Volume One: The Hundred Coffin Tomb Chapter Seventeen: A Grand Mausoleum?

After walking for a while, we indeed heard another cry coming from a heap of grass ahead. Hearing this, I nodded to Li Kun, and together we each grabbed a wooden stick and approached cautiously.

But this time, it wasn't so simple. The pheasant hidden in the grass sensed our approach and, flapping its wings, flew straight out. Seeing this, neither Li Kun nor I bothered to hide anymore; we lifted our feet and rushed forward.

We chased the pheasant for about five or six minutes before finally getting close. Having flown at low altitude for so long, the bird was exhausted and could only run along the ground. Excitement surged within us—surely, it could not escape now.

After a short run, the pheasant collapsed, lying sprawled on the earth. Seeing this, we laughed and lunged forward. Just as my hand grasped the bird’s body, Li Kun also dove toward it. But in the next moment, we both felt the ground give way beneath our feet, and our bodies suddenly lightened—we seemed to have stepped into empty space. To our astonishment, we and the pheasant tumbled down together!

When I opened my eyes again, I saw before me a snow-white shadow squatting. Thinking I must be mistaken, I rubbed my eyes and looked again. This time, I was certain: a pure white fox was sitting before me.

Seeing the white fox, confusion struck me. Clearly, Li Kun and I had just fallen into a trap—how was I now back on the surface? And where was Li Kun?

While I was still puzzled, the scene before me left me utterly shocked. The white fox slowly opened its mouth and spoke: “Human, what is your name?”

I thought I must be hallucinating—why did a woman’s voice speak to me? But the next moment brought clarity.

The fox spoke again: “You are still unconscious. I am appearing in your consciousness. Do not worry; both you and your companion are unharmed.”

Hearing this, I was left stunned. What was the fox talking about—my consciousness? What did that mean?

I asked, “What is going on?”

The fox replied, “You and your companion fell into a trap, and I saved you. Rest assured, you are both safe.”

At this point, I understood. This white fox must be the spirit we saw earlier—the fox spirit. When we fell into the trap, it somehow saved us.

And when the fox said she was in my consciousness, she must have meant my dreams. With that realization, I regained my composure.

I said to the fox, “Thank you for saving us.”

But as soon as I spoke, the fox’s next words left me at a loss.

“Don’t thank me yet. You are safe now, but that does not mean you will remain so.”

Puzzled, I asked, “What do you mean?”

The fox rose and said, “I have something I must ask your help with, and it will help you as well. Before long, this place will no longer be safe—because of the great tomb on Thunder Mountain.”

“For ourselves? What do you mean?”

The fox continued, “Recently, you obtained an artifact capable of seeking dragons and locating their lairs, did you not?”

At these words, I thought of the Dragon-Seeking Plate that Xu Tian gave me. I hadn’t brought it with me, since there was little need to carry it everywhere—it was small enough to fit in my breast pocket, but I really had no use for it at the moment. I nodded, confirming what the fox said.

The fox nodded back. “Then let me tell you about the great tomb in Thunder Mountain. You have already used your artifact to find its approximate location, I presume. It is a Daoist tomb—the burial place of a Daoist priest.”

“Within are over a hundred living corpses, known in the thieves’ vernacular as corpse demons.”

“Recently, there have been problems with the tomb. The cause can only be uncovered by you two. From the moment you received that artifact, this mission became your fate—your calamity. If you survive this ordeal, you will turn misfortune into fortune.”

“Your task is to investigate the tomb. If necessary, you must destroy it, burying the corpse demons deep underground. Should they escape, the world will never know peace.”

“But this journey is perilous. Be extremely cautious. Though danger abounds, you will acquire something within that will protect your life in the future—this is the true reason you must go.”

“Remember, only the two of you must undertake this mission. Any more or any fewer, and you will be buried underground, entombed with the corpse demons.”

As the fox finished speaking, I had no time to ask further questions—she vanished before my eyes. I was stunned: a great tomb? Corpse demons? Over a hundred coffins filled with corpse demons?

Suddenly, realization dawned—could it be that, since I acquired the Dragon-Seeking Plate, the corpse demons in the tomb have begun to stir?

A slight pain throbbed in my head, and then I felt someone patting my shoulder. Sensing the change in my body, I slowly opened my eyes.

Li Kun was before me, patting my shoulder and calling, “Old Liu, Old Liu, wake up!”

I rubbed my head, feeling a dull ache, and quickly said, “Li Kun, what’s wrong with my head?”

Li Kun paused, puzzled. “Your head’s fine—what’s the matter? Did you hit your head when we fell?”

I shook my head, and the discomfort vanished. I wondered if the headache had been caused by the white fox entering my dream.

Shaking my head again, the discomfort gone, I looked closely at our surroundings.

We were at the bottom of a pit, a little over two meters deep.

Relieved, I realized that both Li Kun and I were about one meter eighty tall—though jumping out would be difficult, if I helped Li Kun up first, he could pull me out afterward.

Turning to Li Kun, I asked, “How long was I unconscious?”

Li Kun replied, “You didn’t faint—we just fell down.”

With that, I was certain of what had happened. I turned to Li Kun and said, “Let’s get out of here first.”

Li Kun nodded. “I was waiting for you to say that. Come, I’ll help you up.”

He squatted by the wall, forming a horse stance, and pressed his palms together on his knees. “Come on.”

I shot him a look. “You should go first—up there, I won’t be able to pull you up.”

Li Kun grinned, scratching his head. “Haha, then I’ll go first.”

I nodded and moved to the wall, assuming the same posture Li Kun had just taken.