The night watchman in Chang'an West Market had just struck the fourth watch when Zhang Yifan and Huwa made their way down the stone steps of the well. Huwa's carving knife tapped against the stone wall with a crisp sound, startling the Luminous Insects nestled there. The stone door at the bottom of the well was covered in carvings of various insects, and Huwa suddenly pointed at a beetle with spread wings and laughed, "Look, Brother Fan! This bug's wings look just like my grimace woodcarving. The ancestors must have carved it after me!"
"Stop talking nonsense, and watch out the bugs bite your tongue." As Zhang Yifan stroked the Taiji pattern on the stone wall, he suddenly heard a click. Huwa's carving knife had poked the beetle's antennae, and the stone door rumbled open. Instead of a hidden weapon, a cloud of chili powder burst out, making both of them cough violently. "Well I never!" Huwa rubbed his eyes and jumped in place. "The ancestors learned my Sneeze Bomb trick!"
On a stone platform in the center of the secret chamber sat a bronze tripod, its body crawling with embossed insects, each of their mouthparts pointing in a different direction. Zhang Yifan was about to step closer when Huwa suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "Brother Fan! There are words under the tripod—'Insects recognize their master, the carving knife is the key'." The young man looked closer and saw that the base of the tripod was indeed engraved with half a grimace, the curve of the mouth matching Huwa's c…
Chapter 33