Ge Mei immediately snatched the blindfold from his eyes, turning with a startled expression toward Old Qian’s lecherous face.

As if anticipating the move, Old Qian asked,

"Can you not see my face right now?"

Ge Mei paused, then stared intently, realizing with a shock that he absolutely could not discern the faces of anyone standing just a few feet away!

Simultaneously, Old Qian’s question prompted Ma Xiong to search as well, but like Ge Mei, he could see no faces belonging to the others!

"Now, listen to me..." Old Qian's voice drifted back, seeming to come from a great distance...

"Bite your tongue..."

Ge Mei’s nearly shattered spirit could barely endure it, yet he obeyed, biting down hard on his tongue—a jolt of pain instantly flooded his body. His mind snapped completely clear. Almost simultaneously, he realized he could see Old Qian’s face, and the faces of everyone else as well—but to his astonishment, Ma Xiong’s eyes were shut tight!

Smack!

Ge Mei watched as Old Qian delivered a heavy slap across Ma Xiong's face. Ma Xiong yelped with a start, immediately snapping his eyes open.

"Whoa!"

Ma Xiong cried out, shivering violently, then cursed, "Damn you, who hit me!"

Smack!

Old Qian landed another timely slap. "You..."

Ma Xiong started to move aggressively, then suddenly realized what he was doing, and where he was...

"What the hell?"

He asked immediately, his eyes darting suspiciously across everyone's faces. But after only a moment, he seemed only partially awake,

"Erguotou..."

He mumbled, "Feels like I drank way too much Erguotou..."

"Don't say another word!"

Old Qian interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over the candles held by everyone.

"Under no circumstances are you to close your eyes. If you feel anything is wrong, bite your tongue immediately!"

Having finished speaking, he took the rope that had been binding Ge Mei and wrapped it several times around his ankles, securing his feet completely. Ge Mei dared not resist, feeling that he now had to obey Old Qian in everything. "I won't tie your hands..."

After securing Ge Mei’s feet, Old Qian re-blindfolded him and said, "Remember, grip the rope in your hand. When we pull, you pull hard to drag us back. No matter what you hear, it’s all false. Understand?"

Ge Mei nodded frantically.

"Good..."

Old Qian nodded, then turned to Ma Xiong. "Now, you grab this rope and follow me..."

As he spoke, he had already turned away. Ma Xiong moved to stand behind him, reaching out to grasp the rope Old Qian offered. He had completely lost any thought of getting rich now; his only desire was to escape this unbearable environment as quickly as possible—Ma Xiong had glanced down and discovered that the grave tunnel they had entered through had vanished into thin air. Moreover, he felt a sensation that the space surrounding them was growing increasingly vast, while he himself was shrinking. He had never experienced this feeling in reality, yet it resembled being utterly alone in a dreamscape with nothing around him. Waking from such dreams usually brought fear, and this felt even more real than a dream. Ma Xiong and the others were gripped by a numbness, a sense that they controlled nothing. However, the occasional tongue bite truly did bring a moment of clarity.

Old Qian held tight to the coil of rope tethered to Ge Mei; now this single rope connected the three of them.

Old Qian, ensuring the two behind him were secure, located his bearing according to the plan and prepared to take the first step forward.

At this moment, aside from a faint halo surrounding them, the rest of the tomb chamber was pitch black; Old Qian and the others couldn't even clearly see the ground beneath their feet. Therefore, looking for direction was entirely impossible.

But Old Qian possessed an alternative method.

This method was an extremely crucial part of the entire plan, something he had heard from others. The instruction was clear: Old Qian was to sense the pressure around him; when the pressure from one direction felt greatest, he was to walk toward it.

Someone had told Old Qian: "This is extremely difficult, but it is the key step. You cannot walk wrong, and in principle, you won't, because we are certain that once you enter the ancient tomb, you will instantly feel the pressure and easily distinguish which direction it intensifies from. The hardest part, therefore, is stepping into that pressure, but you must step toward the pressure to successfully reach the destination."

Old Qian could hardly fathom that tomb raiding required such incomprehensible actions, yet at this very moment, he distinctly felt pressure emanating from one side—an indescribable sensation, unlike fear, unlike anything else; it was simply the feeling that he could walk in any direction except that one. Old Qian hesitated immediately.

But Old Qian was a man of incredibly strong willpower. He paused only briefly before finally taking a step forward. Under immense pressure, Ma Xiong followed Old Qian’s lead. They advanced step by laborious step. Fortunately, the surrounding atmosphere and environment were constantly changing; with every step forward, the pressure they felt lessened slightly.

