The kitten still had a fever, but Professor Feng's friend couldn't wait any longer—they had been out of contact for three days.

Lu Cijiu finally decided to bring his family along since Gong Xichao was there.

Professor Feng sent the address to WeChat. This discovery of the ancient tomb is also quite unique. Spring in southern China is rainy, and there was a landslide. The local forestry bureau noticed something was amiss.

"It's in the mountains, so we have to clean it up." Lu Cijiu said.

Now, with the exception of the kitten, which was about to transform, all three of them had transformed into their young forms, making it easier to navigate the mountains. Lu Cijiu packed his bags and searched online for stores specializing in mountaineering and camping equipment.

After saying goodbye to Brother Cheng at home, I went straight to the store.

I was prepared, so I bought a tent, a gas stove, a camping lantern, and more. Since it still rains occasionally there, I needed a raincoat and rain boots. After I was fully prepared, I headed straight to the airport, passed security, and boarded my flight without a hitch.

Before taking off, Lu Cijiu talked to Professor Feng, and Professor Feng said that he would arrange someone to pick him up after landing.

So if Lu Cijiu took a plane and arrived instantly, it would be difficult to tell Professor Feng.

Two hours later, the plane landed safely. Lu Cijiu reached out and touched the kitten's forehead. There was a fever-reducing patch on it, and the fever was gone.

"Let me hold it." Gong Xichao took the kitten with one hand.

Lu Cijiu looked at his empty hands and thought, "Never mind, he couldn't hold it anyway." He pushed the small suitcase, and Dalongwei walked in front, holding his hand. Dudu was in Dalong's pocket.

A family of six had just exited the gate. There were quite a lot of people there. The kitten was whimpering. Lu Cijiu asked, "What's wrong, kitten? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want some water?"

The kitten closed its eyes and lay on Uncle Gong's shoulder, mumbling something. Xiao Hei and Hu Sanniang unzipped Lu Cijiu's backpack. Xiao Hei poked his head out and said, "Master said he wants to be small."

"Small?" Is it urine?

As soon as Lu Cijiu finished speaking, he saw the kitten in Gong Xichao's arms suddenly shrink on the spot into a snow-white kitten. The kitten was only about the size of a cub's palm, with a delicate and beautiful face, big wet eyes, and slightly longer hair on its head, like hair, cute and beautiful.

So this is what a species is. Lu Cijiu was completely lost.

Then he felt Gong Xichao's cold gaze.

Lu Cijiu: ... wiped his saliva, with a righteous look on his face, "I don't really want to suck it, really, believe me."

Gong Xichao snorted coldly. He was originally angry and wanted to give the kitten to Lu Cijiu, but considering the kitten's kitten form and Lu Cijiu's previous obsession with plush animals, Gong Xichao decisively put the kitten in his pocket.

Lu Cijiu: “Oh, don’t. The kitten has just become a cub and is so small. It’s not suitable to put it in your pocket.”

"Will it fit in your pocket?" Gong Xichao asked with cold eyes.

Lu Cijiu: ...This eagle can even speak sarcastically now. Can he answer that? Of course he can't give up his life. He shook his head, "I'm serious."

"Come here, I'll show you a big treasure." Gong Xichao waved to Lu Cijiu.

Lu Cijiu glanced at the passersby and said, "This is not good. There are so many people coming and going. Gong Xichao, please be careful."

"What should I pay attention to?" Gong Xichao was confused for a moment, then opened his pocket to let Lu Cijiu look.

Lu Cijiu: ...I’m sorry, he was overthinking it.

Mr. Diao is still a pure little baby.

He is an old driver.

Lu Cijiu immediately looked over with a righteous look, forgetting the topic that had just drawn Gong Xichao's attention. He took a look and said, "Oh, it's really big, there's a different world."

Gong Xichao's pocket looks no different from an ordinary clothing pocket, but in fact there is a small barrier inside, which is about ten square meters. Dudu's bird's nest has been moved there, as well as Tail, Dalong's favorite toy chair, a small sofa and a small wooden horse.

Lu Bijiu: ...

Some monsters look noble and cold, powerful and difficult to approach, but in fact they are monsters who stay at home and secretly put small toys in their pockets for their cubs.

"Very strong. Very big."

Gong Xichao had a disdainful look on his face, especially because he was tall and looked down at him, making him look like he really wanted a beating. But Lu Cijiu just thought he was cute, especially thinking about that Doudou.

