Fan De Biao watched Jackson limp and stumble his way right up beside him, utterly astonished. He smacked his lips and remarked, "Foreign devil, not bad. Your wall-climbing skills are decent. When we get out, I’ll have a spar with you."

Jackson ignored Fan De Biao, pointing his finger at the mud and stating, "Look there, there's something down there."

Young Master Liu followed Jackson's gaze and saw that protruding from the center of the skull formation was a corpse. The body was terrifyingly pale, devoid of a single strand of hair on its head; upon closer inspection, it didn't even possess a face.

Fan De Biao saw the body and cursed, "Damn it! A mummy practicing the Wuxiang Divine Art is hidden here. Seems like he went astray during cultivation and destroyed his face. Wait for Fatty to give him a few rounds; I'll help him complete his five senses." With that, he raised his gun with one hand, preparing to fire.

At that moment, Cai Qing Chong stopped him: "Wait, this doesn't look like a corpse."

Fan De Biao looked puzzled, "It looks like one, acts like one, how could it not be a corpse? Boss, you've genuinely misjudged this time."

Cai Qing Chong paid no mind to Fan De Biao, leaping back into the mire. As soon as he landed in the mud, the skulls, for some unknown reason, all sank back down. Then, Su You Gui, supporting Da Guo Guo, also jumped back into the mud. Before Young Master Liu could react, his foot slipped and he tumbled into the mire. Seeing this, Fan De Biao and Jackson also jumped back into the bog.

Young Master Liu, somewhat perplexed, asked Cai Qing Chong, "What exactly is that thing?"

Cai Qing Chong explained, "That thing is called a Ren Ling (Human Water Chestnut). When I first entered this cave, I felt something strange, always sensing a familiarity about this mud. Now that I see the Ren Ling, I finally understand. You all know the well-known legend of Nüwa creating humans, right? Legend says the mud Nüwa used to create people had Ren Ling soaking in it. Although this Ren Ling cannot grant immortality, it is a miraculous medicine for curing illnesses and healing injuries."

With that, he used his dagger to slice off a piece of "flesh" from the Ren Ling and fed it to Da Guo Guo's mouth. Before long, Da Guo Guo gradually began to stir awake. Witnessing this, Young Master Liu gasped in shock; he hadn't expected such a miraculous cure to truly exist.

Fan De Biao saw the potent effects of the Ren Ling and immediately grabbed his entrenching tool, declaring he needed to dismantle it to take it back. However, as soon as the Ren Ling was lifted out of the mud, it dissolved into black sludge.

Cai Qing Chong clarified, "The Ren Ling cannot survive without this 'Fragrant Mud'; it deteriorates upon separation."

Hearing this, Fan De Biao became slightly irritated. "If we can't take it out, we shouldn't waste it. I must have a few mouthfuls to strengthen my body." With that, he used his dagger to carve off a piece of Ren Ling flesh and stuffed it into his mouth.

The moment he bit down, his expression instantly became one of utter misery. He spat out the Ren Ling flesh, exclaiming, "Damn it, this meat tastes absolutely foul."

Seeing Fan De Biao's pained face, Young Master Liu dared not try it. He teased Fan De Biao, "That’s only natural. This is what they call 'good medicine tastes bitter,' wouldn't you agree?"

Fan De Biao was left speechless by Young Master Liu's remark, turning his head aside and continuously spitting.

Young Master Liu turned to Cai Qing Chong and said, "Brother, what you mentioned earlier about the 'Fragrant Mud'—what is its origin? Does it have a history?"

Young Master Liu had heard of various kinds of mud, such as yellow earth and white clay. During the Three Years of Natural Disasters, when the entire nation was desperately poor, the only pursuit was basic sustenance. People who had nothing to eat had consumed a kind of white clay.

However, Young Master Liu had never heard anyone mention this "Fragrant Mud" before and was naturally curious, so he asked Cai Qing Chong what exactly this "Fragrant Mud" was.

Cai Qing Chong replied, "Legend has it that Nüwa used Fragrant Mud to create humans, mixed with a white substance resembling human bone. Perhaps someone witnessed Nüwa 'creating humans' with this mud, leading to the legend. It is said that this 'Fragrant Mud' can both emit heat and absorb heat. It seems the reason this water is so icy cold is likely due to the effect of this 'Fragrant Mud'? This stuff is considered a rare, high-grade treasure. Could the elixir of immortality that Zhuge Liang sought be this 'Fragrant Mud'?"

