Chapter 93: Which Tomb Passage Should We Take?

 ***

"Let me see your talisman," the Daoist from Maoshan Mountain asked Yue Hao.

Yue Hao looked at Zhao Lu, who looked at Tang Ailian. Tang Ailian spoke crisply, "Hao-ge, show your talisman to this expert."

The Yin energy around them had diminished, and the ground was drying up. Yue Hao felt it was safe to take out the talisman and handed it to the Daoist from Maoshan Mountain.

Daoist Haiying of Maoshan Mountain received the talisman and carefully examined it. It was a rough piece of talisman paper, made from ordinary rice paper easily obtainable in shops. The talisman was well-encased and had some additional drawings on the outside to make it difficult to open. The cinnabar used for the drawings was also ordinary.

"Show me," Former President Zhang took the talisman from Daoist Haiying, pointed it a few times with his index finger, and then opened the sealed part. The talisman then shimmered with a brilliant light, unlike typical talismans. He examined it closely with his flashlight but couldn't discern its secrets.

However, he knew that this was undoubtedly a highly effective exorcism talisman.

Although they had all consumed the Revival Soup before entering the tomb, they had encountered an issue. One of the large bottles of Revival Soup had been poisoned, and even though they could potentially find an antidote, the question remained: where could they find it within the tomb?

The person who poisoned the soup knew, but they were nowhere to be found. So, they had to temporarily set aside that large bottle of Revival Soup.

Each of them carried only ten drops of Revival Soup, and each drop lasted for three hours. If they stayed in the tomb for an extended period, the Revival Soup could run out and lead to dire consequences.

However, with this powerful exorcism talisman, they no longer needed to worry about running out of Revival Soup. It provided an extra layer of protection within the tomb.

"This talisman is worth studying as a research project for our Traditional Culture Association. After I return, I'll take a closer look," Former President Zhang said shamelessly as he pocketed the talisman.

However, in the next moment, a firm hand grabbed his arm. "That's my talisman, and I need to use it now. Give it back to me."

Facing Yue Hao's cold gaze, Former President Zhang smiled awkwardly. "I forgot. You need it now. How about you lend it to me for research once we're out? Or maybe, can I buy it from you?"

Yue Hao replied firmly, "No!" This talisman was a gift from his little physician. How could he give it away?

Former President Zhang was quite dissatisfied and harbored a sense of resentment. He thought that in this tomb, where danger could lurk at any moment, Yue Hao shouldn't cross him.

He believed that in the dim light, no one would notice his resentful gaze, but he was unaware that Tang Ailian's psychic senses could perceive his emotions.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "It seems like we're back at the entrance."

Hearing this, everyone looked up and realized they were indeed at the entrance of the passage, where a bright light shone. It was the same entrance they had come through, and walking towards it would lead them out of the tomb.

Bright light spilled in from the entrance, making their eyes sting after walking through the dark tomb passage for so long.

Daoist Haiying of Maoshan Mountain said, "This can't be right. We've been descending ever since we entered the passage, and the entrance is halfway up the mountainside. How could we have walked back to the tomb's entrance? Besides, there should be guards at the tomb's entrance, but it's eerily silent here."

When she mentioned "silence," everyone shivered involuntarily.

However, they all knew that Daoist Haiying was right. They had indeed been descending continuously, so there was no way they could have returned to the entrance.

"But this clearly looks like the tomb entrance," Yue Hao muttered.

Previously, Tang Ailian's attention had been drawn to the questions Daoist Haiying had raised about the talismans worn by the workers. Thus, she hadn't used her psychic senses to examine the surroundings. Now, she decided to release her psychic power to investigate.

With just a single glance, she realized they had indeed returned.

"Is this the tomb entrance? We'll find out when we go out," she suggested.

She promptly hastened towards the entrance, and a few workers followed her, standing outside to survey their surroundings. It was indeed the entrance to the tomb, not far from where Director Jiang and the others had set up their tents.

Tang Ailian and her group jumped down.

"How is it?" Tang Ailian asked.

"It seems like we're going back. This is definitely the entrance," Yue Hao confirmed. Although he couldn't explain how they had ended up here after walking for so long, it was clear that they had returned to the entrance.

Shang Jiang jokingly added, "Maybe the tomb's owner doesn't welcome us, so they set up a spell to send us back to the entrance?"

The fifteen Jianghu experts glared at Shang Jiang, who touched his head. "Did I say something wrong?"

Tang Ailian chuckled, "You didn't say anything wrong, but now that you've mentioned it, are we going or not?"

There was no question of not going. If they were going to proceed, they couldn't let the warning spell deter them. However, Shang Jiang's joke had lost its humor.

They re-entered the tomb passage.

"It seems that your guards aren't very good at leading the way. This time, let us go ahead," Zhang Tian Master said.

Zhao Lu didn't respond verbally. He knew it was their team's fault for not guiding properly earlier. So, he decided to let them lead this time, avoiding any unnecessary risks for his guards.

Thus, the workers from the factory took the lead, but this time, they made progress smoothly. After about an hour of walking, they broke through the illusionary barriers that had led them down the wrong paths previously. They avoided a few junctions that could have diverted them, staying on the main path until they reached an outer tomb chamber.

Zhao Lu found it strange, though. "The last time we came, there was only one passage leading in and out of this chamber. How did we end up with two passages now?"

The strange thing puzzled Zhao Lu. "Last time we entered, this chamber had only one entrance and exit. How did we end up with two passages now? Which tomb passage should we take?"

(End of Chapter 93)