Chapter 159: Dong Feng

Following the guide ahead, they turned left and right, climbing for who knows how long. They only knew that the further down they went, the drier it became, and there were no insects or ants in sight. After making countless turns, when the beam of the flashlight finally revealed a bend ahead, the skinny man vanished first. When Qin Yang stepped forward, he saw a right-angle downward turn, and Red Phoenix whispered from behind, "Jump down."

Qin Yang did not waste time and jumped down. The drop was not high, and upon landing, he found himself in a surprisingly spacious area. Shining the flashlight around, he discovered a gloomy corridor. Behind them was a sheer cliff, while the floor and walls were paved with bluestone slabs. Lampstands hung along both sides of the walls, which must have held everlasting lamps long since extinguished. The air here was surprisingly fresh, as if circulating with the outside world.

"Just as expected." Sanmao excitedly pulled out a sheepskin scroll and gestured, pointing as he spoke, "We are right in this position. If my calculation is correct, this place should belong to the Gate of Scenery."

"What Gate of Scenery?" Qin Yang asked Red Phoenix, looking somewhat puzzled.

Red Phoenix held a scimitar in her hand, an archaic-looking blade with gemstones embedded in the hilt. Qin Yang vaguely fancied he saw bugs writhing inside the gemstones. Red Phoenix put away the dagger and smiled seductively, "Little brother, this Gate of Scenery is one of the Eight Gates of the Golden Lock formation. Entering it brings good fortune. If you don't understand, you can always ask your elder sister."

Qin Yang feigned a look of partial understanding and nodded.

Red Phoenix smiled and walked up to the three men led by Black Beard. Qin Yang vaguely caught mentions of historical Three Kingdoms figures like Zhang Jiao and Dong Zhuo. Meanwhile, he stood aside and activated his Yin-Yang eyes, only to discover countless mechanisms and hidden dangers. Compared to the resentment-filled zombies of the lower tomb level, this level relied primarily on ingenious and treacherous devices designed to trap people. In his heart, he cursed the so-called good fortune of entering this gate.

"Is General Dong Feng here? Junior Qin Yang has come to pay a visit," he chanted silently in his heart.

After a short while, a leisurely and rather elderly voice echoed in his mind: "Who are you? Why do you know my name? What brings you to break through the Eight Gates of the Golden Lock formation?"

"I come not for wealth, but to invite you out into the world." Qin Yang stared straight at the center of the Eight Gates of the Golden Lock formation, where a spacious hall lay. An elderly wraith was floating mid-air, his eyes filled with immense compassion and benevolence, looking extremely kind. However, due to the distance and what seemed to be an invisible barrier blocking his view, he could not see him very clearly.

"Out into the world?" Dong Feng's tone carried a hint of perplexity.

Qin Yang smiled and said, "It's nothing else; a new plague has emerged in the outside world that is entirely novel to you, known as the Black Death. I know that you Three Great Physicians of Jian'an possess profound mastery over plagues, so I came to visit you first. To be blunt, I want you to take a trip with me, and by the way, I'll make a bit of money."

"You rascal, you certainly are straightforward." Dong Feng laughed heartily, but after the laughter faded, a trace of melancholy lingered: "If you were to bring a patient afflicted with the Black Death here, I could lend you a hand, but at present, I cannot leave this place. Alas."

"Why?" Qin Yang asked, puzzled.

"Come to this place, and I will tell you face-to-face. If you wish to leave, you must also depart from here," Dong Feng said. "But remember this: the Eight Gates of the Golden Lock formation was forged through the concerted efforts of myself and the Immortal Zuo Ci, solely to suppress the unruly wraiths mutinying below. You entered through the Gate of Scenery; although it carries no fatal peril, it traps intruders for a lifetime. You must be extremely careful. Should you accidentally trigger a mechanism, I will provide you with a way to escape."

"This junior thanks you here," Qin Yang said inwardly in his mind.

Having severed his connection with Dong Feng, Qin Yang asked, "Steward, Sister, what do you think? Wasn't it a bit too easy?"

"Immortal Dong Feng has always been known for his boundless compassion; this is only natural," Yuwen Rou Nu said. "You can rest easy."

The steward also chimed in, "Do you think everyone is like you, scheming against others all day long? Many ancients were quite simple-minded, especially physicians like him. If the wraith were deceiving you, the underworld would naturally give you a warning. Trying to fart in front of the underworld is not something Dong Feng is capable of. It's a wonder he didn't doubt you from the start."

With that, Qin Yang's mind was put at ease.

Over on the other side, the three individuals seemed to have finished their discussion. The bearded man waved his hand and declared, "Let's move. You, kid, watch your step. If any mishap occurs, I'll slaughter you first."

"Don't scare my little brother," Red Phoenix shot a sideways glance at the bearded man, taking the opportunity to cast a seductive wink at Qin Yang, which made him shiver and silently curse her for being a vixen.

