Dragon Vein Storyteller

Chapter 7 White Emperor City

As mentioned last time, there was a stone statue of a welcoming lady standing in the passageway. The statue's arms were outstretched, with a half-smile, clearly beckoning people to come in.

I swallowed the strange thought that had just crossed my mind, not daring to voice it in public. In the current situation, saying anything more would only make the group behind me more panicked, and would be of no use whatsoever.

"Three jin," I called out softly.

Sanjin immediately squeezed through from behind, his sturdy frame causing several people nearby to stumble backward. I gestured to the crowd, indicating that he should get a few more torches.

Without a word, he turned and plunged into the crowd, returning moments later with four torches. Those whose torches had been stolen shrank back, too angry to speak out, not even daring to look us in the eye.

I distributed the torches, and each of us five took one. The five flames gathered together, and instantly the fire blazed brightly, illuminating the entire passageway. The flames crackled softly, and the flickering light cast shifting shadows on everyone's faces, conveying an indescribable sense of oppression.

"Let's go." I said, holding the torch, my voice as cold as frost. "Sanjin will lead the way, Baldy Liao and Crippled Feng will bring up the rear, and Little Chicken will follow in the middle. Keep your eyes peeled, and speak up immediately if anything seems amiss."

Sanjin didn't respond at all, but strode forward with the torch in hand. His sturdy frame, standing in the passageway, resembled a moving stone pillar, inexplicably giving people a sense of reassurance.

I led the chick and hurried after them, while Crippled Feng and Baldy Liao lagged behind at a leisurely pace. The sound of our footsteps echoed back and forth between the stone walls, layer upon layer, as if countless unseen figures were following us.

Torches were held high, their rays spreading out.

Only after leaving did I suddenly discover something that sent chills down my spine.

There is more than one of these welcoming stone sculptures.

Extending along the passageway, every half meter, an identical stone statue of a lady is embedded in the walls on both sides. Symmetrical, arranged in pairs, they stretch into the darkness beyond the reach of the firelight, seemingly without end.

Each statue maintains the same eerie posture: the right arm is outstretched, palm facing up, fingers slightly spread, body slightly leaning forward, and eyes that seem to be smiling but not smiling.

A single statue can be forcibly attributed to the strange regulations of the tomb owner.

But the sight of ten, twenty, countless stone statues standing side by side, creating a silent, eerie sense of oppression, starkly reveals a chilling truth...

This is no ordinary tomb passage; it is a genuine underground welcoming passage.

The obvious approach is to lead people in step by step, so that they willingly step into the depths.

"This was all planned in advance, leading us into a trap." Feng the Cripple's voice drifted over from behind, devoid of surprise or anger, only a deep chill remained.

I didn't reply, but instinctively tightened my grip on the little chick's hand. His palms were already damp with a thin layer of sweat, but he wasn't trembling at all. After that life-or-death experience at the mass grave, his courage was far beyond that of an ordinary teenager.

Holding torches, we slowly made our way forward, watched over by two rows of stone statues of court ladies. The statues gradually appeared in the firelight, then sank back into darkness after we passed. The faces, some smiling, some not, flickered in the light and shadow, as if they had come alive, silently urging us: come closer, come even closer.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the darkness ahead suddenly changed its texture.

It wasn't the ordinary dimness that a torch couldn't illuminate; it was a heavy, desolate, deathly blackness that seemed to devour light and shadow. The torchlight reached forward, only to be instantly swallowed up as if plunged into deep water, leaving behind only a hazy glimmer.

Those in the know can immediately tell that this means the space in front has suddenly opened up.

Sanjin's steps suddenly stopped.

"There's something ahead." His voice was low and serious.

I strode forward with the torch in hand. As the flame spread out in front of me, I gasped in shock, and the hairs on my body stood on end.

What lay before them was no longer a narrow, winding passageway, but a vast, boundless underground dome. The tiny torchlight falling upon this world was like a firefly falling into an abyss, illuminating only a small area, yet enough to reveal the breathtaking scene before them.

A majestic ancient city wall stands in the boundless darkness.

The city wall, standing seven or eight zhang high, was entirely constructed of tightly joined, ten-zhang-long bluestone blocks. A thousand years had only left a thin layer of moss on its surface, yet it remained majestic and imposing. The wall stretched endlessly to both sides, disappearing into the thick black mist, its length unknown. The battlements were neatly arranged, like thousands of silent soldiers, looking down upon the uninvited guests who had intruded upon this place.

Logically speaking, it's impossible for such a well-constructed city wall to have sprung up out of thin air in the Qinling Mountains. City walls are meant to protect the homeland and defend against foreign enemies; who would build such a heavily fortified city in the dark depths of the earth?

There is only one explanation... what this city protects does not belong to the human world.

In the very center of the city wall, a massive bronze door opens inward, behind which lies an even deeper, more bottomless darkness.

Above the gate, a huge stone plaque is embedded between the bluestone, with three large characters engraved in clerical script.

The torchlight fell on the stone plaque, strangely concealing the surrounding shadows, leaving not even the edges of the characters in shadow. The three characters seemed to spring from the mountain rock itself, their strokes vigorous and powerful, carrying the chilling aura of war and conquest. A majestic and imposing aura swept over, making one's chest feel heavy and one's breath catch in their throat.

Baidi City.

I stood frozen in place, gazing up at the three characters on the stone plaque, my mind buzzing.

The White Emperor… I’ve heard that name before, in very, very old ancient texts. Shao Hao Jin Tian Shi, ruler of the west, associated with metal… These fragments are just remnants I gleaned from ancient scrolls, vague and indistinct, a mixture of truth and falsehood. But one thing I’m certain of: this isn’t a title fit for an mortal emperor.

But it is clearly engraved here, dignified and unquestionable, as if it has stood here since ancient times, waiting for visitors to pay their respects.

The city gates were wide open, as if they had been waiting for a thousand years.

Two rows of welcoming ladies, a desolate welcoming avenue, and an ancient city gate wide open.

From the moment you step into this passageway, you are not entering a trap.

From beginning to end, this city of Baidi quietly welcomed our arrival.

My throat bobbed, I swallowed hard, and the torch in my hand trembled slightly. The crowd that had followed from the mass grave gradually gathered behind me. Upon seeing the three characters on the stone plaque, some immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, while others silently prayed for divine protection. The burly man who had been hit by the three-pound weight neither knelt nor prayed. He simply stared blankly at the open bronze door, his feet involuntarily taking two steps forward, as if being led by something… Someone next to him grabbed him, and he seemed to snap out of his daze, his face turning deathly pale as he retreated back into the crowd.

I looked away and down at the chicks beside me.

The little guy's mouth was slightly open as he looked up at the three words in a daze. There was no fear on his face, but rather a pure curiosity. There was even a strange light in his eyes, like a hunter who had spotted a hidden wonder.

My heart skipped a beat. This kid's birth chart is all Yang; he shouldn't be reacting like this in a place like this.

But I don't have time to think about it right now.

"Half-Immortal, what is the White Emperor?" he asked me softly, tilting his head back.

I was about to speak when I suddenly stopped, unable to utter a single word.

The moment his gaze fell upon the words "White Emperor City," the ancestral jade tablet on his chest suddenly burned, like a red-hot iron abruptly pressed against his flesh. Immediately afterward, the jade tablet throbbed heavily in his heart…

thump.

I stared at the dark, open city gate, and my heart felt icy cold.

Did we break into a city, or a ferocious beast that has been sleeping for thousands of years?