After I touched my back, I realized it was the spot where I had been hit by the Lotus Arrow earlier. The four iron hooks had embedded themselves into my flesh. Although they hadn’t taken my life, they had still scraped off several patches of skin. Now, as sweat dripped down, it began to itch irritatingly.

Not only that, but the other places on my body where I had been hit also started to faintly itch. However, this itch was bearable. I had no time to pay attention to these subtle changes in my physical sensations. After rubbing those spots a few times, I continued to study the strange tomb chamber.

I didn’t understand the typical structure of a Ming Dynasty tomb’s underground palace; I only knew a bit about noble tombs. I wasn’t sure how different the two types were, so I could only tentatively match what I saw with what I knew.

In my view, I was currently in the left side hall, and opposite me was the right side hall. The left and right side halls should be symmetrical, and logically, each should have a coffin bed made of white marble, with the bed’s surface paved with gold bricks (pure clay bricks). In the center, there should be a rectangular hole filled with yellow earth, known as the “Golden Well.” However, none of this was present; there was only a large water pool.

This was just one of the strange aspects. Another oddity was the door between the two side halls, which should lead to the rear hall, the place where the coffins were stored. Why was there a coffin in the side chamber, and why was it in the shape of a basin? It should be known that this type of basin-shaped coffin was from the Warring States period, and it would not exist in the Ming Dynasty.

Speaking of the Warring States, I was reminded of the snake-eyed bronze fish taken from the Lu Wang Palace; this object had been discovered in both places. Now, here was a coffin that could only belong to the Warring States period. Was it just a coincidence?

For a moment, my mind was in chaos, and I couldn’t concentrate any further.

At this point, I had walked around the water pool and returned to the entrance. The large porcelain jar, which I had used as a weapon, was lying there. I felt a stir in my heart and casually picked it up to examine the porcelain painting on it.

This should be something from another ear chamber, but the single-panel design didn’t convey much information. I only saw a person dressed in Ming Dynasty attire standing on a mountain, looking down at a construction site, with several others in official robes nearby. It appeared to be a scene of inspecting a construction site.

From the patterns on these porcelain pieces, I could roughly guess that the tomb’s owner was certainly not a royal or noble figure; he was likely a craftsman or architect. Only such a person would have the ability and knowledge to use such peculiar designs in an ancient tomb. Others, even if they had this idea, wouldn’t have the capability to construct it.

Moreover, there weren’t many talented craftsmen in the early Ming Dynasty. Given the scale of this tomb, it must have belonged to someone of significant status who could afford to undertake such a grand project akin to the Ming Imperial Palace. This person would not only need the qualifications to build such a monumental structure but also have an understanding of feng shui and intricate techniques. It wasn’t hard to guess who this person might be.

After just a few seconds of thought, a name jumped into my mind—Wang Canghai.

This person can be described as an extraordinary individual. His mastery of feng shui is unparalleled, which is why he was appointed to directly participate in the design of the entire Ming Emperor’s Palace, along with several major cities in China. At that time, his words could even lead to the complete disappearance of several cities in China. I also learned from ancient texts that he authored a work on feng shui, the content of which is so profound that it almost seems to glimpse the secrets of heaven. Unfortunately, his descendants only copied a few copies, and they have since been lost.

Moreover, it is said that the underwater tomb beneath the Silver Creek in Zhouzhuang was also designed by this person. Such a person building a tomb like this for himself is more than sufficient. I believe my speculation makes sense; as long as I can find a bit of written material, I can determine whether my thoughts are right or wrong. Unfortunately, it seems that the owner of this tomb was illiterate, leaving no inscriptions behind.

At that moment, a sudden series of splashes came from the pool, startling me and breaking my train of thought. I quickly shone my flashlight over, only to see bubbles rising from a corner of the pool, varying in size and seemingly irregular, as if something was stirring in the unfathomable depths of the water.

I panicked and immediately raised my gun, nervously staring at the bubbles. Suddenly, a white object shot up onto the shore, rolling over to the wall, gasping for air. To my surprise, it was the Fatty. His upper garment had come off, revealing a large belly that was heaving. As he gasped, he saw me, waved his hand, and said, “Damn it, I almost suffocated!”

Just as I was about to ask him what was going on, another person emerged from the water at my feet. It turned out to be the Silent Oil Bottle, who also surfaced with his upper body bare, but his black qilin was nowhere to be seen. He clearly wasn’t struggling as much as the Fatty; he just tilted his head back and took a deep breath. Seeing me, he asked, “Is this the left side or the right side?”

I said it was the left, and he breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down and covering his wrist. I noticed a black bruise on his wrist, and an unsettling feeling washed over me.

The Fatty finally caught his breath and sighed while holding his belly. I asked how they had gotten here, and he spat a few times, saying, “Don’t mention it; luckily, you didn’t see it. It scared me to death. Damn it, thank goodness there was a hole under the stone slab beneath that coffin leading here, or we would have died back there.”

I was puzzled and asked, “What was so terrifying?”

The Fatty replied, “I can’t even describe it. Just one thing: there was something inside the belly of that six-body linked corpse.”