Unfortunately, the kind preparations made by Magistrate Liu and his wife were ultimately wasted. If they had more time, traveling by carriage or horseback to Chenzhou would indeed have been a more comfortable option. But since Han Lingsha was in a hurry, the group decided to stick with their usual approach. Yun Tianhe carried the food, while Liu Mengli took the money, and they moved lightly without any extra baggage.
Daniel Davis understood why Han Lingsha insisted on taking the shortcut through Mount Bagong. She wanted to achieve two goals at once: save time and investigate the rumored tomb of the King of Huainan. According to legend, the King of Huainan had achieved immortality, and not only him but also eight other esteemed figures of his time, who were collectively referred to as the "Eight Lords."
If the tomb of such a legendary figure contained even a shred of the secret to immortality, Han Lingsha wasn't going to give up the chance to find it—especially since the immortality techniques of Sword Immortals were far from certain.
"Those two scoundrels really pissed me off. If it weren't for…"
Mount Bagong, being the site of the King of Huainan's tomb, was usually deserted. However, possibly due to Han Lingsha's prior activities in the area, the commotion had drawn attention. Now, there were two soldiers stationed there to guard the tomb.
Initially, Han Lingsha had planned to use Liu Mengli's status as the magistrate's daughter to have the soldiers step aside. Instead, this backfired, and the soldiers drove the entire group away.
The two soldiers weren't from Shouyang County but rather from the prefectural level, beyond the jurisdiction of the county magistrate. They had been sent to this remote area to guard the tomb due to a report from Shouyang County. Naturally, they were unhappy about being transferred from their comfortable post in the prefecture to this desolate duty. While they didn't dare offend Liu Mengli, knowing she was the magistrate's daughter, they were firm in their orders and simply drove the group away without further incident.
Yun Tianhe initially wanted to teach the soldiers a lesson, but Han Lingsha stopped him. While Yun Tianhe, having lived in the mountains, didn't understand the complexities of the outside world, Han Lingsha was well aware of them. Unless the soldiers were killed to silence them (which was out of the question), causing trouble for them would only lead to resentment against Magistrate Liu. While the magistrate wouldn't be concerned about two lowly soldiers, it was best to avoid unnecessary complications.
After all, none of the four present—Han Lingsha, Liu Mengli, Yun Tianhe, or Daniel Davis—would resort to murder over such a trivial matter. The soldiers hadn't done anything deserving of such a punishment.
"Damn it! I thought we'd be able to get through easily using Mengli's identity, but now it's become troublesome." The terrain of Mount Bagong was steep and treacherous, with only one path up the mountain—there were no alternative routes.
"Let me handle this. I know a spell that can make them forget what happened," Liu Mengli offered.
"Really, Mengli? That's wonderful!" Han Lingsha exclaimed, her mood lifting.
This time, the group avoided confronting the two soldiers directly. Instead, Liu Mengli cast her spell from a hidden spot where the soldiers couldn't see her. Using incense as a medium, she employed a sleep-inducing enchantment. Liu Mengli's skill in creating incense was exceptional. While the most famous of her creations, the "Soul-Calming Incense," was merely designed to aid her father's health by soothing the mind, she had other, more powerful concoctions that even her parents didn't know about—such as the one she used now, which could lull people into a deep sleep.
"For daring to be rude to me," Han Lingsha muttered, crouching beside one of the unconscious soldiers. She pulled out a brush and drew a lifelike turtle on his face.
"This looks fun! Let me try!" Yun Tianhe said eagerly. Taking the brush from Han Lingsha, he proceeded to draw a wild boar on the other soldier's face, the result so realistic it was hard to tell if it was a drawing or an actual creature.
"The feng shui here is truly remarkable, resembling the forms of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger," Han Lingsha said, her mood clearly improved after their antics. She looked ahead at the massive tomb and began explaining the site's history to the group.
"Lingsha, what does that mean? I don't understand," Yun Tianhe asked, looking completely confused. Feng shui principles, to the average person, were like reading from a cryptic book. While Daniel Davis and Liu Mengli could grasp some of the concepts due to their knowledge, Yun Tianhe was utterly lost.
"I shouldn't even bother explaining it to you," Han Lingsha said with a sigh. Taking the lead, she guided the group toward the tomb. She seemed quite familiar with the area, quickly leading them to the tomb's right side and asking Yun Tianhe to move a large stone blocking the entrance.
