This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 196

Teng Bi led the way, feeling along the wall with one hand and holding onto the clothes of the person in front with the other, carefully descending the staircase with their eyes closed.

They reached the flat ground without being affected by the Soul-Hooking Staircase.

After the Soul-Hooking Staircase, the space suddenly opened up, and the walls, once made of mud, turned into stone. Ahead was a spacious circular area.

Antique furniture and valuable antiques were placed here, arranged to resemble an ancient hall. Each item was priceless. Behind the hall was a stone door, with a pair of couplets inscribed on either side. The left one read, "Deeds incomplete, death uncertain," while the right one read, "Entering the door, hope for life's return."

After reading these two sentences, Jiang Luo pondered, "The Palace of the King of Hell."

Teng Bi turned around, looking at him with confusion.

Jiang Luo explained, "These two sentences were written by a literati during the Ming Dynasty for the Palace of the King of Hell. It means that after death, if one can navigate the joints in the underworld and meet capable acquaintances, they can return to their body before it decomposes and reincarnate."

Teng Bi noted the meaning of the two sentences, saying, "I've never heard of this."

Jiang Luo continued, "You died before the Ming Dynasty, right?"

Teng Bi nodded lightly.

Jiang Luo walked to the stone door, "Such a large ancient tomb is usually divided into three parts: the first part is the Hades Hall, the middle part is the sleeping hall for the coffin, and the back is where accompanying burial items are placed. Judging from the appearance here, the tomb's owner didn't die too long ago, perhaps during the Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China."

He carefully examined the Buddha carvings on the stone door, "Buddhist Sanskrit... I don't know much about ancient tombs, but the tomb's owner likely believed in Buddhism. I'm actually quite curious about who this tomb owner is. Just the fact that he could build a tomb in Longyan is incredible."

Teng Bi pondered, "Could it be someone from the geomancy industry?"

Jiang Luo nodded, "Even if not a Feng Shui master, they're definitely deeply involved in this field."

Speculating here wouldn't help, so Teng Bi forcefully pushed open the stone door. Instead of a sleeping hall with coffins, there was a long corridor beyond the door.

Jiang Luo and Teng Bi walked side by side. Compared to the anxiety they felt before finding Longyan, Jiang Luo was no longer in a hurry. With the Dragon Vein suppressing the tomb, there wouldn't be any evil spirits appearing. They just needed to be cautious of the mechanisms within the ancient tomb.

The corridor was long, and suddenly Teng Bi asked, "Did you know I regained my memories earlier?"

Jiang Luo smiled elegantly, "Not quite early. I only knew when you started calling me by my name in the trainee dorm instead of calling me 'friend'."

Teng Bi hadn't expected to be exposed so early. He didn't know what to say for a moment. After a long while, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me," Jiang Luo's smile faded, "Teng Bi, I've never fully trusted you. Your deception didn't hurt me much. But it's different for someone else. You should apologize to the person who truly trusts you, rather than saying it to me."

Teng Bi felt like a heavy stone pressed against his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. He said hoarsely, "He..."

There was no need to mention "his" name; both Jiang Luo and Teng Bi knew who he was referring to.