The Tombs of Western Hunan

In the Blood Corpse Ridge of western Hunan, a stormy night conceals the secret tomb of a Southern Song noble. Tomb raider Chen Mo and his Third Uncle venture into the perilous site in search of the “Bronze Ghost Mask,” said to ward off corpse poison. The tomb lies hidden behind a waterfall. When glutinous rice flour touches the talismans on the stone walls, black smoke rises: this is a deadly corpse-nurturing ground. A nine-headed serpent coffin is carved with ruby eyes; beads of blood seep from its seams, accompanied by a heartbeat. It breaks the tomb raiders’ ironclad rule, “When the rooster crows and the lamp goes out, do not touch the gold.” A blood corpse, its skin purplish and chest rising and falling, suddenly bursts out of the coffin! The black donkey’s hoof fails to work, and Chen Mo nearly suffers a devastating blow from the blood corpse. Third Uncle hurriedly clamps the Bronze Ghost Mask into place, finally suppressing the creature, but triggering the tomb’s collapse. The two fight their way out, only to find the entrance sealed by the waterfall. The ghost mask and the blood corpse’s heartbeat are all that remain as chilling reminders of this life-or-death tomb raid. This is a tomb-raiding legend hidden in the secret reaches of western Hunan, full of nerve-racking ancient mechanisms and deadly clashes with a blood corpse, as well as the tomb raiders’ struggle to survive between the rules and the dangers.