Chapter 522: The Tomb of the Asian Chief

Upon entering this secret realm, bones were truly everywhere. The giant pit outside alone contained roughly ten thousand skeletons, and along the way here, we'd encountered thousands more. It was clear there would be countless bones in the royal tomb ahead, making the task of finding Jiang Jiang's skull a truly daunting one.

The problem was, her skull wouldn't retain its original appearance; after so many years, it would have turned into a bone indistinguishable from anyone else's, making it impossible to locate.

The young girl said, "I overheard some people talking in this palace. It seems because of my special status, they eventually steamed my head in a *yan* (a type of ancient Chinese steamer). There shouldn't be many captives who experienced that. So, if you find a head in a *yan* that matches my size and age, that should be it."

Zu An: "..."

Pei Mianman: "..."

Mi Li: "..."

This girl was truly tragic. Not only was she captured and beheaded by an enemy state, but her head was also boiled after her death.

Seemingly sensing their emotions, the young girl smiled slightly. "It's alright. Although it was very painful back then, so many years have passed that I've long forgotten it."

Zu An said in a deep voice, "Jiang Jiang, I will definitely find your head and the jade *cong* for you, so that you can find peace."

"Thank you, Big Brother," the young girl said with a sweet smile. "I'll take 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, what had once seemed eerie and terrifying about the Guman Thong now appeared quite cute.

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

Zu An shook his head. "Queen Sister, just because you were betrayed back then doesn't mean you have to suspect everything."

Mi Li snorted. "Then why did all her tribespeople turn into unconscious evil spirits, while she alone retained her consciousness? She was so young, and her strength then probably couldn't compare to the powerful members of her tribe."

"That is indeed a bit strange," Zu An said gravely. "But I believe her. I can feel her sincerity in her eyes and words."

"Heh heh!" Mi Li sneered a few times. "Don't you know that many women are naturally skilled at deception? And national agencies also train female spies; they are masters of disguise, enchantresses who can trick people into counting their money for them after being swindled."

Zu An shook his head. "I know such people exist, but she clearly isn't one of them."

"You'll regret it when you suffer the consequences." Seeing his resolute tone, Mi Li didn't bother to persuade him further. "By the way, do you know what a *yan* is?"

"Yes, I do. The upper part, called a *zeng*, holds food and has a perforated grate at the bottom to allow steam to pass through. The lower part, called a *li*, is for boiling water, with tall legs that allow fire for heating. It's similar to a modern steamer," Zu An replied.

Mi Li was utterly shocked. "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable. You even know this?"

She had originally planned to give him some pointers to make it easier to find his target, as very few people had heard of such ancient cooking utensils nowadays.

Zu An smiled slightly but didn't answer. In truth, there was another reason he believed the young girl that he hadn't mentioned. When he watched that documentary years ago, it indeed mentioned the discovery of a bronze vessel containing a human head at the Yin Ruins, and that bronze vessel was a *yan*, which was introduced in the program.

Comparing the information, it was clear the young girl wasn't lying.

After walking for a while, the group arrived at an underground passage. The young girl pointed inside and said, "The tombs of the Shang kings are in there. The Shang people placed restrictions around this area, so my siblings and I can't enter, but you should be able to."

"Jiang Jiang, I will definitely find your head and the jade *cong* for you," Zu An promised again. He genuinely felt pity for her fate and wanted her to find peace soon.

"Thank you, Big Brother!" The young girl's eyes shimmered with tears. "Be careful on your way; there might be some dangers inside."

Zu An nodded. He knew without her saying that one couldn't afford to be careless in such a place.

After bidding her farewell, Zu An walked towards the underground passage, only to feel as if he had run into a transparent film.

"A seal?" Zu An's expression changed. He noticed a faint blue light curtain shimmering around him, adorned with familiar taotie patterns, as well as various patterns of xuanniao (mysterious birds) and cloud-dragons. It looked far more advanced than the seal in the giant pit outside.

"Oh!" The young girl exclaimed, looking a bit dejected. "I didn't expect even you couldn't get in. I thought these seals were only meant for beings like us."

Zu An comforted her, "Jiang Jiang, don't lose heart. We'll figure out a way to get in."

Since the exit was inside, he had to get in no matter what.

He recalled the oracle bone script on the stone tablet when they first entered the secret realm, and he tried to find similar mechanisms around the passage, but to no avail.

Zu An's head spun with ideas, so he reluctantly asked Mi Li, "Queen Sister, do you have any ideas?"

Mi Li snorted. "If I were in my prime, such a seal wouldn't be able to stop me."

"What about now?" Zu An quickly pressed.

Mi Li looked a bit embarrassed. "Now... now I don't know what to do either."

Zu An: "..."

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, I think... I can go straight in."

Zu An was startled. He turned his head and saw Pei Mianman tentatively reaching inside; her hand passed through the seal without any obstruction.

He hurried over and tried again, but unfortunately, his hand was still blocked.

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

Zu An recalled the fragmented memories that had occasionally appeared in Pei Mianman's mind throughout their journey and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Pei Mianman took his hand. "Let's see if this works."

Zu An held her hand and tentatively walked forward. To his surprise, what had previously felt like an invisible wall now became permeable; his hand easily passed through.

He thought for a moment, then turned to the young girl and said, "Jiang Jiang, let us take you in with us."

The young girl also looked delighted, but unfortunately, after several attempts, their hands simply couldn't connect. She remained blocked by the formation and could only say, "Big Brother and Big Sister, it seems I can't go in. I'll have to trouble you two."

Zu An no longer insisted. After comforting her with a few words, he followed Pei Mianman through the barrier.

The two descended the stairs, feeling as if they had gone down another level, finally reaching flat ground again.

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

Zu An found it very strange. Why would there be a temple in such a place?

Upon entering, they realized it wasn't a temple at all, but a memorial hall, a place for offering sacrifices and worshipping the spirits of the deceased.

"Tomb of Yazhang."

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

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

"Go in?" Zu An was momentarily stunned.

Mi Li explained, "Generally, the memorial hall and the coffin chamber are not 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 go down."

Thinking of the young girl's tragic fate, Zu An didn't want to miss any opportunity and agreed to search the tomb. He had initially thought finding the tomb entrance would be troublesome, but it was surprisingly right behind the memorial hall, almost visible as soon as they turned around.

He then realized and felt relieved. This was the Shang royal tomb area; outside, it was already filled with traps, fierce beasts, evil spirits, and skeletal warriors, with a magical array blocking entry further in. Normal people couldn't possibly enter here, so there was naturally no need for it to be overly complex inside.

Zu An and Pei Mianman arrived at the tomb door. A "dragon-breaking stone" was braced behind the heavy door, but this didn't deter them. Zu An projected his qi to move the stone aside, then pushed open the tomb door.

Pei Mianman casually conjured a flame, illuminating the interior of the tomb. They found its structure quite simple: just a deep pit a few meters square, with a massive coffin standing silently at its very center.

Mi Li's voice, however, suddenly rang out: "Hm, strange!"