Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 113: Misjudgment
Six yellow talismans lay in a row. A vermilion writing brush floated above them, wildly sketching in the firelight. Red ink formed sharp lines, gradually revealing a map of the tomb.
The map resembled the character “山*”. Three large burial chambers sat at the ends of the branching paths. At the central intersection, a small circle was drawn.
*Mountain.
“Our current base is here.”
Cen Ling pointed to the circle. “The central passage leads into the main structure of the tomb, constructed during the Kui Dynasty to house spirit coffins. The left path is newly built and holds the relics stored by our sect. It’s stocked with plenty of supplies.”
Bai Sui perked up. “I know the right path! It was only half-finished during the Kui Dynasty. The immortal objects are kept there, and someone used to guard it!”
Bai Sui didn’t seem all that impressed with Cen Ling’s generosity toward fellow sect members. But when it came to ghosts and strange things, the kid lit up with energy.
Cheng Songyun couldn’t help but ask, “How old are you?”
“Fourteen,” Bai Sui said proudly, puffing out his chest as though it were something worth boasting about.
“The tug-of-war between the Underworld and the living world settled on fourteen as the minimum age for disaster resolution rituals,” Cen Ling helpfully added. “By the way, the maximum is seventy-five.”
Age restrictions weren’t surprising to Cheng Songyun. Offerings too young or too old wouldn’t be very effective… But still, fourteen was too…
“I was afraid I wouldn’t be selected in time, so I made sure to kill two extra people,” Bai Sui said cheerfully. “Turns out I got paired with Cen Ge. Everyone’s so jealous!”
Cheng Songyun: “…”
Cheng Songyung: “You wanted to come in yourself?”
Her skin crawled as she looked at his proud face.
Bai Sui rolled his eyes. “I get to be Cen Ge’s assistant and make a wish come true. Can you think of a better deal?”
“Kids are fast and healthy. Their spiritual sensitivity to ghosts is also sharper. Honestly, the younger the better—coming in older puts you at a disadvantage. You get it.”
Cen Ling pressed a hand on Bai Sui’s head. “That’s enough. Back to business.”
Bai Sui: “…Oh.”
Cheng Songyun forced herself to keep a neutral expression. She glanced toward Mei Lan, who was staring at Bai Sui with faint anger in her eyes.
Still, when she spoke, her voice was calm. “If the left path holds supplies, there must be many magic weapons.”
Cen Ling nodded. “I suggest we move the base to the left chamber. The enemy favors stealth. It’s best we take a defensive stance. That area is easier to defend and harder to breach. At least we’ll know what path they’ll take.”
“This ritual can’t afford chaos. If we panic, the rhythm breaks. As for daily needs, the left side has access to an underground river for fresh water.”
Mei Lan gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.
Guan He: “Passive defense? What if there’s a time limit?”
Cen Ling’s logic was solid, but the idea of taking orders from him still rubbed Guan He the wrong way.
“There’s no evidence suggesting that yet,” Cen Ling replied patiently. “Usually, an E focuses on one mechanic. Since the Grave-Sealing E follows a mimicry theme, it likely won’t throw in a time-limit rule.”
…This guy really knew his stuff. Guan He grudgingly fell silent.
“In my personal opinion, we should relocate before midnight and fortify our position quickly.”
Seeing that no one objected, Cen Ling handed each person a copy of the tomb map.
“The enemy might strike before we’ve settled in. Tonight’s a perfect chance for them. It’s best if no one wanders and concentrate on defense.”
That last line was aimed at Bai Shuangying.
Bai Shuangying glanced at the map but didn’t take it or respond. His gaze drifted between the map and Cen Ling, finally settling on the wooden door of the temporary base.
Years of disuse had warped the door slightly, leaving a two-finger-wide gap at the bottom. Right now, a pair of upside-down black eyes was staring through it, fixed on the room inside.
Noticing Bai Shuangying’s gaze, those eyes met his without hesitation. They even curved slightly.
It was Fang Xiu.
After the silent greeting, Fang Xiu’s eyes slowly shifted toward Cen Ling.
Cen Ling seemed to sense something. He turned sharply toward the door, but in the darkness, it looked perfectly normal. The bottom was sealed with tidy edge trim.
He sighed in relief and continued, “Anyway, our goal tonight isn’t to defeat it. If we can confirm its true form, that’s already a win. Once we know what we’re dealing with, the taboo will—”
Cen Ling paused. Something felt off.
…Did this door have edge trim?
He turned back and looked again. The neat trim at the base was gone, replaced by empty blackness. He squinted, replaying what he’d seen—a fleeting image. What had blocked the gap wasn’t any trim. It had been fingers, curling inward through the door gap.
So many fingers squeezed together in perfect alignment, it had given an unnervingly neat appearance.
Worst of all, it had been just five steps away from him, yet he’d heard nothing. No breath, no presence.
Damn it—it had been here just now! When had it started eavesdropping? And how much had it heard?
Cen Ling wasn’t sure whether the enemy was arrogant or just fearless. The hiding technique was flawless. The Grave-Sealing E alone couldn’t achieve that. It had made no sound at all, like a spider creeping along a wall.
