Chapter 523: Fierce Death

"What's wrong?" Zu'an was startled. He instinctively focused his senses and became alert, thinking there was danger.

However, he heard Mi Li say, "According to funerary regulations, the number of passages in a tomb signifies the tomb occupant's status and glory during their lifetime. The highest-grade tombs have four passages, extending north, south, east, and west, resembling the ancient Chinese character '亚' (ya); these are known as 'Ya-shaped tombs' and were reserved exclusively for emperors. The next tier has only two passages, north and south, and is called a 'Zhong-shaped tomb' (中); these typically belonged to kings or high-ranking nobles, with tomb size varying according to their status. The lowest of these tiers has just one passage, referred to as a 'Jia-shaped tomb' (甲), generally accessible to nobles."

"Overall, the occupants of these three types of tombs held very distinguished positions during their lives. However, this tomb only has a vertical shaft and not a single passage. According to proper rites, the occupant's status should be ordinary. Yet, considering the scale of the outer sacrificial hall, the abundance of burial goods surrounding it, and its proximity to the royal mausoleum, it appears that the tomb occupant must have been an extremely high-ranking official during their lifetime. Despite this, their tomb is so… so rudimentary."

Zu'an said, "Perhaps tombs from the Shang Dynasty were different from later periods. I'll go check if the jade *cong* Jiang Jiang is looking for is here."

A large pile of burial goods lay around the sarcophagus and coffin, making it difficult to see clearly from above.

Concerned for his safety, Pei Mianman also jumped into the burial pit with him.

The burial pit was filled with various funerary objects, most of which were bronze artifacts, along with some jade, pottery, bone, ivory, and shell ornaments.

To the north of the sarcophagus and coffin were various bronze *ding* tripods. In ancient times, *ding* were not just cooking vessels but also symbols of power and status.

In the pit to the south of the sarcophagus and coffin were personal items used by the tomb occupant during their lifetime, such as *fangzun*, *fangjia*, *fangyi*, *yan*, *lei*, *yu*, *gu*, and *jue*. Ancient burials emphasized treating the dead as if they were still alive, so these items were interred with the tomb occupant.

Zu'an, of course, didn't recognize any of these strangely shaped bronze vessels; Mi Li explained them to him from the side.

As the former empress of the Great Qin, she was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Having read extensively from the royal archives, she was exceptionally learned, and explaining these artifacts gave her the satisfaction of finally showcasing her talents.

Unfortunately, Zu'an wasn't interested in these. Not wanting to spoil her enjoyment, he could only steer the conversation elsewhere: "The east and west sides seem to be full of weapons. Oh, what's that weapon?"

Zu'an noticed many bronze weapons on both sides, including many *ge* halberds, spears, and arrows. However, another type of weapon looked strange, somewhat like an axe, but with its blade facing upwards.

"That's a *yue*!" Mi Li's expression became serious. "This isn't an ordinary weapon. It wasn't typically used for actual combat on the battlefield but primarily as a symbol of authority. Emperors often bestowed it upon generals, granting them the power to campaign in all directions and summarily deal with officers. One, two, three… there are actually seven *yue* here. This shows how extraordinarily high the tomb occupant's military status was during their lifetime. But why have I never heard any record of him?"

"Unlike later eras, there weren't many historical records preserved from that time, so it's normal you haven't heard of him. Since there's no jade *cong* here, let's look elsewhere." Zu'an had originally considered taking some of the bronze artifacts. He knew that in his own era, these would be priceless national treasures.

But then he thought again: these items were worthless in this world, and they were merely ordinary artifacts with no special properties, so taking them would be useless.

Just then, Pei Mianman's voice came, "Oh, this thing is so cute!"

Zu'an rushed over, initially thinking she had found the jade *cong*. To his surprise, she was looking at a bronze artifact, her eyes full of amusement.

The bronze artifact was somewhat unique. It was shaped like a water buffalo, but not quite like an ordinary one. This buffalo was robust, with its head extended forward and mouth slightly open. Its eyes, ears, nose, horns, belly, tail, and other physical features were vividly realistic.

Its body was intricately adorned with patterns of various animals, including dragons, birds, tigers, and elephants, creating a peculiar yet magnificent form with complex and exquisite designs.

Although it looked mighty overall, its head was slightly tilted, and its mouth was open a slit, giving it a truly endearing and naive appearance, no wonder Pei Mianman liked it so much.

"If you like it, we'll take it," Zu'an said, gently holding Pei Mianman's small hand and smiling dotingly.

Mi Li, standing nearby, rolled her eyes.

