Zhou Huan had previously given Long Sheng a copy of the Quran, along with a summary of its contents. He hadn't found the time to sit down and have a proper discussion with Long Sheng until now. Deciding to seek him out the next day, that evening, Yang Xiaoling, Wang Xiaohe, and Zhou Huan slept together...

The sun began to rise, and the chill outside had condensed the moisture clinging to the windowpanes. It was clear the weather was turning truly cold; winter was not far off.

"Dongzi, you're coming with me today. Everyone else, stick to your own tasks. If Xiaohe is free, tell her to head to the tomb chamber and help Mr. Wang oversee the reconstruction," Zhou Huan called out as he headed downstairs.

Dongzi, with an apron tied around his waist and a green radish stuck in his mouth, hurried and scurried over when he heard Zhou Huan call: "Brother, what's the matter today?"

"Don't ask, just come with me. Bring some food; I haven't eaten yet." As Zhou Huan spoke, he walked toward the door. Dongzi hastily rushed back inside, stuffed a pile of food into his bag, and ran out after Zhou Huan. He then paused at the doorway, poking his head back in: "Senior brothers, sisters-in-law, the food is ready in the kitchen; help yourselves. I'm heading out!"

Zhou Huan and Dongzi got into the car and drove towards the dormitory where the archaeology team was staying. The road was quite busy; since it was the weekend, everyone with free time was cruising the main avenue.

"Brother, I had a new realization yesterday!" Lately, something had changed in Dongzi. He had become genuinely more eager to learn, perhaps since acquiring the big radish, as if a sense of responsibility had settled upon him—he couldn't afford not to study.

Driving, Zhou Huan was naturally pleased to see Dongzi's current dedication. He merely offered a slight smile, without any intention of mockery. However, Dongzi mistook the smile as ridicule. Before Zhou Huan could speak, Dongzi confronted him directly and very seriously: "Brother, you don't believe Dongzi?"

"I believe you, why wouldn't I? I smiled just now because I'm happy seeing how hard you're trying now. Why would I laugh at you?" Zhou Huan clarified.

Dongzi then laughed with the innocence of a child: "That’s my brother! I’m telling you, last night while I was in the formation, I felt a surge of qi inside my body pressing hard against my Baihui acupoint, just unable to break through. If it could break through, I feel like my entire body would be so incredibly comfortable."

"That wouldn't be comfort; that means you've advanced your internal power another level, proving your cultivation has reached a point of necessary transformation. The only issue is you haven't found the correct method to break through yet. Don't worry, when time permits, I'll tell you how to break through." Zhou Huan knew Dongzi's internal power level was only just beginning to hint at Zhenqi (True Qi), needing one more push to utilize the unique Ghost-Subduing Qi that Zhou Huan's master's disciples possessed.

Dongzi nodded happily. After passing a traffic light, Zhou Huan steered the car to the archaeology team's lodging. The dormitory was a two-story building, formerly a factory housing unit. After the factory went bankrupt, the housing was sold to the Cultural Relics Protection Bureau, so when these archaeological experts arrived in Andong, they were naturally lodged here. Zhou Huan parked the car, went upstairs, and found Long Sheng.

"Long Sheng is still sleeping in his room. Master Zhou, if it's urgent, I can wake him up for you!" A roommate of Long Sheng, who was also a member of the archaeology team, walked by holding a large basin filled with laundry, ready to wash.

Zhou Huan waved his hand: "No need, I'll find him myself. Don't trouble yourself." With that, Zhou Huan strode off alone, leaving Dongzi at the entrance of the corridor. He entered Long Sheng's room without knocking again. Inside, a large coffee table sat between two beds, piled high with two laptop computers and a mess of disorganized items.

Empty soda cans were strewn beneath the coffee table. Long Sheng’s glasses lay on the headboard, and beneath the glasses were the two books Zhou Huan had given him. The two books looked immaculate, showing no sign of ever being folded. They only had a light layer of dust.

