Chapter 31: Return to the Ancient Tomb

"Oh, I see."

The man nodded, though I couldn't tell if he truly believed me or was just humoring me.

A moment later, the man continued, "It's said that Li Yiran has invited a Great Cultivator to oversee things this time. It seems this mission will be much easier; we just need to collect our pay."

The man was speaking quite carelessly, ignoring the fact that Li Yiran's subordinates were right there in the vehicle.

"A Great Cultivator?"

Hearing this title, I was stunned for a moment.

"Those who can be called Great Cultivators are top-tier experts in the circle. It seems there hasn't been a single one in our province until now," the old man whispered a reminder in my ear.

Are they that formidable?

Qin province has a long and profound cultural heritage. If there isn't a single Great Cultivator here, it just goes to show how significant the status of such an individual truly is.

"By the way, my name is Qin Wuran, you can call me Old Qin. I see you two are unfamiliar faces; I haven't seen you in the ancient capital's circle before. Are you from outside the province?" the man asked.

"Not at all, we are locals, just not ones who get out much," I replied.

The old man is a charlatan and a swindler, so he could never enter the real circle. As for me, I'm still young and this is my first time doing this sort of thing, so I know nothing about the situation in the circle.

"No matter. If any real threat arises later, just stand behind me. Since we're in the same vehicle and I'm a few years your senior, I'll take the liberty of calling you 'brother'," Qin Wuran said, projecting the image of an experienced big brother.

"Brother Qin, I'll be counting on your guidance from now on!" I quickly agreed.

I'm a newcomer to this circle in the ancient capital and I don't know anything. Having someone who understands the ropes to look out for me is fine, and calling him 'brother' is no big deal. Heck, forget 'brother'—if you gave me a billion, I’d call you 'father' without hesitation! What’s wrong with calling someone 'father'? A billion is real, hard cash! How can one be so noble and sentimental? Life is what’s truly real.

"You're too kind, too kind. In this little patch of the ancient capital, my words still carry some weight," Qin Wuran boasted.

...

We were traveling in off-road vehicles. Despite the bumpy road, it was far more comfortable than the sedan I had taken last time. We didn't stop, and the four-hour journey took only three. By midday, we had reached the vicinity of Miaodi Village.

We didn't enter the village; the vehicles drove directly toward the ancient tomb. This highlighted the advantage of the off-roaders; a sedan would have been hopelessly stuck long ago. The three vehicles eventually stopped at the dilapidated temple. When I had entered last time, there was a hole in the roof, and our route this time was to enter through that very opening.

Everyone got out of the vehicles. I counted about eleven people in total. The drivers for the three vehicles were all Li Yiran's men. Standing beside Li Yiran was a man wearing a bronze mask; that must be the Great Cultivator Qin Wuran spoke of. In the last vehicle, there was an old man, a middle-aged man, and two others around my age.

"This is the place. Jiang Chen, you lead the way; you are familiar with this area," Li Yiran commanded me directly.

I understand the principle of taking someone's money and helping them resolve their troubles.

"The air inside is a bit stagnant and foul, so everyone please take note," I said.

When I first entered, it wasn't just stagnant; it was nearly suffocating. But so much time had passed that the air should have circulated a bit. While it wouldn't suffocate anyone, the air quality certainly couldn't compare to the outside.

With that, I took the lead and descended through the hole. It was a slope, so the descent wasn't difficult. Once everyone had climbed down, I followed the path on the right to explore further inside.

Even after all this time, the smell was still unbearable. The rotting animal carcasses in the passageway were still there, and they seemed to have increased. As we reached this point, everyone instinctively covered their mouths. Last time, the air was so thick that if I had covered my mouth, I probably would have suffocated. This time, it was slightly better; I covered my nose with my sleeve and took deep breaths.

Dozens of minutes later, we reached the large platform from before. There were eight gates here. We had entered from the *Kun* position, and I had already explored the *Kan* position, where my third grand-uncle's corpse was laid. I had originally intended to bury him, but since his vengeful spirit had cost two lives, I gave up on that idea. I wasn't sure who was right or wrong in that incident, but if it were me, I might have made the same choice as Uncle Dazhuang for the sake of survival! Forget about good or bad luck; surviving is what matters most.

"The *Kun* position is where we came from, and I’ve explored the *Kan* position; there is only a coffin inside," I continued. "As for the other gates, I have never explored them."

I hadn't gone in, but whether Uncle Dazhuang and Uncle Wangcai had entered them, I didn't know. After all, they had both passed away, so who could I ask?

"Enter the *Qian* position first!"

The silent Great Cultivator suddenly spoke.

The *Qian* position is the northwest. The *Book of Han: Treatise on Rites and Music* records, "When Emperor Wu established the rites of suburban sacrifice, he worshipped Taiyi at Ganquan, which is the *Qian* position." The *I Ching* also contains records regarding the *Qian* position.

"*Qian* represents Heaven; it also says 'As heaven maintains vigor through movement, the gentleman strengthens himself without ceasing. The dragon is hidden, do not act; the strength is below...'"

In Feng Shui, the *Qian* position represents the most noble direction. *Qian* is Heaven, the Father, the Head! It is the first of the eight trigrams.

Since this high-and-mighty Great Cultivator had spoken, we would proceed from the *Qian* position. Although there was a massive stone door blocking the entrance, didn't we have over a dozen men here? If we all worked together, I estimated we could force it open in a few hours.

"Great Cultivator, it's up to you."

Li Yiran said something inexplicable to the man in the bronze mask. What did she mean? We didn't have to do anything?

"You are too kind, Miss!"

The man in the bronze mask walked slowly to the stone door, lifted his hands, and gave a heavy push.

A grating sound instantly erupted from the stone door. It began to move slowly. The man in the bronze mask seemed to exert more strength. A moment later, a gap wide enough for one person to pass through appeared in the stone door.

Just like that, and he hadn't even pushed it all the way open!

My god, is he even human? A stone door weighing hundreds, perhaps even tons, was pushed open by his bare hands!!! I couldn't even describe it as godlike; was this the power of a Great Cultivator? It was truly inconceivable, beyond the measure of common sense.

"What are you all standing there for? Get in, quickly!" Li Yiran urged from the side.