Cai Qing Chong's explanation was so abrupt that Young Master Liu couldn't grasp half of it. But he was certain this "Fragrant Mud" was the substance Nüwa used to create people. Could this mud truly have the power to transform mud into humans? Then what would they be—just mud spirits?

Young Master Liu pondered for a moment and said to Cai Qing Chong, "That doesn't add up. Didn't the bamboo slips say they were going to Zhang Jiao's coffin to find the elixir of immortality? Those people are master tomb raiders; they wouldn't be ignorant of this Fragrant Mud. If they were truly seeking the Fragrant Mud, why bother with the coffin?"

Cai Qing Chong fell silent for a moment after Young Master Liu’s analysis, then conceded, "Your analysis has merit. Now, the only way to know the result is to open Zhang Jiao's coffin." With that, he signaled everyone to gather their things and proceed toward the Great Teacher's sarcophagus.

The group packed explosives, entrenching tools, pistols, and other useful items into one strap bag, stuffing the useless gear into another and discarding it in the stone cavern. Along the way, they shared Jackson's compressed biscuits, figuring that since they were near Zhang Jiao's coffin, food wouldn't be needed urgently; they could eat now. Fan De Biao hung his double-barreled pistol over his shoulder, refusing to put it in the bag, claiming that with all the strange things appearing and vanishing here, it would be too tragic if he needed his gun but couldn't find it. "The gun stays with the man; the man dies without the gun."

That was just Fan De Biao's nature—he didn't usually undertake things he wasn't confident about, so Young Master Liu didn't press him. Young Master Liu looked over at Da Guo Guo and was stunned. Da Guo Guo was already moving around, swinging the entrenching tool left and right; the force seemed even greater than before. He thought the Ren Ling truly was a remarkable item, perhaps possessing true resuscitation powers. It was a shame the Ren Ling couldn't leave the Fragrant Mud; otherwise, who knew when it might be useful if taken outside. This thought brought a pang of melancholy.

Da Guo Guo, seeing that Young Master Liu was ready, announced, "All set, let's go."

Fan De Biao became ecstatic, happily singing folk songs, with Jackson humming along beside him. Young Master Liu felt his head pound; he truly couldn't comprehend the foreigner's poor taste in music.

And so, the group walked toward the mouth of the mountain cave, accompanied by Fan De Biao's "heavenly sound."

Upon reaching the entrance, everyone shone their flashlights outward, but the space was too vast to see anything clearly. Suddenly, the area lit up brightly, bringing everything into sharp focus. They turned to look and saw Jackson standing behind them, grinning, holding a miner's lamp. It turned out that when their boat wrecked, Jackson had managed to grab the lamp as well—he was certainly quick on his feet.

Young Master Liu carefully observed their surroundings. Below them was a massive pool of water, from which nine stone pillars shot straight up. Four pillars formed one group circling two concentric rings, leaving the ninth pillar in the central position. Above the pillars was a huge, circular stone slab, though slightly smaller than the water pool. If their backpacks had fallen, they would have landed in the water. Zhang Jiao's coffin must be on that slab. What they had initially seen from above was an illusion; due to the distance, the slab and the pool created a "merging effect."

The pillars were also carved with many designs resembling thunderclouds. Looking closely, they realized each pillar was carved with a dragon. Seeing this scene, Young Master Liu let out a shriek: "Holy crap, isn't this the Nine Dragons Lifting the Corpse formation?"

Fan De Biao walked over to Young Master Liu and countered, "What Nine Dragons Lifting the Corpse? Where do you see nine dragons? There isn't even a slippery shadow on the central pillar."

Hearing Fan De Biao, Young Master Liu took a closer look. On the central pillar, forget dragons, there wasn't even a bird carving.

Da Guo Guo stated, "Master Liu is right; this is indeed the 'Nine Dragons Lifting the Corpse formation.' I suspect the ninth dragon must be on top of the coffin."

With that, he leaped up, landing on one of the stone pillars and beginning to climb upward.