Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

The two followed the secret passage into the chamber, where they found a bronze coffin in the center. The coffin was covered with exquisite runes, emitting a faint glow.

Zhu Feifei rubbed his hands excitedly: "We've finally seen the real deal! I, Old Pig, reckon this is either a legendary treasure or the remains of some powerful senior."

"Don't touch it carelessly," the Queen of Jingjue warned. "These coffins often have more complex mechanisms, and one wrong move could be fatal."

However, Zhu Feifei acted as if she hadn't heard, reaching out to touch the coffin: "I, Old Pig, am just taking a look—"

"Bang!" The coffin suddenly sprang open, and a huge red spherical object slammed into Zhu Feifei's head, making him spin three times on the spot.

"Ouch! I, Old Pig, have been ambushed!" He crouched on the ground, clutching his head and wailing.

The Queen of Jingjue picked up the red ball, examined it carefully, and couldn't help but laugh: "This isn't a deadly trap at all, it's just... a pomegranate?"

Zhu Feifei peeked through her fingers and instantly exploded: "Pomegranates?! Who guards their treasure with pomegranates?! That's outrageous!"

Looking at the other pomegranates scattered in the coffin, the Queen of Jingjue said thoughtfully, "No, these pomegranates seem to have been infused with some kind of spiritual energy... perhaps they are the real treasure."

"Spiritual energy?" Zhu Feifei immediately perked up. "Then let's give it a try! I'm really hungry!"

He snatched the pomegranate and took a bite. A moment later, his eyes lit up: "Wow! This pomegranate tastes amazing! It even has a warm, cozy feeling!"

The Queen of Jingjue couldn't help but laugh: "It seems you really are the first person to eat this 'treasure'."

As Zhu Feifei munched on his food, he muttered, "I, Old Pig, am testing the treasure with my own body—but to be honest, if the Heavenly Court knew that this treasure was just a pile of fruit, I wonder if they would cry."

Inside the secret room, the atmosphere became eerie and absurd due to Zhu Feifei's cheers.

"Is this... the treasure of the ancient city of Jingjue?" Zhu Feifei's voice trembled slightly, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining as he stared at the giant bronze coffin, as if mountains of gold and silver were beckoning to him.

Queen Jingjue, however, was not infected by his excitement at all.

Her brows furrowed, and her gaze swept solemnly over the runes on the coffin, each character seemingly whispering ominous secrets.

“These runes…something’s not right…” she whispered, a hint of wariness in her voice.

"They are not simple protective mechanisms; I even suspect they are not for protecting the treasure at all, but rather for..."

"Why?" Zhu Feifei leaned closer with an innocent look, her eyes full of expectation. "It's not to prevent humans from becoming too happy because of too many treasures, is it?"

"Shut up!" Queen Jingjue glared at him. "These runes exude an ominous aura and may seal away some kind of power that we cannot imagine."

"Ominous? Your Majesty, I, Zhu Feifei, firmly believe that nothing in this world is more ominous than our cooperation! Don't worry, with me here, there's no danger or mishap." He patted his chest confidently.

The Queen of Jingjue scoffed: "No problem? Last time you tried to 'cooperate in cracking the mechanism,' you almost blew us both up."

"That was an accident, this time it's absolutely foolproof!" Zhu Feifei rolled up his sleeves. "This time, I, Old Pig, am going to show off my skills, just you wait and see!"

Zhu Feifei squatted down, staring at the intricate patterns on the bronze coffin, and clicked her tongue: "Tsk tsk, this design is quite interesting... But don't underestimate me! I used to have plenty of these little mechanisms when I was refining elixirs!"

He pulled out a strangely shaped little tool and began fiddling with it around the coffin, muttering to himself, "This pattern looks like a trigger... Hey, this groove is suspicious, wait! Oh! I get it!"

"Are you sure?" The Queen of Jingjue's tone was full of doubt.

"Of course!" Zhu Feifei said proudly. "I, Old Pig, always crack mechanisms in one go!"

The moment he inserted the tool, the coffin made a soft "click" sound and slowly opened.

"See that? Absolutely sure!" Zhu Feifei turned around and boasted, her tone full of pride.

"Don't be too happy yet," the Queen of Jingjue said calmly. "Be careful."

Zhu Feifei didn't think much of it and peered into the coffin. However, the next second—

"Ah! It's a zombie!" Zhu Feifei cried out in surprise and ran to hide behind the Queen of Jingjue.

