Chapter 525: The Tomb of the Asian Chief

Bones were truly everywhere after entering the secret realm. The giant pit outside alone contained an estimated tens of thousands of skeletons, and along their journey inside, they had encountered thousands more. It was clear that the royal tomb ahead would also be filled with countless bones. Finding Jiang Jiang's head among such an immense quantity of remains would undoubtedly be a formidable challenge.

The main problem was that her head wouldn't retain its current appearance. After so many years, it would have long since decomposed into bone, indistinguishable from the others, making it virtually impossible to locate.

The young girl explained, "I overheard some people discussing it in this palace. Apparently, because of my unique identity, they eventually placed my head in a *yan* – a tripod steamer – and cooked it. There shouldn't be many captives who endured such a fate. So, if you find a head in a *yan* that matches my approximate size and age, that should be mine."

Zu An was speechless.

Pei Mianman was speechless.

Mi Li was speechless.

This girl's fate was truly tragic; not only was she captured and beheaded by an enemy state, but her head was even boiled after her death.

Sensing their emotions, the young girl offered a faint smile. "It's alright," she said. "Although it was very painful at the time, so many years have passed, and I've long since forgotten it."

"Jiang Jiang," Zu An stated solemnly, "I will definitely find your head and the jade *cong* for you, so that you can finally find peace and rest."

"Thank you, Big Brother," the young girl replied with a sweet smile. "I'll lead you to the entrance of the royal tomb."

The young girl then led the two forward, with the Guman Thong crawling along beside them.

For some reason, while these Guman Thong had previously seemed eerie and terrifying, they now appeared quite cute.

"Be careful," Mi Li's voice echoed in his mind. "This young girl's origins are unknown; she might be deceiving you."

Zu An shook his head. "Empress Sister," he said, "just because you were betrayed back then, it doesn't mean you should be suspicious of everything."

Mi Li scoffed, "Then tell me, why did all her tribesmen transform into mindless evil spirits, while she alone retained her consciousness? She was so young, after all, and her strength at the time likely couldn't compare to the strongest warriors in her tribe."

"That point is indeed a bit peculiar," Zu An admitted gravely, "but I believe her. I can sense genuine sincerity in her eyes and words."

"Heh heh!" Mi Li scoffed. "Are you unaware that many women are naturally adept at deception? Furthermore, state agencies train female spies who are masters of disguise. People get tricked by them and end up counting money for their own deception."

Zu An shook his head. "I know such people exist, but she is clearly not one of them."

"You'll regret this when you suffer for it," Mi Li said, seeing his determined tone and deciding not to press further. "By the way, do you even know what a *yan* is?"

"Yes, I do," Zu An replied. "The upper part, called a *zeng*, holds food and has a perforated bottom to allow steam to pass through. The lower part is a *li*, used for boiling water, with tall legs underneath where a fire can be lit for heating. It's essentially an ancient version of a steamer."

Mi Li was utterly astonished. "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable; you even know about that?"

She had originally intended to offer him some guidance, thinking it would help him locate the target more easily, as very few people nowadays had even heard of such an ancient cooking utensil.

Zu An offered a slight smile but didn't answer. In truth, he had another unstated reason for trusting the young girl: years ago, he had watched a documentary that indeed mentioned the discovery of a bronze vessel containing a human head at the Yin Ruins. That bronze vessel was a *yan*, and it had been featured in the program.

Comparing this information, it became clear that the young girl was not lying.

After walking for a while, the group arrived at an underground passage. The young girl pointed inside and explained, "The tombs of the Shang kings are within. The Shang people placed powerful restrictions around this area, so my brothers and I cannot enter, but you two should be able to."

"Jiang Jiang, I promise I will find your head and the jade *cong* for you," Zu An reaffirmed. His primary motivation was his genuine pity for her tragic fate, and he earnestly wished for her to find peace soon.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes. "Please be careful on your way; there might be dangers inside."

Zu An nodded. He already knew this without her needing to say it; one could never be careless in such a place.

After bidding her farewell, Zu An proceeded toward the underground passage. To his surprise, he felt as if he had collided with an invisible, transparent film.

"A seal?" Zu An's expression changed. He noticed a faint blue light screen materializing around him, adorned with familiar *taotie* patterns, along with designs of profound birds and cloud dragons. This seal appeared far more sophisticated than the one they had encountered in the giant pit outside.

