Chương 43: Chapter 41

My hands grip the scrolls tightly. My eyes, wide open, scanned the impossible symbols covering them over and over again. Despite the small differences that I am quickly able to recognize, they are clearly Egyptian hieroglyphics. My breathing becomes shallow as I begin to compare the symbols in the texts with my old acquaintances from my previous world, while time seems to dissolve around me, reduced to a single broken line of familiar shapes in an impossible context.

I don't realize Xia is talking to me until her voice rises a little higher than normal "Wen! Are you okay? What's going on with you?" I don't even blink until Lianhua puts her hand on my shoulder and says "Zhāohuán Wen, it's happening to you again." The sound of her voice pulls me back from that strange state I often enter, and I blink uncomfortably. I notice that my hands are shaking, so I deliberately and slowly place the scrolls on the table next to me, careful not to drop them.

"I'm fine", I tell them, telling only half the truth.

"I was surprised by the strange language they're written in, and I think that activated my Blessing. I'm sorry, I didn't expect something like this." Xia looks at me sideways with an expression that mixes doubt with curiosity, but says nothing more. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. I remember what I asked Lianhua when I sent her to the Celestial Fragment of the Sands, and I closed my eyes for a second, trying to anchor myself in the present. When I open them, I turn my attention back to her.

"Lianhua, can you describe the ruins where you found these scrolls in more detail?" I ask, forcing my voice to remain composed.

"What were they like? The statues, for example, or can you draw the reliefs on the walls that were still visible? I asked you to memorize the details of the buildings. Do you remember them?"

"Of course", she replies without hesitation, but then frowns slightly, thoughtfully.

"But do you want me to do it now or later? I visited more buildings and found more things." I look at her in surprise at her words and then look at the leather bag she has, which seems to be practically empty. She can't have found that many things, can she? I glance sideways at Xia, who is looking at the scrolls with narrowed eyes, wrinkled nose and a suspicious look on her face. An academic meeting is not the most appropriate thing right now with her present.

Her exclamations could ruin any attempt at serious analysis. I moisten my lips and nod slowly.

"For now, just describe the statues in the courtyard to me", I finally say. A simple question that can clear up my doubts and confirm my crazy theories and deep suspicions. Lianhua nods, although she seems somewhat confused by the specific request. Even so, she obeys with her usual efficiency.

"There were many large statues in the courtyard", she begins.

"But almost all of them were destroyed. Some were reduced to unrecognizable pieces. However, among them were three that were in relatively good condition." She pauses, recalling the details.

"One of them represented a woman, or at least her body was that of a woman. But she had the head of a lioness. Another was a man, but with the head of an animal I don't recognize. It didn't look like anything I've ever seen before, not even among spirit beasts. And the last one..." She hesitates, frowning.

"The last one was a man sitting on a throne, wearing a strange hat. Tall, as if divided into two parts." The air thickens as Xia lets out a small exclamation full of fascination at Lianhua's description, but her voice reaches me as if through water. I closed my eyes slowly and sink into the chair, the weight of the revelation falling on my shoulders even though I was expecting it. A woman with a lioness's head, probably Sekhmet.

A man with the head of an unknown animal, but totally in tune with the Egyptian pantheon. Perhaps if she drew it for me, I would be able to recognize the animal, which may not be known in this world, and recognize the deity. And finally, a seated man with a crown that looks like that of Upper Egypt. Osiris, perhaps. Or perhaps the statue of the pharaoh of the moment, deified. An Egyptian temple. Lianhua has found a damn Egyptian temple. Here of all places.

What the hell is an Egyptian temple doing in a world that until now has been ruled by Chinese culture? Where everything, from mythology to architecture to calligraphy, is of non-Eastern, non-Asian, but specifically Chinese descent. How is it possible that the sands of the Celestial Fragment hide something buried that does not belong to this culture?

And suddenly, the conversation with Hong Yan, the manager of the Golden Pearl Pavilion, comes to mind, about how it was believed that Celestial Fragments of the same type as the Celestial Fragment of the Sands had belonged to the celestial realms where, due to some kind of catastrophe, they had ended up in that state. But that left me with another question, What the hell are the Celestial Realms? But I let the question about the Celestial Realms remain suspended in a corner of my mind, as this is not the time.

