Diary

March 8th, '56.

I've been digging for nearly five days now. I can confirm that this eerie, massive tomb is indeed the legendary burial ground of the Gu King.

It's laughable. I don't know who built a temple outside, but I wonder if it was to suppress the Gu insects here or to uncover the secrets of the Gu?

Looking at it, though, those monks seem to have gone mad themselves. Heh, how interesting.

March 12th.

Damn it, this place is truly wicked. I nearly lost my life here today; it's nothing but a giant venomous den, crawling with bugs.

It's a good thing I brought Master Liu of the Bai family to hold the fort, or else I, Master Hu, would have been finished here.

March 17th.

Good heavens, I've never seen such a thing in my life. I asked Master Liu what on earth that thing was, and he actually said he didn't know either.

Heh, if even an old immortal like Master Liu doesn't know, it must be a treasure. A pity I can't take it.

Still, from what he implied, this thing seems to be related to immortality.

No, I'll go back in tomorrow to see what's really down there.

March 18th.

Hahaha, I didn't find anything else, but I did find a crystal bed. It's a shame it's too big; my Ruyi Flying Hook could only drag it this far, and I couldn't pull it any further.

Forget it, I'll just leave it here to sleep on. It's certainly more comfortable than the floor.

I'll go back tomorrow and see if I can snag some valuable treasures.

March 19th.

Why do I have such a bad feeling today? I'm going down one more time. If I don't come back up, just consider me dead. At least this place is a prime spot of geomantic fortune.

March 22nd.

I, Master Hu, have returned.

Well, actually, I've been back for two days, but I couldn't bring myself to write in this diary. Still, I feel bored if I don't.

Damn it, I wish there was someone here to talk to. I should have brought Xiao Doumiao along.

No, Xiao Doumiao is so young. If I died, how would he survive? Wouldn't the Hu family line end with me?

I should have brought my eldest brother's son—what was his name? Hu Ankang. What a lousy name; he had to carry five catties of pork just to get some old scholar to write it for him.

Pah, the Qing Dynasty is long gone...

Looking at the diary in his hands, Xu Tong unconsciously lay down on the crystal bed, finding this diary more interesting than reading a novel.

This guy who called himself Master Hu was either a chatterbox or a closeted eccentric.

Every word was soaked in a thick layer of sarcasm.

But beyond the complaints, the information in the diary not only confirmed his own suspicions but also proved that this place was no damn Ascension Bureau, but a mysterious Miao tomb.

Moreover, this Master Hu seemed to have the spirit of Zhao Zilong possessed within him, having charged in and out of this tomb seven times over.

This karst cave seemed to be his temporary residence.

Looking at the bottles and jars scattered around, he must have lived here for quite a while. Even someone as fearless as Xu Tong couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for this Master Hu.

After all, the diary mentioned that this place was a massive venomous den, filled with toxic insects and female corpses parasitized by bugs. To dare to live here required more than just a little bit of nerve.

And who was this Master Liu mentioned in the diary? Didn't he say he was all alone?

Filled with curiosity, he simply lay on the crystal bed and began to read through it seriously.

It was clear that Master Hu was truly bored here at times, as the following entries were just fragmented rants.

For instance, he noted that the female corpses were only beautiful on the surface; inside, their muscle structures had turned into dried loofah, firmly controlled by the insects.

He speculated that the reason the corpses hadn't rotted, aside from the low temperature, was likely that their skin and flesh had been processed with special methods.

The diary also mentioned the cold pool they had arrived at.

Master Hu had actually tried to go down into it, only to nearly freeze to death.

The diary stated that the bottom of the cold pool was filled with crystallized remains—not just human, but insect as well. It seemed to be the insects' nest, or perhaps their graveyard.

In any case, after one attempt, Master Hu never went back to that spot.

Flipping two more pages, the content began to turn aggressive.

April 1st.

Damn it, damn it, damn it, they all deserve to die. I shouldn't have come to this hellhole.

April 2nd.

I don't believe it. A mere Miao Gu King—can it really defy the heavens? I, a disciple of the Chuma Clan, have never feared anything.

I plan to go back in tonight. This time, I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

If I can't figure this place out, I'll use explosives to blow this dump to pieces.

April 5th.

I think I might have made a mistake.

I found the guy buried inside, but the place was completely empty; there wasn't even a corpse.

I found a stele, but I can't read what's written on it. Damn it, if I'd known it would be like this, I should have brought my American camera—that's the treasure my uncle brought back for me from the States.

Still, it's so strange. If the coffin is empty, why go to such great lengths to create such a bizarre tomb?

I keep feeling like I've overlooked something. No, I need to think this through. I plan to perform a ritual tonight to summon Master Liu again.

That old thing has been eating the incense of my Hu family for generations, yet he's always so stingy whenever I ask for a little help.

Early April... it should be the eighth, right?

As I expected, that thing really isn't dead.

Master Liu says it might have achieved cultivation.

It's a pity you can't see the look in that old thing's eyes. Good lord, it was just like a thirty-year-old bachelor at the village entrance spotting a prostitute; his eyeballs were glowing green.

He was so envious and jealous, but unfortunately, his dharma body isn't here. Even if he wanted to devour that thing, he couldn't do it with just the Summoning Tablet.

But this thing is incredibly sinister. If it's allowed to keep living, there's no telling what kind of trouble it'll stir up. I suspect the temple above was likely built to suppress it.

Too bad the monks in that temple are all useless sacks of rice; they failed to suppress it and instead got led astray by it themselves.

But I can't beat it either. Should I go back and fetch Master Liu's golden dharma body?

Hmm... that's a good idea.

Early April... (crossed out)... whatever day it is.

Bastard, I'm trapped here. It must have sensed me and doesn't want me to leave, so it's got me, Master Hu, pinned down.

You decrepit old freak, do you really think Grandpa has no way to deal with you?

Just you wait, I'll show you what Master Hu is capable of...

Seeing this, Xu Tong couldn't help but frown. He had a vague feeling that this Master Hu was in trouble, so he hurriedly flipped to the next page.

However, the next page was completely blank.

"Could it be..."

His heart skipped a beat. Although he didn't know this Master Hu, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for him—or, more accurately, for themselves as well.

After all, the things written in the diary were too inconceivable.

What exactly was the "thing" referred to in the text? The diary didn't say, but every line exuded an aura of evil.

Thinking of this, he hesitantly flipped through two more pages.

When he reached the very last page of the thin diary, Xu Tong suddenly froze.

On the final page, six large characters were scrawled in blood.

[Watch out for your shadow, run!]

Sorry everyone, the update is a bit late. I wrote this chapter twice and deleted it twice; I just wasn't satisfied with it and didn't finish until now.