181 Mysterious Black Cloak Figure

y launched surprise attacks.On October 17th, the grain convoy of Xi Ling's reinforcements aiding Great Chu was completely burnt to ashes. A massive Qilin firework rose into the sky amidst the flames,...181. The Mysterious Black-Cloaked Man

Even if Lin Yuan obtained the treasures from the imperial tomb, there was no need to kill everyone in the village to keep it a secret. These people were descendants of loyal ministers who had served the previous dynasty's emperor several hundred years ago. It was even more strange that despite being a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty, Lin Yuan didn't know about the secret location of Emperor Gaozu’s tomb. Instead, it was Dr. Lin, who raised him, who knew about it. Of course… if one explained it as Lin Yuan being too young at the time, it could be considered plausible. But… if Dr. Lin did not want him to have thoughts of reclaiming his country's throne, he didn't need to tell him his identity either. When Lin Yuan first came to this village, he was only a year old and couldn’t possibly remember anything. Looking up at Dr. Lin who was lost in thought, Ye Li frowned slightly. This Lin Yuan… something just felt off about him. And the treasure of Emperor Gaozu clearly didn't seem like ordinary treasures such as gold and silver or antique jade objects. It also didn't resemble any legendary treasure such as secret manuals, military strategies, magic swords, or precious blades. So… what could it possibly be

Ye Li looked at her abdomen somewhat regretfully. If she hadn’t been pregnant with the baby, she wouldn’t mind investigating this treasure and secrets of the founding emperor of the previous dynasty.

After resting sufficiently, they both got up to continue their journey along the route indicated on the map. Regardless of whether there was danger in the imperial tomb or not, being stuck in such a confined space wasn't very pleasant. Along the way, Ye Li subconsciously recorded the routes they had taken. As a former special forces soldier of the army, having good direction sense was essential. At least she never worried about getting lost wherever she went.

As they walked silently forward, Ye Li frowned slightly as she noticed that their surroundings became increasingly lavish in decoration and casually asked, "Master, are we taking a wrong path"

Dr. Lin glanced down at the map in his hand before looking sideways at her. "Oh What do you mean"

Ye Li frowned and said, "We seem to be heading towards the center of the imperial tomb, which is exactly opposite from the direction of the exit." Even if the path inside the imperial tomb couldn’t take a straight-line distance, it wouldn’t go completely in the opposite direction either. Although the Earth was round, this imperial tomb didn't cover the entire planet.

Dr. Lin looked at her and said coolly, "Who said that the exit is in Hongzhou" Ye Li fell silent, wordlessly staring at Dr. Lin. Even if it wasn’t in Hongzhou, wouldn't the center of the mausoleum be far away Feeling uncomfortable under Ye Li’s gaze, Dr. Lin said, "Alright, I’m going to retrieve something and then we can leave. If you don’t want to go, you can stay here and wait for me or look at this map yourself and copy it down so that you can leave by yourself."

Ye Li felt somewhat relieved in her heart. At least he wasn't planning on harming her. Otherwise… although she was confident in her ability to restrain him, one could never tell what they might encounter in an ancient tomb from several hundred years ago. After some thought, Ye Li hesitated and asked, "Lin Yuan… is there another way to enter"

Dr. Lin obviously didn't want to give that item to Lin Yuan, which was why he wanted to take it away himself.

Dr. Lin remained silent but by his expression alone, Ye Li could tell what was happening. As expected… the claim of there only being one exit had never been reliable. For example, it was said that ancient craftsmen who built imperial tombs would leave themselves a secret passage to escape if royal killers came for them.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ye Li smiled faintly and said, "I’ll go with Master then. What if I get lost and can’t find my way out"

"You’d better think it over clearly. As far as I know, this imperial tomb isn't dangerous. You can wait for me at the exit. If I don’t come back in two days, you can open the mechanism yourself and leave."

Ye Li looked around and said, "I don’t know if this place is dangerous or not. But now it’s uncertain. As a lady, I’m afraid to walk alone in the tomb. Following my master might boost my courage." Dr. Lin looked at her deeply and sighed lightly before turning and walking forward. "I don’t know why you insist on following me. If anything happens, don’t blame me."

Ye Li smiled and stepped forward slightly to whisper, "Because you are my master, I know that you’re a good person." Dr. Lin snorted lightly. "I’m not a good person, and you shouldn’t pretend to be ignorant in front of me. In this life, there aren’t many people who can hide their true colors from me."

Ye Li pretended she didn't hear his sarcasm and blinked her eyes. "Is Master praising me"

The master and apprentice walked slowly while stopping at times. Because they had to take care of Ye Li’s body, Dr. Lin wasn’t young either; thus, their pace wasn’t fast. The imperial tomb was dark, so Ye Li could only estimate the time roughly. They had been walking for three or four hours since entering the imperial tomb and had rested in a stone room for several hours. By now, they had spent nearly one day inside. However, they were just at the entrance of the inner part of the imperial tomb. Standing before an imposing palace gate, Dr. Lin turned to Ye Li and said, "Be careful when you go inside; don’t touch anything that shouldn’t be touched. If you trigger a mechanism, don’t blame your master for not warning you."

