In the tomb.
As the children in the flames fell silent, only the roar of the inferno remained, nothing else.
Zhou Lin watched as the flames subsided and then withdrew them.
The surrounding children had vanished.
Even the things that had been emitting a faint green glow were gone.
The entire space was plunged into darkness.
The security personnel turned on their lights, and the area became bright.
Elder Tang and Professor Lin breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the danger had passed.
In the light of the lamps, they noticed red lines on the stone wall behind them.
These lines were connected and formed a pattern.
"Architectural Champion, what do you think this is?"
Elder Tang approached the stone wall and touched the red lines, detecting a faint, fishy odor.
This fishy smell also contained some herbal components.
"This is cinnabar."
The Taoist priest also reached out and touched it, recognizing the cinnabar he frequently used.
He was most familiar with this scent.
"Cinnabar? Why is there cinnabar here?"
Professor Lin was confused. Cinnabar was used in medicine and for warding off evil. Could it be related to the Zi Mu Sha?
But it didn't make sense. If it were for Zi Mu Sha, it should be applied outside, not inside.
"Cinnabar is used to ward off evil, but it should be applied outside, not inside."
The Taoist priest was puzzled.
"Could there be a misunderstanding? Is it possible there's something else going on?"
The historian asked uncertainly. Something about this situation felt wrong.
"No, cinnabar in a tomb can only be for warding off evil, nothing else."
The Taoist priest stated with certainty.
The historian, biologist, and others looked at the patterns on the stone wall.
When combined, they resembled a character.
But they didn't recognize the character, and some parts were incomplete.
Elder Tang and the other students attempted to sketch it, but they were at a loss.
The security personnel remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings with extreme caution, not wanting a repeat of the previous dangerous situation.
Zhou Lin's gaze remained fixed on the patterns on the wall, lost in thought.
After a long period of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The netizens watching this scene were equally perplexed.
"Damn, this is too profound. I can't understand it at all. What is this thing?"
"What is this? I don't understand it."
"If you can understand it, you're amazing."
"Exactly, if the archaeological team can't figure it out, how can you?"
"Doesn't it look like a talisman? Don't you think it's similar?"
"Holy cow, you've just enlightened me! It really does look similar."
...
Dean's conference room.
Faced with the suddenly appearing patterns, the professors and experts in the conference room were all looking at them, equally curious.
"Perhaps it's a talisman. At least, that's what it looks like to me. I can't think of anything else."
Professor Hu said with conviction, then turned his gaze to the metaphysics professor.
Following Professor Hu's gaze, the other professors and experts also looked towards the metaphysics professor.
"I think I might have seen something like this before. Let me think..."
The metaphysics professor picked up his computer and began to search. As an expert in metaphysics, he often found fantastical things to use as case studies.
This also involved a lot of connections to talismans and Taoist magic.
In the tomb.
Zhou Lin walked over to one of the students who was sketching. He took the brush and completed the unfinished talisman.
The student looked at him suspiciously at first, then his eyes lit up.
He suddenly looked at Zhou Lin beside him.
"Mr. Zhou Lin, you knew about this all along, didn't you?"
The student looked at Zhou Lin's face in astonishment, full of surprise.
At the student's surprised exclamation, Elder Tang, Professor Lin, and the others who were researching turned their attention to Zhou Lin.
Then, everyone had an epiphany.
Why were they struggling to research? Didn't they have Zhou Lin? Whatever Zhou Lin said must be true.
Why not just ask him?
"Little friend Zhou Lin, do you recognize this?"
Elder Tang asked Zhou Lin anxiously.
He couldn't figure it out himself, so he might as well give up.
"Elder Tang, you're the leader here. You should say something."
Zhou Lin said helplessly.
"Say what? I don't recognize it. It's useless to say anything. If you know, just say it. Do you want money? Ten thousand, and I'll give it to you if you tell me."
Elder Tang had already guessed Zhou Lin's intentions and directly stated his thoughts.
"Ten thousand? Elder Tang, are you looking down on me? This difficulty is at least ten million."
Zhou Lin acted as if he had heard something shocking. Was he going to be dismissed for just ten thousand?
Who was he trying to insult?
The Taoist priest's eyes nearly popped out upon hearing this. Ten million for just one question?
Was this how money was made?
It was just one question, why so much money?
The historian, biologist, architectural champion, Wolf King, and the others looked at Zhou Lin in horror.
They knew Zhou Lin was greedy, but he couldn't be this ruthless.
The students and security personnel behind them collectively gasped.
They looked at Zhou Lin in fear.
Was this guy crazy? Is this how these big shots demand things now?
The netizens were almost choked by their own saliva by these words.
"Damn, is this big shot crazy? Ten million for one question? Is our Great Xia's economy that prosperous?"
"No, the big shot likes money, but he's definitely not this greedy."
"There must be something wrong somewhere."
...
"Little friend Zhou Lin, you don't need to extort us like this."
Elder Tang took a while to react, looking somewhat speechless.
"Elder Tang, do you know what this is?"
Zhou Lin knew they couldn't accept it and smiled exceptionally happily.
Everyone shook their heads.
"This is a sealing talisman used by the earliest alchemists in ancient times. This cinnabar also contains black dog blood. These things are used to suppress evil, and this is the highest grade of talisman."
"It signifies that what's inside is very troublesome and powerful. The Zi Mu Sha is just a gatekeeper. Think about it, what could be inside?"
Zhou Lin's playful expression faded, and he spoke softly.
His unhurried voice now echoed throughout the space.
Elder Tang, the other participants, the archaeological team's students, and the security personnel all felt even more tense upon hearing this.
So, there was something even more powerful inside? The Zi Mu Sha was just a gatekeeper? Could there be something else?