Given the strange celestial signs today, tomorrow marks a special date that demands we open this passage precisely at midnight, lest some grave transformation occur. However, Irley Yang remains skeptical of such matters. To mention my premonition now would only earn me another round of ridicule; I already embarrassed myself enough on the glazed rooftop of the "Lingyun" Heavenly Palace. Better to keep silent for now, hoping this endeavor concludes successfully.

Thinking this, I pointed toward the water pool and told Fatty and Irley Yang, "I fell into this water once before. Though it was hasty, I gained a rough sense of the terrain. We are currently near the nose cone of that heavy bomber wreck I spotted earlier. That means the breach I saw at the bottom of the pool lies roughly twenty degrees off our current bearing, and it’s quite close."

Irley Yang asked, "Old Hu, do you think that hole leads to a tomb passage? If the whole underground palace is flooded, it will be troublesome. The main issue is the limited capacity of our oxygen tanks; we can’t sustain ourselves underwater for long."

I replied to Irley Yang, "In the gap in the mountainside I saw, there were many remains of submerged, strange beasts. Even if it’s not near the tomb door, it’s highly likely to be a passage leading to the Xuan Palace, or at least some subterranean facility within the mausoleum. I suspect the underground palace of this Xian King is laid out in a grid or a concentric square pattern, not a simple flat layout. Even if this section of the passage is submerged, the Xuan Palace itself should remain an absolutely sealed environment."

We had already devised multiple contingency plans based on various possibilities for the King's Tomb structure. Now fully prepared, we donned our diving masks and took a few sips of baijiu to raise our core temperature.

Irley Yang held up the specialized underwater lighting device, the "Poseidon's Glare" dive lamp, and plunged into the water first.

As I prepared to follow her, I noticed Fatty lagging behind, hesitating conspicuously. I pulled him along, urging him to hurry, before I dove headfirst into the water myself.

For some reason, the water in the dark pool felt significantly colder than it had during the day—colder, darker, and more chilling underwater. The three of us oriented ourselves in the gloom and swam toward the heavy bomber wreck. Because the pool contained a massive "water eye," getting caught in the current in the darkness would be extremely dangerous, so we hugged the edges. Schools of fish, startled by our presence, occasionally darted past. The pool bottom, which appeared like emerald crystal in daylight, had transformed into an entirely different world in the dark.

Irley Yang, swimming ahead, suddenly turned back and signaled to us. She had found the breach torn open by the aircraft. I swam forward two meters and saw the beam of Irley Yang’s "Poseidon's Glare" illuminating the rupture connected to the bomber’s nose.

Though the "Poseidon's Glare" is unremarkable on land, its specialized capabilities shine underwater. The pitch-black pool water did not distort its beam in the slightest. Any area within sixteen meters struck by the light became as clear and bright as high noon.

Inside the hole was exactly as I had seen during the day: several guardian stone beasts with bared teeth and claws. The exterior was a layer of stone wall broken by the bomber. It seemed this spot connected to a tomb passage, though the stone door to the King's Tomb passage was nowhere in sight. Features at the bottom of the pool were likely obscured by aquatic vegetation. That dragon claw near the whirlpool probably corresponds to the beast head on the tomb door; perhaps focusing on that massive claw would lead us to the entrance. However, since we had found this breach, it saved us considerable trouble.

I nodded to Irley Yang. Regardless of whether it was the main passage, we should go in and see. Irley Yang wanted to enter first, but I worried about unforeseen circumstances inside. So, I took the "Poseidon's Glare" from her and entered the opening first.

I swam a distance along the submerged path of the passage and looked back. Irley Yang and Fatty followed close behind. At that moment, a thought struck me: usually, in a situation like this, Fatty would eagerly volunteer to go first. But for some reason today, he remained at the back, keeping a distance between us. This was abnormal, yet underwater, it was difficult to ascertain what was truly going on.

This passage wasn't long; it was a series of gently sloping, large stone steps, with simple stone carvings on both sides depicting themes of tomb guarding. The stone path slowly rose above the water level, and I lifted my head out of the water. Before me, a large stone platform emerged, upon which shadows suggested many figures of men and horses stood. The "Poseidon's Glare" lost its utility here; I had to switch back to the "Wolf's Eye."

The stone platform held several green bronze figures of chariots and horses, partially submerged in the water. Irley Yang surfaced just then, and upon seeing the bronze procession, immediately asked me, "Are these bronze figures part of the honor guard array before the entrance to the Xuan Palace?"

I was momentarily stunned by the dark green bronze warriors. We were positioned to the side of the stone path, where large slabs, ruined by water damage, were scattered. The preservation of the King’s Tomb was clearly not optimal. After a pause, I nodded and said, "Yes, exactly. These are the bronze chariots and horses, along with thirty-six officers, escorting the Xian King to ascension."

It seems the place we entered was an access route used during the construction of the tomb—a route chiseled upward from the bottom of the pool by diverting the water veins of the Worm Valley.

Just then, I heard the sound of splashing water behind me again. I turned to look. Fatty was emerging from the water, but he hadn't turned on his headlamp's spotlight, nor did he quickly rejoin us as usual. He stood silently in the water, keeping his distance, his exposed body hidden in the shadows. The light from my helmet couldn't even illuminate his face.

