At this juncture, the identity of the Tomb Owner became even more elusive and enigmatic.

Modern archaeologists, a significant number of them, do not acknowledge the existence of a prehistoric civilization (state) predating the Shang Dynasty. The reason being the sheer antiquity; relying solely on Oracle Bone Script and the Nine-layered and Six-layered Seal Scripts to uncover that lost civilization is akin to scaling the heavens—an immensely daunting task.

History is weighty, mysterious, and profound.

Much like the stone carving before my eyes.

I had my speculations, guessing that this cave might have been a place where Princely Kings of the Early Western Zhou Period kept and raised their horses.

After admiring the stone carvings for a while, Cloud Sister and I continued to grope our way upwards.

I carried my left arm limply, careful not to strain it, occasionally wincing at the pain, which I bore with gritted teeth.

At the end of our path, we came upon a pool of water at the cave's terminus.

The water was not clear, but murky, with the sporadic sound of dripping water echoing around us. The area was completely sealed off, a dead end.

The hope we had harbored cooled significantly at the sight of this pool.

I tossed a small stone into it.

With a "plop," the sound was muffled, and the depth of the water was apparent just by listening.

"Red Sister, we're done for. What do we do now? We've hit a dead end and can't get out," I said, my voice betraying my disheartened state.

The turbid surface of the water concealed what lay beneath. Red Sister furrowed her brow, "Not necessarily. To my knowledge, some underground rivers are interconnected. Perhaps more than two thousand years ago, this was merely a pit—dry, for all we know."

"I want to go down and take a look, to explore," Red Sister shared her thought with me.

"Maybe not..." Looking at the murky pool before us, an inexplicable panic began to rise within me.

Firstly, I was afraid of water, not knowing how to swim, and secondly, the depth of this cloudy pool was unknown, as were the potential oddities lurking within. It was also uncertain where the underwater passage might lead.

Perhaps sensing my worries, Red Sister sighed, "Ah, it has come to this. We're all just feeling our way across the riverbed. If we can't find Boss and the third, we'll starve here sooner or later."

Red Sister began to undress, unembarrassed in front of me, a man. I dared not look.

"Stay here at Cloud Peak. I'll be back up in a few minutes. Keep an eye on my clothes," she said, testing the water temperature with her foot.

After speaking, she plunged into the water with a splash, causing ripples to spread.

Bubbles surfaced briefly before the water returned to its stillness.

Clutching the Red Sister's garment, I lay prone by the edge of the pool, my eyes unblinking as they fixed upon the water's surface. Sweat had begun to pool in my palms, a testament to my nerves.

The drip-drip-drip of water droplets around me was like the ticking of a clock.

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Time marched on, minute by minute.

One minute blinked by.

Then two.

Three.

Yet the surface of the water remained undisturbed, without a ripple.

Just when anxiety was setting my heart ablaze, a layer of bubbles emerged on the water.

A sound of surfacing.

Red Sister burst forth from the water, gasping for air in great heaves.

Once ashore, the joy on Red Sister's face was unmistakable.

"We were right... Cloud Peak, our guess was spot on!" Red Sister wiped her face, exclaiming with excitement, "Below is actually an ascending stone passageway with steps. More than two thousand years ago, this place wasn't submerged. It might have been due to an earthquake that caused the underground river to backfill and completely flood this area."

"I've estimated it. You would need to hold your breath for about four minutes to swim through."

"Four minutes?"

I frowned and said, "I can't do it, Red Sister. I can't hold my breath that long, and besides, I can't exert strength with my hand," I showed her the injured area for her to see.

Red Sister cast a worried glance at my arm, and finally, with gritted teeth, she said, "Like before, I'll grab you and take you across. We still have the strength now. Otherwise, in a day or two, we won't even have the energy to get into the water. By then, we can only be trapped here waiting for death!"

"Let's rest for a bit, recover a little," she said, cupping my face in her hands, her gaze earnest as she looked into my eyes, "Cloud Peak, you can do this. Believe in yourself. You won't die here, and neither will I."

Afterward, we rested there. There were some things Red Sister didn't say, but I knew very well in my heart. We had only one chance. If we didn't make it out, we wouldn't be able to come back.

I felt extremely nervous, lying on the ground with my eyes closed, taking deep breaths, preparing for the final moments before entering the water.

After what felt like a couple of incense sticks had burned, the space darkened.

"Are you ready, Cloud Peak?"

I opened my eyes and looked around.

Red Sister was leaning against the wall, her eyes closed in meditation; she didn't speak.

Thinking it was my fear of entering the water, that my nerves had conjured up a hallucination, I didn't dwell on it and continued to close my eyes to regain my strength.

"Are you ready, Cloud Peak?"

But no sooner had I closed my eyes than Red Sister's voice came again.

I opened my eyes, and there she was, in the same position, not speaking.

With a "snap," I slapped myself hard across the face.

Red Sister, on the opposite side, heard the sound.

"What's wrong? Cloud Peak, why are you hitting yourself?"

I dared not admit that I might be experiencing auditory hallucinations, so I prepared to dismiss it and say I was fine.

But as the words reached my lips.

Uncontrollably, I blurted out, "What's wrong, Cloud Peak, why are you hitting yourself?"

I was actually mimicking Red Sister's speech!

At the mention of Red Sister, a shade of white washed over her face, and with a grave voice, she uttered three words.

"Who are you?"

At that moment, I was fully lucid, wanting to say I am Cloud Peak.

But as the words reached my lips.

Uncontrollably, I ended up saying, "Who are you?"

I was terrified, because it dawned on me that Chen the Earthworker had behaved in the same way before, hadn't he?

Red Sister and I had laughed it off, saying Chen the Earthworker had mental issues, that he was insane.

How had I become like this too!

Could it be that I had gone mad as well?

Was this a side effect of inhaling the fragrance from the Yellow Intestine Assemblage, that Yellow Cypress Old Face Fragrance? But I clearly remembered Red Sister had inhaled it too, why was she unaffected?

This voice, I had heard it last night amidst the dense fog.

Red Sister's face was ashen. She looked at me and made a gesture to remain silent.

Rising to her feet, she furrowed her brows and circled around me.

"Cloud Peak, don't speak. Listen to me," Red Sister instructed.

I covered my mouth with one hand and nodded.

She continued, "Tell me, have you experienced any hallucinations, or heard things that weren't there?"

I nodded and pointed to my ear, signaling that I had heard something.

"Where did the voice you heard first come from? Don't be confused, think carefully."

After a moment of reflection, a strange realization came to me.

Last night, the voice was initially very close to me, crystal clear, then it seemed to fade away.

The voice had originated right beside me.

The Crow Box Amulet was still hanging around my neck. I felt my pocket—it was dry and empty.

Suddenly, my face turned pale with shock!

I remembered something.

Last time, I had casually caught a legless insect that resembled a Cicada Bug and thought nothing of it, just stuffed it into my pocket.

But... where had it gone now?

Could that Cicada Bug, without legs, have run off on its own?

The more I thought about it, the more alarmed I became. In front of Red Sister.

I began to slowly lower my trousers. (To be continued)

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