Chapter 1355 - 1031: A Tale of Narrow Escapes and Bitter Irony

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked!

Ashina Zhuxie immediately furrowed his brows, "What did you say!?"

Zuo Tian had just fought with him, and at this moment their gazes met, with lingering animosity still between them. He took a deep breath to suppress his anger and coldly said, "I said, it’s all spent."

"..."

"The golden head you saw earlier was the last remnant after we brothers exhausted all the treasures father had hidden."

"..."

"I forged that head and buried my brother."

"..."

"Left General’s Tomb holds no value to the world anymore!"

At this, even Wo Xue showed an expression of surprise—among the travelers, she was the least concerned about the so-called treasure of Left General’s Tomb. Firstly, it was unrelated to her; secondly, even if found, it wouldn’t end up in her hands. Yet hearing Shang Ruyi and Lu Xiao mention it constantly along the way, she had harbored a slight fantasy about the wealth hidden inside from an enemy nation.

Even if one can’t possess it, seeing it would suffice.

But unexpectedly, the treasure that everyone was so eager for, leading these people to struggle all the way, facing death and injury, with some even losing their lives in the gloomy tomb passage, was already—spent!

This, indeed, feels like a near-death joke.

Wo Xue murmured, "How could this be possible?"

Zuo Tian originally sat cross-legged on the ground; now he slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knees. His thin body swayed in the burnt, shapeless Taoist robe, resembling a listless ghost. As he slowly walked toward the east chamber, he said, "Father indeed accumulated astonishing wealth during his life, wealth rivaling a nation’s."

"Then—"

"But no matter how vast the wealth, it amounts to nothing in the face of war."

"..."

The room fell silent again.

Zuo Tian moved to the east chamber, which had recently been chaotic from the scramble for survival by the group climbing in. He closed the wooden cover over the underground passage, which occasionally still emitted black smoke, completely sealing it off. Then he placed the cushion back on the wooden cover, bending to lift the toppled shrine, the wooden fish, and copper bell.

It was only at this moment that Shang Ruyi saw the shrine housed a memorial tablet.

A blank tablet.

Now, everyone was speechless, even upon seeing the blank tablet, without interest in figuring out who it worshipped—it didn’t matter who it was. Shang Ruyi’s throat tightened, struggling for a while before speaking in a hoarse voice, surprisingly with a slight self-mocking smile, "So..."

Zuo Tian turned to look at them, his gaze like looking at a bear, exhausted, covered in bee stings, clambering up a tree to fetch a hive, only to find it lacked the honey they yearned for.

The pitiful scene was a living joke.

But doesn’t this scene also mirror their appearance years ago, when the brothers faced defeat and desperation?

Who among the living doesn’t make a spectacle of themselves to survive?

Lu Xiao looked at him with a complex expression, "Why didn’t you say it earlier?"

If he had explained earlier, these people wouldn’t have wasted so much time, nor been led underground to face life-threatening trials, which could have prevented some deaths.

Zuo Tian didn’t look at her, just paused in silence before saying, "If I’d said it earlier, you wouldn’t have believed it."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze coldly from Shang Ruyi to Wo Xue, to Ashina Zhuxie, Lei Yu, scanning each face with a cold smile, "Even now, you might not fully believe it. Even if you find a clue in this room, you would still continue searching, wouldn’t you?"

"..."

Everyone remained silent, but silence was also an answer.

Indeed, human greed knows no bounds. Even though Shang Ruyi claims not to engage in immoral acts for treasure, faced with such wealth, she doesn’t believe she could remain calm and collected, choosing to stop while ahead. After all, just one life of Wang Shaoqiu, or gains and losses of Xiazhou, couldn’t outweigh her scheming throughout the journey, even risking herself.

Seeing everyone acquiesce, Zuo Tian scoffed, "That’s the reason the previous Tomb Guardian died."

"..."

"Therefore, you don’t have to trust me, because I don’t trust you either."

The atmosphere in the room sank further into silence.

No wonder, after Zuo Heng’s rebellion failed, he fled here, but this cabin showed signs of ageing from over a decade, revealing it was where the previous Tomb Guardian lived. When he said the Tomb Guardian died for it, likely long before, others had already deduced that Skytop Mountain was Left General’s true resting place, coming here seeking treasure.

Today’s occurrences are most likely a mere reenactment of stories from many years ago.

People change; human nature remains unchanged.

Realizing this gave Shang Ruyi a sense of powerlessness, stronger than the exhaustion after escaping near-death moments ago. Looking at Ashina Zhuxie and Lei Yu, she saw the same bewilderment in their eyes, and Lu Xiao...ever since coming up, she remained silent as if leaving a spirit in the dark subterranean realm. Shang Ruyi understood the shock from recent events was overwhelming, even for someone as experienced as Lu Xiao, surviving life-threatening experiences multiple times, not always able to stay composed.

Hence, they said no more.

Though staying on Skytop Mountain has lost all meaning, since many were injured, they decided to stay one more day, discussing everything after descending tomorrow.

Afterwards, everyone dispersed—saying dispersed, but not leaving far, still staying in the cabin, just sitting silently and calming their minds, while outside the soldiers and guards healed or rested. After all the talk, Zuo Tian stopped paying them mind, simply continuing to tap his wooden fish and chant his sutras in the east chamber.

After dinner, everyone on the mountaintop saw the sun setting, and night arriving once more.

Shang Ruyi used the hot water brought by Wo Xue for a brief wash; upon turning back, she found Lu Xiao absent from the cabin. After a brief walk outside, she saw her standing alone behind the cabin, the cold moonlight covering her. It was a silent yet exquisite scene, emitting an inexplicable loneliness and helplessness.

Shang Ruyi watched for a while but did not approach, quietly turning back.

But after taking two steps, she looked up to see a familiar figure standing ahead, evidently waiting for her.

That beautiful face under the moonlight had a hint of chill.

It was Lei Yu.