TRYMBPIETM 64: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (27)

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes landed on a vast space at least five meters high.

The entire space was deep and dim, with only stone walls and ceilings embedded with numerous night pearls. These night pearls were arranged in a regular square pattern, each with a diameter of just 2 to 3 centimeters, emitting a faint white glow.

On both sides of the space were passageways, and the walls were covered with murals. From a distance, one could vaguely make out a story of someone being granted a noble position.

At the end of both passageways stood large chime bells.

A breeze blew through the passageways, bringing fresh air.

However, the structure was rather complex, and it was difficult to tell where they led.

Chi Qingzhou stepped back from Xing Shuangzhan’s arms, lowered his head, and stared at the white jade tiles on the ground, feeling a bit confused.

The intricate pattern carved into them seemed to be some sort of special water wave motif. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen it before.

A gentle force vibrated through the tomb chamber, and Chi Qingzhou looked at Xing Shuangzhan again. “Brother Su, what place is this? I feel like I’ve been here before.”

Xing Shuangzhan stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze away.

“Don’t you remember? This is the outer perimeter of the Jingming Mountain’s Grand Tomb.”

Chi Qingzhou froze for a moment.

The outer perimeter of Jingming Mountain’s Grand Tomb?

The answer was so ordinary, so logical, that it didn’t surprise him. He shouldn’t have been surprised.

But for some reason, it took him a moment to process.

Why was that?

Wasn’t this answer supposed to be a matter of course?

At that moment, Chi Qingzhou suddenly sensed something was wrong.

The energy that had been wandering in the tomb chamber suddenly grew aggressive, and the entire space seemed to emit an overwhelming repulsive force toward him!

Chi Qingzhou’s torn soul instinctively felt pain, but as he focused, he realized that his soul was actually fine.

The pain felt more like a kind of illusion he had experienced before.

“So my soul was torn here?” Chi Qingzhou asked in a low voice, puzzled.

Xing Shuangzhan turned back to look at him and stared for a moment before suddenly smiling.

“Why ask me? I don’t have memories from three years ago.”

His tone was calm, but Chi Qingzhou still sensed some dissatisfaction.

Chi Qingzhou bit his lip and tugged at his sleeve. “Brother Su.”

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t react. “No need for formalities.”

Chi Qingzhou intentionally showed a somewhat pitiful expression, pulling at his sleeve again, eyes filled with longing.

Xing Shuangzhan remained indifferent. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”

Chi Qingzhou snorted, took a step forward, and wrapped his arms around Xing Shuangzhan’s neck, rubbing his head against his shoulder.

“I know I was wrong, and I won’t do anything dangerous again.”

Xing Shuangzhan’s lips curled upward briefly before quickly reverting to his neutral expression. “Who am I to control your plans? It’s our Qingzhou who’s the head of the household.”

“…Huh?”

Chi Qingzhou looked up in confusion, not understanding why Xing Shuangzhan would say that.

Xing Shuangzhan calmly raised the corners of his lips, his fingers resting on the loose strands of hair at the back of Chi Qingzhou’s head, the heat of his touch intense.

Chi Qingzhou paused, a displeased wrinkle forming on his nose as he turned his head and bit down on his shoulder—

The spot perfectly matched where he had left a bite mark earlier that morning.

Xing Shuangzhan inhaled sharply from the pain and grabbed Chi Qingzhou’s chin, laughing as he scolded, “You little rascal. Not only do you worry people, now you’re biting too? Who taught you that?”

Chi Qingzhou let go, blinking his eyes with a slightly innocent look, his peach blossom eyes holding a touch of sweetness and naivety.

“But I don’t bite others. Brother Su, you’re not just anyone.”

Xing Shuangzhan was caught between anger and laughter, staring at Chi Qingzhou’s innocent eyes for a while before lowering his head and gently biting his nose.

The sudden warmth near him caught Chi Qingzhou off guard.

He stared blankly at Xing Shuangzhan’s half-smiling, half-serious face for a few seconds before instinctively jerking back, as if shocked by electricity.

What a strange feeling.

It wasn’t painful.

Just… strange.

It felt like being scorched by a low-temperature flame, the warmth spreading from his nose to his entire face.

A boundary had been crossed, and suddenly it felt awkward.

Chi Qingzhou rubbed his nose with a finger and shot a glare at Xing Shuangzhan.

Xing Shuangzhan maintained his half-smiling expression, but there was an unmistakable satisfaction in his eyes.

Chi Qingzhou couldn’t help but say, “Brother Su, you’re so bad.”

