Chapter 288

“Officer General?”

Lin Shuyou’s forward charge faltered. He had just told Xiao Yuan that he would help Brother Bin capture those two rascals, but he didn’t expect the boomerang to hit him so quickly. Although he was now a True Monarch, he still emotionally identified as a member of the Officer Generals.

In stark contrast to Lin Shuyou’s mindset was the boy spirit within him. The rapid fluttering of his eyelids indicated the boy spirit's intense impatience.

Of course, Lin Shuyou’s hesitation lasted only a moment. He knew it was his responsibility to protect Elder Zhai and the others, so even if Officer Generals were involved, he had to stop them! His vertical pupils opened, and the White Crane True Monarch reappeared. This time, he made no attempt to hide or restrain his aura from the very beginning. Cold white patterns emerged from deep within his skin, and other intricate details perfectly conformed to his body. Even without a stage costume or official hat, his appearance exuded an imposing aura, enough to overpower and dominate the wandering deities usually encountered.

The two Officer Generals they had summoned were not the Generals Zeng and Sun. One, with a painted face featuring tiger eyes and a mustache, exuded fierce masculinity, wielding a broken saber; he was General Tiger. The other, with a stark black-and-white painted face, appeared intensely grim, holding a guillotine; he was the Yin-Yang Bureau Officer.

Before they had entered a trance, Tan Wenbin had repelled them with the power of the Blood Ape. Now, having entered their trances, they launched an active attack. Tan Wenbin had intended to retaliate, but upon sensing Lin Shuyou’s aura, he simply held back and retreated. General Tiger and the Bureau Officer thought Tan Wenbin was scared and continued to press forward. They quickly closed in on him again, the broken saber cutting diagonally to block his movements, while the guillotine swept horizontally, aiming for a frontal assault.

Just then, a hand reached out, first grasping the upper part of the guillotine to prevent its return, while the other hand seized the back of the broken saber, stopping its advance. In the rapid exchange, both sides could only react instinctively to make their next moves. The broken saber trembled, its blade twisting, attempting to sever the hand gripping it. The guillotine radiated a cold glint and unleashed its oppressive aura, seeking to make the person before it surrender.

The White Crane True Monarch exerted force with his fingertips, firmly stabilizing the broken saber. Then, he lifted a foot and kicked General Tiger away. Immediately after, his vertical pupils flashed, suppressing the cold, majestic aura of the guillotine. Using the momentum from his previous kick, he twisted his body and smoothly delivered a shoulder strike to the Bureau Officer, sending him flying as well. The exchange happened in an instant but was a direct clash of power and aura. Clearly, the White Crane True Monarch had achieved a complete victory, and his twin maces were not even with him, meaning he fought empty-handed.

General Tiger and the Bureau Officer quickly got up after landing, both showing shock in their eyes. They were not only surprised by the opponent's strength but also astonished by the incredibly familiar aura emanating from him. Soon, they both recognized his identity and exclaimed in unison:

“Boy Spirit?”

“Presumptuous!” The White Crane True Monarch took a step forward, leaning his upper body slightly towards them, his vertical pupils radiating intense authority. He said in a deep voice: “In that old temple, you called me Boy Spirit, and I held no grudge. But now, what should you revere me as?”

They knew about the White Crane Boy Spirit, but not much. They only knew that the White Crane Boy Spirit had suddenly abandoned the temple and been expelled, but no divine decree had been issued from above declaring him a rebel, as if the matter had simply been dropped. After the Boy Spirit's departure, the Officer Generals underwent a new round of internal pressure and ostracism, ultimately selecting two individuals to replace the Boy Spirit's former duties. Why two? Because the Boy Spirit's past tasks and errands were simply too numerous for one Yin God to handle, so they were forced to assign them to two. Because of this, there were widespread complaints within the Officer Generals, as the Boy Spirit's absence had disrupted everyone's work rhythm. Actually, Generals Zeng and Sun knew a bit of internal information, especially General Sun, who knew the most. But the more he knew, the more awkward he felt about speaking, so he remained silent.

Seeing their prolonged failure to offer a respectful title, the Boy Spirit's breathing grew heavier, and his eyes showed indignation.

