Cheng Shuang struggled to organize her thoughts. "I don't want to speculate about history without concrete evidence." She swallowed hard, seeing the old professor's unchanging gaze, as if waiting for her answer. The young woman could only tentatively connect her words to her notes: "Five years ago, it wasn't confirmed that the tomb of Emperor Gide contained the remains of Consort Xian. After all, Consort Xian died in a fire, her face disfigured beyond recognition." She pouted bitterly. "I can't answer anything more. I want to study the stone coffin to verify the truth of this historical event!"

This kind of evasive answer actually pleased the old professor, who suddenly smiled and said, "Very good, don't make wild guesses about history, let the facts speak for themselves, very good!"

Cheng Shuang smiled very sincerely, but the old teacher's next words made the little girl stop smiling, "Come, child, come and see how this stone coffin differs from the style of tombs from the Chenghua period."

No, I don't want to see rotting dead bodies, nor do I want to see stone coffins!

The little girl let out a soul-stirring roar, but under everyone's watchful eyes, she really didn't want to disobey the old professor. It was obvious that the old professor was the key to the dungeon, and staying away from him might make it more difficult to solve the dungeon.

Thinking of the pitiful 4 points she got in the previous bus mini-game, Cheng Shuang silently walked over and took the gloves and a small brush handed to her by the professor's assistant.

There wasn't much dust on the stone coffin, indicating that it was sealed off before and the excavation hadn't been going on for very long.

The little girl really didn't understand the steps of archaeology, so she just looked around like a little monkey, observing everything from top to bottom and left to right, and eventually she actually found something different.

This depends on the maintainer's exceptional vision.

Although she didn't understand why this instance didn't restrict her skills, it was still beneficial to the maintainers. Cheng Shuang was so happy that she brought this emotion into the instance. She almost jumped up and pointed to the corner of the stone coffin lid, excitedly saying, "Professor, the stone coffin isn't smooth and without any patterns. There are red cinnabar dots under the four corners of the coffin lid!"

"This is a divine beast covering the top!" a middle-aged man shouted excitedly. Instantly, the crowd erupted in cheers. In the blink of an eye, they pushed their way through, squeezing the unsuspecting little girl out of the coffin's area.

Of course, the old professor's position was unshakeable, and he successfully stayed, but his young assistant was also squeezed out.

Unlike the previous silent observation, now there was a constant stream of chatter, and some people even started arguing over a few different opinions.

The enthusiasm of intellectuals is truly irresistible!

Cheng Shuang didn't understand what "divine beast covering the top" meant, but she learned a little about it from their words.

That's a legend of this world. To prevent vengeful spirits from invading the body and to ensure the deceased can be reincarnated peacefully, the coffin lid is painted with the four divine beasts using the blood of the deceased while they were alive, mixed with cinnabar, after the coffin is sealed. This serves as a warning to wandering ghosts not to disturb the body.

“During the Xiancheng era, Jide’s grandfather suffered religious persecution and almost lost his throne. Jide was a filial son, so how could he possibly use religious items in the coffin of his concubine?”

"That history has not been verified! Symbols such as mythical beasts are not only found on coffins, but also frequently on royal buildings."

"Stop arguing! We're here to explore history, so I suggest we open the coffin!"

"Open the coffin! Yes, open the coffin!"

The scholars argued animatedly, their passion for history and archaeology so genuine that the entire small stone chamber resonated with a buzzing sound.

Let alone Cheng Shuang, whose five senses are extraordinary, even the young assistant couldn't help but show a little irritation and pain.

"You blockhead! There are countless strange and wonderful stories from ancient times that modern civilization cannot understand even with scientific methods. Hey you, let go of your hand! Don't touch the stone coffin! If you damage the cinnabar, I'll dismember your hoof!"

Hearing the old professor's confident roar, the scene fell silent for a moment, but soon the argument resumed. The buzzing sound was almost piercing the eardrums. The dozen or so parties involved were completely unaware of this terrifying noise. Cheng Shuang and her young assistant exchanged a glance and quietly walked out through the small stone door.

After passing through a short, narrow passageway, the outside world was vast and empty.

The young girl walking behind the assistant was shocked by the sheer size of the underground catacombs.

That small stone chamber was just the tip of the iceberg, but the scene before us was breathtaking, and we couldn't help but admire the power of the ancients.

It's not that it's particularly exquisite.

Instead, they dug the ground out using only manpower, and there was no sign of a collapse.

What appeared before Cheng Shuang was a space the size of a football field, nearly a hundred meters high, with smooth, flat marble walls on all four sides. If you spoke a word, the echo would linger.

Aside from the emptiness and height, there is nothing particularly remarkable about this place, such as patterns or architectural features that represent the era, or decorations exclusive to royalty.

The only thing illuminating the entire space was the spotlight that had been brought in. Perhaps because the place was too empty and lacked historical traces, the lights were used extensively, making it as bright as day.

Cheng Shuang found it strange. She wondered if all ancient royal tombs were this peculiar. The man next to her, however, showed no surprise at the underground scene. He took out a cigarette, but didn't smoke it. He just smelled it and explained to Cheng Shuang, "The coffin can't be opened for a while. According to the professor's habits, he will only make such a plan after the entire archaeological team has arrived and the preparations are complete."

The little girl smiled quietly, focusing more on her surroundings. Soon, she saw what looked like a gate at the far end and tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Want to go over there for a smoke?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!