The kitten had just transformed and was weak, just like Dudu at first, and loved to sleep. It was indeed better to put it in the small barrier. Dudu was worried and flew in to check on the kitten. He came out and whispered to Dalongweiba that the kitten was fine, but looked even smaller and loved to sleep.

Lu Cijiu: ...Look at your baby first before you say that!

When Dudu first changed his form, he worked for 24 hours a day and slept for 20 hours. He was less than the size of a palm, with fluffy feathers and looked chubby. But after taking a bath, he was actually skinny and looked smaller than a kitten.

After exiting the airport, I saw two young men and women holding signs at the gate. They looked to be around 24 or 25. The man was rather plump and tall and strong, while the woman wore glasses and was of average height and average appearance. They both had a dark complexion, dark circles under their eyes, and anxious expressions.

The girl recognized him at a glance and ran over in a hurry.

"Hello, Master Lu. I am Wang Xuelin, a student of Professor Guan, and this is my junior fellow apprentice Peng Yu."

"The road is old, the palace is flooded." Lu Cijiu introduced.

Peng Yu followed and took the small suitcase from Lu Cijiu. Lu Cijiu didn't say anything polite. He could see that Peng Yu was not good at speaking, and if he was polite, he would probably become withdrawn.

As expected, he let go and thanked Peng Yu. Peng Yu relaxed a lot and got on the bus with his luggage in one hand. Wang Xuelin led the way and said, "Master Lu, do you understand the situation here?"

It can be seen that Wang Xuelin is really worried and anxious about the professor's disappearance.

"I only heard from Professor Feng that Professor Guan has been missing for three days. You should tell me more about it," Lu Cijiu said. Professor Feng certainly didn't know as much as the students who followed Professor Guan to the tomb.

A van came to pick them up. Wang Xuelin apologized and said, "This is the only temporary solution I can borrow."

"It's okay, it doesn't matter, just continue."

This ancient tomb is located deep in the Shennongjia Mountains, in an unexplored area. Wang Xuelin said, "There was heavy rain recently, and we were worried that the artifacts underground would be damaged. So, we urgently rescued them. The professor led a team of us to the mountains to guard the tomb. He went missing at night, during a thundering and snowing night. Fearing the tomb entrance had flooded, he went out to take a look, and we all went together."

"Then what?" Lu Cijiu asked when he found no movement.

Wang Xuelin looked frightened and said, "Then the professor disappeared."

?

Lu Cijiu understood the expressions on Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu's faces. "You mean the professor disappeared right under your noses?"

"Yes, there was lightning and thunder. The professor was walking ahead of us, right at the entrance to the tomb. There was a flash of lightning, and I could see the professor's back. Then it was pitch black, and the professor disappeared."

Wang Xuelin still finds it incredible when he recalls it, and so does Peng Yu.

"We called the police, and they started investigating, but couldn't find anything. No one believed us, and we even told my wife. We had no other choice but to contact Professor Feng."

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu both believed in science. Archaeology, for them, is a profession that emphasizes scientific rigor. Back in high school, tomb-raiding novels were all the rage, and Wang Xuelin was encouraged by a classmate to read some. He was genuinely struck by the descriptions of the mechanisms and mysteries within the tombs. Later, out of curiosity, he researched online and learned the difference between archaeology and tomb-raiding.

I also decided to study archaeology as my college entrance exam major. I was initially curious after reading the novel, but when I took the subject seriously, I realized it was all a lie. Archaeology is all about going out, getting down to the ground, and meticulously exploring, bit by bit. The most common activity is excavating and repairing debris.

As for the mechanisms? Buried underground for a hundred years, weather, rain, and earthquakes have proven that the mechanisms in these ancient tombs aren't as bizarre as novels make them out to be. Most of them are simply broken. Wang Xuelin spent seven years, four years in college and three years as a graduate student, firmly believing in science.

I didn't expect that night would completely reshape my worldview.

"We also want to find a master, but we don't know anyone around us." After Peng Yu finished speaking, he realized that what he said was not right, so he said something else in front of Master Lu.

Lu Cijiu didn't care, "What era is your tomb from this time?"

"It's not confirmed yet. The rain was too heavy and the tomb was buried very deep. The excavator couldn't get into the mountain, so we had to go in through the collapsed area. The rainwater poured in, and the corridor leading to the tomb collapsed. We found some stone carvings in the side chamber of the corridor. The symbols and handwriting on them were said by the professor to be ancient characters that have been lost. That's why the professor valued them so much." Wang Xuelin became sad again as he spoke.

