223: Delaying tactics still require your shrewdness.

Facing the Skeleton's threat, Ye Bai was shocked inwardly, but his expression remained calm.

He knew well that in such a situation, any hint of panic could become a fatal weakness.

Thus, he steadied his mind and said in a peaceful tone, "Senior, this junior did not intend to disturb your place of rest. We are merely passing through and have no intention of offending you."

The Skeleton fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the truth of Ye Bai's words. At that moment, Yang Mi asked softly, "Mr. Ye, what should we do now?"

Ye Bai turned to glance at Yang Mi. Seeing the terror on her face, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity, but given the urgent situation, he could only respond briefly: "Keep it steady first, then find an opportunity to escape."

The Skeleton's voice rang out again, raspy and full of pressure: "If that is the case, why does the object in your hand make me feel uneasy?"

Ye Bai followed the Skeleton's gaze to the Dagger in his hand, and his heart skipped a beat.

He realized that this repaired Broken Blade clearly held some special significance; perhaps it was something the Skeleton feared.

Ye Bai had a sudden flash of inspiration and decided to use this as a bargaining chip. "What is Senior referring to? This is merely an ordinary weapon used for self-defense."

Hearing this, the Skeleton seemed even more wary. A ghostly light flickered in its hollow eye sockets as if it were pondering something. "An ordinary weapon? Why do I sense a familiar aura?"

"Senior overpraises me," Ye Bai said with a forced, relaxed smile. "Perhaps it is the fate between us. Since that's the case, why don't we have a talk?"

The Skeleton seemed moved by Ye Bai's attitude and slowly spoke, "Talk about what?"

"Talk about your past," Ye Bai continued. "Since you have been able to sleep here for a thousand years without decaying, you must have extraordinary abilities. This junior is willing to listen to your story."

The Skeleton fell silent, seemingly reminiscing about something. It took a long time before it spoke: "My story... how much of it could you even understand?"

"At least more than those Tomb Robbers who only know greed." Ye Bai skillfully steered the topic toward the deceased intruders. "They did not know how to show reverence, so they received their deserved punishment."

The Skeleton seemed touched; a hint of emotion actually flickered in its cold voice. "Reverence? Hmph, how many people in this world truly understand reverence?"

"Senior," Ye Bai struck while the iron was hot. "Since you have already seen through the mortal world, why not let go of your hatred and allow us to leave?"

The Skeleton remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a sigh-like murmur. "Forget it. I shall spare you all today, but remember, do not set foot here again."

Ye Bai was secretly delighted, but he maintained a humble appearance. "Thank you for your magnanimity, Senior. This junior will certainly keep it in mind."

Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, a crisp voice suddenly came from the distance: "Ye Bai! Where are you guys?"

Both were startled, and Yang Mi almost lost her footing. Ye Bai quickly assessed the situation, recognizing it as Meng Ziyi's voice, and secretly thought things were looking bad. If the Skeleton discovered there were others, the situation could become even more complicated.

"Mr. Ye, that's Sister Meng," Yang Mi said anxiously. "What do we do?"

Ye Bai decisively grabbed Yang Mi's hand and signaled for her to be quiet.

Then, he shouted into the void, "Miss Meng, we are here, but please be absolutely careful."

Meng Ziyi's voice drew closer and closer, finally appearing in their line of sight.

Seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but gasp.

"This... what's going on?"

Ye Bai briefly explained the current situation and warned Meng Ziyi not to act rashly.

Although Meng Ziyi was surprised, she was someone who had seen big scenes after all, and she quickly calmed down.

"Skeleton Senior, this is my companion. She means no harm," Ye Bai tried to communicate with the Skeleton. "The three of us promise not to disturb you again. Please let us leave."

The Skeleton stared at the three of them and finally nodded, letting out a sigh. "Fine, I'll let you off the hook today. But remember, this is the domain of the dead; the living should not set foot here."

As the Skeleton's words fell, an invisible force pushed the three toward the exit of the Tomb Passage. Ye Bai pulled Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi along as they quickly left. It wasn't until they reached a safe place that the three of them stopped and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Mr. Ye, thank you for saving us," Meng Ziyi said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, we might have..."

"No need for thanks," Ye Bai gave a faint smile. "We're all just trying to survive. Helping each other is only right."

Yang Mi looked at Ye Bai, her eyes filled with admiration. "Mr. Ye, you are truly amazing. Not only are you brave and resourceful, but you can also stay so calm in such a dangerous situation."

Ye Bai smiled and didn't say much. He knew that in this world full of unknowns, only those who had truly experienced life-and-death trials could understand the hardships involved.

"The most important thing now is to leave here as soon as possible," Ye Bai reminded them. "Who knows if that Skeleton will change its mind."

Yang Mi quickly composed herself and followed Ye Bai toward another fork in the road. This path was lined with dense coffins, emitting bursts of eerie air that made Meng Ziyi involuntarily frown. Yang Mi, however, acted as if nothing were wrong, looking around excitedly and observing every coffin as if she hoped to find treasure inside. Ye Bai didn't quite like this, so his pace quickened significantly.

They soon passed through this fork.

Ye Bai looked up at the sky and saw that it was dimming; night was about to fall. He suddenly remembered that when they first entered this Ancient Mansion, the Female Ghost had told them that once darkness fell, the mansion's mechanisms would be triggered. Moreover, these mechanisms were extremely powerful; even those with high martial arts skills or supernatural abilities would inevitably suffer, unless they possessed particularly strong spells.

But now, there was only about half an hour left before darkness fell. This amount of time was simply not enough to create tools to destroy the mechanisms. Therefore, their only choice was to run.

"Mr. Ye?" Meng Ziyi woke Ye Bai from his deep thoughts. "We should leave quickly."

"Oh, no rush, no rush," Ye Bai waved his hand. "I still want to look around some more. Since no one lives here anyway, wouldn't it be wonderful to leave it for us to tour slowly?"

Meng Ziyi rubbed her temples in distress. "Where do we have time for sightseeing now? It'll be trouble if we get caught by the mechanisms."

"What's there to fear?" Ye Bai curled his lip disdainfully. "With the three of us working together, do we still fear this?" He paused for a moment. "Besides, the master of this tomb was a top-tier expert. If we can't even handle these small mechanisms, wouldn't that be an embarrassment?"

Meng Ziyi hesitated, "But..."

"Alright, alright, I promise you," Ye Bai said, making a compromising gesture. "I definitely won't wander off, okay? We'll just find a hidden place to hole up and wait for the mechanisms to deactivate."