Upon entering, the ground was shrouded in a misty haze, making it impossible to discern the path ahead. As I favored wearing thin-soled shoes, with every step, I felt something beneath my feet that caused a slight discomfort. This sensation wasn't constant; it occurred every few paces, with one or two such instances, which struck me as peculiar.
This was the burial site of a true dragon, a final resting place prepared for princes and kings. The requirements for its construction were so stringent that they were beyond the imagination of modern people. If the ground were not perfectly level, the artisans would face dire consequences. A minor offense could lead to decapitation, while a more serious one could result in the extermination of their entire clan. Therefore, any unevenness in the ground could only be attributed to deliberate action.
If this were the case, besides the tomb's owner, only one other person possessed the ability to achieve this: the elder Yuan Tiangang, whom I had encountered in the illusion. Perhaps this was the path to survival he had prepared for me.
With this thought, I shifted my position, feigning a fit of rage as I stumbled about. In reality, I was using this opportunity to search for any discrepancies in the golden lines on the ground.
As I felt them, a thrill coursed through me. Though the golden lines on the ground appeared identical, when I ran my hand over them, I could discern that some of the engraved Bagua patterns were raised.
However, the raised sections were few and far between, with only one such instance occurring every few feet. Following the direction of these raised golden lines, the path I was taking led towards the "Kai" (Open) gate, while Li Zuoquan's position was precisely at the "Shang" (Injury) gate before the bronze door.
This gave me pause. Li Zuoquan was also positioned before the bronze door, and according to the Bagua orientation, his location was the "Si" (Death) gate. To bypass him, I would need to swap positions with him.
After crawling around the "Kan" (Water) position, I sat down on the ground in a state of dejection, my eyes vacant as I stared at Li Zuoquan, projecting an air of awaiting death.
Naturally, nothing I did escaped Li Zuoquan's notice. So, after I stopped, he let out a cold laugh.
"Boy, why did you stop crawling like a dog? I was enjoying the show immensely. Don't stop now. I'm starting to regret not bringing a camera to record everything you just did. I would savor it later. Haha…"
Li Zuoquan's mockery turned my face a mottled green and white, but I could only swallow my pride. After all, he was blocking the entrance. If he didn't move, even if I followed the golden lines, I would have to cross paths with him. Who knew if this old man was truly trapped there? If he were to strike me as I passed, everything would be ruined.
"Old man, don't mock me. I'm trapped to death, but how much better are you? Aren't you just crawling around like a turtle yourself? If I die, I'll just be a wandering spirit like you. Then it's a matter of who can outlast whom. However, I suspect you don't have much time to waste with me. Those people should be arriving soon, shouldn't they?"
Li Zuoquan, who had been laughing heartily, showed a slight change in his expression. Although this change was fleeting, I still managed to catch it. It seemed that the one in a hurry was not me, but Li Zuoquan.
After provoking him, I whistled and lay on the ground, appearing nonchalant. In reality, I was scanning the ground for raised golden lines, which would facilitate my escape later.
Lying on the ground, I could clearly see many raised golden lines. These lines meandered back and forth, turning left and right, some even doubling back, which made my head spin.
Despite the confusion, I had to force myself to remember them, as this was my only way to escape Li Zuoquan's clutches and avoid being trapped here forever.
Speaking of which, I must thank my eccentric master. He was incredibly strict with me from a young age. If I failed to memorize ancient texts, I would be severely beaten with a bamboo stick. Thus, during my ten years of training, I developed an eidetic memory.
After confirming the route and the directions multiple times, I finally got up from the ground, maintaining my dejected demeanor, my gaze unfocused as I stared towards the bronze door.
Just as I was about to drift off, Li Zuoquan's voice echoed again.
"Kid, I know you have a way to reach the throne. As long as I obtain the Tiger Kui Seal, I can break this Bagua formation. We'll both get what we need, and I'll give you a considerable reward afterward. What do you say?"
I didn't even lift my eyebrows, remaining with my eyes closed, conserving my energy.
"Five million."
"..."
"Ten million?"
"..."
"Fifty million. That's all my assets. If you don't agree, then we can all wait here to die!"
I felt I had provoked him enough. I opened my eyes, a sharp glint appearing, and asked with an eagerness to receive the money, "Are you serious?"
On the surface, I displayed greed, but in my heart, I cursed Li Zuoquan to hell. While I liked money, it was predicated on being alive to spend it. Otherwise, what use was a fortune? Being alive to spend it was the true principle.
"Money is useless to me right now. As long as you help me, I will definitely give you the money. Did you see me flinch when I asked Li Rui for four million earlier?"
I appeared to be contemplating, not responding. Seeing this, he continued, "As long as you agree to help me get the Tiger Kui Seal, I'll give you the money as soon as we get down the mountain."
I hesitated for a moment and said gravely, "You won't lie to me, will you? What if you kill me after I get the item for you?"
"How could I be so untrustworthy? If you don't believe me, I can swear upon my ancestors..." Without waiting for my consent, he invoked the name of some ancestor from his Li family and uttered a malicious oath, even including curses about having no descendants.
I sneered inwardly. You want to leave descendants? What a pipe dream. You scoundrel who does nothing but evil. If you were to have descendants, then heaven truly has no eyes.
"Alright, since you've said so much, I'll trust you one more time."
Li Zuoquan laughed heartily, praising me, "Well said! In the future, your Yin Gua lineage will surely flourish under your leadership."
"Mm!"
"Now, walk five steps to the left… take three steps back… walk two steps forward…" As I gave him instructions, Li Zuoquan's face lit up with excitement because he realized he had escaped his predicament and was closing the distance between us.
While closing the distance, Li Zuoquan did not forget to reiterate his promises to me.
I continued to direct his movements, agreeing with him, until he reached the "Du" (Peril) gate, at which point I fell silent.
Seeing this, Li Zuoquan asked with some urgency, "How should I proceed?"
"Let me think!" I said, spinning in circles on the spot, feigning deep thought.
Because while I was directing Li Zuoquan through the formation, I noticed he wasn't entirely ignorant of the Bagua. Every time I pointed out a step, he would pause slightly. If I hadn't been constantly observing the ground's path and guarding against him memorizing the solution, I wouldn't have noticed this.
"Heh heh… No need to think. I'll help you proceed. Three forward, one back… two right…"
My heart sank. The words "I've been tricked" struck my mind like a heavy hammer, making my head buzz.