I shake my head slightly, as if to clear my mind, and force myself to focus on the present once again.

"Go on", I say to Lianhua, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Tell us what else you found." She nods and sits up slightly in her chair, as if preparing for a formal presentation.

"After searching those first ruins, I decided to continue exploring", she begins.

"I knew that the largest concentration of structures was in the river area, so I left the temple area and headed there." I nodded, shifting slightly in my chair, trying to ignore the pang of anxiety that still tightens my chest.

"Exploring the river area, I found more ruins", Lianhua continues.

"But none as large or as well preserved as the first ones. They looked like houses or residential areas. Some had low walls still standing, others were completely reduced to rubble. Most were practically demolished." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Her words paint a clear picture in my mind.

I can see the remains half-buried in the sand, the walls worn down by time, the empty spaces where people once lived, perhaps with customs like those of the ancient Egyptians in my world.

"Were there any other inscriptions?" I ask.

"Yes", she replies.

"But they were all illegible. Either they were too worn away, or only scattered fragments remained, broken by beasts, or perhaps by battles and fights that took place in the ruins themselves."

"That was also when I began to encounter the first cultivators", Lianhua continues.

"They usually traveled in organized groups, but from time to time I would meet one who was alone, like me." As she tells us this, she glances sideways at Xia and seems as if she wants to say more, but she holds back, causing my brow to furrow slightly. So she didn't just find wandering cultivators. Either that, or the meetings weren't exactly cordial. She doesn't say anything else, perhaps so as not to worry Xia, so I bite my tongue and decide to talk to her about it later. For now, I will let her continue.

"I spent the next few days searching the area", Lianhua explains.

"But above all, I paid attention to the time. I knew I had to leave enough time to get back to the entrance safely before it closed."

"Well done", I say, nodding slowly, approving of her prudence.

"Those were quiet days... for the most part", she continues, and the barely perceptible pause in her sentence does not go unnoticed by me.

"I fought mostly spirit beasts. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"What kind of spirit beasts?!" Xia jumps in, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Big? Small? Did they have horns? Did they attack you in groups or separately? Were there any that breathed fire?" Lianhua smiles slightly, though her gaze remains serene.

"One of them looked like a lizard covered in golden scales hiding under the water", she tells Xia.

"And another was shaped like a beetle with three eyes. Some were intelligent. Others were surprisingly fast. Some even tried to ambush me among the ruins of buildings. But none were an insurmountable challenge." As Xia continues to fire questions relentlessly, I am left with the impression that she has said that she has mostly fought spiritual beasts, which means that she has also fought things that are not spiritual beasts. I sigh inwardly.

And that means, even though she doesn't tell us, that my first impression was correct and the encounters with other cultivators were not as friendly as she would have liked. Human nature, it seems, does not change regardless of the world we are in. Why do we always tend toward conflict? When Xia finally lets Lianhua breathe, the young woman continues.

"As I was getting ready to turn back", she tells us.

"I saw something in the distance. A strange, enormous structure, beyond the ruins and in the middle of the desert, and I considered making one last stop before starting the return journey." And suddenly I know what she's going to say even before she opens her mouth to tell us about the strange building she had seen, and my mouth goes dry.

"It was a pyramid-shaped construction of colossal size", Lianhua tells us.

"It must have been at least fifty zhang high. It was partially covered by sand, but it stood imposing and solitary, as if it had been there since the beginning of time." I close my eyes. Very slowly. And I bring my hand to my forehead to massage my skin with two fingers as I think that now that I have an Egyptian temple and a pyramid, all I need is a Sphinx to complete the set.

I open my eyes slowly, only to find Lianhua and Xia staring at me, so to avoid them asking questions I don't want to answer, I decided to anticipate them.

"I was trying to imagine the structure", I say calmly, as if I hadn't just rubbed my brow in resignation.

