自創小說的集合地

Chen Cheng's doorbell had been broken for a long time; it wouldn't ring when pressed. He was too lazy to fix it, and friends always contacted him by phone anyway. One night, he heard the doorbell ring. A very short ring, like someone pressed it lightly and let go. He thought he misheard and rolled over to sleep. The next night, the doorbell rang again. This time, he was sure he wasn't mistaken. He went to the door and looked through the peephole. No one was in the hallway. He opened the door. On the ground outside was a note: "The doorbell is fixed." He found it baffling. He looked up at the doorbell; it was free of dust, as if someone had wiped it. He reached out and pressed it. It didn't ring. After closing the door, he went back to bed. The doorbell rang again. This time, three short, consecutive rings. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. Still no one in the hallway. But there was another note on the ground: "You pressed it, so I came." Chen Cheng froze. He looked down at the doorbell. He had indeed pressed it just now, and it hadn't rung. He took a step back, closed the door, and locked it. The doorbell rang again, this time long and continuous, as if someone was holding it down. He didn't dare open the door and hid in his room. The doorbell sound lasted for a full minute before stopping. The next morning, he went out to work and found the doorbell was gone. Only two wires were left hanging on the wall. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. That evening, he returned home to find the doorbell reinstalled. It was brand new, silver, with a clear fingerprint on the button. He reached out to press it. The moment his finger touched the button, the doorbell rang on its own. A long ring, as if someone from inside was holding it down. He snatched his hand back in shock. The doorbell

The scabbard is made of Geng Metal White Tiger skin. When the sword is stored in it, its Geng Metal energy can be used to maintain the sword body. Following this were the application techniques, details, and methods of the Butcher's Knife technique. I repeatedly expressed my gratitude to the skeleton. This knife technique perfectly solves my inability to use bladed weapons in combat. When I first picked up the Butcher's Knife, the first feeling was just one word: light. It felt as if there was no weight in my hand, yet the grip fit my palm perfectly. With a casual swing, I could feel the sharpness of the blade and the heaviness of its power. It was incredible. It possessed the substantial feel of a blade without affecting the burden on my wrist. To think such a material existed in this world. After experiencing the feel of the Butcher's Knife, I put it back into the White Tiger skin sheath. Then, after returning the three items to the spatial storage within the little furball, I surveyed my surroundings. Seeing no other special items around the tomb, I turned back to Shen Wansan's tomb chamber, took the Water Spirit Pearl, and left along the tomb path towards the exit. Exiting the stone gate, as per Shen Wansan's request, I closed it to prevent water from flooding the tomb. After confirming it wouldn't flood, I walked towards the shore holding the Water Spirit Pearl. Along the way, protected by the Water Spirit Pearl, I safely left the underwater area and returned to the rock where I had been before descending. To avoid being discovered by the night watchmen, I was cautious, and indeed, the night watchmen did not notice my departure.

Ding? King Hui of Wei? So familiar. As I pondered, I bowed again to the skeleton. When I bowed my head, looking in the direction of the skeleton, I noticed a stone slab of a different color hidden beneath its hemp clothing. If one didn't look closely, it would be impossible to spot. So it was another test. If one showed disrespect to the ancestors, they wouldn't be able to discover the mechanism to open the stone platform. It was a method to test people's hearts. Upon touching the stone slab, it sank slightly, and a rumbling sound came from the stone platform behind the skeleton. I stood up and looked at the platform. At this moment, three items were placed on the previously empty platform. The first was a scroll made of beast hide, the second was a knife with a thick back but a slight curve, about the length of a forearm, and a leather sheath with white fur lining. I unrolled the beast hide scroll, and it was inscribed with a passage. "My ancestor once said: When I first began slaughtering oxen, all I saw was the ox. After three years, I no longer saw the whole of the ox. Now, I approach it with my spirit and don't look with my eyes. I have used this knife for nineteen years and have slaughtered thousands of oxen, yet my blade remains as if new. The joints of the ox are empty, and my blade is without gap. Thus, with this gapless blade, I strike at the gapped ox, with ease and effortless grace. Therefore, all my descendants have learned from it, practiced it, and perfected it. Through generations of refinement and supplementation, it was recorded as a knife technique, named the 'Cook Ding's Ox-Slicing Knife'. Another legend speaks of a knife passed down by an elder. Its material is a metal of legend – Floating Meteorite Iron. By chance, my ancestor obtained it and commissioned a master craftsman of the time to forge it. It can float on water and cut through metal."

