Chapter Forty-Five: The Entrance to the Ancient Tomb

Tang Fei and Little Fatty rode on horseback—Tang Fei on a pony, Little Fatty on a tall, black steed. There was no other way; the pony simply could not bear Little Fatty’s weight.

The horses belonged to the Flame Shrine; Little Fatty rode the black warhorse once ridden by the Vanguard, while Tang Fei rode the Copper Coin Assassin’s pony. Despite its gaunt appearance, the pony proved swift, not inferior to Little Fatty’s mount in endurance.

Atop the old lands, a few automobiles from before the Great Cataclysm remained, relics owned only by powerful figures. The factories were long gone, and maintenance required specialized skills. Cars ran on oil or electricity—both scarce commodities in these lands.

It was a bitter irony: humanity waged war for energy, and after the battles, people vanished and resources grew even rarer.

To seek out the ancient tomb, they traversed remote mountain paths, roads neglected for years and overrun with wild grass and brambles. Cars were useless here; oxen and horses, the oldest forms of travel, proved far superior. Not that they had a car anyway.

There was, however, a flying car—on New Star. Whenever Tang Fei thought of it, he could not help but remember Phoenix. Surely she had returned safely home, perhaps the flying car was already packed and being transported to the old lands. Had they possessed such a vehicle, he and Little Fatty would have reached their destination three days ago. With a flying car, they could have gone there and back in a day, sparing themselves the torment of riding.

Little Fatty complained that his backside was raw. It was mainly because his skin was too tender—unlike Phoenix’s.

“Big Brother, where is the ancient tomb? We’ve been wandering these mountains for two days now.” Little Fatty wiped the sweat from his face and asked.

Under the scorching sun, though the one exerting itself was the black warhorse beneath him, Little Fatty appeared more exhausted.

“I’m searching,” Tang Fei replied. “Look at the map. There’s a red mark here—should be Xiu Xue…should be Phoenix’s annotation. They came to the old lands to find this tomb.”

Little Fatty scratched his head. “Big Brother, I don’t understand it.”

Tang Fei nearly overestimated Little Fatty’s intelligence. If only Phoenix were here. He and Phoenix shared an uncommon bond, understanding each other with a glance.

Strange, why was he thinking of Phoenix again? It was her fault for telling him, “Think of me,” when she left. If he didn’t think of her a dozen times a day, he felt like a scoundrel.

But what was there to miss? A beautiful woman he would never see again.

“We’re in the region known as Shennongjia… The tomb lies within these vast mountains,” Tang Fei said, eyes fixed on the map. “It’s in a crescent-shaped valley… Can you see the crescent valley?”

“No,” Little Fatty replied. “I’m looking for fruit in the trees.”

Tang Fei and Little Fatty had brought some dried meat when they set out, but it was devoured on their first day. There was no helping it—Little Fatty’s appetite was boundless.

Fortunately, Tang Fei was an expert hunter, so fresh food was never lacking. Yet Little Fatty was like a bottomless pit, having just gnawed through most of a rabbit leg, now searching the trees for fruit to snack on.

Seeing Tang Fei fall silent, Little Fatty sought to change the subject. “Big Brother, did Phoenix give you this map?”

“Of course,” Tang Fei nodded.

He had found the map inside a pillow, hidden alongside the Xiu Xue blade. Since the blade was a gift, so too must be the map.

Tang Fei was not highly educated, but he was adept at spinning his own logic.

“Phoenix said they came to find this tomb, and someone wanted to claim it for themselves—so they tried to harm her…” Little Fatty looked at Tang Fei. “If those people already found the tomb, maybe they’ve emptied it out? What if we arrive and find nothing?”

Tang Fei squinted and smiled. “On the contrary. Phoenix did come for this tomb, but for certain people, keeping Phoenix forever in the old lands was more important than the tomb itself…”

“Phoenix staying in the old lands isn’t so bad… She’s been gone several days, and I miss her…” Little Fatty said.

“The ‘stay’ I mean isn’t what you mean—they wanted to kill her,” Tang Fei explained.

Little Fatty was furious. “Why would they want to harm Phoenix? She’s so kind, always good to others…”

“In this world, many things have nothing to do with character. Within three feet, all is calculation. Only those with nothing can experience true purity.”

“Oh.” Little Fatty nodded, half understanding. “Someone wants to steal Phoenix’s interests.”

“Pretty much,” Tang Fei agreed.

“Phoenix said it’s a king’s tomb… Could there be lots of gold inside?”

Tang Fei laughed. “She only said ‘king’s tomb’ casually. She hasn’t entered, so how could she know what it is?”

“How do you know she hasn’t entered?”

“I asked her.”

“Phoenix can lie?” Little Fatty was disappointed; he hadn’t expected Phoenix to deceive him.