Inside the coffin were no jewels or jade artifacts, but a well-preserved mummified corpse. The expression on the corpse's face was lifelike, as if it were watching them.

"This isn't a treasure! This is clearly a terrifying giant toy!" Zhu Feifei trembled, clutching her chest and panting. "My heart isn't strong, how can this ancient city be like this? I can't afford to play this game!"

"Don't make a fuss." The Queen of Jingjue tried her best to remain calm, but the fine sweat on her forehead betrayed her. "This should be... the last queen of the ancient Jingjue Kingdom."

"What? Our ancestors are still here guarding the place?" Zhu Feifei poked her head out, her face full of doubt. "Your Majesty, were your ancestors preserved with preservatives?"

The Queen of Jingjue rolled her eyes at him and said seriously, "According to ancient records, my ancestor voluntarily sealed her soul within her body to protect this city and resist invasion. She is the last guardian of this ancient city."

"What? That's way too much!" Zhu Feifei exclaimed in surprise. "But speaking of which... she looks a little angry!"

Before the words were finished, the mummified corpse suddenly opened its eyes.

"He's come back to life!" Zhu Feifei immediately fell to the ground, covering her head with her hands. "I, Old Pig, want to go home! I, Old Pig, quit!"

Although the Queen of Jingjue was startled, she still stared at those eerie eyes with a forced smile.

The mummified corpse uttered a hoarse voice: "Who... disturbed my peace?"

“Ancestor, I am your descendant,” the Queen of Jingjue replied respectfully.

"Descendants..." The mummified corpse pondered for a moment, its voice tinged with emotion, "Finally, someone has come... But... why are you carrying this strange thing?"

"What? Who's the thing! I, Old Pig, am a dignified..." Zhu Feifei patted his chest, about to retort, but was silenced by a look from the Queen of Jingjue.

The mummified corpse's voice gradually faded, leaving only two sentences: "Protect the city... Do not let greed... destroy..." Then, the coffin trembled and emitted a piercing roar.

"Oh no!" Queen Jingjue exclaimed, "The seal on the coffin seems to have been broken! It's about to collapse!"

"What? It collapsed?!" Zhu Feifei shouted as he pulled the Queen of Jingjue away, "I, Old Pig, am still young and haven't lived enough yet!"

The two ran desperately, when suddenly the huge coffin behind them exploded, and the runes shot out as dazzling streams of light, causing the entire secret chamber to collapse.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Zhu Feifei ran frantically, clutching his head and muttering to himself, "How could this thing just explode like that? The ancient city is so unreliable! If I, Old Pig, die here, I won't be able to explain it when I get back!"

The Queen of Jingjue stumbled as he pulled her, gritting her teeth and shouting, "If you don't shut up, you won't need to explain yourself!"

"I'll shut up! I'll shut up!" Zhu Feifei nodded repeatedly, but after running a few steps, she couldn't help but shout, "Wait, did I lose something?"

"If you slow down any further, we're going to lose our lives!"

Just a second before the secret room completely collapsed, the two finally rushed out and fell down in the corridor outside.

Zhu Feifei, panting, lay on the ground: "I, Old Pig, am still alive, aren't I? Your Majesty, do you think I'm still whole?"

The Queen of Jingjue sighed, rubbing her forehead: "I really wish I had left you in the coffin back then."

"Oh dear, that's not very kind of you! I, Old Pig, saved you—though mainly for my own sake."

In the collapsed, secret chamber, a soft light appeared, and a crystal-clear pomegranate tree quietly emerged.

"This is... the treasure?" Queen Jingjue looked at the scene before her in astonishment.

Zhu Feifei leaned closer, swallowing hard. "I, Old Pig, didn't understand anything. All I know is that this tree looks... edible?"

“This is… the Tree of Souls,” Queen Jingjue said softly, her tone complex. “It can absorb the energy of the city and nourish the soul… Perhaps, this is the guardian artifact left by our ancestors.”

Zhu Feifei casually picked a pomegranate: "Why don't you try it and see? I'm hungry!"

He took a bite, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Oh my god! It's delicious! This pomegranate feels so warm and comforting, I feel like I've become smarter!"

The Queen of Jingjue couldn't help but chuckle: "It seems you really need to eat a few more."

"Really? Then I, Old Pig, won't be polite!"

The pomegranate tree swayed gently in the sunlight, seemingly smiling down at them. The significance of the treasure far exceeded the wealth itself.