Ye Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief after pulling Kong Weiren and Dong Dabiao up.
"That was too close, Brother Ye. I'm so glad to see you unharmed," Kong Weiren said, looking Ye Fan up and down.
"Thank you," Ye Fan nodded. Although they both knew their relationship was one of mutual exploitation, Ye Fan's feelings were gradually changing.
"Record those who fell and perished. We'll compensate them doubly later. The rest, keep moving," Ye Fan commanded coldly.
This path, though only a few hundred meters long, had claimed the lives of over a dozen people.
The atmosphere became somber again, and even the survivors showed no joy of escaping disaster. But this was the rule of the game: to wear a crown, one must bear its weight. To obtain treasure, one must pay the price of life.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky gradually darkened with the last rays of sunlight. Ye Fan and his group finally reached the foot of Shennv Peak, just as the last sunlight faded. Ye Fan instructed the others to rest and eat, while he and Shen Bao searched the area.
Along the way, they discovered a large amount of red clay, specifically used for constructing underground palaces. Its sticky nature made it widely used in tomb construction. Therefore, Ye Fan was now one hundred percent certain that the ancient tomb was located at the foot of this mountain. However, with an area of several kilometers at the mountain's base, finding the entrance to the ancient tomb was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Even with all their manpower deployed, they might not be able to find it. Moreover, this ancient tomb was of great antiquity and likely had numerous anti-theft measures. If the tomb's owner had intended to conceal it, their chances of finding it would be even slimmer.
Shen Bao shook his head in disappointment after scanning the surroundings. "It seems we can only rely on the cipher to find it."
Ye Fan had also examined the surroundings and memorized the terrain. "Let's go back. When the time comes, everything will be revealed."
The two hurried back. After a simple meal, Ye Fan closed his eyes to rest. Shen Bao, meanwhile, contacted the enforcers. Those dozen enforcers had followed them into the mountains and maintained constant contact with Shen Bao. After all, their safety was paramount. If Kong Weiren and Dong Dabiao harbored any ill intentions and decided to act in secret, the presence of these enforcers served as the greatest deterrent.
The sky grew darker, eventually becoming completely black. Stars began to appear, and the moon rose high in the sky. Ye Fan slowly opened his eyes and saw the full moon directly overhead. Surrounding the full moon, three of the brightest stars formed a tripod, enclosing the moon. He rose abruptly, moving his gaze constantly towards the sky. When the full moon was exactly in the center of the three stars, Ye Fan stopped.
"The three stars embrace the moon. This is the optimal position."
The ground beneath him was clear, with no trace of a tomb. Shen Bao frowned, "But it's so bare, there's nothing here." Shen Tianyin also approached, her brow furrowed. "Ye Fan, this doesn't look like a tomb."
However, Ye Fan's brow remained deeply furrowed, his gaze fixed on the sky. Qiao Ping's words could not be wrong. Therefore, it must be that he had not yet fully deciphered the cipher. When the three stars embraced the moon, the current position of the three brightest stars and the full moon was the state of "three stars embracing the moon." Logically, they should be searching here. But why was there no trace whatsoever?
Qiao Ping also walked over, her brow similarly furrowed. "No clues?" Ye Fan shook his head. "Sister Qiao, what is the state of 'three stars embracing the moon'?" he asked Qiao Ping, his voice filled with confusion. Qiao Ping pondered for a moment, then looked up, fixing her gaze on Ye Fan. "The 'three stars embracing the moon' changes with time. After all, we are rotating, so the position of the three stars embracing the moon will keep changing."
Change? Ye Fan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "That's right, the 'three stars embracing the moon' is constantly changing. It's in this position now, but in a while, it will move to the back. This means it's not a precise point, but a line." Ye Fan suddenly understood. He looked up at the sky again. Soon, a line appeared in his mind. Following this line, he saw the cliff face of Shennv Peak.
"It's there," Ye Fan exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the cliff. "What's there?" Shen Tianyin asked, confused. Ye Fan seemed to be acting strangely, perhaps possessed. Shen Bao quickly walked over and began tapping the rock face, soon his face filled with excitement. "It's hollow inside, there's something else going on here." After all this effort, he had finally found a clue, and he couldn't help but be excited.
Kong Weiren, Dong Dabiao, and others had already gathered, looking at the rock face with surprise and joy. They had found it, finally found it, and their hard work was not in vain. Ye Fan paced over and tapped the rock face a few times. "The sound is crisp and has a damp feel. It's slightly warm to the touch. This should be polished cloud fire stone. Generally, cloud fire stone is prone to decay, so it shouldn't be used as a tomb seal," Ye Fan murmured, his face full of confusion.
"Who cares what kind of stone it is? The treasure must be inside. Let's go in and check," he said. He then immediately ordered his subordinates to break open the door. Several villagers, armed with tools, quickly stepped forward and began smashing the cloud fire stone. As the sounds of smashing echoed, the cloud fire stone suddenly let out bursts of noise.
"Stop!" Ye Fan roared, but it was too late. As the hammer in a villager's hand fell, the cloud fire stone shattered. With a "crash," a dark opening appeared before them. Before they could react, a strange screeching sound was heard, followed by the sound of flapping wings rushing out of the stone cave.
"Be careful!" Ye Fan had no time to think. He pushed Shen Tianyin to the ground, pinning her beneath him. Others who couldn't react in time were immediately attacked by countless bats. Screams echoed, as no one had expected such a massive swarm of bats to be inside the stone cave. Shen Bao drew his trekking pole and waved it, protecting Lei Lao and Ji Lao behind him. Kong Weiren and Dong Dabiao quickly hid behind the villagers, crouching on the ground.
The dozen villagers were once again covered by bats, with only screams and chewing sounds heard. The scene was gruesome. Some faint-hearted individuals were so scared that they collapsed onto the ground, unable to look. After the bats departed, a strong stench of rot filled the air. Ye Fan's brow furrowed. "This is not a real ancient tomb, but likely a burial pit."