I quickly waved my hand at inley Yang, begging her to stop talking. If I hadn't eaten anything substantial today, I would have gagged and vomited right there.

The Fatty, however, was dismissive of such matters. "Women aren't giving birth to babies, so why are they spawning worms? That strikes me as somewhat derelict in their duties."

inley Yang ignored the Fatty, gazing at the piled corpses, and let out a soft sigh. "It's truly too tragic." After a brief moment of contemplation, she resolved to uncover the truth. She pulled out a length of rope, fashioned a slipknot, and cast it toward one of the 'dead floats' bobbing on the water. It caught perfectly, cinching securely around the head of the 'dead float.'

The Fatty and I saw her take action and rushed to assist, standing at the river's edge to snag the female corpse inley Yang had ensnared using our 'climbing picks.' It took a considerable effort of pulling and hauling, but we finally dragged the lively 'dead float' onto the shore.

The 'dead float' possessed immense strength in the water, easily rivaling the large fish in the river. Usually, they looked no different from regular floating corpses, but when touched by an external force, their sudden lurches carried the power of tens of jin. This movement came from the giant, cocoon-like mass—the enormous, fetus-shaped insect pupa—that was attached to the female corpse’s back via her broken limbs.

The Fatty and I used our feet to pin the captured 'dead float' down, preventing it from thrashing wildly on the ground. The three of us crowded around to inspect it closely and confirmed that this corpse was indeed different from the blackened female bodies we had previously seen, those spit out after being consumed by the giant insect.

The just-captured 'dead float' was densely covered in a thick layer of maggots. Although these creatures resembled maggots in shape and appearance, we couldn't definitively label them as such. Firstly, these 'maggots' were individually massive, thicker than a grown man's thumb by two whole rings. To describe their bodies as merely translucent would be an understatement; their transparency approached seventy percent. Furthermore, they bore no resemblance to the 'Water Leeches' we encountered in the living human statues; these things appeared utterly devoid of life.

They looked ghastly, a mottled off-white color that made one’s hair stand on end, afraid to look too closely. This appearance was different from when we saw them submerged in the water. When floating beneath the surface, the corpses emitted an eerie, cold, and strange faint light. While a single 'dead float' had limited luminescence, the dense congregation of female corpses seemed to multiply that cold, blue glow exponentially. This illumination reflected off the jade-like red rock walls of the 'Gourd Cave,' making the entire space appear shrouded in a ghostly, dark-azure miasma. This bizarre and terrifying atmosphere would be unimaginable to anyone who hadn't experienced the hair-raising events within the cave firsthand.

inley Yang asked me to help drag a black corpse and a white corpse together, laying them head-to-head for comparison. The 'fat maggots' covering the body of the blackened corpse had apparently been entirely consumed by the Huo Shi Undead Worm.

I used my paracord knife to scrape off the bloated maggots clinging to the surface of the female corpse, revealing a layer of black, transparent membrane underneath. This was identical to the corpses previously vomited up by the Huo Shi Undead Worm.

The Fatty, inley Yang, and I fell into a heavy silence, piecing together these clues one by one. Although we dared not state it as absolute fact, even the dullest mind could now surmise the terrifying truth: this was indeed the evil 'Tomb Poison Production Line.'

This was a large-scale 'sacrifice' hidden in the shadows of history. We had no way of knowing the identities of these women. They might have been slaves, prisoners of war, subjugated local tribesmen, or perhaps even the families of the artisans turned into 'human statues.' But they all undoubtedly died for one purpose: to serve as a continuous energy source for the 'Poisonous Mist' deployed around the King's tomb, all for some kind of 'Tomb Sacrificial Ritual' practiced by the Entombed King.

inley Yang had recently studied historical records concerning the ancient Dian Kingdom. Every official chronicle glossed over the mysterious and ancient 'Tomb Art' (Tenzhu), offering no detailed descriptions—at most, just fragmented mentions. However, unofficial histories once referred to the practice of using a 'Tomb Lure' (Tuan Yin) to impregnate women with insect eggs. The woman had to be tortured to death precisely at the moment of giving birth so that her fear and hatred at the point of death would pass through her body and into the insect eggs she expelled, thereby imparting toxicity. This was considered one of the most potent forms of 'Tomb Poison.'

When inley Yang first read these accounts, she assumed they were fabricated wild tales and didn't take them seriously. Now, standing at the scene and comparing the records to the brutal physical evidence before her eyes, she realized such horrific acts truly existed in the world.

Perhaps the Entombed King claimed dominion over the territory near this 'Insect Valley,' deeming it a place of unparalleled feng shui, a supremely auspicious and spiritually potent site. Furthermore, within the 'Gourd Cave,' he discovered the 'Mountain God' worshipped by the local tribes—which was this colossal, semi-petrified insect.

