After bandaging the last wound on Mu Yunsheng, Shang Yueli said to Wang Shi, “Mother, please look after Yunsheng for now. I’m going to rescue someone.”
“Yueli, you mustn’t! You’re with child. If anything were to happen to you, how would we mother and son survive?” Wang Shi repeatedly shook her head, refusing to let her go.
The bubbles on the water surface were diminishing, and everyone understood that Mu Shicai was likely beyond saving. Even if Shang Yueli dove in now, she might only retrieve a corpse.
Patting Wang Shi’s back to soothe her, Shang Yueli spoke with determination, “Mother, I’ll just go down to check. If the situation looks bad, I’ll come back immediately!”
She had observed earlier that aside from this spring, there were no other passages leading to the tomb chamber in the entire cave. Therefore, there must be a path beneath the spring water!
Bidding farewell to Wang Shi, Shang Yueli slowly submerged into the spring, retrieving a diving mask from her space and putting it on.
In her previous life, due to work requirements, she had frequently engaged in such tasks, which was why she felt confident about diving to rescue someone. Even if she couldn’t save them, she could retreat unscathed.
Su Moli had been right about one thing: in chaotic times, those who act self-righteously are the first to perish.
However, there’s a fundamental difference between having the capability to rescue someone and recklessly attempting to do so without the ability.
Attempting to rescue without capability is foolish righteousness; having the ability but refusing to act is indifference.
Chaotic times have no need for the self-righteous, nor do they tolerate the indifferent.
With a calm expression, Shang Yueli adjusted her mask and slowly descended.
The water was clear, and soon she spotted Mu Shicai’s sinking body. His limbs were moving slightly—he was still alive!
Following the current, Shang Yueli swiftly descended. Just as she successfully grabbed hold of Mu Shicai, she suddenly noticed a source of light at the bottom of the spring!
That must be the passage to the tomb chamber!
Glancing at the choking Mu Shicai, she quickly calculated the distance. If she swam upward now, Mu Shicai would surely die. But if she went downward, there might still be a sliver of hope.
Making a resolute decision, Shang Yueli swam downward.
Beneath the spring was an enclosed cavern overgrown with green plants, with only a small opening at the top where light poured in.
Surfacing from the water, Shang Yueli laid Mu Shicai on a clear patch of ground and repeatedly pressed on his chest with her hands clasped together until he coughed up the water.
“Cough, cough, cough—”
Mu Shicai struggled to open his eyes. “Cousin’s wife…”
“I… I didn’t steal her things. That jerky was originally mine, cough—”
Shang Yueli patted his back to help him breathe easier. “Don’t worry now. We can talk about everything after we return.”
She used a nearby leaf to scoop some Spirit Spring water from her space.
“Here, drink some water. You’ll feel better after drinking it.”
After drinking the Spirit Spring water, Mu Shicai’s breathing stabilized, and he soon fell unconscious again.
Seeing that he showed no abnormal symptoms, Shang Yueli felt relieved and began observing her surroundings.
Removing her diving mask, she walked along the cavern walls.
There was only this one space beneath the spring, so the door to the tomb chamber must be nearby.
Shang Yueli paused her steps. Raising her hand, she brushed aside the moss-covered wall, revealing a stone brick underneath!
“Found it!”
Quickly, she took out a dagger and scraped off the mud from the entire wall, discovering that it was actually a stone door!
Shang Yueli felt her blood surge with excitement.
“The Tomb of King’s Authority—found it!”
Taking two steps back, she pressed her lips together and carefully examined the stone door.
In the center of the stone door was carved a protruding lion statue, its left eye a blue gemstone while the right eye socket remained empty.
The novel never described how Su Moli entered the burial chamber, only mentioning that she ultimately obtained the “Royal Medical Code.”
Shang Yueli gazed thoughtfully at the empty socket.
Undoubtedly, the missing gemstone was the key to opening this stone door.
“Where should I search for it…”
Shang Yueli rubbed her right index finger absently, her lowered eyelashes casting shadows like butterfly wings.
“Got it!”
She pried out the lion’s left eye gem with her dagger, weighing it in her palm.
Then she retrieved a gold nugget of similar weight from her space, coating it with clay to match the blue gemstone’s size and shape.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Worst case, I can always return later!”
After this prayer, she snugly fitted the makeshift “gemstone” into the left eye socket, then placed the original blue gemstone into the right socket.
Having done this, she immediately sidestepped to hide nearby.
After waiting with no response, Shang Yueli assumed her attempt had failed and prepared to leave with Mu Shicai for another try later.
The next moment, a rumbling sound echoed behind her as the stone door slowly split open.
Before she could rejoice, countless hidden arrows shot out, thudding into the opposite wall.
She patted her chest to calm her racing heart—thankful for her quick reflexes.
When the commotion subsided, Shang Yueli cautiously entered through the stone door.
Click— The interior was pitch black, so she lit a lighter for illumination.
The chamber was vast, filled with glittering gold and jewels that shimmered in the faint light.
She glanced past these treasures, refraining from hastily storing them in her space.
Soon, she reached the main burial chamber.
Equally spacious, the dome was studded with countless luminous pearls, bright as daylight.
Unlike the passageway, however, the floor here held no other valuables, appearing rather austere in comparison.
As Shang Yueli slowly approached the golden nanmu coffin—
Crack! The lid automatically swung open.
She instinctively frowned.
“Why are there no burial objects in this person’s coffin?”
The tomb’s occupant lay alone inside, his ornate robes long decayed by time.
Apart from a book clutched tightly in his hands, the coffin was empty.
Shang Yueli carefully deciphered the text on the cover.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the legendary treasure—”Royal Medical Code”!
Virtue +3
Saving the drowning Mu Shicai, Virtue +2
Current Virtue: 10
25 points needed for next level!]
What!
So this was the Royal Medical Code?
Seeking it far and wide with no success, yet here it was effortlessly obtained.
Shang Yueli felt a surge of excitement.
Though this was originally Su Moli’s destined opportunity, her indifference had cost her the chance!
Clasping her hands, Shang Yueli closed her eyes and reverently bowed three times to the corpse.
“Senior, rest assured, I will cherish your medical text and carry forward its legacy!”
After speaking, she carefully retrieved the book from his grasp and exited without incident.
Before leaving, she collected all the scattered gold and jewels into her space.
But the moment she closed the tomb door, the sound of collapsing walls echoed from within.
Shang Yueli did not linger any longer. She picked up Mu Shicai and dove back into the water.
Soon after, she emerged from the water with Mu Shicai successfully in tow.
“Huff—”
Shang Yueli gasped for breath, only to meet Mu Yunsheng’s reddened eyes the next moment…