But those "Mountain-Watching Escorts," truly worthy of their reputation as master tomb raiders and experts in ancient Feng Shui arts, knew these methods inside and out. They had actually destroyed the clearly marked tomb eyes beforehand. If it hadn't been for a broken crossbeam left spanning the deep chasm, I wouldn't have grasped the situation so quickly. It seems in this world, nothing is ever perfectly covered up; some loose thread always remains, destined to be discovered eventually.

Professor Sun and the others were both startled and delighted by what I said. This was currently the most crucial lead. Where exactly was the location of that "Immortal Village Ancient Tomb"?

I gave them a wry smile. "Don't rush things yet; I haven't finished. Now, the tomb eye, that crucial marker, is reduced to just one damaged beam, practically unrecognizable. It’s impossible to discern the building’s original orientation or bearing anymore. Trying to deduce the location of the main burial passage from this isn't as simple as one might imagine. But what we can confirm now is that the Immortal Ancient Tomb lies somewhere between these two mountains of Xia Huntai—perhaps on the side of the ancient tunnel, perhaps near the Dragon Gate Gorge."

Shirley Yang interjected, "These two mountains are steep and treacherous, jutting out miles from the main peaks, and towering thousands of feet high. No matter which side the Immortal Ancient Tomb is on, it won't be easily found. Our time, equipment, and supplies are severely limited; simply searching aimlessly like casting a net in the ocean is no way forward. Why not try a surprise tactic?"

After some discussion, the group agreed that ancient tomb-raiding techniques traditionally rely on "Gazing, Listening, Inquiring, and Probing"—the so-called Four Gates and Eight Methods. The contours of this "Coffin Gorge" were unusual, rendering many advanced Dao techniques useless. After much thought, the only viable option seemed to be the art of "Inquiring of Heaven." We had no choice but to activate the "backup plan"—using the Guixu Ancient Mirror to divine the tomb’s palace location.

Professor Sun, despite always proclaiming himself a scientific monist, had immense faith in the practice of "Illuminating the Mirror for Divination." This was likely tied to his years of studying the Dragon Bone Hexagrams; he had become too engrossed in that field. In truth, scientific materialist monism only focuses on physical changes and consistently ignores the spiritual domain of living beings—a blind spot modern science has struggled to approach. Yet, as far back as the Shang and Zhou dynasties thousands of years ago, the Chinese were already using the Heavenly Cycle Numerology to explore the "profound subtleties" beyond material elements.

But when it came to the true meaning of these profound and subtle Heavenly Cycle Hexagrams, I truly lacked the confidence to grasp their essence. However, given the current situation, I had to cram at the last minute. After circling around and around, we still hadn't found the entrance to the Immortal Ancient Tomb. If I didn't conjure up some guiding, inspiring words to boost morale, everyone's spirit would collapse.

If we could actually use the ancient tomb-raiding method to derive an effective result, that would be best. But would this "Inquiry" technique—which connects the ancient mirror’s sea energy with the qi of the mountains and rivers—truly work? It seemed no one had practiced it for nearly a thousand years. The method of "Inquiring of Heaven to Evolve a Hexagram" was merely a nebulous legend in the tomb raiding circles; who could guarantee its efficacy? What if we got nowhere, with no explanation ready?

I thought to myself that my mouth was my own; I could simply spout some vague phrases about "no miraculous strategy for finding the dragon" if necessary; there was nothing shameful about it. So, I reached into my pack and pulled out the "Guixu Divination Mirror" along with the eye-less "Bronze Dragon" and "Bronze Fish" talismans. I knelt over the wooden beam and started fussing with them. "The divine mechanism is active within me today; let’s test the efficacy of this ancient Inquiry technique. Just wait and see, later on... I'll teach you all some patience..."

Professor Sun suddenly stopped me. "The Guixu Divination Mirror was recovered by you from the South Sea, but that thing is an invaluable national treasure! Do you even know how to use it? If you don't, don't just randomly place it around. If the positions of the hexagram talismans are wrong, the sea qi in the mirror will be lost. I say, the Old Master stepping in is worth two men working together. Hand it over, let me study it first."

I retorted, "Ninth Master, you can't use the mirror, so you won't let anyone else try? I've read your notes; your understanding of the bronze mirror and talismans is basically correct. The four bronze talismans represent Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost; there is indeed hidden profundity within them. However, because you cannot unlock this secret, you cannot use them to deduce the hexagrams. I only recently received guidance from a master who illuminated the secret intricacies. You tell me, why do the Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost talismans—why do none of them have eyes? What cosmic truth does this imply? If you can explain it, I will hand it over without another word, bow my head, and present it to you. But if you can’t explain the simplest beginning or end, then standing by to offer support is enough. Watch me show you a trick."

Professor Sun was left speechless by my challenge. "Yes, why do the four talismans—Fish, Dragon, Human, and Ghost... have no eyes? Could it be that the ancients hid the profound secrets of the Heavenly Cycle Hexagram within them?"

Professor Sun shook his head, unable to comprehend. Those four sightless bronze talismans, other than allowing the candlelight to pass through the eye sockets to reveal the hexagram pattern on the back of the Guixu Mirror, seemed to hint at a deeper principle of creation for all things. Only by understanding this hint could one find the correct position among the hundreds of bronze fittings on the back of the ancient mirror to place the talismans.

I nodded. "You hit the nail on the head. If I hadn't managed to glean the Heavenly Cycle Numerology oral formula from the boat-dwelling people of the South Sea, and then sought help from the folk expert in I Ching, Zhang Yingchuan, we might never have guessed the meaning of the eyeless bronze talismans in our lifetime. We’d have the ancient mirror and talismans but be left staring blankly with no recourse."

Internally, I was still uncertain but eager to try. I felt there was nothing left to hide at this point, so I intended to reveal the mystery of the eye-less bronze talismans to Professor Sun, first asking for his confirmation, after which we could use the Guixu Divination Mirror beneath this wind-gathering, qi-concentrating Golden Swallow Cave to divine the exact location of the ancient tomb.

As we were speaking, several successive thunderclaps suddenly boomed from above the gorge, echoing through the heavens until our ears were filled with a deafening roar—it was "Swift Thunder that Overtakes the Ear." The five of us lying prone on the wooden beam instantly felt our hearts pounding; our hands and feet trembled where we held fast. Looking up, we saw countless swallows surge into the sky from the Golden Swallow’s Nest; the flock of Golden Swifts had been startled by the thunder and poured out of their roost once more.

The thin mist and light smoke in the gorge immediately dispersed. In the deathly pallor of the shadows, it was impossible to distinguish between the mass of golden swallows and heavy, leaden clouds. All we could see was an endless black mist erupting from the cracks in the cliff face, soaring straight toward the firmament like columns of black smoke. Where it was dense, it resembled churning dark clouds; where it was thin, it looked like several wisps of jet-black silk flickering up and down. Within the area where the dark clouds thundered, blinding white light flashed intermittently.

Seeing day instantly turn to night, how could I not be horrified? I glanced down at the bronze talisman and ancient mirror in my hand; the Bronze Dragon Talisman shone with an eerie, phosphorescent green in the darkness. Immediately, a scene from over a decade ago on the grasslands of Keren Left Banner flashed through my mind—the sight of the old sheepskin corpse being incinerated by lightning fire was something I would never forget until death.