The storm raged outside, showing no sign of abating, plunging the entire area into a darkness so absolute you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The others had collapsed onto the ground to rest, but Young Master Liu, unable to sleep, sat by the wall, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a bright light flared before him. A campfire had been started. It turned out Fei Fei Wang also couldn't sleep; she had somehow scavenged some wood and ignited it right in front of Young Master Liu. After getting the fire going, she walked over and sat down beside him, looking at him as she spoke: "Mr. Liu, you seem different from the others."

Hearing this, Young Master Liu pondered, Why is this girl coming to talk to me about random things? Could she have taken a liking to me? After a brief pause, he replied, "Oh? How am I different from them?"

Fei Fei smiled faintly. "Everyone else was terrified by this sandstorm, but you are remarkably calm. It shows that your experience far surpasses theirs."

"Not at all, Miss Wang overestimates me," Young Master Liu returned the smile to Fei Fei.

"Don't call me Miss Wang; it sounds awkward. Call me Fei Fei. Everyone I know calls me that," Fei Fei said.

Young Master Liu nodded. "Then you shouldn't call me Mr. Liu either; it makes me sound too old. Call me Young Master Liu, or just 'Young Master' like Fan Debiao does."

Fei Fei nodded. "Actually, my main reason for entering the desert this time is to find my mother."

At her words, Young Master Liu paused slightly, then asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Fei Fei continued, "Do you remember when I mentioned that the last exploration team sent some experts to excavate the ancient city? Three people disappeared. Those three were my parents and a mainland professor."

"Oh, and then?" Young Master Liu prompted.

She went on: "The original drawing of the sarcophagus I showed you last time was found in the hands of a skeleton. After examination, that skeleton was confirmed to be my father's remains. However, my mother and that mainland professor were not found near the remains, which is quite strange. So, I suspect my mother's remains might be connected to that sarcophagus. That's why I applied to the company to come to the ancient city. No matter what, I must bring my mother's remains back to my hometown, Hangzhou."

After hearing Fei Fei’s explanation, Young Master Liu’s perception of her completely changed. He hadn't expected this woman to be so filial. Most girls today are self-absorbed; there aren't many like her. Thinking this, Young Master Liu couldn't help but feel a surge of respect for her.

Young Master Liu comforted Fei Fei. "Fei Fei, don't worry. I will definitely do my utmost to help you find your mother." As he spoke, Young Master Liu inwardly mused, Sigh, now my tasks have increased. First, the exploration; second, helping that scoundrel Fan Debiao raid tombs; and now, I have to help Fei Fei find her mother. It looks like I'm going to be very busy.

Seeing Young Master Liu staring blankly, Fei Fei tapped his shoulder. "Young Master, tell me about your past!"

Seeing her intense interest in his history, he began recounting the events of Wutong Mountain five years prior, skipping some of the more intricate details. Perhaps she had heard some of it from Jackson, as she didn't seem overly fascinated. As he spoke, she leaned her head against his shoulder and drifted off to sleep. Young Master Liu, his own narrative becoming disjointed, eventually let his head drop and fell into a deep sleep himself.

When he awoke, it was already the next day. The sandstorm had stopped. Because of the storm, the sun was only just peeking out today, so it wasn't too hot.

Young Master Liu climbed atop the earthen wall and surveyed the scene. After a night of battering by the storm, the entire ancient city had once again revealed itself to the surface of the earth. The city was quite large, filled with structures everywhere, and several spots featured what looked like temples. Scattered across the ground were numerous animal remains, along with some metallic artifacts.

In the very center of the city stood an exceptionally tall structure, apparently a palace or something similar—likely where the city lord resided. This city must have been buried many times, as the palace now leaned precariously.

Wang Zhicai was leading the other four toward that palace. Judging by their demeanor, they were heading in to explore. Young Master Liu felt a slight prick of annoyance; they were all on the same team, yet no one called him. However, seeing Wang Zhicai walking steadily suggested he was largely recovered, so Young Master Liu wasn't overly worried about him.

What about Fan Debiao and the others? Young Master Liu wondered. He looked around and finally spotted Fan Debiao, Jackson, and Old Man Kramer sitting beneath the earthen wall, cheerfully eating breakfast and occasionally discussing Hu Da.

