"Never mind what it is, just get it down," Wang Zhicai called up from below to Fan Debiao.

After struggling, Fan Debiao finally managed to secure the box. He clutched a groove on the statue with one hand and held the box with the other. With only slight purchase for his feet, he swayed precariously, clearly off-balance and in danger of falling. Fan Debiao tried to descend a few times, but each attempt failed.

"Give me the box," Jackson said to Fan Debiao when he saw his struggle.

Hearing this, Fan Debiao tossed the box toward Jackson. Jackson was in a much more stable position; he reached out easily and caught it. After securing the box, Jackson examined it closely but couldn't discern anything unusual. He tucked the box under his arm and began to descend the way he came. With one hand freed up, Fan Debiao found the climb down much easier and followed.

When Fan Debiao was about two or three meters from the ground, a mischievous impulse struck him. He whistled at Sun Li and Tiao Zai below. The two men’s faces turned ashen with anger. Suddenly, Fan Debiao’s foot slipped. With a cry of "Aow!", he plummeted downward, hitting the ground almost simultaneously with Jackson. Seeing Fan Debiao's embarrassing predicament, the entire crowd burst into laughter, while Sun Li and Tiao Zai laughed so hard they doubled over.

Jackson reached the ground and immediately handed the box to Wang Feifei. Wang Zhicai looked rather glum, quickly leaning in to inspect it, while the others crowded around. Fan Debiao seemed uninterested in the box and instead went off to search for antiques.

The box appeared to be crafted from Huyang wood, measuring fifty centimeters long and thirty centimeters high. Each face was painted with a colorful Buddha statue—the very same one Fan Debiao and Jackson had just been climbing.

Seeing this, a flash of insight hit Young Master Liu. This box was identical to the one Old Wu had shown him just a few days ago. Could this one also contain a sheepskin scroll?

He hoped this time there would be an explanation he could use to show off in front of Uncle Diao when he got back.

Wang Feifei possessed extensive knowledge of foreign history, but this box left her puzzled. Seeing Wang Zhicai stretching his neck like a duck, she handed the box over to him.

Wang Zhicai took the box and opened it without a second thought. Instantly, a captivating fragrance wafted out. Yes, this scent was familiar to Young Master Liu; it was the same as the one from Old Wu's box.

Wang Zhicai carefully withdrew a sheepskin scroll. Young Master Liu felt a bit disappointed. This scroll was larger than Old Wu’s, but instead of winding lines, it was covered with dense, tiny characters. Wang Zhicai adjusted his glasses and began to study it intently.

Fan Debiao, looking dejected, circled around from behind the statue, his hands empty—it seemed he’d found nothing. He spotted the group huddled around the scroll and rushed over to ask Young Master Liu, "Young Master, what's up? Is there something earth-shattering in that box?"

Young Master Liu replied to Fan Debiao, "Nothing earth-shattering is gone, but there's a small bonus. Interested?"

"Hmph, I don't want small bonuses!" Fan Debiao scoffed dismissively.

Seeing Wang Zhicai engrossed in study for so long, Wang Feifei inquired, "President Wang, how is it? If the archaeological value isn't high, we should hurry to the ancient city."

Wang Zhicai answered, "This is a biography, chronicling this ancient city. It seems the people of this city were descendants of the Golden Queen. After the Golden Ancient City fell, its inhabitants migrated here."

Upon hearing the connection to the Golden Ancient City, Wang Feifei immediately grew interested. Perhaps the tomb of the last Golden Queen was nearby, which might reveal whether her mother was here.

"Does it mention the Golden Queen?" Wang Feifei asked Wang Zhicai.

Wang Zhicai replied, "It says the ancient city was buried overnight by a massive sandstorm on the day the Golden Queen was interred. Her surviving subjects settled here and lived communally, so there was no queen here."

Wang Feifei was disappointed upon hearing this. It seemed answers would only be found at the Golden Ancient City. She addressed everyone, "The storm has just passed, the weather is good for traveling. We conclude the archaeology here. Everyone, let’s move quickly toward the city."

