I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

"This is not the original quote."

Master Lai began to speak slowly.

Lin Ye remained unfazed.

"The signal is bad under the tomb, the translation is incorrect."

Master Lai took a step forward.

"Lin Ye, don't treat me like a fool."

Lin Ye didn't reply.

Xiaoman had already stood in front of him.

Her movements were small, but her position was perfect, blocking Master Lai's view of Lin Ye.

Master Lai glanced at her.

"Little girl, didn't I tell you before not to rush to block it?"

Xiaoman's tone was cold.

"As I've said before, watch your word choice."

Master Lai nodded.

"OK."

He moved as soon as he finished speaking.

No pounce.

No flushing.

It even looks like it only slid forward half a step.

The moment Xiaoman's hand touched the small black bag, his wrist was grabbed.

That happened too fast.

Lin Ye only saw Xiao Man's shoulder sink and her whole body forced to take half a step to the side.

Xiaoman reacted quickly, immediately slashing towards Master Lai's ribs with her left hand.

Master Lai pressed down with his finger, as if pressing on a certain point on her wrist bone.

Xiaoman's face paled instantly.

She didn't cry out in pain.

His knees buckled slightly, but he stubbornly held on.

Lin Ye's expression changed instantly.

"You come at me."

Master Lai twisted Xiaoman's wrist backward.

The movement was minor.

Xiaoman broke out in a cold sweat.

"If I bring this on you, you'll just keep being stubborn."

Master Lai's voice was very flat.

"Charge her, hurry up!"

Lin Ye gritted his teeth.

"You're really shameless."

"Why do we need so much of something like a face?"

After Master Lai finished speaking, he grabbed Xiaoman's wrist and led her a step toward the stone gate.

Just one step.

A little more black water slowly squeezed out from the crack in the door.

Xiaoman's shadow was elongated by the light behind her, close to the gui-shaped groove in the center of the door.

Lin Ye's heart tightened.

"Don't touch her."

Master Lai stopped.

"Then tell the truth."

Xiaoman looked up at the woods.

She didn't tell him to shut up.

They didn't say to leave her alone.

She just looked at him.

His eyes were very determined.

The determination only made Lin Ye more agitated.

Master Lai said calmly, "I don't need you to tell me stories. Just say what you heard."

Lin Ye stared at him.

"You'd believe me if I told you?"

"I can judge."

"If you can't judge, then you wouldn't be holding onto this against me."

Master Lai smiled.

That smile had no warmth whatsoever.

"That's why I can't let you go."

The passageway was eerily quiet.

Xiaoman's voice was strained, yet still cold.

"Don't waste your breath on him."

Master Lai looked at her.

"Little girl, you're pretty stubborn."

"Stronger than your bones."

Lin Ye almost laughed out of anger at her.

Even at this point, she still dares to talk back.

Master Lai smiled as well.

The next second, he pressed his finger down again.

Xiaoman's shoulders trembled suddenly.

The smile on Lin Ye's face vanished completely.

That's enough.

Master Lai looked at him.

"Then tell me."

Lin Ye didn't speak immediately.

The old voice was still in his mind.

Everyone pays their respects at the gate.

Ritual is not the standard.

Those who do not recognize the jade tablet, please remain.

True Gui is in the dust.

He knew that none of the things in front of the door were what they were.

They also knew that Master Lai wanted more than just to open the door.

But what is "dust"?

Is it the dust under the door?

Is it mud from the tunnel?

Are they the crumbs that have been stepped on?

Or is it some inconspicuous waste material deeper inside?

He said too little; Master Lai wouldn't let him off the hook.

He talks too much, and he might just hand the real stuff over to Master Lai.

Master Lai seemed to sense his hesitation and suddenly said:

"Do you think that as long as you don't say anything down there, there's nothing I can do to you?"

Lin Ye raised his eyes.

Master Lai said slowly, "Zhao Shoushan is stubborn too."

Lin Ye's heart sank suddenly.

Uncle Zhao.

He never expected to hear that name here.

Master Lai continued, "The old man is getting on in years, and he has some concerns. His grandson's name is Zhao Lele, right?"

Lin Ye's expression finally changed.

"You've done anything to Uncle Zhao?"

Master Lai said calmly, "Don't be nervous. He's still alive."

That was a casual remark, as light as if it were about the weather.

Lin Ye's hands clenched tighter and tighter.

