The Company

Chapter 14: Dumb Shop • Red Dragon Robe (Part 2)

The unopened secret passage from over two thousand years ago carried an unbearably pungent odor.

Although the Doctor was accustomed to various sharp chemical medical reagents, the millennial stench of decay and mold that assaulted his senses made him seriously consider turning back—especially when he thought about the source of this smell.

But he merely entertained the thought. Having come this far, how could he retreat over such a trivial matter? However, when the Boss passed him something from the darkness, he froze momentarily.

"Gas mask. It'll help," the Boss said, his voice muffled through the already-worn mask. "This type protects against mercury vapor. You'll need it even more as we go deeper."

The Doctor hurriedly put on the mask, and the foul odor indeed lessened. He couldn't help feeling somewhat ashamed—despite preparing numerous modern tools, none had proven useful. In the end, he still had to rely on the Boss.

Truthfully, this wasn't entirely the Doctor's fault. As an amateur, he naturally couldn't know what would be necessary. Most of the equipment the Curator had prepared for him was for surface exploration. Even the Curator, who held high expectations for the Boss, never imagined they would actually enter the underground palace of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum—at best, they were supposed to conduct peripheral investigations.

Noticing the Doctor still looked rather pale, the Boss took several oxygen bags from his backpack and handed them over. "You carry these. The underground palace hasn't been opened for centuries—the air is heavy with toxic gases. Use these if it becomes unbearable."

Finally understanding why the Boss's backpack had been so heavy, the Doctor quickly stored the oxygen bags in his pack, keeping one in hand for immediate use. These portable oxygen bags were common in hospitals, so he naturally knew how to use them. Observing that the Boss showed no intention of using oxygen himself, the Doctor privately speculated that this level of air pollution likely posed no difficulty for him.

He always felt the Boss resembled a superhuman, with physical capabilities far beyond ordinary people. After they returned, he resolved to remember to collect a strand of the Boss's hair and a blood sample for testing.

Distracted by these thoughts, the Doctor found the crawl through the narrow secret passage more bearable. The tunnel had been hastily dug by craftsmen seeking escape routes, thus crude and only wide enough for one person, descending at a steep incline. Crawling downward in pitch-black darkness behind the Boss soon became exhausting, but a few breaths from the oxygen bag revived his spirits. Before long, he heard mechanical sounds ahead.

Seeing nothing in the complete darkness, the Doctor crawled several more steps before realizing the Boss had jumped down into a pit. He immediately followed suit.

"The secret passage we just came through was dug by craftsmen for escape, so naturally there were no traps," the Boss's calm voice echoed faintly in the darkness. "But the path ahead leads to the underground palace. Follow my footsteps exactly."

The space here being slightly wider than the previous tunnel, the Doctor finally had room to retrieve a flashlight from his bag and switch it on.

The beam of light cutting through the deep, elongated tomb passage created the sensation of traveling through a time tunnel.

The Boss remarked with a faint smile, "Finally brought something useful."The doctor, having received praise, was naturally quite pleased with himself. Only now, with light before his eyes allowing him to see, did he gain a sense of reality. So he truly was inside the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. A surge of excitement welled up within him as he cautiously followed the boss's footsteps, stepping forward one brick at a time.

Though the tomb passage was constructed over two thousand years ago, it remained smooth and level without any signs of wear, a testament to the immense effort invested by the craftsmen of that era. Having been sealed away from sunlight and untouched by human footsteps for millennia, it retained its original state from when it was first closed. Were it not for the stale air in the passage, the doctor might have mistaken it for a newly built film set.

The tomb passage sloped downward, though not as steeply as the secret tunnel they had just crawled through. The doctor focused intently on following the boss's footsteps. At first, he found it thrilling, but as time passed, it became exceedingly dull. Fearing he might make a misstep due to drowsiness, he initiated a conversation, inquiring about the underground palace.

The boss explained that Qin Shi Huang's underground palace was vast. Apart from the main tomb passage used during the emperor's burial, there were several auxiliary passages like this one. Since Qin Shi Huang adhered to the ritual principle of "serving the dead as one serves the living," his mausoleum was constructed to be nearly as large as his imperial palace, complete with underground walls and ten underground palace gates. All structures within the underground palace were arranged according to the layout of his palace during his lifetime. Besides the central chamber housing his coffin, there were numerous side halls intended for deceased consorts and other sacrificial burials. Because those eligible for burial died at uncertain times, the main tomb passage and central hall were sealed after Qin Shi Huang's interment, while other passages remained unclosed, which gave Huhai the opportunity to covet the mausoleum.

