Chapter 18: Tomb Robber’s Tunnel

The Tomb Robber’s Tunnel was only about one meter tall. But with Zuo Qingcang’s current skills, this was not a problem. Relying on his excellent flexibility and muscle strength, he carefully moved forward inside the Tomb Robber’s Tunnel.

The first ten or so meters of the tunnel were level. But after that, the tunnel path started to slope upward. This matched Zuo Qingcang’s earlier guess that it went straight down first, then extended horizontally, breaking through near the corner of the tomb chamber.

But what he did not expect was that the second Tomb Robber’s Tunnel actually sloped upward to exit. So that meant the first tunnel, where the rats and the Corpse Fiend appeared, actually went deep into the Ancient Tomb?

Next, Zuo Qingcang moved upward further and discovered something special about this tunnel. It was not a straight tunnel. Instead, it had a structure that wound back and forth going upward, similar to a mountain road. In theory, although this structure took more effort, it was safer and less likely to collapse.

Along the way, illuminated by the light of the Luminous Pearl, Zuo Qingcang also found many signs of manual digging and construction.

‘These people seemed very professional. I just don’t know if the exit they dug out has been taken over by those monsters outside.’

Just as Zuo Qingcang was thinking this, after one turn, the end of the Tomb Robber’s Tunnel appeared before his eyes.

It was not a wall, not a collapse, just an ordinary rock wall, as if the person digging the tunnel had only dug up to this point. Touching the thick rock and soil in front of him, Zuo Qingcang knocked on it forcefully a few times, his frown deepening.

‘It’s solid behind…’ Then, using the faint light of the Luminous Pearl, Zuo Qingcang checked every inch of the surrounding soil: ‘No signs of any manual sealing or burying, no signs of natural collapse…’

All the clues were so simple and clear, plainly telling Zuo Qingcang that the people digging the tunnel had stopped here for some reason and then left.

But such straightforward evidence itself revealed the greatest strangeness. Because if this Tomb Robber’s Tunnel was dug from the inside out, then how did those tomb robbers get in? Since they stopped halfway through digging, how did they get out?

‘Could it be that both Tomb Robber’s Tunnels lead outside?’ Zuo Qingcang pondered: ‘They dug one to come in, and dug another to go out?’

But if that was the case, then there were things that didn’t make sense again. For example, after they came in, why didn’t they continue digging a passage to the lower levels of the tomb? Since they dug their way in, why would they dig another way out, and why did they stop?

Things were getting more and more strange, as if in the darkness that the Luminous Pearl’s light could not reach, there was an unfathomable pair of eyes watching over Zuo Qingcang, making him feel danger.

But now he was already deep in a desperate situation. No matter how dangerous, he had to press on.

Next, Zuo Qingcang first returned to the Sacrificial Chamber and explained to the Old Man what he found in the Tomb Robber’s Tunnel. Then he spent about an hour, using the dim light of the Luminous Pearl, checking every inch of the second Tomb Robber’s Tunnel, but still found nothing.

The Old Man’s face also showed he was puzzled: “How could this be? If the first Tomb Robber’s Tunnel leads inside the Ancient Tomb, then the second Tomb Robber’s Tunnel was dug from the inside out. That seems impossible.”

“Indeed, it’s impossible,” Zuo Qingcang murmured.

“So that means the first Tomb Robber’s Tunnel also leads outside? Those bastards dug a tunnel to come in, and then planned to dig another tunnel to go out? What were they thinking?”

The Old Man guessed: “Could it be that the entrance they originally dug in was taken over by some monster? So they planned to dig an exit tunnel, but stopped halfway because the monster left?”

“That’s possible.” Feeling his strength had mostly recovered, Zuo Qingcang stood up and walked toward the first Tomb Robber’s Tunnel: “But whatever the truth is, we still need to see for ourselves.”

A few months ago, moving the stone statue required both Zuo Qingcang and the Old Man to push together, slowly. But now, Zuo Qingcang merely pushed lightly with his palm, as easily as pushing a chair, and casually moved the stone statue blocking the first Tomb Robber’s Tunnel.

Opening the sealed entrance of the first Tomb Robber’s Tunnel again, looking at the dark hole in front of him, the Old Man’s face showed nervousness.

But Zuo Qingcang’s expression was calm: “Same as before, I’ll pull the rope if there’s a problem. You wait here for a while.”

Under the Old Man’s worried gaze, Zuo Qingcang slowly crawled into the Tomb Robber’s Tunnel. His whole body gradually disappeared into the darkness, only a faint glow of the Luminous Pearl could be seen flickering in the dark. But soon, even the glow emitted by the Luminous Pearl was swallowed by the darkness.

Under the glow of the fluorescent Luminous Pearl, the entire Sacrificial Chamber gave people a hazy feeling. And because Zuo Qingcang had left, the air returned to its former quietness, not a single sound could be heard, just like the past two thousand plus years.

Staying alone in such a dim, silent Ancient Tomb, an ordinary person would already be terrified. But although the Old Man’s face showed some nervousness, there was no trace of fear. Perhaps he had already gotten used to days spent alone in the Ancient Tomb.

Those days without sunlight, no one to talk to, eating corpses, sleeping in the tomb. Remembering the life of these past years, a grim shadow crossed the Old Man’s face.

‘This time, I must get out.’

Just then, a great force came from the rope on his arm, as if an ox was pulling on the other end.

The Old Man’s face changed. He immediately gripped the rope tightly with both hands. But the force from the other end of the rope was too great. Even though the Old Man used all his strength, even his face turning red from exertion, his body was still pulled inch by inch toward the direction of the Tomb Robber’s Tunnel.

Feeling that Zuo Qingcang on the other end of the rope would soon drag him into the tunnel, hesitation appeared on the Old Man’s face.

‘What’s going on? There was no signal like shaking. Is he pulling me down like this?’

‘But wouldn’t it be better to come up and say something… Or is something holding him?’

Just as the Old Man was hesitating, wondering if he should let go of the rope, the rope in his hands suddenly went slack. The Old Man, who was still pulling with all his strength, immediately fell backward with a thud.

His heart sank. He scrambled up and kept pulling on the rope. But the more he pulled, the stranger his expression became. That was because the rope felt empty.

When the rope was pulled to its end, Zuo Qingcang did not appear. The Old Man looked at the rope in his hand, clearly cut by a Dagger, his face flickering with uncertainty.