After Lin Ying left, the hotel security finally arrived when they heard the commotion.
Seeing the damaged door and furniture, they inquired and repeatedly apologized. After all, the room was booked by Zhao Zheng, who held a certain local prestige. Otherwise, it would have been more than just apologies; there would have been claims for damages.
Li Zhonglou took the opportunity to switch rooms and had a peaceful night.
The next morning, before six o'clock, everyone gathered in the restaurant, ate their fill, and set off for Hongdou Valley.
On the way, Li Zhonglou received a call from Xu Lie.
"Zhonglou, the cultivation technique you gave me is incredibly wondrous. Not only has my body completely recovered, but my strength has also greatly advanced!" Xu Lie's tone was devoid of his usual coldness, tinged with excitement.
After chatting for a few sentences, Li Zhonglou hung up the phone, feeling both relieved and bitter.
Comparing himself to others was enough to make one despair. He had been practicing for so many days, yet he was still only at the 'Internal Strength' stage, unable to even touch the threshold of the Shen Gu. Xu Lie, in just a few days? He had already reached the doorstep of Shen Gu. If the heart technique he was given hadn't been so limited, Xu Lie would probably have broken through Shen Gu by now. He would discuss with his senior sister again and give Xu Lie the next layer of the heart technique. The stronger Xu Lie became, the more at ease his mother could be.
Although Qin Zhou was now free from internal and external troubles, Li Zhonglou's heart still hung in the balance. After all, Lu Weishen had never given a clear statement, and the boss Xu Lie used to fight underground for, who didn't retaliate even after being dealt with, was highly unusual. However, with Xu Lie's greatly increased strength, he would have to weigh things carefully even if he wanted revenge. Once he returned to Qin Zhou, he would find a way to probe their intentions and, if they were still unwilling to give up, eradicate them completely. He would not allow any person or matter that threatened his mother to exist.
"This Xu Lie, is his talent that high?" Lin Ying asked leisurely, having overheard the content of the phone call. Li Zhonglou nodded truthfully. He had never seen his senior sister's true strength, and among the people he knew, Xu Lie was the strongest. By the rating, he should be able to contend with Liu Yishou.
"After we get back, I must personally spar with him," a hint of fervent fighting spirit lit up in Lin Ying's beautiful eyes. Although she was a woman, she had practiced martial arts since childhood and was known as the "Wicked Demoness of Chaos." As she grew older, her temperament had calmed, but it didn't mean her heart had grown cold. She usually didn't act out simply because she hadn't found suitable opponents. She hadn't had a chance to vent her frustration on Ayoluqubi this time. Xu Lie had naturally become her practice partner.
"I'll make arrangements later," Li Zhonglou thought happily. If he could pique his senior sister's interest, discussing the heart technique would be easier. Otherwise, despite his desire to teach Xu Lie, he would have to refrain due to sect rules.
After a thirty-minute drive and a thirty-minute climb, the group arrived at the ancient tomb again. This time, there were clearly more people. Several large barrels were placed inside the tomb chamber, filled with unissued bean seeds. Many holes had already been drilled into the stone walls, and even high-strength engineering cement had been transported. However, since they had obtained the key, these activities had been temporarily halted, and the materials had not yet been moved.
Zhao Zheng greeted the staff and asked them to withdraw first for safety.
"Everyone, step back." Li Zhonglou had Lin Ying direct everyone to the cave entrance before he took out the totem and the missing piece and fitted them into the recessed area. Perhaps due to prolonged weathering, the totem and the recessed shape were not perfectly aligned.
However, soon, a rustling sound of movement could be heard. It was the sound of mechanical gears turning. As he had predicted, the vulcanized iron ore used to carve the totem and that piece of meteorite could amplify the magnetic field of the Golden Dragon Cat's Eye. When the mechanism within the stone wall sensed this magnetic field, a device began to pull. The power source, if his guess was correct, should be the underground water drawn up by the mountain's siphoning principle.