The doctor had long been mentally prepared for the sheer scale of the underground palace. Numerous burial pits had already been excavated in the outer areas, including the world-renowned Terracotta Army pits and bronze chariot pits, as well as over six hundred other sites such as large stone armor pits, acrobat figurine pits, civil official figurine pits, exotic animal pits, stable pits, and sacrificial tombs. With so many burial sites in the outer areas alone, the interior of the underground palace was bound to be even more astonishing. However, after walking for over an hour without any change in the tomb passage, the doctor grew increasingly restless. Had he not been certain the boss was leading him in one direction, he might have thought they were going in circles.

Noticing his impatience, the boss stopped and said calmly, "I'm taking you on a shortcut to the center of the underground palace. Along the way, there are many hidden passages leading to various tomb chambers, but they're all quite similar and not worth seeing." As he spoke, he tapped a specific spot on the tomb wall. With a loud rumble, the wall collapsed inward, and after the dust settled, a dark tomb chamber was revealed.

The doctor quickly shone his flashlight inside, revealing only a stone coffin and some burial items on the floor. The doctor had little interest in antiques, and these artifacts, having endured over two thousand years, appeared to him like garbage, even though he knew they were immensely valuable. Such is the difference in interests: had the curator been there, he would have eagerly rushed forward, whereas the doctor would rather study the boss's cellular genes.The Boss restored the opened burial chamber to its original state, and the Doctor had also composed himself. He wasn't here for sightseeing but to accompany the Boss on this journey. In truth, the Doctor's insistence on coming to the underground palace stemmed not only from a desire to witness the majestic grandeur of the Qin Mausoleum but also from a deeper fear—that the Boss might have no will to live and would choose to rest eternally underground with Fusu.

At the very least, with him along, the Boss would need to ensure his safe return.

After pressing forward again and walking for a long while, the Doctor noticed the tomb passage gradually widening. The blue bricks beneath their feet now bore carved patterns, and murals adorned the walls. At the end of the passage stood a heavy stone tomb door, sealed for over two thousand years and impossible to reopen. The Boss led the Doctor through a detour via a side chamber, and when they returned to the central axis of the tomb passage, the Doctor observed that the blue bricks underfoot were intricately carved and inlaid with gold and jade, identical to those he had seen in the mist-shrouded Qin imperial palace. He realized they had reached the innermost palace complex of the underground mausoleum.

Just as he prepared to follow the Boss's footsteps, a sudden glint of light from across the passage startled him, as if someone were watching him from the shadows.

The Doctor quickly shone his flashlight toward the source and discovered a tall Terracotta Warrior standing opposite him.

This warrior differed from the countless ones the Doctor had seen on television—it retained vibrant painted colors. Its attire also distinguished it from the underground army excavated in the outer sections of the mausoleum, clearly marking it as part of the imperial guard. Slightly taller than the Doctor, the guard figure wore a long crown, its expression calm and resolute. Dressed in a short inner robe and a lightweight yet imposing suit of armor, it exuded an air of heroic dignity. The sword at its waist was not made of clay but of genuine bronze. Its eyes, crafted from obsidian with natural rainbow irises, reflected the flashlight's beam so vividly that they appeared almost alive at first glance.

This lifelike Terracotta Warrior was not alone. Along both sides of the broad passage—wide enough for three chariots—stood similar figures at five-pace intervals, standing motionless for millennia in silent guardianship of the Qin Mausoleum. While identically uniformed, each possessed distinct facial features, as if modeled from real individuals. Had the Doctor not known these were authentic clay figures like those unearthed in the outer sections, he might have believed they were living people transformed through some dark sorcery into human effigies...

The more he dwelled on this thought, the more a chill crept through him. Though he forced himself not to glance sideways, the sensation of being watched persisted, leaving him profoundly unsettled.Upon entering the true underground palace and reaching the square before the main hall, the Doctor found the surroundings strangely familiar. This subterranean citadel was meticulously modeled after the ancient Qin palace, with not a single detail altered. Fusu had practically grown up within the Qin palace since birth. During the earlier mist, the Doctor had briefly glimpsed Fusu's entire life, making him intimately familiar with the Qin palace's layout. Aside from having to follow the Boss's footsteps to avoid traps, the Doctor could clearly recognize the auxiliary halls flanking the main hall before them. Black tiles and vermilion pillars, straight roof ridges, majestic watchtowers... even every blade of grass and tree in the square was crafted from painted terracotta - palace maids picking flowers here, guards patrolling there, ministers lining up to enter the study for discussions... It perfectly mirrored the Qin imperial palace the Doctor had once seen, yet here there was no light, no living souls - just an underground city of death.

It was as if a vibrant scene had been paused forever, frozen in this single moment...

"Wasn't it said that Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum had eternal lamps made from mermaid blubber that could burn for millennia?" The Doctor could no longer bear the oppressive atmosphere, and just as his flashlight died, he stopped to replace the batteries while asking.

