Rushah tapped the coffin and said, "If you knock on it with your hand, you can tell by the sound that it's hollow. When I knocked just now, I thought I heard someone inside calling out."

"Someone was calling from inside?" Lu Zong looked at Rushah doubtfully, and seeing her serious expression, he knew she wouldn't lie, so he quickly pressed on, "Then did you hear what they were shouting?"

Rushah shook her head, "I couldn't make it out clearly, but it sounded like a ying sheng (a sound of shadows/figures), as if I hit someone when I knocked, causing them pain."

When the Fatty heard Rushah mention a groan, he quickly interjected to explain for her, "I know what sound Rushah heard. Wasn't she talking about a moan? That must have been a ** sound."

Ma Xiong cursed, "Absolutely no decency! Rushah is such a pure little girl, how could she hear that sound? What she heard must have been the sound of someone jerking off."

Lu Zong looked at those two shameless fellows, helpless, and could only shake his head, marveling, "Truly a rare display of thick skin for the ages."

Saying that, he lowered his head, pressed his face against the coffin, and knocked once. Sure enough, he heard a buzzing sound—the echo of the coffin. At the same time, he heard an 'Ouch!' cry from inside. Startled, he quickly pulled his face back, staring blankly at the coffin, speechless for a long time. He just stared. His ears were nearly deafened by the vibration, and only when he saw Rushah secretly chuckling beside him did he realize he'd been tricked by her.

The others saw Lu Zong's strange expression and had no idea what he was up to. Han Chong shook Lu Zong, asking, "Lu Zong, what's wrong? What did you hear just now?"

Lu Zong finally snapped back to his senses, looked at everyone, and said, "You guys press your faces against the coffin, it really is a ** sound."

Ma Xiong and the Fatty scrambled to press their ears against the coffin and knocked a few times. They quickly pulled their ears away, frantically digging inside them and cursing, "Damn it, Lu Zong, are you trying to kill us? Are you worried our ears are working too well or something?"

Lu Zong chuckled without speaking, continuing to stare intently at the stone sarcophagus, trying to glean some insight from it.

But time slipped by, minute by minute. Ma Xiong and the Fatty were still cleaning their ears, while Han Chong and Rushah sat on the ground resting. The recent scare had drained all their energy. Moreover, their thirst was returning, making them desperately wish they were back in that sewer, where at least water was free. Free things were scarce now. The two sighed in resignation.

Suddenly, Lu Zong walked over to Rushah and Han Chong, pulled them up, and said, "This coffin might be flammable; let's try it. Maybe we can gain something."

No sooner had he spoken than the coffin suddenly began to shake violently, the amplitude growing wider and wider, accompanied by a series of wild howling cries.

Ma Xiong quickly said, "I know this sound. It's the same shadow that lured me just now. Damn, I finally found you! I have to get revenge no matter what."

But revenge aside, the immediate problem was how to find an entrance to the coffin.

Everyone was terrified stiff. Good heavens, how had the coffin come alive?

The two young women, hidden in the back, saw the coffin stop moving and immediately shouted again, "Lu Zong, the fire is too intense! Can you make it even stronger?"

As soon as the words fell, the pained groans from inside grew louder, and the shaking became more violent simultaneously. Lu Zong whispered, "No heart is more venomous than a woman's—this is psychological warfare."

However, the shaking this time was brief; perhaps it didn't feel as hot. Most incredibly, the coffin actually cursed them using the most current slang: "Damn it, which bastard tricked me?"

The group exchanged glances, then burst into loud laughter. "It seems the person inside is like us—either an archaeologist or a tomb robber. But what's the difference? Oh, there is a difference: archaeology is state-sanctioned tomb robbing. Tomb robbing is petty thievery."

Lu Zong walked up to the coffin and said, "Brother, whether you're a tomb robber, an archaeologist, or even just someone passing by on an errand, please come out and travel with us. Meeting a living person here is certainly fate; how about we journey together?"

The inside of the coffin fell silent again, without the slightest movement. He knocked on the coffin once more, but besides the empty buzzing sound, there was no human voice left.

Ma Xiong walked over and asked, "Did that person die?"

The Fatty said, "It must be that we were too hard on him, and he refused to cooperate. Let's try the soft approach." Saying this, he moaned in the most seductive voice, "Ouch, why are you so mean? You're hurting me, ah... Your hands are so naughty... Oh... Oh... So good!"

Han Chong and Rushah laughed heartily behind them, and Lu Zong could barely hold it in. But the coffin remained utterly unresponsive.

Ma Xiong laughed, "It seems the Fatty's charm isn't working. Let's just stick to the old method: burn this coffin to ashes. Brother, don't blame us; we gave you a chance, but you didn't take it, so we have no choice."

With that, he haphazardly smeared lamp oil from the eternal lamp onto the coffin's surface, then announced, "Brother, whether you are a person or just a coffin, for our survival, we have no choice but to burn you. Don't blame us."

Seeing that the coffin still didn't react, Ma Xiong overturned the eternal lamp onto it, and instantly, the coffin burst into flames.

But to everyone's surprise, the coffin showed no reaction whatsoever. It didn't even twitch, allowing the fire to consume it without any apparent feeling.

"Strange. A single knock made it cry out in pain earlier, but now that it's burning, it feels nothing? This coffin is truly bizarre," Lu Zong muttered to himself, trying to grasp the meaning behind it, but he couldn't recall anything.

Han Chong put his hands together and began mumbling something, drawing the attention of the group.

The Fatty asked, "Han Chong, what are you doing? Casting a spell? I didn't realize you had that talent?"

Han Chong ignored the Fatty, concentrating intensely on his recitation.

Ma Xiong also grew curious, "Han Chong, what spell are you reciting? Is it a curse to send someone to the eighteenth level of hell after death, then flay their skin, pull out their tendons, fry them in boiling oil, slice their ribs, and finally finish with a massive slaughter?"

Lu Zong hushed the others, "Shh, don't talk. Han Chong must have his reasons for doing this. Let's be quiet and absolutely do not interrupt her. We’ll know the answer soon enough. What he’s reciting now isn't a curse; it's reciting our very lives."

Finally, under everyone's expectant gaze, Han Chong lowered his hands. Everyone crowded around, asking eagerly, "Han Chong, what were you muttering? What spell was that? Tell us!"

Han Chong immediately blushed, looking at everyone with embarrassment.