Tomb robber: I am the tenth of the nine gates

Chu Ning sat quietly on the stool beside the bed, looking at Zhang Qishan's thin face, his brows gradually furrowed.

Chu Ning's memory has always been incomplete, and he knows that he has lived many lives.

The only thing that is the same is that every life is actually a new life for Chu Ning.

The difference is that each time it will lead to the inevitable ending.

Chu Ning reached out to touch Zhang Qishan's hand, and the skin he touched was dry and warm.

Fortunately, before Zhang Qishan lost control and refused to recognize anyone, Chu Ning arrived and once again successfully suppressed the deterioration of his condition.

Maybe it was because the things he had been thinking about in recent days were finally resolved, Chu Ning felt that he was in a semi-relaxed state.

Soon, my eyelids became heavy and sleepiness took control faster than consciousness.

Chu Ning fell asleep right beside Zhang Qishan's bed, with one hand still tightly holding Zhang Qishan's hand.

…………

The leaf-covered streets were quiet, with old, quaint buildings standing on both sides of the road.

Occasionally, some houses' windows were broken and swaying back and forth in the wind, and the whole street was silent except for the howling wind.

Chu Ning hugged himself and walked quickly out of the long street. Suddenly, a large open space appeared. Chu Ning frowned as he looked at the almost broken scene.

Behind him was a long, dark street that seemed to swallow everything, and in front of him was a large, deserted lot.

For a moment, Chu Ning didn't know whether to continue moving forward or go back to the old street.

Suddenly, a hand patted Chu Ning's shoulder. Chu Ning was startled and turned around suddenly to look.

The man was very tall and against the light, so his face could not be seen clearly. Chu Ning ran forward without hesitation.

The appearance of this person was like a small stone suddenly thrown into a calm lake. Chu Ning didn't care too much and relied on instinct to stay away from danger.

The soil under his feet shook, loosening and sinking the moment Chu Ning stepped on it. Suddenly, the soil became like quicksand, swallowing Chu Ning in an instant.

Before Chu Ning was swallowed, he caught a glimpse of the person who had been chasing him from the corner of his eye, and he actually pounced on the quicksand without hesitation.

Who on earth is this? Why are they arresting me at this time?

Suddenly, he felt suffocated. Chu Ning held his breath until he felt a squeezing pain in his chest and his eyes went dark.

The sand that had been imprisoning and surrounding Chu Ning suddenly began to loosen, and Chu Ning could feel that he could breathe again.

Then his body fell freely to the ground. Chu Ning tried to get up by supporting himself on the ground, but his hand slipped and he felt a handful of sand.

He could faintly hear a rustling sound coming from above his head. This sound did not sound like flowing sand. Chu Ning rolled on the ground and followed the slope of the accumulated sand to the edge.

Chu Ning hit the edge of the wall and felt a little dizzy. When he looked up, he saw a large black shadow falling from the exit where the quicksand was sliding down.

The black shadow rolled towards Chu Ning without stopping.

Halfway through, the man suddenly leaned on his hands and bent his knees, and with his nimble hands he supported his body as it continued to slide down the slope?

That person chased Chu Ning into the quicksand and now he and Chu Ning are in the same space again.

Chu Ning decided not to run away. He would be caught and locked up in the end anyway. The result this time would probably be the same. He would just be moved to a new place and locked up.

The black shadow slid in front of Chu Ning, picked up Chu Ning without saying a word, and ran away.

When he just slid down, he saw a door. Behind him was Quicksand chasing him. The man was holding Chu Ning and moving forward with difficulty in the sand.

It's called running, but in fact it's stumbling forward with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Finally, when the sand was almost above the man's calves, he groped his way to the door.

The stone door in the corridor is extremely solid, but at this moment I feel particularly at ease, because behind the stone door is quicksand that is like the backflow of sea water.

Chu Ning's eyes suddenly lit up. He raised his head slightly and the light from the fire stick finally allowed him to see the person in front of him clearly.

"Zhang Qishan?!"

Chu Ning's voice was filled with confusion and surprise.

Looking at the surprised expression on the child's face, Zhang Qishan moved the fire towards himself.

He raised one corner of his lips and said, "Nice to meet you again, Xiao Ning."

Chu Ning blinked and looked around while being held by Zhang Qishan. "So, this is still in your dream."

When Zhang Qishan heard Chu Ning say this, he paused strangely, then nodded. Chu Ning looked carefully and could see the green stubble on Zhang Qishan's chin and the bloodshot eyes.

"...Since the last time we met, you...haven't been in a dream all the time, have you?"

Chu Ning's face was full of seriousness. She grabbed Zhang Qishan's collar with her little hands and looked straight at Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan gave a bitter smile and a tired look to Chu Ning.

“Last time… we fell into a pit together, and when I tried to pull you out you disappeared.