"They did exist, but I never believed those mermaid blubber lamps could truly burn for thousands of years, so I extinguished them one by one before leaving back then." The Boss's voice came faintly through the darkness.

While rummaging through his backpack, the Doctor accidentally dropped his spare batteries. Cursing inwardly, he dared not retrieve them. Every step here was potentially deadly with traps lurking everywhere. Just as he considered using his phone for light, a faint yellow glow suddenly appeared from the Boss's direction.

Squinting, the Doctor recognized a candle with its cover being removed by the Boss. The ordinarily dim candlelight now appeared exceptionally bright. After a moment of adjustment, the Doctor identified the familiar candle missing a corner at its base: "Isn't this the mermaid candle?"

The Boss nodded. "Yes, this mermaid candle was refined from the mermaid blubber in this mausoleum, specifically for convenient lighting. After my last departure from the tomb, I blew it out and casually placed it somewhere. Later it passed through others' hands, melted into ordinary incense candles, eventually reaching a temple where it developed a spirit after listening to scriptures for centuries. I've told you the subsequent story.The Doctor recalled - this candle named Zhu had staged a ghostly romance with a Little Monk. Wait, more accurately it should be a human-demon romance, with Zhu Yuanzhang's flower arrangement episode, until the Boss eventually collected the mermaid candle in the Dumb Shop... But wait, that's not the point! The real issue was - wasn't this candle supposed to be unextinguishable? How did the Boss manage to bring this burning object onto the airplane?! He'd essentially risked being arrested by police to travel with the Boss!

The Doctor's face contorted violently, but he didn't dare voice the question, fearing an unacceptable answer. He could only skip to another topic. "I remember this mermaid candle's original wish was to return to Qin Shi Huang's tomb and destroy this place, wasn't it? How dare you bring her back here?"As his voice faded, its lingering echo still resonated across the vast plaza of the front hall. Within the bright candlelight, the curling smoke gradually coalesced into a translucent woman of breathtaking beauty. Her luxurious robes and satin-like hair seemed alive, floating and swirling around her form. Yet, the left sleeve of her garment appeared as if bitten off halfway, starkly conspicuous.

The Boss remarked indifferently, "Why wouldn’t I dare bring her? What could she possibly do?"

The Doctor was taken aback, only now noticing Zhu’s deep, enchanting eyes—yet her beautiful face was filled with surging fury. Indeed, she could do nothing: at most, she could quicken the flicker of the candle flame or wrap her smoke-formed body around the Boss, but she couldn’t halt his forward stride.

Watching Zhu’s fiery glare, the Doctor could only inwardly sigh at her plight. He had experienced the Boss’s methods firsthand—unmatched by anyone. Moreover, he had to admit the mermaid candle’s glow far surpassed that of a flashlight. Unlike a narrow beam illuminating only a limited area, the light from the Boss’s mermaid candle radiated outward in a halo, revealing vastly more of their surroundings than before.

Following the Boss to the massive stone door of the front hall, the Doctor watched as the Boss stood motionless before it, making no move to proceed.

"Does this require some mechanism?" the Doctor asked curiously. By then, Zhu had grown impatient; her ethereal form slipped through the crevice of the stone door, leaving behind only a wisp of her robe and a tendril of smoke wafting from the candle flame.

After a moment of silence, the Boss replied calmly, "No, the mechanisms here were dismantled by me long ago. I even removed the mysterious iron lock, all so that when he awakens, he wouldn’t need to struggle to emerge…"

At first, the Doctor didn’t grasp the implication, but when it dawned on him, a chill ran down his spine. Did the Boss still cling to the belief that Fusu could be resurrected? As Fusu’s reincarnation, the pressure felt overwhelming…

Without further delay, the Boss handed the mermaid candle to the Doctor, then pressed both hands lightly against the stone door. Amid a cloud of dust, the heavy doors groaned loudly and swung open effortlessly to both sides. The Doctor suspected the doors might pivot on stone ball mechanisms rather than relying on the Boss’s strength, but he had no time to investigate. His gaze was captured by the expansive darkness above—a full moon hung at the horizon, stars twinkled, and the Milky Way stretched serenely across the firmament.

For a moment, the Doctor almost believed they had exited Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, yet the absence of fresh air puzzled him. As his eyes adjusted, he realized the moon and stars were, in fact, Night-Shining Pearls of varying sizes, meticulously embedded to mimic the night sky. At a glance, the illusion was strikingly convincing.

The Doctor inwardly gasped. If the mausoleum’s dome could create such a convincing illusion of the night sky, the space must be unimaginably vast!

