After the fat man stood up, I glanced at the old man and said, "May I know how to address you?"
He snorted, "You can call me Elder Zhang."
"Elder Zhang, I'm truly sorry," I said with a smile, cupping my hands. "This was all a misunderstanding..."
"A misunderstanding?" he looked at me coldly. "I'll ask you again, where did you get this rubbing? If you don't tell me the truth, don't blame me for being impolite later!"
The fat man sidled up to me, casting a wary glance at Elder Zhang. He whispered to me, "Master Xiang, why are there so many rats on this old man?"
"How should I know?" I gave him a look, telling him to stand aside, then said to Elder Zhang, "This rubbing was indeed left to me by my father. As for where he got it, I have no idea."
"Your father? What's your father's name?"
"Xiang Tian."
He frowned slightly. "Xiang Tian? So, your surname is also Xiang?"
"My name is Xiang Fei."
"Hmph, then why did you just tell me you didn't know your surname?"
Just as I was about to say something, Elder Zhang waved his hand. "You disrupted the sacrifice and trespassed into the altar; you've already committed a grave offense. It's already generous of me not to throw you into the sinkhole."
"Yes, yes, you are magnanimous, and you don't need to stoop to our level," I said with a smile.
"What exactly are you here for?" he asked, staring at me.
I felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze. After thinking for a moment, I asked, "Do you happen to know about the Marquis Sui's pearl?"
I hadn't held out much hope, it was just a casual question.
To my surprise, when he heard the words "Marquis Sui's pearl," his expression changed drastically, and he looked at me in disbelief. "How do you know about the Marquis Sui's pearl!!"
Before I could speak, he grabbed my shoulder. "Follow me!"
Without waiting for me to say anything more, he dragged me straight out of the hall.
The old man's strength was terrifying; his hand was like a clamp, gripping my shoulder tightly, making it impossible for me to break free.
He hauled me out as if I were a small chicken. The villagers outside saw us emerge and hurried over.
"High Priest..." one of the villagers stepped forward.
"Keep a close watch on the remaining two!" Elder Zhang instructed.
Soon, the villagers went into the hall to find the fat man and the others.
"Where are you taking me?" I couldn't help but ask.
He didn't answer me. Soon, I realized the route looked familiar. After a moment, he led me to the altar.
I didn't know why this old man brought me here. The thought of the scenes inside the altar sent a chill down my spine.
Upon entering the altar, oil lamps were lit on the walls. It seemed he had been here that morning.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked.
Elder Zhang glanced at me and snorted, "Tell me everything you know."
"What do you want to know?"
"The Marquis Sui's pearl!" he said, staring at me coldly.
I chuckled. "I didn't expect you to know about the Marquis Sui's pearl too? Indeed, I know where the Marquis Sui's pearl is. If you want to find it, I can tell you where to look..."
"Are you still playing dumb with me?"
"What playing dumb?"
"Did the person who gave you the rubbing not tell you that there are two Marquis Sui's pearls in this world?"
Now it was my turn to be stunned. I never expected this old man to know about the existence of two Marquis Sui's pearls!
As I was still in shock, he released me. "So, you know about it then?"
Saying that, he walked over to the hidden door in the corner and operated the mechanism, opening it.
Seeing him walk in, I thought for a moment and followed.
He ignored me and went to the back of the stone statue. I curiously leaned closer and saw him turning the jade stone embedded in the wall.
In just a moment, the altar in the stone chamber moved entirely several meters to the side, revealing a secret passage before me.
"You want to find the Marquis Sui's pearl, don't you? Then follow me," he said, looking at me with a half-smile.
I was quite bewildered. What exactly did this old man want?
Gritting my teeth, I followed him down the secret passage.
The stairs in this secret passage were very neatly constructed. After walking for only a moment, we reached the bottom.
It was cold and damp down here. The walls on both sides were covered with dense vines, and there were many viscous fluids on them.
The air carried a scent like sawdust.
He led me forward along the passage, and soon a peculiar plant appeared before me.
The plant's roots were embedded deep in the thick soil, spreading outwards and pressing against the surrounding soil and stones. The surface of the roots was covered with a viscous liquid that shimmered with a faint glow.
There was no light source around, yet the plant emitted a faint purple light in the darkness.
On its leaves were some organ-like structures, which looked somewhat like eyes or mouths.
These organs would open at intervals, making one's scalp tingle...
Looking at the plant before me, I was completely frozen in place.
"The Marquis Sui's pearl is inside it," Elder Zhang said calmly.
"What is this thing?" I asked, swallowing.
"The Tree of Hell."
"The Tree of Hell?" I was somewhat confused.
He turned to look at me. "Do you think I'm cruel, using those young girls as sacrifices?"
I remained silent. He continued, "If we don't sacrifice them to this tree, our entire village will die before long!"
Although the plant before me surprised me, I wasn't scared. After all, I had seen many strange things before.
"Is that so? Could it be that this tree can kill people?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Since you've found your way here, you know there are two Marquis Sui's pearls in this world, the Yang pearl and the Yin pearl... Do you also know about the curse of the Yang and Yin pearls?"
"Curse?"
"Indeed! I don't know about the curse of the Yang pearl, but I understand the curse of the Yin pearl very well!"
Saying that, he pulled open his clothes, revealing his chest, which was covered in dense symbols. At first glance, the symbols seemed to be moving...
"Anyone cursed, men can live to eighty but will experience a 'shang' poison once a year... while women can only live to thirty, and some women don't even reach thirty."
He took a breath and slowly walked to the strange tree. "Our ancestors have paid too much to protect the celestial bead..."
"Celestial bead?"
He turned and looked at me. "The true name of the Marquis Sui's pearl is the celestial bead. One yin and one yang, controlling heaven and earth... Since the time of Yao, Shun, and Yu, the celestial bead has existed to this day."
"You said earlier that your ancestors were the guardians of the Yin pearl?" I asked, looking at him.