Volume Eleven: The Serpent Spirit Chapter Four: The Ownerless Lonely Grave

Yaoguang was awakened by the clanging noises outside her door. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already 11 o’clock. She hurriedly got up, washed quickly, and stepped out of her room to find a crowd at the door filling in a pit. The Zheng family was bustling about, offering tea and water to the workers.

“Miss,” the workers all bowed together as soon as they saw her, startling Yaoguang so much she nearly stumbled. “Thank you for your hard work,” she stammered, scratching her head sheepishly.

“Carry on, don’t mind me,” Yaoguang added with a silly grin.

“Phoenix, come eat,” Zheng’s mother called cheerfully, taking Yaoguang into the dining room. There, fresh vegetables topped a bowl of noodles, alongside newly-braised beef and side dishes. Yaoguang devoured a large bowl of noodles, then polished off a box of strawberries. Zheng’s mother watched her eat with a broad, delighted smile.

“Miss, can you tell me how you managed to make such a big pit?” A man who looked like a manager asked with a laugh.

“Hehe, well, I really don’t know myself,” Yaoguang replied with a goofy smile.

It was true that many hands make light work; in just an hour, even the cement on the ground had been smoothed over.

“Miss, we’re leaving now. If you need anything, just call.” The manager waved at Yaoguang before leading his team away.

“Old man, tidy up. We’re heading into the mountains,” Yaoguang declared, standing up.

“You’re going to the East Mountain? Let me guide you,” Brother Zheng offered with a smile.

Yaoguang was about to accept when, out of nowhere, the green snake slithered up from somewhere and coiled around her shoulders. Just as she wondered about its intentions, a rustle sounded from the rear courtyard—the serpent spirit emerged, nodding at her.

“You want to guide us?” Yaoguang asked.

The serpent spirit nodded.

“Then you’ll have to squeeze into the back trunk. Otherwise, you’ll frighten the villagers half to death,” Yaoguang warned.

The giant snake shook its head and turned away, but the green snake flicked its tongue at Yaoguang. She understood—the serpent spirit had its own path to East Mountain, and the green snake would lead the way for them.

“Brother Zheng, the serpent spirit will guide us. You all stay home. If that unclaimed grave really is the lair of the evil spirit, there may be greater dangers. We’ll handle this ourselves,” Yaoguang said.

“Alright, be careful. We’ll wait for your return and hold another banquet,” Brother Zheng replied.

“Alright, Director Jia, let’s go.” Yaoguang and her party got into the car, following the green snake toward East Mountain. Jingyuan Manor was a village thriving on both agriculture and tourism, and the roads were in excellent condition. The car drove smoothly into the mountain, stopping not far from a valley. Everyone got out. From the woods came a rustling; soon, the serpent spirit appeared, gliding toward them.

“This valley is the only undeveloped area here. From here on, we walk,” the serpent spirit said, opening its mouth.

“You can talk?” Yaoguang exclaimed in delight.

“Not in front of humans, but with you, yes. Follow me.” The enormous serpent moved forward, like a steamroller, leading the group.

After seeing Yaoguang’s golden python, no one was surprised by the serpent spirit’s ability to speak. They followed it into the forest. After about half an hour, they reached a dense bamboo grove and discovered the solitary grave.

Yaoguang’s brow furrowed as she observed the mound. The gravestone was toppled and broken into pieces, the inscriptions worn beyond recognition. “This isn’t an ordinary grave. There’s a burial chamber below; this grave has been here for many years. The mound is just a cover.”

“How do you know?” Guishan asked, stepping forward.

“Look at the shape—it’s not a proper grave, just a heap of soil. And the gravestone fragments—who has a monument that large?” Yaoguang glanced at Yitian, who fetched some equipment from the car. She fitted a Luoyang shovel head onto a threaded steel pipe and began to dig. It took eleven pipes before she stopped. Pulling out the shovel, she noticed the soil clinging to it was red.

“Why is the soil red? Could this be the legendary Blood Corpse Tomb?” Xuanchen wondered aloud.

“Chief Xie, you’ve read too many tomb-raiding novels. There aren’t that many blood corpse tombs. I suspect there’s a layer of sealing wax on the burial chamber wall, containing phosphoric acid,” Chen Haixu replied with a laugh.

