Yinshan Record

Chapter 70 A New Beginning
Niushou Mountain is not a towering mountain range; it is merely a spur of the Xuan Mountain range.

Behind it lies the continuous Xuanshan Mountain range, a vast forest, solitary peaks and cliffs, with layers of ancient pines, and orchids and lingzhi hidden behind the rocks.

Song Qi led the way, occasionally pricking his finger and letting the blood drip out as toll.

"The large tomb in Niushou Mountain is covered by an array. Unless you have a token, you can only use blood as a catalyst."

Song Qi groaned and groaned; he was old and weak, with little energy left.

Leading the way was undoubtedly a torment for him.

Lin Jiugong saw it all, but remained silent.

Their lineage originated from the Shangqing Sect, but it had already declined many generations ago.

The so-called "half-traditional, half-worldly" way of making a living is simply a matter of making a living

He didn't understand or agree with his senior brother's grave-digging behavior, but his senior brother was still his senior brother after all.

If one day a young hero were to kill his senior brother, Lin Jiugong would only sigh and then take his two disciples to settle things for Boss Song after his death.

But seeing his once spirited senior brother reduced to this state, Lin Jiugong felt not only sorrow but also a pang of self-pity.

The word "cultivation" is essentially about fighting against fate. If you succeed, you become an immortal who is indestructible for countless eons; if you fail, you become an ordinary person who experiences birth, aging, sickness, and death.

My senior brother has already lost.

What kind of fate awaits me in the future?

The path of spiritual cultivation is difficult.

Song Qi was unaware that his own frail and aged appearance had instead inspired his junior brother's yearning for the Dao.

He led the group around in circles until they finally arrived at a place.

From afar, one can see a vermilion archway with a blue plaque above it bearing the three large gold characters "Lingxing Gate," the paint of which has long been mottled by the passage of time.

Not far from this Lingxing Gate is a stone incense burner, which is filled with murky water and covered with green algae.

Ancient trees grow all around, and the locust and cypress trees seem to be covered with a layer of dust, exuding a rusty smell.

“Every temple has this Lingxing Gate. Lingxing is also known as Tianmen Star. Crossing this boundary is the difference between the mortal and the immortal.” Song Qi was quite dismissive of the noblemen of the previous dynasty who built this great tomb: “When these gentlemen were alive, they didn’t think about cultivation, but after they died, they were hoping to ascend to immortality.”

"It's just for good luck, Mr. Song, you don't need to be too harsh."

Su Chedu felt like he was traveling alone in a scenic spot during the off-season.

This place looks like a recently abandoned temple, not a large tomb.

After passing through the Lingxing Gate, you will find the sacred path ahead. The bluestone slabs on both sides are covered with stone figures, including stone horses, stone generals, and stone camels. Each one is lifelike and full of muscle, and you can still see the skillful hands of the craftsmen of that time after hundreds of years.

“There used to be a formation here, and it took me a lot of effort to break it.” Song Qi seemed to have returned to his past.

“The Lingxing Gate can accumulate star power. If later people do not bring offerings, these stone figures will come to life and attack. Although they are clumsy, they have great strength.”

He pointed to the red marks on the forehead of a stone general and said, "That should be the blood I splattered there back then."

Looking at the slightly blank expression on the stone statue, Su Che found it hard to imagine what these things would look like if they came to life.

However, to be fair, Old Song's blood is indeed more effective than paint; it hasn't faded over the years.

"Over the years, all those methods have eventually faded away."

Song Qi let out a long sigh and led the group forward.

Not far ahead, there is a temple with a blue plaque that reads "Feng'en Hall".

"This is where the former nobleman enjoys the worship of his descendants. There are a few memorial tablets inside, but there's nothing magical about them. Last time I came here, I was angry that he was playing tricks on the spirit path, so I went in and urinated on his memorial tablet. Later, I wasn't satisfied, so I set fire to that piece of broken wood."

Before Su Che could say anything, Yuan Caiyi spoke up from the other side.

"Is it enjoyable?"

"It's been decades, but thinking about it today still brings me some pleasure."

Song Qi gazed at the palace before him.

"Alas, every sip and every bite is a remnant of the past. Once we're out of his tomb, we'll burn this thing to ashes."

Chu Yuan looked at the arrangements from beginning to end.

"Looking at this, apart from the Lingxing Gate, which shows the methods of a Taoist master, the rest seem to have been accomplished by the people. To achieve this scale, I wonder how much effort it must have taken."

"If you can enjoy this much even in death, I wonder how extravagant and decadent you must have been while you were alive."

Qin Ben was somewhat resentful. He had seen many rich and heartless people, but today he had finally met a truly heartless old devil.