Zhou Huan cautiously approached Long Sheng's bedside and quietly picked up the two books, flipping through them. As he turned the pages, Zhou Huan became increasingly irritated. He had given the young man the books to help look into things, ideally cracking the Persian incantation, but judging by the state of the book, this kid hadn't looked at it much. Suppressing his temper, Zhou Huan shoved Long Sheng awake.

"Hey, you're sleeping soundly! Get up, I have something to tell you!" Zhou Huan said, gently pulling Long Sheng up by the arm.

Long Sheng rubbed his eyes: "What is it? I just went to sleep after midnight last night. Why is Master Zhou looking for me so urgently? I was just about to finish my task after deciphering a few more lines in these two books."

"You say you've read these books?" Zhou Huan found it hard to believe Long Sheng. In Zhou Huan's visions, the translator he saw seemed connected to Long Sheng's family. Zhou Huan already held a poor impression of collaborators, and seeing the chaotic mess of the room, he expected the books to be equally neglected. Yet, both books looked brand new, as if untouched.

Long Sheng nodded repeatedly: "If I didn't read the books, how would I know so much about the Quran?" After saying this, Long Sheng glanced around the room, then looked at his books: "Oh, Master Zhou saw that my books look too new, didn't you?"

Zhou Huan said nothing. Just then, the roommate who had gone out returned: "Long Sheng’s room is messy, but his books are kept as if brand new. If you don't believe me, look in his bookshelf—none of the books have dog-eared pages. I truly admire him."

"Heh, then it seems I, Zhou Huan, misjudged you. I owe you a meal to apologize some other day," Zhou Huan chuckled. He then turned to Long Sheng: "Get up first. I’ll wait for you in the car downstairs. This is critically important; we are running out of time."

Long Sheng felt immense pressure from Zhou Huan's serious expression, making him tense. As soon as Zhou Huan stepped out, Long Sheng followed moments later, clutching the two books, and got into the car.

"Master Zhou, what did you mean just now that we don't have time?" Long Sheng feared supernatural incidents, having personally witnessed and heard all the strange events that had occurred at the excavation site over the past two days.

Zhou Huan’s expression was grave: "Here is the situation: this Persian script is the main catalyst for the Crimson Moon phenomenon. Furthermore, I had an exchange with the owner of this curse recently. He said if we retrieve what he wants, he will immediately halt the spell. My thinking is this: he gave me three days. I want us to find a way to break the curse ourselves, so we aren't led around by the nose by the curse's owner later."

"Yes, yes. I haven't slept well for two or three consecutive nights. I sleep with the book in my arms every night. I finally discovered an issue. Didn't I mention to you last time that this sentence can have two interpretations? But we can force it into one interpretation. What I mean is, by juxtaposing the words signifying good intent with those signifying malice, the residual meaning left over will be the essence of the curse." After explaining, Long Sheng packed his research report and a stack of materials into his pocket and immediately handed them to Zhou Huan.

Zhou Huan took the materials and saw that it was indeed as Long Sheng described. The Quran spoke of a sentence that bestowed tranquility, but in the Persian incantation, it had been twisted into a curse. Moreover, upon Long Sheng’s thorough investigation of the Persian patterns, he discovered that these markings were exclusively associated with prominent, large-clan families in China during that era. They had hired the most expensive and famous artists to execute the work, and the accompanying characters were done by masters from China.

"Long Sheng, I'm giving you a task: you must figure out the countermeasure to this curse today. If you don't, there will be countless problems later, and things will become extremely difficult," Zhou Huan stressed the urgency to Long Sheng. Then, he had Dongzi place two large yellow banners outside the car. One banner read: 'The Mandate of Heaven Contains Infinite Mysteries.' The second read: 'All Fate is Unintentional.'

Long Sheng suddenly burst into laughter. This outburst wasn't small; what he said to Zhou Huan next made both Zhou Huan and Dongzi laugh so hard they couldn't find their bearings, as Zhou Huan instinctively knew this matter was likely resolved.