"No, it's alright," Pei Mianman said after a moment's thought, shaking her head. "Since this was a burial item, the tomb occupant must have cherished it greatly during their lifetime. We shouldn't take what others hold dear, and besides…"

She glanced at the huge sarcophagus and coffin beside them, then lowered her voice and leaned closer to Zu'an: "This place is too eerie. What if we take something, and the owner gets upset and jumps out to settle the score with us? That wouldn't be good."

Zu'an couldn't help but smile. He usually saw Pei Mianman as incredibly daring outside, but he never expected her to be so afraid of ghosts and supernatural things.

At that moment, Mi Li's voice came, "Stop being so lovey-dovey. There's still one place we haven't checked."

Noticing her gaze fixed on the sarcophagus and coffin, Zu'an was startled. "You want to open the coffin?"

Mi Li snorted, "Of course. The best burial goods are often found inside the coffin. The jade *cong* you're looking for might be in there."

Zu'an swallowed. "Isn't this a bit disrespectful? Disturbing the deceased's rest."

"Pedantic!" Mi Li retorted directly. "This is an opportunity. Only a fool would pass by a treasure mountain without entering. Besides, you promised that girl, and you also need to find the mechanism to leave. This tomb is so unusual; there might be crucial clues inside."

Zu'an knew she made a valid point, especially when he thought of the young girl's tragic experience. Finally, he made up his mind: "Alright then!"

Seeing him about to open the coffin, Pei Mianman was startled and quickly tried to stop him. Zu'an then used Mi Li's words to answer her.

Pei Mianman bit her lip, then finally nodded. "Alright then, since you've decided, I'll support you. Just be careful."

Zu'an hummed in acknowledgment. He approached the sarcophagus and coffin and bowed, saying, "We truly don't intend to disturb your peace, Senior. We are merely searching for the jade *cong* and a way out, and this is a last resort. We hope you can forgive us."

Noticing his actions, Mi Li let out a soft snort: "Unnecessary!"

The burial structure consisted of two layers: an outer sarcophagus (*guo*) and an inner coffin (*guan*).

The sarcophagus was lacquered, primarily in black, with touches of red and yellow.

After bowing, Zu'an found a bronze *ge* halberd nearby and inserted it into a crack to pry open the sarcophagus lid.

The space between the coffin and the sarcophagus also contained some burial goods, such as a general's helmet and some exquisite pottery. Unfortunately, there was no jade *cong* as described by the girl.

However, this offered a glimmer of hope: the items here were more refined than those outside, suggesting that the contents of the inner coffin might be even more valuable. The jade *cong* could very well be hidden inside.

The coffin before them was lacquered red, adorned with exquisite patterns, primarily *kui* dragon and fish motifs. Gold foil decorated the edges of the coffin lid. Given the gold production of the Shang Dynasty, the sheer amount of gold on the coffin indicated the occupant's extremely high status during their lifetime.

Zu'an initially thought of lighting a candle in the corner, like in *Ghost Blows Out the Light*, to see if it would extinguish and warn of dangers. But then he reconsidered: both he and Pei Mianman were cultivators, so even some carbon dioxide in the coffin wouldn't harm them. If a zombie truly emerged, they could simply fight it. After all, they had battled many such undead creatures recently, so lighting a candle was completely unnecessary.

So, while reminding Pei Mianman to be careful and alert, he used the long *ge* halberd to pry open the coffin lid.

Inside the coffin were indeed many jade artifacts: *bi* discs and *qi* blades were placed on both sides of the occupant's upper body; four dragon-shaped ornaments lay along the occupant's back, forming a virtually straight line from head to foot; jade tubes were mainly positioned on the occupant's chest and abdomen; shells were placed beneath the occupant's body, and the bottom of the coffin was covered with cinnabar.

Pei Mianman instinctively leaned closer to Zu'an. "Why… why is his posture so strange?"

The tomb occupant before them was not a skeleton but a fairly well-preserved mummy, still vaguely retaining its original appearance from life.

But that wasn't the strange part; it was the way the body was positioned in the coffin.

Instead of lying flat or on its side, as a normal tomb occupant would, it was facedown, completely prostrate in the coffin, appearing utterly bizarre.

At that moment, Mi Li's voice rang out: "This should be the legendary prone burial. There are two possibilities: one is a burial custom for those of low status, but this person clearly isn't that. So, only one possibility remains: they did not die naturally, but rather met a violent death!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a chilling wind blew through the area, lowering the air temperature by several degrees and sending a deep chill through them.