Upon hearing the resounding crash of the stone gate, Cui Shenghe and Zhao Zhi felt a chill run down their spines.

They quickly turned around and saw that the stone door was tightly closed, isolating them from the outside world and leaving only the two of them facing the unknown depths of the cave.

"Zhizhi, it seems we have no way back," Cui Shenghe said in a deep voice, his gaze sharpening as he looked resolutely ahead.

Zhao Zhi gripped Cui Shenghe's hand tightly. Although her heart was pounding with fear, she tried her best to remain calm and nodded, saying, "Brother, let's face it together, no matter what lies ahead."

The two looked around and saw that on both sides of the stone wall, countless stone pillars rose from the ground, each topped with a dazzling luminous pearl, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.

"Brother, could there really be a treasure hidden here?" Zhao Zhi asked in a low voice, full of curiosity.

"Treasure?" Cui Shenghe replied casually. "Zhizhi, the wealth your brother has accumulated is more than enough for three generations of our descendants to spend. So, when you see gold and silver treasures later, you must not be tempted. The consequence of being tempted is," he paused, then reminded her, "those skeletons we saw in the cave before we came in, that's the result of being greedy. Remember, only with reverence can you go far and steady."

Zhao Zhi was so frightened that cold sweat poured down her back, and she shook her head repeatedly, "I definitely won't touch those things."

As they ventured deeper into the cave, exquisite portraits of beautiful women began to appear on the cave walls.

The beauties in the painting are voluptuous, some sitting, some lying down, some gazing at the moon with their chins in their hands, some bowing their heads in deep thought... They are depicted so vividly that they seem as if they might step out of the painting at any moment.

"Brother, look at these pictures of beauties, why don't they have faces?"

Zhao Zhi pointed to one of the paintings and said softly.

Cui Shenghe shook his head, equally puzzled, but looking at the portraits of beautiful women, a strange emotion welled up within him. The two cautiously continued forward.

After rounding several stone pillars, they were astonished to discover the skeleton of a woman. Beside the skeleton lay a dagger inlaid with a ruby.

The skeleton lay quietly on a stone bed, its clothes tattered yet still revealing its former grandeur and status. Even more shocking, the wounds on the skeleton indicated that the woman had suffered extremely cruel torture before her death.

"Who...who is this?" Zhao Zhi's voice trembled slightly. She couldn't imagine that such a beautiful and talented woman would end up like this.

Cui Shenghe crouched down, carefully examining the wounds on the skeleton, his brow furrowed. None of the woman's injuries were fatal; the only fatal wound was in her heart.

He closed his eyes, replaying the scene of the woman's injury in his mind. A moment later, he opened his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment. Based on his deduction, the fatal wound on the woman's body was a result of suicide.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a jade pendant beside the skeleton. The pendant was entirely emerald green, crystal clear, and engraved with intricate patterns. He picked it up and examined it closely, a sense of familiarity welling up within him.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Zhi asked curiously when she noticed Cui Shenghe's strange expression.

Cui Shenghe handed her the jade pendant: "Look."

Zhao Zhi took the jade pendant, examined it carefully, and frowned: "This... isn't this the same as the jade pendant we have? No, this one has a pattern that combines the two jade pendants of Qingxuan and Zhuju!"

Cui Shenghe nodded, his tone solemn: "Indeed, these three jade pendants appear to be a mother-and-child pair."

As he spoke, his hands trembled slightly.

As a child, he had seen this jade pendant in his mother's palace. He remembered his mother telling him that it was a token of love given to her by his father.

Zhao Zhi nervously grasped Cui Shenghe's hand, and for some reason, a strong sense of unease welled up in her heart.

"Brother, could it be... that this woman is... is Mother?" She wanted to ask if the woman was Cui Jiao, but calling her birth mother by her name would be disrespectful.

Cui Shenghe gripped the jade pendant tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. After a long while, he silently placed the pendant into Zhao Zhi's hand, then fell silent.

A faint sobbing sound came from inside the cave.

Zhao Zhi looked at Cui Shenghe's slightly trembling back, slowly hugged him from behind, her eyes red, and choked out, "Brother."

"Let me see her again." It took Cui Shenghe a great deal of courage to say those words.

Zhao Zhi hummed in agreement and released him.

Cui Shenghe's eyes were bloodshot, filled with intense pain. He slowly extended his long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, trembling slightly, and gently touched the woman's skeleton inch by inch.

He carefully measured the length and angle of each bone, trying to piece together what the woman looked like when she was alive from these clues.

Time suddenly slowed down and became very long.

Zhao Zhi, watching Cui Shenghe's increasingly pale face, suddenly grabbed his hand and pleaded, "Brother, please don't calculate anymore, brother. Please, brother, seeing you like this, I... I'm so worried..."

"Don't worry, I can still handle it." Cui Shenghe's voice suddenly carried a chilling aura, which made Zhao Zhi involuntarily release his hand.