Chapter 106: Sabotage

This was difficult for me to comprehend, and Dark Glasses also seemed puzzled, unable to offer any explanation.

I could barely make sense of the remaining murals, and neither could Dark Glasses. Most of them depicted surreal, otherworldly scenes, much like a fairyland. As Dark Glasses put it, emperors and generals throughout history often hoped to attain divinity or immortality after death, so they would express these desires in their funerary art. It was easy enough to understand, yet I couldn't grasp why someone, once dead, would still cling to such illusory fantasies.

However, based on the later murals, we reached a few conclusions: the mysterious kingdom must have been the ancient Li Kingdom, and the enigmatic envoy was undoubtedly one of its people. The King of Loufan had received help from the Li Kingdom to control his subjects, but later defied their interference, eventually leading to his decline. Yet, the King of Loufan seemed to harbor an endless longing for the Li Kingdom, constantly searching for it.

There were many things, however, that we could not infer. After all, events from thousands of years ago remain speculative at best, impossible to verify. For instance, how did the King of Loufan contact the Li Kingdom? What was the Li Kingdom's motive for helping him, and why did they eventually stop him from marching south to attack the Central Plains dynasties? And then there was their mysterious disappearance. Think about it: regardless of whether the Li Kingdom was small, it was still a sovereign state. How could a country simply vanish into thin air? These questions remained enigmas, and the murals in the King of Loufan’s treasury recorded absolutely nothing about them.

"It’s not that they weren’t recorded; they were erased."

Dark Glasses suddenly interjected. He then turned to me and said, "Look, the walls further down aren't actually empty. These fragmented stone tiles, which look like they cracked naturally, are upon closer inspection clearly destroyed by human hands. The technique used was so sophisticated that anyone would immediately assume it was the result of time and natural decay."

Prompted by his words, I took a closer look. Being trained in engineering, I soon spotted the clues. Although the walls were covered in cracks, several sections clearly bore the marks of deliberate sabotage. There were distinct traces of sharp tools, designed to make the damage look like the crumbling of an aged, neglected wall, while in reality, the original content had been completely obliterated.

This meant that someone did not want the information on these murals to be discovered or seen by others. Furthermore, someone had been here long ago. This left me perplexed: if people had entered back then, the gold and silver here would have been a fortune sufficient to rival a kingdom. It is hard to imagine anyone resisting such temptation. Yet, those who entered only destroyed the records and left the gold and silver untouched. It was bizarre. Moreover, how did they even get here? It was all a mystery, and the greatest question remained: why destroy the latter part of the records? What could have been written there to warrant such a specialized act of destruction?

The secrets buried here were now beyond reach. My only lingering curiosity was who had erased those records. Could it be... a thought suddenly crossed my mind: could it have been the Li Kingdom itself?

It was highly plausible. The Li Kingdom had supported the King of Loufan, only to abandon him later. During their alliance, the King had acquired those dark arts and become immensely powerful. To protect or conceal that secret, they would have inevitably sought to wipe out that history, allowing the Li Kingdom to return to the shadows.

With this thought, the theory seemed highly probable. Regardless, the place held no further value for me, even with the mountains of gold and silver before us. My only takeaway was the confirmation that the Li Kingdom had indeed possessed those dark arts. As for the rumors Dark Glasses had shared, I couldn't be sure if they were true. But one thing I knew: if such a secret of immortality truly existed, why had the Li Kingdom vanished so completely? The underground city in the desert had suffered the same fate. Thus, immortality was likely just an exaggeration, and the specifics remained to be proven.

We could only look at the mountains of gold and silver; we couldn't take them, so my mood remained indifferent. I felt only a sense of melancholy. Dark Glasses, however, stuffed some small jade artifacts into his clothes, saying that it would be a waste not to take them—one always needs funds for one thing or another. I realized he had a point. I wasn't a saint, and there was no need to act noble. Besides, my time was limited, but I still needed money for whatever I might do. Furthermore, no one ever complained about having too much. Even if I didn't spend it all before I died, I could leave it to those close to me—the only family I had left in this world, the Tomb Guardians. Their lives were simple, centered on farming, gathering herbs, and hunting; they weren't wealthy, and contributing something wouldn't be a bad thing.

So, I began to pack as well. We focused on small jade beads and delicate ornaments, as only these held significant value. The gold and silver were less important. Not having brought a backpack, my storage capacity was limited, but it was enough. According to Dark Glasses' estimate, each of us had taken items worth tens of millions, and that was a conservative estimate. We had picked the best pieces, and since the chamber had been perfectly sealed, the artifacts remained in pristine condition. Being Han Dynasty jade from a golden era of craftsmanship, every piece was exquisite and worth at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions.

After picking out a substantial amount of fine jade, Dark Glasses, being the expert, ensured we had the most valuable items. With that, we prepared to return. Checking the time, five or six hours had passed; if we didn't head back now, the old party secretary would surely be anxious and out looking for us.