“How can you be sure?” Tianyou asked.

“There’s a faint acidic smell in the soil. It’s not strong now, but my nose doesn’t miss much,” Chen Haixu said.

“Phoenix, what do you think?” Xuanchen asked.

“Haixu is right. It’s phosphoric acid, which has seeped into the soil, meaning the chamber door has already been breached—this place has been robbed before. Let’s search; there must be an entrance,” Yaoguang replied.

“Hey, look here. This soil is new,” Guishan called from the side.

Yaoguang walked over and saw that the soil on one side of the mound was a different color. She dug with her shovel, quickly revealing bricks beneath. She glanced at Guishan. “Clear this out. This should be the entrance.”

They began to dig. The soil was loose and easy to remove. Soon, a brick wall was exposed, made of bluestone slabs with obvious gaps between the bricks.

Huo Mingkun reached out to push, but Yaoguang stopped him. “Remember, always remove tomb bricks outward. It’s the best way to protect yourself—you never know what traps might be inside.” With that, Yaoguang extended a mechanical arm into the gap and pulled out a brick. Once the first was out, the rest came easily.

Everyone pitched in, and soon they had opened a hole large enough for a person to enter. It was pitch-black inside—nothing could be seen. Yaoguang released a fire butterfly, which fluttered into the darkness. The glowing light vanished down the corridor. A long time passed before the fire butterfly returned, landing on Yaoguang’s hand.

“The passage is deep,” Yaoguang said, retracting the butterfly. “The air is fine. Yitian, you and the celestial guardians stay outside. Xuanchen, Tianyou, you’re on standby. The rest, come with me.” With that, Yaoguang was the first to crawl into the passage.

Contrary to her expectations, the tomb passage wasn’t as cramped as she’d imagined. The first section was dark, but as they went deeper, torches appeared on the walls, casting just enough light to illuminate the way. The group advanced cautiously, but encountered no traps—not even a trace left from a triggered mechanism. The passage was suspiciously clean.

“Why is it so damp in here? It didn’t feel this humid coming in,” Chen Haixu muttered, wiping his face. Jiang Yun shone a flashlight, and both froze. “Where did this blood come from?!”

Yaoguang turned at the exclamation and saw several drops of red liquid on Chen Haixu’s face. She frowned. “This doesn’t look like blood.” She switched on her Wolf-Eye flashlight, aiming it straight up at the passage ceiling. The group followed her beam and gasped in unison.

The ceiling was teeming with all sorts of insects—spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and many unrecognizable creatures.

Yaoguang immediately snapped off the flashlight. “This tomb isn’t simple. These venomous insects aren’t here by accident—they’re bred. Everyone, be careful.” She pressed on. At the end of the passage was a square chamber. The group hesitated in surprise—the center of the chamber held not a coffin, but an altar, covered in incomprehensible symbols. Along the walls lay several corpses, their faces sealed with talismanic charms.

There were also daily items scattered about.

“This place might well have been someone’s laboratory,” Guishan observed.

“Insects, corpses—could it be Black Miao sorcery?” Huo Mingkun speculated.

“I don’t know. Does anyone recognize these symbols on the altar?” Jiang Yun asked.

“I don’t. I’ve never seen anything like them,” Yaoguang replied.

Guixin studied the patterns. “These seem similar to the longevity arrays used in black witchcraft.”

“Longevity? Are you saying someone was researching immortality here? That’s unbelievable,” Guishan exclaimed.

“It’s possible. The quest for immortality is as old as time,” Guixin mused.

“Master, there’s a heavy chill here. I suspect the corpses are sealing spirits—there are insects, corpses, souls, and an altar. What on earth were they trying to achieve?” Huo Mingkun wondered.

“Looks like I’ll need to visit the Ghost Market—Yellow Springs knows the most about these strange things. For now, let’s leave. Until we understand what’s going on, we mustn’t act recklessly.” With that, Yaoguang hid several Soul-Eating Butterflies in concealed corners of the chamber to monitor the situation. Then she led the group out, replacing the bricks and covering everything with soil. “Stay here and watch. I’ll head to the Ghost Market—I suspect whoever’s behind this will return.”

Everyone nodded. Without delay, Yaoguang drove straight towards Leaf City.