The legend from that time had already disappeared from the primitive Minyue forests, so it was impossible to verify whether the mysterious legend of the South Sea King was really related to the local Mute Emperor. But as we moved forward with our investigation, we found many signs that the local ethnic minority’s legend had subtle similarities to it.

I took a moment to calm myself down. The "leather figurine" that was exposed above the water’s surface looked as if it had been made from the flayed skin of a servant. The skin was made into leather and then bamboo silk was used to keep its human shape. Since more than two thousand years had passed, the outside layer of all these leather figurines had calcified. Even though the bamboo silk had completely rotted away, the leather still retained its human shape. Like the blind soldiers in the legend, they were guarding this strange king’s tomb.

But the strange thing was, I didn’t know what secret treatment the ancients had used on this thousand-year-old leather. There weren’t any parasites growing on them, but they were completely black.

Fatty and I both fell silent. We had never heard of this burial practice in Minyue before, but it was probably related to the ethnic minorities’ legendary "immortal techniques" from that time. The eyes painted all over the walls had already given me some insights into the evil nature of this sorcery. I didn’t know what special purpose these rhinoceros horn candles and leather figurines in the water served, but we didn’t dare underestimate them.

At this time, I had a bold theory that the strange legend may have been handed down to the local people by the craftsmen who built the South Sea King’s tomb. Because they couldn’t say it directly for fear of revealing the tomb’s location, they made up a story of what they saw and heard while building the tomb.

The Mute Emperor was the South Sea King, the spells that would fail when you opened your eyes were the eye murals all over the walls, and the Mute Emperor’s paper army ended up being the leather figurines buried with him. In this legend, there was also an incredible claim that the Mute Emperor had a magic bow.

Because most of the things in the legend were quite different from the situations we had encountered in the tomb so far, I didn’t think the so-called "magic bow" was really a bow. But what was it?

As we bypassed this leather figurine and continued wading through the waterway, the water level got lower and lower until we could finally see our waists again. Under the candle’s light, more and more leather figurines emerged from the water, leaving strange flickering shadows on the wall.I stopped. Based on Poker-Face's previous instructions, I had been following the direction the figurines had been facing, but for some reason, a leather figurine up ahead was facing the opposite direction of all the others.

Fatty and Poker-Face couldn't see what I could see, so they stopped and asked me what was going on.

"One is different from the others," I told them.

"How is it different? Make it clear. Is it fat, thin, tall, or short?"

I looked at the leather figurines that were all facing one direction. Their facial features had become blurred because of the calcification, but this particular figurine was different. Its facial features were very clear. If the leather figurines were an ancient art form, then the craftsman who created this one must’ve been far superior to the others.

Moreover, this leather figurine’s skin must have come from a woman.

Although the weapons and armor should have rotted long ago, the stances of the other figurines indicated that they were all soldiers. This leather figurine woman, however, had a realistic shape and her hands were hanging down naturally. It was obvious that the craftsman had loved this figurine and put a lot of effort into it.

As I approached slowly, a particularly ominous feeling rose up in my heart. Based on my intense experiences in the past, I was certain that this had to be a monster. This figurine definitely didn’t belong here and must have been deliberately placed here by the ancients. Plus, it was hiding behind the other leather figurines. From my point of view, it looked like it was secretly watching me, which made my hair stand on end and nearly had me panicking.After thinking about how to bypass it and what precautions to take, we decided that Fatty would go first, Poker-Face would go second, and I would go last. That way, Poker-Face could take care of both sides in case something happened.

We walked past the leather figurine woman like we were driving a train, but nothing happened. I felt relieved, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. When I looked back, I couldn’t see the leather figurine woman clearly anymore. I probably deserved a beating for being so reckless, but I couldn't resist saying to Fatty, "I want to take another look back."

Fatty didn't know what I wanted to see, but he handed me the basin full of candles anyways. When I turned back to illuminate the area, I saw the leather figurine woman’s back. As I looked at it carefully, I felt like something was off, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Just as I handed the basin back to Fatty, I suddenly realized what the problem was. The leather figurine woman’s position was slightly different from before.

****

Extra: BirthdayA Day in the Life of Xie Yuchen