General Tiger: “Boy Spirit, why do you not quickly return and beg for forgiveness?”

Bureau Officer: “We can still, for old times' sake, intercede for you!”

General Tiger: “Do you know what great trouble you caused the bureau by abandoning your post without permission?!”

Bureau Officer: “Boy Spirit, have you forgotten the duties of an Officer General and the oath you swore before the Bodhisattva?!”

“Heh heh.” The Boy Spirit laughed.

As a long-existent Yin God, if life in the old bureau had been tolerable, even at the lowest rank, he would normally have grown accustomed to it and had his spirit worn down by now. In other words, the Boy Spirit's relentless pursuit of progress was precisely because he had been truly unhappy in the old bureau. Despite being the most senior, he was marginalized to the lowest rank; despite doing the most work, he was only assigned to trials with young mediums entering trances and various trivial errands. Even now, they still held their arrogant heads high, ordering him around. In the past, he could only lower his head and endure. If he were to continue enduring now, wouldn't his bold gamble and defection during the past period have been all for naught?

A crimson glow swirled in his vertical pupils. But the Boy Spirit still retained a thread of clarity, his gaze falling upon the young man slowly approaching nearby.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke: “Break them, I'll only keep the mediums for questioning.”

The Boy Spirit's lips curled into a smile, and his entire being became excited and at ease. Aside from the initial training by the young man—no, the adjustment period—once they truly got to know each other, the young man's temperament really suited him. He seemed to have no emotions, yet he never interfered with his subordinates expressing their own.

General Tiger glared at the young man with his tiger eyes and rebuked, “How dare you! To show such disrespect to us!”

“Impudent! How dare you show no regard for your superiors!” The White Crane True Monarch let out a loud shout, performed the 'Three Steps Praise' footwork, and appeared directly before General Tiger.

General Tiger's right hand splayed open, and the broken saber, which had fallen earlier, flew back quickly. But just then, the Boy Spirit reached back, accurately grasping the broken saber a moment before him, then swung it horizontally at General Tiger. General Tiger, far from dodging, deliberately exposed his front, clenching both hands into fists and striking at the Boy Spirit. This, in turn, caught the Boy Spirit off guard. It was then that he remembered: the Yin Gods of the Officer Generals cared nothing for the state of their mediums, hence their fighting style was often an all-out, reckless charge. Moreover, their previous exchange had made them realize the current disparity in strength between them, compelling them to adopt a 'life-for-injury' strategy—though it was the medium's life they were risking. Of course, they didn't believe they were inferior to the White Crane Boy Spirit; they simply attributed it to the poor quality of the medium beneath them, which prevented them from unleashing their true power.

The Boy Spirit pulled back the blade, striking General Tiger with the flat of the saber, while General Tiger's fists also landed on his chest. However, General Tiger coughed up blood, while the Boy Spirit merely swayed. The Bureau Officer stepped forward, the guillotine reappearing, intending to relieve his ally. The Boy Spirit raised his fist and struck before the guillotine could be used.

“Bang!”

The Bureau Officer flew back a great distance again. The Boy Spirit didn't pursue, instead turning to furiously strike General Tiger, who was beneath him, with the flat of the saber. Any attempt by General Tiger to resist or stand up was suppressed by the Boy Spirit in advance, forcing him to remain on the ground, passively taking the blows. The intent was not to inflict high damage, but solely to inflict humiliation. General Tiger was so enraged that white steam continuously puffed from his nostrils, yet he was helpless. He was renowned for his ferocity, but in front of the White Crane at this moment, his ferocity had no room to struggle.

The Bureau Officer, having gotten up again, formed hand seals and chanted spells, causing shadows to spread from beneath his feet. The White Crane lifted his foot, flicking General Tiger into the air, then used the broken saber like a club and struck him fiercely.

“Bang!”

General Tiger was struck flying, and this time, after landing, he slid for dozens of meters on the ground. The next moment, the White Crane plunged the broken saber into the ground before him. The dark shadows that had been circling around him, intending to pounce and restrain him, were pinned to the ground, unable to emerge. At the same time, the White Crane's peripheral vertical vision noticed that the Bureau Officer had deliberately released a dark shadow towards Xiao Yuan. However, as long as it wasn't the Bureau Officer himself, the White Crane didn't need to intervene or protect.

