Following Yang Hanxue's advice, I quickly abandoned the idea of studying the liquid.
Soon, the shaking of the stone chamber subsided. Yang Hanxue continued with the lock.
He removed the golden key and inserted it into another keyhole, then began to turn it cautiously.
I stared at his hands, swallowing nervously, afraid of triggering another mechanism.
He worked back and forth between the two keyholes. After about half an hour, when my legs were starting to feel sore, Yang Hanxue let out a breath, "Alright, I need you to help me with something."
As he spoke, we positioned ourselves in front of the stone pedestal.
"When I count to three, we'll push this way," Yang Hanxue instructed.
We nodded.
"One... two... three..."
As soon as he finished speaking, we all pushed hard, and the cover of the stone pedestal actually moved!
"Whoosh!" A large gap opened in the stone pedestal. Before we could see what was inside, a blinding light refracted from within.
Squinting, I gasped!
The inside of the stone pedestal was filled with jade and emeralds!
That wasn't all. There were also many calligraphy and paintings, and without a doubt, those artworks were priceless.
I pursed my lips, looking at the treasures inside.
Despite being stored for so long, the items inside looked as if they had been placed there yesterday.
The odd thing was, there was no gold or silver in such a large chest.
It seemed Shen Wansan knew that gold and silver were far less valuable than these jade and emeralds.
Not to mention me, Wang Yang and Song Bing's eyes were also glazed over.
This was the first time I had ever seen so many treasures. Taking out just one of them would likely shock the entire antique world!
However, Yang Hanxue didn't seem to care about these things; his gaze was constantly searching for something.
Soon, his eyes landed on a wooden box. He took it out. It wasn't locked. He opened it gently, and I caught a glimpse.
The wooden box was filled with ancient books, with no writing on their covers.
Wang Yang was staring intently at the wooden box.
"Yang Batou, what is this?" I asked.
Yang Hanxue replied, "I'm not entirely sure."
Wang Yang and I exchanged glances, obviously thinking along the same lines.
"May I have a look?" I asked with a smile.
Yang Hanxue hesitated, then after a moment of thought, said, "Let's look at it after we get out."
He closed the wooden box and glanced at the contents of the stone pedestal, saying, "Take whatever you want."
To be honest, I was more interested in the wooden box in Yang Hanxue's hands than the items in the pedestal.
If my guess was correct, the ancient books inside were related to Ying-jie.
"Let's forget about these things," I said with a smile. "Taking out just one of these might cause trouble."
I was speaking the truth. The jade and emeralds inside were all crafted by master artisans. I had only seen the lines and styles in books.
Without exaggeration, the items inside were all national treasures.
Taking these items out would be like holding a hot potato. Instead of gaining wealth and status, one would likely invite certain death.
If I could think of this, Song Bing could too. I saw the sigh on his face, and knew he was thinking almost the same as me.
Wang Yang reached out and picked up a jade bracelet, saying, "It's so beautiful..."
I glared at him, "Put it back quickly, don't even think about it."
He let out a breath and placed the jade bracelet back into the stone pedestal, saying, "Do you think there's a Treasure-Gathering Basin in here?"
I replied, "If there really was a Treasure-Gathering Basin, do you think this stone pedestal could contain it?"
"Huh?" Wang Yang looked confused.
"Don't forget, the Treasure-Gathering Basin has the ability to replicate. If this Basin were inside, this entire room would be filled with gold and jewels."
Wang Yang grinned and said, "That's true. But what if that's just a legend? The Treasure-Gathering Basin might just be a finely crafted basin."
"Let's focus on how to get out of here," I said.
Seeing that none of us were taking anything, Yang Hanxue suggested closing the cover.
Though reluctant, we complied.
After closing the cover, Yang Hanxue locked the stone pedestal with the golden key again.
"We'll have to go back the way we came, and dealing with those monsters is going to be a problem." Yang Hanxue said.
I stroked my chin, "We need to find a way to lure them away..."
"How?" Wang Yang asked.
I glanced at him, "Weren't you very interested in those monsters earlier? Why don't you go lure them away so we can get out first?"
Wang Yang rolled his eyes at me, "Why don't you go yourself?"
"It's just that I'm not as fast as you," I said with a smile.
"I'm not going. If you want to go, you go yourself." Wang Yang replied.
At this point, Yang Hanxue spoke up, "Why don't I go? I'll lure them away, and you all return the way you came."
I was taken aback and looked at him, "Yang Batou..."
"It's fine, they can't hurt me." Yang Hanxue appeared confident and bold.
Seeing this, we quickly formulated a plan.
Yang Hanxue would be responsible for luring the monsters, and we would seize the opportunity to return the way we came. As for himself, he said he could find a way out.
Once the plan was confirmed, Yang Hanxue took off his diving suit, carefully wrapped the wooden box in his hands, slung it over his shoulder, and tied a tight knot.
By then, I was already feeling noticeably breathless. It was clear that our oxygen was running low, and the candles in the stone chamber seemed as if they would extinguish at any moment.
Yang Hanxue stepped onto the stone steps and headed towards the passageway. As I watched his retreating back, I felt a strange sense of unease.
"Do you think he'll just leave?" Wang Yang suddenly said.
Hearing his words, my heart skipped a beat, and I replied, "He shouldn't, right? There are so many monsters outside..."
Wang Yang countered, "Don't forget, he entered more than thirty hours before us. He's been in there for so long and he's fine..."
The more he spoke, the more uneasy I became.
"If he genuinely intended to be a decoy, why wouldn't he entrust the wooden box to us for safekeeping?" Wang Yang added.
"Don't attribute ill intentions to a gentleman," I said.
Wang Yang retorted unhappily, "This isn't attributing ill intentions; it's the truth..."
"Then let me ask you, why would he do this?"
"Do I need to ask? With so many treasures here, and that wooden box he's taking, he obviously wants as few people to know as possible. Once he gets out, he'll make preparations and come back to take all these things away..."
Although there was a possibility of that, I didn't think Yang Hanxue was that kind of person.
Time ticked by, and there was no movement from the passageway. I started to feel restless.
Did Yang Hanxue really intend to abandon us here?
"Let's not wait any longer!" Wang Yang stood up from the steps. "That guy has most likely run off!"
At these words, Song Bing's expression also turned grim.