The five of them followed the corridor for about twenty meters before they saw a hall-like tomb chamber ahead. There were side chambers to the left and right, but they were completely empty, devoid even of murals. Yet, the four individuals showed no discouragement; instead, they grew increasingly excited, as if it further validated their assumptions. Walking through this modest-sized hall, they spotted several skeletons ahead. The clothing of some had turned to dust, while others still retained tattered garments, but all that remained were bare bones.

Qin Yang put on an act of being startled, earning the utter disdain of the bearded man.

Red Phoenix, however, smiled and said, "Oh, little brother, don't be scared. Come, let big sister hold your hand as we walk."

As she spoke, she grabbed Qin Yang's hand. Qin Yang distinctly felt a slight stinging sensation in his palm, causing him to frown momentarily. However, just as quickly, a surge of black light burst from the depths of his body, circulated once around his palm, and retreated back inside. He sneered inwardly, feigning ignorance as he followed Red Phoenix forward. Still, this woman's hand was remarkably soft; considering she wielded a blade year-round, she had miraculously developed no calluses, and her hands were exceptionally well-maintained.

"These fellows probably starved or suffocated to death," Sanmao inspected the skeletons and said, "There are no external signs of trauma; they must have been trapped here."

"Damn it, didn't you say this was the Gate of Scenery, and entering it brings peace and safety?" Black Beard asked, somewhat irritated.

Sanmao remained calm and unhurried, "Entering it brings safety, but it never said it would let us out. It is indeed safe here, except for the lack of food and water."

Black Beard pressed his dark face, itching to curse, but the skinny man hissed a low command to stop arguing. They watched as he felt around the vicinity, searching for something or other. Armed with a small knife and a few bizarre tools, he tapped and probed here and there, eventually prying loose a stone slab. After hearing a few clicking sounds, he dusted off his hands and said, "Let's walk along the base of the wall and be extra careful."

Hearing this, the group moved forward, pressing tightly against the wall.

"Your companion has quite a few tricks up his sleeve," Dong Feng's voice echoed in Qin Yang's mind.

Qin Yang smiled awkwardly, "I'm just hitching a ride; I'm not really close to them."

"I naturally know that. Those people carry a heavy aura of resentment. They must have been sneaking into tombs for a long time to steal funerary objects," Dong Feng remarked. "You carry no resentment at all."

"I'm special; resentment cannot attach itself to me," Qin Yang smiled.

"Oh? Really?" Dong Feng seemed somewhat pleasantly surprised.

Qin Yang replied, "Naturally. Besides, I have no need to steal things from the dead. Playing that kind of game is bad luck and damages one's accumulated virtue."

"That gives us some hope," Dong Feng chuckled. "You are brimming with murderous intent. Even though you deliberately conceal it, you cannot hide it from me. It is scarcely inferior to the murderous aura of Lü Bu, who could match ten thousand men. Since resentment cannot cling to you, perhaps there is truly hope. Thirty meters ahead of you, there is a hidden door. You can open it by striking the wall seven times. Find an excuse to shake them off and come directly to me."

"Understood."

Qin Yang was decisive. After walking thirty meters, he discovered a stone door blocking the group's path. The skinny man stopped to inspect it once again. In the pitch-black darkness, Qin Yang carefully stood to one side, while Red Phoenix playfully toyed with the dagger in her hand with a smirk. After an indeterminate amount of time, she suddenly clapped her hands, and a strange fragrance instantly wafted through the air. Qin Yang watched as Black Beard and the other two collapsed, completely devoid of any resistance. He also feigned falling flat onto the ground. Through the faint beam of the flashlight, he vaguely saw Red Phoenix effortlessly opening the stone door, holding her scimitar as if discerning directions before stepping inside.

The stone door was not even closed behind her.

Confirming that she had walked far away, Qin Yang stood up and snapped his fingers lightly. The divine wolf emerged from the darkness behind him and followed closely. Following Dong Feng's instructions, Qin Yang indeed found a hidden door that swung open. This door was extremely well-concealed, appearing to seamlessly blend into the surrounding stone wall. In his heart, he couldn't help but admire the skill of that Zuo Ci. Slipping through the hidden door with a flashlight in hand and guided by Dong Feng's subsequent directions, he traversed several doors and a narrow corridor. When he finally pushed open the last door, he emerged into a relatively spacious hall—the very hall where Dong Feng resided. Turning around to look, he was utterly astonished: judging by his estimated steps, he had walked merely sixty or seventy meters, yet logically, his previous location should have been over a hundred meters apart from this spot.

"Light the fires," Dong Feng instructed.

Qin Yang pulled out a lighter and ignited several lamps mounted on the stone wall. They flared to life almost instantly. Even more amazingly, the lamplight cast upon a bronze mirror was refracted and scattered throughout the entire hall. Combined with the bizarre gemstones embedded in the ceiling, the room was illuminated as brightly as day. Only then did he fully take in the hall.

It resembled an ancient alchemical workshop. The walls were engraved with the Taiji diagram, and the floor mirrored the design with a massive Yin-Yang Taiji symbol. Right in the center stood a huge bronze cauldron, above which floated Dong Feng's soul.