"I'll try," Lu Yaoyang didn't want Er Ya and Miao Tong to start fighting here, so he walked straight to the wall, took a torch, and paused in front of each cave entrance for a moment.
"What's he doing? Performing some ritual?" Er Ya asked in confusion.
"It's the wind," Di San replied. "He's using the wind to scout the path."
"Oh..." Er Ya nodded then.
"There's wind ahead on this path. I don't know if it leads to our destination or is a return path to somewhere else," Lu Yaoyang said, turning back. "Shall we try walking it?"
"Then let's try," Xia Qingtian nodded, thinking it was worth a shot. After all, even if they chose the wrong path, they could always come back, which was much better than heading into unknown danger.
The others had no objections and followed Lu Yaoyang's choice of the leftmost path.
Fortunately, they had chosen correctly.
The path ahead grew wider and brighter, and they even passed through a glass corridor built underwater.
Green moss had grown on the transparent glass, and leisurely swimming fish could be seen passing by on either side.
"Here!" Xia Qingyu pointed to a fingerprint on the glass next to them. "They must have taken this path!"
Seeing this, everyone felt more at ease and continued to quicken their pace.
"I have to say, the Lu family is truly impressive," Bai Yuqi said softly, walking beside Lu Yaoyang. "This must have been built ages ago, right? The Lu family had this technology back then. If they still have it now... tsk, tsk, tsk... not to be underestimated! You're at a disadvantage, my dear!"
"Not necessarily," Lu Yaoyang glanced at Bai Yuqi. "The Lu family's abilities are only suitable for times of chaos. Once a prominent family like this exists in peacetime, it will inevitably arouse the fear and vigilance of all forces. At that time, the Lu family will be constrained, and perhaps they won't even compare to the Lei family."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Bai Yuqi shook his head with emotion upon hearing this.
Miao Tong and Er Ya didn't reply. The Lu family's situation was something the Miao and Tang families were well aware of.
"Look!" After walking for a while, Bai Yuqi spotted a door that had been violently broken open and was even somewhat dented. "Damn! Isn't he afraid of destroying the defenses here and everyone dying in the sea?"
"He's a madman. You can't judge him by normal people's standards," Xia Qingtian felt this was consistent with Xiang Xueyuan's style of operation. "Let's continue."
"Mm." Everyone just sighed inwardly for a moment before continuing forward.
Beyond the door was another scene, like a giant cave carved out beneath the island. The view was dim, with only a row of lights above their heads, emitting a faint glow due to aging.
"This feels like we're about to dig for treasure," Bai Yuqi became subtly excited. He whispered, "Should be close, right?"
"Mm," Xia Qingtian responded, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Almost there."
"The map only marked up to the wall before," Bai Yuqi flipped through the treasure map and asked Xia Qingtian, "Sponsor, how do you know we're close?"
"The feeling of unease is growing stronger." Xia Qingtian didn't want to admit it, but she did have an indescribable sense of unease, and it was becoming clearer and stronger.
It should be, just ahead.
Hearing Xia Qingtian say this, Bai Yuqi swallowed hard and put away the treasure map.
Alright, he felt very uneasy now too.
The group continued forward and soon saw another door that had been forcibly broken open.
This door was a good two meters high, with a huge opening split right down the center. The edges were curled into irregular shapes.
"Gunpowder," Di San said, rubbing the edge of the door with his hand. "Not a large dosage, and precisely formulated."
"Truly a madman," Xia Qingtian's lips twitched slightly.
Using gunpowder here was something only a madman would do.
"It's clear he's in a hurry," Xia Qingyu pointed to a torn piece of fabric on the lower left side. "It should be his."
"What's the hurry?" Xia Qingtian was somewhat puzzled. She merely glanced in the direction Xia Qingyu pointed and continued forward, the others quickly following.
"Wow... so many gold artifacts!" As soon as Bai Yuqi walked in, he couldn't help but be dazzled by the resplendent sight. "So much gold! Is this an illusion? Are your Lu, Miao, and Tang families so rich!"
"Hiss..." Xia Qingyu was shocked by the scene and couldn't help but gasp.
"Why don't I see that..." Museum Director Shi looked around, but before he could finish speaking, he spotted a pair of shoes. He immediately raised his hand to shield the Xia Qingtian sisters behind him, his brows furrowing. Then, upon closer inspection, he realized someone was lying there.
The others also noticed something unusual behind the piles of treasure. Di San and Miao Tong immediately walked over, only to be stunned by the sight before them.
"What's going on?" Xia Qingtian and her sister, along with Nie Qingkong, also walked over under Director Shi's protection.
What met their eyes were scattered corpses, all in gruesome states.
"This..." Nie Qingkong's brows furrowed tightly. "These are all the people who were with him earlier."
"How did they die?" Xia Qingtian was also confused. Even if Xiang Xueyuan was crazy, he wouldn't kill all these people at this point, would he?
These were all his own subordinates, and besides, even if Xiang Xueyuan wanted to silence them, wouldn't he wait until he got the goods?
With all these people dead, who would help him carry the goods?
Himself?
At his age? How much could he carry?
"They were poisoned," Er Ya said after examining them. "And they've been poisoned for a while. It wasn't sudden death, but the poison was timed to act at this very moment."
"I see," Xia Qingyu now understood why there were fingerprints on the glass and a piece of clothing by the door. It seemed those people were already on the verge of poisoning, and the discomfort caused by their bodies' rejection reactions made Xiang Xueyuan anxious.
But with so many people dead, how did they get poisoned?
"So..." Nie Qingkong suddenly understood. "It was the mad doctor. He didn't give them the real antidote, but another poison. He never let his guard down against these people and planned to silence them all at this moment."
"Then what about him? Could he also be..." Xia Qingyu looked around but couldn't find Xiang Xueyuan's body.
"He directly snatched the antidote the mad doctor was supposed to drink," Nie Qingkong's gaze shifted slightly. "He should have drunk the real antidote, and he was likely trying to guard against the mad doctor as well..."
In the end, whether it was him or the people lying on the ground, Xiang Xueyuan had never taken them seriously.
To Xiang Xueyuan, they were all just tools.
Thinking of this, Nie Qingkong felt an even deeper chill.
"There's a sound," Di San turned his head to look in another direction, his brows furrowed.
Everyone immediately looked back and saw a half-hidden door, with a strange light seeping through the gap.