Seeing this highly unusual behavior, my heart immediately sank halfway. I quickly swam toward him in the water, demanding, "Why aren't you turning on your helmet's tactical light? What are you trying to do hiding in the dark?"

Before Fatty could answer, I lunged in front of him. My helmet light shone directly onto Fatty’s large face. He only responded with a chilling, dry chuckle. His hand, underwater, suddenly shot up. In it, I now saw the gleaming 'Paratrooper Knife.'

That laughter sent shivers down my spine. A wave of horror washed over me. Why did Fatty’s laugh sound like a woman’s? Who was this person? In that instant, I realized that since the sky had turned completely dark, Fatty hadn't spoken to us, always lingering behind us, fidgeting with something. But I had tested him with glutinous rice on the 'Lingyun Heavenly Palace' roof. If a malevolent spirit truly possessed him, why had the rice proven useless? The blade of the 'Paratrooper Knife,' reflecting the light sources from both me and Irley Yang, shone like autumn water, trailing a silver glint, as it swung down toward me.

All of this happened in a fleeting moment. Irley Yang was terrified by the sudden violence, crying out, "Be careful!"

Seeing Fatty swing the knife to stab me, I knew that if I engaged him in a proper fight, it would be difficult to subdue him. My counterattack had to be swift, without a moment's hesitation. I immediately employed the "Enemy Subduing Hand" technique I had practiced in the military, moving forward while retreating, enveloping him and grabbing his right shoulder. With my other hand, I firmly supported his elbow joint, neutralizing his point of force before he could fully commit his strength. The moment my hands touched him, I concentrated all my power into my right shoulder and slammed into him, instantly knocking Fatty to the ground.

I snatched Fatty’s 'Paratrooper Knife' and pinned his body with my legs, leaving only his head above the surface. I thought this Fatty-thing must have been possessed by a vengeful spirit, finally revealing its true form as darkness set in, intending to murder us. If I had realized it a moment later, Irley Yang and I might already be dead, and Fatty wouldn't have survived either.

I roared at the "Fatty," "You slut transformed into a ghost, daring to harm people! Take a bite of Black Donkey Hoof first!" As I spoke, I reached into my satchel to retrieve one, but my hand found empty space. The glutinous rice was also gone; my supply had been used up in the 'Lingyun Heavenly Palace.' Now, I had nothing left.

Fatty in the water continued his high-pitched, eerie laughter, the ghostly female sound echoing between the stone walls of the passage. I cursed, "If you keep laughing, don't blame me for being impolite! I still have a bundle of peachwood nails left..."

Irley Yang, watching my brief but intense struggle with Fatty, sensed that something was profoundly wrong and blurted out, "Old Hu, stop for a moment! Fatty is acting very strangely."

While holding down the struggling and shrieking Fatty, I managed to tell Irley Yang amidst the chaos, "Of course he's strange! He... he's possessed by a ghost, damn it! You need to think of a solution quickly; I can't hold him much longer."

Irley Yang stated, "It’s not a ghost. There’s a problem with his vocal cords or his tongue. The origins of Gu Magic in ancient times are traced to Diannan, and they have techniques for controlling a person’s voice, similar to the Thai Tong Zhong (Tongue Puppet)."

As Irley Yang spoke, she already took out the dark crimson 'Corpse Binding Rope,' intending for us to work together to subdue Fatty first, then check his tongue for anything unusual by forcing his jaw open.

I had been anxious and short-tempered when I thought Fatty was possessed. Hearing Irley Yang’s explanation, I finally noticed that Fatty was indeed acting oddly. His mouth kept issuing that laughter, but his facial expression was clearly one of panic—a complete contradiction to the ghostly cackle. Had his consciousness not been lost? Was he actually trying to cut his own tongue? And I, misinterpreting him, had tackled him to the ground. But if he hadn't lost consciousness, why the deception and hiding in the rear?

The realization dawned on me immediately. I stopped Irley Yang. There was no need to bind him yet. I knew Fatty's character too well. I shouted at him, "Damn it, have you gone completely broke? I’m asking you, did you pocket anything from that shaman’s robe?"

Fatty let out a ghost-like laugh, but his eyes flickered toward the leather pouch on his own chest, blinking repeatedly. It was the 'Hundred Treasures Pouch' we found at the Fish Bone Temple, which Fatty always kept close. I immediately reached into the pouch and pulled out a dark, long, flat object. One end was flat, the other a pointed semi-circle. Touching it, it felt hard and resilient, the surface somewhat calcified. The flat end had several milky-white circles; when illuminated by my helmet lamp, they faintly revealed layers of dull red and yellow colors within.

I couldn't immediately identify the item, holding it up curiously: "Is this some kind of jade? Black jade is quite rare."

Irley Yang said, "No, it's a human tongue... the tongue of the Shan Po Qiu woman among the Yi people."

Upon hearing it was a human tongue, I nearly dropped the item into the water. I quickly tossed the desiccated, blackened 'tongue,' which looked like polished stone, to Irley Yang. "I have some sort of aversion to this thing; you hold it for now..."

Just as Irley Yang was reaching out to take it, a shrill, piercing laugh echoed from the depths of the passage, roughly in the direction of the underground palace—as if the vengeful spirit from the 'Heavenly Palace' had finally entered the nest of the Nether Hall. The eerie laughter startled Irley Yang, causing her to flinch her hand back. The 'tongue' slipped from my grasp and fell into the dark water, which was chest-deep.