One person: Starting with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his grandmaster uncle emerges from seclusion.

Wang Ye's voice betrayed an undeniable weariness:

"Sir...what instructions do you have in the middle of the night?"

"Xiao Wang, your voice sounds like you've been completely drained."

Zhang Tianyi raised an eyebrow, her tone slightly teasing:

"Young people should be more restrained. Don't go to those glamorous and decadent places as soon as you get back to Beijing."

"Corruption my foot..."

On the other end of the phone, Wang Ye lay sprawled on his soft, luxurious bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Beside him, Zhuge Qing was wrapped in a blanket without any regard for appearances, emitting soft snores.

Wang Ye gave a bitter laugh and complained weakly:

"Second Master, you have no idea what I've been through these past two days."

"Ever since he returned to Beijing, that grandson of Old Zhang has gone crazy."

“He left Bao’er with you to enjoy her life, while he dragged me and Lao Qing all over Beijing every day!”

"Wander around? Where to wander around?" Zhang Tianyi asked casually.

"He dragged us to meet with representatives of various powerful factions' Beijing offices! And to visit the heads of those second-rate aristocratic families!"

Wang Ye rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling as if they were about to split open.

"Old Zhang's mouth is like a reincarnation of a pyramid scheme leader! He boasts about your great achievements to everyone he meets!"

"He even used a watermelon knife engraved with your imperial seal as a kind of imperial sword, going around 'educating people about the law'!"

"Those leaders of those minor sects, now that Old Zhang has fooled them like this, they're not only completely obedient, but they also insist on drinking with us to show their loyalty!"

Wang Ye grew increasingly angry as he spoke, his voice rising several decibels:

"These past few days, Lao Qing has been dragging me to drink with him, shield me from drinks, and make me a background figure."

"My internal energy is practically overwhelmed by alcohol! Old Qing just threw up three times and is now sleeping like a log!"

"This life is unbearable!"

Listening to Wang Ye's crazy rant.

Zhang Tianyi almost burst out laughing.

Zhang Chulan, that kid, really lived up to my expectations.

He took the art of "borrowing the tiger's power" to a whole new level.

Taking a watermelon knife to take over the small forces in the capital—that kind of execution is definitely suited for dirty work.

"Alright, alright, it's good for young people to practice their communication skills."

Zhang Tianyi offered a word of comfort without any hesitation, then got to the point:

"Stop complaining. Tomorrow morning, after you and Little Zhuge wake up, come to my manor."

"I have something good here, let me show you both."

"Good stuff?" Wang Ye's tone instantly became wary.

Whenever the second master said he had something good, it was usually accompanied by great trouble or danger.

"Second Master... could you give us a heads-up? Are you telling us we're going to have to carry your sedan chair again?"

"Don't worry, it won't take much physical effort, just mental effort."

Zhang Tianyi glanced in the direction of the tarpaulin:

"I just got my hands on half of a tattered scroll, which was made from a rubbing of a map from a dilapidated temple."

"They say this thing is related to the Great Luo Cave Observation, but it's incredibly sinister. I've heard that ordinary sorcerers will go crazy after just a few glances at it."

"Aren't you two self-proclaimed top geniuses in Qimen Dunjia? Come over tomorrow and give me your opinions."

"..."

There was a long, dead silence on the other end of the phone.

All that could be heard was Wang Ye's heavy breathing.

The Great Luo Cave?!

A fragmented image that would drive you crazy just by looking at it?!

This is supposed to be good stuff?!

This is clearly a death warrant!

"Second Master..."

Wang Ye's voice was almost choked with sobs:

"I suddenly realize... I'm a little alcohol-intoxicated tonight, and I might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow..."

Stop talking nonsense to me.

Zhang Tianyi interrupted him directly, her tone chilling:

"If I don't see you two in the yard by 10 a.m. tomorrow."

"I'll personally go to your house and use my magic to sober you up."

"beep."

The phone call was abruptly ended.

Wang Ye listened to the dial tone on his phone and desperately threw it on the bedside table.

He pulled the blanket over his head and let out a long wail:

"What a disaster! Old Qing! Wake up! We're going to our deaths tomorrow!"

Zhuge Qing, lying on the bed next to him, turned over and mumbled something sleepily:

"Stop it... I can still drink..."

……

The next morning, at Xishan Manor.

The autumn weather is clear and sunny.

In the gazebo in the backyard.

On the stone table were several plates of delicate pastries and a pot of freshly brewed Longjing tea.

Zhang Tianyi was reclining in a rocking chair, while Chen Duo sat quietly beside him, holding a tablet computer and watching a jungle tutorial video.

"Second Master, we've arrived..."

Accompanied by two weak and feeble greetings.

Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing, with dark circles under their eyes, walked unsteadily into the backyard.

The two looked like prisoners just released from a dungeon, their spirits somewhat low.

"Oh, so the two great talents have arrived?"

Zhang Tianyi sat up straight and pointed to the snacks on the stone table.

"Sit anywhere, have something to eat first. Looking at pictures is mentally taxing, so don't faint from low blood sugar."

Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing had no appetite.

The two exchanged a glance and sat down on the stone bench with trepidation.

Although Zhuge Qing tried to remain calm, his hand was clearly a beat too slow:

"Senior, where is the incomplete map of the Great Luo Cave you mentioned on the phone last night?"

Without wasting any words, Zhang Tianyi took out the small bag, which was tightly wrapped in waterproof tarpaulin, from his pocket and threw it in the center of the stone table.

"This is it."

Zhang Tianyi leaned back in the rocking chair and pointed to the small bag:

"The original owner's grandfather was an old sorcerer who went mad after just a few glances. You two should take it easy and not be reckless."

“If you really go crazy, I won’t be responsible for paying your hospital bills at the mental hospital.”

Looking at the unassuming little bundle on the table.

Wang Ye and Zhuge Qing swallowed hard.

As sorcerers, they have a fatal curiosity about the unknown Eight Extraordinary Techniques, but at the same time, they also have the deepest awe.

"Old Qing, should you go first or should I go first?" Wang Ye rubbed his hands together, his heart pounding.

"Let's go together. The two of us can look out for each other, and if anything goes wrong, we can interrupt each other."

Zhuge Qing closed his fan, his expression more solemn than ever before.

The two took a deep breath and simultaneously reached out, carefully untying the outer layer of waterproof tarpaulin.

A tattered drawing, yellowed and made of a material resembling some kind of animal hide, was displayed before the two of them.

The fragments of the map contain no text, only some messy lines and dots of varying sizes.

These lines intertwine, like a child's random scribbles, completely without any pattern.

"What...what kind of formation is this?"

Wang Ye frowned, staring intently at the lines, trying to decipher them.

Zhuge Qing's eyes were also slightly narrowed, and a faint blue light of the Qimen Dunjia formation flickered in his pupils:

"It doesn't look like an array... The direction of these lines is more like depicting a folded state of space."

The two of them stared intently at the incomplete map.

Ten minutes have passed.

Half an hour has passed.

The surroundings were so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of leaves in the breeze.