Chapter 2413: Chapter 2316: Something’s Wrong

Huo Sining was quite suspicious, believing that this was Lu Huairu’s doing, but she killed Fujiwara Seiho without revealing herself. Even though Lu Huairu was in the dark, she wasn’t worried that Lu Huairu would suspect her.

The only traceable clue was probably just this little creature, Qibao. But at the time, she and Qibao left the secret chamber in invisibility, and no matter how powerful Lu Huairu was, he couldn’t guess that they had returned to the archaeological team’s base.

Moreover, with Fujiwara Seiho, the leader, dead, Lu Huairu, just an obscure antique shop owner, couldn’t stir much trouble.

So Huo Sining wasn’t worried at all and stayed an uninvolved spectator throughout, without getting flustered or confused.

She acted naturally, so Zhao Chengke of course wouldn’t suspect her. However, news came from the hospital that criminal investigation personnel went to question Director He and the other injured parties, seeming to have sensed something amiss.

A woman named Anya, who, after seeing the video playback of the dried corpse in the coffin, managed to remain calm but her gaze flickered nervously, hinting that she knew something.

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Chengke immediately felt he might have found the breakthrough.

In this newly opened secret chamber of the ancient tomb, he hadn’t found any valuable clues, so he naturally regarded this woman Anya as the key to the case and, without further delay in the ancient tomb, promptly left with two subordinates.

Zhou Shitao and several other professors couldn’t bother with Zhao Chengke; a homicide case is important, but the archaeological work couldn’t be delayed. Surely the ancient tomb excavation wouldn’t be halted due to the corpse case?

Not to mention Zhou Shitao, even Zhao Chengke couldn’t exert such influence, after all, this is the Thousand-Year Ancient Tomb. Once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back; once air enters, if time isn’t seized, many things inside are highly likely to oxidize and be damaged.

Huo Sining worked under Zhou Shitao’s direction, naturally executing his instructions, but upon entering the secret chamber, Zhou Shitao surveyed it silently, frowning without saying a word, unclear on what he was observing.

Huo Sining was puzzled, wanting to ask Zhou Shitao what he was looking at, but Xie Daoyuan spoke first:

"Strange..."

As soon as Xie Daoyuan spoke, Zhou Shitao laughed: "You noticed it too?"

Xie Daoyuan nodded.

Huo Sining couldn’t resist asking, "Professor, what did you notice, is there something here?"

Zhou Shitao shook his head, pointing to the stalactites and stalagmites:

"I searched this secret chamber for a long time but found no entrance or exit, not knowing how to enter, but look at these iron chains and the stone table here; clearly someone has lived here, there are traces of life."

Zhou Shitao was referring to the iron chains previously used to restrain Saiji.

Huo Sining nodded but still didn’t understand what Zhou Shitao meant.

Seeing Huo Sining, usually sharp-minded, now confused, Zhou Shitao was surprised and a bit smug:

"This secret chamber is connected to the ancient tomb and is undoubtedly the work of the tomb owner, but what’s strange is, the stalactites of the main tomb chamber, auricle chamber, and outer chamber were all hollowed out, creating an extraordinarily smooth and polished surface, yet this secret chamber retains the original appearance of the cave."

"Why is that? Ge Hong had so much money, if he wanted to build his burial chamber, it makes no sense to leave this unfinished. He shouldn’t lack the money or manpower, right?"

Upon saying this, Zhou Shitao’s gaze swept around, finally landing in front of the small, now-dry deep pool, then continued:

"I previously found it strange that Ge Hong didn’t dig out a burial chamber in an empty mountain but chose to build his tomb in a thousand-year-old cave. It seems thankless and the water here could easily corrode coffins and bones, leaving no peace in death. Why do this?"

"Now seeing this secret chamber, I feel I understand a bit better."

"Although this deep pool is now dry, I believe that a thousand years ago, it must have been full of clear pool water."

"Here is the reason he chose this cave as the ancient tomb, all those previous auricle chambers and main burial chambers are just misdirection."

After hearing Zhou Shitao’s analysis, Huo Sining was completely convinced and extremely impressed.

This master truly has eaten more salt than the rice she has, and by relying solely on experience and the peculiarities of this ancient tomb, he’s grasped the truth with remarkable accuracy.

However, just this guess isn’t enough to fully explain some of the quirks here, like why Ge Hong holds this place in such high regard, deploying so much intrigue, covering up not wanting the world to know about the existence of this clear pool.

"The pool water must have some issues, but now that it’s dried up, even investigating it would likely yield no clues."

Xie Daoyuan wholeheartedly agreed with Zhou Shitao’s hypothesis, unable to resist adding.

Huo Sining said nothing, but Bai Buzhi interjected: "Indeed, there are issues, and big ones!"

Huo Sining’s mouth twitched upon hearing this, thinking incredulously, "You know things as well?"

Sure enough, after Bai Buzhi finished his words, he continued:

"I don’t understand this archaeology business, but I research Taoist Arts, and the aura of this Space is different from elsewhere."

"Though the residue is scant, I can still sense it. The yin energy here is more intense than the main burial chamber and outer chamber at the front."

Huo Sining was stunned, unable to help but silently rant.

"No way old man, have you got a dog’s nose, the formation has been broken, Saiji has been taken away by me, yet you can still detect an unusual yin energy, you are too amazing!"

Maybe seeing that Huo Sining and Zhou Shitao had little strong reaction, Bai Buzhi chuckled and continued:

"This place should be a prison chamber, Professor Zhou the iron chain you lifted up was likely used to lock prisoners."

"What?!" Zhou Shitao was greatly shocked, instinctively widening his eyes in disbelief, looking at Bai Buzhi, "Why do you say that?"

Bai Buzhi smiled: "Have you forgotten what I do? As soon as I entered, I noticed the problem, this clear pool and the surrounding stalactites form a natural Gathering Yin Formation, with the focal point right in the center of the pool beneath your feet."

"There, that’s the center of the formation."

"When the tomb owner was alive, this pool must have been living water, with the spring being the focal point of the formation."

"But the Gathering Yin Formation was broken, and the spring naturally disappeared, so what you see is this dried pool."

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