Ye Li looked at him. "Master clearly said that there was no danger here." Dr. Lin snorted lightly and had an air of pride in his expression. "Following me is naturally not dangerous. But it would be if you were with someone else. Previously, outside the imperial tomb, what we encountered were just illusions. However, inside the traps are at least five times more than those outside."

Ye Li wiped away sweat that didn’t exist on her forehead. "Master, your disciple feels like she’s already fallen into a trap. What would have happened if I hadn’t entered with you"

Dr. Lin tugged at the corners of his mouth without smiling and said to her, "The mechanisms at the exit are no fewer than those inside. Moreover, the diagrams for solving the mechanisms are kept together with the treasures."

"You know so clearly." Ye Li muttered under her breath. The tomb was silent; Dr. Lin naturally heard what she said clearly and smiled proudly. "This imperial tomb was designed by our ancestors. Do you think anyone could be more familiar than I am" Ye Li raised an eyebrow and followed the steps of Dr. Lin as he walked in.

Once they entered the inner part of the imperial tomb, Ye Li truly understood what a royal tomb meant. No one knew exactly how Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum was like; however, most of the imperial tombs that Ye Li had seen from her previous life were either robbed or excavated and could only be considered ruins. She remembered that The Records of the Grand Historian mentioned that about Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb: “digging through three layers of earth to reach his coffin which was placed on a layer of mercury, with palaces and officials’ quarters inside, filled with odd-shaped items and precious objects. Rivers, rivers, seas were made out of mercury, connected by machinery. The heaven above, the land below, candles made from fish oil would burn for a long time.” She didn’t know if this imperial tomb could compare to Qin Shi Huang’s in terms of grandeur, but what she saw was enough proof that it was at least as luxurious and magnificent.

The marble floor and walls were elaborately carved; rivers of mercury and constellations covered the vast chambers. Looking up, there were countless stars dotted by various night pearls on top of their heads. The burial objects weren’t bronze ware but exquisite gold pieces, jade items, gems and so on. Around the chamber was a long-burning lamp, together with the goldware and night pearls in the tomb, making it as bright as day. Looking at the magnificent tomb before her which resembled a miniature imperial city, Ye Li couldn’t help but focus once again on those few lines from The Records of the Grand Historian… were all ancient royal tombs across time so similar

"There should also be terracotta warriors near this imperial tomb, right" Ye Li murmured softly. Following Dr. Lin carefully, she had no intention to touch any rare treasures in front of her.

Dr. Lin turned to look at her, "How do you know about the Terracotta Army"

Ye Li was stunned, "Really" Could it be that this previous dynasty's Grand Ancestor was a reincarnation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Ye Li shook her head and dismissed these wild thoughts. While Qin Shi Huang did conquer six states, the former dynasty’s Grand Ancestor had been great in martial arts but fell short compared to him. Dr. Lin sized her up before turning back and continuing into the tomb, saying as she walked, "According to our ancestors' records, it's true that there was a Terracotta Army. However, at that time, the empire was newly unified; they couldn't afford such massive construction expenses for imperial tombs. So, two-thirds of the Grand Ancestor’s original plans were scrapped. The Terracotta Army only appeared in very few secret histories about the Grand Ancestor." Ye Li was amazed. This tomb alone was a third of what would have been built if the entire complex had been constructed as planned. The previous dynasty might have perished a century or two earlier without such extravagance.

“Actually, this is not bad either. Descendants can just dismantle the mausoleum when they face difficulties.” Ye Li said with a smile. From ahead came Dr. Lin’s cold snort, "Even the most undutiful descendants would never demolish their ancestor's tomb." Ye Li blinked, "Then why leave so much treasure here" She understood that people who had not been emperors could never understand the significance of building such a mausoleum. It was better to have left all that money for future generations to use in emergencies.

No more words were exchanged as they continued on their journey, carefully navigating past several mechanisms led by Dr. Lin before approaching a palace-like structure at the center of the tomb complex. Ye Li knew this would be where the tomb’s occupant's coffin was placed. This was an entirely white jade structure standing in the final section of the mausoleum. Even from afar, one could see the snow-white palace. Up close, elaborately carved window lattice and pavilions were adorned with dragon children perched on the eaves and lifelike flowers and plants made of green jade hanging below them. Dragon and phoenix carvings dominated the palace steps while a huge white dragon wound around this white palace, its head resting atop the roof and two large night pearls making up its eyes glaring at visitors. For some reason, Ye Li couldn’t help but twitch her lips when she saw such opulent splendor; it gave rise to an extremely eerie feeling in her heart. But seeing Dr. Lin's excited admiration, she decided not to say anything more.

"Master, do we go inside" Ye Li asked as she noticed that Dr. Lin was lost in thought.

Dr. Lin snapped out of it and glanced one last time at the white structure before nodding.

The two stood outside the palace gate, both deep in thought. The door was tightly shut with no locks or other security measures visible. Only a black stone tablet engraved with characters surrounded by coiling dragons hung on the door. Ye Li and Dr. Lin examined it carefully; simple words were arranged haphazardly, but the characters themselves seemed to be movable, clearly requiring rearrangement. Ye Li raised her eyebrows as she looked at the eight characters: 'sweep', 'unite', 'six', 'king', 'under', 'cross', 'overlook', and 'heavens'. It was a simple puzzle that likely read “Sweeping Six Directions and Overlooking Heavens.”

