Chapter 173: Cormorant Fishing (2)
Chapter 172 – Cormorant Fishing (2)
“Hmm. Which way would it be better to go?”
The Black Daoist asked while looking at the grand stone door.
He himself did not know who the question was directed to.
It just meant anyone should offer an opinion. In any case, no one would know the answer.
“By nature, if it’s a royal tomb, shouldn’t we enter through the king’s door?”
Red Robe Gang Leader Yo Chung said, looking up at the door with the king in relief. At that, Red Crone snorted.
“Hmph! If it were that easy, there wouldn’t have been a need to divide it into two doors.”
“Haha. Senior Red, are you only thinking of this place as Madan Valley from the beginning? This was a royal tomb before it was Madan Valley.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“If the Demonic Cult wanted to hide the spirit pills, they would have naturally hidden them in the most inaccessible place. Then where in a royal tomb would be the most difficult to access? I mean, where is the place tomb raiders want to enter most but is the hardest to get into?”
“You mean where the king’s coffin is buried.”
“Yes. They must have built this place like a royal palace, so if you look at it that way, wouldn’t the king’s chambers be the hardest to enter? Then they would have gathered the spirit pills there as well.”
“However, you don’t seem to think of this place as Madan Valley at all.”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t the Cult Leader have been conscious of someone thinking like you? Wouldn’t anyone who crawled all the way here try to enter the king’s chambers?”
“Mmm. Even if that’s so… then do you think we should enter the queen’s chambers, Senior Red?”
“I never said such a thing. I only meant it’s not something to be judged so simply.”
Whether Yo Chung thought there was some truth to it, he dropped his stubbornness and looked back at the other two.
“What do you two think?”
“Indeed, thinking simply, the king’s chambers would be Madan Valley. However, from the Cult Leader’s standpoint, he might have twisted his thinking once.”
As the Black Daoist muttered to himself, Young Master Jade Flute smiled gently and said.
“I’m worried we might fall for our own tricks. How about we go by common sense first?”
“If you say common sense… you mean the king’s chambers after all?”
“Yes.”
This time, no one in particular opposed.
Rather, Yo Chung showed an anxious expression.
“But what if Madan Valley happens to be in the queen’s chambers… shouldn’t we divide our forces after all?”
“Then will you go to the queen’s chambers, Leader Yo?”
“Mmm.”
When Yo Chung groaned and looked away, the Black Daoist smirked.
“Since dividing the forces would only result in you going alone anyway, and you wouldn’t want that.”
“Ahem. I understand. Let’s go. To the king’s chambers.”
Yo Chung took large strides and stopped in front of the huge stone door. The three unorthodox experts followed behind him.
Yo Chung placed both hands on the heavy stone door and drew up his internal energy.
“Haaat!”
Power was applied to the stone door along with a loud shout.
Rumble…!
As internal energy was emitted, the stone door resonated and trembled.
Rumble…!
As the stone door began to vibrate, dust rose from the edges. The unorthodox martial artists standing right behind him scanned the surroundings. The elite martial artists of the Red Robe Gang stared at Yo Chung’s back with tense expressions.
The stone door only vibrated and did not budge.
“Haaap!”
Yo Chung raised his shout once again.
Rumble…!
Sure enough, the stone door did not budge.
By now, Yo Chung’s face was flushed red as if it would burst.
The Black Daoist, who was watching from behind, let out a dry laugh and approached Yo Chung.
“Leader Yo. No need to strain yourself too much. I will try.”
“I haven’t… used my full power yet!”
“Sigh, there is no time.”
“I told you… I’m still saving my strength…”
Yo Chung, whose pride was hurt, had no intention of backing down easily.
Ultimately, the Black Daoist sneered and stepped to his side.
“Alright. Then I will help to save time.”
“Go ahead.”
“Haaap!”
The Black Daoist drew up his internal energy and thrust out both palms.
Boom!
In an instant, his sleeves swelled up greatly as a dark energy swept over the stone door.
Rumble…!
A stronger vibration resounded than before.
Rumble…!
The internal energy resonated through the entire cavern centering on the stone door, painfully ringing their eardrums.
However…
“To think men would be that weak. Tsk tsk.”
Red Crone shook her head with a displeased expression, hands behind her back.
Since the stone door did not budge.
In the end, the Black Daoist and Yo Chung, who were trembling all over, stepped back only when they were on the verge of exhaustion.
“Haa, haa, haa…!”
“Damn it… why is the door…”
“Young Master! Why aren’t you helping?”
When the Black Daoist turned back irritably and rebuked him, Young Master Jade Flute smiled faintly and examined the surroundings.
“I thought that if even the two of you combining forces cannot open it… perhaps it cannot be opened by force in the first place.”
At the clever answer, the Black Daoist could not argue further and huffed, heaving his shoulders.
Red Crone, who had rebuked the two, also groaned and fell into thought, resting her chin on her hand.
“Strange. It doesn’t seem to have been made to be unopenable in the first place…”
“Since we have no choice, let’s open the queen’s door and enter.”
“Just a moment.”
Young Master Jade Flute, who had been staring at the stone door for a long time, walked over to the side. There was a chain drooping there, but since it was attached to the corner of the stone door, it was difficult to find unless looked at closely.
Clang!
Pulling the chain, a harsh sound resounded.
When Young Master Jade Flute infused internal energy into his hand and pulled the chain again, something behind the door rang out as if creating friction.
Rumble…!
The faces of the unorthodox martial artists brightened.
“Oh, was there a bolt?”
“Indeed! So that’s why it wouldn’t open even with all our strength!”
The Black Daoist and Yo Chung nodded and stared intently at the stone door.
