Chapter 93: Main Text Chapter Ninety-Four Water Pool

Main Text Chapter Ninety-Four Water Pool

I couldn't bear it any longer; I really wanted to go over and throw that blind man into the cellar, but seeing that this fortune‑telling blind man held considerable status in the villagers' eyes, if we really started a fight we would inevitably offend many people. What's most hateful is that I had just managed to dispel the militiamen's superstitious beliefs with money‑sweetened cannonballs, and then at this moment a blind man pops out spouting nonsense, making these militiamen each want to retreat again.

I, furious, said to the blind man: "What is this cellar? Go ahead and tell us; if you can't scare me, you'd better step aside and cool off."

The fortune‑telling blind man, with an arrogant expression, said to me: "Look, look, you're acting hot‑headed, aren't you? If I scare you to death, this junior, I'll still have to pay with my life. Come here, let me feel your physiognomy." Having said that, he didn't care whether I was willing, reached out and started pinching my face randomly.

While pinching my face, the blind man muttered to himself: "The hereditary hexagram numbers passed down through generations, the physiognomy is wonderfully precise, not exaggerated; a bamboo tube holds heavenly secrets, a few copper plates divine all matters, reading bones and observing people needs no words, and one immediately knows rank and nobility..."

He suddenly said strangely: "How odd, ordinary people with snake‑sealed spirit apertures must have distinctions of marquises and lords; it seems you, sir, are still a not‑insignificant court official..."

The blind man's words amused me. I am currently a self‑employed individual, pretending to be a state cadre here; I don't know how he got this information and used it to intimidate me. My family has never produced any marquises—if we calculate now, a marquis‑level regional official locally would be a governor, militarily at least a regional commander; the most I've ever been is a company commander. This is pure nonsense.

I only heard the blind man continue: "If you don't pursue an official career, you are destined to have no day of prominence. If you want to go down into the cellar, you must bring me along; without my guidance, even if you enter upright, you will come out sideways."

Shirley Yang, who had been listening nearby for a while, walked over and said to the blind man: "Do you think this underground place is an ancient tomb, planning to tag along with us pangolins to pick up some scraps and pull out a couple of burial objects? If yes, yes; if no, no. We don't have time to keep going in circles with you. If you utter another false word, I'll kick you out right away."

The blind man was startled by Shirley Yang's words, lowered his voice and said: "Shhh, keep it down. So the young lady is also one of our trade? From your words, could you be a Grave Robber Captain? I had thought you were officials on the surface; it seems your grave‑robbing circle has recently been brimming with talent. Since you're not outsiders, I won't hide it from you: hey, I used to be famed across the Two Lakes region as a Mountain‑Moving Strongman. Wasn't it when I was young, going to Yunnan to overturn tombs and lost this pair of eyes? I ended up in this poor backwater, making a living by telling fortunes, and being a solitary old man… so… I want to go in and get a share, earn some scattered silver, to buy a coffin set for my eventual transcendence."

Shirley Yang was also made to laugh and cry by the blind man's anger; she glanced at me, I shook my head, firmly disagreeing. This old fellow is just alarmist talk; in the end he admits he's a tomb‑robber himself, this cellar isn't like an ancient tomb, and even if there were burial objects, we shouldn't let him have them cheaply.

Although the blind man couldn't see, his mind was sharp; he clearly understood my and Shirley Yang's intentions, and he quickly told me: "I have a copy of the 《（Xiangdan）Zimi Di Yan Tu》 here; if you agree, whoever receives a share should give me one of the unearthed burial objects, and then this manual will be yours."

I asked the blind man: "I've heard of this map; it's a vein map, and due to its craftsmanship there's probably only one copy in the world—since it's a treasure book, why don't you sell it instead of using it to trade with us (exchange goods)? It's most likely a defective (fake) copy; old man, do you take us for fools?"

The blind man said to me: "How can I be considered an elder, yet you youngster can't show me respect? Constantly calling me 'old man' just to satisfy your tongue will only make others mock you for not knowing seniority. Cough, this Azure Raven Divine Diagram was also obtained by me risking my life; however, since ancient times feng shui secrets have been non‑transmissible, and only those who understand the Dragon‑Seeking Orthodoxy—true Grave Robber Captains—can comprehend the mysteries in this diagram. If it falls into vulgar hands, wouldn't the ancestral master blame me for wasting heaven's bounty? So, success or failure hinges on your single word."

I thought we had already wasted too much time; arguing further with this blind man would be pointless, so I decided to appease him first and settle the score after rescuing Professor Sun. I told the blind man: "Let's make it a binding agreement—do as you say; even if there are no burial objects below, I can still pay to buy your 《（Xiangdan）Zimi Di Yan Tu》 from you. But you cannot go down with us; furthermore, you must cooperate with me by giving the militiamen a few encouraging words, so they don't remain anxious and refuse to descend, jeopardizing our major undertaking."

