Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 2: Night Fight

Chapter 2: Night Fight

I stared at the note from Kunlun. My heart was pounding like a drum. Looking up at the window, the cold night had already settled in. Only a faint blue phosphorescent light was shining through. Outside, the bamboo forest was bleak. It rustled softly in the wind, like the sound of something being eaten away. This Xuanhua Pavilion, where I had lived for ten years, now seemed unfamiliar and cold due to Kunlun’s departure.

What happened today was something I never expected. I had lived in seclusion since childhood. I knew nothing of the disputes and entanglements of the outside world. The only one who had always stayed by my side was Kunlun. After a long while, I finally calmed down and began thinking about the path ahead. The urgent matter was to leave this place early, as Kunlun had instructed, and then think of a plan to save her.

I ran into the inner room and quickly packed a few things. Aside from the Bì’àn jade hairpin Kunlun had given me and the book “Exploring the Tomb”, I only brought some silver coins and a celestial official’s seal my mother had left me, which hung around my neck. On it were engraved the eight characters: “Blessings from the Celestial Official, nothing is forbidden.”

After packing, I felt my stomach rumbling with hunger. So I went to the kitchen to grab some cold food to make do. I didn’t light a candle. Kunlun had trained me to see in the dark. So even in pitch darkness, I could roughly tell where things were.

I left the kitchen and came to the main hall. The air seemed to be stirring with a strange presence.

I frowned and quickly used light-footwork to silently leap onto a beam. I tried not to make a sound. My eyes were searching the ground below. The room was dim. As my gaze landed on the door, I suddenly heard a soft *creak*—the door opened slightly. It was followed by a boot stepping inside.

My heart jumped into my throat. The door opened wider, and two dark figures entered one after the other.

They moved stealthily and soon were right below the beam I was on. One of them, a taller figure, said in a muffled voice: 

“Fifth Brother, go check the inner room for that item. I’ll keep watch here. Also, the master said one fish got away. Be careful not to alert it.”

I heard it clearly. Their conversation matched that of the veiled woman from the day. I gritted my teeth in anger. That woman had pretended not to take me in front of Kunlun, only to send her accomplices to ambush me at night. Truly shameless.

The shorter one, called Fifth Brother, said nothing and went straight into the inner room. The tall one then took out a glowing pearl from his chest. It emitted a soft light—it was actually a priceless luminous night pearl! Using its gentle light, he began carefully searching Kunlun’s herb and book cabinets below me. He was making rustling noises that made my skin crawl. But I couldn’t just reveal myself.

Time seemed to slow down. The space on the beam was cramped. And curled up like that, I felt uncomfortable. Cold sweat soaked my back. The sweat on my forehead dripped down my cheeks, unbearably sticky.

After a long time, the tall figure seemed to have found nothing and cursed softly. Just then, the short one came out from the inner room. I looked closely at him. What I saw shocked me—a faint green glow was shining from his eyes in the dark, like a cat. Huge drops of sweat dripped from my face in fear. At that moment, he suddenly stopped and slowly looked up toward me.

I thought, “This is bad.” And I instinctively gripped the short sword I always kept at my waist. The short man below was like a lurking beast. His greenish eyes were hooked onto me like claws.

Seeing that the situation was bad, I had no choice but to strike first. I jumped down from the beam. My sword was aimed at the tall figure’s waist. He hadn’t reacted yet and took a hard stab, crying out “Aiyo!” The night pearl rolled to the ground. He couldn’t see in the dark like me. So without the pearl, he could only see a blurry mess. He staggered back and shouted: 

“Fifth Brother, come help me!”

I was wary of the short man attacking from behind. But when I turned around—there was no one there!

This short guy wasn’t normal. I activated all my senses and carefully searched the area. The tall one, still hurt, panted and cursed: 

“You shameless brat! Sneak attacking your elder like that! You think you’re tough ‘cause I can’t see? Aiyo… Fifth Brother, help me out here… get revenge for your senior!”

He kept yelling. And just as I was feeling annoyed, I suddenly sensed a chill beside my ear. Startled, I leapt away and saw the short one standing before me. His face was pale as paper.  There was no trace of bl00d. He was staring at me with his creepy eyes, completely still.

I pointed my sword at him and said sharply, 

“Stop playing tricks! Give me back Kunlun!”