*Clang!* Finally, after seven seconds, the stone wall emitted a loud bang and began to descend slowly. That's right, it descended, rather than moving up or sideways. The entire stone wall sank into the ground.
"Masterful craftsmanship, truly masterful!" Professor Song stood at the cave entrance, watching this scene with excitement flushing his old face as he marveled. In archaeological exploration, he had seen many strange tombs. An engineering feat that used the power of heaven and earth to control such a massive stone wall would be astonishing even in this technologically advanced era.
Tiny streams of silver-glowing liquid seeped from the extremely fine crevices.
"It's mercury!" Cheng Gong quickly covered his mouth and nose, exclaiming.
"It's not mercury. Mercury's density isn't enough to support a massive stone; it's metallic gallium!" Lin Ying frowned slightly and corrected, "Gallium has a very low melting point; it becomes liquid at just 29.76 degrees Celsius."
"Beneath the tomb is an underground river, which maintains a water temperature of ten degrees Celsius year-round."
"At this temperature, gallium is solid. With precise design, it can support the massive stone. However, once the underground river is cut off, and with the external electric field stimulation from the Golden Dragon Cat's Eye, it will liquefy, causing the giant stone to sink into the ground!"
"The wisdom of the ancients should never be underestimated." Lin Ying's knowledge was vast and eclectic, following the lineage of Lin Zhendong, delving into physics, chemistry, antique appraisal, martial arts, and even divination. Her ability to deduce the mechanism's structure in such a short time was no mere coincidence.
Everyone showed admiration. Zhang Chen even flattered her, "Lin Ying, you're simply a fairy!"
"Call me Aunt," Lin Ying retorted with a glare, instantly leaving him speechless.
The entire process of the stone wall opening lasted for nearly ten minutes. After all, the solidification of liquid metal was a process. Seeing that there was no danger, everyone couldn't help but rush to the stone wall and wait. This stone wall was a full one meter and forty centimeters wide, terrifyingly thick. Li Zhonglou frowned, glad they had found the key. Otherwise, using the expansion method with beans, it would probably take until the year of the monkey to expand it. He had underestimated the ancient people's methods.
As the obstruction lowered, a wide tunnel was revealed. Torches were placed on both sides of the tunnel, and upon encountering air, they spontaneously ignited.
"Amazing!" Cheng Gong exclaimed upon seeing this.
"You haven't watched 'Ghost Blows Out the Light', have you?" Zhang Chen retorted dismissively.
"I'm not a idle good-for-nothing like you; I don't have time to watch TV or read novels," Cheng Gong retorted unconvincingly.
"Hey, are you getting too big for your britches, 'Big Goose'?" Zhang Chen shouted.
Professor Song intervened at the opportune moment, "Alright, this is serious business. You two, stop messing around." Only then did the two fall silent.
"Let's go in. As usual, Teacher Song will be at the rear, and I'll lead the way." Lin Ying unyieldingly stepped across the stone barrier and went in. Seeing this, Li Zhonglou sighed inwardly. This kind of behavior from his senior sister was likely the biggest reason for her ill fortune in his previous life. Since he had joined the team in this life, there was no reason for her to venture alone into danger. With that thought, he walked alongside Lin Ying.
"The young man doesn't listen," Lin Ying said, clearly a little uneasy, but she didn't say much more. After all, with her present, any mechanisms or hidden weapons were not a concern.
The tunnel extended for a hundred meters. Along the sides were carvings depicting historical images and scenes of daily life of the Western Xia royal family migrating south. They were varied and covered all sorts of things. It seemed the tomb owner must have deeply cherished his life. Cheng Gong was responsible for taking photos and recording, while Professor Song scanned the scenes superficially. Clearly, he was more interested in the appearance of the main tomb chamber.
Finally, the hundred-meter-long tunnel ended, and a vast, wide mountain cavity appeared before everyone's eyes. Shock registered simultaneously on everyone's faces.