Chapter 86:
Confessions in the Underground Palace
THE SKY DIMMED as dusk approached. The guards outside the Ding Mausoleum had all retreated a fair distance from the entrance—evidently, they had heard of the hauntings at the other mausoleums and dared not come any closer. The three exorcists hid themselves and waited, observing their surroundings. When Li Jinglong was satisfied, Ashina Adarvan stepped forward to unlock the Ding Mausoleum’s gate.
Li Jinglong turned to the carp yao, whose body was small enough to fit in the air vent above the tomb. “Zhao Zilong, you keep watch outside. Come in through there and let us know if anyone arrives but doesn’t come in.”
He did as Li Jinglong said and took cover in a small space between the pond and the waterway beneath the stone railing outside the Ding Mausoleum.
“Let’s go!” Li Jinglong grabbed Hongjun, and the two ducked into the Ding Mausoleum. The instant they were in, Ashina Adarvan replaced the lock on the gate behind them.
“He’s locking us in…?” Hongjun asked, but Li Jinglong was already pulling him deeper inside.
“If necessary, he’ll come back tomorrow morning and let us out,” Li Jinglong said. Hongjun raised a hand to summon fire, but Li Jinglong grabbed his wrist, stopping him. It was pitch-dark. All he could hear was Li Jinglong’s voice beside his ear. “Hold on tight.”
Like the Qian Mausoleum, the passageways of the Ding Mausoleum formed an intricate maze. Hongjun would have stumbled in the dark, but Li Jinglong held his hand in a firm grip, guiding him toward the wall. Amazingly, Li Jinglong seemed to know the place well. They walked, fingers trailing against the wall, until Li Jinglong pulled to a halt. Hongjun couldn’t see anything; he could only feel the warmth of Li Jinglong’s palm against his own.
“Sit.”
Hongjun did, then froze when he realized he’d sat atop what seemed to be a coffin.
“This is Duke Di’s cenotaph. There’s no body in it,” Li Jinglong explained quietly.
Only then did Hongjun relax. Li Jinglong listened carefully. This far underground, everything was hushed; he felt like he could hear the beat of their hearts in the silence. It was colder underground as well, and Li Jinglong rubbed Hongjun’s hands between his own to ward off the chill.
“How long are we staying down here?” Hongjun asked.
“Until tomorrow morning,” Li Jinglong answered. “My theory is that the four yao known as Wine, Lust, Greed, and Wrath are each going to break into one of the imperial mausoleums…though I’m still not sure what they’re after. Xie Yu himself entered the fifth mausoleum—the Zhao Mausoleum.”
“But when Cheng Xiao went into the Zhao Mausoleum, Xie Yu wasn’t there. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“Xie Yu knew you were coming to the Zhao Mausoleum. That’s why he was there, lying in wait. It’s not strange—in fact, I’m certain now that it was a trap.”
Hongjun saw where he was going at once. “So that means—”
“Shhh… Let me finish. Xie Yu sent the four cardinal vices out for a reason. If my guess is correct, he told them to break into the imperial mausoleums to look for something,” Li Jinglong said. “Huang Yong notified the Department of Exorcism after the first incident. Xie Yu found out and tried to take advantage of the situation to ambush you at the Zhao Mausoleum.”
“There’s another possibility.”
“What possibility?” Li Jinglong asked, his voice low as he wrapped an arm around Hongjun and eased him closer.
“What if Cheng Xiao did see Xie Yu?”
“There’s no way.” Li Jinglong was incredulous. “Cheng Xiao is human—of this I’m certain.” When Hongjun said nothing, Li Jinglong continued, “I watched a lot of these kids grow up back when I was in the Longwu Guard.”
“Mm, so the two of you have known each other quite a while,” Hongjun said casually.
“Are you jealous?” Li Jinglong’s voice was soft in the darkness, colored with laughter. Hongjun didn’t reply. “I didn’t think you liked me that much,” Li Jinglong teased. “Why don’t you get a little angrier?”
Hongjun had half a mind to smack him, but before his temper could flare, Li Jinglong said, “I really shouldn’t kiss you while you’re sitting on Duke Di’s cenotaph, but…”
In the next moment, he felt Li Jinglong’s warm lips brush lightly against his cheek. He hastily pushed him away—they couldn’t mess around in a tomb.
“I’m sure Duke Di…mm, I’m sure he won’t castigate me for it,” Li Jinglong finished.
Hongjun knew Li Jinglong had always considered himself Di Renjie’s successor; it was a point of pride for him. But whenever he heard this man’s name, Hongjun recalled that scene from his memory. Instantly uncomfortable, he huffed out a breath.
“You don’t believe me?” Li Jinglong asked with a chuckle, misunderstanding his reaction.
“That’s not it,” Hongjun answered quickly. “Can we look around?”
“You can light a lamp,” Li Jinglong said. “I only stopped you before because I wasn’t sure if there was a yaoguai hiding in here. It looks like we’re clear, so go ahead.”
He produced the little wooden box again, and several fireflies flew out, illuminating the small chamber. The center of the space was occupied by a square ebony casket containing Di Renjie’s official’s cap and robes. Hongjun glanced around the dimly lit chamber, noting the many books and painting scrolls stored here.
“Duke Di’s final resting place is in Luoyang,” Li Jinglong said. “But Emperor Zhongzong insisted on erecting this cenotaph here in his honor.”
Hongjun pointed at the books, and Li Jinglong motioned for him to do as he pleased. Crossing one leg over the other, he said, “A lot of these are things I brought in myself during the annual imperial sacrifice. Back then, I thought about leaving the Sword of Wisdom here too.”