He finally understood why Uncle Zhao had repeatedly told him not to investigate.

Why do you know something, yet stubbornly refuse to say it?

It's not that Uncle Zhao is a coward.

Someone had already put a knife to his side.

Master Lai looked at him.

"Gu Wantang has status and position, so it's more troublesome for her to make a move. Zhao Shoushan is different."

He paused for a moment.

"Lin Ye, a living person is more useful than a dead one."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoman's eyes turned completely cold.

Su Tinglan also raised her head.

"Master Lai".

Her voice was not loud.

But this time, it's clearly different.

Master Lai finally looked at her.

"Is Miss Su going to speak up for him again?"

Su Tinglan stood between Bai Yuan and Chen Jin, her face pale, but her tone steady.

"If you pressure him now, everything he says could be a lie."

Master Lai smiled.

"He was already lying."

"So the more you push him, the more blatant he'll lie." Su Tinglan stared at him. "This door isn't an ordinary mechanism. Trial and error can kill people. If you really want to get in, don't drive the only person who can hear you crazy."

Master Lai remained silent.

Su Tinglan glanced at Xiaoman.

"Also, she can't try."

Master Lai asked, "Why?"

Su Tinglan paused for a moment.

"If she tries, Lin Ye will go crazy."

The passageway fell silent.

Lin Ye looked at Su Tinglan.

She didn't look at him.

Just focusing on Master Lai, his previous statement was merely a calm assessment.

But Lin Ye could tell.

That's more than just judgment.

Xiaoman could tell too.

She lowered her eyes and didn't say anything.

Master Lai looked at Su Tinglan for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled.

"Miss Su, you're becoming less and less like you're on a mission."

Su Tinglan did not back down.

"I just don't want the mission to fail."

Master Lai looked at her.

"Yeah?"

Su Tinglan did not answer.

Lin Ye suddenly spoke.

"None of these are in front of the door."

Master Lai's gaze immediately returned to him.

Xiaoman also looked at him.

Lin Ye slowly exhaled.

What I heard was—"At the gate, all is etiquette; etiquette is not a jade tablet."

He looked at the stone niches on both sides of the stone gate.

"These things are not keys. Nor are they the Gui you're looking for."

Xing Shanhe frowned.

"What is that?"

"present."

Lin Ye said, "It's a gift for others to see."

Su Tinglan quickly realized what was happening.

"Misleading."

Lin Ye nodded.

"almost."

Master Lai loosened his grip on Xiaoman's hand a little.

"continue."

Lin Ye looked at him.

"Those who do not recognize the jade tablet, may remain."

The thin captain's face turned even paler.

He almost put the fragment of black jade in there just now.

After he finished speaking, his back was soaked with sweat.

Xing Shanhe asked in a deep voice, "Where is the real thing?"

Lin Ye remained silent for two seconds.

Master Lai twitched his finger slightly again.

Xiaoman's breath caught in her throat.

Lin Ye's face turned cold.

"In the dust."

Master Lai's eyes lit up.

"What dust?"

"I have no idea."

Master Lai stared at him.

Lin Ye gave a cold laugh.

"Why are you looking at me like that? If I knew, would I still be standing here playing this extreme escape game with you guys?"

That sounds like he's just being stubborn.

But he was telling the truth.

He only heard these four words.

True Gui is in the dust.

As for what "dust" was, he really didn't know.

Xiaoman then spoke up: "If he says he doesn't know, he really doesn't know."

Master Lai glanced at her.

Xiaoman's wrist was still being held by him, her face was pale, but her tone was not soft at all.

"He talks even more when he's lying."

Lin Ye: "..."

He was so precisely exposed at this moment that he didn't know whether he should be touched or not.

Su Tinglan also spoke up: "If he knew the exact location, he wouldn't have let you try the black jade fragment just now."

Master Lai looked at her.

"You seem to know him quite well."

Su Tinglan pursed her lips.

"This is not understanding, it is judgment."

Lin Ye said in a low voice, "Miss Su has made quite a few judgments today."

Su Tinglan finally glanced at him.

"If you say less, you'll live a little longer."

Lin Ye shut up.

I wasn't persuaded by her.

Xiaoman was still in Master Lai's hands, so he wasn't in the mood to continue being sarcastic.

Master Lai then released Xiaoman.

