Chapter Fifty-Five: The Mummified Corpse in the Ancient Tomb

After what she said, I actually felt relieved. If I truly were the reincarnation of Ziyi, things would be complicated. I was born in the countryside and, though I had some years of schooling, my thinking is still rather traditional. Above all, they're all ghosts—how could I even dare to dream of anything like a harem? So I decided I would stay with Wang Ying. I'd wait for her soul to recover, wait for her to be reborn after seven days, and then go with her to her hometown.

As for Shangguan Wan’er, I admire her intelligence, her gentle reserve, her angelic beauty—but she's my younger sister. Most importantly, the only one she loves is Ziyi, while I am Wang Dachuan.

“Brother, no wonder my heart aches so much—Ziyi’s sword has appeared! I think Ziyi must be here, inside. Can I have this sword? I want to look for Ziyi with you, to find the Blood Crystal.” Shangguan Wan’er cradled the Phoenix Pool Sword, her slender fingers gently caressing it, cherishing it dearly. From the way she handled the sword, it was clear how deep her feelings for Ziyi ran.

But this was hardly the time to get lost in such thoughts—the most important thing was to find the Blood Crystal. If we could find even the faintest trace of Ziyi, all the better. As for why there was a stone statue in this tomb that looked exactly like me, that would have to wait for another day. For now, we needed to press on and find the people or things we sought.

Now, with two humans and two ghosts, our group felt much stronger. I had thought the ancient tomb would be peaceful, but after seeing those barefoot footprints, my nerves grew taut. There was no way this place would be calm.

“Dachuan, isn’t it strange? Why is there a statue of you here?” As we walked forward, Wei Qi asked me quietly.

“How would I know? It’s probably just a coincidence.” Though those were the words I spoke, doubt gnawed at me—it really did look too much like me. I surreptitiously glanced at my wrist. Fortunately, there was no dragon-shaped birthmark, and earlier, Shangguan Wan’er said I didn’t resemble Ziyi at all.

“Dachuan, you’re no ordinary person! My hand burned painfully when I touched the Phoenix Pool Sword, but you were unharmed. That means you have some connection to this sword. Maybe you really are its true master.”

“Don’t say that. Wan’er already said I’m not.” I hurriedly cut Wei Qi off. No matter what, I didn’t want that to be the case.

“Dachuan, my instincts are never wrong.”

He hadn’t finished his sentence when a huge cavern appeared ahead, torches—or rather, century-old oil lamps—burning on its walls. Seeing this, Wei Qi swallowed the rest of his words. How could this be? Fearing an excess of carbon dioxide, we hadn’t dared enter yesterday, but now the place was lit. The lamps, more like basins, hung from the walls, their wicks crackling, filling the air with a peculiar scent—one reminiscent of the smell lingering over a crematorium. Could the fuel be rendered human fat?

“Stop!” Wei Qi raised his hand, signaling us to halt. Who knew what had happened in a cavern sealed for two thousand years, yet still lit with lamps?

“Dachuan, could someone have gotten here before us?” Wei Qi fixed his gaze on the bright, spacious hall within.

“I don’t know. But we did see footprints, so perhaps…”

“Brother, you all wait here. I’ll go in first. I’m a ghost—even if someone else is inside, I have nothing to fear.” With that, Shangguan Wan’er drifted forward. It was understandable: after waking from a two-thousand-year slumber and discovering her lover’s weapon, her urgency was real.

Though she was a ghost, she had come with her physical form, making her no different from a living person. If she ran into someone like us—a Yin Walker—she might not have the advantage, so we hurried after her.

Fortunately, the vast cavern was empty of people or other living things. In the main hall, however, we saw a stone coffin.

“Could this be the tomb of King Shao’ang of Ju?” I turned to ask Wei Qi.

Wei Qi shook his head; he didn’t know either. Like me, he looked to Shangguan Wan’er, but she was still pacing the cavern, clutching the Phoenix Pool Sword.

“Shall we open it?” Since we were here, we shouldn’t leave empty-handed. I consulted with Wei Qi.

“I think so. Let’s open it.” Wei Qi moved to help me push off the lid.