That is because the tomb is very old.

After an hour's drive, we finally arrived. We didn't enter from the Shennongjia tourist attraction because it was too remote.

"It's here. Master Lu has to walk for more than two hours to get there." Wang Xuelin pointed to a place.

Lu Cijiu looked at the dense woods and weeds and suddenly thought: ...

"You guys have worked so hard."

Wang Xuelin saw that Master Lu had brought a child with him, so he suggested that Peng Yu help carry the child. He then took out rubber shoes from the trunk of the car and said, "The road inside is slippery, and there's rain on the leaves and trees. It's better to wear a raincoat."

Dalong and Weiba were so happy that they looked at Jiujiu with big eyes.

Lu Cijiu: ...pulled two raincoats from the suitcase. The big dragon one was a green dinosaur, and it came with a set of matching raincoats and rubber shoes. The tail one was a big yellow duck.

The two of them are dressed cutely and look like they can't wait.

"I'll tell you when I can't walk anymore."

"No, we're great." The green dinosaur patted his chest, his masculinity soaring to the sky.

Lu Cijiu smiled: "Okay, then you guys do your best."

They began to climb the mountain. It had rained here three days prior, and although the weather was clear, the deep, unopened mountains were covered in shade. The rain-dropped leaves still dampened the ground, making it easy to slip if one wasn't careful. Gong Xichao walked beside Lu Cijiu and silently extended his hand, which Lu Cijiu didn't hesitate to pull.

The green dinosaur and the big yellow duck in front are also holding hands.

This relaxed atmosphere may have infected Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu, and their tense and anxious thoughts slowed down a little. They thought that if Master Lu brought the child over, there should be no problem and it could be solved.

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu were in good physical condition, evidently people who frequently climbed mountains. Gong Xichao and the children were also quite fast, but Lu Cijiu was the only one who nearly ran out of time.

"I'll carry you."

"Don't." Lu Cijiu waved his hand. He had to save face. The kids didn't carry him, so how could he feel embarrassed?

Gong Xichao stared at Lu Cijiu.

"Huhu - why do I have less strength now? It wasn't like this before." Lu Cijiu was not trying to save face, his strength was really declining. He attributed it to the fact that he had not taken any work after the Chinese New Year, and had been eating and drinking all day, and his weight seemed to have increased slightly by two kilograms.

Lu Cijiu walked attentively, "Look at me--ah!" He was forcibly carried on Gong Xichao's back.

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu looked over. Lu Cijiu: "..."

"He twisted his ankle." Gong Xichao made an excuse to save his wife's face.

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu believed him and asked if they needed spraying. He had Yunnan Baiyao in his backpack. Gong Xichao said no, and they didn't ask again. Dalong and Tail, jumping up and down in front, stood on either side, asking, "Is Jiujiu injured?" and "Is Jiujiu seriously injured? Does it hurt?"

Lu Cijiu, who was just panting from exhaustion, said: ...Facing the sincere eyes of the cubs, between saving face and telling the truth, he chose the latter, "It's okay, Jiujiu is too tired, Uncle Gong will carry me for a while, you should tell me even if you are tired."

The two knew that Jiujiu was fine, and they looked relieved and said happily that they were not tired.

Lu Cijiu: ...It makes him look more and more like a fat otaku.

I'll go jogging and lift weights with Brother Cheng in the morning when I get home!

After walking for more than two hours, we finally arrived. Dalong and Weiba were not tired at all. Lu Cijiu did not believe it. The two whispered that the wind was blowing them along the road behind, so they were not tired at all.

You can tell it's Gong Xichao's work as soon as you hear it.

So why did you carry him for more than an hour?

Lu Cijiu's face turned green. Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu asked him if he wanted to spray pesticides, but he evaded the question and said that they would go to the place where Professor Guan disappeared first.

Landslides are still a danger here, and the camp is built high up, further from the entrance to the ancient tomb. Besides Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu, there were Professor Guan, two other students, and local armed police.

The straight-line distance from the platform camp to the ancient tomb is only one kilometer, but there are faults in the mountains, landslides and broken trees blocking the way forward, so we have to take a detour and it took twenty minutes to get there.

"This is it." Wang Xuelin pointed to the entrance of the tent.

To prevent rainwater from flooding, sandbags were piled up here, and tents were also used for support. Lu Cijiu went to check it out. There were mud puddles everywhere. Standing by the tent, he could feel a surge of evil spirits coming from the ground.