Sensing the Boss striding forward, the Doctor hurried to catch up. But after only a step or two, a drop of scalding wax fell onto his hand. Startled, he fumbled, and the mermaid candle slipped from his grasp, plummeting toward the ground.The doctor quickly bent down to rescue it, successfully catching the Mermaid Candle before it hit the ground. Just as he was congratulating himself on his agility, his eyes widened in the next moment as he watched a spark land on the ground, suddenly expanding several times in size and bursting into roaring flames. It turned out that beneath his feet was a hidden groove filled with a greasy substance, instantly ignited by that single spark.

The grease, somewhere between solid and liquid, did not allow the fire to spread rapidly. Instead, it slowly crept along the groove, as if activating some kind of switch, gradually revealing the vast underground palace before them.

Mountains and peaks piled high with gold, rivers and seas flowing with mercury—this was actually a scaled topographic map of the Central Plains!

Upon closer inspection, one could even see the mercury representing the rivers slowly flowing, silver ripples and golden radiance intertwining in a dazzling spectacle too magnificent to behold directly.

The doctor was utterly stunned, finally realizing that the historical records about Qin Shi Huang's tomb were true.

"Using mercury to represent the hundred rivers, seas, and oceans, mechanically circulating it, with the heavens above and the earth below, using mermaid oil as candles, meant to last indefinitely..." As the doctor murmured to himself, the fire followed the grooves around them, eventually converging into a translucent, circular vat at the top of the dome. There, it erupted into a massive fireball, fully illuminating this golden mountain and silver river.

The doctor knew this likely represented the sun, and as this fireball blazed, the glow of the Night-Shining Pearl moon and stars was completely overshadowed, just like in the real sky.

With the underground palace fully revealed, the doctor could see clearly: there were no other rare treasures here.

But the doctor could fully imagine Qin Shi Huang's intention. Seated upon this vast landscape, surrounded by his Terracotta Army of a hundred thousand guardians, what need did he have for other treasures?

This was the most precious treasure of all.

Then, the doctor saw it—amidst this golden mountain and silver river, there was a faintly visible man-made structure.

Before the doctor could examine it closely, Boss beside him had already set off. Unwilling to be left behind, the doctor hurried to follow. Step by step, treading upon the golden mountains, the doctor's heart cried out—he had never lived so extravagantly in his life. "Rolling on a golden mountain" was no mere saying!

Just as he reached the summit of the golden mountain, he noticed that Boss had already arrived several steps ahead at a platform, built at the location corresponding to Xianyang on the map—precisely where they were actually standing on Earth.

From the doctor's vantage point, he could clearly see an exquisitely crafted coffin on the platform. The coffin lid was not closed, and inside lay a person, still and silent.

That person's face was as gentle and refined as in life, as if merely asleep, ready to open his eyes at any moment.

The doctor stood there dumbfounded, unable to take another step.

Because the face was one he had seen many times in the mist—it was the Crown Prince of the Qin Empire, Fusu.

Although the doctor had long known that it was Fusu, not Qin Shi Huang, lying in this underground palace, he never expected that Fusu, dead for over two thousand years, would show no signs of decay, his face as flawless as jade, just as it had appeared in the mist.The doctor understood why the Boss still held onto the hope that Fusu might wake up someday. Anyone who saw Fusu like this would think he was merely asleep.

The doctor stood dazed for a long moment before noticing the Boss standing motionless by the coffin, gazing intently at Fusu. He quickly hurried over, leaping across the mercury-flowing Yellow River in a few strides to reach the platform. Up close, the doctor grew increasingly puzzled. As a medical professional, he was accustomed to seeing corpses, but which deceased person didn't have pale, bloodless skin? None could maintain rosy cheeks like Fusu. Were it not for the complete absence of chest movement, the doctor might have truly believed he was still alive.

Filled with doubt, the Doctor stood by the male side of the coffin, carefully examining Fusu, and noticed that the clothing he wore was peculiar—the black fabric seemed familiar.

After glancing at the Boss's crimson dragon robe on the opposite side, the Doctor confirmed that both garments were made of the same material. The Boss had once mentioned that this black-gold and black-jade jade burial suit was an ancient artifact designed to preserve the body from decay. If the Boss wanted to survive, he would have to discard his crimson dragon robe and replace it with the one Fusu wore.

The foreseeable outcome of this action would be Fusu's complete disappearance from this world.

No wonder the Boss had been hesitating.

The Doctor knew the Boss harbored an extraordinary obsession with Fusu. He had even worried that the Boss's original intention in coming to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang was to rest eternally beside Fusu. Now, it seemed his concern was not unfounded.

"If you can't bring yourself to do it, I will," the Doctor said, reaching out toward Fusu. But halfway there, a cold, lifeless grip, like an iron shackle, clamped firmly around his wrist. The Doctor shuddered, almost thinking Fusu had reanimated, only to realize the next moment that the Boss had leaned over and seized his wrist.

"Wait a little longer..." the Boss murmured softly.

