“...”
Wen Li was also silent. She exhaled softly; she had thought this kid would have some impressive way to sneak in, like stealing, snatching, or tricking his way through.
But this? It was so undignified!
As expected of a protagonist protected by providence—he was resourceful and capable of swallowing his pride. He was almost on her level.
“Whatever, having a way in is better than having no way at all.”
She squatted down, lowered her head, and used her hand to measure the size of the dog hole. Honestly, it was just the right size for a person to lie flat and crawl through.
“Tsk, no, this kid is still too young. This hole hasn't been reinforced with spiritual energy, so it’s prone to collapsing. He also didn't scatter poison powder while crawling to cut off his trail. Furthermore, the entrance doesn't have any illusion arrays or talisman traps. Unacceptable. Don't learn from him.”
Wen Li simply reached out to touch the soil at the mouth of the hole, and a quick probe with her spiritual energy told her everything she needed to know.
Hearing her words, Zongzheng Huangyue turned her head stiffly, her expression one of faint confusion. “Master, did you used to dig dog holes to escape for your life?”
Otherwise, why would her master be so practiced at sticking her head inside? Her posture as she crawled in was as flexible and natural as someone returning home.
It was really hard to guess her master’s past.
“...”
Wen Li calmly backed out of the dog hole, sticking her rear into the air. She stood up and patted the dirt off her knees, maintaining her dignity as a master. “What do you know? As long as it’s a method that keeps you alive, it doesn’t matter if it’s dignified or embarrassing—it’s a good method. Unless you can find another way for us to get in?”
Zongzheng Huangyue pursed her lips and waved her hands. “Eh, I didn't say this method was undignified. Who said it was? This method is extremely dignified.”
Wen Li bit her lip and stared at her, then raised a hand to point at the hole.
“Then you crawl in first.”
“Why?”
Wen Li crossed her arms, speaking with a matter-of-fact and earnest tone. “In case Wangquan Sheng actually left a trap behind, you’re at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment and can trigger it first. That way, as a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, I can preserve my strength to protect you, right?”
“Master, but I’ve never crawled through one before. This is an important matter, after all; if my speed is too slow, I’ll just hold you back.”
Zongzheng Huangyue was no longer the naive girl who had been sent by Wen Li to deliver a silk pouch to Zongzheng Yingchu. She had grown cautious.
After all, her master used her disciples whenever she had them, and used her enemies when she didn't.
Hearing this, Wen Li narrowed her eyes and grinned. “This is what you said—you want to crawl behind me. I’m not the one forcing you.”
Zongzheng Huangyue froze. Wait, that smile was all wrong.
But what if her master was bluffing? No, surely nothing bad could happen if she followed behind.
“Yes, I said it. I’ll trouble Master to lead the way.”
The master and disciple engaged in a battle of a thousand schemes, but unfortunately, Wen Li had predicted her prediction.
Wen Li snapped her fingers. “Fine!”
She had been waiting for those words. She immediately and efficiently pulled a pile of bottles and jars from her storage bag, along with various talismans and array flags, and tossed them all to Zongzheng Huangyue. The girl’s eyes widened as she scrambled to catch them, her arms ending up full.
“Eh, what are all these?”
“Come, today I shall teach you how to dig a dog hole and properly set up rear-guard measures. I’ll crawl in first; you take your time. Step one: set up an array at the entrance. Step two: paste a Phantom Talisman, a Spirit-Erasing Talisman, and a Wind-Stopping Talisman. Step three: scatter some Itching Powder, Poison Gas Powder, and Frenzy Powder. Then, move the Wind-Stopping Talisman a bit toward yourself so you don't get hit by it. I don't have much antidote left.”
Wen Li directly became a hands-off manager, bending down and lying flat in the hole to rest.
It felt great. This was the first time she didn't have to do any work while crawling through a dog hole. In the past, doing it alone was exhausting to the point of death. Having a disciple was truly wonderful; no wonder those old monsters loved taking on legacy disciples.
“...” Zongzheng Huangyue realized she had been outplayed. She had been too careless; her master had been waiting for this.
The items in her hands felt like hot coals.
She sighed softly, resigning herself to learning on the fly. Fortunately, she was quick-witted, and the array flags only needed to be placed correctly rather than requiring a complex setup on-site. She soon crawled into the hole, only then realizing how small it really was; her head would hit the ceiling if she lifted it even slightly.
As she crawled, she scattered powder and pasted talismans. She didn't know how many times she bumped her head, feeling as though it was covered in swollen lumps. She also had to be constantly on guard to ensure the Wen Li in front of her didn't suddenly stop, which would cause her to slam into her master’s rear.
This dog hole gradually sloped downward, but luckily the incline wasn't steep enough to cause them to slide.
It was pitch black inside. Wen Li wore a necklace with a luminous pearl around her neck. If not for the little corpse bug crawling ahead and leading the way, she would have truly wondered if they had taken a wrong turn.
Logically, they had entered half a shichen after Wangquan Sheng. At this point, the distance between them should be about two kilometers. Meanwhile, the royal party that had entered through the main gate should currently be at the third gate of the tomb.
There were three gates in total. Beyond the third gate was the true interior of the tomb.
Wen Li held a tomb map in her hand, which she had snatched from a grave robber.
Oh yes, grave robbers existed in the cultivation world too. They were also cultivators—mostly rogue cultivators—who specialized in raiding tombs for riches to trade for spirit stones, Dharma treasures, or precious items, using those as resources.
As for how Wen Li had found a grave robber... well, to make a long story short, she had been in the business herself. she knew the industry jargon and how to find the local grave robbers in any given area.
Once she found them and realized their cultivation was lower than hers, she had directly robbed them of the map for Wangquan Wuho’s tomb. She had even taken maps for other cities, just in case they came in handy one day.
After crawling for an unknown amount of time, even as cultivators, they felt like their waists were about to fall apart. Finally, after rounding a corner, they saw a faint glimmer of light from the hole's exit. After crawling down another four or five meters, the light grew brighter, and they could see a corner of the tomb’s interior.
However, the corpse bug leading the way suddenly stopped.
Wen Li looked up.
“Stop.”
“What is it?” Zongzheng Huangyue’s expression tightened.
“Your Excellency has followed me all this way. It’s about time you paid the toll.”
A young man’s voice came from the exit. There was no need to guess who it belonged to. No wonder the corpse bug had stopped; the two corpse bugs on their respective persons had met and could no longer provide directions.
“Roads are for people to walk on. Is your name written on this path?” Wen Li grumbled. It must have been that old geezer in the bone ring who discovered them.
If she had known, she should have had Zongzheng Huangyue soak that damn ring in a latrine for a few days before giving it back to him.
Wangquan Sheng, who was waiting outside, was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected this person to be so thick-skinned. He sneered, “If Your Excellency doesn’t want to come out, you can stay inside forever. It won’t matter whether it’s mine or not anymore.”
Wen Li knew instantly that this kid was planning to seal the hole.
Although she didn't know what cards he had up his sleeve, starting a fight right now was the most unwise move. She simply raised her voice, “Fellow Daoist, we are all here as guests. Why waste energy here and let others benefit? The royal family has already entered the inner chambers with five other groups. If we don't go now, we'll all be discovered. Why don't we cooperate and try our luck together?”
Rate on N.U.
