He scrutinized it for a long time, still unable to identify the object. However, he vaguely felt a sense of familiarity. It was a circular thing, held aloft by a massive pillar of fire erupting from the volcano, suspended in mid-air, looking remarkably like a UFO. Suddenly, he recalled the legend of the Ice Crystal Fetus they had heard earlier, wondering if this object was that very thing. If it was, what would that imply? It would suggest that the story of the Ice Crystal Fetus was very likely true, and that they had stumbled right into it. What immense trials and tribulations awaited them next? The thought alone sent goosebumps across his skin.

He pointed at the object for everyone to see, saying, "Look here, there's a circular thing, I can't tell what it is. Take a look and see if you notice anything unusual about it?"

He kept his own thoughts to himself, wanting to hear everyone's genuine impressions without letting his own ideas taint their thinking.

The group stared intently at the object for a long time before Ma Xiong finally spoke up. "I think it must be the legendary Ice Crystal Fetus. Doesn't the Ice Crystal Fetus erupt from volcanoes? Look at the shape; it's the same as what we saw in the tomb tunnel. What does that tell us? It suggests the artist intended to emphasize that this thing is the Ice Crystal Fetus."

After Ma Xiong finished, he glanced at Fatty, who nodded repeatedly in agreement. "I think the same as Ma Xiong. But I'm still a bit puzzled. I wonder if the artist actually witnessed a volcanic eruption that spewed out the Ice Crystal Fetus. If that's true, can people really erupt from beneath a volcano? If the artist didn't see it, why draw this? Just for fun? There must be something strange going on here."

Lu Zong nodded and said, "I find it strange too. How could there be people rising from underground? What else could emerge from the earth besides ghosts?"

Ma Xiong and Fatty shivered simultaneously, then exchanged glances. After a long silence, they snapped out of their shock and looked strangely at Lu Zong, saying in an odd tone, "Besides ghosts, there is another type of non-human, non-ghost entity—something existing between the underworld and the human realm."

Lu Zong looked at the two of them, slightly stunned, when an idea suddenly popped into his mind: were they talking about… Yin-Yang People?

He voiced his thought and asked for their opinions.

To his surprise, they nodded with firm certainty. "You're right. While some Yin-Yang People are born to human mothers, the more supernatural ones emerge from the earth. Although it's just a legend, it fits perfectly here. Could it be that all legends are true?"

Lu Zong was getting agitated now. What was happening? His mind was a whirlwind. He shouted, "Quiet!" and crouched down to organize his thoughts.

Whether the person emerging from the earth was a Yin-Yang Person or the Ice Crystal Fetus, it was likely both—meaning the corpse encased in the Ice Crystal Fetus was a Yin-Yang Person. What would happen to this Yin-Yang Person later? If that volcanic eruption truly occurred, everyone nearby should have been burned to death by the lava; it shouldn't have been witnessed. Was this scenario real?

He turned his attention to the fourth painting.

The fourth painting was even more intriguing. The volcano in it had already been extinguished. It seemed the eruption hadn't lasted long because Zhang Qian was still standing there, his vacant eyes staring straight ahead. Following Zhang Qian's gaze, he spotted something on the ground resembling a large egg.

"Could this be the Ice Crystal Fetus?" Now that there was a close-up, the object was much clearer. Yes, he was now certain it was the Ice Crystal Fetus, because inside, he could discern the outline of a female body—presumably the so-called Yin-Yang Person. He pointed it out to the others. "Look, this Ice Crystal Fetus seems to be reacting. There are signs of a crack on its left side, and the fetus's movements inside have clearly changed. Its hands are struggling forcefully against the shell; it’s now adult-sized and looks like it’s about to hatch. He noticed how spotlessly clean the Ice Crystal Fetus was, wondering why the volcanic ash hadn't covered it. He looked back at the volcano with curiosity.

The volcano behind him had long ceased erupting, with only thin wisps of smoke occasionally rising. Suspicion immediately arose in his mind: "Wait a minute. If it was a volcanic eruption, it shouldn't have died out so quickly. Moreover, there isn't much volcanic ash around him, it’s pristine. Stranger still, there are thriving flowers and trees growing in the vicinity."

He glanced at Zhang Qian and was astonished to see that Zhang Qian’s posture was exactly the same as in the third painting, except his mouth was now covered in dense, thick stubble. He instantly grasped the message the painting was trying to convey: "Many years have passed since the volcanic eruption here. Zhang Qian has grown a beard."

