Chapter 183: Analysis

Looking back, what I said really did have a “waking a dreamer with a single sentence” effect. Everyone’s mood was terrible. If I hadn’t restrained myself just now, and my first reaction to He Yu hitting me had been to strike back, we would probably all be brawling in this tunnel right now.

The most ridiculous thing wouldn’t be getting hurt in an accident, but being beaten senseless by your own teammates and bleeding to death here. That sudden wave of irritability had appeared almost instantly, which was why my mind immediately jumped to the murals surrounding us.

Ever since we started passing these murals, the clearest-headed among us were often the first to start acting up. Lu Ayao probably had the most self-control, so He Yu ended up being the first to snap—and normally, he was the one who loved studying murals the most.

“You’re right. It feels like ever since we found these murals, our heads haven’t been clear,” He Yu said, scratching his head as realization belatedly dawned on him.

Seeing that he had regained his composure for the time being, I quickly wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with my sleeve and said, “Everyone, stay sharp. We haven’t seen the bodies of the other team here. Since the concrete was poured, that group must have successfully made it out. But the Stone Tortoise Mouth can only open and close once, which means they didn’t take the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces. There must be another way out of here, but it’s likely hidden and we haven’t noticed it yet.”

I opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to He Yu to drink. “You’re the only one here who understands murals. Go see if there’s something else painted on them. We need to find a way out as soon as possible. I have a feeling that if we stay here, these murals alone will drive us mad.”

After gulping down some water, He Yu immediately turned around and leaned close to the murals to inspect them carefully. Lu Ayao sat alone off to the side, lowering his eyes as he said to me, “I’m sorry. I led us the wrong way. I didn’t know such a huge change had happened in this passage.”

I wasn’t a jerk. I couldn’t bring myself to blame the scout for taking a wrong turn. I leaned over and patted his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You pointed us toward the path most likely to reach the Main Hall. The Can Tong had been using this route continuously before, which proves our direction was right. But no one could have anticipated a concrete wall. Without you, we might still be wandering in circles back in the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces.”

Just as I finished speaking, a flash of inspiration struck my brain like a bolt of lightning. I slapped my thigh and sat bolt upright. Can Tong? I thought.

“So that’s how it is!” Realization suddenly struck, and I called out to He Yu, asking, “Are they a little different from ordinary murals, but you can’t quite pinpoint how?”

He Yu ran his hands over the wall for a long time before turning to me with a firm nod. He said, “There might be something extra painted over these pictures. If you get close and smell it, the pigment has a very sweet fragrance. What did you realize? Is this what’s making us lose control of our emotions?”

Hearing him say that made me even more certain of my idea. I quickly organized my thoughts and sat cross-legged in the tunnel. “We’ve all been played by the builder of this tomb. These murals of figures with oversized heads shouldn’t exist.”

Tian Xiaoqi didn’t understand. “What do you mean? What does it mean they shouldn’t exist?”

I said, “Let’s assume that during the construction of the tomb, to restrict the number of people entering the Main Hall, only the Can Tong raised from childhood were allowed to enter through the tunnel, making repeated trips through this current passage. Based on our current understanding of this tomb, is this the only passage that leads to the Main Hall right now?”

He Yu and Tian Xiaoqi both nodded.

“Then doesn’t this suggest that only those with physical defects could successfully pass through here to reach the Main Hall? Every Can Tong capable of entering this passage would have some kind of defect, and there’s a ninety percent chance that defect was the same for all of them, right?” I asked.

“Right. Didn’t we discuss this before? Setting up a passage like this is a disguised anti-theft measure. Generally speaking, there are very few tomb raiders with physical defects. If you aren’t a Can Tong, you’ll end up in the situation we’re in now,” He Yu said.

I nodded. “So, what kind of defect do you think the Can Tong who entered here had?”

Sure enough, as soon as I posed the question, everyone fell silent.

I took a breath and continued, “I suspect the purpose of these Can Tong entering the Main Hall was to transport small decorative items, which proves they had to perform tasks once they arrived. If they weren’t a group of blind people, then the scenes they saw upon entering the passage would be the same as what we see now. But if they were blind, how would they perform tasks in a completely unfamiliar place like the Main Hall?”

He Yu’s eyes widened. “I get it! Building the Main Hall was the priority, so they couldn’t have been blind. Ultimately, this passage is just a road for people to pass through. The builder had no reason to create obstacles for himself.”

“So they couldn’t possibly be a group of blind people. That proves that once they entered the cave, they would see the things on these walls just like we do. If staying in a place like this would drive us mad, wouldn’t it drive them mad too?” I asked again.

Lu Ayao looked at me. “So, if these murals exist, they would actually disturb the Can Tong. These murals shouldn’t be here.”

He Yu was blinking rapidly on the side, occasionally closing his eyes and forcing them wide to look closely. He strained his eyes for so long that tears were almost coming out. He quickly rubbed them and said, “Hey! That’s not right. We haven’t all been hit by Ghost Blinding, have we? Like, we didn’t actually enter the cave and we’re still in the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces? Why can I still see these accursed things?”

Lu Ayao thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at me. “Shengxi Material.”

I suddenly remembered that I still had half a piece of Shengxi Material. It hadn’t finished burning back in the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces. Our successful exit from the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces back then was all thanks to this piece of Black Hoof Iron.

He Yu gave a shout and hurriedly fished that half-piece of Black Hoof Iron out of his pocket. He then pulled out a lighter, intending to light it immediately. I quickly grabbed his hand.

“Wait a second!”

The last time we lit this Black Hoof Iron, those strange Ancient Corpses had swarmed around us. I had no idea what horrors might be unleashed if we lit it again. If it turned out like last time, with those corpses constantly dogging our heels, we’d be in trouble. This place wasn’t nearly as spacious as the Yin-Yang Thirteen Palaces. Before we lit it, we needed to prepare ourselves mentally and think this through. We couldn’t afford to rush.

“Old Lu, swap places with me.” I retreated to the back. If things went south, I was turning around and crawling right back.

He Yu crouched up front, closest to the concrete wall, holding the Black Hoof Iron in one hand and a lighter in the other. He looked utterly ridiculous. “Wait, guys, the way you’re acting is starting to freak me out. A pack of Ancient Corpses isn’t going to suddenly appear right behind my ass the moment I light this, is there? How about we switch to someone else?”

He was clearly hinting for Lu Ayao to take over.

I spoke up immediately. “This grand responsibility must fall to you, Great Uncle He. You’ve got the tastiest meat. Once you’ve fed them your fill, they won’t bother coming after us.”