The Doctor clearly saw the crimson dragon on the Boss's robe beginning to writhe, its massive body coiling around him as if nourished by the dense spiritual energy of the place, gaining a three-dimensional presence that seemed on the verge of devouring the Boss entirely. Anxious, the Doctor struggled forcefully against the Boss's restraint. "How long can we wait? He's been asleep here for over two thousand years! Are you sure it's the Longevity Lock binding his soul? Perhaps it's because his body remains intact that his soul hasn't dispersed!"

Stunned by his words, the Boss loosened his grip, and the Doctor broke free, his hand accidentally brushing against Fusu's face.

As if a spell had suddenly broken, both watched in disbelief as Fusu's body instantly turned to ashes. The black jade burial suit that had adorned him now lay lightly at the bottom of the coffin.

For a moment, both the Doctor and the Boss stood there speechless, frozen in place. The Doctor remained in his outstretched arm posture.

"This... I didn't mean to..." the Doctor finally straightened up, staring incredulously at his hand. His fingertips had clearly felt the texture of human skin—how could Fusu have turned to ashes in the next instant?

The Boss let out a long sigh. "After all, it's been over two thousand years. The jade burial suit may have preserved his body, and the mercury vapors kept his appearance intact, but he was still dead..."

The Doctor could tell the Boss was deeply upset and refrained from saying more. He reached into the coffin, retrieved the black jade burial suit, walked around to the Boss, and gently draped the ancient robe over his shoulders. "Put it on. He's in this garment now."

He was right—Fusu had turned to ashes. Some of the ashes lay quietly in the coffin, while others had merged into the jade burial suit, inseparable forever.The Boss had to admit that the Doctor possessed an extraordinary talent for comforting others. He lowered his head and obediently put on the robe. This black, gold-threaded jade garment was crafted in the Qin dynasty style, with wide sleeves of profound black trimmed in crimson-gold cloud patterns. The dark robe and layered skirts were sacrificial attire reserved only for the most esteemed figures of the Qin dynasty—a ritual garment the Qin imperial sacrificial bureau had spent decades weaving, thousands of times more exquisite than the common version he had once stolen from the treasury.

The Doctor could sense the Boss’s overwhelming emotions, but he also noticed how the moment the ancient robe settled on his shoulders, the Boss’s complexion instantly improved. Realizing the Boss was truly saved, the Doctor relaxed and couldn’t resist joking, “If you grew your hair out a bit longer, it would perfectly complement this robe.”

Even as it was, the effect was breathtaking. The Doctor gazed in admiration, vaguely recalling how the Boss had appeared in ancient attire amid the mist. Now, standing before him, there wasn’t the slightest hint of incongruity—it was as though he were born to wear such garments. The only pity was that this robe had been custom-made for Qin Shi Huang. Compared to the majestic and towering figure of the emperor, the Boss seemed painfully slender, and the gold-threaded jade garment hung loosely on him.

With a complicated look in his eyes, the Boss said calmly, “Let’s close the lid.”

The Doctor nodded, understanding that the Boss had left the coffin open earlier out of concern that Fusu might revive and be unable to push aside the heavy lid himself. Now that Fusu’s body had turned to ashes, such worries were unnecessary.

Together, they laboriously lifted the exquisitely crafted coffin lid and slowly closed it. At the final moment, the Doctor retrieved two objects from his pocket and solemnly placed them inside.

The Boss saw clearly—it was the Longevity Lock, broken into two halves. He didn’t interfere, allowing this to be the Doctor’s own farewell to Fusu.

They shared no connection. Though the Doctor was Fusu’s reincarnation, they were two entirely different individuals.

Remembering Fusu, who had just turned to dust, the Boss felt a pang of loss but also knew that Fusu had truly found release.

The heavy lid settled into place with a dull thud.

Wiping fine beads of sweat from his forehead in relief, the Doctor suddenly paled as he looked up, pointing frantically at the Boss’s left shoulder. “Boss… your clothes…”

Following his gaze, the Boss saw a crimson claw emerge on his shoulder. As if in slow motion, the crimson dragon’s body gradually revealed itself, its scales reflecting a blinding glare.

Damn it! How could he have forgotten? If the Crimson Dragon could slither over the original Mao Suit, then it could surely do the same on this ancient robe of similar fabric.

The Doctor rushed over to help the Boss remove the inner Mao Suit, but upon unfastening the outer robe, they discovered the two garments were intricately woven together with fine threads, now completely inseparable.

The Boss smiled wryly. “It was my miscalculation. It seems I cannot rid myself of this Crimson Dragon.”The Doctor tried to cut the silk threads with his Swiss Army knife, but it felt like slicing through steel wire. As he applied more force, he faintly heard a dragon's roar echoing in his ears. Gritting his teeth, he was about to continue cutting when the Boss stopped him: "Don't waste your effort. Ordinary blades can't sever these."

