Episode 3 (The Lost Tomb)

**Episode 3 (The Lost Tomb)** is the third episode of the television series The Lost Tomb. It is based on chapters seven through ten of the Daomu Biji novel *Cavern of the Blood Zombies*.

## Synopsis

Wu Sanxing's team begins to explore the Seven Star Palace tomb.

## Story

Wu Xie watched over an unconscious Zhang Qiling when he saw the sword his uncle sold by the other's side. Wu Xie grabbed it but Zhang Qiling woke up and grabbed his arm to stop him. He let go of Wu Xie's arm without saying anything, took the sword, and held it in his arms. After waking up more, he asked Wu Xie where they were. Wu Xie told him they were in a guesthouse in a village and that he should rest.

Wu Xie joined Pan Zi, Wu Sanxing, and High Shao for dinner. They caught the attention of a woman who started telling them about the village. The village experienced a landslide and ancient cooking ware was discovered amongst the debris. Since then, a lot of outsiders visit the village because of the cultural relic. She thought they had also come to rob a tomb. Wu Xie thought she was suspicious and went over to take off her hat. It was Chen Chengcheng. She played off the fact that she went missing and apologized for not telling them where she was. She also explained that she ruined Wu Xie's place because of her "childish temper." She was able to find the village by following another grave robber team who had already entered the forest. She also learned that the tomb contained an immortal/supernatural entity. After he helped an emperor win a war, he left behind his mortal body and his weapon. To pay respects to the immortal, the emperor had the mortal body and the weapon buried well. But the tomb is inaccessible since the landslide caused it to collapse. More than 100 human heads were found among the debris.

Wu Xie brought back food for Zhang Qiling. He woke the other up so that he could eat. Wu Xie brought over water and even elicited a "thank you" from him. He asked the other if he would be okay heading out the next morning. Zhang Qiling said he would be fine.

Wu Sanxing and Pan Zi discussed where the entrance of the tomb would be since there was a fake entrance filled with traps. With the map he had, he was able to ascertain the real entrance.

The next morning, everyone, including Chen Chengcheng, headed towards the tomb. They reached the forest and ran into Grandpa Li who begged them to spare his life. He explained that he was sick and needed the money. They decided to force him to be their guide to the tomb. On the way over, he complained that it was simply too dangerous. He was forced to bring another group up who had vanished. He also saw a woman covered in blood who had waved to him. They didn't know whether to believe the old man's story.

They continued to walk and stumbled upon the previous group's abandoned tents. They let the old man go and headed towards the tomb. High Shao tripped and fell into a shallow pit. He was fine but Zhang Qiling told everyone this was where they should start digging. Wu Sanxing confirmed that the entrance was just below. But they found the spot where the other grave robber team entered and decided to reopen it for their own use. Wu Sanxing and Pan Zi used the Luo Yang shovels to measure and take samples of the dirt below. The dirt they picked up was mixed with blood. They continued digging while Wu Xie, Chen Chengcheng, and High Shao set up the tents.

They found the entrance and Wu Xie, Pan Zi, Zhang Qiling, and Wu Sanxing entered the tomb. They went down a passageway and winding stairs. They ended up in a large corridor with a door at the end. Pan Zi and Wu Sanxing stuck their hands in the nearby statues which opened the door. They walked through another corridor with an exit at the end that was layered with bricks. Pan Zi went to smash it open, but Zhang Qiling stopped him. Zhang Qiling ran his fingers over the bricks and discovered an anti-theft layer behind the bricks. With the force of his fingers, he smashed through the layers around a brick and pulled the brick out with his hand. There was acid behind the bricks that would have splattered on anyone who smashed it open. Zhang Qiling safely got rid of the acid and Pan Zi and Wu Sanxing worked on opening the rest of the entrance.

In the middle of the next room was a large four-legged square vessel. They looked inside to find a headless corpse with jewelry on it. They figured the bodies in the tomb were used as sacrifices while the heads were offered to heaven. This is why so many heads were unearthed in the landslide. The bodies must have been prisoners of war because slaves would not be wearing that kind of jewelry. Pan Zi then stepped into the vessel to take the jewelry off the corpse but upset the powerful spirit of the coffin owner nearby. Zhang Qiling spoke with the spirit in an unknown language and kneeled as the coffin lid began rattling. Everyone did the same and once the rattling stopped, Zhang Qiling stood up. He warned everyone they needed to leave before dark and not to touch anything.

They left the room and continued through different corridors and soon the decor became more elegant, indicating they should be in the main coffin chamber. They found a fresh grave robbers' tunnel and knew they needed to hurry. They found a door opened by the previous grave robbers and went in. The lights were still lit and there were seven coffins arranged in accordance to the big dipper in the room. On one of the walls was an inscription that Wu Xie attempted to read.

## Characters

* Wu Xie
* Zhang Qiling
* Wu Sanxing
* Pan Zi
* High Shao
* Chen Chengcheng
* Grandpa Li

## Locations

* Village in Shandong, China
* Seven Star Palace

## Divergence from the Novel

* A villager is the one who told the group about the mountain, not Chen Chengcheng.
* The scene where they entered the tomb is different.

## References

1. ↑ **Luo Yang shovels** are a type of shovel used by grave robbers both in real life and in the novels. The shovel is used to extract a long section of the soil so that the grave robber can analyze it. In the novels, they are a common tool used by grave robbers but only by the Southern Faction after the split. See *Cavern of the Blood Zombies* (Print), Chapter 2, Page 20.