Since waking from her unconscious state, Ye Li had never felt such a headache. The former dynasty had fallen over two hundred years ago, and at least in recent decades, there had been no news of any remnants attempting to restore the fallen kingdom. But… who could truly say for certain about matters of national vengeance and personal grudges? Although the Ding Royal Palace was not the one currently ruling the empire, at least half the battles that led to the former dynasty’s collapse were fought by the first Prince Ding, Mo Lanyun. Thus, Ye Li couldn’t be sure whether the remnants of the former dynasty hated the emperor of Great Chu more or Prince Ding more. And now, she had clearly landed in a place where these remnants had gathered. However, the silver lining was that most of the residents here—aside from a few highly respected elders—seemed unaware of the dynastic change and showed no interest in who sat on the throne.
Watching her rest her chin on her hand with a shifting expression, Doctor Lin didn’t say much. After all, this wasn’t something ordinary people could easily accept.
"Master… do you want to restore the fallen kingdom?" After a long while, Ye Li finally sorted through her tangled thoughts and asked the question almost casually.
"Restore the kingdom?" Doctor Lin gave her a strange look, as if he had swallowed something inedible. After a long pause, he snorted lightly and said, "Have you ever seen someone hiding in the deep mountains for decades trying to restore a kingdom? Besides… I’m a physician. What would I use to restore a kingdom? Poison Mo Liufang and Mo Jingxuan?"
Ye Li took a sip of the mild tea and calmly replied, "It’s Mo Jingqi and Mo Xiuyao now. Mo Liufang and Mo Jingxuan passed away many years ago."
Doctor Lin glared at her fiercely, then frowned in confusion. "This generation’s Prince Ding is called Mo Xiuyao? I remember Mo Liufang’s son was named Mo Xiuwen when he was born…"
This time, Ye Li truly believed Doctor Lin hadn’t left this place for decades. She answered earnestly, "Mo Xiuwen was the previous Prince Ding. He passed away nine years ago."
Doctor Lin glanced at her. "You seem to know quite a lot, girl."
Ye Li smiled faintly. "Didn’t you say yourself that I come from a noble family? How could I not know such major events?"
Doctor Lin waved his hand impatiently. "National vengeance, personal grudges… who can make sense of things that happened over two hundred years ago? Even if the common people today are dissatisfied with the Great Chu imperial family, would they really yearn for the former dynasty?" If that were the case, the former dynasty wouldn’t have fallen in the first place. The later emperors were incompetent and tyrannical, leaving the people in misery. Even though the last emperor had wanted to reform and revive the kingdom, he himself lacked the talent of a true ruler. In the end, he couldn’t turn the tide and could only watch as the kingdom collapsed. Truthfully, one couldn’t blame the Great Chu’s founding emperor too much. In the end, it was simply a matter of the victor becoming king and the loser being labeled a rebel.
"What is it that Lin Yuan wants? Why are you so determined not to give it to him? Since you no longer care about restoring the kingdom or the outside world, then why…"
Doctor Lin sighed and looked at her with a bitter smile. "It’s not that I refuse to give it to him… it’s that I have nothing to give. What he wants… is the treasure buried in the mausoleum of the former dynasty’s founding emperor."Ye Li frowned. It was only natural for an imperial tomb to contain treasures, so she didn’t understand what Doctor Lin meant by saying there were none. Doctor Lin said calmly, "The tomb of Emperor Gaozu is indeed here. The people in this village are descendants of the most loyal guards who followed Emperor Gaozu. After the emperor’s passing, they swore an oath to guard his tomb for eternity. To prevent unfilial descendants, they established rules: future generations were forbidden to learn to read, no one was allowed to leave the vicinity of the tomb or venture beyond the village, and the secret of the tomb was only passed down through the village chief. Even the villagers themselves never knew their own origins."
Ye Li didn’t know how to respond to this, so she simply remained silent. Raising her head, she asked, "Master, what are your plans now? If Lin Yuan finds out his subordinate didn’t retrieve the items, will he come back personally?"
Doctor Lin nodded and, after a moment of thought, asked Ye Li, "Is the world unstable now?" If the Great Chu Dynasty were peaceful and prosperous, with no hope of restoration, Lin Yuan wouldn’t have turned his attention to the imperial tomb.
Ye Li didn’t hide the truth and nodded. "It is indeed chaotic. Unless something unexpected happens… the Mo Family Army and the Great Chu imperial family will likely break ties…"
"Break ties…" Doctor Lin sighed wistfully. "Back then, people spoke of the deep brotherly bond between the founding emperor of Great Chu and Prince Ding, and how awe-inspiring they were when they fought side by side to conquer the world. Who would have thought their descendants would come to this point? No wonder… no wonder… Ah, never mind. These matters are beyond an old man like me. Girl, pack up—we need to leave this place as soon as possible."
