sbdcsierra Chapter 259 [Tomb of the Infant] The Secret of the Domain River
Chapter 259 [Tomb of the Infant] The Secret of the Domain River
[Note: In ancient times, people faced south to determine the direction and solar terms, hence the left was east and the right was west.]
"This is arranged according to a cycle, with the four symbols taking turns, and there are exactly 28 statues in one cycle."
Chen Yuetan said thoughtfully.
He stood next to Chen Ji and pointed to the colossal statue with a sorrowful expression on their left: "Horned Constellation."
"Horned Wood Dragon".
"This is the first of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon in the East."
Chen Yuetan seemed to have seen the Horned Star on the Yu River before, which is why he recognized it immediately.
They checked them one by one and found that, counting clockwise, the order was headed by Jiao Mu Jiao and ended by Zhen Shui Yin.
This forms a closed loop.
The three walked inside, and their flashlights soon shone on a coffin.
The entire coffin was made of pure black rock, and the lid had been opened.
The gazes of the twenty-eight stone statues were fixed on the coffin, as if they were monitoring it.
"Is the Ghostly Inn imprisoning the ghost infant?" Chen Ji thought to himself.
The ghost baby had already been taken away; only a tiger-head hat remained inside the coffin.
It was not rotten.
It is more detailed than the clay sculpture, and you can tell that it was carefully sewn by an old woman. It has a red silk base, and various colorful silk threads are used to sew the tiger head to life. There is also a thick white velvet edging.
Suddenly, Wusu spoke up, "Can I take it with me?"
His gaze was somewhat unfocused as he stared at the hat.
"You remember it?" Chen Yuetan was taken aback.
Usu shook his head.
After a moment's thought, Chen Ji put the tiger-head hat into his backpack, but didn't let Wu Su touch it.
This was, after all, the tomb of the ghost infant. Considering the head inside Wusu's body and his special relationship with the ghost infant, they decided to hand the hat to Wusu after leaving the tomb.
To prevent any abnormalities from occurring.
They carefully examined the inside of the coffin again, and Chen Ji discovered that the bottom of the black coffin was actually a door!
Only when illuminated by strong light can the intricate grooves on the base plate be seen.
It was exactly the same door they came in through.
A layer of ash floated on the door. Chen Yuetan picked up a bit and smelled it, confirming that it was carbon ash.
It should be the remnants of the charred corpse of the ghost infant.
The three left the coffin, passed through the Ghostly Abode, and walked to another open space in the tomb, where they stopped.
"The Ghostly Deity is suppressing the ghost infant."
Chen Yuetan stated his thoughts directly: "Or perhaps it's to suppress this tomb."
"We'll have to see the murals to find out the specifics. I hope it's not what I'm thinking." Chen Yuetan raised his head high and stared solemnly at the head of the Ghostly Being.
Except for the Water Earthworm (轸水蚓), the expressions of the other constellations change from sorrow to anger as they move from the outside in.
Chen Ji also looked at these stone statues, and gradually, his brows suddenly furrowed:
"uncle....."
"Have you noticed that the statues further to the left seem to be more weathered and damaged?"
The first one, "Horned Wood Dragon," in particular, had its side profile covered in cracks, as if it had been corroded.
Upon closer inspection, its color is also dimmer than the other strange constellations.
Only the water worms remained intact, just as they had been on the Yu River.
"This isn't outdoors..."
Chen Yuetan murmured, "What happened to make them like this?"
Is it the erosion of time?
His unpleasant suspicion seemed to be turning into reality.
Thinking of what those "bastards" had said in Happiness Garden, Chen Yuetan's heart sank.
When the end of the world comes, our children and grandchildren will be grateful!
"The mural is here!"
On the other side, Chen Ji went around to the north side of the tomb chamber and shouted loudly.
He ignored the paintings in front of him and went straight to the back, his pupils suddenly contracting!
The last three-quarters of the mural...
It is a river.
To be precise, there was a thin layer of puddles on the riverbed.
