In the dim tomb chamber, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox listened as Liang Ping recounted the events that had recently transpired between him and Nie Chongyang.
Liang Ping said, "At that time, during the battle, facing the opponent's attack, Captain Nie and I were about to dodge. Suddenly, because we were too focused on the fight to pay attention to anything else, perhaps at that moment, the space we were in underwent some unknown change."
"As a result, when we were dodging, I suddenly felt my feet give way and began to fall."
At this point, Liang Ping couldn't help but sigh, a hint of lingering fear in his voice.
"At that time, I thought I had dodged the previous attack, only to be killed by the fall. However, after falling, I realized I was completely unharmed, and there was no sensation of hitting the ground. I wasn't injured by the fall."
"But after falling, it was pitch black below."
"Then, I heard Captain Nie's voice, and after a brief exchange, I took out a flashlight, and Captain Nie and I reunited."
"When we first fell, Captain Nie and I were actually in another tomb chamber. However, later, we found a mechanism, tried it out, and discovered a secret passage, which led us here."
Liang Ping paused again.
The little fox asked curiously, "What happened to you? It sounds like nothing unexpected happened, but now only you are here. Did Nie Chongyang go back to the previous tomb chamber?"
Liang Ping shook his head with some dejection.
He told Ye Tiancheng and the little fox, "After coming to this tomb chamber and finding it sealed, and needing to find a new exit, Captain Nie and I intended to go through the secret passage first to see if there were any other changes and if we could return to our previous location."
The little fox asked, "And then?"
Liang Ping continued, "As a result, we went there, and everything was going smoothly. The secret passage hadn't undergone any new changes, and we could still return to the previous tomb chamber."
"However, on the way back, Captain Nie and I were chatting as we walked. We inadvertently discussed some matters, and I realized that Captain Nie was... acting strangely."
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox seemed to realize something at that moment.
They both froze, silent.
Liang Ping went on to say, "I was worried it was a misunderstanding, and after all we'd been through, neither of us was in good condition, and Captain Nie's condition wasn't good either. So, I subtly tested him again. However, I discovered that my initial feeling was correct."
"At some point, somewhere, Captain Nie had been swapped out and replaced by some unknown entity."
"I dealt with the entity that had impersonated Captain Nie, but I couldn't figure out where the real Captain Nie had gone, what his current situation was, or if there was a substituted me by his side."
"I couldn't determine any of these things."
Mentioning this matter made Liang Ping's mood exceptionally heavy.
He said, "Then, not long after, you all appeared."
Up to this point, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox finally understood what had happened to Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping during the time they couldn't contact them.
Ye Tiancheng comforted Liang Ping, "Things might not be as bad as they seem. Nie Chongyang might not be in trouble. Let's work together to find him."
Liang Ping just nodded in response.
From then on, the three of them searched the tomb chamber for clues, trying to find a way to leave the place. Ye Tiancheng and the little fox also visited the tomb chamber where Liang Ping had just arrived.
That tomb chamber was still there, but it was indeed very simple.
The little fox examined the clues Liang Ping had found and concluded that Liang Ping's guesses and deductions during his experiments were indeed correct.
It was also because of this that Liang Ping had successfully opened the secret door.
As for the square door at the bottom of the coffin in this tomb chamber, it was likely not a door. The little fox inspected it and believed that even if the square door there could be opened, it would at most lead to a small storage space.
However, there was likely no secret passage or hidden room.
It wasn't difficult for the little fox to determine this.
However, the tightly shut stone door in the tomb chamber might be openable, but the method of opening it might require further searching. Currently, there were insufficient clues in this location.
Perhaps the clue to this door would be found in other tomb chambers.
Then, Ye Tiancheng and his two companions returned to the previous tomb chamber with three stone doors.
Upon arriving at this tomb chamber, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox were much more adept at collecting clues. After all, this was a matter of specialization.
Furthermore, Ye Tiancheng and the little fox made a judgment.
The oil in the oil lamps was fine, so all these oil lamps could be lit without issue.
However, there were some other discoveries.