When the dark shadow rose behind Li Zhuiyuan, intending to pounce and engulf the young man, it began to violently contort. Karmic fire furiously burned on it, tracing its path back to its source. Karmic fire also appeared on the Bureau Officer's hands, and he quickly shook them to extinguish it. No sooner had he eliminated the karmic fire than a pair of vertical pupils appeared before him. The White Crane reached out, seized the Bureau Officer by the neck, lifted him, swung him in a perfect circle in the air, and then slammed him to the ground. He swung him up again, slammed him down again, continued to swing, continued to slam. Only a primal beating could release the pent-up frustration in his heart. Tonight's reunion of old colleagues wouldn't be about official business, but strictly personal matters!

After venting, the White Crane kicked the Bureau Officer away, sending him to join General Tiger.

“Hoo... hoo... hoo...”

Heavy breathing sounds emanated from the White Crane's chest; it wasn't from exhaustion, but from sheer exhilaration. But clearly, the two had misunderstood, or rather, they had been calculating during the earlier beating and now felt the time was right. Three incense sticks, each lit above their heads, immediately made them stand ramrod straight. But to their shock, the White Crane seemed to have known what they were going to do; as soon as they stood up, they saw the White Crane, who had appeared beside them at some unknown point.

“You...”

“Incense...”

“Using incense to extend trance time? That's ancient history for me.”

The White Crane spread his arms, and a phantom trident materialized in the palm of each hand, which he plunged into them. This pain targeted not the physical body, but the very perception of the Yin Gods. If the previous beating was merely humiliation, then now, it was genuine torture.

“You... Boy Spirit... what have you... become...”

“Who... are you... really...”

The White Crane declared loudly: “I am now, the First Dharma Protector True Monarch under the Dragon King!” The tridents doubled, all plunging in.

General Tiger and the Bureau Officer knew they were no match tonight and chose to leave their mediums' bodies. But just then, talisman needles flew out of the White Crane's pocket, piercing their bodies. General Tiger and the Bureau Officer, who had been on the verge of leaving, were violently yanked back.

“Don't rush, it's just getting started. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Tan Wenbin stood with his hands in his pockets, the Blood Ape power long dissipated from his body. Watching the White Crane torture the two Yin Gods was practically a replica of how Xiao Yuan had branded him back then. “The Boy Spirit has a lot of grievances inside.”

Li Zhuiyuan sat down on a nearby long bench, not watching the Yin Gods fight, but instead contemplating how to enter the Ghost Gate. Given the scale of the rounds he had witnessed tonight, it seemed that beneath a 'Noble,' there needed to be a sufficient number of ghost tigers (chang gui). Firstly, creating ghost tigers was not something Li Zhuiyuan would do. Secondly, he didn't have the time or energy for it. Then he would choose the simpler option: the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade was happening very frequently now, so he would just wait for the next one and directly swap out a 'Noble.'

“I'm done!” The White Crane True Monarch looked up and let out a loud cry. It was fortunate that Li Zhuiyuan had previously set up a simple array here, shielding the sounds. Otherwise, that single shout would have awakened everyone in the guesthouse. The White Crane had only tortured them, but he didn't prevent their departure nor did he ask Xiao Yuan to intervene. Their grievances hadn't reached the point of life and death.

Taking a few steps towards the young man, the White Crane True Monarch placed his left hand over his chest and knelt on one knee before him. By following him, he had regained his merit, strength, reputation, and dignity. Li Zhuiyuan remained seated, unmoving. Only when the White Crane True Monarch's vertical pupils dissipated and Lin Shuyou's consciousness regained control of his body did Li Zhuiyuan stand up and move aside.

Lin Shuyou approached the two unconscious mediums, wiped away their face paint, and saw their true faces. “It's you...”

Tan Wenbin leaned closer and asked, “Relatives, or fellow disciples?”

“Neither. They're not from the temple. Brother Bin, I remember telling you that we Officer Generals have a temple that isn't open to the public.”

“I remember you were sent there for a period of cultivation when you were a child.”

