243: Shocking, something more precious than treasure

He used a Dagger to cut off the zombie's legs and then dragged it to the side.

“This thing is too terrifying! Let's go back as soon as possible,” Yang Mi said, shivering.

Meng Ziyi, however, was unwilling to give up and said, “This Tomb Chamber is full of treasures everywhere; it would be such a waste to leave empty-handed. We have to take something with us.”

Ye Bai said, “Don't worry. I expect the things in this Tomb Chamber will be cleared out soon.” He looked at the several rows of racks next to the outer coffin, where various weapons were displayed, a dazzling array of all kinds.

Meng Ziyi asked, “How do you know?”

Ye Bai pointed to those rows of racks. “Look at the weapons on those racks. Aside from high-lethality weapons like swords and spears, the rest are bows, arrows, crossbows, and long spears. Think about it, if the things here had already been taken, why leave those scraps behind?”

Yang Mi realized, “You mean... the people who took the things might be hiding nearby?”

Ye Bai nodded. He guessed that some people from the Shen Family had entered the Ancient Tomb and taken the treasures from the burial site.

But the tomb owner had set up mechanism traps during their lifetime; they would have to crack the mechanisms to successfully find the treasure vault.

He looked around and asked, “Who built this tomb?”

Yang Mi replied, “According to historical records, it should belong to some member of the imperial family.”

Ye Bai said, “Then it's not the Shen Family's ancestral tomb, but perhaps another family's. The treasures in this tomb were likely stolen long ago; otherwise, the Shen Family's ancestors wouldn't have been so quiet.”

Yang Mi nodded in agreement. “Those weapons are covered in rust and aren't well-preserved. I suspect the Shen Family ancestors weren't skilled in martial arts and only knew the basics. Although this tomb is magnificent, it relies more on mechanisms and lacks defensive power.”

She sighed again. “Looking at it now, the most precious thing in this tomb has probably already been stolen.”

Ye Bai opened his backpack, took out the divination compass, and began to deduce based on the layout of the Ancient Tomb. Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi both leaned in, watching seriously.

After a moment, Ye Bai pointed to the left. “Go this way.”

The three walked deep into the Passage. Ye Bai suddenly stopped and said, “Look.”

Meng Ziyi looked around and gave a cry of surprise, “Ah... there seem to be words on these walls.”

Before them was a thick stone wall. The surface was smooth without any patterns or designs, showing very ancient traces. But in the middle of the stone wall, two characters were faintly carved—

“Book of Han: Tiangong Zhuan.”

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi said in unison, “Could this be the legendary Tiangong Zhuan?”

Ye Bai shook his head. “It probably isn't.”

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi glanced at each other, seemingly understanding something.

They continued walking forward. The further they went, the clearer the ancient seal script characters carved on the stone walls became. Ye Bai read each word out loud for them. The two girls exclaimed repeatedly, their faces flushing as if they were seeing an extremely shocking sight.

Finally, they stopped.

Meng Ziyi covered her mouth and whispered, “I see my mother...”

In front of them was a giant Mural. In the painting was a beautiful young woman wearing a magnificent palace dress, sitting upright on a golden royal throne. Standing beside her were several palace guards holding weapons, looking majestic like the divine warriors of myth guarding her side.

And in the center of the image, two coffins were placed side by side. One Coffin Lid was open, while the other was completely sealed.

Meng Ziyi murmured to herself, “So two princesses are buried here...”

She looked at Ye Bai. “Then who is this?”

Ye Bai was also looking at the painting. Both paintings had a classical charm that felt familiar to him. This ancient aura felt like something he had seen before.

He carefully identified the facial features of the figures in the painting, and a blurred outline surfaced in his mind.

At this moment, the system's voice sounded in his ear: “Host, congratulations on triggering the side quest 【Uncover the Secret】.”

Ye Bai raised an eyebrow. “You refreshed a side quest this quickly?”

System: “This system is always helping the host level up! This time, because the host triggered a side quest, the reward is 100 points. So, accept the quest!”

Ye Bai: “...”

Ye Bai: “Are you sure I should accept?”

System: “Confirmed.”

Ye Bai was silent for a while, then turned to Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi and said, “You two step back, don't let me accidentally hurt you.”

The two girls looked at him blankly. Meng Ziyi couldn't help but urge, “Be careful...”

“Mm.” Ye Bai responded, took a piece of cloth from his backpack, and blindfolded his eyes. He reached out to feel the Mural on the stone wall, then slowly moved his steps, circling to the front of that coffin.

This painting was on the right half. He walked to the left and then circled back, positioning himself exactly diagonal to the painting.

Ye Bai lightly tapped the stone wall.

Thump, thump, thump—it was rhythmic. This stone wall was very hard; the force that bounced back after the strike was even stronger than a hammer.

Ye Bai tried drawing his blade to strike it, but it didn't budge. He frowned, switched to a Short Sword, and thrust it fiercely into the rock before pulling it out. This time he used eighty percent of his strength, yet it still didn't move.

Ye Bai breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this stone wall was quite sturdy. He put away the Short Sword, then clenched his fist and smashed it.

“Crack!” The stone wall split open.

He revealed a smile.

There was a gap inside the stone wall that he could crawl into.

Ye Bai bent down and reached inside. After searching for a moment, he suddenly heard a “ding.” He hurriedly jumped out and picked up the Dagger that had fallen to the ground. This Dagger was stained with blood, and half a silver needle was embedded in the edge of the blade.

Yang Mi ran over. “There's something here! Big Brother Ye, were you just in danger?”

Ye Bai nodded and said, “There's someone inside.”

Yang Mi was startled. Meng Ziyi quickly grabbed her arm. “Sister, I'm scared...”

Ye Bai said, “Don't be afraid, follow me.”

Inside the stone wall was a Passage, cold and damp. The Passage was spacious, enough for four people to walk side-by-side. luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling of the Passage, their soft light making the entire Passage as bright as day.

Ye Bai led them forward, turned a corner, and came to another door.

“Creak~”

Ye Bai twisted the lock, pulled the door open, took the first step inside, and then shouted to those outside, “Don't be afraid.”

Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi followed him in and were instantly stunned.

They saw a great hall with a high-vaulted ceiling, carved beams, and painted rafters, looking opulent and extravagant. The floor was covered with expensive Persian carpets, and the walls were painted with various Murals that looked lifelike.

Yang Mi rubbed her eyes. “This... how is there a Secret Chamber here?”

She looked up; the furnishings in this Secret Chamber were very old, yet they were filled with a rich sense of history.

In an instant, Yang Mi and Meng Ziyi thought of many things.

Back when the Tang Dynasty collapsed, the feudal lords carved up the land, and the people lived in misery.

The nation was broken, the mountains and rivers shattered, homes turned to ruins, and countless commoners were displaced.