Book 3: Chapter 14: The Ancient Tomb’s Huge Stone Tablets

Book 3: Chapter 14: The Ancient Tomb’s Huge Stone Tablets

Those pale things turned out to be three huge white stone tablets, each of which was as tall as three people. They stood there like a wall and were covered in Huihu Mongolian script (1). The stone tablets were very badly weathered.

When we were near this place earlier, we never saw these three huge tablets. It was almost like they had appeared out of thin air, and they were so big that it was quite shocking.

I glanced at Poker-Face, relieved when I found that he could also see them. Then, the flare went out and our surroundings plunged into complete darkness again.

When I lit another one, the three huge stone tablets were gone and the person wed been chasing had already rushed into the woods. Our pursuit had failed.

Those three huge stone tablets had appeared so suddenly that I immediately felt a jolt go through me. I could tell at a glance that they were arranged in the same way as the stone tablets in the Imperial Palace Square. White stone had been used, but it definitely wasnt white marble. Even though there werent any textured decorations carved on them, they were still very domineering.

As a matter of fact, I had also seen some shadows further behind the stone tablets that appeared to be some huge buildings.

These buildings were completely different from those in the Central Plains, but they were about a kilometer away so the flare could only reveal their dim outline, which looked like the shape of the ground covered in fog. If I hadn't doubted myself so many times before, I wouldve still suspected that I was wrong this time.

Now all of these things had disappeared, leaving only my shock.

My first instinct was that this was a huge imperial tomb that had suddenly appeared and disappeared right in front of me. But when it appeared just now, it was so real that I felt as if I was almost at the entrance of the imperial tomb.

Whats going on here? Is it a mirage? There were also rumors that this imperial tomb appeared and disappeared randomly on the grasslands. That was why no traces had been found even though so many years had passed.

How does it work? Did it become a spirit?

The flare disappeared again, plunging our surroundings into darkness once more. I was eager to see those stone tablets again and wanted to light another flare but Poker-Face stopped me. I came back to my senses and found that the moon was no longer hidden behind the clouds. Our surroundings were brighter now but there was nothing there.

As I looked at the small grove in front of us, the reality of the situation gradually hit me. Poker-Face was wanting me to regain my senses and deal with the immediate problem first.

The person we had been chasing had already entered the forest, and if my guess was correct, he would find a way to bury himself in the soil until he suffocated to death.

Were we still going to save him?

The grove was dark and the situation inside was very dangerous so the thought of backing down had already rushed to the forefront of my mind. That grave robber was bewitched and anxious to die, plus the situation was so dangerous that it was probably better to give up for the sake of my own teams integrity.

Jin Wantang helped me interrogate them after he woke up, but he soon let out a gasp.

When I asked him what was wrong, he said to me, "I know Jingen to some extent. You know that Im someone who knows a lot about human nature."

"Hmm." I gave him a look that said he needed to speak quickly.

"I think this person isnt Jingen," he said.

I paused. I didnt recognize Jingen's face either, but Jin Wantangs words were so convincing. Are you admitting that you made a mistake? I wondered. Jin Wantang, youre too unreliable.

"No, no, Jin Wantang immediately said. Im not saying that I made a mistake. This person has Jingen's face, but hes not Jingen."

"Why do you say that?"

"If Little Brother and Fat Master were replaced, you would immediately feel it, right?"

Understanding what he meant, I fell into deep thought.

Jin Wantang went up and pulled at Jingen's face, but the other man wasnt wearing a human skin mask.

"This person doesnt feel like Jingen." When Jin Wantang said it again, Jingen suddenly fell silent.

I stared at him, and he suddenly showed a strange smile.

I was taken aback for a moment. Why did that smile look the same as the expression on the ceramic figurines face last night?

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TN Notes:

(1) The Huihu is the Tang Dynasty name of an ethnic group corresponding to modern Uighurs. Uighurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. More info here.