Shen Jing moved into a new place. The landlord gave him three keys: one for the main door, one for his room, and a small, silver, slightly old one. "What's this one for?" he asked. The landlord replied, "It's for the storage room at the end of the hall. There's nothing inside, you don't need to worry about it." Shen Jing nodded and put the three keys together on a ring. The first night, he heard a noise in the hallway as he was falling asleep, like someone turning a doorknob. He thought it was another neighbor and didn't think much of it. The next morning, he found the key to his room had fallen off the ring and was under his bed. He picked it up and reattached it. The second night, he heard footsteps in the hallway again, stopping at his door. He looked through the peephole, but the hallway was empty. The doorknob turned halfway, as if someone tried to open the door, realized it was locked, and let go. He looked down at his keychain; the main door key was gone. He searched the floor for a long time, finally finding it under the doormat outside his door. The third night, he decided not to sleep and sat in the living room, staring at the door. At two in the morning, the doorknob turned again. This time, he rushed over and pulled the door open— The hallway was empty, except for the storage room door at the end, which was ajar. He walked over and pushed open the storage room door. It was dark inside, with only an old wooden box. On top of the box was a set of keys, identical to the ones he had. But this set had three keys. His set now only had one. He picked up the keys from the box and found a line of text engraved on the small key: "The storage room door is locked from the inside." He froze and turned to look at the storage room door. It was slowly closing, and a key was stuck in the doorknob. It was his main door key.

With that thought, I respectfully performed the ancient Chinese grand ceremony towards Shen Wansan's coffin, thanking him for his gift before turning to leave. Returning to the fork, I headed down another un-traversed tomb passage. This time, instead of bas-reliefs of Shen Wansan's life, there were carvings depicting the life of another person. As I looked through them, I got a feeling of a butcher, with carvings of a single person dismembering various beasts. It felt strangely familiar. At the end, there was another stone door. Upon opening it smoothly, a dim, eternal lamp flickered inside. The light swayed, appearing and disappearing with the air currents generated by my opening the door, giving off a rather eerie atmosphere. In the center of the chamber was a stone platform. Seated at the front of the platform was a skeleton clad in coarse linen. In front of the skeleton lay a beast hide. I respectfully bowed to the skeleton. This person must have been Shen Wansan's confidant in life. The fact that he was willing to be buried with him showed his loyalty to Shen Wansan. That spirit alone was enough for me to show him respect. I carefully unfolded the beast hide. It was written: "My ancestor's name was Ding. He was summoned by King Hui of Wei and demonstrated his craft, which has been passed down through generations. When I was young, I was saved by Zhongrong, and I wished to follow him for life to repay his kindness." "Now, I wish to guard Zhongrong's eternal rest, but I do not wish for my ancestor's skills to be lost, so I accepted Zhongrong's proposal." "Whoever obtains Zhongrong's treasure without disturbing his slumber is fated to him and possesses an excellent disposition, and may be passed the legacy." "Open the stone platform behind you; it contains my ancestor's techniques and ancestral treasures. May you pass them on and prevent the discontinuation of my lineage."