Old Qian controlled the coil of rope, letting out a loop with every pace. Ma Xiong understood immediately: this rope was their path back!

After walking a certain distance this way, all surrounding pressure suddenly vanished entirely!

The darkness surrounding them simultaneously lifted, and they could see each other’s faces again!

Ma Xiong felt a coppery sweetness in his mouth and spat abruptly onto the ground, unaware that it was blood. Inadvertently, he had bitten his own tongue, filling his mouth with blood! But he didn't realize what he was spitting out was blood, nor did he dwell on it, simply observing everything around him with curiosity.

Old Qian stopped walking and surveyed the surroundings. He realized they were now in a passageway. It wasn't very wide or tall, just a typical corridor. They noticed their hands held brighter lights, illuminating rows of bricks on the walls—a very ordinary passage within an ancient tomb! Old Qian then realized they hadn't traveled very far; he could see Ge Mei standing at the other end of the corridor, seemingly near a side chamber, and he could even see the grave tunnel they had entered through right by Ge Mei’s feet. Ge Mei stood motionless, holding his candle like a wooden post.

Old Qian passed the candle he held in his right hand to Ma Xiong but did not release the coil of rope in his left. With one hand, he pulled the floor plan from his pocket, studied it briefly, and tucked it away again, while his mind raced, calculating whether those last few steps had been correct and what the next move should be.

Ma Xiong stopped surveying the area; he noticed the entrance tunnel had reappeared, which eased his mind considerably. He looked toward Old Qian, waiting to see what the elder would do next.

Old Qian, meanwhile, decided it was time for an experiment.

"Ge Mei, can you hear me?"

He shouted suddenly, startling Ma Xiong, then turned back toward Ge Mei.

"I hear you!"

They heard Ge Mei reply, his voice echoing down the passage. Old Qian nodded.

"Stay right there. No matter what you hear, do not remove the blindfold, and absolutely do not move. When we pull the rope later, you pull us back!"

"Got it!"

Ge Mei shouted back in confirmation.

Only then did Old Qian turn around, taking the candle back from Ma Xiong. "Let's go!"

The direction now was clear: follow the corridor straight ahead.

After walking only a moderate distance, the feeling of pressure suddenly reappeared, and Old Qian instantly stopped. Ma Xiong, thinking that sensation was gone for good, bit his tongue the moment the pressure returned.

The surroundings suddenly plunged back into darkness, and quickly, they could barely see each other's faces again.

"Fall back!" Old Qian commanded, pushing Ma Xiong back two steps.

The pressure instantly vanished.

"We need to leave one person here!"

Old Qian spoke while already beginning to tie the rope around Ma Xiong’s waist. Although Ma Xiong was prepared mentally, he was still startled. It was only now he understood why three people needed to enter; one less would have made it impossible. This person was their return beacon. As long as one rope connected the three individuals, and one person was left at every coordinate from the start to the destination, they would never lose their bearings in the tomb.

Ma Xiong sighed and covered his own eyes with the cloth.

"You don't need to tie my feet..."

He said, "I won't run off..."

"I can't tie your feet..."

Old Qian interrupted him. "When you feel us pulling the rope, you need to grab Ge Mei’s rope and run toward him. That’s how you’ll pull us out—do you understand?"

Ma Xiong nodded repeatedly.

"Keep the candle held high..."

Old Qian continued his instructions. "Even though you’re blindfolded, you can still see the candle's light. The moment the candle goes out, grab Ge Mei's rope and pull our rope—pull immediately!"

Ma Xiong nodded again, but suddenly remembered something. "But what if Ge Mei's candle goes out? You didn't tell him..."

"His candle won't go out!"

Old Qian cut him off. "Even if it does, it doesn't matter. What matters is your position here... and your position shortly!" He said this last phrase while turning his head, seemingly speaking to someone else.

Ma Xiong didn't know who he was talking to, but finally nodded. He decided it was better not to ask; as long as he listened to this old man, he would get out.

"The two of us will continue walking now!"

This time, Old Qian said it again. Ma Xiong was even more bewildered. What did "the two of us" mean? Did it mean he was supposed to walk with Old Qian? No, his feet were bound; how could he walk? Who was Old Qian speaking to? He looked at Old Qian with genuine confusion.

Old Qian, whose expression had been solemn throughout, glanced at Ma Xiong, as if holding the key to success within his own mind. He looked at Ma Xiong again, perhaps to offer encouragement, and then looked at him clearly, stating, "The two of us are starting to walk now."

Saying this, he walked away without looking back, leaving the stunned Ma Xiong behind.