Xiaoman's wrist drooped for a moment, then quickly pulled back.

Lin Ye wanted to reach out and help her.

She simply avoided it.

"It's not broken."

"I haven't asked yet."

"It's written all over your face."

Lin Ye: "..."

This girl is in so much pain, yet she still manages to argue with him.

Master Lai looked at the stone gate again.

"dust."

He repeated it in a low voice.

Xing Shanhe looked down at the door.

There was indeed a thick layer of dust at the bottom of the stone gate.

That ash wasn't ordinary dust.

It was black in color, mixed with very fine stone powder and dry clay, as if no one had touched it for many years.

They had all been focused on the recessed area in the center of the door and the stone niches on both sides, and no one had noticed the layer of dust under the door.

Xing Shanhe did not allow anyone to approach directly.

He first asked Lin Ye, "Can I touch it?"

Lin Ye listened intently for a few seconds.

The old voice did not appear immediately.

There was only a very light rustling sound, like dust falling.

He wasn't sure.

"Don't use your hands."

Xing Shanhe nodded.

"Long brush".

One of the tomb raiders took out a long, thin, soft brush and tied it to the end of the probe.

Another person fixes the light position.

Everyone stepped back half a step, but the shadow still loomed behind them.

The captain gently swept the dust under the door with a long brush.

There was no response on the first try.

The second time, some of the dust was swept away.

The third time, the black water in the crack of the door slowly receded a little.

Everyone saw it.

The thin captain whispered, "Retreat."

Xing Shanhe raised his hand to signal to continue.

Use a long brush to gently sweep away the accumulated dust.

A very shallow scratch was visible beneath the dust.

It is not a complete character.

It broke badly.

Su Tinglan took a half step forward, and Bai Yuan immediately reached out to protect her side.

She didn't touch it, she just shone the light on it.

After looking at it for a long time, she whispered, "Shi... Gui."

Xing Shanhe asked, "Just those two words?"

"The others have been worn away," Su Tinglan said. "Only these two can be confirmed."

Shi Gui.

The old voice suddenly rang in Lin Ye's ears again.

This time it's clearer than before.

"Return to your proper place."

"Dust-Seeing Gate".

"Those who recognize the jade tablet, may enter."

Lin Ye raised his eyes.

"Put the black jade fragment that you just moved back in its proper place."

Xing Shanhe immediately looked at the stone niche.

The skinny captain was in such a hurry when he put it back that the black jade fragment was slightly crooked.

He readjusted it using the clamps.

No hands touched it.

The moment the fragment was put back in place, the black in the groove in the center of the door slowly faded a little.

Like that open eye, it finally closed halfway.

Lin Ye continued, "Don't touch the other stone niches."

Xing Shanhe nodded.

"Don't touch any of them."

After the dust beneath the door was swept away, a very soft sound came from inside the stone door.

Click.

Everyone stopped at the same time.

No one was shouting.

No one backed down.

Everyone was staring at their own feet and shadows.

Another sound.

Click.

A very thin crack appeared in the middle of the stone gate.

There is no wind.

There was no drumbeat.

There was no black water either.

The crack appeared quietly.

It was very dark.

It's as if behind the door lies not space, but another, even thicker layer of night.

Master Lai looked through the crack in the door, and the light in his eyes finally shone brightly.

"It's open."

Lin Ye, however, was not at all at ease.

Because the moment the door opened, he heard a new old voice again.

"Those who recognize the jade tablet may enter."

"The one who takes the crown..."

The voice paused for a moment.

It felt like being half-swallowed by the darkness behind the door.

Then the last two words slowly fell down.

"Stay alive."

Lin Ye's expression changed slightly.

Xiaoman noticed his reaction.

"What did you hear now?"

Lin Ye looked at the darkness behind the door.

There was no immediate response.

Because that sentence is strange.

Those who take Gui will stay alive.

Ultimately, it was the person who took the jade tablet who survived.

Or is it the person who took the jade tablet who will leave their life behind?

The door continued to open wider to both sides.

There was no golden light inside.

There is no treasure trove.

There was only an eerily quiet darkness.

In the depths of darkness, the outline of a stone platform is faintly visible.

Master Lai took a step forward.

Lin Ye said in a low voice, "Wait."

Master Lai stopped and looked back at him.

Lin Ye stared at the stone platform.

"The door is open."

"But that doesn't mean they welcome us inside."