Of course, I wouldn't be so rude. Since Shen Wansan didn't install any mechanisms, it shows his attitude, and I wouldn't be impolite and disturb his eternal rest. "In the adjacent tomb chamber are treasures Shen collected throughout his life. Young friend, you may take whatever you wish. However, there are two rare treasures Shen sought in his lifetime. One is the Treasure Gathering Basin, which I disguised and passed down to my descendants, so it's not here. If you came for this, you might be disappointed." "The other treasure is the Water Spirit Pearl, the bead on my coffin. This treasure can absorb spiritual energy on its own, possessing the ability to condense, gather, and disperse water. If you are interested, I would be deeply grateful if you could take it and then close the outer tomb door before leaving, to prevent the tomb from being flooded. I would be eternally thankful." So that's why Shen Wansan dared to build a tomb underwater – it was because of the Water Spirit Pearl. No wonder the tomb was dry inside and out; it was all thanks to the Water Spirit Pearl's ability to disperse water. After reading Shen Wansan's message, I continued to examine the ancient books on the bookshelf. After all, these were priceless treasures. I also knew that these paper items and wooden household goods were preserved intact not just because of their materials, but also because of the Water Spirit Pearl. There were quite a few ancient books on the bookshelf, each with its own unique material. Besides paper, there were also animal skins and bamboo slips. It was clear they were all collected and cherished by Shen Wansan during his lifetime. Since the internal space of the little furball only absorbs meat anyway, I stored all the books in its body. Although I wanted to take the valuable furniture as well, there was simply too much to fit. I'll go check out the side room first.

Shen Li's rental apartment had a small balcony. The landlord said the previous tenant left a few plants, and they could survive without care. After she moved in, she found a dead cactus in the corner of the balcony. The pot was small, the soil was cracked and dry, and the cactus had shriveled into a ball, looking completely dead. She wanted to throw it away, but every time she picked up the pot, it felt incredibly heavy, as if someone was pulling it from below. She tried a few times and gave up, deciding to just ignore it. One night, she heard a sound from the balcony, like someone watering plants. She opened the balcony door, but no one was there. Yet, the soil in the cactus pot was wet. She thought water was dripping from the apartment above. She looked up, but the lights were off upstairs. The next morning, the cactus had grown a little taller. She was sure it was only thumb-sized yesterday, but now it had grown by half a finger's length. She started to pay attention. Every night, she heard watering sounds from the balcony, and the cactus grew taller each day. After three weeks, it had grown to her waist height, and its shape had changed, no longer resembling a cactus. It looked like a human figure. It had a head, shoulders, and arms, but no face. Its entire body was covered in fine thorns, and its color was a deep green. She couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take the pot downstairs to throw it away. This time, she could lift it. She carried the pot downstairs and threw it into the communal trash bin. She slept very well that night. There were no sounds in the middle of the night, and the cactus was gone. The next morning, she walked to the balcony, and the pot was back. The cactus stood in the pot, a head taller than her, with all its thorns retracted. Instead, it had grown facial features. Eyes, a nose, and a mouth. The features slowly began to move, and the mouth opened, emitting a faint sound, as if trying to speak. Shen Li heard it and

I stood at the fork in the road, contemplating. As far as I know, Ming Dynasty tomb structures were typically composed of a front hall, a middle hall, a rear hall, and side chambers. However, this was the imperial style. Although Shen Wansan was the richest man, he held no official position, so he obviously wouldn't have such a luxurious setup. The two tomb passages before me also indicated this. One should lead to the main burial chamber, and the other to the accompanying burial chamber, possibly for grave goods or attendants. Because I know that in the early Ming Dynasty, the practice of live human sacrifice for burial was restored. However, judging by the legends of Shen Wansan, he wouldn't have chosen live burial. Thinking too much is useless anyway. I don't know which side is the main burial chamber, so I randomly chose a passage and walked in. What will be, will be. Along the tomb passage, Shen Wansan had not set up any traps. As the rumors said, Shen Wansan was amiable and kind to others. I continued until I reached the end of the passage and opened a stone door, revealing a tomb chamber with a semicircular burial mound. In the center of the floor was a magnificent coffin, and above it floated a pearl, the size of an adult's fist, of a water-blue color. Around the tomb chamber, besides some daily necessities for burial, there was a bookshelf. After so long, it hadn't decayed, showing the extreme care taken in its construction. I walked to the desk beside it, where an unfolded letter lay. I don't know what material it was made of, but the calligraphy was as clear as if it had just been written. "My young friend from the future, I do not know who you are, but since you have managed to reach this place, it means we are fated. I hope, for the sake of this fate, you will not open the coffin and disturb my deep slumber."

