The yellow smoke carried a strong, pungent odor, but it quickly dissipated into the air.
Ye Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close, I didn't expect there to be a mechanism set up here. Fortunately, we dodged in time, otherwise, it would have been truly dangerous."
It wasn't that Ye Fan was careless, but rather that in such a place, few people would set up traps and mechanisms.
This was the normal thinking of many, but the designer had set a trap here, which showed how insidious their nature was.
"What is this? The smell is so strong and pungent?"
Shen Bao frowned, clearly displeased by the yellow smoke.
"It's a mixture of realgar and cinnabar. After long fermentation, it produces a gas that is highly toxic. We dodged in time just now. If we had inhaled too much, we would have died instantly, beyond any hope of rescue," Ye Fan explained in a deep voice.
"It's this smell that keeps the wild beasts from approaching. The beasts' sense of smell is much stronger than ours, so it was hard for us to smell this smoke under the altar, but they could."
"So that's how it is."
Liu Cheng suddenly understood, "In that case, the designer created this to mimic wild beasts entering here, thereby protecting this hall."
Ye Fan nodded.
Just then, as the smoke cleared, a stone pillar slowly rose from the rift.
On the stone pillar was a stone box, ink-black and with sharp angles.
"What is this now?"
Shen Bao stepped forward, intending to take it down for examination.
But Ye Fan spoke coldly, "Don't act rashly."
Everything here was filled with danger. A single mistake could cost one's life, so before ensuring absolute safety, one absolutely could not casually touch anything here.
Scolded by Ye Fan, Shen Bao retracted his raised hand.
Although he was Shen Tianyin's brother and older than Ye Fan, in many situations, he still heeded Ye Fan's words.
After all, Ye Fan's abilities were evident, and he was not comparable to him.
Then, Ye Fan took out his long saber and carefully pushed the stone box onto the square platform.
The stone box fell, shattering immediately, and a steel needle shot out from within, embedding itself in the distant wall.
Seeing this, Shen Bao looked astonished and patted his chest.
"That was close! Fortunately, you stopped me just now, otherwise, this needle would have probably pierced my body."
Shen Bao's face was full of lingering fear, and his forehead was even covered in a fine sweat.
If not for Ye Fan, his life might have ended here.
"The designer is extremely insidious, so every step here is fraught with peril. We must not let our guard down," Ye Fan cautioned again. Seeing Shen Bao nod heavily, he then looked at the shattered stone box.
Brushing aside the fragments, a key made of polished stone appeared inside.
Ye Fan carefully picked up the key and examined it closely. It was just an ordinary key, with nothing special about it.
"We don't know what this key is for yet, but since it was hidden here, it must be useful. Let's put it away for now," Ye Fan said indifferently after finding nothing unusual, and then put the key into his pocket.
"There should be nothing else unusual in this hall. Let's go."
After checking again and finding nothing, Ye Fan, Shen Bao, and Liu Cheng left the hall.
Unbeknownst to them, just after they left, a figure flashed by in the darkness...
Exiting the hall, Ye Fan looked at Liu Cheng and asked in a low voice, "I remember you said there were several unusual places around here, and this hall was just one of them. Where are the other unusual places?"
"They're all nearby. I'll take you," Liu Cheng nodded and then led the way.
Liu Cheng had scouted the surrounding area several times, so he was very familiar with the terrain.
Along the way, Liu Cheng kept his head down, glancing around from time to time as if searching for the path from memory.
Ye Fan frowned slightly at this but said nothing.
"There are many small paths here. Although I've walked them many times, they are still easy to get confused," Liu Cheng said with a helpless wry smile.
"This godforsaken place... Let's find a way out quickly. I don't want to stay a minute longer," Shen Bao complained incessantly.
Only Ye Fan, with a cold gaze, paid attention to the surrounding situation.
After turning more than ten corners, the three finally saw a dwelling ahead.
This dwelling was different from the palace. The palace was magnificent and grand, but this dwelling appeared much more ordinary.
A white cloth was wrapped around the stone lions in front of the door, and the main gate of the dwelling was wide open, as if it had been expecting visitors.
"What's unusual about this place?" Ye Fan asked Liu Cheng in a deep voice.
Liu Cheng lowered his voice,
"I discovered this dwelling by chance. When I went inside, I always felt a chilling cold all around, as if the temperature inside was much lower than outside. Moreover, there were strange noises coming from inside. I didn't dare to linger too long at the time and ran out."
As he spoke, Liu Cheng's face still showed a look of fear.
Shen Bao, on the other hand, had a dark expression. "You're just scaring yourself. There are no such unclean things in this world."
With a cold snort, as an enforcer, Shen Bao was indeed brave, and he never believed in ghosts or spirits.
Seeing Shen Bao like this, Ye Fan smiled slightly and said nothing more. He understood Shen Bao; people with this personality were fearless.
"Let's go in and take a look," Ye Fan said with a smile, and then took the lead into the dwelling.
It was a three-courtyard house. Upon entering the main gate, there were side rooms on both sides. Passing through the first courtyard, the second courtyard contained bedrooms and guest rooms, with east and west wings. The last courtyard was a garden, designed with great care.
Weeds had already grown on the ground, and the houses were dilapidated. Inwardly, Ye Fan seemed to hear a sound coming from the second courtyard.
Frowning slightly, Ye Fan listened carefully.
At this moment, Shen Bao also seemed to hear something. "It sounds like it's in the back, a woman's voice."
"Let's go and see."
Ye Fan's interest was immediately piqued, and he quickly passed through the first courtyard to reach the second.
Indeed, the sound was coming from the east wing.
"The sound of a woman singing opera. Could someone still be living here?" Shen Bao asked with a frown.
The front of the east wing was covered with waist-high weeds. If someone were truly living here, why wouldn't these weeds be cleared?
"Be cautious. Don't be reckless," Ye Fan cautioned Shen Bao in a deep voice, glancing at him.
Clenching his long saber, Shen Bao nodded heavily. "Don't worry. Losing my life for such a haunted place isn't worth it. My life is precious."
Saying that, he walked side-by-side with Ye Fan towards the east wing.
As they got closer, the sound became clearer; it was indeed the sound of a woman singing opera.
In such a place, in such an environment, it made both of them feel a chill down their spines.
Finally arriving in front of the east wing, they glanced at each other. Ye Fan took a deep breath and gave Shen Bao a look.
"Go in."
Nodding emphatically, Ye Fan then kicked open the door with force.