By now, the Crimson Dragon's head had fully emerged on the robe's surface, claws bared and body stretching, its copper-bell-like eyes glaring defiantly at the Doctor.

Just as the Doctor considered alternative methods, the entire mausoleum suddenly plunged into darkness. The blazing sun extinguished instantly, the trench flames dissolving into smoke, leaving only the mermaid candle in the Doctor's hand burning steadily.

"No way? Weren't these supposed to burn for millennia without going out? Could it be that the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum uses counterfeit products too?" the Doctor quipped out of habit.

Zhu, who had been elsewhere, drifted back to them and sniffed lightly. "Not at all! I just saw someone touch the fire trench with a blade, and all the flames were sucked into it." Her voice, ethereal as her appearance, struck the Boss and Doctor like a heavy hammer.

"You mean... there's someone else here?" The Doctor scanned the darkness in disbelief. At that moment, the Night-Shining Pearls embedded in the mausoleum dome began glowing, creating a starry sky so enchanting it could steal one's breath—yet the Doctor had no mind to appreciate it.

"Naturally, there are no living souls in the mausoleum, but some could have followed us in," the Boss narrowed his eyes and said calmly. "With thorough knowledge of the mausoleum's mechanisms and the Minghong Blade that absorbs flames—it can only be Huhai."

"Minghong Blade?" The Doctor thought he saw a glimmer of light in the distance but couldn't be sure.

"Legend says that when the Yellow Emperor forged the Xuanyuan Sword, excess materials remained. While the furnace was still blazing hot, the molten residue flowed to the bottom and cooled into a blade shape. It chimed without wind, thus named Minghong Blade. The Yellow Emperor deemed its aura too fierce, capable of backlashing against its wielder. Fearing it might fall into mortal hands, he attempted to destroy it with the Xuanyuan Sword, but the blade transformed into a crimson lark and flew away." Before the Boss finished speaking, a clear bird cry approached rapidly from afar.

Holding the mermaid candle, the Doctor saw clearly: a lark large as an eagle was swooping toward them, a human figure clinging to its claws. Upon reaching the platform, the lark instantly transformed into a three-foot-long great blade. The figure gripped the hilt and slashed at them mercilessly.

The blade reflected the mermaid candle's glow onto the attacker's face, revealing terrifying pale features. The Doctor recognized this face from the mist—it was indeed Qin Er Shi, Huhai.

His appearance remained unchanged from over two thousand years ago. Only his hair had turned silver-white, a color typically seen in the elderly, yet it harmonized inexplicably with his handsome features. Narrow phoenix eyes held faint red pupils, his ashen complexion and dull crimson lips exuding a decadent beauty.In that fleeting moment, the Doctor had figured out why Huhai had followed them.

It must be for the garment on the Boss!

He didn't know how Huhai had survived over two thousand years without the golden-threaded jade burial suit, but he absolutely couldn't let Huhai succeed!

Seeing the Boss still frozen in shock, the Doctor quickly grabbed him and pulled him backward to evade.

But the opponent's blade was faster. The Boss's robe hadn't been properly fastened, and with this tug, the elaborate garment billowed up just as the horizontally slashing Minghong Blade arrived.

"Riiip—"

The Minghong Blade was no ordinary weapon, cleanly slicing the robe in two with a single stroke.

The Doctor leaped off the platform with the Boss in his arms. Under the glow of the mermaid candle, the Boss's face appeared extremely grim. As the Doctor debated whether to charge forward and fight Huhai to the death, the Boss said in a low voice, "Let's go first.""

Following the Boss over hills and ridges, the Doctor detected no sounds of pursuit from behind. Nearing the underground palace entrance, he couldn't resist looking back. In the darkness, Huhai stood motionless on the platform, staring blankly down at the coffin before him. The crimson Lark had shrunk to palm-size, perched on his shoulder preening its feathers with its sharp beak.

It seemed... things weren't as he had imagined... Had Huhai not yet abandoned his wish to rest eternally here?

The Doctor's mind swirled with questions, but he couldn't actually rush back to ask that deadly figure. As they reached the secret tunnel dug by the craftsman after passing through the long tomb passage, the Boss—who had remained silent throughout the journey—suddenly said, "Go up alone. The remaining path has no mechanisms—you should be safe now."

Shocked by these words, the Doctor instinctively reached for the Boss's sleeve, but the wide robe slipped through his fingers. The crimson red Dragon flashed once before completely vanishing into the darkness.

Overwhelmed with regret, the Doctor realized he should have seen it earlier: the Boss would never allow Huhai to remain alone in this underground tomb. But Huhai possessed the Minghong Blade that could transform into a Lark, while the Boss was empty-handed—wouldn't that make him utterly vulnerable?

