Compared to the granite stone door outside, this stone door was clearly more distinguished and magnificent, carved entirely from white marble.
Chris opened the stone door with the key he carried.
The heavy door was slowly pushed open by his hand, and the scene inside the tomb courtyard was finally fully revealed before Chen Fan.
Even though Chen Fan had heard the Mas family history from Luo Sheng, he still raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing the glass display cases arranged in the center of the tomb courtyard.
With such financial power, it was no wonder the Divine Temple was wary!
At the outermost edge of the tomb courtyard were ancient bronze swords, armor, and other valuable items exuding a killing aura. They were massive, and upon first entering, one would immediately feel an overwhelming sense of deterrence.
"The Mas ancestors all crawled out of tombs. They didn't want to be disturbed by those dirty things even after death, so they used ancient generals' formidable weapons as eyes outside the tomb courtyard to create this 'Zhusha' formation."
"To ward off evil spirits."
Chris explained as he led them further in.
Inside the Zhusha formation were exquisite glass display cases, housing various jade and jewelry ornaments, including ancient, rare original manuscripts and paintings with slightly yellowed edges, and porcelain.
Anything here, if seen by a connoisseur outside, would absolutely drive them mad.
It was a pity, though, that Chen Fan couldn't understand it.
Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly a very luxurious tomb, with the mountain body largely hollowed out for the burial.
Furthermore, it was evident that despite the ancient origins, everything here was regularly cared for and maintained. The totems on the carved wooden beams were still clearly visible and looked as new as ever.
Chen Fan's gaze swept around, noting that the walls were adorned with lifelike murals painted with mineral pigments like ochre and sky blue.
From their appearance, they seemed to depict the tomb-robbing experiences of the Mas ancestors.
Countless ear chambers extended from the tomb garden. Chris noticed their gazes and nodded, explaining, "Each generation of the Mas family has its own independent burial chamber."
He then led them to the right. "My grandfather's burial chamber is here."
A carved wooden door, requiring no further verification, was gently pushed open by Chris, ushering them inside.
At a glance, one could take in everything within the burial chamber.
It was clear that Chris's grandfather was also a collector with broad interests.
Besides the sarcophagus placed in the center, various precious items were displayed around the room.
Chris's gaze didn't linger on other areas. He merely pulled out a sandalwood box, over a foot in size, from a corner.
"This is what I need to find today."
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, wondering why they were needed.
"This box cannot be taken out of the tomb." He squatted down, displaying the intricate lock to the two of them. "This lock has no key, so I cannot open it, for one."
"Secondly, this box is called 'Jiyuan' (Destiny). After opening the intricate lock, it has twenty-six small drawers. I only have three chances to open it. If I try to forcefully take anything after the three chances, the Jiyuan box will fill with corrosive liquid and destroy everything inside."
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. Twenty-six, choose three?
He squatted before the Jiyuan box and toyed with the intricate lock. Before he could speak, Zhou Lu beside him chuckled and pushed him aside. "You won't be able to figure this out. Let me handle it."
Their family, the Zhou family, had no shortage of such peculiar items.
Zhou Lu, having some experience, immediately recognized the ingenuity of the intricate lock.
"It's even more exquisite than the Luban lock."
"But fortunately, I saw something similar in my family's ancient texts. There is a method to solve it."
Chris's eyes lit up at this. It seemed Zhou Lu could solve the first problem!
Indeed!
Bringing the Zhou family members down today was a wise decision!
Seeing him volunteer, Chen Fan put aside the idea of melting the lock and leaned back against the stone wall leisurely, waiting for Zhou Lu to decipher it.
After all, the Zhou family was quite renowned in Europe, and they must possess some skill.
About half an hour passed, and a crisp 'click' sounded in the burial chamber.
A sharp glint appeared in Chris's eyes. He quickly leaned forward and eagerly opened the Jiyuan box—
Indeed, there were twenty-six neatly arranged small drawers.
His grandfather had not given him any clues.
Chris felt a surge of disappointment. With a three-in-twenty-six chance, the probability of successfully finding what his grandfather wanted to leave him was too low.
Zhou Lu stood to the side, looking at the twenty-six compartments arranged in a rather mysterious way. "Is there any hint?"
Chris was momentarily stunned. He then handed over the map they had shown him the previous day. "This is what my grandfather gave me before he died."
"Besides this, he told me to come and find the Jiyuan box."
Zhou Lu took the map and carefully examined it, trying to uncover the mystery. But—
No matter how he looked at it, it was just an ordinary exterior view of a tomb garden!
He disappointedly placed the map aside. "This might just be your grandfather telling you the location and has no special significance."
"Since there's no clue, why don't I try deducing it for you using divination?"
Chris shook his head. He had no other options. "I'll trouble you, Mr. Zhou."
While the two of them focused on the Jiyuan box, Chen Fan picked up the map and began to examine it. Was there a hidden meaning?
He didn't believe it would be so simple.
Why was Chris's grandfather so fixated on that green mountain?