"It's better to skip this dilapidated temple. Behind it is the Treasure City. Once you enter the Treasure City, you'll see the tomb passage I broke open back then. Follow it and you'll enter the great tomb on Niushou Mountain."

Su Che looked at the Feng'en Hall in front of him.

"Why don't we go in and take a look?"

Su Che said something.

"Brother Yue, there's nothing interesting inside."

Qin Ben was now curious to see what kind of person this extravagant old man really was.

"You want to see it?" Of all the people in this group, Song Qi valued "Liu Yidao" the most.

Old Song wouldn't have made this trip if it weren't for the Xuan You Dao Zhen Dan in his possession.

"good."

Su Che put himself in others' shoes.

If I were that former nobleman in the story, I would leave something for future generations.

A thousand-year-old field, eight hundred owners.

People experience ups and downs in life, and families also rise and fall.

If the family declines in the future, I'm afraid I'll only be a lonely ghost in the tomb.

Su Che felt that if he were that prominent figure from the previous dynasty, he would definitely leave a way for future generations to make a comeback in case of decline.

"Then go in and have a look."

Song Qi led a group of people, pushed open the long-sealed doors of Feng'en Hall, and entered the hall.

There's nothing inside.

A high platform of blue bricks has been built directly in front, which must have been the place where the ancestral tablets were placed in the past.

Behind the high platform are painted palaces and pavilions, with auspicious clouds guarding the pavilions, resembling a celestial palace, which is nothing more than telling that the owner of this place has ascended to heaven.

However, there wasn't even a single immortal in this celestial palace, which looked rather frightening.

There is a transformation image painted on each of the left and right sides.

The content is quite coherent.

The painting on the left depicts a blue lion rising from the sea. It is naturally supernatural and has six other heads besides the one in the middle, each of which is extremely ferocious.

These seven blue lions fought various prey in the sea, including humans, demons, and aquatic creatures. The corpses of these prey piled up into a small mountain beneath them.

Later, the seven-headed blue lion seemed to have a great enlightenment. He wandered the sea and finally entered the sect on a fairy island, transforming into a majestic Taoist.

The painting on the right is not as well preserved as the one on the left, but one can still vaguely see that the Taoist later transformed into a sixteen-foot-tall golden lion-headed Buddha.

Then there is a scene of a group of tiny people worshipping the ancient Buddha, one of whom appears particularly tall.

This likely refers to the origins of the Lion-Lotus Buddha and the background of the owner of this large tomb.

Could the owner of this large tomb have once been a disciple of the old lion?

After Su Che figured this out, he frowned even more as he looked at the destroyed half of the painting on the right.

The marks on the mural on the right do not appear to have come off naturally.

Both sides were likely made during the construction of this large tomb. The left side is intact with exquisite strokes, while the right side is mostly damaged.

If it is caused by nature.

The extent of damage on both sides should be about the same.

It's clear that someone deliberately covered up the area on the right, but we don't know who did it.

However, these problems might be easily solved once we can enter the tomb.

Su Che looked around and saw that the place was bare. Apart from the murals on both sides, which were of high artistic quality and could be put in a museum, there was nothing of value to be found.

Suddenly, Su Che noticed the blue bricks under his feet and had some thoughts.

A ruthless character like Old Song, the coffin shop owner, probably wouldn't have much respect for the tomb's occupant.

If the owner of this tomb truly wanted to leave something for future generations, it would likely only be able to obtain it from those filial and virtuous descendants.

Thinking of this, Su Che carefully felt around on the blue bricks according to the proper placement of the ancestral tablet.

“Brother Yue, Boss Song is so stingy, he would take away even two pounds of scrap iron here.”

Chu Yuan chuckled: "Stop stepping around here."

As Su Che stepped on it, he found that one of the blue bricks was indeed loose, and there seemed to be space underneath. However, the looseness was very slight, and he would have missed it if he hadn't been exploring it.

Overjoyed, Su Che used his strength to flip over the blue brick, and sure enough, there was a rusty copper box underneath, about the size of a book.

"Goodness, Old Chu, you've misjudged him." Qin Ben curiously leaned closer: "Brother Yue, if you had followed Boss Song, you would have made a fortune sooner or later."

Actually, I also have an alias, Hu Bayi.

Su Che was also quite excited. In fact, the contents of this bronze box were the second treasure he had found entirely on his own.

Judging from the size of this object, and the possible relationship between the tomb owner and the old lion, could one of the nine pages of the golden book be hidden here?

Su Che opened the copper box with great joy, only to find a piece of plain silk with a line of small characters written on it in a crooked manner.

Seeing this, Young Master Su was so angry that he fainted.

The people around him burst into laughter.

"You're late, Kongkong'er, please be respectful."

(End of this chapter)