Entering through the wooden door, they found themselves in a long, narrow passage.
At first, the two could walk side by side, but as they went deeper, the passage narrowed, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
"What is this?" Bai Guangyue whispered.
Zhao Yan looked in the direction Bai Guangyue was pointing.
On both sides of the passage, there were recessed pits about half a meter wide.
Within each pit stood a mirror, about twenty centimeters high.
Behind each mirror was a bronze statue.
These were single-sided bronze statues, and their hand gestures were peculiar.
Zhao Yan recalled the three children from before, their hands placed back to back, thumbs pressing against each other.
The bronze statues' hands were positioned in the same way.
Beside each bronze statue, a red candle was lit.
Above it, there was a small wooden plaque.
"Liu Xixi—July 20, 2003."
Zhao Yan murmured, "Could this bronze statue represent a child who died in Liujia Village?"
"2003, that's so young."
Zhao Yan shone her flashlight along the mirror.
Just as she was about to stand up, a face suddenly emerged from the left side of the mirror, flashing by quickly within its reflection.
"Hmm?" Zhao Yan whispered. When she shone the light again, she saw nothing in the mirror.
Looking to her left, she saw Bai Guangyue and the others had already moved further into the passage.
Zhao Yan glanced behind the mirror again but found nothing unusual.
Seeing Bai Guangyue and the others about to disappear from her sight, Zhao Yan quickly stood up and hurried towards them.
As she moved, a shadowy figure squatted down in the spot where Zhao Yan had been.
It also stretched its head behind the mirror, seemingly mimicking Zhao Yan's previous action.
Then, a soft, delighted giggle escaped its lips.
"Miss Zhao, all the bronze statues here are single-sided. We haven't found any double-sided ones," Bai Guangyue said, rubbing his brow.
From their starting point to here, they had discovered over twenty indentations, large and small, all containing single-sided statues.
Zhao Yan didn't answer Bai Guangyue's comment. Instead, she posed a question, "Brother Bai, have you noticed that this passage seems to be getting longer?"
When they had entered from outside, they had stopped and observed the indentations along the passage. All in all, they must have walked a hundred meters.
A passage couldn't be as long as a train tunnel.
"You're right. Could we have encountered a 'ghost wall'?" Bai Guangyue said gravely.
Zhao Yan shook her head. "It doesn't feel like a ghost wall. If it were, the names in the indentations should be repeating. But as we've walked, no name has been repeated."
"Then what is it?" Bai Guangyue asked, following Bai Guangyue's lead and scratching the back of his head.
"Don't be too tense. Perhaps this passage is just very long," Guan An said, appearing calm.
"Yes, perhaps it's just as Senior Brother said. Miss Zhao, don't be too suspicious," Bai Guangyue said softly.
Zhao Yan gave a soft hum, thinking, "I hope so."
"We're almost there," Guan An, who was walking ahead, suddenly quickened his pace.
As Guan An sped up, Bai Guangyue and Bai Guangyue also quickened their steps, and Zhao Yan had no choice but to match their pace.
Ahead, many red candles were lit, encircling a large red coffin.
Beside the red candles, numerous bamboo poles were planted, all arranged around the large red coffin.
"Finally," Guan An sighed with relief. He took out a peach wood sword from his backpack and stretched his wrists.
"I think we should still be cautious," Zhao Yan reminded him.
"Don't worry, Miss Zhao. My Senior Brother is quite capable," Bai Guangyue said with confidence.
"Just watch. If you learn even a fraction of my skills, you'll benefit greatly when you walk the martial world," Guan An said faintly. He muttered a spell, removed the bamboo poles blocking his way, grabbed the coffin lid, and began to push it back.
The moment Guan An's hand touched the coffin lid, the flames of the candles in the passage's indentations suddenly flared up intensely.
The mirrors emitted a cracking sound, and a fissure appeared in the center of the topmost one.
"Senior Brother, are you okay?" Bai Guangyue called out from behind.
Guan An replied sternly, "Don't you trust your Senior Brother?"
With a powerful shove, he pushed the coffin lid open a crack.
"Whoosh."
A gust of cold wind swept through, instantly extinguishing the candles.
With a bang, a force blew out from the gap in the coffin lid.
Guan An, unable to dodge, was violently pushed backward by this external force.
His body hit something with a thud.
Zhao Yan exclaimed, "Holy crap!"
"Brother Bai, your Senior Brother just exploded!"
Guan An's face contorted in terror; his arms and legs were broken.
"It's not a person inside, but a corpse," Guan An said to the large red coffin.
Bai Guangyue quickly helped Guan An up, asking in alarm, "Senior Brother, are you alright?"
"Run!" Guan An shouted in panic.
The large red coffin began to sway violently from side to side.
With a creaking sound, the coffin lid opened further.
Zhao Yan quickly jumped up, landing on the coffin lid.
She peered down and saw a female corpse inside.
The corpse's hands had emerged from the coffin lid, and her body was trying to sit up straight.
Zhao Yan swiftly kicked the female corpse in the chest, pushing her back into the coffin.
She took out a talisman, preparing to stick it onto the coffin.
Before she could do so, the coffin let out a bang, and a pair of hands pierced through the coffin lid.
Seeing the ferocity of the female corpse, Guan An yelled, "Don't worry about her! Let's just run!"
"My master sent me down the mountain to cooperate with you all, so you must obey my orders!"
"Quick, carry me and run!" Guan An urged.
Bai Guangyue shot Guan An a look of disdain. He had trusted his Senior Brother implicitly just moments ago, but now that he was losing, he was eager to flee. Previously, he had looked down on Zhao Yan, the outsider.
Now, he wanted someone to distract the corpse so he could escape.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Guangyue said to Bai Guangyue, "Little brother, you quickly take Guan An and run."
Bai Guangyue's expression was one of defiance. "No! Big brother, you take Guan An and run. I'll cover the rear!"
"Damn it, listen to me, I'm the boss."
"Son of a bitch, I'm running first!" Zhao Yan quickly stuck a speed talisman onto her feet and dashed out of the passage.
"What the hell!" Bai Guangyue's mouth twitched.
He looked back, but there was no one behind him.
The coffin behind them continued to move erratically. The three talismans Zhao Yan had stuck onto it suddenly ignited with a whoosh.
The coffin instantly shattered into pieces.
Seeing this, the two brothers stared at each other in shock and then ran forward.
Halfway through their escape, they realized: where was their Senior Brother?