Chapter 536

The Zongshi clan's mausoleum lies on Li Mountain, a hundred li to the southeast of Nan'an City.

Named entities: Zongshi (the Zongshi clan), Nan'an, Li Mountain.

Back then, the Yin‑Yang master tasked with divining and finding a feng shui treasure site for the Zongshi clan had already prophesied that Li Mountain possessed the true dragon‑vein aura of an emperor.

Named entities: Zongshi, Li Mountain.

Not only has the Zongshi clan ruled the Great Chu Dynasty for two hundred years, but if they can nurture the vital energy and prosperity of this place, their descendants may become the holy emperor who rules over all under heaven.

Named entities: Zongshi clan, Great Chu Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, the Zongshi clan was overjoyed and naturally regarded this place as more important than anything else in the world.

Named entities: Zongshi clan.

As early as the Taizu period, a powerful troop had already been dispatched to garrison this place.

Named entities: Taizu.

Therefore, they were tasked with guarding the imperial mausoleum.

No named.

Taizu granted this army great authority.

Named: Taizu.

They need not obey any emperor's orders.

No named.

In other words, no emperor under Taizu has the authority to command this army.

Named: Taizu.

Unless another army reaches the mausoleum's gates, the garrison troops cannot take action.

No named.

They need only follow Taizu's imperial edict from that time; unless the entire Zongshi dynasty is about to fall, all mausoleum guards, generation after generation, must never leave the mausoleum even a step.

Named entities: Taizu, Zongshi Dynasty.

Although outside imperial authority, they have been imprisoned in this cage generation after generation.

No named.

Even when performing ancestral rites, emperors cannot freely enter or exit the mausoleum's interior.

No named entities (the term "emperor" is generic).

Moreover, no one else may approach it at will.

No named.

Unless one is placed in a coffin box, one cannot enter the mausoleum that was already built during the Taizu era.

Named: Taizu.

It is said that when the Chu emperor was young, he wanted to steal the corpse of the former empress.

Named entities: Chu Emperor, Former Empress.

But his Imperial Guard army clashed with the mausoleum garrison and suffered a crushing defeat.

Named entities: none.

The Chu emperor still wished to be a wise ruler, so he kept the disturbance relatively minor.

Named: Chu Emperor again.

He concealed this matter secretly, and the mausoleum guards also kept it quiet, but every few years the Chu emperor would send people to covertly scout the mausoleum.

Named: Chu Emperor.

Although his people never returned from these missions, he never gave up on the endeavor.

No new.

This time, he even brought along a young man he had just taken a liking to.

No named.

He also planned to go himself.

No.

And he decided that if this attempt again ended in failure, he would provoke a deadly confrontation, disregarding ancestral imperial orders and sending troops to directly seize and suppress the place.

No.

What he intends to do, no one in this world can stop!

No.

Therefore, upon learning that they would head to the mausoleum, Duan Rongshi had already prepared for a tough battle.

Named entities: Duan Rongshi.

However, what he did not expect was that the Chu emperor also brought along Qingyangzi.

Named entities: Chu Emperor, Qingyangzi.

No wonder the Chu emperor suddenly became eager to personally visit the mausoleum.

Named: Chu Emperor.

These past few days, Duan Rongshi has been in the Dali Temple prison, and Qingyangzi hasn't had time to brief him on the situation.

Named entities: Duan Rongshi, Qingyangzi, Dali Temple.

But when the two met, a glance exchanged was enough for them to silently pretend they were strangers.

No.

Qingyangzi does possess some genuine abilities.

Named: Qingyangzi.

He can calculate and divine, and indeed he has worked out a new route.

No.

"Your Majesty, I have calculated it. If we take this mountain path, today we will suffer at least half as much bloodshed."

Named entities: none.

The Chu emperor was quite excited about personally scouting the mausoleum today.

Named: Chu Emperor.

Although it is a narrow goat‑track trail, he took the lead, declaring: "Today I must enter the mausoleum!"

Named entities: none.

"If you help me succeed, I will grant you all official positions and rich rewards!"

No.

The Imperial Guard immediately responded with vigor: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Named entities: Imperial Guard.

Qingyangzi whispered: "Shh——"

Named: Qingyangzi.

This bunch of lunatics truly aren't afraid of attracting the mountain's guardians; they even complain that those who come aren't dying enough.

Named entities: none.

Qingyangzi secretly exchanged a glance with Duan Rongshi.

Named: Qingyangzi, Duan Rongshi.

The two of them, one walked at the front, the other in the middle of the crowd.

No.

Soon they reached the point where the path could go no higher.

No.