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t even blink. “Is telling the truth really that bad?”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t even want to snort at him, wrapping his arms around his neck, leaning against his shoulder, and slowly calming his breath.

The illusory pain in his soul wasn’t hard to endure, but the repulsive force in the tomb added to his discomfort, making him feel even worse.

Xing Shuangzhan paused for a moment, his hand gently caressing Chi Qingzhou’s back to soothe him.

The disoriented Bei Shen, who had first fallen into the outer perimeter of the mountain’s Grand Tomb, finally regained his senses after struggling to crawl out from a water storage recess in a nearby chamber. When he looked up, he saw the two of them leaning against each other.

A trace of irritation flashed in his eyes, and grinding his teeth, he turned and dashed toward the formation at the back of the tomb room before either of them noticed.

Xing Shuangzhan lazily glanced at him but didn’t stop him.

Bei Shen quickly reached the formation and couldn’t help but show a wild joy on his face.

This formation, formed by three or four basic formations interlinked, was so complex that Bei Shen couldn’t make out its specific purpose anymore.

But based on his research over the past few years, he was sure that this formation could harness the power of the Jingming Mountain’s Grand Tomb!

The reason he had linked his life-saving technique to the Grand Tomb Mountain was because of this formation.

As long as this formation existed, he could borrow the power of the tomb, and even if Xing Shuangzhan, the true master of the tomb, returned, he would still have a chance to fight back.

Bei Shen quickly performed a series of hand seals, chanting incantations.

Chi Qingzhou looked up at him and asked in confusion, “What’s he doing?”

Xing Shuangzhan casually replied, “Probably trying to activate the formation.”

Chi Qingzhou asked curiously, “What formation?”

Xing Shuangzhan answered, “Probably the one you set up.”

Chi Qingzhou: “…Huh?”

Chi Qingzhou was a bit surprised and took a moment to process it.

Bei Shen, who had been chanting, suddenly stopped, stiffened, and turned his head, glaring fiercely at Xing Shuangzhan.

“What are you talking about? This formation couldn’t possibly be his! The method of setting this formation is clearly the one used by the Grand Master of the Shuo Fang Kingdom over a thousand years ago!”

In order to solve the curse on him, Bei Shen had studied countless ancient books.

He had done in-depth research and carefully compared every detail. This formation was clearly identical to the one used by the Shuo Fang Grand Master.

No matter how powerful Chi Qingzhou was, he was only in his twenties. How could he have the ability and foundation to set up such a formation?

He didn’t believe it!

Bei Shen breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly, desperately denying Xing Shuangzhan’s words. But there was a voice in his heart that kept echoing.

Could it really not be him?

The altar he activated today—he had thought it had nothing to do with Chi Qingzhou, but what happened?

It was clearly a trap set by Chi Qingzhou!

Could this formation be the same?

Bei Shen didn’t want to believe it, but his teeth started to tremble uncontrollably.

Xing Shuangzhan scoffed. “I taught him. What’s the problem?”

Bei Shen froze for a moment, his eyes widening slowly.

Xing Shuangzhan was at least 1200 years old, a world-ending level ghost. Given his abilities, it wasn’t surprising that he understood these things.

But, even if he could teach, could Chi Qingzhou learn?

Bei Shen shook his head, mocking, “You think I’m a fool? Don’t joke around. Even if Chi Qingzhou really understands, with his abilities, could he really use it? This isn’t child’s play!”

He couldn’t help but sneer.

If this formation were really made by Xing Shuangzhan, he would believe it, but Chi Qingzhou? A young man only 22 years old, how much ability could he have!

Neither Xing Shuangzhan nor Chi Qingzhou responded.

The two exchanged a subtle look, their expressions identical in their profound mystery.

Bei Shen laughed for a long while but received no reaction from the two. His smile slowly faded as his heart sank.

He silently stared at the two opposing him, his fingers gradually trembling.

Xing Shuangzhan smirked, “You’re good at choosing your angles.”

Why suspect something trivial? To doubt his little contractor’s strength.

“Don’t talk about the methods of the Shuo Fang master, with Qingzhou’s ability, what can’t he do?”

Bei Shen’s spine shivered, and he instinctively raised his voice, “Impossible! Impossible! He’s only 22!”

Xing Shuangzhan casually interrupted, “But my Qingzhou is one of a kind.”

Bei Shen’s gaze instantly turned dark.

Chi Qingzhou finally adapted to the pervasive repulsion in the tomb and, filled with curiosity, took a few steps forward, finally seeing the formation Bei Shen had mentioned.

It was a nested formation made of talismans and array flags, complex but with a clear setup.

