Chapter 736

Ling Feng, who was following behind, couldn't help but stare for a moment, not knowing what the emperor and empress had discovered on this skeleton, and suddenly feeling that the atmosphere between them was strange.

Xiao Yin seized the copper token and the Du family's auction item together, stuffing them into his bosom, then raised his hand and tightly grasped Gu Jiu Ling's hand as they walked forward.

"Go! Let's go inside and take a look!"

No matter what the past was, how the future should be, since we have already walked this path with Gu Jiu Ling, we must accept whatever ending.

One must find that truth, so that both the dead and the living can rest easier.

Gu Jiu Ling kept close beside Xiao Yin, who gripped her hand so tightly it hurt, causing her to frown involuntarily.

This person was clearly a little afraid.

Gu Jiu Ling took hold of Xiao Yin's hand in reverse and said softly, "Regardless of the past, only look to the future. What lovable person could there be among ancestors dead for over a hundred years?"

Xiao Yin's steps stopped abruptly there, his expression carrying a hint of the throb of having survived a calamity.

He could no longer contain his inner joy, turned and enfolded Gu Jiu Ling in a tight embrace, fiercely kissing her forehead, with a hint of tears in his eyes.

Xiao Yin's action was truly beyond expectation; Ling Feng and the others standing behind him were instantly dumbfounded.

They could neither go nor hide, so they all lowered their heads to avert their gaze.

How can anyone bear this?

Even the emperor and empress have gone too far along this way—don't they see the white bones littering the ground?

How affectionate they are—what does it look like?

Gu Jiu Ling hadn't expected Xiao Yin's reaction to be so strong; she instinctively avoided him, feeling rather awkward inside.

Even though she and Xiao Yin's ancestors are separated by a sea of blood-soaked enmity, what can be done?

She is a soul that transmigrated from another world, and she herself does not carry that much psychological burden.

Now, being able to repay the Du family and guard the Du lineage's Gu Kang is already her utmost benevolence and righteousness, and she also has the right to pursue her own happiness.

Moreover, the Southern Qi court has just stabilized; if the Murong family were to go to war with the imperial clan again, the ones who would suffer would be the people of the world.

The eight great clans once plunged the Southern Qi into dark chaos; now, having finally calmed down, letting the common folk enjoy a few days of peace and rest to recuperate—wouldn't that be good?

Xiao Yin held Gu Jiu Ling's hand, gripping it ever tighter, making her feel as if her palm were about to be crushed.

The two of them, one ahead and one behind, walked cautiously into the cave littered with bones.

As they went forward, the skeletons became much fewer, but the weapons lying beside them appeared to be of ever higher rank.

They walked until they reached the end of the cave mouth, blocked completely by the stone wall, unable to go further.

Even so, several skeletons still lay outside the stone wall.

With the previous discovery, Gu Jiu Ling now found this task familiar and easy.

She picked up the glow stick in her hand and shone it on the stone wall, but only a faint shadow appeared, still unclear.

"Ling Feng, a torch!" Xiao Yin seemed to have thought of something.

Ling Feng hastily used a flint to make a simple torch.

Xiao Yin took the torch and swung it directly at the stone wall blocking their path.

This time he saw clearly that, as the torch moved, a line of words truly appeared on the stone wall.

These words felt like scattered fragments that couldn't be pieced together.

But among them there was a name that looked familiar.

The characters looked as if they were carved into the stone wall, not at all like a light-and-shadow effect.

Could it be about the love and grudges between their Xiao and Murong families?

As the heir of the Xiao family, he had also heard of this; after all, his grandfather had done something shameful, and though they, as descendants, knew it clearly in their hearts, they could do nothing about it.

Xiao Yin furrowed his brows and said softly, "Murong Qing? Isn't that the name of the crown prince of the former Li Dynasty?"

"Back then, Murong Gu founded the Li Dynasty; it is said he was deeply in love with his wife and had only one child."

Murong Gu thought he and his principal consort would continue the imperial line, but he fell ill with an acute disease and died within days.

He was still young, leaving only a baby in swaddling clothes, who was directly made crown prince by the emperor.

Even after Murong Gu's death, Murong Qing was pushed onto the throne.

Murong Qing, despite his great fame, was nothing but a joke throughout the Li Dynasty.

It was unexpected that this name would appear again on this stone wall, to the point that Xiao Yin was somewhat surprised.

If the stone wall bore Murong Gu's name, that would be tolerable, but it actually bears his son's name.

Could the person hidden on the other side of the stone wall be Murong Qing?

But Murong Qing supposedly died of smallpox after a year; how could he possibly be buried ten thousand li away in Mang Shan?

The matter became more and more bewildering, and Xiao Yin turned his face to look at Gu Jiu Ling.

Gu Jiu Ling, experienced from before, directly slit her palm with a dagger and, following the indication of those golden lights, pressed her hand into the groove in the stone wall.

A violent vibration accompanied by a huge cloud of dust, and the stone gate before them slowly rose.

Xiao Yin quickly raised his hand to cover Gu Jiu Ling's mouth and nose.

"Be careful!" Xiao Yin, worried that there might be poison here, pulled Gu Jiu Ling behind him.

He stared intently, only to find that behind the stone gate was a long passage.

The passage had no visible end; it felt like walking forward about ten or so zhang, then turning a bend, where it led to now unclear.

Unlike the outside, this passage contained no corpses in the tomb passage—it was clean and tidy.

On the stone walls on both sides were bronze-cast lamp stands, holding what turned out to be ten-thousand-year unextinguished shark oil, so these lamps were still lit—this is probably the Eternal Lamp.

The presence of the Eternal Lamp made the whole tomb passage feel like broad daylight.

Gu Jiu Ling and the others found their glow sticks less useful, so she put hers away and walked into the passage.

Xiao Yin instinctively wanted to grab her wrist to stop her from moving forward.

Gu Jiu Ling lifted her eyes to look at Xiao Yin and said lightly, "We've already come this far; taking a few more steps forward is fine."

"Actually, I want to see what's really going on here; back then my maternal grandfather, Old Master Du, probably already came here with people."

"Now I actually want to find out what my maternal grandfather experienced."

Xiao Yin had no choice but to nod; he knew this girl's temperament—once she decides to investigate something, she absolutely won't turn back.

"All right, I'll accompany you; follow behind me."

Xiao Yin took Gu Jiu Ling's hand and walked forward; sure enough, after turning at the first fork, there was yet another fork.

The bronze lamp stands on both sides were even more exquisitely crafted than those in the previous passage, giving the feeling of an imperial mausoleum.

This further confirmed Gu Jiu Ling's suspicion—this place truly houses the last emperor of the Li Dynasty, Murong Qing!