"Oh!" the young girl exclaimed, her expression tinged with disappointment. "I didn't expect even you couldn't get in. I had thought these seals were specifically designed to keep beings like us out."

"Jiang Jiang, don't be discouraged," Zu An reassured her. "We'll try to find a way to get inside."

Since the exit was located within, he was determined to enter, no matter what it took.

Remembering the oracle bones on the stone tablet from when he first entered this secret realm, he tried to search for similar mechanisms around the passage, but unfortunately, found nothing.

Zu An was racking his brain, feeling overwhelmed, so he eventually turned to Mi Li. "Empress Sister," he asked, "do you have any ideas?"

Mi Li scoffed. "If I were in my prime," she said, "such a seal would never be able to stop me."

"What about now, then?" Zu An quickly pressed.

Mi Li seemed a bit embarrassed. "Now," she admitted, "now I don't know what to do either."

Zu An was speechless.

If she didn't know, why was she showing off? Was she trying to be cute?

Just then, Pei Mianman's voice suddenly came from beside him. "Ah Zu," she said, "I think I can go straight in."

Zu An paused in surprise, then turned to see Pei Mianman tentatively reaching her hand forward. Her hand passed through the seal without any obstruction.

He quickly rushed over and tried again, but unfortunately, his hand was still blocked by the barrier.

"This woman might have some connection to the Yin-Shang dynasty," Mi Li's voice stated. "It seems your entry into this secret realm was indeed predestined."

Zu An recalled the various memory fragments that had occasionally surfaced in Pei Mianman's mind throughout their journey, and he nodded in strong agreement.

At that moment, Pei Mianman took his hand. "See if we can enter this way," she suggested.

Zu An grasped her hand and cautiously stepped forward. To his surprise, the barrier that had felt like an impenetrable wall before now became invisible, allowing his hand to pass through with ease.

After a moment of thought, he turned back to the young girl. "Jiang Jiang," he said, "let's take you in with us."

The young girl's face lit up with joy, but after several attempts, their hands simply couldn't connect. She remained blocked by the formation. "Big Brother, Big Sister," she said, resigned, "it seems I can't go in. I'll have to trouble you two to go ahead."

Zu An didn't press the issue further. After offering a few words of comfort, he followed Pei Mianman and passed through the restrictive barrier.

The two descended the stairs, feeling as if they had gone down yet another level, until they finally reached flat ground once more.

They walked cautiously forward, and before long, a temple appeared before their eyes.

Zu An found it very strange; why would a temple appear in a place like this?

Upon entering, they discovered it wasn't a temple at all, but rather a memorial hall – a place dedicated to enshrining ancestral tablets and offering sacrifices to the deceased.

"Tomb of Ya Chang."

Mi Li recognized the characters on the tablet. Zu An quickly asked, "Who is this Ya Chang?"

Mi Li shook her head. "The Yin-Shang dynasty existed thousands of years before the Qin Dynasty, so many records are missing. I haven't heard that name before. However, judging by the arrangement of numerous weapons around this memorial hall, he must have been a military general during his lifetime. To be buried alongside a royal tomb, his status must have been very high. Perhaps the jade *cong* you're looking for is inside. Let's go in and see."

"Go in?" Zu An was momentarily taken aback.

Mi Li explained, "Generally, the memorial hall and the tomb chamber containing the coffin are not too far apart. According to Shang Dynasty burial customs, the coffin should be directly beneath this memorial hall. Look around; there should be a mechanism to descend."

Remembering the young girl's tragic fate, Zu An didn't want to miss any opportunity and agreed to search this tomb. He had initially assumed that finding the tomb entrance would be troublesome, but to his surprise, it was located directly behind the memorial hall, almost immediately visible as they turned.

He then had a realization and felt relieved. This was the Shang King's tomb area, already laden with numerous traps, fierce beasts, evil spirits, and skeleton warriors guarding the exterior, with a magic array blocking the path further in. Since ordinary people couldn't possibly access this place, there was naturally no need to make the interior overly complex.

Zu An and Pei Mianman arrived at the tomb entrance. A heavy "dragon-breaking stone" was wedged behind the gate, but this presented no difficulty for them. They unleashed their *qi* to displace the stone from within, then pushed open the tomb door.

Pei Mianman casually conjured a flame, illuminating the interior of the tomb. They found the tomb's structure surprisingly simple: merely a deep pit, several meters square, with a massive coffin standing silently at its very center.

Mi Li's voice, however, suddenly chimed in: "Hmm, that's strange!"