Exploring the Illusory Tomb Part 1 [Ancient Times Version] - Chapter 48: The Stone Door

Chapter 48: The Stone Door

I stopped speaking and stared fixedly at her every move. My lips were almost bitten through.

Luo Shen was surrounded by the surging pile of Gu worms. She looked like a jade statue that had not fallen in the icy snow. Bl00d was grotesquely spreading out. It was then mixed with the surging black and red on the ground. All of it became blazing flames burning in my eyes.

I saw her white sleeve wave once. But her hand made a strange hand seal in the air. She softly said: 

“Go.”

The icy voice peeled off like floating silk. And those Heart-Gevouring Gu stirred in place. It was as if they understood her words. They surged into the corridor to the side, and disappeared in an instant. It was as if they had never been there.

At that moment, she lifted her head to look at me. Her eyes were deep like ink. But her face was completely bloodless. It was extremely pale. Then her hand dropped. And her body fell straight backward like a severed thread. I hurriedly rushed forward and caught her around the waist. I was holding her horizontally. She was extremely light. Her thin body was like a swan feather, without weight.

I endured the sourness in my heart, brought her to sit on the ground to the side, and shouted loudly: 

“Medicine! Medicine!”

Yu Linxing handed over the prepared hemostatic powder with trembling hands. I took it and pulled up Luo Shen’s sleeve in one move. Instantly, a section of delicate, porcelain-white arm was revealed. But at this moment, it was covered in bl00d. Her entire wrist below had turned a ghastly red. Fortunately, due to the Blossom of Dreams, the long wound on her wrist had already begun to show signs of clotting. But thin threads of bl00d still continuously seeped out.

I hurriedly sprinkled the powder on that shocking wound. Luo Shen let out a painful “Mm” and turned her head. She was leaning it onto my shoulder. Her wound was too deep; once touched by the medicine powder, the pain was unbearable, needless to say.

I had read many ancient books about Gu insects before. Gu cannot live without being nurtured. Some heartless Gu raisers often catch pitiful people to feed the Gu. Some who cannot physically bear it die instantly in the Gu pile. Thinking of Luo Shen’s appearance just now, I felt a chill in my heart. Although I didn’t want to admit it, her Gu-feeding technique was skillful—just like, just like she had done such things often before.

The moment this thought came up, I broke out in a cold sweat. How could it be possible? I hurriedly looked down at the woman in my arms. At this time, her face was frighteningly pale. Her delicate brows were tightly knit. Her body was trembling continuously due to excessive bl00d and energy loss.

Although I had already bandaged Luo Shen’s wound, if she didn’t replenish her energy and bl00d quickly, she probably wouldn’t even have the strength to move in a short time. I clenched my teeth. I quickly made a small cut on my hand, stretched it to her lips, and pressed it down. I was letting the bl00d drip into her mouth.

She suddenly opened her eyes. She hurriedly turned her head to the side. Her fair neck formed a pale, powerless curve.

Seeing her resist, I quickly leaned to her ear and hoarsely said: 

“Luo Shen, I beg you… this way you’ll feel better.”

But she still ignored me. Her chest was rising and falling. Her breathing gradually became disordered.

“I’m begging you!” 

My eyes were dry, I was so anxious I almost cried. The warm bl00d dripped from my hand. It was falling onto her blindingly white clothes. It bloomed like red plum blossoms.

After a moment of silence, she finally turned back, lowered her head, and bit down on the wound on my wrist. My heart instantly went numb. I could even feel her soft tongue licking the cut. It brought a hot and numbing wave. My body shivered uncontrollably. I was even forgetting the pain of the bl00d being sucked from the wound.

But her lips only stayed for a short moment before pulling away. And she said slowly: 

“That’s enough.”

After being soaked in bl00d, her always pale thin lips actually became bright and beautiful. They were like cherries about to drip on a branch. I stared blankly, when suddenly someone slapped my shoulder. It was Yu Linxing shouting angrily: 

“You two idiots!”

Luo Shen and I looked at each other.

“You two, one after another losing so much bl00d—if you become invalids, I still have to take care of you both. Are you trying to tire me to death? And now there’s even a broken tomb to explore—might as well just go home!” 

She pointed a finger and scolded the both of us head-on. Not even her eyebrows twitched. In the end, she still complained: 

“Did I forget to check the almanac before this tomb trip?!”

I rolled my eyes inwardly. Demoness, you never checked the almanac for any of your tomb-robbing trips—why just blame this one?

After scolding, Yu Linxing pulled over a strip of gauze with a dark face, knelt beside me, and wrapped my wrist tightly. She then yanked hard. I shouted in pain. My tears were almost falling. I gasped: 

“Be gentle, be gentle… I’m dying!”

But this fellow Yu Linxing showed no sympathy and said:

“You two might as well just die from the pain! This whole place is like a natural tomb—you don’t even need the effort to be buried in a coffin!” 

She then added sarcastically: 

“Oh wow, even a joint burial tomb!”

I quickly spat: 

“Nonsense, nonsense, throw that idea away, how unlucky!”

I secretly glanced at Luo Shen—her complexion had improved a lot. After being disrupted by Yu Linxing like that, she seemed to regain some spirit. A slight curve was at the corner of her lips. It was very gentle.

“Dead ghost, rare to see you smile today.” 

Yu Linxing saw Luo Shen’s faint smile. She dramatically wiped a tear with an orchid finger: 

“It wasn’t a wasted trip after all. The ice block smiled—this is not a common sight in a whole year.”

As soon as Luo Shen heard that, her face turned cold again. And she directly ignored Yu Linxing. She turned her face and leaned on my shoulder. She was closing her eyes to rest and regain strength.

I was secretly pleased. I thought: she has smiled at me many times before, demoness—too bad you were never lucky enough to see it.

Because Luo Shen had expended too much energy, we stopped to rest for quite a while. Yu Linxing used this chance to send Ah Que and a few more experienced disciples to scout ahead deeper. But she told them not to go too far.

When they came back, Ah Que stepped forward and bowed to report: 

“Valley Master, I looked around nearby. It seems this isn’t a tomb. There isn’t a single trace related to underground tombs—it’s more like…”

I quickly asked: 

“Like what?”

Ah Que then said: 

“Like a temporary shelter that was built. There are still many everyday items scattered inside. It’s showing signs that people lived there for some time.”

I was very surprised to hear this. I was wondering if something terrifying happened in this city, so people built such a large-scale underground shelter? But Ah Que continued: 

“There’s a large stone door at the end of the passage—it’s a bit strange. But it can’t be opened from the outside at all.”

Yu Linxing became interested. She stood up. She flicked her sleeve, and said: 

“Let’s go see that door.”

Then the group followed Ah Que by candlelight toward the passage where the stone door was found. Luo Shen’s steps were still unsteady. So I supported her as we moved forward.

After a while, a dark door appeared before us. In the dim yellow light, we couldn’t tell what material the rock was.

The door was about two people high, very wide. I held up a fire torch and looked closely—on each half of the door, a giant wing was carved. My heart thumped at once.

Luo Shen whispered in my ear: 

“Are there any mechanisms?”

I used the usual method to search around the stone door for traps but found nothing. I could only shake my head helplessly. Luo Shen then pointed to a sunken shadow in the center of the door and said: 

“What’s that?”

Following her direction carefully, I saw the shadow was in the shape of a handprint. It was sunken inward. My mind stirred. I instinctively stretched out my hand, aligned it with the print, and pressed in.

With a loud rumble, the stone door opened wide. And in an instant, a pitch-black darkness fell before our eyes.