Ye Li was taken aback. "Leave? What about the villagers here?"
Doctor Lin snorted lightly. "I’ll naturally leave a message for him. It’s best if he doesn’t harm these people."
Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Will he listen to you?"
Doctor Lin smirked coldly. "If he doesn’t, I’ll hand the items over to Mo Xiuyao…"
Ye Li fell silent, inwardly impressed by her opportunistic master. You don’t even know if there’s any treasure in the imperial tomb or what it might be, yet you’re already dragging Mo Xiuyao into this? Do you want Mo Xiuyao dead, or Lin Yuan dead?
"Master, why not pick someone else? What about Prince Zhennan of Xiling, Lei Zhenting?" Ye Li suggested sincerely. Judging by Doctor Lin’s demeanor, he still had some affection for Lin Yuan, and Ye Li didn’t want him to clash with Mo Xiuyao, lest it damage their master-disciple relationship in the future.
Doctor Lin glanced at her, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Girl, what’s your relationship with Mo Xiuyao? I think I heard those two fellows mention that Mo Xiuyao is currently near Hongzhou. What a coincidence that you…"
Ye Li smiled faintly. "Master, who I am isn’t important right now, don’t you think? You just need to know that your disciple would never harm you."
Doctor Lin studied her intently for a long while. Ye Li remained still, sitting composedly under his scrutiny. Finally, Doctor Lin gave a light humph and nodded, letting the matter drop.Leaving such a secluded mountain village wasn’t as simple as just walking away, especially when the travelers were a sixty-year-old man who knew no martial arts and a heavily pregnant woman. To make matters worse, the path they intended to take was an Imperial Tomb that no one had ever traversed before. Given their frail and vulnerable group, there was no hope of crossing the treacherous mountain range that even able-bodied men found perilous. Moreover, they were highly likely to encounter Lin Yuan or his men along the way. Thus, the rumored passage leading out of the Imperial Tomb was their only hope.
Ye Li couldn’t help but recall tomb-raiding novels from her past life, silently hoping this Imperial Tomb wasn’t as dangerous or eerie as those books described. Otherwise… if given a choice, she would have preferred to wait until after the baby was born and leave via a safer route. But now, with her identity still concealed, the moment Lin Yuan appeared, everything would change. If he truly harbored ambitions—or delusions—of restoring a fallen kingdom, he would undoubtedly deduce that she was Mo Xiuyao’s wife, the mistress of Ding Royal Palace. That would spell serious trouble.
Several days later, Doctor Lin finally packed all his belongings, including his collection of rare and ancient books. Meanwhile, Ye Li used the time to prepare necessary supplies. Then, in the early morning while the entire village still slept, the elderly Old Clan Leader, already in his seventies, personally escorted them into the mountains. As expected, they arrived at the waterfall Ye Li had previously scouted. The Old Clan Leader guided them behind the cascading water, revealing a massive limestone cave. Prepared in advance, Ye Li removed the rain cloak draped over her shoulders and shook off the water. When she had first produced the cloak, both the Old Clan Leader and Doctor Lin had given her surprised glances. Ye Li smiled sweetly. "It’s for the baby’s sake—just a precaution…" Doctor Lin gave her a knowing look but said nothing, while the white-haired Old Clan Leader silently observed them both before leading the way deeper into the cave. Clearly, Doctor Lin had already discussed matters with him.
The cave was vast and deep, unmistakably a natural formation. Stalactites of various shapes hung from the ceiling, dripping water incessantly. Running through the center was a swiftly flowing artificial river, its channel neatly constructed and flanked by meticulously carved stone pathways. Though overgrown with moss from years of disuse, intricate patterns could still be faintly discerned on the stone foundations. Ye Li couldn’t help but twitch her lips. It was said that every emperor began constructing their Imperial Tomb upon ascending the throne. If they were all built on the scale of this former dynasty’s founder, then starting early was indeed necessary—even areas completely unrelated to the tomb were this elaborately designed. Without an early start, an emperor might die before his burial place was ready.
The three of them walked deeper into the cave for nearly half an hour before stopping at what appeared to be a dead end. The turbulent river emerged from beneath a stone wall. Ye Li could only hope their journey didn’t require them to dive underwater.The Old Clan Leader slowly felt his way along the moss-covered stone walls overgrown with wild grass. After a long while, he finally found a spot and took out a strangely shaped key from his robe, pressing it against the wall and turning it. With a loud rumble, a door cracked open in the stone wall. The Old Clan Leader looked at the two of them and said, "Go in. Take care of yourselves."
