Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 21: Gold Foil

Chapter 21: Gold Foil

I crouched down. I picked up a piece of gold foil and looked at it closely. As expected, it was the same kind I had seen some days ago in the Prince’s manor. It was engraved with delicate patterns and inlaid with ancient seal script—though the characters were still incomplete. I tried to gather scattered pieces from the ground to match them up. After fumbling for a while, I sighed helplessly: the mess on the ground was chaotic—trying to match them was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Still, seeing these gold foils now, I felt more excitement and joy than confusion.

Judging by what was on the ground and what remained on the jade statue, it clearly wasn’t enough to form an entire garment. A large portion must have been lost. But if I could bring even this small amount back to report to the Prince, perhaps there was still hope for Kunlun. Yet I had a faint feeling that this matter was not so simple. A flash of sharp, hawk-like eyes crossed my mind. It sent a chill down my spine.

Just then, Yu Linxing said beside me, 

“This gold foil clothing is strange. Look—it seems to be embedded into the jade statue piece by piece.”

I lifted my head and followed her finger. I was feeling along the statue carefully. Sure enough, each piece of gold was seamlessly fused with the jade. Some fragments still remained on the statue. They were unevenly placed, like a tattered beehive.

Yu Linxing praised, 

“Whoever removed this gold foil from the jade must have been incredibly skilled. This is such delicate work—if you’re even slightly careless, the treasure would be ruined.”

Hearing this, a scene formed in my mind: a tomb raider we didn’t know had come into this tomb. He then discovered the gold-leaf garment on the jade statue of the Princess of Chu. He had cautiously removed the leaf piece by piece. But halfway through, something unexpected happened. In a panic, he scooped up some of the scattered gold foils and fled. That would explain the long-dried bloodstain on the floor. And why the Prince’s subordinate generals had found a few scattered leaf fragments near Mount Qihua.

But—who exactly was this person?

“Liu Guizang.” 

A cold voice came from behind. It answered the question in my heart. Luo Shen walked over and said calmly, 

“Liu Guizang has been here.”

Yu Linxing nodded. 

“I guessed it was him. Only he would have such skill with intricate work like this.”

Indeed, Dong Shaoqing was probably killed by Liu Guizang. Likely because Liu Guizang, that sly old fox, wanted to hoard the gold foil for himself. But Liu Guizang is a cunning man. He was highly skilled in both schemes and martial arts—what could’ve scared him so badly that he abandoned the remaining gold foil and fled in panic?

I stared at the gold foil on the ground. And the excitement in my heart slowly faded. Tilting my head, I realized I had probably overlooked something important.

At first, the gold foil was my end goal in coming to this tomb. If I could just find the origin of the gold foil, I could give the Prince an explanation. With that, Kunlun’s situation would be easier to handle—that’s what I’d believed this whole time.

But so many strange and unexplainable things had happened. My purpose here was no longer that simple. I could feel something stirring deep inside me—impatiently trying to peel back the fog that blocked my vision to uncover the truth. Yet every time I peeled back one layer, there was another behind it.

I’ve always hated secrets and hidden things. If I don’t figure it out, I can’t rest easy. I started to carefully recall everything that had happened since I entered the Princess of Chu’s tomb. I then laid out all my doubts one by one. But as I sorted through them, my whole mind became a mess.

Here were the questions I listed:

First, Luo Shen and the Prince seem to have a master-servant relationship. But how could a woman like her easily accept someone as her master? The way she called him “Master” that day—neither humble nor submissive—clearly showed she didn’t really respect him. She must have her own hidden motive. Yu Linxing said she’s looking for something—what is she seeking? Is it the gold foil too?

Second, why did the Prince take Kunlun away, and why did he force me into this tomb? Is there something about me that’s worth scheming over? In terms of formations, mechanisms, or skill, Luo Shen surpasses me in every way. Why did he insist that I come too?

Third, that day, the Prince sent Chang Wu and his brother to the pavilion. Clearly, they were searching for something. What exactly does Kunlun have that’s caught the Prince’s attention?

Fourth, Kunlun and the Prince seem to know each other from before—what is their real relationship?

Fifth…

My thoughts were spinning faster and faster. The more I thought, the more alarmed I became. One thread after another was pulled out, only to make everything more tangled. I felt like I had fallen into an invisible giant net and couldn’t figure out how to untangle it.

The key? Yes, the key. Suddenly, I realized—Luo Shen had always been mysterious. Maybe starting with her would give me at least a sliver of useful information.

I turned and stared at Luo Shen. I asked slowly, 

“Luo Shen, what does the Prince want the gold foil for?”

Luo Shen fell silent.