I don’t know why, but when I landed and opened my eyes, I was sent here.

I couldn't get out of here and never met anyone again, not even my father.

Never saw him again.”

There was nostalgia in Zhang Qishan's eyes. Chu Ning raised his hand and gently touched the top of Zhang Qishan's head, giving Zhang Qishan a little comfort.

“I can feel that the concentration of my blood in your body has increased again.

I guess something may have happened to you in the outside world, causing you to fall into a deeper consciousness.

And it’s a place you think you’ve never been.”

Zhang Qishan nodded, took two steps forward and discovered that there were lamp oil tanks on the walls on both sides of the passage. Zhang Qishan raised his fingertips to pick up some, put it to his nose and sniffed, and his face changed.

Chu Ning patted Zhang Qishan at this time, "Why don't you put me down first? I can walk by myself."

Hearing this, Zhang Qishan hugged Chu Ning even tighter. Chu Ning tilted his head and looked at Zhang Qishan with a puzzled look.

Zhang Qishan brought the fire stick close to the lamp slot and said, "Swish~"

With a sound, the fire instantly extended along the groove to the end of the passage.

The passage was suddenly illuminated, but Chu Ning saw that Zhang Qishan still had a serious expression, so he asked carefully.

"Is there something wrong with the lamp oil?"

Zhang Qishan didn't treat Chu Ning as an ordinary child. After all, it was just a dream and there was nothing to be afraid of.

Then he opened his mouth and whispered two words, "Corpse oil."

Sure enough, Chu Ning just widened his eyes and did not panic like an ordinary child. Zhang Qishan's eyes moved.

Chu Ning spoke up.

"The mountain of Long Hou. ... The river flows eastward and flows into the river. There are many mermaids in it. They look like fish, have four legs, and make sounds like babies. Eating them will prevent madness."

(From "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Northern Mountains")

After Chu Ning finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Qishan with his clear eyes, signaling Zhang Qishan to pay attention to the color of the flame.

"Three wells were dug, copper was lowered to make the coffin, and all the palaces, temples, government offices, rare and precious objects were moved in and filled.

He ordered the craftsmen to make crossbows and arrows, and to shoot anyone who came close. He used mercury to represent rivers, seas and oceans, and used them to pump water through the machines, with astronomy on the top and geography on the bottom.

If you use mermaid fat as a candle, it will last for a long time without going out. "

(Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian: The First Emperor of Qin" records the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang.)

A deep voice sounded in the tomb passage, and the candlelight shone on Zhang Qiling's face, making his expression flicker and dark, making it hard to understand.

"Are we really in a tomb now?"

Chu Ning's voice was still full of doubt.

Zhang Qishan nodded cautiously. It looked like they might be in a corridor.

At this moment, Chu Ning reached out to touch the groove, regardless of the risk of the flame burning his fingers.

Zhang Qishan hurriedly pulled Chu Ning's little hand back. Chu Ning's hand had already touched the corpse oil. At the same time, blisters quickly formed on the skin of her fingers, and her fingers became red and swollen.

"What are you doing!" Zhang Qishan's voice was very stern. He quickly pulled Chu Ning's hand, took out the kettle in his arms and poured it on Chu Ning's wound. After cleaning, he took out a handkerchief and wrapped it carefully.

Then he looked at Chu Ning with a dark face without saying a word.

Chu Ning had no intention of repenting. He even grinned at Zhang Qishan and said, "Ouch!" It hurts, it hurts a lot, but he wanted to verify it.

"Is there a possibility that this is lamp oil mixed with corpse oil and mermaid oil?"

Zhang Qishan turned his head to look at the burning flame. Unlike the usual bright yellow candlelight, the flame here was obviously more red.

When it burns, it has a smell that is neither fragrant nor bad, a mixture of fragrance and stench, which is disgusting.

Zhang Qishan's face turned even darker. When had he been here before? If he had really been to such an ancient tomb, he would not have no impression of it at all.

"Is this...really my dream?"

Hearing Zhang Qishan's mumbling, Chu Ning nodded to Zhang Qishan seriously.

"Yes, this is your dream."

Chu Ning said as he unwrapped his finger to prove something for Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan didn't stop him or scold the child, but he saw Chu Ning's fingers recovered as before, and the chubby little hands were swaying left and right in front of Zhang Qishan to show him off.

"Zhang Qishan, you don't want me to get hurt, right?"

The smiling voice of a child rang in Zhang Qishan's ears.

Zhang Qishan turned his head away as Chu Ning guessed his thoughts, and his ears turned red. Fortunately, the light was too dim and it was difficult to see.

Chu Ning was still there, hugging Zhang Qishan's neck, twisting Zhang Qishan's fingers and talking in detail.

“You wanted to see me, so I showed up.

You were a little scared that you didn't catch me when we first met, so you successfully saved me in the quicksand just now.

