Chapter Nine: The Guardian of the Tomb and the Flower-Necked Immortal

“Where’s the beast repellent?!” I shouted at them.

Wu Ping decisively threw a packet of beast repellent powder all around. The gray powder immediately released a pungent, nauseating odor. Startled, the creatures retreated several steps in panic.

Seizing this brief moment, Fat Dong suddenly pulled out a torch soaked in kerosene, ignited it instantly, and swung the blazing stick forward fiercely, cursing viciously. “Dare to mess with your Daoist master! I’ll eat you all without needing cumin!”

Steam rose, sparks flew. The move worked wonders! The creatures were terrified of fire, their expressions filled with dread as they scattered wildly, opening up a large gap.

“Run!” I shouted, grabbing the stunned Xu Qingguo and sprinting ahead. Wu Ping quickly followed. Fat Dong ran while swinging the torch behind us, covering our retreat.

I lost track of how long we ran. Eventually, there was complete silence behind us. All four of us were panting heavily, nearly collapsing. Fat Dong suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his hefty backside and breaking into a comical cha-cha dance. He ended it by curling his fingers elegantly and mimicking a high-pitched, effeminate voice.

“Thrilling!!!”

I was utterly exasperated by this madman.

Xu Qingguo’s forehead was glistening with fragrant sweat. She touched her freshly clawed neck, relieved to find no injury, and cast me a grateful glance. “Thanks!”

I replied, “No need to thank me for such a great favor.”

Xu Qingguo’s pretty face showed silent disbelief. “What do you want?”

I said, “Nothing! Just remember to run next time. Standing still won’t help!”

She smirked disdainfully, ignored me, fanned herself, and then asked everyone, “Rested enough? If so, let’s go back into the tomb!”

Fat Dong’s plump face twitched. “Miss Xu, you haven’t figured out how to deal with those ghostly things yet, and you want to go back?”

“We came seeking wealth, not death!” Xu Qingguo smiled confidently. “Don’t worry, they’ve all scattered.”

Fat Dong was speechless.

Xu Qingguo explained, “These are a rare species from Mount Wuyi called the White-Eyed Flower-Neck Immortals. They look like mountain rats but walk upright like humans and have a fierce temper. Their bite is poisonous enough to kill a cow. They like to pick rare herbs and weave them into garlands which they wear around their necks.”

“Long ago, local treasure hunters would catch these creatures, knock out their teeth, and bind their mouths so they couldn’t bite. Then they’d force them to dig for precious medicinal herbs in the mountains and sell them to Chinese medicine practitioners at a high price. But they’re not very smart, live in groups, and only obey the leader’s command. Earlier, Brother Meng cut down their leader with one strike, so the group lost its head and dispersed.”

“Everyone can safely return now!”

Fat Dong and I were dumbfounded. Such creatures really existed?

I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you’re not just scared silly and making this up?”

Xu Qingguo retorted, “Chef Meng, the Ghost Lord of Mount Hu is a folk healer in Fujian. Isn’t it fitting that a group of herb-picking Flower-Neck Immortals guard his tomb?”

Actually, it wasn’t odd at all. Ancient tombs had countless anti-theft measures: complicated traps, quicksand dragons, concealed poisoned arrows, deep pits and wells, and often venomous snakes or fierce beasts. Some even triggered floods, avalanches, or lightning strikes to destroy tomb robbers and their loot—a defense beyond imagination.

The big white goose wasn’t heavy enough to trigger the tomb’s pressure plate, but Fat Dong was so fat he fell through it.

Fat Dong’s face showed disbelief. “Miss Xu, you mean the herbs they wear around their necks are all precious medicine?”

Xu Qingguo nodded. “Exactly.”

Fat Dong swallowed greedily. “Damn! Doesn’t that mean we just missed a fortune?!”

Xu Qingguo gave a speechless look. “Don’t get any ideas! Some garland herbs are highly poisonous. Without proper treasure-hunting tools, it’s best not to touch them.”

I felt inexperienced and knew I had to be cautious going forward. Rising from the ground, I said, “Let’s apply the beast repellent ointment, put on waterproof and bite-proof rat suits, grab the torches, and take another look.”

We all cautiously approached the cave entrance again. After a long inspection with the flashlight, we confirmed that except for the immortal king I had killed, all the White-Eyed Flower-Neck Immortals had fled. The big white goose was blackened from bites and definitely dead.

Fat Dong looked itchy with curiosity and couldn’t resist trying to pick the herb garland from the dead immortal king’s neck.

I said, “Fatso, are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

Fat Dong scratched his head. “Meng, why don’t you pick it up? I bet eating it could boost virility—seven times a night.”

I shot back, “Get lost!”

Fat Dong forced his eyes shut, enduring the urge, refusing to look at the herb garland.

At this point, there was no avoiding going inside. Overcoming our anxiety, we decisively entered the cave.

The cavern sloped upward, studded with upside-down stalactites, with occasional drops of water falling. The temperature was several degrees cooler than outside, and a misty haze shrouded the surroundings, giving off a ghostly atmosphere.

Having learned from the Flower-Neck Immortal encounter, we proceeded with extreme caution and slow pace.

Fortunately, nothing else happened.

Two hours later, the four of us finally emerged from the vertical cave and reached the summit of Ginseng Mountain.

But what lay before us stunned everyone.

No tomb!

Instead, the mountaintop was covered by a lake larger than a standard football field.

Under the moonlight, the lake’s surface shimmered with a clear emerald glow, calm and serene.

Fat Dong’s face fell in disappointment. “Damn! Miss Xu, are you sure your clues are right? There’s no Ghost Lord of Mount Hu tomb here…”

“Let me make this clear—whether there is a tomb or not, your Daoist master isn’t coming here for nothing. Payment is non-negotiable, at most eight-tenths of the fee!”

“Whether there’s a tomb, it’s not up to us,” Xu Qingguo turned to me, her eyes full of expectation. “Chef Meng, please begin your performance.”

The true test of geomantic divination was about to begin!

I said nothing, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it onto the lake’s surface.

The splash echoed slowly, deeply, and muffled.

The lake was very deep.

I took out a compass and walked along the shore, tossing stones into the water as I went.

After circling for over forty minutes, Fat Dong couldn’t stand it anymore. He stubbed out his cigarette on the ground.

“Hey, what are you doing... spinning in circles like this?”

“What’s going on? At least say something!”

I put away the compass.

“There isn’t just a tomb—there’s a remarkable tomb!”