198: There are no ghosts in the world, only people pretending to be ghosts.

Ye Bai stood before the fork in the road, squinting slightly as he examined the two passages on the left and right. His expression remained cold, as if the tense atmosphere around him had nothing to do with him, but a hint of caution showed in his eyes.

Zhang Dada paced anxiously to the side, looking at Ye Bai from time to time and then glancing at the two passages. "God Ye, say something. Which way are we going?"

Ye Bai didn't respond. Instead, he crouched down to observe the ground carefully again.

Yang Mi also crouched down and said softly, "Ye Bai, did you find something?"

Ye Bai reached out his finger and lightly traced the ground.

"The dust on the left path looks thinner, as if there's an airflow passing through, but this could also be a trap. The path on the right..." He stood up and looked toward the right passage.

"It's too quiet—abnormally quiet."

Meng Ziyi leaned in. "Then what should we do? We can't just stand here forever. I think we should vote."

Zhang Dada immediately raised his hand. "I think the left. Since there's airflow, maybe it leads to an exit."

Yang Mi shook her head. "I think the right is safer. There might be some mechanism on the left."

Ye Bai looked at them, still silent. He slowly walked to the entrance of the left passage, took out a small stone from his robes, and threw it inside. The sound of the stone hitting the ground echoed through the passage; after a moment, there was no other movement.

"How about I go in first to check it out?" Zhang Dada volunteered.

Ye Bai glanced at him. "Be careful."

Zhang Dada nodded, hunched over, and walked into the left passage. After a few steps, he turned back and shouted, "God Ye, no problems so far."

Just as everyone was about to follow, Zhang Dada suddenly let out a scream. Ye Bai and the others rushed in and saw Zhang Dada fallen on the ground. Beside his foot was a small trap filled with sharp spikes. His pant leg was torn, but fortunately, he wasn't injured.

"What the hell is this thing!" Zhang Dada stood up with lingering fear.

Ye Bai frowned. "Retreat for now."

Back at the fork, Zhang Dada muttered, "Looks like the left won't work. We can only go right then."

Ye Bai still didn't make a decision immediately. He walked to the entrance of the right passage and tilted his head to listen, as if trying to catch some faint sound. After a while, he turned to the group and said, "I'll lead. Stay close."

Everyone walked cautiously into the right passage. A faint stench of decay filled the air, and water occasionally dripped from the walls, making a 'drip-drop' sound that was exceptionally clear in the silent passage.

Yang Mi couldn't help but move closer to Ye Bai and whispered, "Ye Bai, I'm a little scared."

Ye Bai nodded slightly without speaking, but he slowed his pace a bit.

As they walked, a Stone Door appeared ahead. The Stone Door was covered in strange patterns and symbols. Zhang Dada curiously reached out to touch it, but Ye Bai immediately shouted, "Don't touch anything!"

Zhang Dada quickly pulled his hand back. "God Ye, I was just curious. What do you think these patterns on the door mean?"

Ye Bai stepped forward and scrutinized the patterns on the Stone Door. "These patterns might be hints for some mechanism, or they could be a warning."

Meng Ziyi said from the side, "Then how do we open this door?"

Ye Bai walked around the Stone Door and found a small hole on one side. He took out the copper coin from his bag and tried to put it into the hole. To his surprise, the copper coin fit perfectly.

Suddenly, the Stone Door made a dull rumbling sound and slowly opened. A stale scent rushed out. Everyone covered their noses and mouths, waiting for the dust to settle a bit before they could see the scene inside.

The room was filled with many boxes, inlaid with various gemstones. Zhang Dada ran over excitedly, wanting to open a box. "Wow, there must be treasures in here!"

Ye Bai shouted, "Don't open them yet!"

But Zhang Dada had already opened a box. Instantly, several hidden arrows shot out from within. Ye Bai quickly pulled Zhang Dada aside; the arrows grazed their bodies and struck the opposite wall.

"Can you stop being so reckless!" Yang Mi said angrily.

Zhang Dada turned pale with fright. "I... I didn't think it would be like this."

Ye Bai calmly observed the room and noticed that the color of some stone slabs on the floor was different from the rest. He picked up a stone and threw it at one of the slabs. The slab instantly sank, and several more arrows shot out from the surrounding walls.

"These stone slabs are mechanisms. We must cross carefully," Ye Bai said.

He began to advance, carefully stepping on the safe stone slabs, with the others following behind him. Every step was taken with great caution, for fear of triggering a mechanism.

With great effort, they passed the stone slab area and reached the other side of the room. There was a Stone Platform here with a box on it.

Meng Ziyi asked curiously, "Ye Bai, what could be in this box?"

Before Ye Bai could answer, an eerie laugh suddenly echoed through the room. Everyone immediately became tense and looked around.

"Who? Who's laughing?" Zhang Dada shouted in terror.

The laughter echoed, but no one could be seen. Ye Bai gripped his Dagger tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings alertly.

"Could it be a ghost?" Yang Mi's voice trembled.

Ye Bai said coldly, "There are no ghosts in this world. It's definitely some mechanism we haven't found or someone playing tricks."

Just then, the box opened automatically, and a golden light burst out from inside. Everyone was blinded by the light. When the golden light gradually faded, they saw a crystal-clear Bead inside the box.

Zhang Dada said in surprise, "This Bead looks really powerful."

Ye Bai stepped forward, wanting to pick up the Bead, but stopped just as he was about to touch it. He felt a chill coming from the Bead.

"There might be something wrong with this Bead," Ye Bai said.

But Zhang Dada couldn't help saying, "God Ye, such a powerful Bead might be a treasure. We'll definitely get a lot of money for it if we take it back."

Ye Bai ignored him and continued to observe the Bead. Suddenly, some strange smoke appeared around the Bead and quickly spread.

"Not good, this smoke might be poisonous!" Ye Bai shouted.

Everyone quickly covered their noses and mouths and backed away. But the smoke grew thicker, gradually enveloping the entire room... The smoke filled the room, completely blocking everyone's vision as tension and fear spread through the air.

Zhang Dada's voice carried a sob. "God Ye, are we going to die here? I don't want to die yet!"

Ye Bai didn't respond. Instead, he quickly took out a handkerchief from his backpack, untied a small bottle from his waist, poured the liquid inside onto the handkerchief, and then covered his nose and mouth. His movements were calm and swift, without the slightest hint of panic.