Gritting his teeth as the Boss's footsteps faded away, the Doctor knew that if he let the Boss disappear now, they might never meet again in this lifetime. Taking a deep breath, he stubbornly stepped forward recklessly. The stone slab beneath his foot shifted loosely, followed by the sound of a mechanism triggering. The Doctor hastily dodged the sharp arrows shooting from cracks in the wall. Watching the arrowheads embed deeply into brick seams, their shafts still vibrating powerfully, he knew that if one had struck him, it would have pierced straight through his body.

"What are you doing?" The Boss's voice, laden with anger, came from the darkness. The Doctor rejoiced, knowing he had returned.

"Please escort me out," the Doctor pleaded, tightly grasping the Boss's wrist as he approached, refusing to let go.

Meeting his gaze, the Boss immediately understood his intention, his expression turning complex with mixed emotions.

The Doctor licked his dry lips and with difficulty persuaded, "Though the garment was cut in half, the upper part remains. You can still continue living. Let go of the past—it's been over two thousand years."

The Boss's eyes flickered, offering no response to the Doctor's words.Could he truly forget the past and start life anew?

He was merely a Specter wandering the mortal realm for over two thousand years, with no one caring whether he lived or died...

The flickering flame of the mermaid candle cast a dim, yellowish glow over the two of them. Candle smoke filled the air as Zhu hovered above, watching the scene with confusion, as if transported back centuries to the time she spent with the Little Monk.

How long is a human life, after all...

Life... exists between you and me...

The Boss felt the scorching warmth of the Doctor's palm, a heat that traveled up his arm and seeped deep into his heart.

The Boss parted his lips, about to speak, when the ground suddenly shook violently. The two nearly lost their balance, bracing themselves against the tomb passage. Once the tremors subsided, the Doctor exclaimed in horror, "Was that an earthquake?"

"More likely, Huhai triggered some mechanism," the Boss said with a grave expression, then smiled wryly. "Now, neither of us will make it out."

Following the Boss's gaze, the Doctor noticed that while the tomb passage they stood in was sturdily built and had withstood the shaking, the secret tunnel dug by the craftsmen had not held up. Loose sand and stones had collapsed, completely sealing off the passage.

"Fortunately, you were worried about him earlier and didn't leave immediately, or you would have been buried alive in there," Zhu remarked calmly as she floated mid-air. "As the Buddha said, 'As you sow, so shall you reap. All is created by the mind.' How true..."

The Doctor knew that Zhu, having spent so much time with the Little Monk, occasionally quoted Buddhist scriptures. Yet her words rang true—had he crawled into that tunnel earlier... He stared at the now-blocked passage, horrified and feeling a chill down his spine.

"How do we get out?" the Doctor asked, turning to the Boss for help.

The Boss smiled bitterly. "The mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang is surrounded by a thick layer of sand, known as the legendary sea of sand. This sand sea is the first line of defense for the Qin tomb, preventing tomb raiders from tunneling into the burial chamber. That secret passage was built by craftsmen using a special method, but the tremors have destroyed it, filling it with sand once more."

So, were they trapped?

Before the Doctor could fully grasp the reality of their predicament, thunderous footsteps echoed from deep within the tomb passage. "What's that now?"

"Probably the terracotta warriors that have been activated," the Boss replied, his face too strained for even a wry smile. "The terracotta figures lining the tomb passage we just passed are actually mechanized puppets. Once they detect intruders, they automatically draw their swords and attack."

The Doctor was speechless. No wonder the swords carried by those terracotta warriors he saw were real...

The deafening footsteps drew closer with each beat, like grim reapers coming to claim their souls. For the first time, the Doctor saw panic and apology in the Boss's eyes. Strangely, his own tension peaked and then subsided into calm. He grinned casually and said, "Don't apologize. I suppose it's my fate to die young. How many people get to die as dramatically as I will? Hey, Boss, do you think when someone excavates Qin Shi Huang's tomb years from now and finds our skeletons, they'll speculate about our identities? Oh, should I burn my ID card from my wallet..."

The Boss was rendered utterly speechless.The doctor kept chattering away with complaints, not at all like someone in a perilous situation. But when the first terracotta warrior appeared in their line of sight, he couldn't help but gasp sharply, pulling Boss back a step.

They had reached the very end of the tomb passage, with the sealed stone behind them so thick that not even explosives could blast it open.

The doctor didn't feel particularly despairing. Instead, he stepped in front of Boss, forcing a faint smile as he said, "Last time you shielded me. This time, it's my turn to protect you."

Boss knew he was referring to the incident with the White Snake Umbrella. But at this point, who stood in front of whom made no real difference—it was merely a matter of dying a second sooner or a moment later. Boss understood the doctor was putting on a brave front, and seeing his still-trembling shoulders, he smiled faintly. Suddenly, he felt these two thousand-plus years truly hadn't been lived in vain.

