This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

At this moment, the magnetic needle in the compass pool was no longer as frantic as before. Although it swayed slightly, it was only due to Zhang Chen's movements.

Zhang Chen immediately composed himself, placing his left hand behind his back and his right palm supporting the compass, quickly stabilizing it.

Immediately, he began to mutter incantations, and every now and then, he would make a few calculations with his left hand behind his back.

"This place is buried deep beneath the earth, where celestial stars are unseen and the four seasons are unaffected. It is a place of pure Yin, where the eight gates are out of place and the nine palaces are in disarray..."

"However, when Yin reaches its extreme, Yang will inevitably emerge; this is the ultimate principle of Heaven and Earth. No matter how dire the situation, there will always be a glimmer of hope hidden within it; this is the 'Gate of Life'."

His gaze began to sweep around. The strangely shaped stalactites, the bottomless cracks, and the gurgling underground river, which appeared as a chaotic scene to others, were transformed into "sand" and "water" in feng shui, forming the flow of energy in this place.

"The dragon vein lies hidden, stopping when it encounters water; its energy flows with the water, gathering in one place..."

He chanted softly as he took steps, each step feeling as if he were stepping on some invisible node.

The compass needle in his hand swayed, hesitating and lingering between several directions, as if it were sniffing out something.

Suddenly, Zhang Chen stopped in his tracks, his entire body rooted to the spot like the gnarled roots of an old tree.

The magnetic needle on the compass stopped its wild swinging, and its tip trembled slightly before finally pointing to the "Xun" position in the southeast of the twenty-four mountains on the inner plate.

"Found it." Zhang Chen exhaled a breath of stale air and pointed into the distance without raising his head.

Brother Long looked in the direction he pointed, but there was nothing unusual there, just a darker, more secluded rock wall, which was even covered with vines.

"Master Zhang, are you sure you're not mistaken? That looks like a dead end."

"Roads are made by people walking, but air vents are formed by heaven and earth." Zhang Chen squinted and explained, "The dragon vein is hidden here, and the water is the blood of the dragon. Although we cannot see the visible stream, this place is damp and shady, and the yin energy must be flowing underground."

"The Xun position belongs to wood and is associated with wind, which corresponds to the principle that 'qi disperses with the wind and stops at water.' The 'water' vein in this cave, which is the end of the yin energy, must have a 'wind outlet' for exchanging with the outside world—that is our path to survival!"

He put away his compass and walked first towards the rock face: "Follow me, you won't go wrong... Damn, when did you get there?"

In the distance, Wang Xiaoer leaned against a rock wall covered with vines, looking utterly bored.

When Zhang Chen was searching for the dragon's lair, he knew this guy would probably dawdle for ages.

Since he had nothing better to do, he decided to wander around.

Just as Zhang Chen pointed in this direction, Wang Xiaoer found a comfortable spot, bent down, and prepared to sit down.

"Hmm? Are you talking about me? Oh, that's why I've been waiting for you."

He casually plucked a tangled vine, intending to sit down and rest his feet.

"Huh?"

He suddenly felt a warmth in his palm.

A faint breeze was blowing out from the crack in the rock behind the vines.

"Here! There's wind here!"

Wang Xiaoer perked up and immediately shouted.

Zhang Chen and Brother Long immediately ran over.

The three of them worked together to pull apart the thick, tangled vines, revealing a dark hole in front of them.

The entrance to the cave was small, allowing only one person to pass through at a time. It was pitch black inside, but the warm wind blowing outwards carried the scent of earth and vegetation.

It's a ventilation opening!

You can go out!

Brother Long turned around and looked at Zhang Chen and Wang Xiaoer. A hint of suspicion appeared on his face, which was covered in blood and dust.

Why are the two of them looking for the exit so different?

He didn't speak, but simply clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to the two of them.

A standard etiquette for expressing the highest respect among people in the martial arts world.

"Masters, I, Li Erlong, keep my word."

He raised his head, his gaze intense, and spoke each word clearly.

"I'm not good at empty words, but in the future, if you ever need my help, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Zhang Chen simply nodded calmly.

Wang Xiaoer felt a little awkward and scratched his head: "Brother Long, you're too kind. We're just helping each other out."

Brother Long grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of relief.

The process of climbing up along the ventilation shaft was far more difficult than imagined.

The passage was narrow and slippery, and went almost vertically upwards.

Despite his injuries, Brother Long always stayed at the front, occasionally reaching out to help those below him.

After climbing for an unknown amount of time, when the first rays of dawn shone down from above, the three of them felt as if they had been transported to another world.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

They finally crawled out from a hidden crevice deep in the mountains.

The morning air was especially fresh, moistened by the dew.

The three survivors breathed heavily, none of them uttering a word.

"I'm leaving."

Brother Long glanced in the direction the sun was rising and suddenly spoke.

Zhang Chen asked, "Where to?"

"Go where you need to go," Brother Long replied decisively. "I need to settle things."

He looked at his hands, which were covered in the enemy's blood and his own.

"The bad things I did in the past, the debts I incurred, I must pay back."

He is going to turn himself in.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal the secret of the general's tomb, nor would he mention Zhang Chen and Wang Xiaoer.

He would only confess that he was coerced into participating in a tomb raiding, and then settle his past grievances regarding his unsavory behavior.

In order to start over with dignity.

He started walking, took a few steps, and then stopped.

Brother Long turned around and his gaze fell on Wang Xiaoer.

"Master Wang."

His face wore a complex smile, a mixture of emotion and anticipation.

"I hope that next time we meet, I can properly treat you to a drink."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and strode into the dimly lit mountain forest, his back view resolute.

The incident involving the ancient tomb seems to have come to an end.

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen determined the direction and headed towards the village.

But as they approached the village entrance, they saw from afar that a long cordon had been set up on the path leading to the village.

The roof lights of several police cars were flashing silently, and a large number of uniformed police officers were gathered there, investigating something.

"They're Brother Long's men," Zhang Chen said in a low voice.

It's likely that they didn't return for a long time, causing infighting among those who stayed behind, or that the villagers discovered them and eventually called the police.

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly refrained from approaching each other.

They took a long detour and quietly slipped back to the Wang family's old house via a path along the ridges of the fields behind the village.

Both of them were exhausted by the end of the night. After tidying up a bit, they lay down on the bed together.

Wang Xiaoer lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

He took out the ancient bamboo scroll from his pocket and looked at the Longhu Mountain Guest Elder token, which was engraved with intricate patterns.

He felt that this trip back to his hometown was more exciting than anything he had ever experienced in the provincial capital.

What he didn't know was that while he was tossing and turning in bed...

Thousands of miles away, in a dark room.

A report on the failure of the operation at the General's Tomb is being submitted through encrypted channels at each level.

At the end of the report, a name and a profile were attached.

Wang Xiaoer.

Identity: An ordinary young man from a rural town, suspected of being connected to Longhu Mountain, possessing some kind of unpredictable "luck" that can influence the laws of reality...

His name has already entered the sights of certain deeper and darker forces through the channels of the "Ksitigarbha" organization.