Yu Linxing, however, clapped her hands and laughed, 

“Shishi, anyone who wants this gold foil must want just one thing—the secret of immortality.”

Immortality?

Seeing my stunned expression, Yu Linxing laughed. 

“It was always a secret. But I bet even that ghost knew it. That old man Liu Guizang must’ve been greedy for this too.” 

She paused, then added, 

“Actually, many years ago, there was a rumor in the martial world—about a secret manual that recorded the method of achieving immortality. The rumor said that a King of Chu once married a foreign woman. He engraved the method of immortality in text form on scattered gold foils. Then he gifted them to his bride. The name of that book was The Jade Shuttle Record. And it’s said to be in three parts: the Scroll of the Living, the Scroll of Immortality, and the Scroll of the Dead.”

“Why divide The Jade Shuttle Record into three parts? I get the Scroll of the Living, but what’s with the Scroll of the Dead?” 

I asked, puzzled.

Yu Linxing shrugged. 

“That I don’t know. Some things just get more and more mystical the more they’re told.”

At this point, Luo Shen—who hadn’t spoken for a while—said, 

“There are many people in this world who are sick or disabled. The Scroll of the Living is the Shennong’s Classic, used by healers to save lives. The Scroll of the Dead involves ghosts of the underworld—used for assassination and torment. But life and death are always intertwined. Immortality is just another form of the cycle of life and death.”

Yu Linxing was briefly stunned. She then burst out laughing.

“Ghost! You know a lot. My dad used to keep even the tiniest secrets from me. And I had no idea you knew so much. Aren’t you afraid someone will kill you to shut you up when we get out?” 

She suddenly looked sly. She was poking Luo Shen’s arm and asked with a smile, 

“Did you read it?”

“No,” 

Luo Shen replied stiffly, though her ink-black eyes flashed.

I stared at Luo Shen. She looked uncomfortable. Her gaze drifted off before she turned away and went to sit quietly on the side.

In the shifting light of the main hall, her white figure seemed cloaked in a sorrowful solitude.

And to me—she is like a riddle that can never be solved. I long so much to know the truth behind this mystery.

My thoughts were chaotic and my mood grew heavy. At this moment, Yu Linxing waved her hand and summoned a few young men. They were all silent and modest in appearance. On closer look, I noticed they had long, nimble fingers—clearly very dexterous.

Each took out a small steel needle and began carefully working on removing the gold foil from the jade statue. It was clearly a massive task.

Time passed slowly. I didn’t know how long we waited. But the men were still carefully peeling the gold. For some reason, I began to feel uneasy. There was something restless in the air. I glanced—perhaps unintentionally—at the jade statue of the Princess of Chu. The woman’s posture was graceful. But her face seemed filled with a sinister, eerie sadness. After staring a few seconds, I shuddered.

Then, suddenly—a thunderous boom shattered the silence. The ground began to shake violently. Something enormous was approaching. Everyone was startled by the thunder-like roar and froze.

I broke out in a cold sweat and instinctively drew my carved short sword.

Yu Linxing’s face darkened. 

“Don’t stop! Keep going!” 

She ordered. Then her scarlet sword left its sheath as she shouted, 

“Ah Que! Tell the brothers to ready the bows!”

As her voice fell, a deafening roar rang out—and a beast as huge as a mountain burst through the side gate of the hall.

I had never seen such a massive creature. Its eyes were like bronze bells. They were filled with savage violence. Its claws were as sharp as blades, its mane a fiery red like a lion’s, and it had two horns on its head. Two tusks like steel blades jutted from its mouth. And hot air puffed from its nose. It shook itself, clearly ready to pounce at any time.

Luo Shen jumped up and shouted to me, 

“That’s the same beast that snatched the horse from the inn!” 

I looked—the claw marks matched the bloody tracks we had seen before.

Immediately, Luo Shen drew her massive sword, Giant Que. She shouted, 

“Linxing, draw it that way!” 

She leapt toward the open space near the entrance of the hall. It was far from the jade statue—a good place for a fight.

The beast let out a thunderous roar. It was making our ears ring. The people of Mo Yin Valley fell back in panic, crying out, 

“Heavens… it’s a dragon!”

“A dragon? Nonsense! That’s more like a *Yazi*!” 

(Note:Yazi (睚眦) is one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon (龙生九子). It has the body of a beast (like a wolf or leopard) and dragon-like features — fangs, claws, horns.)

Yu Linxing scoffed coldly. 

“A dragon wouldn’t be this ugly and walk on all fours! Watch me beat it till its ancestors don’t recognize it!”

Her crimson figure shot out like an arrow.