Imperial Treasure

Chapter 564 - 365: Slice Scales

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The sound of water was loud, and although the searchlight illuminated quite far ahead, Sui Yi and the three women were still behind.

"The water’s getting deeper and deeper... who knows what’s lurking down there~" The chubby man always had a lot to say, and his mouth had not rested during the entire journey. Sui Yi and Yhan Qingwu were okay since they seemed to have a natural ability to tune him out, but the others weren’t so skilled. Xue the Skillful Hand and Third Lady Yin often cursed at him. However, his jesting somewhat alleviated everyone’s tension, so neither Second Master Gong nor Sui Yi stopped them.

"These rock walls are crudely excavated... It was indeed an escape route for the artisans, not a proper tomb passage," said Sui Yi.

Since ancient times, rulers have not valued the lives of people. Scholars and nobles alike treated commoners like weeds, their heads as trivial as roadside grass. If Sui Yi could cut it, why not these artisans who had already signed their lives away? Working on tombs was like having one foot in Ghost Gate Pass; once a tomb was completed, the other foot would step in too.

"I bet a cucumber that this escape route wasn’t meant for those artisans... It’s too damn weird..."

This time it was Skinny Waist complaining, who also asked Mount Mover: "Old man, you must have encountered artisans killed inside tombs before in your past explorations, right?"

This remark inadvertently revealed a detail—the word "also" indicated that he often explored tombs and frequently saw the remains of artisans, so he naturally assumed the artisans of the Warring States Ancient Tomb must have been ordered killed as well.

"Hmm... very few escaped~ But the Warring States Period was a peculiar time; it was a period of contention among various schools of thought. Confucian and Taoist ideals clashed, and there were the Mohists... all advocating benevolence, opposing senseless killing. Hence, some tombs were built with complete merit, without the slaughter of artisans. Maybe the owner of this tomb followed not Legalism but Confucianism, perhaps even leaving some goodwill..."

Whether this was indeed a Warring States Tomb hadn’t been completely confirmed, so Sui Yi and the others didn’t argue. For now, they hadn’t seen any remains of artisans; maybe they really had escaped...

Oh no!

Someone suddenly exclaimed as a man upfront abruptly slipped into the water, splashing around and startling those nearby. The chubby man cursed and was just about to grab him when he too stumbled and suddenly plunged into the water.

The chubby man’s weight was not insignificant; his plunging stirred up water, splashing Sui Yi and the others as well.

"Ouch damn it, you chubby guy, can’t you watch where you’re walking? You fell like a dog eating poop~"

Xue the Skillful Hand, hindered by the difficulty of moving in the water, was soaked and angrily shouted while trying to pull the chubby man up, only to see him already standing straight, holding something in his hand.

"It’s this round stick; I slipped because of it... Look!"

Sui Yi then directed his searchlight on it.

Everyone quieted down, Second Master Gong frowned: "Human bones..."

Bones... still human bones.

"Human femur... Chubby, looks like you hit the jackpot," chuckled Mount Mover.

The chubby man’s expression was odd. He took a few strides and stepped around, then suddenly said, "You all might hit it too... because it’s all underneath."

What!

The group hastily paid attention to the riverbed beneath their feet...

Indeed, unlike the previously smooth surface, just stirring their feet a bit touched upon various objects...

Naturally, lots of bones.

Both Second Master Gong and Mount Mover’s faces darkened. The former said, "With so many human bones around, this place must be a Land of Corpses... Things could get very dangerous here... everyone, show what you’ve got, don’t fall to zongzi or any other unclean thing too soon!"

This was a caution, urging these soldier-like mercenaries not to hold back.

Soon, some revealed their Black Donkey Hoof.

This item was a tried-and-true tool for warding off spirits in this line of work, not everyone had one, but at least Mount Mover and others did...

Sui Yi and Yhan Qingwu had them too, previously given to them by Second Master Gong.

They had them tucked away in their waist packs.

At that moment, the pair exchanged glances and both pulled them out.

As their lives were at stake, they couldn’t afford to be careless...

Just as Sui Yi was about to unzip her waist pack.. she suddenly said, "That man hasn’t gotten up yet."

True, that man... As everyone suddenly realized something was wrong, it was then that Skinny Waist swiftly rolled over, whipped out a pistol, and began firing into the water!

"There’s something down there!"

The churning water surged under the crisscrossing beams of the searchlight, with a swirl of blood-red mingling with the splashes...