Chapter 9: The General's Treasure (9) (Bug Fix)
"But he's already dead. Because he lost his treasure, the general lost his mind, and now we need to help him find this treasure that no longer exists?" Jin Huijuan's expression turned sour. She couldn't help but bite her lower lip, casting a helpless glance toward Zhang Zhaoqi, her fellow transmigrator.
But the next second, Jin Huijuan realized the other person was still watching her with an impassive face, his dark eyes deep and unreadable, with no intention whatsoever of sharing his thoughts with her.
"..."
Jin Huijuan withdrew her gaze in defeat, leaving her no choice but to take control of the situation herself. "Mm... The beauty's corpse is still in this ancient tomb. Let's go find it first. Perhaps we can find some clues there. Even if not, at least we can identify some characteristics to deal with the butler's next question..."
Before she could finish speaking, a gust of chilling wind swept through the room.
Fine porcelain rattled and teetered precariously. The indoor temperature plummeted abruptly. Jin Huijuan, the only one with long hair, had her locks blown wildly by the fierce wind, her deep eyes half-hidden beneath the thick curtain of hair. She cupped her slender hair with her hand, her expression grave.
This wind felt like a warning.
Warning them not to attempt to touch that beauty.
Qi An's eyes flickered. He lowered his gaze to his mud-stained sneakers, a rather cryptic smile playing on his lips.
[System, do you think that general will be able to recognize me?]
Qi An's voice in his mind carried a light laugh, though in reality he still appeared soft and delicate, wearing an expression of mild panic as he looked at the others.
[Why would he think we'd come back? The system was puzzled. [According to the Quick Transmigration Bureau's regulations, transmigrators all possess spirit-bodies. Once the mission is complete and one leaves the world, that world's soul is automatically considered scattered. Now that he's become a vengeful spirit, he should know that person will never appear in that world again.]
[That's what I'm curious about too.] Qi An's tone carried an enigmatic smile.
What kind of connection did this general have with his current visit?
The wind had ceased.
It stopped only after leaving Jin Huijuan's hair in disarray, no longer smooth and flowing.
As Jin Huijuan had explained, their two groups had already searched through most of the palace, the search area had been considerably narrowed, and there wasn't much left to cover.
This sudden gust of wind ultimately heightened Jin Huijuan's vigilance. To prevent any accidents, Qi An and the other three moved together.
The sound of footsteps grew increasingly distant.
As they pressed forward, they could observe that the underground palace's level of ornamentation increased progressively. The deeper they went, the more luxurious the furnishings became. Each chamber occupied a wider space, and even the corridors were no longer as narrow as before.
Unlike the cold and somber armory and martial arts training grounds on the palace's outer layer, the atmosphere inside was considerably warmer.
As if someone had meticulously crafted it.
But the heavy expression on Jin Huijuan's face remained undissipated. The wealth of experience she possessed as a transmigrator made her sense a premonition of danger. The core area of this underground palace was simply too clean—clean to the point of having no visible dust, as if something polished it meticulously every single day.
The entire journey thus far had been far too peaceful for a horror setting.
Like the calm before a storm.
Without their realizing it, they had arrived at the deepest part of the underground palace. Before Qi An and the others stood a tall, massive metal door. Beyond its grotesque, obscure patterns, countless gems worth a fortune were embedded in its surface, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors beneath the dim glow of luminous pearls.
The numerous beams of colorful light gradually merged and separated, faintly forming a pattern.
Like a human face.
The light shifted slowly. The eyes formed by the converging light turned toward where Qi An stood. It... curved its lips.
But Qi An and the others' attention wasn't on this exquisitely magnificent door. Instead, it was captured by the two strikingly familiar statues beside it. Apart from their differing features, both statues were identical to the ones they had encountered before in every aspect—from the material to the guardian posture.
Recalling the previous situation, Jin Huijuan frowned and turned to Zhang Zhaoqi. The latter concealed a trace of deep thought and stepped forward, attempting to push the door open. Upon touching the door, the statues remained motionless.
As the metal door slowly swung open with a heavy creak, neither statue showed any reaction.
Seeing this scene, Jin Huijuan's expression didn't relax; instead, her breathing grew more rapid. She lowered her eyes in contemplation for a moment, then made her decision. "Inside first!"
Zhang Zhaoqi braced the door, and after everyone entered, he too unhurriedly stepped forward.
The door "banged" shut with a thunderous roar.
This room was vast—far surpassing any of the palace chambers they had previously seen. Yet it was also extremely sparse, with only one coffin-like object placed on a slightly elevated circular platform in the center.
As Jin Huijuan and the others drew closer, they realized it was a coffin lined with ice blocks inside. Rather than the commonly used wood, it was crafted from a transparent gemstone of unknown material.
Through this glass-like gemstone, they could see cold, damp white mist churning endlessly within. When the mist drifted to the coffin walls, it didn't condense into water vapor. Instead, it was gradually absorbed by this peculiar gemstone.
Here lay a beauty.
"Is this... the treasure?" Jin Huijuan's voice couldn't hide her astonishment. Perhaps it was due to the ice that would never melt and the unusual gemstone, perhaps it was due to the spell cast by the general who had become an evil spirit, but the beauty within the coffin still retained her youthful appearance.
Even with her vibrant eyes closed, the person in this coffin was still breathtakingly beautiful. She couldn't find words to describe the other's features.
The person's lips were thin, tinged with a pale bluish hue—a cold, noble, otherworldly kind of beauty.
Qi An raised an eyebrow, gazing thoughtfully at this ice coffin. If he remembered correctly, he shouldn't have been buried here. His gaze slowly swept across this skin and flesh both familiar and foreign. Qi An's eyes lingered briefly on the latter's eyes.
Suddenly, Qi An turned his head as if casually glancing away.
Just now, a faint force had been tugging at his soul.
This corpse had been subjected to a soul-calling spell.
That was—
His casually roaming eyes were drawn to the closed door. Qi An saw something resembling a human face upon it, its lips moving. He tried to discern its mouth movements.
—Mine.
A cold, clammy breath struck the back of Qi An's exposed neck. He felt something invisible playing with his fingers—that cold, silky touch sensually gliding from his fingertips to his wrist, then slowly circling.
The person laughed softly in his ear.