“Didn’t the old man always teach us that women are liars? The prettier they are, the more deceitful. Don’t forget—it’s important. Sometimes it can cost you your life.”

“Phoenix is beautiful,” Little Fatty acknowledged. “But she didn’t lie to you.”

“Why?”

“She can’t fool you,” Little Fatty answered, proud.

Big Brother is smart, so I am smart too.

“That’s true.” Tang Fei nodded. “Since those people wanted to harm Phoenix, they wouldn’t care about the tomb. If they struck before entering, they’d have no reason to keep looking…”

“Why?” Little Fatty asked.

“Imagine you’re caught peeping at Widow Li bathing… Would you stick around?”

“I’d run.” Little Fatty grinned. “Only a fool wouldn’t.”

He paused, then explained, “Big Brother, I never peeped at Widow Li bathing.”

“I know, just a metaphor,” Tang Fei reassured him. “You know, your Phoenix is a princess of the Phoenix Empire—her identity is special. Those people tried to kill her, but she escaped… Would they dare stay and search for the tomb? They’d be long gone.”

Tang Fei kept another thought to himself, feeling it useless to share with Little Fatty.

Judging by Phoenix’s status and the taste he’d observed, anything she valued was extraordinary.

Thus, whatever kind of tomb this was—it was worth anticipating.

Tang Fei and Little Fatty wandered the mountains for another hour, both man and horse growing weary.

Tang Fei finally jumped down from the pony. “Let’s rest for a bit. Tombs of this caliber—others have searched for centuries and found nothing. How could we stumble upon it in three days?”

His attitude was optimistic.

If they found it—excellent. If not, so be it. With a map, one must at least try.

Neither of them could read the land or divine its secrets; they relied on luck, which was hardly reliable.

It was written that men nursing heartbreak like to travel for solace—so let this journey be a ‘spiritual redemption.’

“Alright!” Little Fatty happily jumped down from the black warhorse, which promptly collapsed to its knees, panting heavily—exhausted from carrying him.

Tang Fei glanced at Little Fatty. “You need to lose weight.”

“Okay, Big Brother,” Little Fatty agreed, then dug out the half-eaten grilled field frog and began munching.

“That was meant for dinner… I was going to reheat it… Fine, eat it, eat it…” Tang Fei couldn’t bear seeing Little Fatty drooling over food.

“Thank you, Big Brother.” Little Fatty tore off a frog leg and offered it to Tang Fei. “Here, have some.”

“I’m not hungry,” Tang Fei said. “I’ll look at the map some more.”

“Alright.” Little Fatty shoved the frog leg into his own mouth.

Reading always made one drowsy, and maps even more so.

Tang Fei yawned and soon drifted into sleep.

Little Fatty was sleepy too, but he hadn’t finished his frog, so he persevered.

When Tang Fei opened his eyes, night had fully fallen.

The air was cool as water, the moon bright and full.

A rare beautiful night upon the old lands.

“If only Phoenix were here,” Tang Fei thought.

“She would love this night.”

Slap!

Tang Fei smacked himself.

“At such an important moment, how can you think of women? Focus!”

Little Fatty was startled by the slap, jumping up in concern. “Big Brother… what happened? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing… just a mosquito bite,” Tang Fei replied.

“Oh.” Little Fatty relaxed. “It’s my fault—I should have sat closer. That way, the mosquito would only bite me, not you…”

Little Fatty was thick-skinned and had plenty of blood, perfect for mosquitoes.

As a child, he discovered this talent and always sat beside Tang Fei at dinner, drawing all the mosquitoes to himself.

He protected Tang Fei and the old man, feeding all the mosquitoes in Hate Mountain.

“You didn’t sleep?” Tang Fei asked.

“No.” Little Fatty shook his head. “Didn’t you say, when traveling, even when sleeping, you have to stay alert—one eye open, one closed?”

“I was afraid if I slept, both eyes would close. So I didn’t dare sleep.”

“You blockhead…” Tang Fei scolded. “Hungry?”

“Yes.” Little Fatty nodded.

Big Brother had slept too long; Little Fatty hadn’t eaten in hours.

“Wait here, I’ll find some food,” Tang Fei said.

“Alright!” Little Fatty replied happily, knowing Big Brother never returned empty-handed.

Tang Fei found a lake in the valley and decided to catch fish for a change.

He crouched by the shore, observed the tiny fish and shrimp swimming about, and judged the water safe to drink.

He cupped some in his palms and tasted its sweet freshness.

He then lay on the ground, drinking his fill directly from the lake.

Suddenly, he looked up.

He glanced at the moon in the sky, then at its reflection in the water.

He leapt to his feet, turned, and ran toward Little Fatty, shouting, “Little Fatty… Little Fatty… I know where the ancient tomb is. I’ve found the entrance!”