Old Qian nodded, saying, "Yes, that's what I was thinking too. But I'm not joking with you now. Do you remember the fox spirit in Journey to the West? She also lived in a cave, didn't she? Right on the route to the West, past the Himalayas—that fox spirit lived inside that very mountain range. We are currently inside the belly of the Himalayas, so there's a strong possibility this cave is the fox spirit's lair. What do you think we should do?"

Ma Xiong gritted his teeth and snarled, "I know exactly what to do. Drag that fox spirit out! I'll take him on myself. I refuse to believe I can't handle him." He finished speaking, casting a fierce, teeth-grinding glare at the others.

Before he could say another word, they heard a dull thud, as if the coffin had just shuddered. The sound made their nerves visibly jump. Unsure what had made the noise, they all paused to consider it, their attention quickly snapping to the coffin. If their guess was correct, the sound had come from there. They hurried over to the coffin and peered inside. Indeed, they discovered that one corner of the coffin seemed to have shifted by a few millimeters.

Ma Xiong's voice trembled as he asked, "Hey, what does this mean? Why would the coffin move?" He then looked at Old Qian with a pleading gaze, hoping the elder could conjure a reason to soothe his bruised spirit.

Old Qian chuckled softly. "Have you forgotten why we came here? Heh. Think carefully."

Suddenly, Ma Xiong roared in surprise, "Lu Zong! You mean Lu Zong? Are you suggesting Lu Zong is lying in this very coffin? No way, that’s ridiculous! Why would Lu Zong always be lying in a coffin?"

Old Qian shook his head. "Yes, I feel it's highly likely. Otherwise, how would we have ended up in this place by sheer coincidence? We were probably summoned here by Lu Zong's very thoughts. Have you forgotten our special abilities? Lu Zong’s thoughts must have been too intense, pulling us here—a kind of psychic resonance, perhaps."

Ma Xiong nodded, conceding that Old Qian’s logic held weight. Since they were brought to this place, there must be a reason for it; they hadn't arrived without cause. He walked up to the coffin and called out, "Hey, Lu Zong, are you in there? If you are, give us a sound. We’ve been waiting here so painstakingly long."

There was absolutely no reply from within, only a deathly silence. Unwilling to give up, Ma Xiong shouted again, "Hey! Is anyone inside? If someone is there, please answer! Okay?" Ge Mei, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up, calling out "Lu Zong! Lu Zong!" Her voice was already growing hoarse from lack of water, sounding strained, almost like weeping. When a woman cries out like that, it can sound almost like a banshee’s wail, which is why it sounded so eerie.

Ma Xiong shuddered violently from fright.

Seeing them shout fruitlessly for so long and fearing they would strain their throats raw, Old Qian quickly intervened. "Stop shouting, both of you! No one in here is going to answer you. The sound in this room just bounces around; it won't penetrate that coffin. That thing is sealed tight. We should just watch quietly for now."

Ma Xiong immediately bristled with anger. "That won't do! My brother is trapped inside! How can I just stand around uselessly? I'm not as heartless as you!"

Old Qian promptly cursed back, "Damn it, if you’re not going to stand there like an idiot, then sit down! Come over here and look at what the hell is drawn on this thing. I’m getting a strange feeling."

Saying this, he gestured for Ma Xiong and the others to come closer and examine whatever it was.

Finally, they saw it: the coffin lid was covered in dense, crude drawings. Though called drawings, they were merely sketches outlined with a few simple lines, depicting incomprehensible shapes.

Ma Xiong asked curiously, "Old Qian, do you know what these things are? Why would someone draw them here?"

Old Qian hissed softly at him, then motioned for him to look closely. Ma Xiong observed the images carefully and realized the pictures seemed to flow together, conveying a single message, perhaps illustrating an event—likely declaring the identity of the tomb's occupant. Immediately interested in knowing who was buried here, Ma Xiong studied the images intensely and then asked, "Old Qian, can you tell me what these few pictures mean?"

Old Qian coughed, paused for a moment in thought, and then began his explanation. Ge Mei abandoned her own speculations and stood nearby, listening intently to Old Qian interpret the pictures.

