Chapter 5 （Man Lights the Candle, Ghost Extinguishes It）
1274 Words
Encountering the legendary "Ghost Wall" on his first tomb raiding experience!
If Zhao Yang had faced this situation before entering the tomb, he might have been scared out of his wits. However, after stepping into the tomb passage, successfully completing the checkpoint, and acquiring the knowledge of the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art, Zhao Yang remained calm, even treating this as a mere "trick."
In fact, "Ghost Wall" incidents are often not paranormal at all, but rather visual illusions. Especially in darkness, when a person’s eyes and brain misalign, the natural instinct is to walk in circles.
Ancient people had long understood this simple scientific principle and used it in tomb construction. By employing this tactic and placing some ground markers, they could trap tomb raiders inside, making them feel as if they had encountered a Ghost Wall.
The Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Secret Art contains detailed descriptions of such tombs, akin to beginner-level exercises for students—nothing complex.
Simply put, the main burial chamber in this tomb employs a circular passageway, with the entrance to the main chamber being a hidden door.
To find the hidden door, the clue lies entirely within the "Wedding Procession" mural!
Some tombs use the Eighteen Star Constellations as clues, others employ the Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang, or the Eight Trigrams as clues.
Using a "Wedding Procession" as a clue was quite an unconventional choice.
Zhao Yang calmed himself, raised the lantern closer to the mural, and carefully examined it.
The mural depicted a grand wedding procession, with an ornate palanquin following a musical ensemble. The red palanquin was embroidered with dragon and phoenix patterns, and its canopy was adorned with a large pearl. Curiously, there was no groom riding a white horse; the palanquin’s curtain was slightly lifted from the inside, as if the bride couldn’t wait to see her groom. The vividness of the mural was eerie, even making Zhao Yang feel a strange compulsion to lift the curtain for the bride. Without thinking, he placed his hand on the palanquin in the mural.
Creak...
As soon as Zhao Yang touched it, he heard the sound of moving bricks from within the wall, and a small c***k appeared on the mural!
"The hidden door to the tomb chamber is indeed here!" Zhao Yang was overjoyed. It seemed he had guessed correctly; the slightly lifted curtain in the mural was the key to opening the tomb chamber—its subtlety contained the mystery!
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Yang held the lantern in one hand and used the other to push the hidden door with more force.
Creak... creak...
The door slowly opened with a series of creaks. Despite being over a thousand years old, the hidden door remained very agile, with no locks to hinder it.
Zhao Yang managed to push the door open to a 50-centimeter gap. Holding his breath, he first extended the lantern inside.
Strangely, as soon as the lantern entered, its flame dimmed significantly and even turned an eerie blue!
The tomb chamber was large, and the weak, blue flame flickered like a ghostly light, barely illuminating the room.
This eerie phenomenon could be explained: the dimming of the flame was likely due to the thin air inside the tomb chamber. The blue color was mostly due to phosphorus, which had formed from the long-term sealed environment housing the corpse and coffin, reacting with the flame.
It's best not to associate such occurrences with the supernatural, keeping a clear head to avoid frightening oneself!
Yet, even with a rational explanation, the dim blue flame that couldn’t fully light the chamber combined with the innate human fear of darkness made Zhao Yang—a novice on his first tomb raid—feel uneasy.
But courage is built through experience. Zhao Yang couldn't let his newfound skills in the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art go to waste.
Standing cautiously outside the main chamber, Zhao Yang peered in, his eyes carefully studying the room in the flickering blue light. His actions were a blend of bravery and prudence.
However, what Zhao Yang saw inside the chamber completely overturned his understanding of Tang dynasty tombs, even surpassing what he knew from the Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art.
The chamber was arranged like a boudoir—no, more like a bridal chamber!
The room was adorned with red silk drapes and decorative balls, and most strikingly, two large red "Double Happiness" characters were pasted on the walls. Despite being over a thousand years old, the red silk and the characters remained vivid and fresh.
In the southeast corner was a canopy bed with closed red curtains embroidered with jade flowers. Below the bed, a pair of red embroidered shoes were neatly placed.
"Where's the coffin?"
Zhao Yang raised the lantern and looked around again. This was definitely the main burial chamber, but there was no coffin to be found!
Opposite the bed in the northeast corner were two large wooden chests, their lids open, revealing piles of gold, silver, and fabric. The dazzling gold, silver, and various gemstones reflected in the lantern light.
Zhao Yang’s eyes lit up with excitement!
"I'm rich! I'm really rich this time!"
Overjoyed, Zhao Yang knew that with these two chests of treasure, he could live a lifetime of luxury and indulgence!
This trip was definitely worth it!
No wonder they say tomb raiding is a lucrative profession—Zhao Yang truly believed it now!
Zhao Yang stepped into the chamber, planning to light a candle in the southeast corner before taking any treasure.
Lighting a candle before raiding a tomb has deep significance.
The main purpose is to test the air quality in the chamber. If the candle goes out, it indicates the air is thin or even oxygen-depleted, signaling the need to leave quickly.
As for the saying "Ghost extinguishes the lamp," it's merely one of the ancestral teachings of the tomb raiding sect. It’s said that this rule was passed down by the founding master of the sect as a contract between the living and the dead. If the candle extinguishes, one must retreat immediately without taking anything. The sect has followed this rule for thousands of years, giving rise to the saying "Man lights the candle, ghost extinguishes it."
Just like the lantern, the candle Zhao Yang lit turned blue and flickered weakly, as if it could go out at any moment.
This likely indicated that the air in the chamber was thin, and Zhao Yang realized he needed to act quickly.
But before he could start looting, the flickering flame suddenly went out!
Out!
It really went out!
Zhao Yang furrowed his brow deeply; this was not a good sign!
The candle going out meant the air in the chamber was dangerously thin.
But after coming this far, should he leave empty-handed?
Zhao Yang glanced again at the two large chests of treasure in the corner, feeling reluctant. So he bent down and lit the candle again with a match.
This time, as soon as the candle was lit, it was instantly extinguished, even more decisively than before.
"D*mn it!"
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhao Yang realized the air in the chamber was indeed dangerously thin, forcing him to retreat.
But couldn’t he just grab a piece of gold or silver on his way out? It would only take a few seconds, right?
"To hell with it!"
Zhao Yang rushed to the corner where the two large chests of treasure stood. Given the urgency, he planned to take just a small portion—enough to live comfortably for at least half a year.
- Writer
