238: A woman used as bait, a deal

He turned back to Meng Ziyi and the other, asking, "Are you two okay?"

Yang Mi said, "That scared me... I thought we'd run into a zombie." She complained, "Brother Ye, why did you have to provoke that thing?"

Meng Ziyi also grumbled, "Yeah, Mr. Ye, you're just making us worry on purpose."

Ye Bai smiled and said, "Alright, didn't I come back safely? Don't forget we still have a mission."

He pointed at the zombie and explained, "I just saw this fellow peeping on the coffin earlier, so I taught it a little lesson. Who would have thought this guy's life was so tough that it hasn't kicked the bucket yet."

Yang Mi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That scared me to death."

Ye Bai said, "Alright, let's go inside and take a look. I expect there will be other mechanisms inside."

She went over to push the door, but the iron door didn't budge at all.

Ye Bai pushed hard, but there was still no movement. He tried firing a few shots, but they had no effect.

"This door is a bit of a problem," Ye Bai said.

Meng Ziyi also came over and studied it for a while.

"Brother Ye, it looks like we need to find the key," Yang Mi said.

Ye Bai sighed, "The key must be hidden in the Tomb Owner's bedroom. Let's go find it."

They walked around the main hall and eventually reached the end, where they saw a large vermilion door about five or six meters high. The door was carved with complex and magnificent totems, making one's head spin.

They knocked on the door, and an aged coughing sound came from within. A moment later, the large door slowly shifted, revealing a narrow passage.

"Go in." Ye Bai took the lead, with Meng Ziyi and Yang Mi hurriedly following.

They walked into the room step by step. The further they went, the dimmer the light became. When they passed through the corridor and stepped into a spacious, bright room, they suddenly heard the sound of a baby crying.

Ye Bai stopped, his expression alert as he looked around.

Yang Mi said in surprise, "Why is there a baby crying here? This is so strange."

But Meng Ziyi said, "It's not just one child's cry; there are many."

Ye Bai narrowed his eyes and looked left and right.

This was a huge Secret Chamber, taking up half the space of the entire Ancient Tomb. It was surrounded by sealed stone walls, and in the center were many shelves, each holding various types of vessels.

There were pottery jars, porcelain bowls, copper basins, bamboo baskets, and so on. They were filled with water, but it had already dried up, leaving the shapes blurred.

Besides those, there were also many bones, Skulls, and even an arm. They lay haphazardly on the shelves, showing that they hadn't died recently—it had been at least a hundred years.

Yang Mi covered her mouth. "How can there be so many corpses here..."

Ye Bai looked around and said, "It seems something extraordinary is indeed buried here." He suddenly felt gusts of yin wind. This bone-chilling cold was hair-raising, as if countless tiny snakes were crawling up his spine.

At that moment, a notification appeared on Meng Ziyi's computer screen.

"You have new mail."

He clicked on the inbox and found an anonymous letter that read: "I know what you want. I will lead you to the truth; I hope you keep your promise."

It was signed at the end—"Yellow Springs Inn Owner."

"An email from the owner!" Yang Mi exclaimed, taking out her portable tablet to check the email logs.

Ye Bai glanced at it and said calmly, "He wants to make a deal with me."

Meng Ziyi said, "This guy isn't simple! He actually knows what we're looking for."

Ye Bai gave a light scoff. "If he really knew, he would have left this place long ago. Why would he stay behind to wait for us? He must want to use us to help him find what he's looking for. Regardless, let's go in first."

The three of them continued forward.

Another new email arrived on Meng Ziyi's phone.

"I need a woman as bait. She has a jade pendant on her; please help give it to her and wish her a safe journey."

Yang Mi froze and said, "What kind of person is this!"

Meng Ziyi shook his head and said, "These things are all too eerie."

Ye Bai patted his shoulder and said, "You have to learn to adapt to this world."

After saying that, he walked toward the mountain of remains piled in the corner. Meng Ziyi and Yang Mi followed, watching him rummage through the bodies.

"Are these... human bones?" Yang Mi was aghast. "Oh my god!"

Meng Ziyi also frowned.

Ye Bai said, "These aren't exactly bones. They can only be considered a type of parasite."

He picked up a limb that had been gnawed clean and tossed it aside, then knelt down to take a metal plaque from a corpse's neck. The surface of the object was covered in cracks, looking very much like glass.

He raised his hand, examined the plaque closely, and then stuffed it into his pocket.

Meng Ziyi asked, "What is that?"

Ye Bai said, "This thing is called the 'Pluto Amulet.' It's a very powerful dharma treasure. It can summon Underworld Messengers and ensure that Ghosts can be reincarnated."

"Really?" Meng Ziyi was shocked. "Could it be that all those buried here are Yin Spirits?"

Yang Mi also said, "Right, those remains just now were so strange. I thought these people were sacrificial victims. It turns out they all died here."

Ye Bai smiled and said, "You guessed correctly."

Yang Mi grumbled, "It's too terrifying! I thought we were on an adventure."

Meng Ziyi said, "Whether it's an adventure or not, we're already here. I think we should get to the real business."

Ye Bai said, "Mhm. You two go check those outer coffins."

Meng Ziyi immediately ran to check the outer coffins, while Yang Mi stood on the other side, curiously observing the corpses.

Ye Bai stood in front of the group of corpses.

Most of these were male corpses. They were dressed in fine clothing, though their faces couldn't be seen clearly. However, the fabric was soft and exquisite, likely royal-style attire.

Their faces were ashen grey, their skin loose yet stiff, their bodies hunched, and their legs bent, as if they had endured immense pain.

"Eh?" Ye Bai stared at a corpse and muttered to himself, "This corpse is a bit special..."

He reached out, his fingertips touching the cold, stiff muscles of the corpse. A strange thought surfaced in his mind, and then he sank his Spiritual Sense into the corpse's brain.

At that moment, an aged voice appeared in his ear: "Welcome to another world, little friend."

Ye Bai opened his eyes and saw a slip of paper appear in his palm. A string of handwriting was written on it, perfectly matching the old man's voice.

"My surname is Chen, and my name is Fu. I am an Onmyoji."

Ye Bai suppressed all his emotions and said calmly, "Mr. Chen."

"Your courage is admirable," the other party praised. "In my long life, there haven't been many who could resist fear."

Ye Bai said modestly, "Mr. Chen, you overpraise me. I'm just used to looking fear in the eye."

"Haha! To be honest, I really like young people who look fear in the eye."

The other party said, "However, I must tell you that the Underworld is more dangerous than you imagine. There are many fierce and powerful Evil Ghosts here, and they will devour any enemy who dares to pry into their territory!"