Her words still carried the tone of a formidable businesswoman. Young Master Liu was beginning to doubt if the Wang Feifei he spoke with last night was the same person standing before him now.

Since the main objective was the ancient city, they couldn't linger long. Wang Zhicai carefully placed the sheepskin scroll back into the box, put the box into his backpack, and signaled everyone to move.

"Look, the Buddha statue is weeping," just as everyone turned to leave, Lin Miaoke suddenly shouted.

At Lin Miaoke’s exclamation, everyone turned back and focused on the Buddha statue's eyes.

At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but upon closer inspection, there were traces of black residue around the eyes, perhaps paint or varnish flaking from a pre-set mural. If you didn't look closely, it truly did resemble tears.

Her alarm made everyone break into a cold sweat. Fan Debiao was about to snap back with a curse, but seeing Lin Miaoke’s delicate appearance, the words died in his throat.

Wang Zhicai admonished her, "Don't cry wolf until you are certain. Those in archaeology must verify everything before drawing conclusions. Remember that next time."

Lin Miaoke nodded earnestly at Wang Zhicai's words: "Mhm, there won't be a next time."

Wang Feifei, seeing that nothing was truly amiss, urged everyone to hurry on. But as soon as she finished speaking, her expression shifted drastically. "Do you smell anything strange?"

Hearing her, everyone wrinkled their noses and sniffed around, but couldn't identify anything unusual.

Sniffing, Fan Debiao moved close to Wang Feifei: "There really is a strange smell. I've never encountered this perfume before."

Wang Feifei’s face flushed, and she quickly stepped away from Fan Debiao, looking at him with an expression of disbelief.

Young Master Liu felt a mix of exasperation and amusement watching Fan Debiao. He said to him, "Damn it, stop messing around! She's your boss now. If you show your true colors, she might kick you out of the desert right now, and you won't get a single cent."

Fan Debiao’s face changed when he heard this. He quickly went to Wang Feifei and said, "Boss, I was just joking, please don't take it to heart."

Wang Feifei replied, "It's fine, Consultant. I jumped back because I saw a very frightening insect just now."

To think that Wang Feifei still considered Fan Debiao a consultant despite his behavior made Young Master Liu truly doubt her judgment sometimes. Hearing her mention a scary bug, he became curious and lowered his head to search the ground, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find it. He asked Wang Feifei if she might have misseen it.

Wang Feifei glanced at the ground, her face filled with confusion, and murmured, "Did I really see it wrong?"

Hearing her say that, Young Master Liu smiled and shook his head. Suddenly, a sharp, metallic odor pierced their noses—a smell so potent it made one feel nauseous.

Wang Feifei saw the grim expressions on everyone’s faces and said, "That's the smell I was talking about." She immediately covered her nose and mouth, making a retching gesture as the stench intensified.

"Holy hell, the Buddha statue is bleeding from all seven orifices!" Fan Debiao shrieked.

Young Master Liu immediately looked up. Black fluid was oozing from the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose of the statue, accompanied by wisps of green smoke. He sucked in a cold breath.

Before long, the black fluid began to seep out from the body of the statue as well, and the acrid smell grew stronger and stronger.

Jackson paused, frowned deeply, and cried out, "That black substance is mercury!"

Young Master Liu had only encountered mercury twice before, and though the encounters were brief, its unique properties had left a deep impression on him.

Before the group could discuss further, a large hole suddenly cracked open on the statue’s body, and a jet of mercury shot out toward them.

Fan Debiao reacted swiftly, shouting a warning before bolting ten meters away—his reflexes honed by years of tomb raiding.

Hearing Fan Debiao yell "Run!", everyone bolted without hesitation. Initially, the danger seemed manageable, and they ran loosely. But when they looked back, they froze in terror. A massive tide of mercury rushed toward them like a flood filling a dried riverbed, moving incredibly fast. Seeing this, everyone ran as if their lives depended on it; the large man, Wu Bai, ran with saliva streaming, bellowing wildly.

The old man, Kramer, seeing their frantic flight, rushed to ask what was wrong. Fan Debiao shouted back while running, signaling him to flee quickly, warning him of an approaching river of mercury.