Chapter 302: The Underground Palace of Mine
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The underground palace was vast.
The one who arranged it had put immense thought into it—the floor was paved with gold and silver, while the walls were illuminated by ever-burning Everlasting Lamps and Night-Luminescent Pearls to light the way.
The deeper they ventured, the wider the space became.
Yet, it also grew increasingly chaotic—evidence of battles fought within, where people had clashed in their greed to seize treasures.
“To take the burial goods is one thing, but to desecrate the palace like this is unforgivable,” Lu Zheng Yue muttered, feeling his anger surge.
“Desolate City has always been a place of exile. Most of its people are descendants of the condemned, accustomed to surviving day by day, caring little for honor or respect,” the guide explained awkwardly.
“Greed is one thing, but lacking conscience is another. If they took the riches, they should have at least left the palace intact, not wrecked it like this.”
Burdened by war and plague, Lu Zheng Yue had never before entered an underground palace.
The guide said nothing more, merely leading them onward.
Wen Ning carried a torch in one hand while holding Lu Chao Chao’s tiny fingers with the other, carefully guiding her forward. Upon seeing the devastation, she sighed.
She pondered for a moment, then furrowed her brows and knelt down to bow deeply.
“What is it, A’ Ning?” Lu Zheng Yue asked.
Only after pressing her palms together in reverence and finishing her bow did Wen Ning reply, “It is wrong to disturb the deceased. Moreover, the master of this palace was a kind soul. The stone gate behind us had permitted those in hardship to take what they needed, yet these people chose to pillage like bandits, destroying everything. This is a crime.”
As a mortal, she was no different from the others. Kneeling was a small act of atonement.
Lu Zheng Yue thought for a moment, then knelt beside her and solemnly bowed.
Seeing their lord bowing, the Imperial Physicians and the accompanying soldiers naturally followed suit. Only the local guides remained indifferent, glancing around as if nothing mattered.
They still had copper coins looted from the palace tucked in their sleeves, regretting that they hadn’t found gold.
“When you first arrived, were the Everlasting Lamps already burning?” Lu Zheng Yue inquired.
The guide nodded. “Yes. That lamp oil is a treasure! It can burn for thousands of years without extinguishing. Tsk, I came too late!” He sighed in regret.
Lu Zheng Yue ran his hand over the Everlasting Lamp, noticing traces of oil that had spilled from rough handling.
His fingers were coated in it.
He sniffed lightly. “It has no scent of oil, but rather an odd, tranquil fragrance. And…” There was something familiar about it, yet he couldn’t recall what.
The Imperial Physician also sniffed. “It does seem familiar…”
“Let me see! Let me see!” Lu Chao Chao tiptoed eagerly. But no matter how she stretched, she was barely three years old.
Lu Zheng Yue bent down. “Just a light sniff. We don’t know if it’s poisonous.”
“How could it be? The palace master was so kind!” Wen Ning jested.
From emperors to commoners, all feared the desecration of their tombs. Imperial mausoleums were even guarded, emphasizing their value.
The palace master had left a warning at the entrance, asking visitors not to disturb the resting place.
Once inside, there was no turning back, yet they had been granted the chance to take offerings and leave peacefully.
But the people had repaid such kindness with reckless destruction.
“To construct a palace this grand and meticulous, the master must have been of high status. What a pity…” To have their tomb defiled in such a manner.
Lu Chao Chao took a gentle sniff.
“Huh…”
“It smells like incense. Second Brother, doesn’t it remind you of Grandmother’s Buddhist Hall?” The lingering scent of offerings and devotion.
Everyone froze.
“Yes! Yes! It’s the scent of incense!” Lu Zheng Yue slapped his thigh in realization.
“Indeed, it has the tranquil aroma of temples, something that brings peace to the heart,” the Imperial Physicians agreed.
Yet Lu Chao Chao frowned slightly.
Incense was offered to deities, and divine blood naturally carried that fragrance. This lamp oil…
A jolt of realization struck her heart.
It was Divine Blood!
“This palace was once magnificent! Gold fragments covered the floor, glittering everywhere. Oh, and there were flowers and plants growing along the sides…”
“Strange, though. There was no water or air, yet they thrived.”
“But they withered instantly when pulled out,” the guide muttered, kicking at some dried stems.
An Imperial Physician picked up the withered plants and examined them.
“Anything unusual?” Lu Zheng Yue asked.
The physician shook his head. “No poison. Likely unrelated to the palace.”
“Further inside, there were these splendid, exquisite dresses. I’ve never seen such beautiful garments in my life. But the moment you touched them… they turned to dust,” the guide lamented.
“Heh, maybe the plague was Heaven’s punishment for desecrating the palace,” another man laughed while casually sifting through rubble for overlooked treasures.
“Enough.” Wen Ning’s voice turned cold.
The man grinned sheepishly and fell silent.
Lu Chao Chao picked up a piece of withered grass, a sense of familiarity creeping in.
It resembled a rare Guiding Bloom from the Cultivation World.
A flower that guided souls, commonly planted along the Yellow Springs Path to lead spirits toward reincarnation. It could not withstand sunlight and only grew in the Netherworld, perishing if uprooted.
She scooped up a handful of inconspicuous black soil.
Indeed…
It was Nether Soil.
“Up ahead, there was a Jade Bed, tsk tsk, a true treasure.”
“The entire bed was made of flawless white jade, glowing faintly in the darkness. People fought viciously over it, even spilling blood onto the jade.”
“In the end, they smashed it apart and took the pieces, each grabbing what they could.”
“Ah, I arrived too late! Not even a single fragment left for me. So frustrating!” The guide sighed in regret.
Lu Chao Chao suddenly halted.
Her gaze locked onto the shattered Jade Bed.
Her eyelids twitched violently, a foreboding sense of doom rising within her.
“That Jade Bed… did it feel warm to the touch?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Lu Zheng Yue looked at her in shock. Why did Chao Chao have such an expression?
Just moments ago, she had been watching the spectacle with amusement.
“Yes, yes! The elders in the city called it a Millennium Warm Jade. If a corpse was placed on it, it would remain lifelike for a thousand years without decay,” the guide nodded eagerly, still filled with regret.
Lu Chao Chao opened her mouth.
Then, she turned her head slowly, staring at the ruined palace around her.
Damn it.
No wonder it felt so familiar!!
This was her dream! In the past, her disciples had gathered her soul, unable to awaken her, so they placed her body on a Warm Jade Bed to keep it preserved.
This Jade Bed… wasn’t it the one she had been lying on?!
But… her cenotaph was at the National Temple’s mountain!
Then again…
The cenotaph had been empty all along, left for the world to mourn and revere.
This palace must have been her disciples’ painstakingly preserved tribute!
?AAAHH!!? Lu Chao Chao screamed internally, her little face turning crimson with fury.
Lu Zheng Yue suddenly clutched his ears, his face contorted in pain.
“What’s wrong, Zheng Yue?” Wen Ning asked anxiously.
Lu Zheng Yue rubbed his ears, casting a wary glance at his sister. “Nothing.” He inhaled sharply, trying to calm himself.
[?I can’t laugh at this anymore!?]
[?ARGH! I’M FURIOUS!?]
[?THE FOOL WAS ME ALL ALONG!!?]
[?THEY DUG UP MY UNDERGROUND PALACE!!?]