When Mei Lin first saw the person inside the coffin, she was stunned, forgetting even to blink.
No matter how she imagined it, she never expected to see a living person. Well, at least she had never seen anyone who, after death, could retain such a vibrant appearance. His complexion was not pale; in fact, it had a faint hint of pink.
Of course, that was just one reason. Another reason was that this person—this man—was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with hair as black as silk, skin like white jade, and features that were extraordinarily handsome. Yet, there was wisdom in his brows, and a serene clarity about him, like the elegance of pine and bamboo, preventing him from appearing overly enchanting.
What was even more surprising was that in such a grand tomb, within this magnificent coffin, he was dressed in simple hemp garments. His hands and feet, as white as jade, were exposed, and aside from the jade pillow under his head, there were no other adornments or burial items.
No... burial items! Mei Lin finally snapped out of her daze, noticing this startling detail. She looked around carefully once more and indeed found nothing. Growing anxious, she prepared to jump into the coffin.
As she was about to lift her foot, Murong Jing He, who was sitting on the ground leaning against the coffin wall, noticed.
"What are you doing?"
"I want to check if he’s really dead and see if he’s hiding anything..." Mei Lin paused in her explanation and couldn’t help but add, "This man is really handsome. I’ve never seen anyone this good-looking."
Murong Jing He, of course, knew how handsome the man was, but hearing Mei Lin say it out loud made him feel uncomfortable. He coldly replied, "Go ahead, but if you trigger a trap, I won’t be able to save you."
At that, Mei Lin quickly retracted her foot. After experiencing all the strange occurrences in this place, she had become like a startled bird, even afraid that sitting on the coffin for too long might trigger something, so she quickly jumped down and squatted beside the coffin like Murong Jing He.
"So what do you think we should do?"
Murong Jing He shot her a glance, a sudden irritation rising within him. "Don’t you have a brain?" He immediately regretted his words but, being used to his lofty position, he wouldn’t easily lower himself, even knowing he shouldn’t speak that way to a woman who wasn’t even considered a concubine.
Mei Lin was taken aback. It had been a long time since he had spoken to her in such a harsh tone, and for a moment, she was dazed. It took her a while to react, and then she couldn’t help but laugh. "I do... of course I do." As she said this, her hands trembled slightly beneath her sleeves, out of sight.
Without looking at Murong Jing He again, she abruptly stood up, climbed onto the coffin once more, and jumped inside.
The coffin was spacious, so she didn’t have to worry about stepping on the man. Still, for some reason, she twisted her ankle, causing her to grimace in pain as she leaned against the coffin wall and slowly sat down, closing her eyes to wait for the pain to subside.
Her hands were still trembling slightly.
"Hey, did you find anything?" Murong Jing He’s voice came from outside the coffin, less impatient than before.
Mei Lin opened her eyes and began searching inside the coffin with a blank expression.
The coffin was empty, and it didn’t take long to search. She looked up and calmly said, "Nothing." Then her gaze fell on the jade pillow.
After hesitating, she leaned over and carefully lifted the man’s upper body, reaching with her other hand to grab the jade pillow. To her surprise, she couldn’t move it, which astonished her.
"The pillow won’t budge," she said. As she spoke, she caught a faint scent of pine and bamboo, and her head spun, almost causing her to collapse. She hurriedly placed the man back and moved away, sitting down at a distance.
Biting her tongue, she used the pain to clear her mind slightly. Just then, she heard Murong Jing He’s voice, muffled through the thick coffin walls.
"Try pressing down on it."
Mei Lin turned her face and took a deep breath, feeling slightly better, and crawled over. This time, she didn’t dare touch the man’s body or even look at his face, fearing he might suddenly open his eyes. Instead, she placed her hands on either side of his head and pressed down hard.
She didn’t expect much to happen, but to her surprise, the jade pillow slowly sank, taking the man with it, which startled her into pulling her hands back. However, the pillow and the man didn’t stop descending even after she let go, and the surrounding area began to tremble.
"Hurry up and get out!" Murong Jing He’s voice came from outside, sounding a bit anxious.
Mei Lin’s face changed slightly. She didn’t dare think about the beautiful man or the jade pillow any longer and quickly grabbed the coffin wall to jump out. But as she leaped into the air, her head suddenly spun, and she fell back down. Fortunately, the dizziness was brief, and she reacted quickly. Seeing that the spot where she was about to land had turned into a dark, gaping hole, she hurriedly reached out to grab something, managing to catch hold of something. But whatever it was didn’t stop her fall; instead, it came down with her.
Her mind was hazy, and she didn’t know how long she fell, only realizing that she was holding onto Murong Jing He’s leg when she noticed that he had fallen below her due to the weight. She tightened her grip instinctively. Just when she thought the fall would never end, there was a loud splash, water splashed everywhere, and a sharp pain radiated from her chest to her entire body as cold water engulfed her, plunging her into darkness.
She couldn’t see it, but after the jade pillow and the man in the coffin had descended to a certain point, they slowly floated back up, and the hole they had fallen through closed back up, leaving no trace.
The crisp sound of birdsong reached her ears, and her body felt the unique warmth of the sun’s rays, along with an indescribable stinging pain.
Mei Lin coughed, which sent a sharp pain through her chest, but she couldn’t resist the urge to expel the water from her throat. Slowly, she turned over and coughed repeatedly, spitting out the blockage until the taste of blood in her mouth made her stop.
She struggled to open her sore, heavy eyelids, and the long-missed clear sunlight filled her vision, causing her to raise a hand to shield her eyes. After a moment, she lowered her hand, and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
She had... made it out!
When she had thought death was certain, she had somehow made it out. She didn’t know how to describe her feelings, but being able to feel her heart still beating and seeing the sun was a wondrous, beautiful thing.
However, she didn’t indulge in this feeling for long. She immediately remembered Murong Jing He, not knowing where he had fallen. She hurriedly got up to search, only to find that her right hand was still tightly gripping something. Looking down, she saw that it was Murong Jing He’s foot. She hadn’t let go of him even while unconscious.
Murong Jing He lay beside her, still unconscious, his wet hair splayed out on the ground, his hand cold and lifeless, making her fear the worst.
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