The interior of the tomb was no longer a void of absolute darkness. Every twenty paces stood a glass lamp filled with fiery-red fluorite that flickered like a dancing flame, though its hue was somewhat dimmer than the fluorite typically found on the market. Wei Qingming explained, "The arrays within the tomb are causing all inanimate matter to decompose. Once these fireflies extinguish, the tomb itself will vanish into nothingness."
The flickers of light behind us seemed to sense their fate, watching with a touch of sorrow as we ventured further away.
Wei Qingming had memorized the map with a single glance, navigating the myriad of seemingly identical tomb passages with ease. Following closely behind her, I asked, "Did you also see that something was wrong with the left path earlier? Is that why you suggested we come this way?"
Wei Qingming knit her brows slightly and replied, "Intuition. The spiritual energy on this side faintly connects into a vortex, whereas the main tomb is unnaturally tranquil. It feels suspicious."
"Senior Brother Qiu must have noticed it too, right?"
"He didn't," Wei Qingming shook her head. "Senior Brother Bai’s art of Qi-observation is far superior to ours, but Senior Brother Qiu is single-mindedly focused on combat. He understands nothing of these subtleties. His claim that he could clear the left path alone was clearly born of underestimating the enemy."
"Ah! In that case, your attainments aren't much different from Senior Brother Bai's."
Wei Qingming turned her head to see my bright, smiling eyes and couldn't help but offer a faint smile of her own. "I merely know a little."
I felt happy for a moment, but then a lingering fear crept in. "Then, since the situation ahead is unclear, can we handle it?"
"Do not fear," she said, patting my head. "There are two of us, after all."
Her words sent a wave of warmth through my heart. I hugged her arm and walked with a lighter step.
Halfway through, a familiar, fishy stench wafted toward us. Sure enough, a Yin-corroding Beast lay huddled on the ground, motionless like a large black ball. I shrank back behind Wei Qingming in disgust, but she drew her Still-Water Blade and handed it to me. "Go kill it."
"No, no, I'll just stick to picking up stones," I said dryly.
"It’s fine," she said. "With me watching, Miss Su can be bold."
I swallowed hard, took the blade, and stepped forward. As expected, the Yin-corroding Beast feared light yet was drawn to it, as if it held some deep-seated grudge against anything luminous. Sensing the faint glow of the Still-Water Blade, it immediately grew restless, raising its feelers and letting out a low, hissing growl.
Steeling myself, I charged forward. The beast opened its maw to spit a glob of black venom, but I heard Wei Qingming’s voice: "Tilt left, stay low, slide two steps to the right."
I acted on instinct. The venom brushed past my shoulder and landed on the ground, not touching a single hair on my head. Wei Qingming spoke again: "Turn sideways, strike." Sure enough, the creature lunged toward the left side of my body. I used the momentum to twist my frame and, closing my eyes, swung the blade with all my might. The Yin-corroding Beast made no sound as it was cleaved into two puddles of black liquid. Two small, black bean-like eyes fell from its feelers; one melted away, while the other remained crystal bright, floating in the black water. This was the Yin-corroding Ink.
My heart was still thumping wildly against my ribs. I stared at the black water on the ground in disbelief. Was it really that simple?
Wei Qingming reached out with a grasping motion, and the Yin-corroding Ink flew into her fingers. She flicked away the clinging venom and handed it to me. "Your first trophy. Keep it safe."
I happily tucked the small stone into my robe. Wei Qingming warned, "The second one is coming."
I hurriedly raised the blade and ran according to her instructions, easily dispatching the second beast. Eventually, more and more Yin-corroding Beasts gathered. Wei Qingming even directed me to fight three at once. It wasn't until the swarm consisted only of palm-sized insects with no large beasts left that we finally stopped, by which point I was half-dead from exhaustion. Wei Qingming wiped the air with her hand, releasing a spray of light that turned the remaining insects to ash.
Dizzy and disoriented, I collapsed into her arms, panting heavily. "Tired... so tired..."
Wei Qingming chuckled softly. "Tired already?" She patted my back encouragingly. "You did very well."
I puffed out my cheeks and said dejectedly, "If you hadn't told me what to do, my mind would have been a total blank."
"It is only natural, as Miss Su has never received training," Wei Qingming said. "You will learn with practice."
I lifted my head from her embrace, wanting to ask who had taught her such skills and why a daughter of a noble house would learn them, but Wei Qingming pressed me back with one hand. Holding me, she pivoted and hid us around a corner, whispering, "Someone is coming."
