A surge of superiority welled up from within, a sense that he possessed a unique function no one else did. He let out a small, secret chuckle.

Suddenly, he felt a chilling draft down his spine. He tried to turn around, but couldn't see behind him at all, because his eyes were fixed in the front. Though this was obviously stating the obvious, saying it out loud might make things clearer and more distinct, so he decided to say it anyway.

Ma Xiong asked Lu Zong, who was beside him, with a hint of worry. Seeing Lu Zong deep in thought, he quickly called out, "Lu Zong, what are you thinking about? Quick, help me look—what is that thing on my back? Help me take it off, it’s so cold."

Before Lu Zong could reply, Ge Mei suddenly shrieked, crying out, "Ah! Ma Xiong, why is there a corpse on your back? A child's corpse! Its body is stiff, the skin is wrinkled, almost the color of an eggplant—ah, no, its eyes! Why do they look like phoenix eyes? They look exactly like a fox’s eyes! Ah, no, is what’s on your back a person, or a fox?"

At this point, Ge Mei’s voice cut off abruptly. Ma Xiong realized Ge Mei must have seen something terrifying. He quickly glanced at Ge Mei, then asked, "Ge Mei, tell us quickly! What did you see?"

Ge Mei stammered, unable to utter a word, his eyes fixed not on Ma Xiong, but straight behind him. Ma Xiong quickly spun around and saw Lu Zong standing there with a look of dejection. Noticing Ma Xiong looking at him, Lu Zong immediately lowered his head in shame, as if he already knew something. His face flushed crimson.

Ma Xiong pressed, "Lu Zong, what did you discover? Tell us quickly! Maybe you can actually help." Lu Zong didn't look up, acting as if he hadn't seen Ma Xiong looking at him. A bizarre thought suddenly struck Ma Xiong: could it be that Lu Zong didn't want him to see was because his eyes were also...?

He dared not pursue the thought further, as he had already encountered enough strange things. He couldn't bear for another incident to happen to his friend. After all, their bond was not ordinary; if something truly happened to Lu Zong, Ma Xiong wouldn't fare well either. His gaze immediately focused on Lu Zong's face, but Lu Zong kept his head bowed, unwilling to let the others see his eyes. Ma Xiong’s suspicion grew heavier, and he said sternly, "Lu Zong, lift your face. Let me see your face, your eyes."

But Lu Zong didn't comply. He merely lifted his head slightly before dropping it again, remaining silent for a long time. Ma Xiong's tone grew sharper, taking on an almost coercive edge. Looking at Lu Zong, he pressed again, "Lu Zong, raise your head and let me see your eyes. I suspect your eyes are also..."

At this moment, Elder Qian suddenly interrupted Ma Xiong. He cleared his throat and gave Ma Xiong a meaningful look. Ma Xiong immediately fell silent and deferred to Elder Qian. Elder Qian spoke kindly, "Lu Zong, no matter what happens, we are a team. As teammates, you should tell us everything you know. Tell us, what are your thoughts on this infant corpse?"

Only then did Lu Zong slowly raise his head. Ma Xiong and Ge Mei were nearly holding their breath, worried that what they saw would indeed be Lu Zong's eyes, not a pair of fox eyes. But if the worst possibility were true, what then? He scratched his head in annoyance, looking at the still figure of Lu Zong. Ma Xiong’s suspicion of Lu Zong intensified. His hands slowly slipped into his pockets, fingers brushing against the handle of the long-unused sharp knife. His palms grew sweaty with tension. He was ready: if Lu Zong attacked, he would defend himself—it would be self-defense, surely.

Things did not escalate as badly as feared. Lu Zong did not attack them. Instead, he obediently and slowly raised his head to look at the three of them. Ma Xiong and the others let out a deep sigh of relief when they saw that Lu Zong’s eyes were normal. However, his next words stunned everyone. He looked at Ma Xiong's back and said, "Come on, hurry up and help get the body off Ma Xiong’s back. I have something to say."