“These two are from that temple.”

“Oh, I see.” Tan Wenbin looked at Li Zhuiyuan. “Xiao Yuan, I'll interrogate these two. After that, should I send them to the hospital?”

“Mm, hurry up, don't delay the meeting.”

“Alright.”

Tan Wenbin now commanded four spirit beasts, corresponding to the five senses, giving him a unique advantage in interrogation. “A-You, come on, carry them and throw them into the imperial prison!”

“Imperial prison?”

“Find a secluded spot.”

“Got it!”

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, took a quick shower, then napped for a bit. When it was almost time, he went to the meeting room. Breakfast was laid out at the meeting room door; attendees grabbed a few items themselves and sat down to eat while listening.

Li Zhuiyuan arrived on time, but the meeting had already begun. Elder Zhai and Luo Tingrui were exchanging ideas, each holding their materials, while a group of people stood by listening, occasionally interjecting. It was clear that Engineer Luo and Elder Zhai hadn't slept a wink last night; the materials in their hands had all been compiled overnight based on yesterday's meeting.

Xue Liangliang handed Li Zhuiyuan a freshly peeled egg and said, “In most industries, reaching the very top might not be about intellect, but about physical endurance.”

Li Zhuiyuan took a bite of the egg, looked at Xue Liangliang, and nodded. In terms of physical endurance, Xue Liangliang was fearless.

With most people present, the meeting officially began, and Xue Liangliang and Zheng Hua stepped to the front to deliver their presentations. Just then, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou also arrived. After handing Li Zhuiyuan a note, one of them picked up a pen and started taking meeting minutes, while the other naturally went to refill tea and pour water. The meeting room was rather informal, with everyone slouched and almost all puffing on cigarettes. Yet, the meeting was high-level, and service staff from the host unit were not permitted to enter. Therefore, being able to help with odd jobs like pouring water here was considered a good perk, as not only were the two at the head of the table important figures, but the large group of people sitting below them also represented valuable connections difficult to access on a normal day. Of course, if journalists had brought cameras in to shoot promotional material, it certainly wouldn't have been this scene.

Throughout the presentation, Xue Liangliang's performance clearly outshone Zheng Hua, who was much older and more experienced. Xue Liangliang could both speak and respond to questions from the audience simultaneously, whereas in the same situation, Zheng Hua had to consult his mentor. Every industry has its internal factions; if it didn't, that would be truly bizarre. Everyone present understood that it was no surprise Luo Tingrui, as a rising star, could overshadow Elder Zhai. Moreover, this suppression wasn't temporary; he truly had successors behind him.

During the lunch break, Zheng Hua ate his boxed meal somewhat dispiritedly. He still had to continue presenting in the afternoon, again with Xue Liangliang. Their two mentors were mentally exhausted and couldn't keep providing input, so they had to take over. Elder Zhai picked a chicken drumstick from his lunchbox and gave it to his disciple, smiling: “Be more open-minded. The future of construction is grand and vast; it can accommodate not only you and him but also thousands upon thousands of you and him.”

“Mentor, I didn't think that much. I just felt I let you down.”

“Let me down? I never sought to contend, nor did he. Winning or losing is just something for outsiders to gossip about; it holds no real meaning.”

On the other side, Tan Wenbin ate with chopsticks in his left hand while continuing to organize notes with a pen in his right. After distributing the boxed meals, Lin Shuyou finally managed to sit down and rest. Xue Liangliang then walked over and called both of them up.

Luo Tingrui, carrying his boxed meal, sat down next to Li Zhuiyuan. “Any thoughts?”

“Mentor, I gained a lot and was greatly inspired.”

“Mm.” Luo Tingrui nodded with satisfaction. “The technical difficulty of large-scale projects is often not the primary consideration. Livelihoods, safety, and long-term impacts are also top priorities. Laypeople are prone to anti-professionalism errors, while we insiders tend to make errors of hyper-specialization.”

“Yes, I've noted that.”

Xue Liangliang led Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin to greet and get acquainted with others. There were some things that weren't appropriate for their mentors to do, so he had to handle them instead. Otherwise, if they were merely note-takers and water-pourers, it wouldn't be considered training. The afternoon meeting had far fewer arguments and settled into a fast pace. By dusk, it adjourned directly, with no more all-nighters.