Old Qian said, "If you look closely, you’ll find the meaning is quite simple. Despite the crude execution, a careful inspection reveals they clearly state the occupant's identity." He coughed again, cleared his throat, and began his formal analysis.

"Look at the first picture. He is directing a crowd to scatter, appearing as a leader. Yet, there is no visible anomaly around them, and he is commanding them to disperse as if afflicted by madness. What does this imply? It suggests this person had sensed something deeply irregular."

"Now look at the second picture. The crowd has dispersed; everyone is gone. We can see the very last person hurrying away—the owner of this tomb, in fact. This indicates the scattering just occurred. And precisely at that moment, an earthquake strikes; all the trees and buildings collapse, confirming this person’s prior assumption was correct. Then, look at what follows: he leads the people to rebuild their homes, and they live happily together. Later, he foresees another danger and once again directs the crowd to fight against this threat, leading them to reestablish their former glory. What does this tell you? Do you understand now?"

Ma Xiong shook his head. "Are you saying the tomb owner isn't the fox spirit? I’m a little disappointed."

Ge Mei let out a sudden laugh and chided, "You really are hopeless! I suspect this person simply possessed some sort of foresight ability."

Old Qian nodded. "Ge Mei is correct. This person definitely had the ability to predict the future." He stroked his beard and continued to smile strangely. Seeing his unsettling grin, Ma Xiong asked, "Since he could foresee things, see if he predicted our arrival! Look to see if there are images of two men and one woman showing up here."

Old Qian stroked his beard, moved to the end of the series of pictures, and his expression abruptly changed. He exclaimed in surprise, "Well, I'll be damned! There actually is a picture predicting our arrival! But it seems to show three men and one woman—wait, there appears to be one extra person."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiong’s face instantly sobered. How could he believe an ancient person could know of their coming? How could the prediction be so accurate? He rushed over to look, only to find exactly what Old Qian described carved on the surface.

He was shocked. He hadn't believed that a power called 'precognition' truly existed in the world. He looked at the carving with a touch of sadness but remained puzzled: why did it depict four people when there were only three of them present now? He leaned in closer and discovered an even more startling detail: there was the outline of a figure drawn in dashed lines. If that faint shadow was included, it meant there should be five people. His mind momentarily short-circuited, and he frantically asked Old Qian what was going on.

Old Qian leaned in even closer, equally astonished, confirming the presence of a figure drawn with dotted lines. Unsure what this represented, he turned back to Ge Mei. "Ge Mei, do you know what this means?"

To Ma Xiong's complete surprise, Ge Mei nodded confidently. Old Qian hurriedly urged her to explain.

Ge Mei stated deliberately, "I believe there are indeed five of us here. And there is one more person whom we cannot see." She paused, then added, "But he is right beside us, watching us the entire time."

At this, Ma Xiong trembled. What Ge Mei said was terrifying. A person they couldn't see—if they couldn't see it, it probably wasn't human. If it wasn't human, it must be...

He dared not follow that thought further, afraid that doing so would terrify him completely. He quickly turned back to Ge Mei. "Do you know what that means? Why is it drawn like that?"

Ge Mei nodded. "It's simple, really. Didn't Old Qian suggest Lu Zong is also present? Add Lu Zong, and that makes four living people, right? But you just said you saw the outline of another person inside [the coffin]. That outline must be the figure drawn in dashed lines. Is there any question about that?" She glanced sidelong at Ma Xiong.

Ma Xiong suddenly had a flash of realization; his brain must have temporarily failed him. Simple arithmetic seemed beyond him moments ago. Ge Mei’s analysis made sense, and his despair lessened. At least he had found evidence that Lu Zong was in this cave, which brought a degree of happiness.

Old Qian noticed the smile spreading across Ma Xiong’s face and asked sternly, "Ma Xiong, what are you smiling about? Come look at this next picture; I guarantee you won't be smiling then." Old Qian fixed Ma Xiong with a severe look. Realizing something was amiss, Ma Xiong quickly approached to see what picture could cause Old Qian’s mood to plummet so drastically.

But when Ma Xiong’s eyes fell upon that particular image, a genuine fear washed over him, and the smile vanished instantly from his face.