Its purpose was simple: to suppress the tomb’s sealing formation, making it easier for the one activating the formation to move within the tomb.

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze fell on the two vacant spots in the formation, where there should be two guiding talismans carrying the user’s magical power.

He paused, took out the guiding talismans he had gotten from Shen Wenxing.

On the yellow paper, the cinnabar characters were clear and smooth, and the talisman exuded abundant spiritual energy, matching the talismans in the array exactly.

Chi Qingzhou couldn’t help but smile, “So the talismans used in the formation were made by Shen Wenxu.”

Bei Shen’s brow twitched, his expression darkening even more.

Chi Qingzhou ignored him, focused on the formation, and suddenly a few fragmented images flashed in his mind.

He froze for a moment, instinctively trying to recall the images, when the system, which had been quietly staying in his shadow, suddenly trembled, and the construction module was unexpectedly activated.

It was startled, about to shout that it hadn’t done anything, but found it had lost control over the voice module.

The system was terrified, while Chi Qingzhou was suddenly plunged into darkness as the constructed memories flooded his mind.

…

A team of archaeologists walked through a dense forest, with two Miao guides leading them, one in front and one behind.

“As long as we cross this forest, we’ll reach the outer layer of the Jingming Mountain Grand Tomb.”

An energetic old professor looked around the forest and asked in some confusion, “Are we sure the tomb has a nested structure?”

The Miao guide replied, “I don’t know what you mean by a nested structure, but everyone in our village knows that the mountain Grand Tomb is a tomb group, and the main tomb should be at the summit of the Jingming Mountain.”

The old professor exclaimed, “The summit? But the summit is over 4,000 meters high, the terrain is steep, and the peak is almost always covered with snow. How was the tomb built there?”

Another guide gently replied, “We don’t know. But look.”

He pointed towards the main peak, and under the sunlight, a frost-covered altar appeared faintly.

“The main tomb is right next to the altar.”

The professors quickly gathered around the guide, taking out binoculars to observe closely, and indeed saw a building on the summit.

They waved to their team, “Chi Qingzhou, Chi Qingzhou, come here and take a look. Is that the altar?”

The called Chi Qingzhou suddenly snapped out of the state he was in.

He looked up at the sun in the sky.

This memory… was it from two years ago, when he participated in the archaeology?

But why could he remember so few details?

Could it be that even this memory was blurred for him?

As he pondered, he slowly walked out of the crowd.

The old professor handed him the binoculars. He pursed his lips, took them, and looked closely.

A familiar building, one he had seen before, the same altar used for the Xing Shuangzhan”s sacrificial rite thousands of years ago.

He lowered the binoculars and nodded to the professors.

The professors immediately started discussing the origin and purpose of the altar, debating for a while, sighing.

“If only the drone could capture an image of the altar.”

“We don’t need video, just photos will do!”

“It’s really strange, every piece of equipment fails when it reaches the summit. Could it be because of the altitude, it can’t withstand the cold?”

“It shouldn’t be. This isn’t the far north, even if it’s cold, it shouldn’t be that bad.”

“The problem is, even if we fly a plane, we can’t take clear pictures. It’s really…”

The professors sighed for a while, eating some food, before calling the students to follow the guide into the forest again.

“Wait! The people ahead, wait!”

The urgent shout came from the forest they had passed through earlier. Everyone turned around to see a young Taoist priest in robes hurrying over, followed by a student dressed in an archaeological team uniform.

The young Taoist priest, out of breath, pointed at the student behind him and asked, “Is he with you? I just saw him in the eastern forest; he nearly ran into the most dangerous area!”

The professors were shocked: “Xiao Ma, weren’t you with the guide going down the mountain? How did you end up in the eastern forest?”

The student, Xiao Ma, scratched his head awkwardly and said, “I just wanted to go to the bathroom, but after I came out, I got lost.”

The professors: “…”

They quickly thanked the young Taoist priest, then scolded Xiao Ma for his reckless behavior. Feeling awkward, they asked the two guides if it was still possible to contact the guide.

The two guides were also worried about their companion’s safety and decided to stay for a few minutes.

While everyone was busy, they didn’t notice the enthusiastic Taoist priest had somehow approached Chi Qingzhou.

“Y-You, hello,” the Taoist priest said somewhat awkwardly, “I’m Shen Wenxu. I know you, you’re Chi Qingzhou, right?”

Chi Qingzhou blinked in surprise.

Was it Shen Wenxu who first greeted him back then?

He couldn’t quite remember.

