He placed the jade pendant flat in his palm, examining it closely; the entire piece was translucent, bearing a slight resemblance to the material of the jade coffin in which the female corpse lay. This jade pendant was shaped like a distorted tiger, its body intricately adorned with incised volutes and distorted tripod motifs. It possessed the eyes and claws of a phoenix, and its two fangs were somewhat elongated, resembling ivory. The overall carving was vivid and lifelike.

Although the pendant was smaller than the span of a hand, its details were clearly rendered; even the character "" (King) on the tiger’s head could be distinctly seen.

Fan Debiao, an old hand at smashing the Four Olds, had destroyed many treasures in his time. Looking at this piece, he immediately said to Young Master Liu, "Brother, this is definitely an extraordinary jade artifact. To achieve this level of carving skill during the Three Kingdoms period is nothing short of miraculous. If you were to sell it, it could fetch at least a Jiefang heavy-duty truck."

Young Master Liu was not interested in the market price of the tiger-shaped pendant; what truly held his attention was the tomb itself, as their purpose for entering was not grave robbing, but to understand the strange occurrences that had been happening recently.

Young Master Liu did not discuss the jade pendant's market value with Fan Debiao, but instead presented it before Big Cricket, saying, "Big Cricket, take a look at this."

Seeing that Young Master Liu ignored him, Fan Debiao went off on his own to rummage through the desiccated corpse.

Big Cricket picked up the tiger-shaped pendant and examined it, remarking, "This tiger form is the totem of the Ba State in Sichuan. The Ba people worshipped the White Tiger. In the Ba State tomb complex excavated in Fuling a few years ago, many of the weapons bore this kind of tiger motif. Back then, only people of high status could wear this tiger symbol. It seems this female corpse had quite an origin."

"That might not be accurate!" Cai Qingchong interjected. "Since this female corpse’s coffin is just outside the main burial chamber, it means she was buried as a sacrifice to that old man Zhang Jiao. She was likely a handmaiden or, at most, a personal guard—nothing extraordinary."

Big Cricket nodded at Cai Qingchong’s analysis. "Bug’s reasoning is sound. We only intended to take a look and leave this time, but now we’re all injured like this. That Great Teacher is truly despicable. Today, we forget about national losses. At the very least, we must pocket a Ming artifact to sell for some money to cover our medical expenses."

Upon hearing Big Cricket decide to raid Zhang Jiao's tomb, Fan Debiao immediately became excited. "You're absolutely right! All our revolutionary capital has been wiped out this time. Later, when we reach that old man Zhang’s sarcophagus, I’ll pick out a couple of valuable pieces too. But first, let's figure out how to open this box."

After battling the female corpse, Young Master Liu had genuinely forgotten about the black box. It was only when Fan Debiao brought it up that he remembered, thinking that since the box was interred with the female corpse inside the jade coffin, it must have some connection to this tomb. Perhaps it held the secret he had come here to uncover.

Young Master Liu was somewhat impatient. He watched as Fan Debiao manipulated the black box, turning it front, back, left, and right with an expression of innocence. Young Master Liu snatched the box out of Fan Debiao's hands.

Because Young Master Liu hadn't exerted enough force, his hand dipped downward immediately upon receiving the box. Luckily, he reacted quickly, using his other hand to steady it. The box was truly heavy; had he not stabilized it in time, his hand would have been crushed.

Young Master Liu lifted the box to examine it closely. It was square, roughly fitting within the span of two palms, and appeared to be made of iron. However, the box was blackened all over, and with his current knowledge, Young Master Liu couldn't determine what kind of iron it was. Given its small size yet substantial weight, this density indicated it was no ordinary container.

Young Master Liu continually manipulated the box, noting that it was sealed, with the same tiger emblem cast onto all six faces. There were no keyholes on any side. If it hadn't been shaped as a regular cuboid, he wouldn't have even considered it a box; it might as well have been a solid iron weight.

After turning it over several times and confirming the iron box was solid, Young Master Liu handed it to Big Cricket.

Big Cricket received the box, and his hand also sank slightly, his face showing a similar expression of bewilderment. He looked at the box for a moment and frowned.

Seeing that even Big Cricket was perplexed by the iron box’s mechanism, Fan Debiao delivered a kick to the female corpse, sending her into the river. "This box is just a hunk of iron. Let’s ignore it for now and focus on grabbing Zhang something-or-other's Ming artifacts before making other plans."

Young Master Liu calculated the time; they had been inside for over two days, surviving on only some compressed biscuits and half a crucian carp. They must be starving. Although people could survive seven days without food if they had water, they certainly wouldn't be able to leave this tomb in their current state.

Therefore, he said to Big Cricket, "Big Cricket, the priority right now is getting out as soon as possible. Even if we can endure the hunger, our injuries worsening would be a serious issue."

Big Cricket placed the box on the boat and looked at the iron container, saying, "Don't underestimate this iron box. This iron is cast from Xuan Tie (Mysterious Iron). Judging by the mass of this box, I can confirm it must be hollow. It has a name: the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket'."

Hearing Big Cricket finish, Young Master Liu realized the box was made of Xuan Tie, which explained its weight. Xuan Tie was an extremely precious alloy in that era, possibly more valuable than gold. It seemed this item was quite costly.

The name 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' struck Young Master Liu as odd. Whatever was stored in such an expensive box must be unusual. Since Big Cricket knew the iron box was called the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket,' he must know something about it.

Young Master Liu asked Big Cricket, "Big Cricket, what does this 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' mean?"

Big Cricket replied, "This box is called the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' because it conceals mechanisms, such as hidden needles or poisonous smoke. During the Three Kingdoms period, Confucianism had not yet attained absolute dominance, and there were numerous factions. Many sects specialized in intricate mechanisms—mechanisms large enough to guard mountains and tombs, and small enough to be hidden in hairpins. The precision of these mechanisms remains astonishing even today, seemingly impossible to achieve given the calculation levels of that time. This Three Kingdoms-era 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' was created by the Mohist school. Don't let its small size deceive you; if the wrong method is used to open it, everyone nearby will perish without exception."

After Big Cricket’s explanation, Young Master Liu began to feel a sense of dread toward the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket,' but remembering that his life was tied to it, he steeled himself.

Young Master Liu continued to question Big Cricket, "Big Cricket, since the material of the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' is precious and incorporates the high technology of that time, the contents inside must be worth seeing."

Fan Debiao, hearing Young Master Liu suggest opening a box that promised certain death, immediately objected. "Brother, you’ve got that wrong this time. If we open this box incorrectly, the five of us will be finished right here. Regardless of what’s inside, isn't the box itself quite valuable? We should just take it out and sell it."

"You know nothing!" Big Cricket cursed at Fan Debiao, then looked at the 'Pure Yang Treasure Casket' and said, "The contents of this box must be closely related to the Great Teacher. I believe having what's inside will make raiding the tomb much smoother later."