Watching everything before him with a cold gaze, Ye Fan's thoughts remained unperturbed.
Following his battle with Xu Laog gun, Ye Fan had undergone a transformation, his heart growing colder.
Seeing Ye Fan in such a state, Shen Tianyin couldn't help but feel a pang of pain.
She didn't want Ye Fan to become cold-blooded and unfeeling, but the truth was, this cruel society was forcing Ye Fan towards iciness.
As if sensing Shen Tianyin's deep worry, Ye Fan tightly grasped her hand, "I am me, and I will never become someone else."
His gaze was sincere, his tone resolute, and the genuineness in the depths of his eyes gradually calmed Shen Tianyin's anxious heart.
Looking at him tenderly, Shen Tianyin finally nodded.
...
Two hours later, the rope bridge, at the cost of four lives, was finally completed.
"Let's go."
Pulling Shen Tianyin, Ye Fan ordered everyone to cross quickly.
Although it swayed, it was exceptionally sturdy.
Dozens of people soon stepped onto the ropes and crossed this chasm.
Before even reaching their destination, four people had already perished, casting a heavy mood over everyone, the atmosphere becoming somber.
"Each deceased villager will receive two burial objects as compensation for their lives. Everyone else will receive one. If we encounter trouble later, anyone who contributes will also receive burial objects."
One should know that the burial objects in this ancient tomb were treasures, any single one of which could be sold for an exorbitant price.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, the minds of the crowd were once again captivated.
"Brother Ye, you truly are something. With such magnanimity, you are destined for great things in the future."
Kong Wei Ren quickly approached, fawning over him.
Through contact over the past few days, he had come to understand Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's personality was that he responded to softness with softness, but to hardness with hardness.
If you were strong-willed towards him, he would retaliate even more forcefully. Conversely, if you confided your troubles to him, he would be very generous in his actions.
Kong Wei Ren, being a cunning and sly individual, naturally spoke accordingly upon learning Ye Fan's nature.
"Village Chief Kong, you are too kind. This is all that these villagers deserve," Ye Fan said nonchalantly.
He then glanced at the time; it was nearing noon. He ordered them to set up camp again and proceed after lunch.
These villagers were all skilled individuals who had lived in the mountains and forests for years, so making fire and cooking was second nature to them.
Therefore, Ye Fan didn't need to worry too much.
"Brother Shen Er, let's scout ahead."
Watching everyone busily cooking, Ye Fan called out to Shen Bao.
Being in an unfamiliar environment and knowing nothing of the outside world made Ye Fan uncomfortable.
Therefore, he needed to scout the path ahead.
Shen Bao nodded, exchanged greetings with Elder Lei and the others, and the two of them hurried forward.
The winding mountain path was dense with thorns. Even with walking sticks, the two of them appeared quite disheveled.
"Ye Fan, how much confidence do you have in finding that treasure?" Shen Bao asked in a low voice, watching Ye Fan vigorously clearing the thorns on both sides of the path.
Ye Fan sighed, straightened up, and shook his head.
"Not even half a bit."
"What?"
Shen Bao was stunned, looking at him with disbelief.
They had all the advantageous conditions, yet they had no confidence at all. Was this a joke?
Ye Fan slowly took out the chicken-blood stone from his pocket.
"Brother Er, this chicken-blood stone has lost its effectiveness."
The lines on the chicken-blood stone, which had originally all pointed north, were now haphazard, no longer aligned in the same direction.
"How could this happen? Could this chicken-blood stone be fake?" Shen Bao frowned, asking in confusion.
But Ye Fan shook his head again, "I think the chicken-blood stone is fine. The problem lies here."
Ye Fan gestured to their surroundings.
"The reason this chicken-blood stone can guide the way is that it resonates with the magnetic field of the tomb's owner. However, once this resonance is disturbed by a stronger magnetic field, it loses its effect. Clearly, there must be a place with a strong magnetic field nearby, one that cannot be destroyed by human hands. Therefore, we can only search for the tomb slowly. But this place is fraught with danger; a slight misstep could cost us our lives. That's why I say the possibility of finding the tomb is minuscule."
Ye Fan was quite helpless. At this point, external forces had lost their efficacy, and they could only rely on experience and luck to search.
But doing so would waste too much time, and the consequence would be that more people would die here.
"This land is destined to turn into a charnel house. The land here has been dry for too long and needs to be irrigated with fresh blood," Ye Fan said coldly.
It was destined that most of the people among them would die here.
Just then, a scream suddenly echoed.
"Ah."
"Hurry and check it out."
Ye Fan reacted extremely quickly, sprinting towards the direction of the sound. His speed even made Shen Bao sigh in admiration.
Speeding along, Ye Fan finally discovered a villager's corpse in a dense forest.
The corpse had been torn and mangled, with a large portion of the flesh missing from its face, making its features unrecognizable.
Only by the clothes it wore could it be identified as someone from the Northern Village.
Kong Wei Ren and Dong Da Biao, along with a few others, hurried over.
"Brother Ye, what exactly is going on?" Dong Da Biao asked urgently, looking at the villager's corpse on the ground.
Ye Fan raised his eyes and looked at him, "Attacked by an unknown creature. By the time I arrived, he was already like this."
Ye Fan was quite displeased with Dong Da Biao's attitude.
However, out of consideration for face, he still didn't confront him directly.
Seeing Ye Fan's expression gradually darken, Dong Da Biao realized his attitude had been a bit too forceful.
He quickly said in a low voice, "Brother Ye, after all, it's a brother from our Northern Village who died. I'm feeling rather upset, please don't mind me."
Unlike Kong Wei Ren, Dong Da Biao had a more straightforward personality and wouldn't make witty remarks.
"Village Chief Dong, I understand how you feel. However, now is not the time for grief. We must quickly find this... woman and kill her, otherwise, we will continue to be ambushed."
After all, the enemy was hidden, and they were in the open. Danger could occur at any moment, and it was impossible to guard against.
Hearing Ye Fan's words, Dong Da Biao nodded awkwardly, "Alright, I'll have people bury him on the spot. After all, he is my brother, and he deserves a proper burial."
He looked at Ye Fan with a plea in his eyes.
Ye Fan nodded helplessly, "Bury him as quickly as possible, then everyone must stay together. We must not be separated, leaving opportunities for the opponent. We must unite and cooperate, otherwise, we will be defeated one by one, and we will have no other choice but to perish."
Dong Da Biao and Kong Wei Ren quickly nodded. Then, a few villagers from the Northern Village stepped forward and carried the corpse into a well-preserved pit.
After erecting a wooden board and writing the name on it, the group returned the way they came.
However, as they rounded the first bend, Ye Fan suddenly froze.
Then, turning to look at Shen Nü Peak, Ye Fan began to smile.
"So that's how it is. I wondered what the secret was, but it turns out to be this."