"Xiao Fei, look at this. Does it seem somewhat familiar?" Wang Yang pointed to the sand table on the bronze cauldron.
I leaned closer and saw a stone mill among the small figures. Its design did indeed look like something I'd seen before.
Suddenly, it dawned on me. Wasn't this stone mill the same one we encountered when we followed Wu Tingxiu to Yuncheng to find the map, leading us to a sacrificial altar?
Seeing my dawning realization, Wang Yang asked, "Remembered it?"
I nodded. "Is this place somehow connected to that place?"
Wang Yang said, "The altar we visited last time was probably even older than this place."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and added, "Right, I remember now. This should be a characteristic treasure vessel of the ancient Dian Kingdom."
"Treasure vessel?" I asked, confused.
"Indeed. The 'Records of the Grand Historian: Account of the Southwestern Barbarians' mentioned an ancient Dian Kingdom in the Yuncheng area. In the 1950s, a batch of artifacts from the ancient Dian Kingdom was unearthed here. There were these treasure vessels... The one in front of us should be a bronze treasure vessel depicting a pact ceremony, meaning a bronze treasure vessel depicting a sacrificial scene."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
He replied, "I came to Yuncheng years ago and had a period of exchange with an archaeologist. He showed me a similar bronze treasure vessel back then. But that was a long time ago, I almost forgot."
I eyed him suspiciously. "Really?"
"What, you don't believe me?" Wang Yang chuckled.
I said, "I don't know which of your words are true and which are false. How can you expect me to believe you?"
"Are you still holding a grudge against me because of that woman?" Wang Yang asked with a helpless expression. "I admit I lied to you back then, but it wasn't all a lie. My family is indeed from the coastal region, and my father and grandfather did go missing because of that woman. As for the tattoos on my body, I just wanted to find that woman..."
Before he could finish, I interrupted him. "Then tell me, who are you working for?"
Wang Yang froze, falling silent for a moment.
I smiled. "It seems you're still unwilling to tell the truth."
"It's not that I'm unwilling to tell the truth, but I don't know how to tell you about this. Even if you knew, what good would it do?" Wang Yang sighed. "As a friend, I want to tell you that it's best if you don't get involved in this."
"Friend? If you truly considered me a friend, you wouldn't be hiding so many things from me," I retorted unhappily.
I still couldn't figure out who Wang Yang really was. I even suspected that he had staged a pitiful scheme in Guangling and had been by my side ever since, perhaps with other intentions.
I had hinted at it several times, but he had never told me the truth.
Did he really have nowhere else to go?
I didn't believe it.
Seeing his silence, I waved my hand. "Forget it, let's not discuss this anymore. Let's solve the immediate problem first."
After wandering around the main hall for a long time with no new discoveries, we prepared to check other rooms.
Just as I was about to leave, I noticed Li Zha Si sitting on the dragon throne, wearing the yellow robe that had previously belonged to the wooden figures.
I blinked, wondering what this guy was up to.
Did he want to experience being an emperor?
"What are you doing?" I asked.
Li Zha Si ignored me, a strange smile on his face. He said something I didn't understand.
I suddenly felt that something was wrong and quickly called Wang Yang over.
He came to my side and saw Li Zha Si on the dragon throne, freezing for a moment. "What is he...?"
I quickly gestured "shh" to him and whispered, "Could he be possessed by something?"
"You don't think so?" Wang Yang frowned.
This bizarre scene made us hesitant to act. Whether it was a psychological effect or not, I felt the atmosphere in the entire hall had become somewhat unsettling.
The wooden figures that had been standing on both sides seemed to be staring at Wang Yang and me.
Damn it, this was too terrifying!
I cursed inwardly, wishing I could rush over and pull Li Zha Si down, but I lacked the courage.
As Wang Yang and I stood there bewildered, Li Zha Si spoke loudly in a language we couldn't understand. His every word and action were completely different from before.
The previous Li Zha Si had a rough and unrefined demeanor in his speech and actions, but the current Li Zha Si exuded an aura of imperial majesty.
Could it be that the emperor of the Great Chang He had returned from the dead?
Before I could continue my wild thoughts, Li Zha Si stood up, waved his hand, and suddenly the wooden figures on both sides came to life. Seven or eight wooden figures swarmed towards Wang Yang and me with incredible speed!
Just as we were about to be hit by the wooden figures, Wang Yang shouted, "Crouch!"
I instinctively followed suit.
As I crouched down, several wooden figures crashed into each other with a loud thud.
I had no doubt that one such collision would end my life right here.
These wooden figures were all in a bowing posture, so crouching actually prevented us from being hit.
"What's going on?" I asked Wang Yang.
He replied, "Look at the ground!"
The ground?
I glanced at the floor and noticed many cracks. There seemed to be something within those cracks, and they were the tracks along which these wooden figures moved.
In other words, this was a trap!
Wang Yang and I were each surrounded by the wooden figures, as if we were trapped in a cage, with no gaps to escape through.
I tried to push one of the wooden figures, but it had no effect.
Through the gaps between the wooden figures, I noticed Li Zha Si had stood up from the dragon throne, still muttering something. At first glance, it was almost like a theatrical performance.
When did this guy get afflicted?
My mind was in chaos. I took out a combat shovel from my backpack and smashed it hard against a wooden figure, only to find that it didn't budge at all.
Other than falling wood chips, there was nothing else.
"Xiao Fei!" Wang Yang called out to me.
"What is it?"
"Put on the gas mask from your bag!"
I was a bit puzzled. Why would I need a gas mask?
Before I could ask more, he said again, "Do as I say!"
After a moment's thought, I quickly took out the gas mask and put it on.
When I put on the gas mask, I felt a sense of security, though I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination.
Soon, I noticed Wang Yang. He was using a dagger to chisel at a wooden figure.
Quickly, he managed to break the leg of one of the wooden figures, and in a short while, he squeezed out from among the group of figures.
Just as he was making his way towards me, the wooden figures moved again, all turning and lunging towards Wang Yang!