Young Master Liu jumped down from the wall, woke up Wang Fei Fei, and together they walked toward Fan Debiao and the others. Sitting down next to Fan Debiao, he grabbed a compressed biscuit and started eating.

Fan Debiao slyly whispered to Young Master Liu, "Not bad, Young Master. Managed to wrap things up with this little lady so quickly."

Young Master Liu shot Fan Debiao a look. "You bastard, I haven't 'wrapped things up' with anyone! Your mind is always thinking about nonsense."

After hearing this, Fan Debiao kept staring at Wang Fei Fei with a teasing grin, making her quite uncomfortable. She dropped her biscuit and said she was going for a walk.

Seeing his mischief had worked, Fan Debiao turned to Young Master Liu and said, "Brother, this girl is quite reserved. Once you secure her, make sure she processes an increase in my wages!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu felt an urge to lunge over and punch him. He suddenly tackled Fan Debiao to the ground, raising his iron weight, preparing to deliver a couple of friendly thumps as a 'reward,' when Lin Miaoke rushed out of the palace, panting heavily. "There's a discovery! Something was found inside! General Wang is calling you over to take a look."

Everyone froze at Lin Miaoke's announcement, exchanging glances. Wang Fei Fei recovered quickest, dashing toward the palace. The others quickly stuffed their compressed biscuits into their mouths, gulped down some water, and rushed after her toward the palace.

Arriving at the palace, Young Master Liu's first feeling was sheer awe—it was overwhelmingly magnificent. Everyone who entered gaped, their eyes fixed in astonishment. Such a tall structure, yet it seemed incomplete. From the base to the summit, the four walls were adorned with colorful murals of Buddhist figures. Due to the passage of time, some sections had flaked off. In the very center of the palace stood an enormous Buddha statue, nearly reaching the ceiling. The statue's left hand rested flat against its chest, while its right hand formed an orchid finger pose. But why was such a large statue placed exactly in the middle? It was baffling.

What was more unsettling was that all the statues wore expressions of sorrow, giving onlookers an uneasy feeling. Young Master Liu found the Buddha statues vaguely familiar, though he couldn't immediately place where he had seen them before.

His experience in the antique trade was too brief; he couldn't make much sense of the artifacts here.

Fan Debiao grumbled from the side, "Hmph. These people in the ancient city believed in Buddha but not Hu Da. No wonder they were buried."

Young Master Liu cut Fan Debiao off, telling him to stop talking nonsense. He then asked Wang Zhicai, "Brother Wang, can you make any sense of what's here?"

Wang Zhicai replied, "I've studied it closely. Judging by the degree of weathering, this ancient city was likely first built a thousand years ago. However, there is no record of such a city in historical documents. We can't determine which tribe built it yet."

"Boss Wang, Sister Lin said you made a discovery just now. What exactly is it?" Fan Debiao asked Wang Zhicai.

"What I discovered is up there," Wang Zhicai said, pointing to the Buddha statue's left hand.

Everyone followed Wang Zhicai's gaze. On the statue's left hand, something faintly rested. It was too far away to discern clearly what it was. Sun Li and Tiao Zai were already beginning to climb up to retrieve the object from the statue's hand.

These two men were typical scholars; climbing seemed to exhaust them immediately. Halfway up, they were already shouting that they couldn't manage, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing them struggle, Wang Zhicai knew they couldn't continue; it could even become life-threatening. He quickly ordered them both down.

Fan Debiao shook his head, casting a look of disdain at Sun Li and Tiao Zai, then signaled for Jackson to join him in the ascent. Jackson nodded in agreement.

Despite his bulky frame, Fan Debiao climbed with surprising speed—at least twice as fast as Sun Li and Tiao Zai. Jackson's technique was also unimpaired, staying close behind Fan Debiao. This instantly brought Young Master Liu back to the memory of their desperate escape five years ago. In no time, Fan Debiao and Jackson reached their destination. Fan Debiao stabilized himself and started fumbling with the item using his hand.

"Fan Debiao, what is that thing up there?" Young Master Liu called out.

"Damn it, it’s a wooden box. Doesn't look very valuable," Fan Debiao answered.