Ye Tiancheng and the little fox found some clues that indicated that something had been active in this tomb chamber not long ago.
Even the oil lamps they had examined were evidence of this.
The craftsmanship of these oil lamps, their styles, the oil inside, and the burn marks on the wicks all pointed to one fact.
At the very least, these oil lamps were not products from the same period as the tomb chamber. They were clearly products manufactured in a more recent era.
The oil in the lamps was also quite fresh; it was certainly not old oil.
And the wicks were even more so.
The parts of the wicks that were still submerged in the oil and had not been burned were quite new and very clean. In this condition, they could not possibly be ancient artifacts.
There was no need to question this.
Therefore, someone had definitely been to this place recently.
The little fox also found a lighter in the tomb chamber. It was a very new model, even a very ordinary one with a plastic casing, the kind that could be bought for one or two yuan at any small roadside convenience store.
The lighter was still very new, its casing smooth and pristine.
However, there were also signs of use.
Ye Tiancheng picked up the lighter and lit the oil lamps. Illuminated by the oil lamps, the tomb chamber became brighter.
With a clearer view of the tomb chamber's structure and furnishings, it became apparent that there were likely many mechanisms within the chamber. Their danger was unknown, but their number was certainly not small.
Most of these mechanisms were interconnected and required clues to be deciphered.
As for the coffin in the tomb chamber.
Ye Tiancheng and the others pushed it open to look. Although their intention was not to disturb the deceased, these coffins might not necessarily contain bodies, and furthermore, they were in a special situation.
Special circumstances called for special treatment; they had no other choice.
However, upon opening the coffin in this tomb chamber, they confirmed that this coffin, like the others, was not nailed shut and could be easily pushed open. Moreover, there was no corpse inside.
When they opened it, they saw a human-shaped outline inside. However, this outline was covered by a layer of red cloth.
This sight felt very eerie.
However, no one present was so timid as to be overly affected, so their state remained relatively normal. They lifted the red cloth to see what was underneath.
However, after lifting the red cloth, they understood.
There was no corpse beneath the red cloth. The human-shaped outline was merely a wooden puppet, shaped like a person and placed inside the coffin. Therefore, when covered by the red cloth, it made it seem as though a body was hidden beneath it.
In reality, there was indeed a body, but it was not a human body; it was merely a wooden shell.
The puppet's carving was rather crude, but it was discernible that the puppet depicted a male. This male puppet was wearing wedding attire, but his hair was short and black.
Based on this, the prototype for this puppet could not be from too ancient a period.
In earlier times, even men had long hair.
However, because there were many new items in the tomb chamber, it was unclear whether these items had been there since the tomb's construction or if they had been brought there by people who had entered and moved around the area later.
But looking at the appearance of the male puppet, one could judge.
This should be the image of a groom.
Could it be that some sort of ghost marriage was being conducted here?
This was not impossible.
However, Ye Tiancheng and the others hesitated, and they were also thinking about whether they could find any new clues to ascertain the situation. After all, from this perspective, they couldn't quite see how this item could relate to Lin Yanqin and the others.
In any case, Ye Tiancheng and the other two unanimously agreed that even if something appeared here, it should not be entirely unrelated to Lin Yanqin and the others.
There must be some connection between them.
It was just that they hadn't discovered what that connection was yet.
The little fox found a cabinet. Inside the cabinet, she discovered a mechanism. The mechanism was located beneath the cabinet door, and there was another door. If it hadn't been opened, no one would have known that there was another hidden door inside the cabinet.
However, this hidden door was just an ordinary cabinet door; it was unlikely to be a secret passage.
But since there was a mechanism here, it was possible that something useful was placed inside. The little fox tried to study it, but coincidentally, perhaps the person who designed the mechanism intended to leave a hint for themselves. This should be normal.
If, when this tomb chamber was designed, it was already considered that people would enter and move within it.
Based on the current traces, this was indeed the case.
The likelihood of intentional design was relatively high.
After all, this was a tomb chamber. Ordinary people would not intrude. Apart from those who were inherently related to this tomb, one couldn't think of anyone else who would enter, except for those who came to steal things.