Although the bat slime was utterly disgusting, Old Pizi's method of using scent to save one's life had a certain scientific basis to it.
Many popular science programs had featured hunters who smeared animal feces on themselves to mask their own scent while hunting. Even when they got close to animals, they would not be detected.
Following Old Pizi's example, Lu Gouzi and I picked up dead bats from the ground, squeezed the slime out of their carcasses, and smeared it all over ourselves.
Of course, Old Pizi had given us a special warning.
The slime we needed to avoid was the dark, foul-smelling kind—that was what the bats had eaten, and it held an enormous attraction for them. Just a moment ago, it was because we had stepped on that kind of slime that we had been chased.
What we actually needed was the bats' blood and saliva.
The scent of that specific slime would trick the bats into thinking we were of their own kind, thus protecting us.
Initially, I wanted Old Pizi to teach me the five notes so I could master the flute and control the bats. After all, Master Huo's faction had also entered the tomb. If I could skillfully control the bats, I could wipe out Master Huo's entire group in one fell swoop, and even force them to confess the truth about Grandpa's death and identify the real murderer.
However, Old Pizi told me that while there were only five notes in total and they were easy to identify, musical rhythm was not something that could be mastered overnight. It required talent.
I refused to believe it, so he handed me the Bone Flute and told me to try blowing it. I gathered all my strength until I was practically oxygen-deprived, yet the Bone Flute failed to produce a single sound.
With no other choice, I had to abandon this impractical idea and hand the Bone Flute back to Old Pizi. This object could only display its power in the hands of someone who knew how to use it. Although Old Pizi had not yet fully grasped the meaning of those nine tunes, he could at least prevent the bats from attacking us, which would save our lives at a critical moment.
"We still need to head back. I want to test whether that passage really leads to the outside world! Only after finding a way out will we have any leverage!" Old Pizi suggested.
Aside from seeing treasures, Lu Gouzi had almost no opinions of his own and simply went along with whatever Old Pizi said.
Originally, I wanted to uncover the cause of Grandpa's death before leaving, especially since Master Huo and his people were still inside the Ancient Tomb. But upon second thought, while I was willing to risk my life to avenge Grandpa, there was no need to drag Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi into risking their lives with me.
Finding a way out first and figuring out the structure of the Ancient Tomb was also necessary. Master Huo's group and Dead Face were not on the same side, yet both had come to the Ancient Tomb. This indicated that there was more than one exit out of the Ancient Tomb.
Old Pizi had previously analyzed that there were at least two tomb passages in this Ancient Tomb: one to the north and one to the south. I figured that Master Huo's group must have entered through the southern passage, given that we had encountered his subordinates while heading south. However, heading north required passing through the Main Tomb Chamber to enter the northern passage.
Heading south was the closest route. If we really could find the exit, we might as well block it up and suffocate Master Huo and his bastards inside the Ancient Tomb, which would also count as avenging Old Bachelor Grandpa.
So, I agreed with Old Pizi's suggestion.
The three of us left the tomb chamber and continued heading south along the passage. Knowing full well that Master Huo's group might have also entered through this very passage, we walked with extreme caution, terrified of making the slightest sound. We did not even dare to turn on our flashlights.
We hadn't walked long before we saw flickering light ahead. It had to be Master Huo's faction.
We immediately ducked into a nearby tomb chamber to hide.
A moment later, we saw more than twenty people walking inside. The man leading the group was none other than Master Huo.
They walked to a spot very close to us and suddenly stopped.
"That's about it. Everyone split up and search—that brat is definitely still somewhere in the Ancient Tomb. He's the key to opening the coffin, so you must find him! Remember, you cannot harm the brat, especially his hands!" Master Huo instructed his subordinates with a stern face.
"Master Huo, that brat has a blood feud with us. What should we do if he doesn't cooperate?" someone asked Master Huo.
"If necessary, you can use some special methods, as long as his head and hands remain uninjured!" Master Huo replied.
The brat Master Huo was talking about was definitely me. Furthermore, his subordinate had mentioned that I had a feud with them! This meant that Grandpa likely died at their hands.
I wanted nothing more than to rush out immediately and fight them to the death. But they had overwhelming numbers, and I was no match for them. Rushing out now would simply be walking right into a trap, so I could only bitterly swallow my hatred and press it deep down into my heart.
"As for the other two people, they have no practical value anyway. If you run into them, just finish them off!" Master Huo added to his subordinates.
After that, his subordinates scattered in all directions, leaving only four or five people behind to continue heading north with Master Huo.
"Holy shit, this dog of a Huo Yinyang is vicious, isn't he? We risk our heads to help him rob tombs, and yet he wants to silence us and kill us! What a goddamned scumbag! I really want to exterminate this whole pack of bastards!" Lu Gouzi had clearly heard that the "other two people" Master Huo referred to were him and Old Pizi, and he started yelling furiously.
So this so-called Master Huo was actually called Huo Yinyang!
Damn it, he really wasn't a good person at all.
"Old Pizi, is there any way we can deal with them inside the Ancient Tomb?" I asked Old Pizi.
"We can certainly figure out a way, but we can't kill them off just yet!" Old Pizi shook his head and said.
"Why?" Lu Gouzi and I asked simultaneously.
"Right now, Huo Yinyang is working for Caishen. You two might have heard that Caishen and Morgan the Foreigner have a high-stakes wager going on?" Old Pizi asked us.
"What does that have to do with us? He's trying to kill us!" Lu Gouzi protested angrily.
"Of course it has to do with us. This time, the stakes between Morgan the Foreigner and Caishen are massive. Morgan the Foreigner has wagered all of the Morgan family's domestic businesses! And Caishen has wagered the Golden Silk Manuscript! A supreme treasure like an ancient silk manuscript must never fall into the hands of a foreigner!" Old Pizi said, his gaze exceptionally resolute.
"Crap, Caishen really went all out, even betting the Golden Silk Manuscript. It looks like we really can't afford to lose this time! Damn it, I'll spare those dog-eat-dog bastards for now!" Lu Gouzi said, deflating a bit upon hearing this.
"What is the Golden Silk Manuscript?" I asked.
Judging by the way Old Pizi and Lu Gouzi were talking, the Golden Silk Manuscript had to be an extremely precious national treasure.
"The Golden Silk Manuscript is basically a silk text with characters embroidered in gold thread. It is said that every single volume of the Golden Silk Manuscript records heaven-shaking secrets! Such items are extremely rare in the world; up until now, only two or three volumes have ever been excavated. Their value is immeasurable!" Old Pizi explained.
I suddenly remembered that in 1973, a volume of silk texts was excavated from Mawangdui Tomb No. 3, though it wasn't embroidered with gold thread, but written directly, and it contained a version of the Dao De Jing. Its contents were completely different from the handed-down versions of the Dao De Jing. It was regarded as a peerless national treasure, strictly forbidden from ever leaving the country, even for exhibitions abroad.
I never expected that Caishen actually possessed a volume of the Golden Silk Manuscript. Its value was something an ordinary written silk manuscript could simply never compare to.