It has been confirmed that the Imperial Preceptor led people into the imperial mausoleum.
This means the nameless actor and the mercury female corpse should have been awakened as well.
Yan Shouyi, recalling the faint singing he had heard just moments ago, suddenly thought of something and quickly made a shushing gesture to Lin Zitong and Taohua Ying.
The two quickly fell silent, implicitly agreeing to perk up their ears and listen intently.
Singing!
There was indeed singing!
The voice was melodious and mournful, filled with profound sorrow, like a lament, like a wail.
Yan Shouyi's pupils contracted. He said to Lin Zitong, "You stinky girl, don't you think this singing sounds familiar?"
Lin Zitong listened closely for a moment longer, her face also showing surprise.
"Nuo Ghost Opera?" she asked.
The two had already heard Nuo Ghost Opera twice when they were on Mount Longhu, once when Li Genmiao was ascending the mountain, and again when Li Genmiao's mother, Zhang Suqing, sang it in memory of the Old Celestial Master Zhang Yin.
The singing they were hearing now was exactly the same as the Nuo Ghost Opera they had heard on those two previous occasions!
"This nameless actor is actually a successor of Nuo Ghost Opera!"
They reached a consensus and then found it quite reasonable.
No matter how much Qin Shi Huang liked an actor, he wouldn't have him buried alive in the imperial city. Or rather, if even an actor could be buried alive in the imperial city, then the people buried alive would surely not be limited to just the actor and the mercury female corpse.
It was precisely because this actor was a successor of Nuo Ghost Opera, possessing extraordinary skills, that he was chosen by Qin Shi Huang!
Taohua Ying, captivated by the singing, couldn't help but ask, "Should we follow the singing to take a look?"
"Huaying," Lin Zitong said with a frown, "Nuo Ghost Opera has a certain effect on ghosts."
Taohua Ying suddenly realized something, and her face paled slightly.
While listening to the Nuo Ghost Opera, her mindset had inexplicably changed.
On one hand, she felt a longing for the Nuo Ghost Opera, wanting to get closer, wanting to hear it more clearly.
On the other hand, her heart felt inexplicably agitated, so agitated that she wanted to break free from all constraints and destroy everything in sight.
She only realized these things after Lin Zitong's reminder; without Lin Zitong, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Taohua Ying whispered, "I have indeed been affected."
Lin Zitong gently shook her soul-summoning bell and comforted her, "You should go back into the soul-summoning bell to rest. Come out after we confirm it's safe."
"Okay."
Taohua Ying did not object and, transforming into a wisp of ghostly energy, entered the soul-summoning bell.
With Taohua Ying gone, only Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong remained in the imperial city. Even Ta Xue and Hei Chuan Lu had been put into the soul-summoning bell, and Zhu Shanzao had returned to Yan Shouyi's body.
"Let's go, let's go see together."
Yan Shouyi took Lin Zitong's hand, skirted around the piled corpses and skeletons, and walked out from a side entrance.
Following the singing, the two walked out of Zhangtai Palace and continued along an unfamiliar path for some distance.
This small path was also piled with corpses. Yan Shouyi observed the pattern of their distribution and, confirming that the Imperial Preceptor had led people to fight their way out of Zhangtai Palace, proceeded along this path.
Yan Shouyi thought: Based on the layout of the imperial city, we have now reached the northwest of the imperial city. The mercury river flows southeast. This means the nameless actor and the mercury female corpse are facing each other across the city, each guarding one side.
According to legend, Qin Shi Huang's final resting place, the bronze coffin, floated on the mercury river. Therefore, after Yan Shouyi and the others checked on the nameless actor, they would definitely have to head southeast.
The two walked for a while, and after passing through a small path, they suddenly saw a stage in front of them.
The stage was in disrepair, and the area below was also littered with corpses. It was evident that a battle had taken place here as well.
However, what was strange was that among the skeletons, there were no mixed terracotta figurines, only the remains of living people.
This indicated that no one else had fought here at the time; it was entirely the Imperial Preceptor's subordinates!
Yan Shouyi's expression turned grim. He said, "Nuo Ghost Opera has the ability to disrupt people's minds. The people brought by the Imperial Preceptor were likely confused by the Nuo Ghost Opera and killed each other here beneath the stage."
Lin Zitong nodded, remaining vigilant.
As the two grew closer to the stage, the singing became clearer and clearer. Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong continuously chanted a calming incantation, preventing themselves from being affected by the Nuo Ghost Opera.
Suddenly, Lin Zitong pulled Yan Shouyi and pointed to a corner of the stage.
Yan Shouyi looked in the direction and his pupils suddenly contracted.
In that inconspicuous corner of the stage, amidst a pile of human bones, sat a man dressed in gray.
Unlike the four powerful zombies in the inner city, this man's skin was a little pale, but his features were delicate, even possessing a touch of androgynous handsomeness.
Two locks of hair on his forehead, like dragon whiskers, fell naturally, adding a touch of poetic beauty to his appearance.
The man's eyes were narrowed, as if he were asleep, but his mouth opened and closed, effortlessly singing the complex Nuo Ghost Opera.
"The nameless actor, it must be him."
Yan Shouyi thought this to himself, then exchanged glances with Lin Zitong, conveying their thoughts.
It was definitely not the time to disturb this nameless actor, otherwise, if the mercury female corpse were to attack, they might not be able to withstand it.
The two could only skirt around the nameless actor and follow the Imperial Preceptor's footsteps, searching for his whereabouts.
However, just as they were about to quietly leave—
There was movement from the inner city!
Boom!!!
A deafening sound erupted. It seemed an explosion had occurred in the inner city.
Yan Shouyi's expression changed. "Someone detonated something in the inner city. Could it be that people on the surface are trying to blast open the inner city gate?!"
Lin Zitong immediately refuted, "If they really did that, Professor Liang would fight them to the death."
Archaeology is not plunder. Experts would never resort to such crude methods to enter the imperial mausoleum.
Yan Shouyi only needed a moment's thought to be certain that another group had entered the imperial mausoleum.
Who could it be?
The first person he thought of was Zhen Zhi and his group, whom he had met in the ghost market.
The Xin Xuan Mountain Sect was also eyeing the imperial mausoleum. Upon learning of the breach, they would certainly not fail to investigate.
However, what Yan Shouyi truly needed to pay attention to now was not who had entered the imperial mausoleum.
It was the nameless actor, right before their eyes, singing softly on that stage!
Yan Shouyi looked back and suddenly couldn't help but shiver.
He saw that on the stage, amidst the pile of bones, the androgynously handsome nameless actor slowly opened his eyes.
A pair of deep, dark eyes stared intently at Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong!
"Run!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Yan Shouyi took Lin Zitong's hand and turned to flee.
Lin Zitong remained calm and collected. She immediately summoned Ta Xue, pulled Yan Shouyi, and leaped onto the horse's back. Then, she shouted, "Giddy up!"
Ta Xue seemed to sense the extremely dangerous presence behind them and immediately broke into a gallop, running without looking back!