Doctor Lin nodded and began, "You—"
The Old Clan Leader raised his hand to stop him and said, "I know. We've guarded this place for centuries, and no one has ever entered. After all these years... we no longer wish to know what lies inside. Since the founding emperor did not leave its contents to future generations, we have no intention of changing that now. I am old. All I wish is for this village to become an ordinary place, no longer burdened with guarding secrets. Let this secret end with me. I thank you for never revealing it to the young master all these years... Once you enter, this will no longer be needed. Take it with you."
Doctor Lin nodded and said, "Take care." Accepting the key handed to him by the Old Clan Leader, he led Ye Li inside as the stone wall slowly closed behind them.
As the wall sealed shut, darkness enveloped them. Doctor Lin lit a firestarter and approached an oil lamp on the wall, igniting it. Soon, the candlelight reflected off a bronze mirror diagonally across from them, its beams refracting onto another mirror. In moments, the once pitch-black passage was illuminated. Ye Li raised an eyebrow but remained silent as she followed Doctor Lin forward.
The passage was eerily quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing. As they walked, Ye Li studied the walls on either side. She couldn't help but think that the founding emperor of the previous dynasty had indeed been extravagant. As the Princess of the State, she had attended one or two imperial tomb ceremonies and had even entered the late emperor's Underground Palace—though only the outermost sections. Yet even those unremarkable corridors were not as lavishly adorned as this one, with marble carvings and lifelike dragon reliefs covering the walls and floor. Each dragon's eyes were inlaid with gemstones, exuding the opulence and majesty of imperial power.
As they proceeded down the passage, they encountered none of the legendary traps or mechanisms often rumored to exist in such places. In the sunless depths of the Imperial Tomb, Ye Li could only roughly estimate their direction and distance traveled.
After half an hour, they finally arrived at a side chamber. The oil lamps in the room instantly filled the space with fragrance, causing Ye Li to retreat several steps in caution. However, she soon realized the scent was not poison but ambergris. Still, it was not beneficial for a pregnant woman, so she kept her distance. Doctor Lin examined the tattered map in his hands while surveying the empty room. "Let's rest here for a while. You must be tired..."Ye Li looked at the map in his hand and asked curiously, "Since the Old Clan Leader doesn’t want the treasures in the Imperial Tomb to see the light of day, isn’t he afraid we’ll come back after leaving and take everything inside?" Doctor Lin turned to glance at her and replied indifferently, "It’s said... the entrance we used to enter the Imperial Tomb cannot be opened without a key, and the exit we’re about to take... can only be opened once, for just fifteen minutes each time." Ye Li couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. "Master, are you sure that exit hasn’t been opened before?" The term "Master" clearly pleased the old man, his expression softening considerably as he said, "What if it has? What would you do?" Ye Li smiled wryly and sighed, "Then I’d have no choice but to live and die with you, Master. It’s just a pity for my baby..." A faint smile also appeared on Doctor Lin’s face as he looked at her. "That kid has a tough fate. He’s been fine all this time following you around—nothing will happen to him."
"Thank you for your auspicious words, Master," Ye Li chuckled. Feeling slightly more at ease, she couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "What exactly did the founding emperor of the previous dynasty leave in the Imperial Tomb? And why doesn’t the Old Clan Leader want Lin Yuan to get it?" Doctor Lin replied calmly, "I don’t know. But Emperor Gaozu did order the tomb guards never to let the treasures inside be passed on. As for the Old Clan Leader... they just want to live in peace." Ye Li raised an eyebrow, and Doctor Lin continued, "Lin Yuan grew up in the village, so the Old Clan Leader naturally knows his temperament. If he fails to obtain what he seeks, it’s one thing. But if he succeeds, no one in this village will be left alive."
Ye Li was puzzled, but Doctor Lin waved his hand, indicating he had no intention of elaborating further.
Ye Li found a spot to sit down, gently stroking her belly to soothe the baby. Then she lowered her head to study the carvings on the stone wall. The empty stone chamber was silent except for the occasional soft tap of her fingers against the rock.
－－－－－－Author’s Note－－－－－－
Ahh, I just realized that the endings of the previous two chapters and the beginnings of the next ones seem to have a few hundred words repeated. Since I write on a notepad, sometimes I add a bit more before posting, but yesterday when I opened the notepad to continue writing, I forgot that the earlier section was already written and ended up with two versions. Thanks to the dear readers for pointing it out—it’s been fixed now. But since I can’t delete the extra words, Phoenix will make up for the extra length in later chapters. Or would you all prefer a public extra chapter later on?
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