"I wanted to get a mental picture of its shape and dimensions." Xia nods with interest and conviction. Lianhua simply lowers her head slightly, seeming to accept the explanation without further ado.

"Go on", I ask her.

"What did you do after you saw that strange building?"

"At first, I just walked around it", Lianhua replies, picking up the thread with ease.

"I wanted to see if I could find an entrance. I walked around it twice, but I couldn't find a single opening, even with my heightened senses. Not a crack, not a door or window. Nothing at all." I pursed my lips, intrigued. A completely sealed pyramid with no apparent access is not a common thing. The entrance, even if it is closed, is usually obvious.

"But as I was finishing my second lap, a group of spirit beetles ambushed me from below", Lianhua continues.

"They opened a tunnel right beneath me and attacked me suddenly."

"Fortunately, I noticed their attack at the last moment and managed to jump out of the area where they opened the hole", Lianhua tells us.

"Thanks to that, they had to come out of the hole to attack me on the surface where I had more room to maneuver, thanks to which, although it took me a while, I was able to finish them off." She pauses briefly and looks at me.

"After the fight, while I was healing and resting, I started thinking, and thanks to your lessons, I realized something", she tells me.

"If the walls of the building maintained their slope below the sand, the tunnel the beetles had opened would meet the wall of the building. And since there was no entrance on the surface, it was also possible that the entrance was buried by the sand."

"And so there was a possibility that the beetles' lair was actually the strange building and the tunnel they had opened led to its entrance", Lianhua finishes explaining.

"So", Lianhua continued.

"After resting, I checked the tunnel. It was large enough for me to enter without any problems, and it also looked quite worn, as if the beetles themselves used it to enter and exit regularly. So I thought it would be stable enough and decided to go in and take a look."

"Weren't you afraid of getting trapped?!" Xia blurts out, her eyes wide.

"No", Lianhua replies without hesitation.

"Worst case scenario, I could dig my way up or break through the walls of the strange building from the inside. If the beetles could live down there, that meant there was at least enough air to breathe." But as she speaks, all I can think about are beetles, pyramids and Egyptian curses. This whole thing is starting to feel like a cross between my old studies and an adventure movie. Lianhua is here, and she's safe and sound.

But if she tells me she encountered some kind of reincarnated Imhotep or vengeful mummy inside, I really don't know what to expect from this world anymore. Xia looks like she's about to launch into more questions, but before she can open her mouth, I stop her with a gesture.

"Please", I say firmly.

"Let Lianhua finish her story." Xia's mouth hangs open, then she nods slowly, albeit somewhat sheepishly.

"I'm sorry", she murmurs, then turns her head toward Lianhua with an expectant look, though I know she won't be able to hold back for long. Lianhua clears her throat softly before continuing. It's a discreet sound, but enough for me to notice something: she's been talking for quite a while without drinking anything.

"Just a moment", I say before reaching out to ring the bell I use to call the maids, and it's not long before a maid appears at the entrance.

"Bring some tea for the three of us", I order in a firm voice. Lianhua frowns, surprised.

"Zhāohuán Wen, that's my job", she protests.

"Today, your job is to give your report on your stay at the Celestial Fragment of the Sands", I reply.

"Everything else is secondary. Now let's wait for the tea to be brought." She lowers her gaze, accepting my words without argument. Even so, I can see her shifting in her seat, visibly uncomfortable at not fulfilling her duties. Fortunately, it doesn't take long before we hear light footsteps. The maid returns with a carefully balanced tray. She places three cups and a steaming teapot on the table with elegant movements.

"Pour three cups", I instruct her before she leaves. She obeys silently, and soon the aroma of warm tea fills the room. When we are finally alone, I take one of the cups and turn to Lianhua as I watch Xia take another cup.

"Have a cup", I say gently.

"Then continue with your story." Lianhua nods, picks up her cup, and takes a sip. Her eyes close for a moment as she savors the tea. Then, after a slight sigh, she opens them again, and I see that she is preparing to continue. And I prepare myself for whatever may come. Because if what she has already told us is real, and I have no reason to doubt it, I don't know if any movie, video game, or book could have prepared me for what she might tell me.