Gate of Life and Death 4

ing from me.When it was time to lay down the law, I laid it down. I closed my ledger and said nothing, just stared him down.Not half a minute had passed before his forehead was covered in beads of swe...How could there be such evil people

Last time I came with Mu Wanchen, we walked all the way to the tomb gate and didn't find any ghosts.

And the Ghost Realm in the Mirror of Wuzhishan City has already been broken, the souls have all been collected by the Underworld. Now there are no more souls wandering here

"Small, small... I just saw a figure..." The young man's teeth were chattering as he whispered to me.

I felt doubtful, but I took the torch from his hand and walked forward.

To be honest, I was a little scared inside. I raised my hand to protect the baby in my arms. This little guy actually gave me face and fell asleep without continuing to cry.

The torch held high, casting a dim light on the cliff wall not far away, suddenly a human shape flickered, and I was so scared that I almost dropped the torch into the abyss.

Ghosts!

It's impossible, I didn't feel any Yin energy at all.

"Little, little Princess, is that the Ghost Shadow" The young people were nearly out of breath.

I'm scared too, okay At least you're a man...

"Don't frighten yourself, I don't feel anything unusual... It seems like... a statue" I squinted, tiptoeing and holding the torch higher.

Because the air was stagnant, I dared only light one torch, for fear of burning too much oxygen.

The light was limited, I could only faintly see a human-like figure on the sloping mountain wall above. I hesitated for a moment and called over two young men, asking them to ride on my shoulders, holding torches to illuminate the heights.

That was an ancient mural embedded in the mountain wall.

Generally, tombs will have such murals, mostly recording the life of the tomb owner. Last time I came in with Mu Wanchen, we didn't notice these paintings carved high up.

Upon closer inspection, these murals on the stone slabs extend along the steps. The lines on the stones are extremely simple, but they clearly depict human figures.

Many people.

Following the murals, one could see that every stone slab was engraved with human figures. The brushstrokes were ancient and simple, depicting a style from long ago. One could only discern the shapes of people and wisps of fluttering garments.

Their robes fluttered, revealing the figures in these murals stepping forward.

They held torches, some carried burdens on their backs, women held children in their arms, and men wielded weapons...

Is this migration or something else

I couldn't help but lead them forward, and I followed close behind. We walked for a long time, and to my surprise, the murals seemed to stretch on forever.

And they were all people!

Just like us, the people in these murals are moving forward!

This mural is inlaid at a height of about three meters, and it is only outlined by simple lines without any painted colors. You need to hold up a torch high to see the contents of the mural.

The figures drawn are bent over, hunched shoulders, tiptoeing, and a woman raising her hand to cover her mouth.

It seems like we are, just like us now, quietly walking towards the abyss.

The passage leading to the tomb was also closed, and it was only after the earthquake collapsed the gate that these people were able to enter.

Looking at these murals now, I get a bit creeped out, but these people believe it's the will of their ancestors.

"...It turns out our ancestors have already left us instructions..."

"Shh..."

Someone in the team was whispering to each other.

I swallowed nervously. The mural seemed to depict a scene of fleeing, but there wasn't a hint of panic.

It seems like these people are... tiptoeing, very devoutly, down the path.

Their demeanor was not flustered at all.

In such chaos, how could she still be so graceful Holding a child and the child holding a windmill or something similar.

These people are more like devout worshippers.

Yes, worship.

Every segment of the wall painting showed a shaman in a fox mask dancing, guiding them forward.

Some scholars say that the oracle bone script of the word "witch" looks like two people dancing facing each other.

These people in the mural probably weren't fleeing, they were probably performing some kind of ritual.

And this ceremony was actually held in the tomb Could it be a sacrifice to ancestors

It's not right, how could ancestors be brought to life with children

These people are so "superstitious," they should know that ancestral worship ceremonies should ideally avoid bringing young infants.

Besides, this is a cemetery. A child's crying would break the silence and make it seem less solemn and awe-inspiring.

“ … Little princess” The person holding the torch saw that I didn’t give any instructions for a long time, and hesitantly called out.

"Just go forward like that, work hard, but I want to see clearly the painting on top." I cleared my throat and said.

"Yes." The two continued to ride on shoulders, holding torches and carefully supporting the mountain wall as they moved forward.

The stairs here are a rather large "loop", the turns aren't very obvious. By the time I reached about the third underground level, I was already feeling short of air.

According to my memory of the distance, everyone should have already entered the corridor.

I'm terrified, the tomb door is right ahead. What if it opens and there's something on the other side

It seems like only the old monster managed to get in and, during the moment the door closed, escape. No one else has ever walked out alive since then.

Won't opening the tomb and triggering the magic formation cause us all to die

If all you say is that I have a hand string and nothing else, then what about the others

The tomb gate was icy and heavy, feeling like touching rock that had stood for millions of years.

"My Lord Wuzhang..." A low murmur rose from the crowd behind him.

Mu Wanchen seemed to have descended from the heavens, suddenly appearing behind me not far away. He rushed through the crowd and walked towards me.

"Little Luo'er Did you open the door!" he asked nervously.

"No, no, I just took it out..." I raised my hand, clutching the small jade seal in my palm.

He let out a small sigh, then suddenly reached up and pressed his hand against the back of my head, pulling me into his arms.

Well, there are so many people here!

"We set up a barrier, and when we came back, the camp was in ruins. Everyone was gone. So you brought them here... The old monster followed"

“I don’t know, he suddenly turned into your appearance and appeared in the camp, probably escaped from the river… I recognized him in time, Bai Ni destroyed a housing unit and buried him. I saw black mist rising under the wooden boards, it was very dangerous, so I took people to this side… Wanchen, should we open the door” I asked hesitantly.

"Well, what do you think" he looked down at me.

Since our marriage, these eyes have always been so gentle.

Even though darkness surrounded him, with only a solitary flickering flame illuminating the space, his eyes still held the brilliance of stars.

Just like when we first met, the Milky Way sparkling behind him.

His presence made the whole world between us bright and gentle.

"Wànchén, I hesitate one last time, just one more! What do you think Should we go in Just nod your head and I'll press the button. We'll go in together! No matter what's inside, we'll face it together. We'll live and die together—"

I told him excitedly, and he silenced me with a hand on my lips.

"No matter when, the little princess should never speak in a despondent tone. Where has your usual strength and fortitude gone" He said with a faint smile.

"...Will it open or not"

"Open it... Master and the celestial official, Ji Du Xingjun, are outside. If anything unusual happens, they can react immediately."

Okay, I nodded.

That tiny seal really did fit perfectly. If you pinched the top part, it would slot into the center hole of the door with a satisfying click.

A muffled clanking sound echoed from deep within the mountainside, and two incredibly heavy stone doors creaked open a sliver.

This gap is only wide enough for one person to enter.

"The seal needs to be held, once you take it out the door will close. I'll go in and arrange for them to leave first. You just hold the seal at the door." Mu Wanchen said to me.

"Uh, uh... okay, just wear this... I'm afraid there might be some kind of magic formation—" I quietly took the bracelet off and gave it to him.

Mu Wanchen grasped the hand string and nodded, "Don't worry, I'm right by the door. Don't believe me Hold my hand"dical kit. It was full of supplies for disaster relief—" I replied quickly.Who knew that the middle-aged couple following us immediately looked wary upon hearing me mention human traffickers, and aske...