Chi Qingzhou nodded at Shen Wenxu. “Yes, I’m Chi Qingzhou.”

Shen Wenxu nervously pinched his sleeve and whispered, “I heard you like making friends. I… I can be your friend, right?”

Chi Qingzhou: “…?”

What is this, a kindergarten playdate?

Shen Wenxu sneakily glanced at Chi Qingzhou, and when he saw Chi Qingzhou looking at him with a somewhat puzzled expression, he became even more nervous.

He gripped his sleeve tightly and anxiously explained, “I don’t mean anything else! I just… I think you’re amazing. Everything my master can’t do, you’ve already done. I really want to be friends with you. I… I want to become as powerful as you!”

…Hmm?

Chi Qingzhou slowly blinked again.

He carefully observed Shen Wenxu for a while before sincerely replying, “Thank you for the compliment, but I’ll pass.”

Shen Wenxu froze, and with a rip, part of his sleeve was torn off.

He stared blankly at Chi Qingzhou, and all the courage he had gathered instantly evaporated.

“May I ask why?” His voice was quieter.

Chi Qingzhou spoke honestly, “I have many friends of your kind, so I don’t need any new ones.”

Shen Wenxu: “B-but Cheng Shang is friends with you.”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “But Ah Shang isn’t like you.”

Shen Wenxu: “Oh.”

He lowered his head, looking like a dog abandoned by its owner, his whole demeanor filled with dejection.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t pay much attention to his reaction. He glanced at the professors, saw they were still finishing their conversation with the guides, and decided to rest for a while.

Shen Wenxu, seeing this, quickly grabbed Chi Qingzhou’s sleeve, frantically pushing a stack of talismans into his hands.

He awkwardly said, “I wanted to be friends with you, so I prepared these gifts. Even though you didn’t agree to be friends, I still think I should give them to you.”

Chi Qingzhou waved his hand, about to refuse, but Shen Wenxu stepped back and said, “Gifts only have value when they’re given. Also, I want to ask… If I become as special as Cheng Shang, can I be your friend?”

Chi Qingzhou said, “Of course not. My standards for friends are very high.”

Shen Wenxu, hearing this, brightened up: “Then I’ll work hard to meet your high standards. Chi Qingzhou, wait for me.”

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head.

Throughout his life, in the process of making friends, he had always been the more persistent one. This was the first time someone was so determined to be friends with him.

He suddenly felt curious: “Shen Wenxu, why do you insist on being friends with me? Don’t give me the same answer as before, I know that’s not the most important reason.”

Shen Wenxu was silent for a moment before answering seriously, “I’m not brushing you off, but that’s indeed not the most important reason.”

“Chi Qingzhou, I come from the Xuanxu Sect, where they call me the first genius. It sounds glorious, but the sect is already rotten.”

“I’ve had many bad thoughts, but it was your story that kept me going.”

“I also want to become as powerful as you, to pull out the rotten roots of this place.”

“I’ve always longed to be friends with you, I want your approval.”

Chi Qingzhou didn’t answer his question. “So what are you planning to do?”

A hint of fierceness appeared on Shen Wenxu’s usually gentle face.

“Step one, I’ll start like you did, gradually forgetting some memories.”

“Then I’ll temporarily make myself someone who poses no threat to them.”

“I can provide enough information to the Paranormal Control Bureau and have room to improve myself.”

He smiled.

“By the time I recover my memories, I’ll have gathered enough power to achieve everything I want.”

“Chi Qingzhou, you overcame countless obstacles to bring Xing Shuangzhan out of Jingming Mountain’s Grand Tomb. What I’m doing isn’t that hard. As long as I work hard enough, I will succeed.”

“I also hope you succeed.”

“No matter what you want to do, I hope you succeed.”

“I know you’re keeping an eye on Bei Shen. Don’t worry, I’ll help keep track of his movements.”

Shen Wenxu looked at him with sincerity. “I want to help you. If I can help, I will.”

Chi Qingzhou stayed silent for a moment before thanking him.

Even though there was no promise made, Shen Wenxu was very happy.

He happily bade farewell to Chi Qingzhou and turned to resolutely walk into the forest.

Chi Qingzhou watched his figure, but his vision began to darken.

The sound of flowing water passed by his ears, and after an unknown amount of time, faint light slowly reappeared before his eyes.

In the spacious and tall tomb chamber, a massive bronze coffin sat in the center.

The coffin was covered in intricate patterns, and around it were engraved mountains and rivers. On top of the lid, a majestic Zhulong^[1] was sculpted.

Its eyes, made of red jade, seemed to come to life under the faint light, slowly shifting direction.