Three days later, there would be another major conference, with many attendees of unusual standing. A formal report was required, and everyone unanimously nominated Luo Tingrui to deliver it. Luo Tingrui hosted a dinner, inviting not only his four students but also Elder Zhai and his students to a long-established local hotpot restaurant. After dinner, everyone also casually strolled through Ghost Street together.

When they came across a fan shop, noting the exquisite fan surfaces and intricate craftsmanship, Luo Tingrui suggested buying each of the young people a fan as a souvenir. However, the particular fan model they liked wasn't numerous enough for everyone, so Luo Tingrui only bought them for Elder Zhai's students, asking the shop owner to engrave their respective surnames on them, wishing them a bright future. Elder Zhai didn't refuse, allowing them to accept. Later, when they passed a jade shop, Elder Zhai bought each of Luo Tingrui's students a jade pendant and personally placed it around their necks, wishing them to be as noble as jade. The jade wasn't of particularly fine quality, and even with processing fees, it wasn't expensive. If it had been something precious or highly priced, even if Elder Zhai had wanted to give it, the young people wouldn't have dared to accept.

Not planning to see everything, everyone prepared to head back. Li Zhuiyuan asked Lin Shuyou to accompany everyone back to the guesthouse first, while he and Tan Wenbin separated from the main group. The bustle of the night market was nearing its end; half the shops on Ghost Street were already closed, and the remaining half were preparing to close. Li Zhuiyuan didn't go up Ghost Street but went down. The reason the two mediums came to Fengdu held little value; they had come based on 'clues' to eliminate Elder Zhai, who they believed was possessed by an evil spirit. From their perspective, they were ridding the people of a menace.

As they walked, Tan Wenbin smiled. Li Zhuiyuan didn't initially ask why he was smiling, but after walking a bit further down, he finally spoke and asked: “Brother Bin, what are you smiling about?”

“A-You told me about last night's events during the day. He asked me why Xiao Yuan was unwilling to help that shop owner. I said, if Xiao Yuan had helped so easily, wouldn't all the hardship you endured at the beginning have been for nothing?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Heh heh.”

Tan Wenbin: “Xiao Yuan, your reluctant cooperation with me is quite amusing.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I'm trying.”

Tan Wenbin: “I can feel it, and indeed, you succeeded.”

Li Zhuiyuan stopped, as they had reached the lowest pier—a very spacious one. The last time he left Fengdu, Li Zhuiyuan had taken a boat from here. Now, standing on the steps, he gazed at the distant river, where a few boats were also moving. In a daze, it seemed a young man was also standing at the stern of one of the boats. His past self, departing, looked back and saw his present self, already returned to Fengdu. Li Zhuiyuan didn't believe in such a sense of karmic entanglement, but he had to admit, it truly fit the atmosphere.

The pier only had cargo and passenger boats, no pleasure boats. Tan Wenbin found a small boat, negotiated a price with the boat owner, and asked him to take them for a ride on the river. The engine roared, spewing black smoke that was somewhat choking. Li Zhuiyuan squatted at the stern, his gaze on the river below. The Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, coming to Fengdu, likely traveled by water. Trying to swap them out after they landed was clearly unrealistic; it was best to do it before they came ashore.

Tan Wenbin chatted with the boat owner, who said that last night there was another heavy fog here. Before, fog wasn't uncommon, but it was never so dense or lasted so long. In the past six months, such heavy fogs had become increasingly frequent.

“Splash!”

Boat owner: “I'll stop the boat, quickly go check if that's your nephew!”

Tan Wenbin immediately ran to the stern. Indeed, Xiao Yuan was nowhere to be seen. Tan Wenbin licked his lips and called out: “He's still there, it's fine, keep going.”

Li Zhuiyuan jumped into the river. Usually, at times like this, the young man preferred to ride on Runsheng's back, as Runsheng was a better swimmer. But among normal people, Li Zhuiyuan's swimming ability was now exceptionally good. Though he hadn't practiced martial arts, he had long mastered the breathing techniques of the 'Qin Clan's Dragon-Gazing Method.' After entering the water, he quickly adapted. His body slowly sank, finally touching the bottom and stirring up some mud. He turned, first facing the pier, then adjusted his position according to the line of Ghost Street. The underwater environment was complex and easily disorienting, but fortunately, none of this was an issue for the young man.

