Chapter Thirteen: The Private Garden

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Dong Fatty: "......"

Seeing their stunned expressions, I picked up the compass and approached the ancient house's door and window. Suddenly, the needle spun wildly. When I pressed it against other walls of the house, the needle's movement lessened, and once away from the house, it quickly returned to normal.

"Though the bluestone bricks block much of the magnetic force, the mortar conducts magnetism well. The compass needle is extremely sensitive. Its frantic spinning indicates that the entire ancient house is filled with magnetic stone devices, especially behind the weak doors and windows."

"Ancient tombs from the Song and Jin dynasties often used magnetic crossbow traps. After all, grave robbers carry various iron tools for digging. Once the tomb wall is breached, the traps, attracted by the iron, fire all at once, turning intruders into human pincushions!"

Dong Fatty swallowed nervously.

"Damn! The roof's no good, the walls no good, and the foundation is made of massive bluestone blocks—diamond drills can't pierce them. We’re completely locked out?!"

Xu Qingguo furrowed her elegant brows and turned to look at me, her eyes holding the last flicker of hope.

"Meng Xun, you must have an idea, right?"

I nodded.

"I'll give it a try!"

With that, I grabbed a Luoyang digging tool and started chipping at the huge bluestone platform around us.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

When the tool struck the southwest corner, the sound noticeably changed—from dull echoes to a hollow feedback.

"This part is hollow!"

Everyone quickly bent down to examine, brushing away dust and dead leaves from the platform.

Xu Qingguo was the first to spot the anomaly, her face lit with excitement.

"There seems to be a seam!"

We gathered around and found a large bluestone slab about two meters square with a tiny gap separating it from the surrounding platform.

The gap was so narrow and the color so uniform it almost blended perfectly with the platform.

If not for the abnormal sound when striking, we would never have noticed.

This was the exit used by the tomb builders when they left!

To our surprise, the most unlikely place—the platform—hid the main tomb entrance.

I tested with the compass—no change in needle direction, meaning no arrow trap below.

Everyone quickly set to work, using small hammers on the seams and crowbars on the edges. Within minutes, the bluestone slab was pried open, revealing a pitch-black hole with steps leading downward. A faint breeze drifted out.

With airflow, the air quality inside was no problem.

The four of us donned gas masks and entered one by one.

Descending inside, I realized I had underestimated the scale.

The ancient house’s foundation was completely sealed off.

The stairs did not lead into the ancient house but rather wound downward through a corridor adorned with many murals.

Because this was a hollow cave beneath water, the climate was damp, and the pigments were faded beyond recognition.

Judging by the size and layout of the passage, the ancient house was merely a decoy tomb set outside.

Its sole purpose was to lure grave robbers into focusing on breaking the roof, doors, and windows of the ancient house, triggering traps to kill the trespassers.

The real foreigner’s tomb lay straight ahead in the underground corridor!

To find the dragon’s body and submerge it in the yellow springs, to seal its acupoints and push the death gate.

The foreigner’s tomb in Mount Hu was not a royal or noble mausoleum, yet it boasted such exquisitely clever anti-theft measures that one could only marvel, chilled to the bone.

Dong Fatty was astounded.

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"Incredible! The ginseng mountain’s cliffs, poison flower guardian spirits, the hanging jar healing feng shui trap, the evil fish guard pond, the ancient house decoy tomb—a brilliant feint... These foreigners aren’t just doctors; they’re monsters!"

"Little Meng, you’re pretty badass too! The Daoist master once went down into tombs with those Northern guys. Those jerks only know how to blast things, no technique at all. Looks like you have to hang with cultured people to improve! By the way, what’s your education level?"

That question hit me right in the chest.

I wanted to pursue a doctorate, but in the end, I dropped out in the ninth grade.

Formally, my highest education was elementary school.

I replied, "Don’t pry into society’s affairs."

Dong Fatty patted my shoulder.

"With that answer, you’re definitely a rare fish that slipped through the nine-year compulsory education net."

I was speechless.

Wu Ping spoke rarely, quietly telling Xu Qingguo, "Miss, this time Xu Lao is saved."

