. “They did. I didn’t expect Fatty to be working with the Company Commander to trick us. We caught them red-handed.”
Lu Zong nodded. “I always suspected that Fatty, who acts so loyal, had something hidden inside. Damn, that incense was potent; even holding my breath for so long couldn’t stop me from passing out. If it weren’t for you, I might not have woken up. How are you feeling now?”
Ma Xiong coughed. “I’m alright, but my legs feel weak. Fatty must have numbed my pressure points. I need to stretch out a bit.”
Lu Zong laughed softly. “That old fox is cunning; he even used that move. Isn’t that a secret technique of grave robbers? Only well-established, powerful tomb raiders know that trick. Fatty must be some old dog at the level of a Mojin Xiaowei.”
Ma Xiong shot Lu Zong a pained look. “I’m surprised you know so much about tomb raiders. I underestimated you before. Alright, let’s go quickly; I can’t stand staying here.”
He used his hands to push himself up from the ground, and with Lu Zong’s support, he finally managed to walk shakily.