In my previous life, folklore passed down that China had four great ancient tombs, all containing countless rare treasures, yet none were ever obtained. They were the Qin Emperor's tomb, which dared not be opened; Empress Wu's tomb, which could not be opened; the Yuan Ancestor's tomb, which could not be found; and the underwater tomb of wealth. And Shen Fu, Shen Wansan, was precisely in the underwater tomb of wealth. Legend has it that before being exiled, Shen Wansan squandered his fortune and, to prevent future generations from disturbing him, specially built an underwater tomb as his eternal resting place. Of course, his most precious items were buried with him, sleeping there, but no one knew where, as Shen Wansan's rise to fortune was in Jiangnan. Jiangnan had everything, especially water. Zhu Yuanzhang, in his pursuit of the treasure trove, never gave up searching until his death, yet still couldn't find the location of Shen Wansan's tomb. Even Shen Wansan's descendants didn't know his resting place, only that it was underwater. Coupled with the existence of treasures rivaling a nation's wealth, it was listed as one of the Four Great Ancient Tombs. And behind the stone door before me might very well be Shen Wansan's tomb. With the craftsmanship of the early Ming Dynasty, how did he manage to build his tomb underwater while ensuring the area near the tomb door remained completely dry? With caution mixed with curiosity, I squeezed through the gap in the door. The interior was not dark; a watery blue luminescence flowed, and the tomb passage was carved with many relief sculptures. Clearly depicting the events of Shen Wansan's life. At a fork in the road, the last relief showed a king-like figure with a greedy expression, attempting to attack a fallen man. I knew this depicted Zhu Yuanzhang's covetousness for Shen Wansan's wealth and treasures. A truly vivid and lifelike carving.

Finally, returning to nothingness. Chen Mo put down the booklet. Lao Zhou hadn't left the Fog Valley for sixteen years. He moved to a small town at the foot of Nantou Mountain, less than thirty kilometers from here. He hadn't gone anywhere after retiring. He couldn't. But he was here now. In Snow Velvet Manor. Above the door. Chen Mo stood up, rushed out of the secret room, passed through the passage, and climbed the stone steps. He didn't even glance at Zhang Zhenyu's corpse as he ran through the cellar, his footsteps echoing in the hall as everyone looked up at him. "Lao Zhou!" he shouted. But Lao Zhou wasn't in the hall. "Where did he go?" Chen Mo's voice was urgent. Fang Guodong pointed towards the main door. "He just went out. Said he was going to check the vents in the backyard, there might be an external passage there." Chen Mo's heart clenched. He rushed to the main door, pushed open the heavy panel, and the blizzard poured in, blurring his vision. He saw Lao Zhou's footprints in the snow. They led all the way to the rock face behind the manor, but the footprints disappeared before the rock face—Lao Zhou had entered some kind of entrance, a crack leading into the mountain that Chen Mo had never discovered. Chen Mo stepped on the snow and chased after him. The wind cut his face like a knife. He bent down and squeezed into the crack. Inside was a natural cave, narrow but passable. A thin layer of ice coated the cave walls, and the air was piercingly cold. After walking for about five minutes, the cave suddenly widened, forming a natural cavern about the size of a basketball court. A very thin crack at the top of the cave let in daylight, illuminating the scene in the center. (To be continued)