My hand holding the blade trembled. Wei Qingming accurately found the back of my hand, stroking it once to soothe me before silently taking the blade and letting it hang by her side. Hearing her slow, steady, and calm breathing, my panic subsided.
A person approached with shuffling footsteps, muttering to himself, "Where did these Yin-corroding Beasts come from?" He bent down, poking through several small pieces of immature Yin-corroding Ink. He picked out two that were barely worth some money and stuffed them into his side pocket. Yawning, he took the lamp he was carrying and slotted it into a wall bracket. Standing by the base of the wall, he was about to reach into his trousers to relieve himself...
Before I even had time to close my eyes, Wei Qingming flashed forward and knocked him unconscious. With a flick of her finger, she shattered the firefly bead in the lamp and drifted back into our hidden corner.
I stuck out my tongue and made a face at her. Just then, another person approached from the other side, already suspicious. "Zhu the Seventh? Where'd you go?"
That voice was strangely familiar. I thought carefully for a moment and hurriedly leaned into Wei Qingming’s ear. "It’s the husband of that Lady Duan you saved!"
Wei Qingming nodded. "His appearance matches as well." She had also viewed Lady Duan’s memories through me and recognized him.
"No wonder he sleeps all day and works at night—he’s a grave robber," I whispered. "Should we use him?"
Wei Qingming smiled and tapped my nose. "Your mind certainly turns fast." She pulled out an object—another Flying Feather Stone—and said, "His wife used this very thing to flee to the gates of the Wujing Sect. It must have been given to her by her husband. Capturing him is no injustice."
I gave a proud snort, indicating I understood. In the blink of an eye, I transformed into the old cook from Lady Duan’s household. With a thud, I rolled onto the stone floor and cried out, "Master Duan!"
This grave robber surnamed Duan was named Duan Jianbai. He was likely quite capable; after years in the trade, he had become the leader of this gang. His wife was quite beautiful, but he was over twenty years her senior—a fierce-looking, sturdy man in his forties. Hearing that tragic cry, he instinctively leaped back, falling into a defensive stance. He stared at me on the ground with suspicion and alarm, whispering, "Mother Deng?"
"Master..." I wailed. "Calmity has struck the house!"
Duan Jianbai remained unmoved, his blade pointed at me. He said grimly, "There is no way you could have found this place."
Before I could weave a lie to cover the gap, Wei Qingming stepped out with her hands behind her back. She grabbed my back collar and hoisted me up from the ground. "It is possible now."
The tug hurt a bit, so I let out a half-real, half-fake "Ouch." I turned my head to glare at her, only to see that Wei Qingming had changed into an official robe as black as ink with gold-lacquered hems. A blade hung at her waist alongside a jade pendant. She looked righteous and imposing—quite the dignified figure.
Duan Jianbai ground his molars, squeezing out a few words: "Yingzhao Temple."
Wei Qingming gave a cold smile and lifted me a bit higher. "You might want to hear what this old woman has to say."
I hurriedly cried out, "Master, after you left home last month, a band of murderous thugs broke into our house and nearly beat the Mistress to death!" Wei Qingming picked up the cue, producing a dark Flying Feather Stone and continuing, "Your wife took this old woman and used this object to escape with her life. She has reported this to the authorities."
Duan Jianbai recognized the Flying Feather Stone and began to believe us. Coupled with the illusion I had been projecting for some time, his mental defenses crumbled. He couldn't help but hiss with hatred, "Who was it!"
I wanted to say it was Prince Xuan, but I felt an old servant woman wouldn't have such knowledge. For a moment, I didn't know what to say, so I just lowered my head and sobbed uncontrollably. Wei Qingming said, "Your master, naturally. You've laid hands on forbidden goods; do you think they would let you live afterward?"
"I knew I wouldn't walk out of this imperial tomb alive," Duan Jianbai said with a dark expression. "I never expected they wouldn't even spare the women!"
"It’s not just the Mistress!" I cried, my body trembling. "There’s also the child in her womb!"
Duan Jianbai’s eyes shook. "She... is it true?"
"It’s true!" I struggled to turn my head toward Wei Qingming, acting grateful. "It is all thanks to this official’s care..."
Duan Jianbai naturally understood what "care" implied. He asked, "What do you want?"
Wei Qingming released "Mother Deng" and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands. She asked composedly, "Who is inside?"
"My men," Duan Jianbai said. "And three supervisors from the Prince’s manor."
"Kill them. Not only you, but I will also protect your brothers."