Having heard the elder's earlier explanation, they now generally understood the nature of this 'wish fulfillment' situation. Thus, they naturally concluded that the jar turning into a corpse was merely a collective illusion. They wondered which bastard had imagined the jar as a child's corpse—it was so malicious! They recalled the legend that if a child's corpse clung to one's back, that person could never have children again for life. A wave of distress passed over them. But it was just a legend, after all, and hardly anyone believed such old tales. They quickly set aside the thought and diligently, with everyone's help, slowly removed the desiccated corpse from Ma Xiong’s back, placing it carefully on the ground. Ma Xiong cursed with prejudice, "Damn it, which bastard has such a vivid imagination to conjure up such an ugly, terrifying dried corpse, and have it clinging to my back? So, the first jar-head must have also been his hallucination. Damn it, he almost killed me, lucky I’m tough."

Lu Zong lowered his head guiltily, remaining silent for a long time. It seemed the true culprit had been found. Although Ma Xiong was boiling with anger, he suppressed it for now; in this situation, no one could afford to let the atmosphere turn stagnant, or the consequences would be unthinkable.

Ma Xiong softened his tone slightly and said, "Lu Zong, didn't you say you had something to tell us after we got the corpse off? Tell us, what exactly happened?"

Lu Zong coughed and first offered a solemn apology to everyone: "What I want to say first is that the jar-head and the subsequent infant corpse were things I conjured. However, I didn't intend for the corpse to appear on Ma Xiong's back. I merely thought it would be fitting if the jar landed on some unlucky soul's head, but it ended up manifesting on Ma Xiong."

Ma Xiong was dumbfounded. Hearing Lu Zong say this filled him with immediate anger. Indeed, whenever he was with this kid, bad luck followed. It happened on the battlefield, and now it was happening here too. Ah, he had truly learned the extent of Lu Zong’s misfortune. But so be it; he was unlucky to know him. Lu Zong should just continue; his own bad luck was already established.

Seeing that Ma Xiong had finally accepted the situation, Lu Zong excitedly continued, "In fact, did you know that everything you just saw, I have seen before?"

The moment Lu Zong said this, Ma Xiong jumped. Lu Zong had seen it? Where? How was that possible? He had followed Lu Zong closely since they entered; if Lu Zong had seen it, he must have seen it too. So why hadn't he? Perhaps he saw it when he was outside? Thinking about Lu Zong working at the museum, it was somewhat plausible; museums are full of bizarre artifacts, so seeing a corpse wouldn't be that strange. It was just that the jar-head was completely incomprehensible—it was a head, so how could it look like a jar? And what about the corpse with fox eyes?

These strange revelations left Elder Qian gaping, staring curiously at Lu Zong, waiting for an answer. His mouth hung open, the muscles around his nose clearly bunched together, giving him a dazed look, because even he was perplexed—how could Lu Zong have seen these things when he, having been here for so long, hadn't?

Lu Zong said, "Do you remember when we first entered, in one of the hidden compartments of Cao Mu? We saw many coffins, one of which was placed outside. I went to look at it then, and you all remember how terrified I looked, right?"

Since only Ma Xiong and Lu Zong had been present at that site, Ma Xiong quickly nodded. "You mean the coffin that Fatty burned? I remember, I remember! I was wondering what was inside. Yes, tell us, what was in there?"

Lu Zong spoke with a tremor, "I saw an infant corpse lying inside. And the infant’s eyes... they were a pair of fox eyes. The worst part was, I saw it wink at me. I was so scared then that I lost my senses, so I couldn't see very clearly. But when I calmed down and looked again, I saw it perfectly clearly this time. Do you know what I saw then?"

The others shook their heads, answering in unison, "No."

Lu Zong’s voice still sounded terrifying; the experiences he had gone through were still vividly etched in his memory. He continued slowly, "Later, I saw the infant’s eyes suddenly change into normal human eyes, and its mouth curved into a smile at me."

Goosebumps rose all over the listeners. Hearing Lu Zong say this made everyone overly sensitive. Could something so ancient—a corpse over a thousand years old—actually smile and change its eyes so quickly? Ge Mei, especially, shook her head, saying, "I don't believe it! I don't believe it, how could it be so bizarre?"

Lu Zong, however, ignored Ge Mei and continued, "Actually, the scariest part is yet to come. Do you still want to hear it?" Ma Xiong and the others nodded eagerly: "Yes, yes! Hurry up and tell us what else you discovered?"

Lu Zong shook his head again, looking helpless. "If I tell you, whether you believe me or not, don't argue with me, because even now, thinking about it gives me the chills."