Zhu hovered mid-air in the tomb passage, expressionless. To her, it made no difference—who lived or died truly didn't matter...

Neither the doctor nor Boss spoke as the army of terracotta warriors slowly advanced toward them. Just when it seemed they were about to meet their end, a glowing white ring suddenly appeared on the right wall of the tomb passage. From within that ring came a beautiful birdcall.

"Isn't that San Qing's cry? Ah, as expected of the one I raised—it sounds much better than that so-called Lark." The doctor shook his head with pride, only belatedly realizing something was off. "Huh? How can we hear San Qing's cry here?" San Qing was the Three-legged Azure Bird from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, whose seal had been broken, and whom the doctor had been keeping in Dumb Shop. How could its cry be heard here?

The doctor looked toward the bright white ring and saw the halo spreading outward. At the center of the ring, the interior of Dumb Shop actually appeared—even the takeout container he'd left unfinished on the counter before leaving was still there. The Three-legged Azure Bird was flying around inside Dumb Shop, continuously calling out. The doctor knew it was probably trying to say something, but he couldn't understand bird language!

"Hurry over, you two. Xiao Bai's space-tearing ability can't hold much longer." A fierce-looking Husky stretched its head out from the recliner in Dumb Shop, lazily yawning. "San Qing is so noisy—otherwise, we wouldn't have come."

"Meow! Don't call me Xiao Bai!" A palm-sized white kitten leaped onto the counter, fur bristling in agitation.

Finally understanding, the doctor didn't wait for Boss's agreement and urgently dragged him through the glowing ring. Only when his feet touched Dumb Shop's solid wood floor did the doctor feel a sense of reality. But the moment he relaxed, a cold gust swept from behind, and he was shoved aside by a powerful force.

Dazed, he sat on the floor, nearly dropping the mermaid candle in his hand. The doctor hurriedly secured the mermaid candle before looking up, just in time to see the scene of the tomb passage on the wall gradually fade away. Behind Boss stood a terracotta warrior holding a bronze sword, its tip firmly clamped between Boss's fingers. Apparently, this warrior had followed them through to Dumb Shop.

"Looks like we'll need to clear a room specially for this distinguished guest," Boss said with a furrowed brow. He pressed a finger against a specific point on the terracotta warrior's chest, instantly freezing the struggling figure in place, reverting it to a stationary pottery guardian."Heh, you could actually put it by the door to guard against thieves..." Having narrowly escaped death, the Doctor relaxed completely and no longer had the strength to stand. He simply lay sprawled on the floor, laughing heartily. The Three-legged Azure Bird landed beside his cheek, affectionately nuzzling his face.

Meanwhile, the Huan Dog and Qiongqi were wrestling as usual. The Boss's furrowed brows gradually smoothed, and the corners of his tightly pressed lips curled upward uncontrollably.

Maybe... things aren't so bad after all...

Later, the master tailored the half-section of the black jade burial suit into a shirt. The Crimson Dragon still lay prominently on the shirt, but this time it moved much slower, as if hibernating.

The Three-legged Azure Bird continued to be well-fed and cared for in the Dumb Shop, while Qiongqi and Huangou returned to Fang Qiu’s home as usual. In Fang Qiu’s completely unaware eyes, they were not ancient divine beasts but merely an adorable cat and a handsome husky.

The Doctor made another trip to Xi’an, packed up the instruments from the hotel, and returned them to the Curator. Faced with the Curator’s questioning, he naturally avoided mentioning that they had truly entered the Qin Mausoleum’s underground palace. The tremors that occurred that night in the Xi’an suburbs sparked wild rumors online—some claimed it was an earthquake, but the seismological bureau issued no official report. Others suggested tomb raiders had triggered mechanisms in the underground palace, though there was no evidence for this either. The only person who found the incident peculiar, the Curator, had to dismiss his suspicions after seeing the Doctor and the Boss safe and sound.

The Doctor didn’t tell the Boss that he later revisited the entrance of the secret passage they had used to descend into the underground palace but found no traces of anyone emerging.

Was Huhai truly trapped inside the underground palace? The Doctor recalled those pale red eyes and found it unlikely.

But his involvement could only go this far.

After the New Year holiday, he returned to the hospital as usual, treating illnesses and saving lives.

His life went on, and the Dumb Shop remained open.

Whenever he entered, there would be someone who had already brewed a pot of premium Dragon Well Tea, waiting to listen to his daily ramblings and complaints, and then...

In the faint, ethereal fragrance of tea, that person would offer a tolerant smile.

The Doctor often thought that perhaps the Boss was also an antique in the Dumb Shop. Every artifact in the Dumb Shop had its own story, carrying years of untold tales, with no one to listen.

Because none of them could speak...

(End of Chapter)