The Chu emperor's body, weakened by years of nightmare illness, was already empty and feeble, and he was panting halfway up.

Named entities: Chu Emperor.

Finally, the Imperial Guard lifted him onto a man‑powered sedan chair.

Named entities: Imperial Guard.

After ascending the mountain, while everyone stood around looking at the barren landscape, Qingyangzi had already found a cave.

Named entities: Qingyangzi.

"Right here!"

No.

"Sure enough, my calculations were correct—grave robbers have been here before!"

Named entities: none.

Grave robbers!

Generic.

It turns out the mausoleum's guardians can also be blind at times.

Named entities: none.

And yet these grave robbers managed to find a loophole.

Generic.

The Chu emperor was overjoyed and hurriedly shouted that he wanted to go down.

Named: Chu Emperor.

Seeing this, the Imperial Guard immediately knelt and pleaded: "Your Majesty, please reconsider."

Named entities: Imperial Guard, Your Majesty.

"This cave is tiny and cramped—how could we subject Your Majesty to such a narrow passage?"

No.

"Furthermore, we don't know what lies inside; we implore Your Majesty to reconsider for your own safety."

No.

Chu Emperor: "Get out! I've said it before—I must enter the mausoleum today!"

Named: Chu Emperor.

"I want to go down personally!"

No.

At that moment, Duan Rongshi stepped forward and said: "I implore Your Majesty to let me, a commoner, scout the route first; once I confirm it's passable, then you may enter, how about that?"

Named entities: Duan Rongshi, Your Majesty.

After hesitating, the Chu emperor agreed to this method.

Named: Chu Emperor.

The Imperial Guard's faces lit up, and they began to look favorably upon Duan Rongshi.

Named entities: Imperial Guard, Duan Rongshi.

Although Duan Rongshi is swift, even he spent several hours entering the thieves' cave before emerging again.

Named entities: Duan Rongshi.

The Chu Emperor and the others have long since lost their patience.

Just as he was about to turn hostile and decide to bury the entrance, Qingyangzi suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, he has come."

Indeed, Duan Rongshi climbed out from the entrance.

By then, the sky was already drawing close to night.

Their party didn't even dare to light a fire.

Seeing him crawl out, everyone was startled.

If it weren't for Qingyangzi's first warning, they would have thought he was an evil ghost crawling out from underground.

Although Duan Rongshi came out with a somewhat dirty face, he said to the Chu Emperor, "Your Majesty, I have already cleared away the obstacles inside; you may go down at your ease."

So simple, and one can go down?

When the imperial guards were about to add further obstruction, the Chu Emperor had already descended into the cave under Duan Rongshi's personal escort.

"You——!"

"If Your Majesty comes to any harm, watch your dog's life!"

The guards who followed out today were the leader of the Imperial Forest Army, General Chen Yi.

He glared fiercely at Duan Rongshi, feeling deep disgust at his indulgence of the Chu Emperor's willful and reckless behavior.

Duan Rongshi stared at him with a grim, cold gaze.

General Chen Yi had climbed to his present position through countless bloodshed, yet he also suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

This man is certainly no ordinary fellow.

In the future, he will surely become a stumbling block for himself.

A killing intent involuntarily showed in his eyes, yet he could only watch helplessly as Duan Rongshi followed the Chu Emperor down into the tomb-raiding entrance.

However, Duan Rongshi stopped writing at this point and wrote no further.

Li Qingluo was enjoying it immensely when it suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

Zheng Mama advised her, "Miss, why not have a meal first? It's already very late."

Li Qingluo could only regretfully set down the stack of paper in her hand.

She had just sat down and picked up her chopsticks when she heard Que'er's voice from outside: "Master, you're back."

Li Qingluo was overjoyed.

"A-Shi, you've finally come back! I've been waiting for your story!"

She rose and went to meet him personally.

Zheng Mama hastily waved her hand, and Que'er and Bao Xia followed suit, withdrawing from the Tangdi residence.

Soon, only the two of them as a couple remained in the entire courtyard.

When Duan Rongshi came out in his regular attire, Li Qingluo had already been eager to listen.

Seeing her sit there obediently, he couldn't help but smile.

"My dear, may I first have a few bites of food?"

Li Qingluo urged, "What are we waiting for? Let's hurry and eat together!"

After finally filling his stomach, Li Qingluo, having long since lost any desire to sleep, pulled Duan Rongshi to sit on the low bench by the window.

"Quickly tell me, what exactly happened when you entered the burial chamber?"

"Your back has so many wounds that look like whip lashes… or like blows from a rod."

"You previously said that when you entered the imperial mausoleum, it was to steal a corpse."

"And whose corpse was it that you stole?"