Most importantly, the King knew this creature was vastly larger than human imagination could grasp, with a significant portion of its body concealed within the valley. Thus, the King incorporated the 'Gourd Cave' into his mausoleum complex, forbidding the locals from offering sacrifices of large toads to their 'Mountain God' any longer. Once the giant insect had fully expelled its toxic gases and was too weak to resist, they encased it in a heavy 'Dragon Scale Bronze Armor' and affixed a 'Golden Six-Beast Mask' bearing some religious significance. Perhaps through other unknown mystical means, this sole surviving creature was tormented into a state of near-death. Both the 'Bronze Heavy Armor' and the 'Golden Mask' were inscribed with densely packed Tenzhu incantations. While Tenzhu talismans weren't entirely unfamiliar—Taoist ghost-trapping rituals utilized similar items—the sheer scale here was overwhelming.

Then, these local women or slaves had the 'Tomb Lure' implanted in their wombs. When they were about to expel the insect eggs, the female slave’s limbs were first deliberately broken. She was then forced to cradle the 'Tomb Eggs' against her body immediately after birth, before they were fully separated from the mother. Something akin to hot, melted pine resin or boiling tree pitch was poured over the slave, encompassing both her and the 'Tomb Eggs' on her back, effectively creating transparent 'Living Human Amber.' Once cooled, inscriptions of the 'Soul-Trapping Talisman' (Chuang Hun Fu) were carved onto the outer shell. This sealed the woman’s fear, sorrow, hatred, and curse within the amber at the moment of her death. As for why this bizarre posture—breaking the limbs and forcing her to cradle the eggs—was necessary, our limited knowledge of Tenzhu makes it difficult to speculate. It might have been to maximize the victim's suffering, or perhaps it related to some form of religious worship.

However, the 'Tomb Eggs' just expelled by the slave possessed vigorous life force and were not easily killed by boiling tree pitch. After puncturing small holes into the cocoon-like structures, they were submerged into the cave’s deep pool. The 'Tomb Eggs' used the honeycomb-like structures to attract aquatic mayflies to feed on them, thus surviving amidst endless resentment. One might argue that describing them as an insect is less accurate than describing them as a plant with nervous reflexes. They possessed no true consciousness; these massive flesh cocoons moved purely based on nerve response. All activities—feeding, reproduction—occurred within the egg sac to ensure the residual (resentment) of the deceased did not diminish. They never hatched. The waste they expelled was a peculiar substance, resembling fish roe mixed with fungal growth. This was ejected through the honeycomb openings and attached itself to the exterior of the 'dead float,' gradually growing into what looked like transparent maggots. The 'Tomb Poison' from within the female slave was preserved in these maggot-like structures.

These 'flesh fungi' inherently possessed a type of bioelectricity similar to 'will-o'-the-wisps,' allowing them to emit a blue light underwater, making the female corpses appear wrapped in a halo of light. When we first saw the 'dead floats' in the water, we felt an inexplicable sadness. This was likely the effect of some bioelectric field, rather than the 'flesh fungi' rupturing and releasing their toxins—otherwise, we would have been poisoned to death already. Looking back, we were incredibly fortunate. With so many 'flesh fungi,' we somehow avoided poisoning. Thank the Ancestor for our protection; perhaps it was fated that the Entombed King's tomb should finally be breached.

The ancient worm, nearly as old as the 'Gourd Cave' itself, emitted a crimson mist that attracted these flesh fungi toward it. The worm fed on these female corpses. After ingestion, the flesh fungi were digested, and the 'Tomb Poison' formed from the dead women's resentment was converted through the worm’s body into the white 'Mountain Miasma' that perpetually lingered in the valley—anything that approached it would immediately die.

But the corpse encased in the membrane, the worm could not digest it, nor could it excrete it directly. It was forced to vomit the body back into the pool. The 'Tomb Eggs' inside the female slave's body would then proceed as before: continuing to consume mayflies, excrete flesh fungi, rise to the surface, be eaten and vomited by the old worm in an endless cycle.

Our understanding of Tenzhu remained speculative; we lacked deeper knowledge. From the moment I entered 'Shalong Mountain' until arriving at this 'Gourd Cave,' I had continuously encountered elements related to Tenzhu—masses of corpses that instilled a primal dread regarding the King's tomb not far ahead. My initial sharp enthusiasm had been blunted by seventy percent here.