Just now, you were not injured like me, so I only felt pain for a short while and then it was fine. "

When Chu Ning said the last sentence, he looked at Zhang Qishan and made a "one-step" distance between his thumb and index finger.

Facing Chu Ning's smiling eyes, Zhang Qishan felt less anxious and restless after hearing what Chu Ning said, and he was more hopeful when he spoke again.

"Can you wake me up then?"

Chu Ning shook his head gently, "This is your dream, but I just heard you say that you seem to have never been here before. This is an unknown area for you."

Chu Ning raised two fingers and waved them in front of Zhang Qishan, then continued.

“In my opinion, there are two situations.

One is that you have actually been here, but you have forgotten it, so you always remember it deep in your consciousness and keep adding to the description of this place.

Simply put, it is a house. With your constant self-suggestion, a road appears in front of the house, and finally the house is surrounded by flowers.

A single object becomes substantial. ”

Zhang Qishan raised his eyebrows and looked down at the child in his arms who was not even as tall as his legs. He didn't expect that despite his young age, he knew so much.

Chu Ning was not convinced. Regardless of the fact that she was still in Zhang Qishan's arms, she swayed her body, put her hands on her hips and pouted, "What's that expression on your face?"

Zhang Qishan quickly raised his hand to support Chu Ning's back, and couldn't help but overlap his index and middle fingers and flicked Chu Ning's head.

"Okay, okay, Xiao Ning knows a lot.

What about the second case? "

This doting tone of voice made Chu Ning dazed for a moment. After he came to his senses, he lowered his head slightly and continued speaking.

“The second situation is a predictive dream. What you see is the body’s avoidance of external risks, which will be presented to you in the form of a dream.

But these situations are rare.”

Zhang Qishan raised his eyebrows after hearing the two situations Chu Ning mentioned. Looking at the child's thoughtful expression, it seemed that he did not fall into either of the two situations.

"What about my third situation?"

Chu Ning spread her hands and shook her head, "I can't hide it from you~

This third type is somewhat similar to the second type and is within the scope of foreknowledge.

That is to say, you may go to this place later, but this place is not a warning to you against danger.

Instead, there are people, things, objects, etc., these uncertain factors want you to see.

Simply put, this is not your own will, but you are forced into the dream.

This situation is actually the most difficult to resolve. Unless you find the root cause, your inner fear will be infinitely magnified.

Until the other party achieves their desired goal."

Zhang Qishan concentrated, his dark eyes staring at Chu Ning, "What's your purpose?"

"die."

Chu Ning's voice, accompanied by the leaping of flames, echoed throughout the passage and reached Zhang Qishan's ears.

Oh? Death?

"From the look of you, it seems like you've already guessed it?"

Zhang Qishan nodded, but what he was most curious about at the moment was Chu Ning, "How do you know so much?

Entering a dream, such a mysterious thing, yet you can understand it so clearly at your age.

Xiao Ning, who are you?

Zhang Qishan suddenly approached Chu Ning, but was blocked by Chu Ning's claw.

“Don’t come too close suddenly, I can’t see clearly and you might become cross-eyed!

There are only two of us here, and I won’t hurt you in this state.

and……"

Chu Ning raised his hand and poked Zhang Qishan's chest, with a beating heart under his fingertips.

“Besides, I was willing to save you, just based on this point.

It's obvious that you summoned me?

It's not that I just 'swiped' and it suddenly appeared! "

Chu Ning said this while raising his hands childishly and adding a sound effect to himself, as if he was afraid that Zhang Qishan wouldn't understand.

Zhang Qishan was amused. This kid was really interesting.

At such a young age, he actually wanted to take Chu Ning home to raise him.

As soon as this thought came out, Zhang Qishan's eyes suddenly became stern. No!

He was still being hunted by Japanese pirates, and his father and relatives were all killed in their efforts to protect him.

How could I put a child in danger when I didn’t even know whether I would survive or not?

Even though Chu Ning knew a lot, it was not difficult to tell from his appearance and smile that he was still just a child of a few years old.

I was so confused after sleeping so much, what was I thinking about?

Zhang Qishan closed his eyes and opened them again, and his vision had returned to normal.

Chu Ning looked over with worried eyes, and seeing that Zhang Qishan was fine, he didn't ask any more questions.

He turned his head to look at the end of the passage, "Do you want to see what was in your dream?"

Zhang Qishan nodded and rubbed Chu Ning's head, "Of course."

Holding Chu Ning in his arms, he walked towards the door at the end of the corridor. With just one step, his arms felt empty.

Zhang Qishan lowered his head and looked at his empty arms, this time with a smile on his face.

That’s good. Even if there are traps on the road ahead, we don’t have to worry about the little guy getting hurt.

Zhang Qishan raised his head again with a determined look. He wanted to see who was behind the door.

……