Young Master Liu had a sudden flash of inspiration and conjured an explanation: “Perhaps these men aren’t Yellow Turban rebels, but captives Zhang Jiao seized from elsewhere, so…”

Before Young Master Liu could finish his sentence, Big Grasshopper immediately refuted him: “These men are definitely the Yellow Turbans. Look, they all have the Bagua insignia on their clothing, and they’re wearing yellow headbands. Back then, no one other than the Yellow Turbans would wear attire like this.”

Hearing Big Grasshopper finish, Fan Debiao exploded in fury: “Damn it all! This Zhang Jiao truly isn’t human, treating his own followers like slaves! If we can foil his plans this time, we’ll truly be acting on behalf of Heaven!”

Anyone who treats their brothers, sisters, wives, and children like slaves is indeed less than human. Thinking of this, Young Master Liu was equally enraged, but the immediate priority was mapping out the tomb’s structure, a diagram he presumed lay on the eighth silk painting.

Everyone’s attention shifted to the eighth silk painting, and upon seeing it, they all recoiled in shock, utterly lost. The other four men stared fixedly at the painting, not daring to blink.

The content of the eighth silk painting was not a schematic of the tomb’s structure. It depicted a tall figure wearing a tiger-faced mask and a Taoist robe standing on an altar. This figure must be Zhang Jiao. Below the altar, masses of people in yellow robes knelt in complete veneration.

Fan Debiao muttered, “Grandma’s bear! What sort of deity is this Zhang fellow that so many people must kneel before him!”

Young Master Liu addressed Fan Debiao: “Perhaps they are performing some significant rite. These ancient people were always accustomed to believing in spirits and ghosts; in sacrificial ceremonies, everyone besides the shaman was required to kneel.”

Big Grasshopper interjected, “Look closer, this painting doesn't exactly resemble a standard sacrifice. Frankly, it looks a bit like Chairman Mao reviewing the troops in 1949. It seems this Zhang Jiao is far more complex than described in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

Fan Debiao declared, “Whether this old man with the horn is a god or a demon, he’s still alive for now. Damn it, he even wears a mask to play mysterious! When we find him later, I’ll give him a couple of shots first, to avenge our ancestors.”

Saying this, he pointed toward the stone door and made a motion to advance. But before the action could complete, Fan Debiao suddenly slumped back onto the boat, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his finger trembling as he pointed at the stone door.

Seeing Fan Debiao’s condition, Young Master Liu thought, This is bad. There must be something at that stone door. Fan Debiao was someone who had seen the world; if he was terrified like this, whatever it was couldn’t be friendly. Turning his gaze toward the stone door, Young Master Liu instantly froze, letting out an involuntary cry: “Holy hell, what the—what is that?”

This sudden outburst thoroughly terrified Young Master Liu, and just like Fan Debiao, he plopped down onto the boat, sitting bolt upright.

Over there, Big Grasshopper, Green Worm, Su Yougui, and the others turned at the sound and couldn't help but gasp in unison.

From behind the sealed stone door, a grotesque face was protruding. More accurately, it was not a human face. Apart from a pair of vacant, hollow pupils, the other four facial features were utterly gone, as if corroded away by some substance. The skin had turned black and was flaking off in small pieces.

Those empty pupils stared straight ahead, locking onto the group. Young Master Liu’s black donkey hoof was already gripped tight in his hand.

With three sharp reports—bang, bang, bang—three bullets flew toward the monstrous face. The face ducked down slightly, and the bullets whistled harmlessly over its head.

Young Master Liu instantly recognized the sound of the handgun Big Grasshopper had provided for everyone.

He turned to see Fan Debiao holding the pistol with both hands, sweat pouring down his face. He thought that Fan Debiao’s aim was remarkably steady even at such a tense moment. This guy had never even held a gun before, yet he could shoot like that; it looked like a few more tries and he’d become a crack soldier.

Just as Fan Debiao repositioned the gun to aim at the grotesque face again, Big Grasshopper stopped him: “Wait a minute. This face is strange. It might be a living person.”

Hearing that it could be alive, Fan Debiao’s grip on the gun loosened slightly, but he kept the barrel pointed at the face, replying to Big Grasshopper, “No way! How could that be alive? Where is the living person who has no nose, mouth, or ears? I say it’s definitely a ghost! Maybe that old man Zhang Jiao knew we were coming to dig up his tomb and came out early to deal with us.”

Young Master Liu also felt skeptical about Big Grasshopper’s assessment. After all, what was visible to the naked eye was a face with only eyes. If it were truly alive, it would be terrifyingly unnatural.

“He’s right, that’s a living person up front,” Green Worm stated, emphasizing his point when he saw the others doubting.

With both Big Grasshopper and Green Worm asserting it was alive, Young Master Liu began to believe them. Given their experience, they shouldn't both be mistaken, right?

Upon hearing this, Fan Debiao suddenly sprang up from the boat, pointing his miner’s lamp at the strange face and roaring, “Who the hell are you, playing tricks on me back there!”

The face quickly retracted behind the stone door and spoke in stiff Mandarin: “You grave robbers, do not think of taking anything here. Everything here belongs to the nation of China!”

Hearing this, Young Master Liu realized the person was a foreigner and immediately felt amused. He thought this must be one of the three tour exploration teams. He was surprised this person was still alive, but why was he completely covered in 'Zhi Bing' residue yet still surviving?

This person surely assumed their group were tomb robbers. However, listening to what he just said was quite pleasing.

Young Master Liu wasn't entirely sure if they were tomb robbing or doing archaeology, so he called out to the person, “Esteemed foreign friend, you must be from abroad. We are not tomb robbers; we are explorers just like you.”

After Young Master Liu spoke, stiff Mandarin came again from behind the door: “I do not trust you. What kind of exploration involves carrying guns!”

Fan Debiao roared back, “You son of a—stop talking nonsense! Come out, or I’ll put two rounds into you the moment I step in!”

Fan Debiao’s shout proved effective; it seemed this person responded better to toughness than softness.

The person slowly emerged from behind the stone door. Judging by the water level, it only reached his knees. It seemed the depiction on the silk painting was accurate; if there were no water, there would have been a staircase before them. The figure said, “I am from the tour exploration team. Are you truly the archaeology team?”

Fan Debiao retorted, “Isn’t that obvious?” He pointed at Big Grasshopper. “This man here is the leader of the expedition team. If you don't believe me, come over, and I’ll show you my credentials.”

“Oh my God, you really are an exploration team! Thank God, I’m saved,” the person exclaimed happily. Judging by his strong voice, he didn't seem badly injured at all.

Big Grasshopper waved his hand, signaling Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao to paddle the boat over. Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao snatched up their entrenching tools and, in just a few strokes, reached the man’s side.

Up close, they saw that the man was completely covered in black mud, which emitted a faint, delicate fragrance. The reason they couldn't see his face before was that it was masked by the mud. The black debris falling from his face was this very mud. It was unbelievable that this man could escape the fierce assault of the ‘Zhi Bing’ completely unscathed, coated in this strange black mud. Could it be related to this black mud?

The immediate concern wasn't discussing this; they needed to help him onto the boat quickly. Young Master Liu said, “Foreign friend, hurry up and get on the boat. The water is cold.”

The international friend agreed, pulling a large bag with effort as he climbed aboard. Taking a closer look, the bag was identical to the one on the others’ boat.

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