No wonder the surrounding volcanic ash had mostly cleared, and vegetation had flourished—it was because years had passed, and life had returned to this place.

But one thing remained strange: why did Zhang Qian maintain the exact same posture throughout? Was he frozen, permanently suspended in a specific moment in time?

He continued looking down, hoping to find the answer.

This was the fifth scroll. The content displayed was even stranger. The Ice Crystal Fetus had completely cracked open, and the person inside was gone. However, next to Zhang Qian was a beautiful woman. His heart skipped a beat; he realized the woman was the Loulan beauty. While he couldn't be certain, they were clearly connected, because he noticed that one of the footprints beside her had an ear-shaped birthmark. He walked over to Zhang Qian, jumped in front of him, and carved numerous strange characters around his mouth—presumably the incantations she was reciting. He couldn't tell what she intended to do to Zhang Qian.

Now it was time for the sixth painting. He watched with excitement, treating it as a myth or legend now; it was truly bizarre, and he couldn't bring himself to believe it.

The sixth painting still centered on the volcano, but the figures had multiplied. He immediately recognized the two young people in the foreground: one was Zhang Qian, and the other, the Loulan beauty. They sat happily on chairs, enjoying the cool air, with an endless stream of people behind them, all stooping low to labor in the ground. It was clear that they were the highest-ranking leaders here.

But why had Zhang Qian become so young again? Had the sorceress in the fifth painting cast a spell on him, sending him through a time tunnel to regain his youth?

The thought of a time tunnel made him realize something. He turned to the three behind him and said, "Do you also feel that Zhang Qian might have been altered by a time tunnel during this period?"

The three asked, "On what grounds?"

Lu Zong hurriedly explained, "Look, in the fourth painting, he was still young, dashing, and handsome, but in the blink of an eye, he turned into an old man with white hair and a long beard. And in the sixth painting, he is clearly different from the fifth; he has become young again. Can't you see the discrepancy?"

Everyone looked closely and realized Lu Zong was right; they nodded in agreement and began to ponder.

Lu Zong said, "I think many years must have passed between the fourth and fifth paintings for things to become like this; otherwise, the surrounding vegetation wouldn't have died and then been reborn to turn this place back into an oasis. The transition between the fifth and sixth paintings, however, seems instantaneous, clearly caused by the spell cast by the woman beside him. That woman, the one who hatched from the Ice Crystal Fetus—that Yin-Yang Person—is actually performing... sorcery?"

He found it utterly incredible. If this premise held true, the notion that the Ice Crystal Fetus contained a Yin-Yang Person would gain traction. Such superstition was truly mind-boggling.

He concluded, "We can’t draw a final conclusion yet. We must look further to see what happened to them."

The seventh painting began to show increasing chaos. War had broken out; the people took up arms to resist. In the end, everyone associated with the Ice Crystal Fetus was slaughtered. The bloody battlefield looked desolate and tragic under the setting sun. The scene was unbearable to witness. Yet, Zhang Qian and the woman were nowhere to be seen. They had likely gotten married, or perhaps gone off on a honeymoon.

The next painting showed Zhang Qian and the woman returning to find the massacre, their faces etched with grief. Zhang Qian knelt on the ground, comforting the bodies of the dead, while the woman’s head radiated golden light, fury burning on her face. In her hand, she clutched an ear-shaped object of unknown nature. She simply raised it above her head, and the object emitted a dazzling, shimmering light that illuminated every corpse on the battlefield—a light brighter than the sunlight. Strangely, anything touched by her radiance began to vanish, slowly disappearing.

Next came the ninth painting. In this one, the woman and Zhang Qian wore smiles again. The fallen warriors were alive once more, jumping and celebrating their rebirth. He closely observed the age of some of them; they appeared much younger than the corpses in the previous painting, showing no trace of injury. Had they traveled back in time, their ages reverting to a former period?

He was beginning to form a conclusion: "Could it be that the woman truly is a Yin-Yang Person, and the ear-shaped object in her hand really can transport people through time? For convenience, let's call that object the Moonlight Box. Can his Moonlight Box truly reverse aging and send people back to past times?"

Curiosity had completely submerged him; he eagerly looked on.

This painting depicted the people reborn and celebrating their revival. Zhang Qian and the Yin-Yang Woman were tossed into the air, then fell, then were tossed up again.

Suddenly, Fatty seemed to notice something and quickly called out to Lu Zong, "Lu Zong, look here..."

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