173: Chapter 173 Mercury Spots on the Corpse

"This is the place! Remove this bluestone slab!"

After speaking, Ye Xiao inserted his entrenching tool into the gap between the bluestone slabs, and with a sharp pry, the slab flipped up.

Beneath the bluestone slab was another layer of square bricks. After removing the bricks one by one, a layer of crossbeams was revealed underneath.

Ye Xiao, Mu Li, and Tu Kun continued to dig until the entire crossbeam was exposed, revealing a pitch-black tomb passage beneath.

After finishing all this, Ye Xiao turned back to look at the sandstorm behind them.

The sandstorm was getting closer and closer, and the fierce wind was tearing at everyone, giving them a suffocating feeling.

Seeing this, Ye Xiao stood up, tossed all their equipment into the tomb passage, and jumped in himself.

Professor Zhou, Mu Li, Tu Kun, Miao Feng, and the others also successively entered the pitch-black corridor.

A moment later, everyone was standing inside the corridor, finally cut off from the howling wind outside.

Everyone leaned against the walls, removed the masks or scarves covering their mouths and noses, and began to pant heavily.

It took a long time before the heavy panting finally subsided.

But then, as if realizing something, everyone present turned their gaze toward Ye Xiao, their expressions looking strange.

"Little Ye, how did you know there would be a tomb passage down here?" Professor Zhou coughed twice and asked.

At this moment, the rest of the Archaeological Team were also full of confusion, staring intently at Ye Xiao.

With no other choice, Ye Xiao had to tell them the story of the 'Sand Rats.'

After hearing this, everyone was filled with shock.

If not for Ye Xiao's explanation, they likely would never have known in their entire lives that such a black-market industry existed in the desert.

"The bluestone slab and crossbeam above were clearly pried open before! Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to get in so easily!" Ye Xiao pointed upward and said.

Everyone suddenly realized.

Suddenly, a strong hurricane blew past the entrance of the passage, emitting a ghostly wail like a flute, making one's heart tremble.

Fine sand, like quicksand, continuously flowed into the passage from the Sheep Slaughtering Ritual Site.

"We must leave here quickly. If this corridor isn't sturdy, I'm afraid we won't escape the fate of being buried alive when the sandstorm hits," Ye Xiao said.

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, took out their flashlights, and began to move slowly through the corridor.

Ye Xiao and Professor Zhou were naturally left at the back of the group.

"The series of actions you just performed was simply too skilled. You've done this often in the past, right?" Out of the blue, Professor Zhou leaned into Ye Xiao's ear and whispered quietly.

Ye Xiao: "???"

Good grief… am I going further and further down the path of being misunderstood?

Now I really won't be able to clear my name even if I die.

Ye Xiao shook his head slightly, then caught up with the group, traveling through the corridor.

The corridor was narrow and not very large in scale.

The burial objects in the two side chambers were sparse; it seemed some had been taken away in the past.

The archaeologists present looked at the scene with pained expressions, sighing in distress.

Professor Zhou glanced secretly at Ye Xiao, then came to the side of the coffin in the side chamber.

The coffins in the two side chambers both showed signs of having been pried open.

Apparently, the inside of the coffins had also been ransacked by the 'Sand Rats.'

Professor Zhou and the others did not intend to open the coffins; instead, they prepared to infer who was buried inside from the carvings on the coffins.

After a while, Professor Zhou and the other archaeological experts stood up and shook their heads with disappointed expressions.

"There are basically only some totems carved on this coffin, and no relatively complete textual data. I also cannot determine which country this belongs to!"

But then, Professor Zhou asked in confusion: "That's not right. We've found both side chambers, so the main tomb chamber shouldn't be far, right? How can there be no main tomb chamber?"

Professor Zhou walked outside the corridor in confusion.

This entire tomb passage was just a corridor, and there were only these two side chambers on it; as for the main tomb chamber, it was nowhere to be found.

Ye Xiao extended his long index and middle fingers, feeling and sensing along the wall.

But after a long time, Ye Xiao still hadn't detected the location of any mechanism.

"The walls of the corridor are just bluestone; there are no signs of any hidden doors!"

Upon hearing this, Professor Zhou's brow furrowed even tighter, and he fell into deep thought.

Although Professor Zhou was not particularly knowledgeable about Mongol culture, generally, for a miniature tomb like this, the status of the person buried inside would not be very high.

Therefore, two side chambers plus one main tomb chamber should be the highest specification for this tomb.

However... now, no matter what, they could not find the main tomb chamber.

A perfectly fine tomb with no main tomb chamber—anyone would think that's impossible, right?

Then there was only one possibility—the main tomb chamber had been hidden!

Immediately, Professor Zhou mobilized everyone; even Mu Li and Tu Kun were sent to the various corners of the side chambers and the corridor to look for the existence of any mechanisms or hidden doors.

But after a long time... there was no result.

Ye Xiao also searched the tomb for a long time, but also found no signs of any mechanisms.

But suddenly, Ye Xiao's gaze shifted and locked onto the bronze coffin.

"The mechanism is inside the coffin!"

After speaking, Ye Xiao pulled out his entrenching tool, inserted it into the gap of the stone coffin, and with a slight exertion of force, the coffin lid suddenly flew off and landed to the side.

Professor Zhou looked at the stone coffin lid that had landed on the ground with a pained expression.

But suddenly, the scene inside the coffin firmly captured Professor Zhou's gaze.

Inside the stone coffin were two small figures.

At a glance, an ordinary person might think they were two dolls.

But Professor Zhou truly knew that these two small figures were real people!

Because... "There are mercury spots on these small figures!"

Professor Zhou's expression changed abruptly, and he suddenly furrowed his brow.

"Quick, everyone cover your mouths and noses! It will be troublesome if we get mercury poisoning!"

Hearing this, no one present dared to hesitate; they immediately covered their mouths and noses with their masks.

Ye Xiao, however, cast his gaze into the stone coffin with some suspicion.

But unexpectedly, the small figures in this stone coffin... were too small.

They seemed only slightly larger than an adult's palm, like two premature babies.

"These figures... are too small? It feels like they haven't even fully developed yet!" Just then, someone in the team said.

Professor Zhou was full of gravity.

He looked at the two small figures in the stone coffin, sighed slowly, and said: "If the other side chamber contains the Tomb Owner's wife, then that should make sense!"

"This must be a burial chamber!"