Indeed, it was as such.
When he walked into the room, Ding Dalin let go of his hand willingly, his skin, just like that, stuck to the boy’s hand, and as it was pulled, it gradually tensed up, until...
The sound was loud, so loud that Li Zhiyuan was stunned and lost his senses; by the time he recovered, he noticed that the room was dim, and it had become dark.
All the furnishings in the room were there, except Ding Dalin was nowhere to be seen.
Li Zhiyuan closed his eyes, trying to catch that rising sensation again; he found it, feeling himself start to float.
He immediately opened his eyes and ended the awakening.
Yes, he had entered the Underworld, but it wasn’t of his own volition; he was pulled in by Ding Dalin.
Considering this, actively waking up now would seem a bit disrespectful.
Stepping out of the room and onto the balcony, Li Zhiyuan wanted to look for Ding Dalin; since he brought him here, he must have had a reason.
In the pitch-black night sky, a full moon hung, a bit too large, even the craters on it visible.
Li Zhiyuan looked down, focusing on the ground ahead, then blinked hard.
The fishpond that had been restored in reality now reverted to the state it was in after the water monkeys’ activities the previous night, drained of water, with deep holes dug.
He pretty much knew where to look for Ding Dalin now.
Walking downstairs, the scene from last night’s gathering still remained untouched.
As he came out of the hall’s entrance, Li Zhiyuan first paused in his steps and then took two steps back, lifting his head.
He saw Little Huang Ying hanging from a ceiling beam in the hall.
Because her long hair hung down, one could only see her face through her hair if they stood in that particular narrow area.
Her eyes were closed, her expression indifferent.
Li Zhiyuan didn’t know if she had been hiding there since last night or if she was there just now.
Little Huang Ying didn’t open her eyes or respond.
Li Zhiyuan didn’t linger any longer, walked out of the hall, descended the embankment, jumped down into the fishpond and approached its edge.
Only upon a closer look could he truly appreciate how deep the hole was.
Li Zhiyuan turned around to look at Big Beard’s house’s rooftop behind him, where he had hidden and observed the situation the previous night.
He bent down and carefully slid down the slope into the pit and only after a good distance did he land at the bottom.
What stood before him was a funnel-shaped tower that had been dug open.
The dark entrance was wide open.
Li Zhiyuan held onto the walls and slowly proceeded inward; as he moved forward, one lamp after another lit up because the tower was tilted, the lighting inside appeared slanted as well.
There were no murals on the surrounding walls, making the space look quite plain; apparently, the tomb’s owner did not intend to cultivate his sentiments in the underworld after death.
Or perhaps, this tomb was already built while the tomb’s owner was alive; because if it were made by others, there would inevitably be some textual or pictorial accounts of his life.
It was lucky the tower tilted; otherwise, entering from above would be no different than jumping down a well.
As he walked deeper inside, the color of the light grew colder, changing from the bright yellowish color at the outer section to green.
Finally, Li Zhiyuan reached the bottom.
He saw a massive stone coffin, fixed at the base of the tower, now looking as if it was stuck to the wall.
Around the stone coffin were some pieces of furniture, all fixed in place like the coffin itself, thus remaining in place, adorned with gold, silver, and the shimmering light of gems and jewels.
They were all valuable items; he now understood why the two water monkeys who descended last night returned so agitated, and why they came up empty-handed, claiming they couldn’t move anything.
However, still at the bottom, there was no sign of Ding Dalin.
Li Zhiyuan’s gaze landed back on the stone coffin,
He couldn’t possibly be inside the coffin, could he?
Chains bound the coffin, and runic symbols were painted around it, fitting the characteristics of a temple tomb meant to seal away evil spirits.
"Clatter clatter clatter..."
The chains began to quiver, as if something inside wanted to emerge.
Li Zhiyuan stood still, unclear if opening the coffin during an Underworld journey might trigger some real-world consequences, but he wouldn’t take that risk.
It wasn’t out of concern for his own safety, but this being Si Yuan Village, who knew what releasing whatever was inside the coffin might cause.
His life was under threat, which led him here step by step, but even with the threats, he wouldn’t open the coffin.
But soon, he wouldn’t have to wrestle with the decision,
As a crisp sound rang out, all the chains on the stone coffin fell off.
A dull scraping noise followed, and the coffin lid slowly slid open.
It didn’t even need his help, it could come out on its own.
Li Zhiyuan held his breath, fully focused, prepared for the person inside the coffin to sit up.
But after waiting for a while, it did not do so.
The scene fell into a sort of eerie silence.
Gradually, a wind started within the tower; initially faint, only making the lights flicker, but then the wind grew stronger, forming a howling within the tower.
The howling sound slowly became more refined and finally turned into a human voice, raspy, like an old and poorly maintained phonograph.
"Aren’t you curious?"
Li Zhiyuan replied, "I am curious."
"Then why not come closer?"
"I am. Fear is an instinct, just like the sensation of pain."
"Let’s peel off the human skin and talk straight."
"What does that mean?"
"Take off the skin on your body. I don’t want to talk to a child."