"Are we really leaving that coffin behind?!"
"It looks pretty valuable!"
Fatty stared longingly at the exquisite bronze coffin inside the secret chamber, pestering them nonstop to take it.
All four of them were standing at the entrance to the Gas Chamber.
Gu Cheng shook his head.
"No. That thing is too sinister. Anyone who lies inside it will turn into an undead monster."
"Better to leave it here forever than take it out and let it hurt people."
The Soul-Nourishing Golden Coffin might have been an incredibly rare, miraculous treasure.
But it was far too sinister.
He didn't want it.
And that wasn't all.
He had also placed plenty of explosives at the entrance to the secret chamber, planning to collapse it and bury the Soul-Nourishing Golden Coffin and those corpses here forever, where no outsider could find them.
Hu Bayi wholeheartedly agreed with this decision.
He had seen all three people in the coffin turn into undead monsters with his own eyes. Something that sinister had no business existing in this world.
Gu Cheng's decision also deepened his understanding of the man.
Even greed needed principles.
Wanting to make money wasn't a bad thing. Wanting to make it through crooked means was.
He could resist temptation.
He had moral boundaries.
"Enough, Fatty. Aren't these burial treasures enough for you? Didn't you hear Young Master Gu? These pieces would sell for at least eight figures."
Hu Bayi patted Fatty on the shoulder.
Fatty sighed. "Fine. If both of you say so, what else can I say?"
"But tell me, what exactly happened to you guys in that secret chamber?"
"Why was Yingzi lying in the coffin?"
"How did she get inside?"
"What happened to that little ghost in the end?"
Hu Bayi shoved him away. "Fatty, you really never shut up."
Yingzi suddenly spoke up beside them. "Brother Hu, Brother Gu, I'd actually like to know too."
"I did what you told me and hid in a room. Then I suddenly blacked out. When I woke up, I was in the coffin. I pushed the lid open and saw you guys. What exactly happened?"
Gu Cheng and Hu Bayi exchanged a look.
Gu Cheng suddenly asked, "Oh, Yingzi, there's something very important I need to ask you."
"Do you know any way to preserve fresh meat for a long time?"
At that, Fatty Wang immediately remembered the Black Flood Dragon Meat they had left in the ancient tomb.
"Right, right! Yingzi, hurry up and give us some ideas!"
Sure enough, Yingzi was immediately distracted. "Preserve fresh meat for a long time? There are lots of ways. The most common methods are smoking it or curing it. Salting works too."
Fatty slapped his forehead. "Of course! Smoking and curing are both really common ways to preserve meat. How did I forget?!"
Gu Cheng chuckled. "It happens all the time. Like forgetting how to write a word when you pick up a pen. It's a perfectly ordinary word, and you know how to write it, but when the time comes, you suddenly forget."
The four of them reached the large iron door.
To their surprise, it was open again.
"Huh? Didn't that little ghost lock this door? Why is it open?"
Fatty Wang sounded astonished.
Gu Cheng and Hu Bayi were baffled too.
"Did that little fellow come back and open it?"
"Impossible! Why would he be that kind?!"
"Then how do you explain this?"
"Do you think there's a chance that little fellow wasn't the one who locked it?"
"Shit, don't scare me. I don't have the strength for another fight."
"...Neither do I. I'm tired and starving. Forget it. This whole fortress is creepy. Let's just get out of here as soon as possible."
The two deliberately slowed their pace, whispering to each other.
Not long after the four of them left,
the large iron door suddenly slammed shut again with a clang.
Faint singing drifted out from within.
In defense and in attack, our ironclad
Floating castles are our strength.
Those floating castles shall defend
Every corner of the imperial realm of Japan...
The four had no idea what happened behind them.
Instead, they headed toward the Jin General's Tomb, discussing how best to cook the Black Flood Dragon Meat.
"Let's roast it. That's the quickest way. I'm seriously starving to death!"
"Yeah, that sounds good. I've got salt in my backpack, too. Sprinkle some on later, and it'll taste great."
"Oh, stop talking about it. You're making my mouth water."
"I'm the best at roasting meat in the whole Village Stockade."
"Quiet!"
Hu Bayi had been listening with a smile as Fatty and Yingzi discussed how to cook the Black Flood Dragon Meat. Suddenly, he spotted something, and his expression changed as he cut them off.
"What is it?"
Fatty and Yingzi were both jumpy by now, and they immediately fell silent at Hu Bayi's warning.
It was Gu Cheng who had asked.
Hu Bayi crouched down, studying the ground with a grave expression.
Gu Cheng looked down as well.
A moment later, his gaze sharpened.
The ground was covered in blood left by the fleeing Black Flood Dragon.
They had left some footprints while searching for Yingzi, and those were easy to recognize.
But now, besides their own footprints, there were many unfamiliar ones on the ground. They were huge.
Yingzi saw the footprints too.
One glance was enough to drain the color from her face. "These are Mountain Monster footprints!"
"Mountain Monsters?!"
All three turned to her in confusion.
"They're a kind of monster that lives in the mountains. They crawl on all fours, have human faces and really long necks. Their bodies are about the same size and shape as a bear's, but they aren't as clumsy. Their hides are so thick that arrows can't pierce them."
Fatty let out a quiet groan. "Does this ever end? We finished fighting the Snake Demon, then a little ghost showed up. We finally dealt with the little ghost, and now a Mountain Monster pops up!"
"Not just one!"
Yingzi examined the tracks and said gravely, "There are a lot of them. At least several dozen."
Still thinking about the Black Flood Dragon Meat, Gu Cheng hesitated, then said, "Wait here. I'll go take a look."
Hu Bayi said, "Let's go together. If anything happens, we can watch each other's backs."
"All right."
Before Fatty could speak, Hu Bayi told him, "Fatty, stay here and protect Yingzi. If you hear anything wrong, run immediately. Don't worry about us. We'll catch up."
Fatty glanced at Yingzi and could only nod helplessly.
There are just over forty thousand words left before this goes premium.
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