"There's something underground." Lu Cijiu took two steps forward, confirmed it, and said, "Don't go down into the tomb lightly. The things inside are quite difficult to deal with."

The blood is heavy and the yin energy is sufficient, so the corpse buried underground is likely to change.

"Is the underground related to the professor's disappearance?" Wang Xuelin asked anxiously.

Lu Cijiu shook his head, he wasn't sure.

"Do you want to go down?"

"The professor forbids us from digging rashly. Besides, we don't have the tools to measure the underground. The tomb is huge, and we don't have enough manpower to dig it alone."

"There are armed police. Saving lives is the most important thing. The professor has been missing for four days." Someone was inclined to dig.

"Is this person reliable?"

A few people whispered behind them. Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu hesitated. If it meant saving Professor Guan, anything would do. The instructions from above were to seal the area and perform rescue efforts, and to avoid disturbing the underground as much as possible. Especially since Professor Guan knew the underground area might be an ancient tomb, they were forbidden from excavating rashly.

Without sufficient technology, once the soil layer that has been covered in dust for thousands of years is excavated and those precious cultural relics are exposed to the air, it is very likely that they will become like the unearthed Terracotta Warriors, which were brilliant in color when they were first unearthed but are now only the color of the earth.

"Wait, we are not filming a tomb-raiding film, we can't go to the wrong set." Lu Cijiu called back Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu. It seemed that the two of them were ready to roll up their sleeves and go down to the tomb with them.

What kind of tomb is this?

Lu Cijiu was a Taoist priest, not an archaeologist, and he had no experience in tomb raiding. He had read novels about tomb raiders and tomb robbers, but he wasn't familiar with this line of work, as it was a barrier to entry, so he didn't get involved.

Wang Xuelin had been gritting his teeth and risking his life, but when he heard Master Lu's words, he froze for a moment and asked, "Then what should we do?"

"How to do it, find someone." Lu Cijiu snapped his fingers.

Minister Gong hadn't been an assistant for a long time, so he was very good at the assistant's job. He took out the things Master Lu wanted from his backpack: an incense burner, incense sticks, yellow paper, cinnabar, a brush, and a red rope.

Onlookers: ...It seems like the idea of ​​going to the tomb has been pulled into another unfamiliar area.

Tail and Dalong immediately took up their posts. Dudu flew out of Dalong's pocket and landed on Dalong's shoulder. She didn't want to fall on the ground, as it would get her feet dirty.

Then the three began to applaud.

"Come on, Jiujiu."

“Jiujiu is the best.”

Wang Xuelin: ???

Lu Cijiu smiled and said, "They work."

Their job was to applaud Master Lu from the sidelines. Wang Xuelin understood this and didn't know what to say for a moment. In the end, he could only think that the master was worthy of being a master, and his work deserved applause.

"Let me see Professor Guan's birth date." Lu Cijiu abruptly changed the subject and got to the point. He took out his cell phone and opened WeChat. There was no signal in the mountains, but fortunately he had asked Professor Feng Yu to ask Professor Guan's wife before.

After finding it, Lu Cijiu counted on his fingers and found that Professor Guan’s horoscope was quite interesting.

The eight characters are pure yang.

People who work in this field and believe in science are really lucky. They have a clear conscience and a fire in their heart, so they are not afraid of any evil or bad luck.

Lu Cijiu moved quickly and completed the task in one go. He wrapped the red string around his little finger at one end and tied incense to the other. He wrote Professor Guan's eight characters on the talisman paper, recited the incantation, and burned it to ashes.

As the talisman paper burned out, the red rope tied to the incense moved first, pulling Lu Cijiu's little finger.

"Professor Guan is safe for now and is not dead yet."

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The others had different expressions on their faces, wondering whether to believe it or not. Lu Cijiu didn't pay attention, concentrating his attention. The incense burned quickly, and the ashes fell into the incense burner, waiting for it to burn out.

Lu Cijiu poured the incense ash from the incense burner onto the white paper, pressed the red rope on one end, and untied the red rope on the little finger.

Everyone saw that the red line was like a small snake——

"Move, move?"

"What kind of magic trick? Or a hoax?"

"Hush, stop talking." Wang Xuelin glanced back. The others stopped talking and focused on watching, hoping this true master could help them find Professor Guan.

These students had no bad intentions. When Professor Guan disappeared, they were guarding the camp and did not come out to witness the scene of Professor Guan's disappearance. Later, when they heard what Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu said, they did not quite believe it. They thought it was dark and rainy, and they were afraid that Professor Guan would slip and fall somewhere.