Duan Jianbai was a straightforward man. He lowered his head and cupped his fists. When he looked up again, a murderous aura radiated from him. He turned and walked into the circular stone chamber at the end of the hall.
I scrambled up from the ground, rubbing my neck, and whispered, "Can you really protect them?"
She gave a nonchalant smile. "Of course. He is a specialist; the Yingzhao Temple might have a use for him."
Wei Qingming looked no older than seventeen or eighteen and hadn't even officially entered the bureaucracy, yet her status within the court was clearly not low. Her words carried weight. I grew curious about who the person in the palace she served was; they certainly didn't stick to convention when employing people.
Seeing me standing still, Wei Qingming smiled. "Don't want to go in and see?"
I curled my lip. "What’s the point of all this killing?" Despite my words, I followed her anyway.
As we neared the door, I cast an Invisibility Charm on both myself and Wei Qingming. Only then did I leisurely step inside. According to the regulations of imperial tombs, besides the main burial chamber containing the owner's favorite possessions, there were two chambers for funerary objects on the left and right. This group had likely finished looting the right side and concentrated everything in the left. In truth, no lamps were needed; the room was filled with gold and jewels shimmering with various spiritual lights. Moreover, a ten-zhang wide Firefly Gold Crystal was embedded in the ceiling of this circular chamber, casting down ten thousand rays of brilliance. The entire room was filled with a luminous mist of spiritual energy as radiant as sunset clouds.
Atop the mounds of countless treasures sat a fat man in lavish clothing. He was looking at a pearl the size of a baby's head against the light, looking utterly bored. Duan Jianbai had presumably already conferred with his men. He walked respectfully before the fat man, cupping his fists with a feigned look of grief. "Reporting to Lord Wang, Zhu the Seventh went out to relieve himself just now and was somehow stabbed to death. I find it strange; someone must have sneaked in while the outer gates were open."
Fatty Wang sat up nervously. "Weren't there people guarding the outermost entrance? Quick, send more men—" Before he could finish, a straight blade pierced through his chest. Fatty Wang’s small eyes bulged. The last thing he saw before death was Duan Jianbai’s scarred face twisted in a cruel grin.
Duan Jianbai gave the blade a vicious twist within the erupting hot blood, carving a large bloody hole in the fat man’s round body. The other two attendants tried to run out but were hacked to death by several of Duan's men. Blood flowed over the mountains of treasure, winding its way toward the floor. Duan Jianbai casually grabbed a piece of silk used for wrapping treasures to wipe his blade. He knelt on one knee before the appearing Wei Qingming and said, "Lord, it is done. May I know your name?"
"Wei Qingming." Wei Qingming unfastened the jade plaque from her waist and tossed it to him. "Before dawn, take this to the Huaxiang Inn at the end of Copper Official Alley." She then pinched out a paper talisman with two fingers. "There is a killing array outside the door. Be careful. Give this to the person by the gate and you will be fine."
Duan Jianbai acknowledged the order, receiving the token with fear and trepidation. He glanced at the jade plaque and kowtowed again. "So it is Emissary Wei. My profound thanks for your life-saving grace." Wei Qingming ignored his flattery and waved her hand. Duan Jianbai reached into his robe and pulled out a bulging spatial pouch. "This is what my group has gathered here over the past month. I leave it to your disposal. If I may be so bold, if you intend to scout the main burial chamber later, beware of three experts. All of them possess cultivation at or above the Cloud-Swallowing Realm."
Wei Qingming nodded to show she understood. Only then did Duan Jianbai lead his men quickly out the door.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 阴蚀墨 | Yin-corroding Ink | A crystalline substance left behind by a Yin-corroding Beast. |
| 止水刀 | Still-Water Blade | Wei Qingming's weapon. |
| 英招寺 | Yingzhao Temple | An official judicial or investigative body (likely secret police/intelligence). |
| 段建柏 | Duan Jianbai | The leader of the grave robbers and husband of Lady Duan. |
| 邓婆 | Mother Deng | The old cook/servant in the Duan household. |
| 令使 | Emissary | Wei Qingming's official rank/title. |
| 莹火金晶 | Firefly Gold Crystal | A large, light-emitting crystal used to illuminate the tomb. |
| 吞云境 | Cloud-Swallowing Realm | A high level of cultivation. |
| 铜官巷 | Copper Official Alley | A location in the city. |
| 槐乡客栈 | Huaxiang Inn | The inn where Wei Qingming directs Duan Jianbai. |
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