Just as Chen Yuetan said, it has indeed dried up!
I don't know what method the artist used, but the riverbed was dotted with countless stars, making it look glittering, as if sequins were pasted on a mural.
On both sides of the riverbed, many blurry, giant shadows were drawn, clearly representing the Ghost Constellation.
The ghosts are looking towards the end of the riverbed...
Chen Ji's gaze slowly shifted backward.
His eyes froze.
At the end of this river... there is a village!
Small tiled houses are huddled together, forming an ancient village!
It was exactly the one he and Xu Sandao saw in the pure white space on the other side of the Domain River...
It is something that can be seen but not reached, like a mirage.
But the giant statues on both sides of the riverbed prove that this painting depicts the front of the Yu River. Could it be that the mountain village exists on both sides simultaneously?
Or is the one on the other side just a projection?
That's why I've been unable to get through it?
Chen Ji seemed to be deep in thought.
He continued looking back.
The mural left a half-meter gap, and the dried-up river reappeared, but it was painted very shortly, and the starlight on the riverbed was no longer bright.
There is less water.
The statue of the Ghostly Constellation has also disappeared.
Only the village remains unchanged, standing in the same place...
wrong.
changed!
At the very front of the village, a huge archway was painted, from which countless evil spirits crawled out!
This archway... is exactly the same as the one in the main hall.
The blood in Chen Ji's body froze in that instant.
He then seemed to remember something, and immediately shifted his gaze to the left, looking at the other side of the Yu River!
Both he and Chen Yuetan had personally visited that place many times.
The door that leads from the River of Knowledge to the real world is indeed depicted in the mural.
The door is open.
"They're all out..."
Chen Ji muttered in confusion, his mind filled with images of countless black doors in the main hall, and behind each door, a world that seemed to be a domain. Suddenly, he realized—
Why did Gui Su appear in this tomb?
They suppressed not only the original corpses, but also the ghosts behind the door.
And there are at least three large tombs that resemble ghost infants.
One of them should be the mountain village at the end of the Yu River.
The murals that follow depict countless vengeful ghosts appearing in reality, humans being slaughtered, and the slain humans turning into ghosts.
Just like the Liding Apartments.
Chen Ji stiffly turned his head to look at Chen Yuetan, who had silently walked up to him. The other man's expression was extremely stern as he said in a deep voice:
"This is 'the end of the world'."
"Will it really happen?" Chen Ji paused before asking.
Chen Yuetan did not answer, but instead gestured for Chen Ji to walk back with him to see the murals in front.
They need to determine whether it's a curse or a prophecy.
Some scenes appeared in the previous picture before the Yuhe River dried up.
It is the modern world.
This completely dashed Chen Ji's hopes.
It is unknown how long ago these paintings were created, but the appearance of these images proves that they are "prophecies".
It is divided into several parts, some sections are scratched, and the remaining sections, from top to bottom, are:
A blurry figure is boating on the Yu River, about to reach the mountain village.
A grave was dug up, and inside lay two figures, one large and one small.
A train derailed.
A boy placed a bouquet of flowers in front of a tombstone.
Several parts of the image were erased.
The last one...
Chen Ji was stunned.
Why is someone else going to that mountain village?
It is a silhouette of a middle-aged woman.
Upon seeing this picture, Chen Yuetan's eyes widened suddenly, his whole body trembled, and his expression became one of extreme horror, a rare occurrence for him.
"How can it be!!"
His face was almost pressed against the painting, and after a long while, he stiffly looked at Chen Ji:
"The director of the Thirteenth Bureau."
"Horned Wood Dragon, Jade Heavenly Appearance".
"She disappeared from her..."
"This is the thirteenth time in the domain."
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The order of the constellations:
[Horn → Neck → Clan → Room → Heart → Tail → Winnowing Basket → Dipper + Ox → Woman → Emptiness → Danger → Room → Wall Gold Lou → Stomach → Pleiades → Net → Back → Three Stars → Well → Ghost → Willow → Star → Extended → Wings → Chariot]