In the main hall, apart from the colossal stone statue, much else seemed to have sunk into oblivion, giving the place an ancient and rustic air.
"Boss, there's a chair here, could this be the route to the underground palace?"
Fatty shouted from a short distance away.
Before him stood a golden chair, adorned with dragon carvings, appearing rather solemn.
It was rather strange to find a dragon throne suddenly appearing in the dark main hall.
Zhang Tian walked towards the dragon throne.
In his sight, the dragon throne looked exceptionally dazzling, with even a beam of golden light cast upon it from above.
It had a dreamlike quality.
Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi examined the area around the dragon throne for a long time.
They found nothing unusual.
Clearly, the dragon throne itself had no hidden mechanisms.
However, there were a few gold-like objects atop the dragon throne.
"It seems there's no mechanism here,"
Hu Bayi said softly after fumbling around for a while.
"This might just be a chair. Where would the mechanism be?"
Zhang Tian mused, his gaze shifting to the stone statues nearby, each one appearing remarkably unique.
"Could the stone statues have the mechanism?"
Zhang Tian guessed.
The group once again approached the stone statues.
After another round of probing, Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi exchanged a look.
They were somewhat helpless.
The mechanism was proving elusive.
Normally, Hu Bayi could locate the tomb's mechanism by following the principles of Feng Shui (Fēn jīn dìng xuè) or by observing celestial patterns.
But now, there wasn't the slightest clue, which was quite perplexing.
"Huh? Boss, do you feel that? There seems to be a very cold aura."
Fatty suddenly spoke up.
Zhang Tian felt it and indeed, while they were searching for the mechanism, a strange aura suddenly emanated.
Immediately after, an eerie laughter echoed through the empty hall.
"..."
The laughter was faint but chillingly cold,
making everyone shiver.
Zhang Tian even felt a jolt.
This sound was clearly supernatural, yet he hadn't sensed it before.
"Boss, I remember the jade precepts of tomb raiding."
"Faqiu Seal, Mojin Talisman, protect the body but not the ghost's breath; Yinzi coffin, bronze casket, without strong destiny, do not approach; vertical burial pit, Jiazi grave, movers and excavators keep away."
"Red-clothed fiend smiles, ghost laughs, better to hear ghosts cry than ghost laughs."
Hu Bayi's voice fell.
Fatty looked curious.
"Boss, what does this mean?"
Professor Li and the other two also heard the sound, and they huddled closer to Zhang Tian,
afraid of being entangled by something unclean.
Fatty's question was also theirs.
They watched Zhang Tian intently.
While they didn't fully understand Hu Bayi's words, Professor Li could vaguely guess that it was likely the jargon of tomb raiders.
If that were the case, were they specifically tomb raiders?
Professor Li frowned slightly.
After all, they were archaeological experts, fundamentally opposed to tomb raiders.
Now, they were involved in grave robbing with Zhang Tian, which felt like a violation of their principles.
But in the present circumstances, what principles remained?
It was good enough to survive.
"It means that ghost crying is not as terrifying as ghost laughing. Ghost laughter is definitely a vengeful spirit, but ghost crying isn't necessarily so."
"Legend has it that only vengeful spirits laugh, which is why that laughter sounded so unsettling."
Zhang Tian said softly.
Fatty scratched his head,
looking bewildered.
"No, why didn't I feel anything?"
"Feifei is so cute, Fatty didn't hear Feifei's hearty laughter, but whenever we're together at night, she does laugh."
Fatty said, a hint of bashfulness appearing on his face.
Zhang Tian's eyes widened.
His mouth twitched.
What in the world?
Feifei is cute? Zhang Tian disagreed!
He wished she would reveal her true form for everyone to see, otherwise, Zhang Tian wouldn't believe it.
No matter how good Wang Fei looked on the surface, once her true face was revealed, she was still a corpse.
Perhaps Wang Fei's strength had improved recently, and her body had shown some improvement, making her skin more supple, it was possible.
"..."
After Fatty finished speaking, another burst of intense sounds came from the side.
The sounds were still incredibly mournful, mixed with a strange, cold eeriness.
"Boss, don't panic!"
"Fatty is an expert at exorcising ghosts! I have experience. This vengeful spirit is nothing to worry about! Fatty will handle it!"
Fatty heard that sound again and immediately stood up,
a look of confidence on his face.
"Comrade Fatty, you're also an expert at dispelling evil?"
Xiao Guang looked at Fatty,
full of admiration.
He hadn't expected that Fatty, not only physically robust but also capable of exorcising ghosts. Where could one find such a master?
"Haha, Fatty is the foremost in conquering vengeful spirits. I dare say no one can claim the second spot."
Fatty gave a thumbs-up.
Then, he stepped forward in front of everyone.
However, Fatty forgot one thing: if it were truly a vengeful spirit, it would undoubtedly be very dangerous.
After all, it might have absorbed the aura of the Mu Chen Pearl for so many years; its strength would certainly not be weak.
"Bang bang bang!"
As soon as Fatty stepped out, cracks instantly appeared on the ground.
However, Fatty remained unharmed.
"See? That thing is afraid of Fatty."
Seeing this, Fatty became even more confident,
a smug smile plastered across his face,
as if he had won a great victory.
"Fatty, that sound seems to be luring us."
Hu Bayi said.
Fatty blinked and stepped aside.
"Old Hu, let's go. Fatty will lead the way, leading us to victory."
Fatty declared, swaggering ahead.
Professor Li and the other two hid behind, a guess forming in their minds.
"Xiao Guang, what do you think this laughter could be?"
Professor Li asked.
Xiao Guang replied with certainty,
"Teacher Li, I suspect this kind of sound is either from some creature or some strange entity. Haven't we seen enough of those since we came here?"
Xiao Guang spoke.
Professor Li also fell silent.
He actually didn't want to think in that direction,
but after Xiao Guang said that, he became more convinced that the laughter was indeed from that thing.
But could such a thing truly exist?
He had explored so many tombs, why had he never encountered one?
Or was he just too lucky?
With many questions in his heart, Professor Li followed Zhang Tian and the others, gradually approaching the source of the sound.
They could faintly hear the origin of the laughter from the dome of the hall.
The sound became increasingly mournful here.
"Boss, it seems to be here."
Fatty pointed upwards.
Shirley Yang shone her searchlight upwards, and at that moment, everyone involuntarily took a step back.
On the main beam, a human-like puppet was hanging. The puppet was entirely red, appearing extremely eerie.
And from the puppet, an extremely terrifying yin energy was emanating.
Zhang Tian looked at this thing, his brow slightly furrowed.
"The yin energy we felt when we first entered might have come from this."
Zhang Tian said.
"Is this a person?"
Professor Li looked at the puppet before him, a hint of fear on his face.
This thing could make sounds, and it looked so terrifying. In his many years of archaeology, Professor Li had never encountered anything like it.
"It's a Shan Po!"
Hu Bayi suddenly exclaimed.
For a moment, the surroundings seemed to fall into silence.