In Another World, Everyone Want to Kill Me!-Chapter 273: Return to the Mausoleum

Everyone assumed it was merely decorative.

But the man had taken the lion and submerged it in water.

After a short while, the lion had opened its mouth on its own and spat out several thin leaves of gold.

Naturally, he did not recall every detail of the story.

That was roughly the gist of it.

The explanation left Gongsun Xing blinking in confusion, yet the two of them still crouched there and stared intently at the box.

A full pot of hot water was poured over it.

Nothing happened.

Rolling his eyes, Yue Mingxuan flicked the box aside with a casual toss.

It would not break anyway.

He had carried it back with both hands before, thinking it something incredibly precious.

Now he knew better.

The vases in his room were far more fragile than this thing.

He no longer treated it with much care.

The two of them sat in silence.

Suddenly, Yue Mingxuan’s eyes spun thoughtfully in their sockets.

He scrambled up from the couch and knelt facing Gongsun Xing, grinning in a way that made the latter deeply uneasy.

Gongsun Xing swallowed his saliva involuntarily.

"What is it?"

"Let’s go to the mausoleum again!"

He had a feeling the answer was still there.

Gongsun Xing: "..."

When their feet once again stood at the foot of the back mountain’s burial grounds, Gongsun Xing could not help thinking that the two of them must be the most bored people in all four kingdoms.

They had come to disturb the resting place of the dead not once, not twice, but three times.

And when he turned his head, he saw that Yue Mingxuan actually looked excited.

He truly could not bear it.

Was it not said that disturbing the dead would invite retribution?

Then why were they both still alive and kicking? At the very least, could Yue Mingxuan not suffer a stomachache or something at a moment like this?

Noticing that Gongsun Xing seemed to be hanging back in fear, standing several steps away, Yue Mingxuan strode forward and grabbed his hand.

He might hold a measure of respect for the dead, but no talk of ghosts or spirits would deter him.

"Let’s go."

Seeing Xie Lianhua’s coffin for the third time, Yue Mingxuan felt an unexpected surge of emotion.

If she had not harbored the intention to harm him, he would never have dragged her down from her position.

She would not have ended up lying here in obscurity, her death exploited even after the fact.

Concubine Keshun had intended to use Xie Lianhua’s death to frame him.

Had she not been so stubborn and misguided, she would not have fallen to such an end.

Gongsun Xing had already moved ahead to study the writings and paintings on the wall.

This time, they had brought ample supplies to maintain light—torches, fire starters, candles—far more than before.

Yue Mingxuan wanted to examine everything carefully.

"Please don’t stand so close. If there’s some hidden mechanism and you get yourself killed, I won’t be able to save you."

Gongsun Xing shot him an irritated look. "I am a Miracle Doctor."

"Alright, Miracle Doctor."

An hour passed.

Yue Mingxuan leaned against the stone wall to the side while rubbing his eyes.

Heaven help him, he had kept them wide open in this place for a full hour and still had not discovered a single clue.

Where in the world had that damned fellow hidden the method to open the mechanical box? Could he have swallowed it before he died?

The thought made Yue Mingxuan shudder all over.

Swallowed it?

That was not impossible.

Many people, before dying, would keep the thing most important to them close to their bodies—either carried on them or buried alongside them.

But this man had chosen to carve a martial arts manual here rather than share it with his family.

That suggested he had been alone in the world.

If that were the case, no one would have arranged a proper burial for him.

Then...

Yue Mingxuan straightened and stretched his stiff legs.

He had been standing so long that his feet had gone numb.

After rubbing at his calves, he turned his head and studied the several coffins carefully.

The lids appeared to be made of marble and their surfaces smooth and cold.

The coffins resting there were mostly of the same material.

None were grand enough to be fashioned from golden-thread nanmu wood.

These were merely pear wood.

Even so, what the imperial family used was far superior to what commoners could afford.

The carved patterns and designs were refined and elegant.

Xie Lianhua’s coffin was relatively new and it was covered with only a thin layer of dust.

The ones farther away emitted an old stale scent.

If one inhaled carefully, there was even the faint odor of decay from the bodies within. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Yue Mingxuan’s eyes widened.

He grabbed a fire starter at random, struck it against the wall, and a small flame flared to life.

While holding it up, he moved closer.

From what he knew of Beirong’s history, aside from the Emperor’s father—the Grand Emperor—and his consort, the most honored position belonged to Empress Suyin.

But she would not be buried here.

Those connected to the imperial family who held official rank would not lie in this place either.

Which meant the ones buried here were mostly imperial concubines, along with young, unmarried princesses and princes.

The most favored rested on the top level, and so on down the ranks.

As for those lying here...

He could not be certain who they were.

"Gongsun Xing, come here. Help me push this lid open."

When Gongsun Xing turned his head and saw what Yue Mingxuan was doing, his soul nearly fled his body.

Yue Mingxuan had braced his shoulder against the oldest most distant coffin and was pushing with all his strength.

His teeth were bared in exertion.

The fire starter in his hand cast flickering light across his face, making his expression look almost feral.