The three young people, who were accused of being unreliable, remained silent, refusing to be forcibly dragged into this inexplicable situation.
The two middle-aged men were even angrier. One of them angrily rebuked, "Who was it that was so eager to follow up on this project in the first place, and even sent a letter to the professor without permission!"
"If you're having second thoughts, say so sooner rather than later. There are quite a few students who want to continue their research with Professor Liao."
Cheng Shuang, representing the students, raised her hand and said, "Please, please give the opportunity to other students. We refuse..."
Before he could finish speaking, Du Jun pressed his hand down, gesturing for Cheng Shuang and Sun Han to look at their wrists, where a faint bluish-gray '4' was visible, seemingly transforming into the number '3'.
Therefore, you cannot refuse to enter the instance; otherwise, you will lose points.
These 4 points were earned in a daze, and as a protector who has ventured into the land of death, I absolutely do not want to experience the feeling of having my score reduced to 0, because that almost certainly means death.
In fact, Cheng Shuang and the other two really wanted to struggle a bit more, to force the middle-aged NPC to say more and find out more about the dungeon.
But when the girl stopped talking and looked hesitant, the other party didn't give them any chance. They shoved a hardcover notebook into her arms, and the middle-aged man scolded her with exasperation, "Why aren't you opening your project notes? Are you going to embarrass yourself in front of the professor?"
They seemed completely unconcerned about Cheng Shuang's earlier feigned refusal, displaying a normal acceptance of the young man's repeated changes and absolute tolerance, even showing satisfaction after handing over the notebook.
The three of them held the hardcover notebook, feeling its heat, and had no desire to open it at all. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned; the notebook automatically flipped to the first page...
As if time had turned, Cheng Shuang found herself in a cold, dark stone chamber, with neither Du Jun nor Sun Han in sight.
It's clear that holding hands and walking together is very important; once you let go, even the instance you enter seems to be different.
The young girl sighed softly. If the hardcover notebooks were the dungeon keys, then in order to pass a level together, the other two notebooks should be returned to the middle-aged NPC.
It didn't matter; Cheng Shuang was already used to temporary separations.
Her sigh wasn't loud, but it was quite noticeable in this cold, secluded stone chamber with three walls.
Fortunately, the dozen or so people in the stone chamber were intently focused on something in the center of the chamber. Due to the angle, even though the little girl was standing on tiptoe, she couldn't see what everyone was studying.
She wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she began to observe the people in the stone chamber. They weren't wearing Hanfu; instead, they were all dressed in indigo suits, which were durable and simple. Both men and women wore this kind of attire.
The little girl looked down at herself; she was also wearing a uniform and had a small blue cloth bag slung across her shoulder, with a corner of a thin, ordinary notebook peeking out from the bag.
At the four corners of the stone chamber hung lit bronze candlesticks, their dim light enough to illuminate the space, which was less than 30 square meters in size. The space was empty and primitive; apart from the smooth, cut stone walls that hinted at the existence of human civilization, it was so somber that it didn't seem like a place for humans to be.
Moreover, a large number of people does not necessarily mean a lively atmosphere; the candlelight, on the contrary, casts ghostly shadows on the walls, making people feel uneasy.
Cheng Shuang glanced back at the small, man-made stone gate behind her, which was wide enough for one person to pass through. If she weren't still unsure of the situation, she would have liked to leave.
The young girl scratched her cheek regretfully, and just as she turned her head, she heard someone shout, "That intern? The intern sent down from Peking University?"
This man was very influential. As soon as he spoke in his aged voice, the crowd immediately made way for him and turned around to look at Cheng Shuang with curiosity, scrutiny, or indifference, revealing the elderly man in the middle and a rather tall and heavy stone coffin in front of him.
The old man was quite old, with a full head of white hair, but his back was straight, his eyes were not cloudy, and he had the air of a learned old scholar.
Standing to his side was a young man with a straight posture, very close to the old man, who seemed closer to him than the others.
Cheng Shuang's face immediately fell. The professor, the stone chamber, the stone coffin, and what other projects there were all indicated that the theme of this instance was archaeology.
As the intern warmly summoned by the old professor, the young girl, standing at 1.4 meters tall, confidently strode forward with the imposing presence of someone 1.8 meters tall under everyone's gaze. Seeing that they didn't doubt her identity because of her appearance, she knew this was a perk of participating in the instance; perhaps in the eyes of her fellow archaeologists, she was definitely not the image of a little girl.
The little girl lowered her eyes to hide the strange look in them. Did that mean that Uncle Sun and the little brother were also in the crowd, just with different appearances?
The old professor gave her a kind look, showing great interest in the new blood in the team.
Sure enough, he noticed the different looks he was getting from those around him, and then praised them, saying, "There are fewer and fewer young people who respect history. You're very good!"
The little girl immediately flashed a shy, innocent smile.
"Young man, tell me what homework you did beforehand. I've seen your notes, and they're quite good." The old professor's words drew even more subtle glances from the crowd.
Cheng Shuang's smile faltered. Pretending to be a student being randomly selected for a check, she frantically reached for her bag, pulled out the only notebook inside, and hurriedly flipped through it. Upon seeing the contents of the first page, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and read aloud: "The student suspects that this tomb is the tomb of Consort Xian, a concubine of Emperor Ji De during the Chenghua era..."
After reading the entire historical account and the details that confirmed the identity of the tomb's occupant, the young girl closed the book and calmly said to the old professor, "This is just a student's brief discussion. A lot of evidence is still needed. I hope you won't blame me for trying to deduce history with my limited knowledge."
The elderly teacher, who was a role model for students, liked the young girl who was humble, confident, and eager to learn. He immediately patted the girl on the shoulder with appreciation, and although his arm patted her too low, no one noticed anything unusual.
Cheng Shuang didn't show any sign of being overjoyed. She just scratched her head sheepishly, which made the old professor even more interested in this steady young woman, and his face was full of enthusiasm.
The little girl's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had been too good at pretending.
Murphy's Law is a psychological effect that's almost addictive; what you fear most is what happens. The old professor's shrewd eyes were filled with admiration for his good student. He smiled and once again posed the soul-searching question to Cheng Shuang, "But five years ago in Junan County, the tomb of Emperor Ji De was excavated, along with the tombs of his two empresses and two imperial concubines. How could the tomb of Consort Xian have been discovered thousands of miles away?"
Cheng Shuang: *Sobbing* Please have mercy!! She doesn't want to leave the Gate of Reincarnation and then have to fill in university courses from a different grade—it's terrifying! (The elementary school student is trembling with fear...)
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