After confirming his position, Li Zhuiyuan moved outward. Gradually, he sensed a distinct feeling of resistance before him, unlike anything around. The young man's palm explored it, quickly grasping its rhythm. Then, with a flick of his arm, he tore open an invisible opening. Stepping inside, he found two towering pillars, with chains extending down from them, forming a thick layer on the riverbed. On land, these chains would likely be used to tether livestock or slaves, but here, they were probably for binding ghosts. Rows of black stone chairs and tables lined both sides, all empty. They were unusually smooth, a result of ghosts sitting there for extended periods, and their color was deeply stained by ghostly aura. Now was not the time. When this place truly became bustling, Li Zhuiyuan could imagine both sides would be filled with solemn underworld officials. Teams of ghosts from various regions would 'disembark' here, awaiting approval to go ashore, pass through Ghost Street, enter the Ghost Gate, and thus proceed to Fengdu in its true sense.

There seemed to be no problem here. The jade pendant hanging from his waist clothing detached at this moment, slowly swayed down, and landed among a pile of shackles on the ground. Li Zhuiyuan bent down, pushing aside the shackles, intending to retrieve it. But even after pushing aside a layer, he still couldn't see the jade pendant. And the further down he pushed, the more he noticed the shackles felt different, subtly radiating heat.

At this point, the thought of finding the jade pendant faded, and the young man began to focus on 'digging.' He had initially thought it was just one layer, but in reality, it was truly bottomless. Because Li Zhuiyuan had previously estimated based on the number of chains extending from the pillars, but in reality, there must have been countless shackles that had broken and been discarded here over unknown years. It was highly likely that beneath his feet was actually a deep pit completely filled with shackles. The jade pendant had fallen all the way down through the crevices. On his own, he would most likely not be able to retrieve it, unless Brother Runsheng came down to forcibly dig it out. Indeed, the lower shackles were hotter, already feeling somewhat scalding. But Li Zhuiyuan decided to give up for now and surface to get some air.

He kicked his legs, intending to leave the water. But just as the young man's body began to float upward, the pile of shackles below him, where only a small indentation had been dug, began to rapidly collapse and slide inward. When the young man looked down, he saw beneath the shackles, a deeply buried two-faced Buddha statue. One face was solemn and majestic, with wrathful Diamond Eyes; the other was sorrowful and compassionate, dedicated to universal salvation. This was a Bodhisattva. It sat here, hidden here, waiting here. Suddenly, Li Zhuiyuan's thoughts became perfectly clear. When a knife is wielded, it's hard for the knife to distinguish whether it's acting on its own volition or being driven by someone holding its handle. But now, the young man realized that when he had conceived the idea of entering the Ghost Gate by swapping places, the Bodhisattva had already been waiting at the starting point.

Li Zhuiyuan: “So, you want to follow me into the Ghost Gate!”

“Rice wine, plenty of it. I originally wanted to buy Erguotou, but I figured you wouldn't be used to it. The cooked dishes I bought on the way tasted good, but I accidentally finished them while driving. No worries, though, there's still a big bag of pickled mustard greens left, so we'll make do with pickled mustard greens and wine.” Zhao Yi first took a sip himself, then poured a sip onto the ground opposite him, picked up a few strands of pickled mustard greens, and crunched them loudly.

This was where the three incense sticks had been lit that day, and also directly above the tomb owner's burial chamber. Following Li Zhuiyuan's instructions, Zhao Yi returned here to connect with his childhood friend, whom he had never met before. After several rounds of drinking and snacking, Zhao Yi sniffed, pretending to be very drunk, and said: “Buddy, the wind is strong at night, I'm shivering from the cold. It should be warm down there, come on, let me squeeze in with you.” After speaking, Zhao Yi picked up the Yellow River shovel beside him and began digging at the location of the tomb-robber's hole. As he dug, it opened up. Although digging a tomb-robber's hole was not difficult for Zhao Yi, being able to dig it so quickly was certainly not his doing. Because the tomb-robber's hole, which he had seen completely refilled and compacted after the seal that day... was surprisingly already empty underneath. This meant that for some time, someone from below had been pushing upward, attempting to emerge again. Normally, this would be impossible, as the seal had been placed by a Bodhisattva. If one were to say the seal broke after a hundred years and caused anomalies, that would be understandable. But who would believe that a Bodhisattva's seal could only last for a few days?