Grave robbing and tomb raiding prioritize courage above all else. If one feels apprehensive before even entering the ancient tomb, the expedition is surely doomed to go awry. Fearing that the Fatty and inley Yang were losing heart, I tried to rally them. "That Entombed King murdered people across provinces; his wickedness is unforgivable. Furthermore, he excelled in strange arts during his life, and the sheer perversity of his dark methods is beyond ordinary comprehension. He is certainly difficult to deal with. But comrades, we specialize in fighting unprepared battles! If not for that, how could the skill of us Grave Robbing Colonels be demonstrated? I say this King's tricks are nothing more than paper tigers, just like that demon queen of the Jingjue Kingdom—fierce in life, yet utterly subject to our arrangement in death."

The Fatty pursed his lips, his face heavy and serious. "Forget everything else. The comrades bear a heavy responsibility, and the vengeance of women runs deep. While ancient history tells of Mulan joining the army in her father's stead, today the Women's Corps fires guns for the people. But as men, the fire of hatred burns in our chests too. Thunder rolls and lightning flashes in my ears—I have made my decision. When the red signal flare goes up, we will capture that final high ground. Every artifact, large or small, belonging to that old scoundrel the Entombed King, we'll bag it all. Back in Beijing, what can be sold will be sold, what should be smashed will be smashed. Otherwise, we would be doing a disservice to all those women who died filled with resentment."

inley Yang cut off the Fatty as he rambled further afield. She addressed us: "The outer membrane on the female corpse seems hard, like amber, which naturally resists corrosion from stomach acid—so it makes sense that it couldn't be digested. However, judging by the size of the Huo Shi Undead Worm, expelling such a large object through its digestive tract shouldn't be difficult. So why did it vomit the body back up after consuming it?"

We had deduced about eighty or ninety percent of the other aspects, but this question stumped us somewhat. Could it be that the giant worm was too old and had poor digestion? Or perhaps it didn't usually vomit things up, but only did so today because we beat it severely?

As we spoke, the three of us simultaneously had the same thought, and our gazes converged on the last object spat out from the giant worm’s mouth. Could it be that the square copper box stuck inside its stomach prevented it from swallowing anything slightly larger? Perhaps it could only digest the surface 'flesh fungi' and was forced to regurgitate the corpse shell itself?

I beckoned the Fatty and inley Yang. "We have figured out all the major and minor affairs here. Now we should look into the secrets held within this box. Take what is useful and destroy what is not."

The Fatty immediately perked up. "Old Hu, I took a look just now. This box is made of thick bronze plates. Its sturdiness goes without saying. I couldn't open it alone. Let's try all three of us, and if that fails, we’ll use explosives."

The square copper box was still coated thickly with the Huo Shi Undead Worm's gastric juices. We had no choice but to use groundwater to clean it first, revealing its true appearance.

Once the grime was washed off the copper box, we realized it was impossible to tell what it was supposed to be—a simple box, a massive bronze ingot, a bronze outer coffin, a bronze sarcophagus, or something else entirely, an artifact unlike anything we had ever seen.

This square object was identical on all six faces; there was no discernible top or bottom, nor any clear front or back. Each side was studded with forty-eight large nail heads, yet there were no seams on any face, suggesting it was not designed to be opened.

I harbored a suspicion: "Don't tell me this son of a bitch is just a solid block of bronze?" I took out a small geological hammer and tapped it lightly a few times, but the sound produced was muffled, not crisp at all. It didn't sound like copper, nor could I tell if it was hollow or solid.

The three of us pushed the square block of metal to see its underside, which thankfully wasn't as heavy as we had feared. That confirmed it must be hollow inside. But how to open it? Even explosives might not breach it.

I calmed myself and examined it again more closely. On the bottom face, there were two small, oddly shaped holes, currently clogged with the worm’s yellow gastric fluid, making them hard to spot. Seeing that I had made a discovery, the Fatty quickly asked, "Are those keyholes?"

I shook my head. "These two holes are bizarrely shaped and entirely irregular; how could they be keyholes? Besides, if they were keyholes, where is the key? Do we have to go search inside the worm’s belly?"

inley Yang used her hand to measure the openings on the large copper block, and suddenly had an epiphany. "Let’s try using the short scepters with the dragon head and tiger head we found in the Jade Sarcophagus from the Great Sacrifice. Their size and shape seem very similar."

Her suggestion made me realize it immediately too: the openings of these two holes corresponded exactly to a dragon's head and a tiger's head. For some reason, I was suddenly overcome with an intense excitement that I couldn't suppress. I burst out loudly to the Fatty, "Wonderful! My dear Comrade Konstantin Petrovich, today is a holiday for the Bolsheviks! Hurry and fetch the Commissar! As soon as he arrives, the gates of Nicholas can be opened for us proletariat!"