The Tale Never Ends

I could hardly utter anything as I took in the impressive vista opening before me. This was no ordinary crypt chamber. This was a palace!

Many mighty pillars hewn of stones laid neatly before us, smooth as glass, each ornately-furnished with carven illustrations of mythical monsters and beasts baring their fangs ferociously. On the black polished walls on either side, images of the activities of an ancient civilization were sculpted and etched for eternal posterity. Some depicted hunting activities, some were about warfare, and there were also some about festivals and religious celebrations and so on. The vast roof far above our heads glittered with precious stones that twinkled at us like the stars in the night sky. A huge, baroque effigy of a monster hung from the ceilings with the likeness of a living beast, bedecked with precious gems that sparkled cheerfully in the dark!

The stone behemoth was a gigantic mammoth that sprawled across the length and breadth of the absurdly enormous rock-hewn roof. A drop of sweat rolled down my back as I could not help but feel its eyes were alive, boring deep into me with silent sternness!

Sitting in the centermost region of this colossal underground necropolis was a tall and handsome palace. Obviously, this whole underground crypt complex must be the mausoleum for some fallen king or emperor of a bygone age. No single man could have been able for such profligacy which would have easily exhausted any kingdoms’ finance and human resources!

When I recovered from my astonishment and wonder, Father and Mother had gone far ahead! Where are they?! Just when I was looking for them, an earsplitting scream came from the palace building! It was so petrifying and daunting that I almost jumped with fright! The scene where the Incredible Hulk tore to shreds metal plates like pieces of paper came to mind immediately as the raucous shrieks continued. Then out of nowhere, Father’s divine aura ballooned suddenly, dwarfing the sudden evil aura of hate and foulness that arose before the infernal presence quickly vanished!

I was stunned, then I knew what happened. Something must have risen… Something… Something that dwelt in this ancient sepulchral palace! But the foul aura from the monstrous presence that arose… Could it be…

The feeling of malice and hatred was palpable in that hellish aura but what was more distinct was the demonic presence of it! The tingly sensation of fear was different from what I have encountered before and no amount of words would be sufficient to describe what I was feeling now. But I was no stranger to fear and surprises nevertheless. In fact, I have had so many surprises today that I was beginning to wonder if there was anything else that could possibly shock me out of my wits anymore. It was a safe guess that thing that Father had just slain was most likely a corpse that had risen as a Wretched Ghoul. Worse, it was already turning into a demon! I have once seen legends about undead demons on books and stories. Finally, I was able to feel its malevolent aura and presence for myself, although I did not manage to catch a glimpse of it.

Father emerged from the shadows, walking away from the direction of the palace. He strolled casually, surveying the antiquated relics of building and architecture as he walked nearer to me. He stopped and looked around, and I too, began to look at what was catching his attention. It seemed that the route we took just now was hardly the only way here. Many hollow arches and doorways scattered along the walls in all directions. Father stopped for a heartbeat and continued walking towards me, opting to leave the way we came in.

I dogged Father’s heels as he began the way back. There was a strange dread swelling in me, something that I could not put any words to but I do not know what was it. I shook my head, exasperated, as I followed after Father’s echoing footfalls.

We were walking well past a quarter of an hour and we came before a three-pronged fork. Wait a minute! It was just one straight passage when we came! There was no fork when we came! A phrase from the graverobber’s journal rose up in my mind like a nightmare as a shudder swept through me, “There is no way out.” I should have realized that! There’s no way I’d know which way should we be taking now!

How are we supposed to make it out? I asked myself in distress. I looked to Father, as if hoping for an answer for this predicament, but there he was, as carefree and relax as he ever was. He barely looked worried! Instead, he coolly took the leftmost passageway.

Father’s lack of doubt restored my faith and stifled any fear in me and I remained close behind him as we strode in the dark for more than another quarter of an hour. But there was nothing but an endless wall of darkness looming before us. Feeling my anxiety rising once more, I swallowed hard. It’s not right! The journey from the circular chamber with the rings of countless coffins did not take long to reach the underground palace complex! We’ve even yet to find the leather bag Father had been digging through earlier! Does this mean we’re lost!? Surely Father has ways to get out of this!

The pressing darkness and shadows around me made me sick. But all of a sudden, like a glimmer of sunlight from behind the palls of gloom, I saw a light. A little speck of light that sparkled from some distance away in the dark. It was almost the end of the stone passage! The light was flickering gently at us with a beckoning glow and obviously that could only be another grave chamber ahead. Still, the little glow rekindled my faith and I was anxious to run as fast as I could to it. But Father was still maintaining his casual gait and I could only suppress to my best efforts any urge to run ahead of him.

When we finally made it to the end of the gloomy corridor, I was astounded again. Not only by the room, but the items it contained. We were not here before. But what was more, this was a large room stuffed with shining mounds and mounds of gold, jewels and silver glittering proudly at us that I could hardly keep my eyes open!

What happened next left me flabbergasted. Father giggled playfully, “What a waste for all these to be left here! Let’s confiscate them all!” He began marching forward and suddenly vanished, teleporting to the other end of the room! When I looked back into the room, everything was gone! The gold, the jewels, and the silver had vanished into thin air, leaving only the grave lampion still alighted with its lonesome flame wavering unsteadily, casting shadows that flitted and disappeared every now and then.

Through the flickering glow of the light, I noticed a man stooping in the corner of the room! He was hugging his knees, burying his face into his chest. Father walked to him and patted him on the shoulder but the man sprang up suddenly like a jack-in-the-box, howling like a madman as he swiped away Father’s hand and he darted to another corner of the room!

This man was still alive! But there was no telling what horrors he had encountered here that rendered him in such a shocked and feral state. Father sniggered and shook his head gently, saying nothing. But the man wheeled around when he reached another corner, charging headfirst into Father although he seemed to be running blind! Finally, he crashed into Father, his head diving into Father’s stomach like a bull and he stopped. The lanky little man could do little to knock Father over and he halted at once.

He stopped and stared at Father, as dumb as a doornail with a bewildered look as if all wits had left him. Father patted on him and he took in Father’s benign smile and suddenly, out of the blue, he leaped! He began to realize that Father was a true and living person and managed only a one-syllable word, “HELP!” and there was it, he fainted.

Father shrugged impassively before he sniggered helplessly. He flicked his wrist and the Spirit Gourd appeared magically on his open palm. Unstoppering it, he tipped it over and a little pill rolled out. Father deposited the pill through the lips of the fainted man and helped him swallow it.

Without a doubt, this must be one of the seven men who ventured into this underground mausoleum. He could even be the owner of that journal. Without his leather bag, he must have been in here, alone and hungry for days. The multitudes of traps and countless of jiangshis have driven this man to the brink of insanity and death. The sight of Father, the first living man he saw in days, was somehow too much for him to take in and thus he fainted.

Father did not dawdle to wait for the man to wake up; he yanked at the man’s scruff and began moving towards the passage at the other end of the stone chamber. I did not know where did he wanted to go this time, but I have to keep on following him, that was all I knew.

To my dismay, Father walked with his usual and relaxed pace, but with every seemingly normal step of his, the distance between me and him began to triple by leaps and bounds! In just a few heartbeats, Father, with an unknown magic of his, grew further and further away and in the end, he drifted out of sight and vanished!

Oh my God! What am I to do now! I don’t even know how should I get out of this place!

I should have known! Father’s mastery of elemental manipulation far surpassed that of Zhu Mei’s! He could enter this crypt as slowly as he would have liked it, and he could just have easily exited with just a snap of his fingers with this sorcery!