Xu Qingguo’s flushed cheeks brightened with excitement as she sighed in relief, her eyes shining with joy.

"Two of you! After this mission, not only will your promises be fulfilled, but your reward will be tripled!"

I loved working with bosses who treated money like dirt!

But from Wu Ping’s tone, it seemed Xu Qingguo descended with the spirit banner this time to save her father?

That wasn’t my concern.

Completing the boss’s task and healing my sister-in-law’s legs—that was the righteous path.

We moved swiftly down the corridor.

Soon, we arrived at a space the size of a soccer field.

Before us spread dense shrubs and greenery, blooming with vibrant flowers.

Colorful butterflies danced everywhere, with small insects hopping joyfully. The air was fragrant with the scent of myriad blossoms, refreshing to the soul.

In the middle of the flower bed stood a large stone coffin, over a meter high off the ground, solemn yet lively.

For a moment, it felt less like tomb robbing and more like visiting a foreigner’s exquisitely refined private garden.

This was the ultimate romanticism of a Song dynasty tomb!

Xu Qingguo was overwhelmed, unable to contain herself, grabbing her camera to take furious snapshots.

Dong Fatty swallowed nervously.

"Miss Xu, let me show you the Daoist master’s poetry skills!"

"Ah! Beautiful flowers, a beautiful tomb, sleeping foreigner, today the master arrives—see where you can run! I’m so talented!"

As soon as he finished the poem, he wiggled his fat behind and dashed forward.

Since we’re here, I thought, why hold back? I followed quickly.

As we passed through the flowers, perhaps Xu Qingguo’s scent attracted some butterflies—they fluttered around her.

She giggled and reached out, letting them rest on her palm—a perfect image of a beauty on a spring outing.

I muttered, "If they’re poisonous, you’ll be crying later."

Xu Qingguo gave me a sharp look and lifted her chin.

"I’m a seasoned Chinese medicine doctor. Which flower or insect could be poisonous and I not know?"

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We reached the stone coffin and found it was three times larger than an ordinary coffin. At the base were many small holes, about the size of chopstick tips, seemingly for ventilation.

This was very strange.

Common folk always valued “resting in peace” and feng shui rituals, sealing coffins tightly.

According to the "Burial Scripture," if the coffin leaks air, fate declines and disaster follows, affecting descendants.

What the hell were these foreigners up to?

After observing for a while without noticing anything unusual, I turned and instructed, "Open the coffin!"

Dong Fatty and Wu Ping each grabbed a crowbar, carefully cleaning mud from the seam between the lid and the main coffin. They wedged the pointed ends in, ready to lift together.

Suddenly, I raised my hand to stop them.

"Did you hear anything?"

Both looked puzzled, obviously hearing nothing.

But Xu Qingguo’s expression was somewhat startled as she whispered, "It sounds... like a buzzing."

As a woman, she instinctively moved closer to me, casually grabbing my arm.

Seeing this, Dong Fatty pressed his ear against the coffin lid and listened. His fat face twitched, and he shouted:

"Step back!!!"

The three of us immediately drew our weapons, guarding ourselves and retreating several steps.

Dong Fatty laughed heartily.

"Look at you scaredy-cats... There is indeed a sound!"

"But who’s the Daoist master here? The Jade Capital’s celestial protector! A mere foreigner can’t pull tricks on me!"

I was livid.

After this mission, anyone who teams up with this fat guy again is a dog!

Dong Fatty’s face turned serious. He pulled out a black Daoist talisman and quickly performed several gestures, shouting loudly:

"Hey!"

He pressed the black talisman onto the coffin lid.

"Kids, come listen—any more sound?"

Wu Ping frowned, suppressing his irritation, pressed his ear to the coffin several times, then turned to us.

"No more sound."

Dong Fatty snorted proudly, spat into his palm, rubbed it, then swung the crowbar.

"Lift!"

*Crackling sounds...*

The massive stone coffin from seven or eight centuries ago emitted sharp, grating noises as the lid was pried halfway open.

Peering inside, a sudden electric shock seemed to strike my entire body, my scalp tingling fiercely!