Chapter 4: The Twin Phoenix Coffin

In the afternoon, Wu Xiaoxie woke up from a nap to find Zhang Wuxun and the others busy packing their gear. Seeing him approach, Zhang Wuxun tossed him a wetsuit and gestured toward a waterproof backpack nearby. "The divers have confirmed the location of the sea tomb. We have to head down in ten minutes; I’ve already packed your equipment."

Wu Xiaoxie thanked him, changed into the wetsuit, pulled on his fins, and was just hoisting the oxygen tank onto his back when Fatty waddled over, clutching his belly.

Zhang Wuxun laughed at the sight. "You need to lose some weight, Fatty. You’ve turned the largest size wetsuit into a maternity dress."

Fatty patted his round, ball-like stomach with a hint of pride. "What do you know? This is the 'guardian blubber' of Master Fatty."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Zhang Wuxun waved his hand, too lazy to argue. He tied his hair into a bun with a hair tie and signaled for Wu Xiaoxie to prepare to enter the water.

After diving for a short while, they spotted a hole blasted into the structure—a grave robber’s tunnel. After inspecting the marks around the opening, they decided to go in. They exchanged a few simple hand signals at the entrance to ensure everyone was on the same page, and then Zhang Wuxun pointed at himself to indicate he would take the lead.

Fatty looked at the tunnel and seemed hesitant. Zhang Wuxun made a circular gesture around his own waist and pointed at Fatty’s stomach, implying that he was too fat and would be embarrassed if he got stuck in a narrow passage. Fatty’s eyes widened behind his mask, and he started blowing bubbles as he raised a fist at Zhang Wuxun. Zhang Wuxun dodged with a flick of his fins, flashed a pinky finger at Fatty, and swam nimbly into the hole.

He couldn't help but think that the author who wrote this book was truly a genius. If they weren't in different times and spaces, he would have loved to apprentice under them; learning even a fraction of their skill would be enough to get rich. Lost in these wild thoughts, Zhang Wuxun kept his eyes peeled for any movement. He signaled to the others behind him that it was temporarily safe, then used his searchlight to illuminate the tomb wall, which had a large hole broken into it.

To facilitate detailed communication, they had brought waterproof magnetic drawing boards. Having read the plot, Zhang Wuxun knew this hole was dug by a Sea Monkey, so he wrote this on the board for them to see. Wu Xiaoxie and Fatty agreed. Fatty then took his underwater rifle off his back, disengaged the safety, and swam in first.

After swimming for a distance, Wu Xiaoxie grabbed Fatty and pointed to the statues on the wall, writing on the board, "The statues might be a problem. The eyes on those faces are slowly opening." Zhang Wuxun swam over to inspect the stone carvings, poked the eyes with his dagger to confirm they were fine, and gave Wu Xiaoxie an "OK" sign. Wu Xiaoxie nodded, and they continued forward.

Ahead, a stone slab blocked the path. Fatty leaned in to peek through the gap, and Wu Xiaoxie curiously followed suit. Zhang Wuxun’s sharp eyes caught a few strands of black hair emerging from the gap beneath the slab. He quickly stepped forward to pull them back. After retreating a few meters, he wrote on the board, "There is a Jinpo behind the stone slab," and showed it to the bewildered pair.

They didn't take it seriously at first, so Zhang Wuxun shrugged, signaling them to do as they pleased, and kicked his fins to swim back. He had already warned them; if they wouldn't listen until they saw the coffin, he might as well let them learn a lesson.

After swimming a distance away, the commotion behind them grew louder. Looking back, he saw Wu Xiaoxie and Fatty swimming for their lives in terror. Xie Ning and the others were in just as much of a mess. Once they caught up to him, Zhang Wuxun kicked the wall with all his might.

The world spun, and before the group could react, they were swept into a sudden whirlpool. Zhang Wuxun didn't have it any easier; his brain felt like mush, and it took a while for the momentum to subside. "Who the hell designed this mechanism? It’s like a damn toilet flush!" he thought, feeling nauseous and dizzy.

He struggled to the surface, relieved that the searchlight hanging from his waist hadn't been washed away. He scanned the area and realized they were in a tomb chamber, specifically a large pool. He pulled himself up onto the edge. He then fished out Wu Xiaoxie, who was floating facedown in the water, and pressed on his stomach. He hadn't swallowed much, and his breathing seemed stable. Zhang Wuxun laid him flat and performed chest compressions until Wu Xiaoxie coughed up water. The first thing he said upon opening his eyes was, "Damn it, Muyu, you dog! If you knew the way, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Zhang Wuxun stretched his legs, took off his breathing mask, pulled a candied-hawthorn-flavored energy gel from his bag, tossed it to him, and popped one into his own mouth. "I was just guessing. I told you there was a Jinpo, but you didn't believe me. We couldn't go down there, so I had to find a way from above."

He glanced at Fatty, who was still spinning in the pool due to inertia, and chuckled. "Hey, fat swan in the pool, stop spinning. You look hideous."

Fatty climbed up, gasping for air, and tried to kick Zhang Wuxun, but his legs were limp and lacked strength, so Zhang Wuxun didn't even bother to dodge. Fatty collapsed on the floor, extending a limp hand, and Zhang Wuxun placed two energy gels in his palm. Exploring a sea tomb was different from a land tomb; the water pressure was high, so he kept heavy items like self-heating meals and canned goods in his storage space. He hadn't even brought out his skeleton dagger, filling his pack only with compressed biscuits and energy gels. He had specifically chosen the sweet and sour hawthorn flavor—sour was better than the cloyingly sweet alternatives.

Zhang Baldy and Xie Ning also climbed up. After replenishing their energy, the group used their flashlights to examine the chamber. Xie Ning suddenly pointed at a trail of small footprints on the ground. "Look, what is this?"

Wu Xiaoxie squatted down to look closely. "Child’s footprints? Who brings a child into a tomb? No, wait!" His expression changed. "This is corpse wax!" He scraped a bit off with his dagger and held it toward Zhang Wuxun. "Smell this."

Zhang Wuxun wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Get that away from me."

Fatty had already followed the footprints to a large blue-and-white porcelain jar with dragon patterns in the corner and signaled for everyone to be quiet. Suddenly, the jar wobbled. Everyone tensed up.

Fatty whispered, "That little zombie is probably hiding behind the jar. We'll surround it and catch it."

Zhang Baldy asked with an innocent, naive look, "Zombie? What kind of zombie? Like the Zongzi from Wufangzhai in Jiaxing?"

Fatty rolled his eyes and muttered, "Idiot."

Zhang Wuxun knew that the real Xiaoge, hidden behind the "Zhang Baldy" persona, was doing this on purpose. He had to admit, Xiaoge’s acting was top-notch; even the usually shrewd and meticulous Fatty had been fooled. However, did Xiaoge actually like eating Zongzi from Wufangzhai? Zhang Wuxun made a mental note to stock up on some for their next tomb raid.

Having read the plot, Zhang Wuxun knew there was only an empty coffin behind the jar, so he had no interest. Zhang Baldy, however, trotted over and followed Fatty, both creeping toward the jar from opposite sides. Sure enough, behind it was nothing but a double-phoenix-carved baby coffin, open and empty.

Wu Xiaoxie said, "That must be the little zombie's coffin."

Fatty kept shining his light into the coffin, clicking his tongue as he looked. Zhang Wuxun teased him, "What, craving meat? Judging by the size of this little coffin, that little zombie wouldn't be enough to satisfy you."