Chapter 121: Entering the Tomb

Those guards were all gone, they had run off to deal with diarrhea. It looked like they could not hold it in, and the three of us slipped through the gate.

Once inside, I saw a fully arranged formation, even more complicated than I had imagined. After all, this was related to the metaphysical arts. The moment I saw it, I stopped and could not help studying it.

At that moment, Su Rou said, “San Wa Er, why are you standing there? Which way do we go in?”

Ling Ruyue also reminded us, “Hurry up. We only have half an hour. They might come back at any moment.”

I snapped back to reality and hurried with them as we ran inward, avoiding the area visible from the small side gate.

“San Wa Er, with so many talismans, just how powerful is the ghost down there?” Su Rou said while running.

How would I know how powerful it was? I could only say, “No matter how powerful it is, Master and the others already went down first. It is not our concern.”

Su Rou looked relieved, but Ling Ruyue said, “Where exactly do we go in? Are we just going to keep wandering around here?”

“Let us stop here. I will take a look,” I said as I stood against the wall. They also stopped with me.

I carefully observed the surroundings. I vaguely remembered Master mentioning that the entrance should be where Guo Er and the others had dug last time. But apart from a temporary building, there was no entrance at all.

If there was any possibility, it had to be that building.

After thinking for a moment, I said to them, “Let us go into the building and take a look.”

Without further words, the three of us rushed into the only temporary structure. The inside was very empty. Strangely, there was an office desk, several chairs, and a few oil lamps.

“San Wa Er, what is going on here? This looks like a temporary meeting room,” Su Rou said loudly as soon as he entered.

I was also stunned. The legendary entrance was not there.

Ling Ruyue lazily sat on a chair, swinging her little feet as she looked at us. “Do not make me waste my effort. I will get angry.”

Su Rou and I broke into a cold sweat. What did this little girl mean by getting angry? We did not know, but we did know how terrifying Hua Feifei was.

“Move the desk and take a look,” I said. Since the room was completely visible, the only place something could be hidden was under the desk.

As I spoke, I rolled up my sleeves and started pushing the desk. Su Rou came to help, while Ling Ruyue hummed a little tune on her own, looking relaxed. Her voice was pleasant, but the words were unintelligible.

The old wooden desk was heavy. Su Rou and I barely managed to push it aside. Su Rou even slumped onto it pretending to be exhausted. “Girl, are you just watching? Me and San Wa Er are doing all the work.”

“I do not care. Only my sister can order me around,” Ling Ruyue snorted.

“Who is your sister? Do I look like her?” Su Rou said unhappily.

“You look like nothing. My sister is very beautiful. My sister is Ling Ruy…” Ling Ruyue looked like she was about to explode.

I suddenly shouted, “There is a door! Come here!”

The two who had been bickering instantly stopped and rushed over. Sure enough, there was something like a manhole cover on the ground.

“Yes, this must be it!” Su Rou said excitedly and immediately tried to pull it up. I quickly helped, and even Ling Ruyue joined in.

The cover was not as heavy as we expected. It was just a thin sheet of iron. With a strong pull, all three of us fell backward, but we managed to brace ourselves against the wall and stay on our feet.

With a loud clang, Su Rou threw the cover aside. Beneath it was a dark passage. Someone had carved small holes into the walls to serve as a simple ladder. Near the entrance, there were footprints, clearly left by Master and the others.

The entrance was pitch black. Su Rou, Ling Ruyue, and I exchanged glances. We had long desired to enter the Hungry Ghost Tomb, but now that it was right in front of us, we hesitated.

“How about you go first, San Wa Er?” Su Rou swallowed and said.

“Then how about Fat Brother goes first?” Ling Ruyue said almost at the same time.

After thinking for a moment, I said, “I will go first. Bring the oil lamp. How are we supposed to see anything down there in the dark?”

I took the oil lamp. This time Ling Ruyue was quite proactive and personally filled it with oil. It seemed Master and the others had used this place before, leaving behind a full flask of oil.

After lighting the lamp, I took a deep breath, bit down on the lamp handle, and climbed down first. Ling Ruyue followed, and Su Rou brought up the rear.

The passage was not steep but rather a sloped ramp designed for climbing. It was not too strenuous. The light from the oil lamp illuminated the tunnel, and nothing seemed unusual.

However, I had always had strong intuition. The further I went down, the colder my body felt. I could not speak while holding the lamp, so I could only climb step by step, yet the pressure in my heart kept growing.

Finally, my foot slipped into empty air. I turned back and saw that we had reached the exit, about one meter above the ground. I jumped down, and Ling Ruyue followed. I quickly steadied her.

Unfortunately, she was stubborn and refused my help, insisting she was fine.

Then Su Rou came down. As soon as he landed, Ling Ruyue and I both moved aside. With his weight, we could not catch him.

He landed heavily and groaned as he got up. “San Wa Er, you are really not considerate.”

“How am I supposed to be considerate? Look at your size,” I shot back.

At that moment, Ling Ruyue suddenly screamed behind us. Su Rou and I both felt our scalps tighten and turned around instantly.

“What are you yelling for!” Su Rou shouted, clearly startled.

I also felt extremely uneasy. Ever since entering this place, even the slightest movement made me overly alert for no clear reason.

“Third Brother, bring the oil lamp over here,” she said.

I walked over with the lamp. Under the dim yellow light, the place she pointed at came into view.

It was a hungry ghost.

I staggered back a few steps before realizing it was only a relief carving of a hungry ghost.

Before I could even catch my breath, Su Rou suddenly yelled, “Oh my god!”

I immediately smacked him. “What are you doing? Look carefully, it is a carving!”

“I was just scared too. I thought someone was standing there,” Ling Ruyue said, patting her chest.

Only then did I remember what Guo Er and the others had said about the hungry ghost reliefs. They had used flashlights with strong light, which made everything visible. We only had an oil lamp, so everything looked unclear and eerie.

For the first time, I felt that bringing them down here might have been a mistake. Looking at the dark tunnel above us, I even felt a hint of retreat.

“Su Rou, Ruyue, I think we should go back,” I said seriously.

Su Rou was silent. The atmosphere of the tomb had clearly weighed on him too, and he seemed a little regretful.

But Ling Ruyue stubbornly shook her head. “No. I must see it. Granny Jin often said Gu has spirit, and Gu can become intelligent beings. The Ghost King Worm is proof of that. I want to see it.”

I pressed my lips together, staring at the dark passage ahead, uncertain.

“Third Brother, let us go take a look. Once we find your Master and the others, everything will be fine. How big can this tomb really be?” Ling Ruyue said softly, placing her hands on my arm.

Thinking of Master and the others, I suddenly felt steadier. I raised the oil lamp and walked ahead. “Then let us go. But if anything feels wrong, we run immediately!”

I turned back and asked Su Rou, “What about you?”

Su Rou gritted his teeth. “Go. Why not? I am already here. I have to see it for myself!”

That was just his personality. Sometimes he was so carefree that it overpowered fear itself. Since the three of us were now in agreement, there was nothing more to say.

We moved forward.