"Is the Ghost Realm not all-powerful after all?" Daniel Davis mused as he examined the King of Huainan's tomb. Remembering that the King of Huainan had turned into a restless spirit rather than being taken to the Ghost Realm, Daniel's thoughts began to form a hypothesis.
For Daniel, helping extend the lives of Han Lingsha's people wasn't difficult—he had many methods and tools to achieve this. However, when considering the nature of the Ghost Realm, he realized there were deeper problems at play. The situation with the King of Huainan's spirit only confirmed his suspicions.
Han Lingsha's real concern wasn't immortality per se but ensuring that her family and clan could live normal lifespans. Members of the Han family rarely lived beyond 30, with only a handful reaching their 40s or 50s.
In this cultivation world brimming with spiritual energy, even ordinary people benefited from slightly extended lifespans. For a family to face such premature deaths was highly unusual.
"Lingsha, who's better at digging holes, you or a mouse?" Yun Tianhe suddenly blurted out, breaking Daniel's train of thought.
"What did you just say, Yun Tianhe?!" Han Lingsha shouted angrily. Comparing her to a mouse was clearly a sore spot, and Yun Tianhe's innocent expression only added fuel to the fire. Unable to vent her anger, Han Lingsha could only grit her teeth and stomp forward, leading the group into the tomb through a tunnel she had previously dug.
It was clear from the tunnel's existence that Han Lingsha had done extensive preparation for exploring this tomb. Initially, her goal had been to explore the King of Huainan's tomb. However, upon hearing rumors of a Sword Immortal on Qingluan Peak, she had abandoned the tomb in favor of pursuing the immortal. After all, a tomb wasn't going anywhere, but a Sword Immortal could leave at any time.
"Before, I had only read about the grandeur of royal tombs in books. Now, seeing it in person, I must say the descriptions were not exaggerated," Liu Mengli remarked softly, shaking her head in awe as the group stepped into the tomb.
Though the interior was not as bright as the exterior, it wasn't completely dark either. The walls were lined with ever-burning lights, illuminating the tomb. The group immediately saw two imposing stone guardian beasts standing before them. Following the path further in, the tomb looked less like a burial chamber and more like a palace.
"This is nothing. An emperor's tomb is the true definition of extravagance. Some took decades to build, starting from the moment the emperor ascended the throne until his death," Han Lingsha explained.
"What a waste of resources, just for a dead person…" Liu Mengli sighed deeply upon hearing this.
"Exactly! It's excessive, which is why I take their treasures and use them to help the poor. It's the perfect example of stealing from the rich to aid the needy," Han Lingsha declared enthusiastically, clenching her fists. This ideology was at the core of her family's tomb-raiding philosophy. While noble in intent, good intentions didn't always lead to correct actions.
Before Han Lingsha could say more, Yun Tianhe abruptly tensed. "There's killing intent ahead!" he exclaimed. Moments later, a blurry red figure shot out from the tomb's entrance, heading straight for Han Lingsha.
Yun Tianhe immediately stepped in front of her, raising the Wangshu Sword to block the figure's sharp claws. The creature, with its pale, lifeless face and black, elongated nails, shrieked as Yun Tianhe countered. The Wangshu Sword flashed with a cold light, severing its claws and slashing through its body, causing it to dissipate into nothingness with a final, bloodcurdling scream.
"What was that?" Liu Mengli asked, her voice trembling slightly. Though she was strong in cultivation, her sheltered life left her inexperienced in real combat.
"It's impossible… A restless spirit in such a well-balanced feng shui site? That makes no sense!" Han Lingsha muttered, her face pale. For such a good feng shui location to harbor a restless spirit was unheard of and deeply troubling.
"This place has become too dangerous. We need to leave immediately," Han Lingsha said decisively.
"No, Lingsha, we can't leave yet," Liu Mengli objected. "If we abandon this place, the spirits might spread
to Shouyang County, putting the townsfolk in danger."
Realizing this was true, Han Lingsha reluctantly agreed. The group pressed deeper into the tomb to investigate the source of the disturbance. Along the way, numerous restless spirits attacked, but they were no match for the group. Yun Tianhe's Wangshu Sword was especially effective, and Liu Mengli's celestial spells dealt high damage to the spirits.
"They're all targeting Han Lingsha. Is it because of her constitution?" Daniel wondered silently as the group continued their exploration.
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