The old woman's momentum weakened by three points the moment she heard we had evidence. She stopped trying to argue with us and screeching wildly.

She began to make excuses for the dogs, saying that they hadn't been fed in days and were probably ravenously hungry, which was why they ate the man.

She then assured us that the man hadn't been bitten to death by the dogs; he must have died suddenly in the passage, and the dogs simply gnawed on his corpse.

She claimed that these dogs had been raised by people since they were puppies and weren't aggressive towards humans.

I couldn't help but sneer as I listened. If I hadn't just been swarmed by those dogs, I might have almost believed her.

It's not that I have any hostility towards dogs as animals. I know that many pet dogs are indeed not aggressive towards people, especially those that have been pets for generations. They really won't bite people unprovoked. But these dogs were clearly different. Their eyes were red, clearly not pet dogs.

To put it dramatically, even if we ran into wolves in the wild, they might not be as aggressive as these beasts.

Old Wei saw this too and said in a deep voice, "Auntie, to be honest, these dogs you're raising don't look like ordinary house dogs. They bite people on sight, and they're fierce and vicious. And their eyes are red. Even the most aggressive dogs in fighting rings aren't this wild."

Having gotten to this point, the old woman started playing dumb. Seeing that the last dog was about to breathe its last, she pretended to be overcome with grief and said, "Alas! What's the use of saying all this now? The dogs have all been beaten to death by you! My old man and I never had any children. In our old age, we only had these little things to keep us company, and now they've all been beaten to death by you! Beaten to death!"

Old Wei didn't fall for her act at all, narrowing his eyes and saying, "Alright, alright, these red-eyed beasts aren't necessarily a good thing to have around. They might get so hungry one day that they bite you and your old man to death and eat your flesh. We killed them to prevent trouble before it happens."

The old woman got anxious when she heard that, stomping her feet and saying, "How... how can you say such a thing?"

Old Wei was too lazy to argue with her, deliberately changing the subject and asking, "By the way, Auntie, didn't you say you have an old man? Where is he?"

The old woman was getting on in years, and her mind might not have been very sharp. Being interrupted by Old Wei like this, she was actually led astray and started talking about her old man.

She thought for a moment and said, "He went out the day before yesterday. I guess he went outside to get some sun. He hasn't come back yet. By the way, when you came in, did you see an old man?"

Old Wei asked casually, "What does your old man look like?"

The old woman described him, and as I listened, I suddenly felt my scalp tingling!

This old woman's old man, isn't he the old bastard who led us here?

I recalled that the old bastard did say that he had no children to see him off in his final years, but he didn't say he had an old woman!

I remember him clearly saying that he lived alone in the Crystal Palace!

That old bastard, there's not a word of truth in his mouth.

At this moment, I looked back at Xiao Liang and the others, only to see that their expressions had also become a little unnatural. Everyone obviously knew that this old woman and the old man who led us were husband and wife.

But now, the old bastard has already died outside the Crystal Palace. We didn't know how to tell his old woman this bad news.

After the old woman finished describing him to us, she asked Old Wei again, "Why aren't you talking? You all came in from outside, right? Have you seen my old man?"

Old Wei hesitated for a moment, then shook his head decisively and said, "I haven't seen him. We haven't seen anyone so old on the way in."

After saying that, he pretended to be surprised and asked, "Do you and your old man usually live in this underground palace? It's so dark and damp. Can your bodies handle it?"

The old woman didn't suspect Old Wei's words. She pointed to the depths of the underground palace and said, "You don't know, there's a Crystal Palace in this underground palace, a house carved out of crystal. Living in it, it's warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and it's not damp. It's very comfortable!"

Old Wei pretended it was the first time he had heard of it, and said in shock, "Really? A house carved out of crystal? How much crystal would that take?"

The old woman chuckled and said, "Although it's called the Crystal Palace, it's not a very big house. It's definitely smaller than a regular house outside, but it's more than enough for me and my old man, plus a few dogs."

Old Wei asked again, "Then how do you two usually get food and drink? You can't just live in this Crystal Palace and not eat or drink, can you?"

The old woman waved her hand and said, "How could we! Living people have to eat and drink! Fortunately, my old man and I are old and don't eat and drink much. Every now and then, we go down the mountain to the county town to beg for alms, which is enough to fill our bellies..."

Hearing this, I suddenly understood.

What do you mean you don't need to eat or drink when you live in the Crystal Palace? That old bastard was just talking nonsense and lying. I thought, no matter how magical the Crystal Palace is, it can't allow people to live in it without eating or drinking, right? That's not scientific at all!

Now that this old woman has revealed the truth, it has finally cleared up the doubts in my mind.

This old couple usually lives in the underground palace and occasionally goes out to beg for food. They can barely make a living in this way.

After listening to the old woman's story, Old Wei knew that he had been deceived. He took the opportunity to ask, "Auntie, excuse me for asking, how old are you this year?"

The old woman didn't hide anything and said directly, "Seventy-two this year. Speaking of which, it's my zodiac year... Alas, they all say that your zodiac year is a hurdle. I hope my old husband and I can get over this hurdle."

Old Wei immediately counted on his fingers and said, "Seventy-two, so you were born in 1933? What about your old man?"

The old woman said, "Hehe, we were born in the same year, only two months apart. I'm seventy-two, and my old man is also seventy-two."

Hearing this, I cursed that old man in my heart again!

What was that about being born in the thirty-third year of the Guangxu reign? He was clearly born in 1933 and is only seventy-two years old this year, not a centenarian.

I'm really impressed by this old man. From the time they met us until now, he hasn't said a word of truth!

If we hadn't met his old woman, we would still think that the Crystal Palace could grant immortality and that he was truly a living immortal who had lived from the late Qing Dynasty to the present!

After chatting for a few more sentences, Old Wei basically exposed all the lies that the old man had told.

He didn't talk too much about the old man's affairs, after all, we hadn't told the truth either. The more you say, the more mistakes you make. If you accidentally let something slip, you're finished.

Old Wei quickly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, Auntie, a group of people came in just now, heading in the direction of the Crystal Palace. Did you see them?"