The blind man cooperated fully, immediately summoning the militiamen and saying to them: "This cellar is no ordinary place—back when Qin Shi Huang toured the area, he once saw an immortal refining elixir in this cave, so he erected a stone tablet before the mountain to record the event; later the Western Chu Hegemon Xiang Yu and the Han Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang also hid here to escape the court's crackdown, and at that time they were both commoners; only because they entered this immortal's cave did they later become kings and overlords, pacifying the great good foundation of the world. This is the pre‑Qin **【garbled word】**, a tradition since ancient times, brothers—how could nobles and ministers lack their kind? I see that although you are mere militiamen, each of you has a tiger's back, bear's waist, eagle's gaze, wolf's vigilance, all bearing the aspect of generals. It would not hurt to go down into this cellar to investigate; afterward you will surely rise to prominence and gain territory."

I thought that was enough; if the blind man kept talking we'd have no *score*. I quickly waved my hand, had the three militiamen I'd previously assigned prepare the baskets, and lowered myself and the militia squad leader first, after which the remaining four militiamen and Shirley Yang descended one after another.

The squad leader and I each lit a torch and held a rifle. After descending below the coffin shop, I raised the torch and looked up: the cellar is about twenty or more meters from the coffin shop, the fissure is naturally formed, showing no signs of human work. Below is a very spacious passage, seven or eight meters high, over ten meters wide, paved throughout with large rectangular stones, with water droplets seeping from the walls; being there, I felt a chill that penetrated to the bone.

In the Ancient Field area the soil and water are deep, making groundwater hard to see; only when we reach twenty‑odd meters underground does the seepage become noticeable, due to the special geographical environment of Shibodian Village. The basin is naturally low‑lying, and with the rainy season it becomes like this. If this really were an ancient tomb, the artifacts in the underground palace would likely be almost completely damaged by water.

The earth's fault lines are very obvious; besides the fissure we came down through, the tunnel has many other fractures, suggesting this area lies on a seismic belt. Fortunately, although the tunnel's structure is simple and crude, it is very sturdy, with no signs of impending collapse.

The militia squad leader pointed not far away and told me that when he first came down, he saw there a stone table with a rectangular stone box on it, weighing about twenty catties; when he took it out and looked inside, he found six ancient jade beasts, dark red like blood. I had never seen that set of stone box and jade beasts; it is now kept by the village committee. I asked the squad leader: "What's further inside?"

The squad leader shook his head: "The stone platform is in a stone‑roofed house; ahead there is no path, but the stone house floor still has a broken hole, deep below. I shone a flashlight inside and saw nothing. All I felt was a wind rising from within that gave me gooseflesh, so I didn't dare look further and ran back clutching the stone box. By the way, there is the sound of water down there."

By then the people behind had also descended one by one into the cellar; I saw everyone was present, counted the heads, and warned them not to fire randomly, but to wait for my order; first make sure of the target, so as not to accidentally injure Professor Sun and the other archaeologist.

I, Shirley Yang, plus the militia squad leader with his four militiamen—seven people in total—carried four rifles and lit three torches. With many people and guns, plus the goal of earning two hundred yuan in labor fees, everyone's courage grew, and they followed me deeper into the tunnel.

This tunnel was quite magnificent but not particularly long; it was very clean, with nothing superfluous, not even a single rat. As we walked we cupped our hands to our mouths and shouted for Professor Sun, yet in the empty tunnel there was only the occasional echo and the sound of dripping water—nothing else stirred.

Sure enough, at the end there was a stone house just as the squad leader had said, about the size of an ordinary dwelling, built of piled round stones. The doorway is a half‑circle, with no obstruction; although it is clearly man‑made, it gives a feeling of being naturally formed. Such architecture is rarely seen in history—could it really be what the blind man claimed, a place where immortals concoct elixirs?

I asked Shirley Yang whether she could tell what this stone house was used for; she had never seen such a structure either. So we passed through the doorway and entered the room; apart from a stone bed, there was nothing else at all.

The stone bed was flat and smooth as a mirror, unlike those in ancient tombs. After looking for a while we could make out nothing special. The stone house floor has a square opening, which is the entrance to a forty‑degree‑inclined passage. It goes deep down; I shone my flashlight inside but could see no end, only a man‑made gentle slope leading downward. Professor Sun very likely went down that way; I shouted a few times into the darkness, but there was no reply.

I had no choice but to lead the group downward, leaving two militiamen to guard the entrance as a precaution. Following the slope made of piled stones and earth, we walked a long time, hearing flowing water; I worried that Professor Sun might have fallen into the water and drowned, so I hurried a few steps. When everyone reached the lower area, we saw it was an artificially carved cavern; in the middle of the floor was a small pool. The flashlight showed the pool water as deep black, bottomless, unclear whether it was flowing. Above hung several large iron rings, from which several heavy chains descended into the deep pool. Strangely, the chains were dark and heavy, not looking like iron, yet at first glance one could not tell what material they were made of, since there was no sign of rust.

One end of the massive chain sank straight into the pool, appearing to be attached to some huge object; as we tried to move closer for a better look, the few thick chains suddenly jerked violently, stirring the calm pool into ripples.