The tall one coughed from behind and laughed awkwardly, 

“You mean that cripple? My master said she’s useless now. So he told us to fetch her little apprentice instead… *cough cough*… Didn’t expect you to be this fierce, little girl…”

I gritted my teeth at his nonsense. I was imagining a thousand ways to tear him apart. But the tall one’s injury wasn’t serious. The real problem was the short one standing in front of me, still unmoving. I had no idea what he was planning, so I didn’t dare strike.

“Hah… hah… Fifth Brother, why waste so much effort with this little girl? Just show yourself already!” 

The tall one suddenly laughed behind me. What he said made my heart skip a beat.

*Show his real self?*

Then… what was this in front of me?

The short one’s face was still pale. It was like a ghost crawling out of hell. Suddenly, I realized—Paper Puppet Art!

This thing—was just a paper puppet animated with his bl00d!

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I was hit hard on the neck. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.

—

When I woke up, my eyelids felt heavy. It took a few blinks to adjust to the light. My mind flashed through fragments as I pieced them together and looked around. The room was clean and simple. But the furniture was all made of expensive golden sandalwood—luxurious to the extreme. Incense smoke rose from a burner on the table. It was making my head even more dazed.

After a long time, I finally came to my senses. I remembered that I had been captured by those two figures. But being captured and then placed in such a comfortable room made no sense. The pain from being knocked out last night was still there. I rubbed my sore neck and stood up. I noticed I wasn’t restrained at all.

From what the tall one said, their master seemed to want something from me. That suited me just fine. Since I had ended up in the tiger’s den, I would definitely meet Kunlun—everything else could wait.

As I was thinking, the door suddenly opened. And a maid walked in. She was carrying a basin of water. With a smile in her eyes, she said, 

“Miss, you’re awake? That’s good. My master asks that you tidy up and go see him. He’s waiting for you in the main hall.”

I snorted inwardly. *Waiting for me? If he was really waiting, why go through all this trouble?* I glanced coldly at the girl, washed up simply, and followed her out in silence. Since I was on someone else’s turf and they weren’t restraining me, they clearly had nothing to fear. I could only wait and see to find my chance.

Once outside, I was stunned by the scale of the mansion. The rooftops were gilded with dragons, and phoenixes made of colored glass. The aura was overwhelming. Green trees surrounded the area. They were dotted with white jade tables and chairs. Upon closer look, I saw the green shadows and jade platforms were arranged according to auspicious formations from divination techniques. A little further off, an artificial pond with white lotuses stood proudly in the wind. It had nine small waterfalls flowing down artificial mountains. The sound of water was soft—it was a mini version of the imperial “Nine Dragons Fetching Water” layout!

“Petty tricks, dreaming of ruling the court,” 

I sneered at the scene. Though I had been away from worldly strife for years, I still knew that the dragon throne attracted the fiercest competition. This imitation layout was just a psychological comfort. If becoming emperor were so easy, the nation wouldn’t be in mourning and rivers wouldn’t run with bl00d.

The maid was so frightened by my words that her face turned pale. She quickly pulled me aside and said, 

“Miss, you must be careful what you say! If others hear that, it won’t end well!”

Just as she finished, a cold female voice spoke from behind: 

“Too bad—I already heard.”

The voice was pale and oddly familiar.

The maid hurriedly bowed, 

“Lady Luo.”

I turned and saw a thin woman in a pale moon-colored silk robe with black and red trim. The robe was embroidered with hidden patterns of white cranes flying upward. At her waist hung jade accessories. Her attire was unlike ordinary people. But the upper half of her face was covered with a white jade mask. It revealed snow-like skin. Looking lower, I saw that one of her fingers was missing beneath her wide sleeve.

I instantly realized—this was the powerful woman who had taken Kunlun away yesterday! She had dressed plainly back then and wore a hat with a veil. If not for her voice and that missing finger, I would never have guessed she was a noblewoman.

When Lady Luo saw me, she seemed surprised too. Her uncovered lips tightened slightly as she said, 

“Why is it you?”

I sneered, 

“Why not me? Didn’t you work with your people to kidnap me? If you were going to do this, why not just take me and Kunlun both yesterday?”

I had seen her strength, so I didn’t dare be too bold. Then I coldly said, 

“Take me to see Kunlun.”