As Dr. Lin began moving the characters on the door, Ye Li frowned with an uneasy feeling she couldn’t quite explain. After careful inspection, however, she still didn't see any problem; thus, she stood by watching carefully. Suddenly, it seemed as though a character had twisted oddly. Blinking in confusion, Ye Li tried to determine whether this was a hallucination or reality. Focusing on the 'heavens' character, she noticed that something beneath it was slowly moving. Her mind raced and she acted instinctively; grabbing Dr. Lin who was bending down to move the characters.

"Ouch!" Dr. Lin exclaimed as he stepped back without Ye Li needing to pull him, his fingers staring at in shock. Two of his fingers were covered with strange black substances that were slowly moving and corroding them quickly. Dr. Lin's face paled; grabbing his hand, Ye Li used a sharp dagger to cut off the affected skin and flesh before it could spread further. They then watched in horror as the fallen flesh continued to erode the white jade floor.

Both turned abruptly towards the door where the black substance was growing bigger and no longer bore any resemblance to characters, with some parts detaching like tiny bugs flying outwards. Having seen these creatures' power before, Ye Li pulled Dr. Lin back two steps while keeping an eye on the dark mist nearby.

"Master, we have a big problem," she said as they stepped back. "Quickly leave." Looking at his bloodied right hand, Dr. Lin's face was grim; “There’s no mention of this in our family’s secret records.” Ye Li added, "It's obvious that the previous dynasty’s Grand Ancestor played you for fools."

"What is it" They hurried down the steps and outwards but clearly, the tomb occupant didn't intend to let them leave easily. The bridge piers over the water moat suddenly sank into the depths; Ye Li heard creaking sounds as mechanisms were activated, making it impossible for anyone to jump across. Even if they could have, what lay ahead was not something they wanted to face.

Turning back towards the door, they saw that black substance growing bigger and no longer resembling characters with parts breaking off like tiny bugs flying outwards. Both had seen these creatures’ power before; Dr. Lin’s fingers corroded by just a touch and now there was a wine-cup-sized hole in the white jade floor.

"What is this..." Dr. Lin frowned, his family might not deal with tombs anymore but he knew much about them. Yet, he had never seen anything like this before. Ye Li tugged at him while searching for a place to retreat and watched cautiously at the dark mist nearby. "Master knows Cordyceps Sinensis, right" Dr. Lin asked in confusion. “Cordyceps Sinensis What does it have to do with that”

Ye Li explained: "In winter, they're insects; in summer, they’re grass. The same applies here; warm temperatures activate these creatures while cold turns them into jade-like objects. Master, your fingers’ warmth just now activated the little creatures. Do you have a solution"

Doctor Lin helplessly said, "I've never even seen this thing before. What can I do"

Ye Li said, "This is troublesome then. If these things fly around everywhere, not only will we be in trouble, but the treasures in this tomb might also suffer."

"Now you still have time to worry about these things" Doctor Lin glared at her and said with a bad mood.

Ye Li smiled coldly, "Does that mean others won't worry about them just because I don’t"

Doctor Lin was stunned. "What other people" Just as she spoke, a black shadow flashed from the opposite side, and several sharp arrows flew towards the dark figure with whistling sounds. The man in black narrowly dodged the sharp arrows mid-air; however, a row of large spikes suddenly came down from above his head. Unable to land on time, he had to roll over again to avoid them, tearing his clothes in the process. He finally landed on their side and stood up after staggering for a moment. Ye Li struck like lightning, her dagger flashing cold light. The man had just stabilized himself when she pressed the cold blade tip against his back. "Don't move. If I get carried away, I may not take your life, but you’ll likely spend the rest of it paralyzed."

The man tilted his head slightly. "Duke Ding’s Concubine You’re still alive"

Ye Li smiled sweetly. "So we know each other after all However... I don't seem to recall meeting someone like you, sir"

The man raised his hands and threw the weapon on the ground. "Concubine, there's no need for you to be nervous. I won’t harm you or let you die here."

Ye Li smiled charmingly. "That’s very touching indeed. But before that, may I know who you are Otherwise... I cannot guarantee that you won't end up dead here." As she spoke, Ye Li turned the man around with her free hand to face Doctor Lin and asked smilingly: “Master, do you recognize him"

Doctor Lin looked at the black-clad man before them with a complicated expression. After a long time, he sighed deeply and said, "You’ve finally come."

The man said matter-of-factly, "I’m just here to take back what’s rightfully mine. What's wrong with that"

Ye Li tilted her head to look at the two men and smiled. "I find myself increasingly curious about who you are, sir."

The man smiled. "Why don’t Concubine grace us with your presence up front then" By the time officials arrived at Yunzhou, Xu Manor was already deserted, leaving an empty academy atop Mount Lishan. Upon receiving news of this, Mo Jingqi flew into a rage, ordering the burning down...