“Ah!” Just as we were about to open the stone coffin, Shangguan Wan’er cried out in alarm. The Phoenix Pool Sword clattered to the ground as she clapped both hands over her mouth, terror-stricken.

Wei Qi, Xuan Li, and I rushed over. The sight before us chilled our blood. Against one wall stood a corpse, completely mummified—its skin shriveled and gray-black, parts of its face decayed, exposing rows of white teeth.

Looking at the corpse, my heart turned cold. Could this be Ziyi? If it was, and Shangguan Wan’er saw him like this, she would be devastated.

“Wan’er, what’s wrong?”

“He, he…” Shangguan Wan’er pointed at the mummy, unable to speak.

It was over. This must really be Ziyi. I couldn’t help but look again.

“He… he moved.” Shangguan Wan’er finally managed to get the words out.

Heavens! Why didn’t you say so at once? As I looked again, the corpse really did move. It swung a bronze dagger at me, so fast it was like lightning.

It was about to strike my head when my body seemed to float away and, with a thud, I was knocked aside. Shangguan Wan’er, quick as lightning, snatched up the Phoenix Pool Sword. In that critical moment, she had pushed me clear.

“Who are you to dare touch General Ziyi’s Cloud Thunder Phoenix Pool?” Seeing Shangguan Wan’er holding the sword, the mummy drew back, ceasing its attack.

“And who are you? How do you know of the Cloud Thunder Phoenix Pool?” Shangguan Wan’er, realizing the mummy recognized the sword, pulled back and asked urgently.

“I am Tianxing, subordinate of General Ziyi. And you—who are you?” the mummy replied.

“Deputy Tianxing, is it really you? Don’t you recognize me? I’m Shangguan Wan’er!” Seeing an old acquaintance, Shangguan Wan’er’s eyes brimmed with tears, her voice trembling.

“Princess Shangguan? No, impossible. You don’t look like her. Her clothes were different. Who are you, really? Whoever you are, leave General Ziyi’s Phoenix Pool Sword and go. I do not wish to take your lives.” The mummy paced back and forth like a living man, making my heart quiver.

“I am Shangguan Wan’er. I know every detail about Ziyi—his birthday is June 24th, his horse was called Moonlit White, his Phoenix Pool Sword was forged by the great blacksmith Wang of King Zhuang’s palace from a meteorite from the Western Heavens…” Shangguan Wan’er spoke through her tears.

“You… could you really be the princess?” The mummy’s shriveled face twitched.

“I am! Deputy Tianxing, please, tell me—where is General Ziyi?” Now that Tianxing recognized her, Shangguan Wan’er’s voice choked with sobs.

Tianxing moved closer, scrutinizing her. After a moment, his hollow eyes suddenly blinked, and two lines of black blood streamed down his face. “Princess, I… I am sorry. I failed to protect the general. My sins are unforgivable.”

“Deputy Tianxing, please don’t say that. Just tell me—what happened to Ziyi?” Shangguan Wan’er’s urgency was understandable. After meeting her lover’s deputy two thousand years later, of course she was desperate to know his fate.

“It was the night he was poisoned. General Ziyi and I went to Mount Fulai to seek Daoist Master Zhenyi, in hopes of finding the Blood Crystal. But when we arrived, we found the master had already been killed—by none other than the younger brother of King Shao’ang of Ju. He murdered his brother and placed the only three Blood Crystals inside his brother’s tomb, rather than feeding them to him. When we learned this, General Ziyi and I secretly snuck into the royal tomb, but we were both poisoned by corpse worms. We never left. General Ziyi was petrified, while I became a mummy. I wander through this tomb day after day, but I dare not crawl out—not with the corpse worms’ poison. If sunlight touched me, I would turn to ash,” Tianxing said mournfully.

“Corpse worms? There are corpse worms here? Where?” Wei Qi couldn’t help but ask after hearing this chilling tale.

“See that stone coffin? They’re inside. They’re charged with guarding the Ju king’s tomb and the three Blood Crystals. If you open the coffin, they’ll swarm out—ferocious beyond belief.”

Damn! How could it be like this? Corpse worms guarding the Blood Crystals—if even Ziyi and Tianxing couldn’t handle them, what could we do? All we could hope was that the corpse worms were long dead, dried up like the mummy before us.