Volume Three: The Fox Immortal's Tomb Chapter Forty-Two: A Bathhouse for the Fox Immortal?

I nodded and said, "Damn it, Old Li, your luck is simply incredible. If we break this formation and you get blessed with such fortune, you might just ascend to the heavens."

Li Kun chuckled and replied, "It’s all destined; it’s just fate." As he spoke, he took the gold ingot from Xu Tian, looked at his own clothes, and tried to find a place to stow it. However, his waist was already weighed down by Type-87 magazines, leaving no room. He set his backpack on the floor and tucked the ingot into the innermost compartment.

After securing it, Li Kun patted the bag and said, "Whoever is buried here must have been wealthy. Don't just stand there; hurry up and search! Who knows what other treasures we might find?"

Xu Tian and I exchanged a bitter smile. Li Kun’s discovery of the ancient money pouch was pure luck. In the time it took him to boast, we had already finished surveying the burial chamber.

If I guessed correctly, the people buried here were likely the tomb builders themselves. The gold ingot Li Kun found must have belonged to their foreman—a payment for their labor. There were undoubtedly more workers than just those in the coffins, otherwise, there wouldn't have been such a large sum of money. It seemed these workers, including their leader, had met with some accident and perished within the tomb, leaving the gold ingot on the foreman’s remains.

Just as I was about to speak, Li Kun had already darted off. I could only shout, "Old Li, there are no burial goods on these people. Stop looking!"

Despite my warning, Li Kun remained stubborn and continued to inspect the coffins. The result, predictably, was nothing more than bones, dirt, and stones.

By the time he had checked every coffin, he finally gave up. His face was covered in dust and grime. He walked back to us and said, "Looks like there really isn't anything else. Nothing but bones."

Suddenly, he seemed to have a change of heart. "Old Liu, since we’ve taken a benefit from them, shouldn't we do something in return?"

I nodded. If my theory was correct, we were holding money these people had paid for with their lives. If we just walked away with it, they wouldn't let us rest easy in the afterlife.

I reached into my backpack, pulled out a bundle of incense for the departed, and said, "Old Li, light these. Place three sticks in front of every coffin, then we’ll move on."

Li Kun took the incense, lit them, and bowed toward the coffins with both hands. "Today, I’ve taken the gold you earned with your lives. Once we get out of here, I will certainly burn more incense and make offerings to you." With that, he set to work.

While Li Kun busied himself running between the coffins, Xu Tian and I stood on a large stone in the chamber to observe our surroundings. On the left side of the room, there was a double-leaf stone door, similar to the one we had entered through. We approached it and inspected it carefully, finding no signs of traps or mechanisms.

I nodded to Xu Tian. We each grabbed a copper ring on the left door and pulled with all our might, slowly dragging the heavy stone leaf open.

As the door moved, the icy chill that had permeated the room vanished, replaced by a wave of warmth. We both froze for a moment; the air was humid, a sensation we felt the instant the door opened.

We shone our flashlights inside to reveal a long, winding corridor that curved to the right. Li Kun joined us, and he, too, felt the humidity. Since he still had his "Blood Eyes" active, I asked, "Old Li, do you see anything?"

Li Kun shook his head. "Nothing unusual. I don't even see a trace of ghostly energy."

We started walking down the corridor. Xu Tian mused, "Old Liu, do you think this humidity could mean there’s a hot spring nearby?"

We all looked at Xu Tian. I nodded, agreeing, "Old Xu might be right. We might really be heading toward a hot spring; how else would we explain this warmth?"

As we walked, we encountered another closed stone door. This one was vastly different from the others. To call it a "stone door" would be an understatement; it was entirely crimson, and the beam of our flashlights revealed countless small, white, granular particles embedded within the material.

Xu Tian clicked his tongue in wonder. "Good heavens, this door is made of red agate. In ancient times, this material was incredibly expensive. The person who built this Fox Immortal Tomb spared no cost. As far as I know, doors made of red agate are used to create an airtight seal, perfect for preserving items or porcelain. This is only the second time I’ve seen such a door; the first was when I visited the basement of a major antique collector with my grandfather."

We were awestruck. Having someone as knowledgeable as Xu Tian with us was a true blessing; otherwise, we would have dismissed it as an ordinary stone door.

Li Kun grabbed the copper rings, saying, "After hearing what Old Xu said, I’m certain there must be real treasures inside. Why else would they use a red agate door?"

He pulled with all his might, and we saw the veins bulging in his arms, which told us just how heavy the door really was. Xu Tian and I stepped up to help, while Da Gou grabbed Li Kun’s waist and pulled backward to provide leverage.

With a collective roar of effort, the left door slowly creaked open. Once it budged, we pushed harder until there was enough space for us to slip through.

The moment we stepped inside, the heat hit us head-on. The weather in Northeast China was at its coldest, but as we entered, a wave of warmth enveloped our entire bodies. We looked at each other, and Li Kun and Da Gou exclaimed in unison, "It’s so warm in here!"

We nodded, and Li Kun, unable to wait, poked his head through with his flashlight and scrambled inside. Xu Tian, Da Gou, and I followed closely behind.

As we entered, we heard a series of popping sounds, and the space suddenly flooded with light. Having spent so long in the dark, our eyes couldn't adjust immediately. We all instinctively closed our eyes and shielded them with our hands.

"Old Liu, what’s happening?" Li Kun asked. "Why did it suddenly turn into broad daylight?"

His comment, though born of panic, made us all chuckle.

After a few moments, our eyes adjusted. I lowered my hand and opened my eyes, as did the others. What we saw left us completely stunned.

The room resembled a grand bathhouse. The walls were made of pure, white jade, and carved into them were three rows of niches, each holding a rabbit-shaped jade lamp. As if by magic, flames flickered within these lamps. The light reflected off the polished jade walls, illuminating the entire chamber.

In the center of the room stood a square wooden frame draped in translucent red fabric, which looked incredibly elegant. At the heart of this frame lay a massive pool, roughly five meters long and six meters wide, with steam rising from the water.

We stood there, dumbfounded. Li Kun finally spoke, "Old Liu, damn it... did we just find the Fox Immortal’s bathhouse? This place is absolutely beautiful."

I was still dazed, but I couldn't help but nod. Xu Tian agreed, "I think we really have found the place where the Fox Immortal bathed."