Anyway, I don't believe he was taken away by ghosts. As the armed police searched the area for miles, some people wavered, while others still firmly believed that Professor Guan got lost on his own, or that there was some conspiracy theory, and they just didn't believe in ghosts.

The red string twisted and turned in the incense ash, and soon it came to a stop. Lu Cijiu traced the red string's path with a pen, "According to the map, Professor Guan is still in this mountain."

"How to find it?" Wang Xuelin asked.

Lu Cijiu showed everyone the map. "This point is our current location, scaled down..."

It's confirmed that Professor Guan is still alive, and we have a map. Although it's unbelievable, the armed police have expanded their search area over the past three days and still haven't found him. Now they're trying their best, and now they have a target.

Everyone formed a team, with the armed police leading the way and Lu Cijiu pointing out the direction according to the map.

Starting from the cemetery, the road was winding and some places were blocked, so we had to take a detour. It was already dark, but people had to be rescued and there was no time to waste. Everyone carried camp lights, Dalong and Weiba walked behind, and Gong Xichao simply threw one on his back and held the other in one hand.

"Uncle, I can fly by myself." Dalong hung on his uncle's back and wanted to fly by himself.

Gong Xichao: "Daotong work."

Tail sat on Uncle Gong's arm and clapped his hands, "Jiujiu, great! You'll definitely find the person."

The big dragon forgot that he could fly and worked seriously with his tail.

After walking for about an hour, getting deeper and deeper into the mountain, Lu Cijiu looked at the map and said, "We're here."

This is a flat area. It is too late and the trees block out the sun, so the moonlight cannot penetrate.

The two armed police officers were about to step forward, but Gong Xichao said coldly, "Don't go." His tone was flat.

"What's wrong? Aren't we here yet?" Wang Xuelin looked at Master Lu inquiringly.

Lu Cijiu didn't understand, but he felt something was wrong up ahead. He couldn't see why, there wasn't any negative energy or evil spirit, but it just gave him a feeling that something was wrong. The others who had followed him were exhausted from the long walk, full of hope, thinking they would find Professor Guan. But there were only trees and grass in the area. Where was Professor Guan's shadow?

No.

So he looked at Lu Cijiu with distrust and said, "Have you come to the wrong place? There is no professor here." He even shone the camp light everywhere, and it was clear and no different from the place he had walked all the way to.

"Yeah, I think we should just trust science and wait for rescue. The helicopter will arrive tomorrow."

Wang Xuelin and Peng Yu were also somewhat hesitant. They had asked Master Lu to come, having contacted Master Lu's wife, who was elderly and unable to come, so they left everything to them, asking them to follow Master Lu's instructions. The armed police officer was also out of kindness, not wanting to see them running around aimlessly. What if they got lost again?

In fact, the higher-ups have made arrangements and the helicopter rescue team will come again tomorrow.

The leading armed police officer advised: "Young ladies and men, why not wait until tomorrow, at daybreak, when the rescue team will arrive in the morning? We are not afraid of fatigue or hard work. You can see that there is nothing here. We are all educated. It is better not to be superstitious. I know you are eager to save people."

Lu Cijiu ignored everyone's hesitation and looked at Gong Xichao.

"What did you see?"

Gong Xichao looked ahead, "Endless vitality."

"Let's go. Xuelin Pengyu, let's go."

"The professor isn't here at all."

"Listen to Captain Liu. The rescue team will arrive tomorrow and will definitely find the professor."

Wang Xuelin bit her lip and nodded, tears in her eyes, worried about the professor. She looked at Lu Cijiu and said, "Master Lu, thank you. It's too late today. Come back with us."

Since it was someone entrusted to her by the Master's wife, she had to take him back.

The professor's wife treated her so well, like her own daughter. Wang Xuelin was the most anxious and saddened by Professor Guan's disappearance.

Lu Cijiu didn't respond, nor did he leave. He knew this was the right place.

"That's right." Gong Xichao affirmed, and after saying that, he waved his hand. Suddenly, the moonlight in the dark place with trees and weeds in front of him became bright, as bright as a beam of light, illuminating the environment in front of him clearly.

Where they stood, there was a cliff just one step away.

"Look, the moon is bright."

"It's a cliff. There's actually a cliff here."

“Why didn’t I see it just now?”

"Professor, could the professor really be here?!!!"