Volume One – The Tomb of a Hundred Coffins Chapter Eighteen – The Turning Point of Fate

Li Kun saw that I was ready, so he lifted one foot onto my hand and pushed off hard, propelling his whole body upward in a single bound. Watching Li Kun remain so agile, I couldn't help but sigh and remark, "Goodness, you're just the same as you were in the army—your legs are as nimble as ever."

Li Kun chuckled, lowered himself to the edge of the pit, and extended a hand down to me. "Alright, hurry up and come up," he said.

I nodded, took a short run, braced myself against the wall, and grabbed Li Kun's large hand. With a strong pull, he hauled me up.

Once on solid ground, I turned my head to survey our surroundings. By now, there was no hope of catching the pheasant; the one from earlier had vanished, who knows where.

Li Kun spoke up, "Old Liu, what are you looking at?"

I sighed lightly and said, "We didn't catch that pheasant just now. Never mind, let's head back. Even though we missed one, we've already got another today."

At my words, Li Kun grinned and said, "Missed it? Not a chance! Take a look." He pointed at the ground.

Following his gesture, I saw a pheasant lying on the earth, completely unconscious.

It dawned on me then: when we dived for the pheasant earlier, we must have landed right on top of it. The weight of two grown men was surely more than it could bear, so it had fainted away.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile and said to Li Kun, "We've really made a haul today. Let's go back—I have something to discuss with you."

Li Kun squatted down, picked up the unconscious pheasant, and asked, "Oh? What is it?"

Before I could answer, I caught sight of a snow-white fox peering at me from behind a boulder not far off.

When the white fox noticed my gaze, it nodded at me and then slowly retreated, disappearing from sight.

Li Kun sensed something odd about my expression and followed my eyes, just in time to see a white tail slip behind the rock and vanish.

Li Kun was unsettled by the second sighting of the white fox, but couldn't quite put his feelings into words. He turned to me and asked, "Old Liu, is what you want to tell me related to that fox spirit?"

At his words, I took a deep breath and replied, "Old Liu, we have a mission."

Before Li Kun could speak, I added, "Let's head back. I'll explain as we walk."

Seeing the heaviness on my face, Li Kun realized I was deeply troubled and didn't press further. He knew I would confide in him eventually. It wasn't mere intuition—he sensed that whatever this was, it concerned him too.

Li Kun carried the pheasant in his hand, and I walked in silence, lost in thought over what the white fox had just told me. My mind was a muddled mess, and I didn't know how to begin.

Not until we reached the spot where I had hidden the other pheasant did I gradually collect myself. I bent down to retrieve it, then turned to Li Kun.

In a low voice, I asked, "Old Liu, do you remember back in the army, how I was always reading that one book?"

Li Kun thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, you were always carrying around that book about the twenty-four... something or other."

I nodded. "It was 'The Twenty-Four Mountains of Feng Shui.'"

"Ah, that's right! So what about it?"

"Actually, that book is a secret manual on geomancy, specifically for finding dragon veins and auspicious burial sites. My great-grandfather once acquired it from a Taoist master by chance."

Li Kun was surprised, then suddenly realized something. He lowered his voice, "So that book is for finding graves?"

I took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "That's right."

Li Kun looked at me, puzzled. "So our trip here is related to that?"

I nodded, pheasant in hand, as we started down the mountain. "Let me tell you the whole story."

"Some time ago, I met a man named Xu Tian. His family deals in antiques and porcelain. I happened to run into him, and..." I began to recount to Li Kun how I had obtained the Dragon-Seeking Compass from Xu Tian, and how it had pointed to Mount Lei. Li Kun listened carefully, and though some details eluded him, he grasped the general idea.

After I finished, I said, "Old Li, do you remember the white fox we just saw?"

Li Kun nodded slowly, sensing something unusual.

I continued, "Back when we fell into the tomb, I actually lost consciousness—I'd say for about five minutes."

Li Kun was startled. "How could that be?"

I nodded. "And that white fox is not an ordinary animal. It's truly a fox spirit."

Li Kun was stunned and whispered, "Could there really be such things as fox spirits in this world?"

He turned to look back along the path we had taken.

I patted his shoulder. "It sounds unbelievable to me too, but it really happened."

"And the white fox was right. There truly is a great tomb within Mount Lei, but it's incredibly dangerous. According to the fox, there are over a hundred coffins in that tomb, each containing a corpse ghoul."

Li Kun drew a sharp breath. "What? Hundreds of corpse ghouls?"

I nodded and went on, "And ever since I acquired the Dragon-Seeking Compass, I've been entangled with this tomb."

Li Kun was bewildered. "Why would getting that compass involve you with the tomb?"

"I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I suspect the compass is somehow connected to the tomb's master."

Li Kun said, "Old Liu, even if this tomb is connected to you, what's the harm? Those corpse ghouls couldn't possibly get out, could they?"

I could only offer a wry smile and nodded. "That's exactly it."

"What? I was only joking! Does that mean you have to go into the tomb?"

I nodded helplessly. "That's right. I don't want to go either, but if I don't, I doubt I'll live to see thirty." I shook my head as I spoke.

Li Kun looked at me, confused. "Old Liu, what's really going on?"

I sighed and repeated what the white fox had told me. When I finished, Li Kun was equally astonished.

Looking at him, I asked quietly, "Old Li, are you willing to help me?"

At my words, Li Kun bristled. He hefted the pheasant in one hand and gave me a thump on the back with the other. "Old Liu, why the hell are you being so formal with me? A brother in trouble—how could I just stand by and watch? Once we're back, we'll make preparations. Lord Li doesn't believe a mere tomb can put up that much of a fight!"

Hearing this, I was truly moved. Indeed, there was no need for such ceremony between brothers.

With everything said, my unease gradually faded. But what did fate have in store for us? On this journey up the mountain, was I grasping the rope of destiny, or would it bind the two of us tightly instead?

I shook my head, deciding not to dwell on it. For now, the most important thing was to take these two pheasants back. I imagined the old man had already boiled water, waiting for our return.