“Oh... it seems you wanted to see me too, buddy. Afraid I'd struggle digging alone, you gave me a lot of help.” Zhao Yi took a deep breath. The man surnamed Li had only told him to return, and said the rest was up to him. But since he was already here, he couldn't just sit outside idly; he hadn't come for a picnic or camping. Discarding distracting thoughts, Zhao Yi still crawled into the tomb-robber's hole, sliding inward bit by bit like an earthworm. He estimated he had slid down a considerable distance when he surprisingly saw light below.

Nowadays, many famous tombs have been developed into tourist attractions. When visiting them, one can observe the technical prowess of tomb robbers throughout history. Some tomb robbers dug their holes quite off-center, while others could dig directly above the main burial chamber's coffin, allowing one to descend and interact face-to-face with the tomb owner. This particular tomb-robber's hole was originally dug by the tomb owner himself, so it was naturally right above the main burial chamber. When Zhao Yi poked his head out, the tomb owner, who should have been bound and sealed within by countless chains, was instead sitting at a stone table. Four sets of wine utensils were on the table, and besides him, three figures—red, white, and black—were seated there. This—where was there any sign of him being sealed?

The tomb owner raised his head and met Zhao Yi's gaze from above. Zhao Yi saw two lines of clear tears flowing from the corners of the tomb owner's eyes. His lips moved, speaking silently. Through lip-reading, Zhao Yi 'heard' him say: “Go quickly... run quickly... escape quickly!”

Inside the tent at the bottom of the steep slope, Liang Yan and Liang Li were playing with throwing knives. The target was a specially carved, scaled-down human figure, uncolored, yet still clearly showing Zhao Yi's likeness. Liang Li flicked a small stone with her fingertip, and the stone then struck a throwing knife placed on the ground, sending the knife flying directly into a vital spot on "Zhao Yi."

Liang Yan: “You can't stab there.”

Liang Li: “It's just a dummy anyway.”

Liang Yan: “I'll put this away. When he comes back, I'll show it to him and tell him you stabbed it. Then, when you need to use him, he won't be able to move.”

Liang Li: “Your man is really fragile.”

Liang Yan: “Yes, that's right, he's my man.”

Liang Li: “Why aren't you bouncing back?”

Liang Yan: “I accept it.”

Liang Li: “Shameless.”

Liang Yan flicked her fingertip, sending a small stone flying. After hitting the throwing knife, the knife shot out, knocking the knife Liang Li had embedded in "Zhao Yi's" spot out of the tent. Liang Li glared at her sister, then got up to retrieve the ejected throwing knife from outside the tent.

A moment later, Liang Li's voice came from outside the tent: “Sis, something's happened.”

Liang Yan lifted the tent flap and stepped out. Their tent was directly facing Yin Meng's grave mound. But silently, Yin Meng's grave mound had significantly caved in. This shouldn't have happened, as the young man had set up an array around the grave. Puffs of black mist seeped out from inside the grave. Although the array couldn't prevent the grave from caving in, it managed to block the black mist inside.

Liang Li: “Sis, she was still alive when she was buried, right?”

Liang Yan: “She was.”

Liang Li: “Can living people... also reanimate?”

Liang Yan: “What you should be thinking about is how to explain to him that we were only focused on playing games inside and didn't watch over her properly, leading to this problem.”

“Swish!”

A hand emerged from the caved-in grave, its fingernails extraordinarily long and black as ink. And the moment it appeared, the array was torn open and exploded, and terrifying ghostly energy began to freely pour out. A powerful ghost miasma instantly formed, completely engulfing a large area, including the Liang sisters.

Liang Li: “Sis, I think what we should be considering is whether we'll even make it back alive to explain?”