As Young Master Jade Flute continued to pull the chain, a ‘clang!’ sounded again, as if the bolt beyond the stone door had risen completely.
Soon after,
Rumble…!
The heavy stone door began to open, sliding open on its own.
“Ohhh!”
Yo Chung rejoiced and raised both arms.
Young Master Jade Flute smiled and turned around.
“It was designed to open on its own by making it slightly sloped and heavy in the center of the stone door.”
“Indeed. To think we did not know such a simple thing. I am impressed by your cool observation, Young Master.”
“Not at all.”
Young Master Jade Flute smiled slightly and nodded.
As the unorthodox martial artists entered through the opened gap of the door, a grand sight unfolded, as if walking down the corridor of a royal palace.
Soldiers carved in relief on the left and right watched them silently, and expensive night-glowing pearls were densely embedded in the ceiling.
It felt like visiting an actual ancient royal palace.
However, they soon could not hide their futile expressions.
For once they entered inside, was the king’s door and the queen’s door not connected to the same corridor?
“Damn it! We wasted time worrying in vain.”
“In hindsight, perhaps our lives are about making futile worries.”
Young Master Jade Flute smiled and moved his steps.
As the unorthodox martial artists reached the end of the corridor, another heavy stone door appeared.
This time, when Yo Chung discovered a chain like earlier and strode forward, the Black Daoist quickly stepped forward and warned him.
“From now on, we must be careful. Since we have entered the palace, we don’t know what kind of mechanical traps will operate.”
“Mmm. True.”
Yo Chung, who was about to pull the chain, hesitated and gestured to one of his subordinates.
Eventually, the subordinate quickly ran over and pulled the chain.
Clatter!
At that moment,
Swish-swish-swish!
“Keugh!”
Did hundreds of fine needles not suddenly pour down from the ceiling connected to the chain?
As the subordinate who suffered the sudden attack groaned and collapsed, the unorthodox martial artists immediately drew their weapons and guarded the surroundings.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no further mechanical traps.
“Tsk, next!”
When Yo Chung gave instructions again, the Red Robe Gang elites hesitated, looking at each other.
“Hurry!”
As Yo Chung glared again, one of the subordinates strode forward with a brave expression.
He glanced at the ceiling and quickly pulled the chain while retreating.
Clatter!
Swish-swish-swish!
Fine needles were fired this time as well, but fortunately, since he had retreated quickly, they only covered the fallen corpse.
Rumble…!
The heavy stone door slowly opened!
“Be on your guard.”
Red Crone dyed both hands crimson and took a starting stance.
Since they did not know what would pop out of the opened door.
Each swallowed their dry saliva and prepared for emergencies, and finally the interior view was revealed through the opened door.
“Gasp!”
“Oh!”
The unorthodox martial artists flinched in surprise.
And for good reason, because the area behind the stone door was a vast space, and were people not densely packed there?
Warriors holding swords, spears, and halberds standing in rows and files.
Some of the Red Robe Gang elites tried to dash out immediately while emitting internal energy.
“Wait!”
Quickly stopping them, the Black Daoist narrowed his eyes and looked at the densely lined-up opponents.
“Jiangshi…?”
Like dead people, there was no movement.
At a rough estimate, there seemed to be five hundred.
Yo Chung gestured to the elites again.
“Check them.”
“Understood!”
The elites who replied quickly ran over and meticulously checked the hundreds of soldiers lined up in the wide space.
Meanwhile, the Black Daoist, Red Crone, and Young Master Jade Flute prepared to fight at a moment’s notice.
One of the elites returned and reported.
“They are clay soldiers!”
“Clay soldiers?”
“Yes, without a doubt.”
Only then did Yo Chung and the other unorthodox martial artists let out sighs of relief.
Although they were clay soldiers, since they were made so elaborately, they had thought they were surely real people.
“Indeed, there’s no way people would be in a place like this.”
“To think there would be such elaborate clay soldiers. It is surprising.”
“It is at a level where I wouldn’t be surprised even if they came alive and moved right now.”
The unorthodox martial artists constantly expressed admiration while passing through the clay soldiers.
The Black Daoist shook his head and said.
“They say Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb of the Qin dynasty is guarded by ten thousand clay soldiers… seeing this, that statement might indeed be true.”
“Ten thousand would be an exaggeration. Maybe about a thousand?”
Yo Chung grumbled and replied.
It was while they were conversing as they passed through the hundreds of clay soldiers.
“Hm?”
Feeling an unknown sense of incompatibility, Young Master Jade Flute frowned and looked sideways.
‘Strange. Was this the original posture?’
Yo Chung, who was walking ahead, happened to turn back to look at the stopped Young Master Jade Flute and shouted.
“Young Master, what is wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. By any chance, were these clay soldiers placing their hands on their hilts from the beginning?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Well, looking at it now, yes. Surely they didn’t move on their own?”
“Indeed. It just felt like they were in an attention stance at first. I must be oversensitive.”
Young Master Jade Flute smiled genially and moved his steps again.
However, at that moment, he did not notice at all that the eyeball of the soldier right next to him rolled to the side.
It was just when the unorthodox martial artists had reached about the middle of the lined-up soldiers.
Bump!
“Oops.”
One of the Red Robe Gang elites accidentally bumped shoulders with a clay soldier and stumbled.
But did the clay soldier, who was expected to fall backward, not take a step at that moment to regain balance?
Step!
“Huh…?”
The startled elite martial artist raised his head and made eye contact with the clay soldier.
At that moment,
Slash!
In the blink of an eye, the clay soldier drew a rusted sword and struck off the elite martial artist’s neck.
Thud, roll roll…!
Spurt!
In an instant, blood erupted like a fountain from the neck of the elite martial artist who lost his head.