He stared at the darkness for a while, then closed his eyes and murmured a calming mantra. “Return to the mountain, return…”
While Cen Ling was focused on the door, Mei Lan gave Bai Shuangying a glance.
Five minutes later.
While the others packed up, Bai Shuangying quietly moved next to Mei Lan and activated a sound-silencing spell.
“It’s my fault.” Mei La’s face was pale as paper. “I should’ve told you earlier. I thought…”
Bai Shuangying clutched Fang Xiu’s head tighter. “Focus.”
“In the legends about the Grave-Sealing E ‘summoning guardians’, there’s another version.”
Mei Lan lowered her head, catching a glimpse of Fang Xiu’s head and quickly looked away as if shocked. “It’s said the E will summon the ‘strongest guardian’. That’s emphasized.”
“Guan He seemed unsettled, and that thing acts a lot like Fang Xiu. Do you think Fang Xiu… became the tomb guardian?”
“You thought it would pick Cen Ling.”
Bai Shuangying leaned against the wall, watching Cen Ling busy with preparations. “If Cen Ling had become the tomb guardian, he wouldn’t hide anything for the Guishan Sect. He’d fight with everything to protect the tomb.”
“With Fang Xiu present, there’d still be a chance to keep the rest of us alive. It wouldn’t be a complete massacre.”
Mei Lan’s strategies were more straightforward than Fang Xiu’s.
If her plan had worked, Fang Xiu would’ve gained credit for resolving the E, Cen Ling would’ve been eliminated, and the Guishan Sect’s conspiracy exposed. This could be called killing three birds with one stone. To showcase Cen Ling’s capabilities, she’d even summoned Underworld agents.
But Mei Lan never accounted for how “mysteriously ordinary” Fang Xiu was. To the Grave-Sealing E, he appeared more powerful than Cen Ling.
“A total mess,” Bai Shuangying said bluntly.
Mei Lan stood still, trying not to let the disappointment show on her face.
“…Still, I might’ve confirmed one of the taboos,” Bai Shuangying said softly.
Mei Lan didn’t even bother to hide her ugly expression. She turned to him at lightning speed and looked at him as if he was an alien.
Bai Shuangying: “…”
He said disdainfully, “The first taboo of the Grave-Sealing E is that the strongest’s karma will get contaminated. The corpse guardian rotates.”
He reluctantly elaborated.
The first taboo curses the strongest intruder, turning them into the tomb’s guardian. It even offers “body replacement” options to maximize utility.
If Fang Xiu’s soul had been completely destroyed, the E would’ve chosen the next strongest, repeating until no one remained.
From the E’s perspective, this was the ideal magic weapon.
But something puzzled Bai Shuangying—despite the contamination on his karma, Fang Xiu seemed relatively unaffected. His memory might’ve been wiped, but his personality was intact. He hadn’t turned into a mindless killer. This could be said to be even a bigger blunder than Mei Lan’s plan.
…He needed to get closer to Fang Xiu and confirm it.
……
Even knowing the plan might be exposed, Cen Ling insisted on relocating.
This site connected to three paths, which was good for exploration, but bad for survival. Since the enemy used sneaky tactics, it was best to strengthen defenses…
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
The door thudded in a disturbingly familiar rhythm. Bai Shuangying looked up.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
No one answered. The knocking continued, now relentless as a storm.
Cen Ling raised his spear and stood at the front. Bai Sui dropped his usual grin, clapped his hands, and electric sparks danced between his fingers.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
The door wasn’t sturdy. A strong man could easily kick it down. But whatever was outside knocked with unwavering patience—each knock perfectly timed.
Cen Ling stayed calm, not responding. The knocking suddenly stopped and a sigh came from the other side.
“I’ll take a look.” Bai Shuangying drew out his Peach Bone Evil and slipped past Cen Ling.
“No!” Cen Ling immediately stopped him. “For some evil beings, opening the door is an invitation!”
“This door has to open eventually. Why fuss over a few minutes?” Bai Shuangying didn’t care. “If you keep it shut, the thing can just sit outside forever. Is that how you want to resolve this?”
Cen Ling had never seen someone so confidently reckless. He was momentarily speechless.
Unable to stop Bai Shuangying from “seeking death”, he switched to defense and plunged his spear into the ground. A cage of light spears rose around the door in a half-circle.
Everyone but Bai Shuangying stayed behind the “cage”.
He placed his hand on the modern metal handle. The spring let out a high-pitched creak, and the latch clicked open.
He eased the door open. The Peach Bone Evil in his hand glowed faintly; its presence outshone even the light spears.
Outside, there was only pure darkness, and a figure in the distance.
The person wore a dark red burial shroud and stood stiffly like a statue. Countless corpse hands were plastered over his head, completely obscuring his face.
Bai Shuangying stepped past the threshold, facing the familiar-yet-unfamiliar figure.
After a long pause, the man slowly raised a hand and wiggled his fingers.
Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.
The door behind Bai Shuangying thudded again. Even though he was ready, it startled him. His hand loosened, and the door slammed shut behind him.
He was now alone outside, surrounded by darkness.
“I caught you.”
The two spoke in unison.
The author has something to say:
Today is Xiao Fang’s birthday, but I’m late _(:з」∠)
Sorry, Xiao Fang! I’ll write you a sweet (?) kiss tomorrow!
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