Andre was clearly surprised, saying, "I have a certain understanding of the development of the Wei Kingdom in China, but I have never heard of the Liang family."

I was immediately confused because what Andre said was the complete opposite of what Liang Qian said. I truly couldn't be sure who was telling the truth.

So, I joked, "It seems this miserable nation of Wei is quite the hot commodity; everyone is scrambling to claim descent from the Wei people."

Liang Qian shot me a look; clearly, she was in no mood for jokes right then.

I coughed awkwardly a couple of times and said, "It seems that to figure out what's really going on, we must start by investigating the Wei King's sarcophagus in Heilongou. As soon as we know who that man in the coffin was, we'll know everything, because he looks so much like you. It would be unbelievable if he weren't your ancestor."

Liang Qian nodded and replied, "But the ruins in Heilongou are destroyed; we have nowhere to start."

I suddenly recalled the scene where the burning Wei King's remains lunged toward Liang Qian, so I asked her what she felt at that moment.

Liang Qian’s answer was that she was in a semi-conscious, semi-awake state. In her haze, she only heard someone calling her name, then a flash of fire lit up before her eyes, and she felt an inexplicable sorrow that brought tears to her eyes. She never saw what the fiery figure looked like from beginning to end.

I then asked her, "When you woke up, you said it was too late; what exactly was too late?"

Liang Qian paused to recall and said, "You don't need to overthink it. I actually knew long ago that Heilongou was the burial place of my ancestors because it was mentioned in the family genealogy. The Wei people have always been a mysterious race, and I was extremely curious about my ancestors.

"So, in order to obtain crucial data about the Wei Kingdom, I once entered that place. That time, because of the bizarre maze and the monsters within it, I almost couldn't get out; I was nearly trapped to death inside. However, that entry into the ruins wasn't entirely fruitless. I unintentionally reached the bottom of an underground lake. There was a secret chamber constructed entirely of crystal. The door to that chamber connected to the corridors of the maze. The four walls—up, forward, left, and right—were all surrounded by lake water, but beneath my feet was a stretch of red light."

Pausing again, Liang Qian continued, "In the center of the chamber sat a crystal coffin. The base of the crystal coffin merged seamlessly with the floor. Inside was a completely transparent corpse, yet the meridians within the body were vividly visible, and a blue, glowing fluid flowed inside. I exerted immense effort but couldn't open the crystal coffin. Moreover, upon exiting the chamber door, no matter how far I walked along the corridor, I would always return to the secret room."

"I was trapped in that chamber for a full seven days, and I almost ran out of all my food. It was then that I noticed a strange phenomenon: the floor was getting hotter and hotter. The red light beneath the crystal floor was drawing closer to me. I knew that was a sign of the underlying magma layer becoming active, possibly related to the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan. Estimating the timeframe, I realized that within six months, the entire ruin would be destroyed by a volcanic eruption."

"Later, on the verge of death, I re-entered the secret passage. Perhaps due to luck, I actually found my way out. In the months after emerging from the mountains, I was preparing for another chance to enter the ruins. But going in alone was far too dangerous, so I contacted a professional tomb-robbing team—Old Huang and his crew."

"At the time, I didn't know the specific identities of Old Huang and his team, only that they possessed extremely rich experience in excavation. I promised them I only needed information about my ancestors from the ruins; they could take all the treasure they found."

"Unexpectedly, that Old Huang was even shrewder than I was. He anticipated danger within the ruins, so using his extensive network across China, he contacted an investigation team, informing them of the discovery of the Wei Kingdom ruins. Indeed, the investigation team soon sent people to conduct an on-site survey..."

Hearing this, I clenched my fist and said, "Old Huang is truly an old fox. The investigation team goes in first, and all the mechanisms and 'zongzi' [mummies] are discovered for them. Then, they move in afterward, using force to threaten the investigation team into handing over all the treasure—what a classic case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

"And I finally understand why Grandpa suddenly decided to go investigate Heilongou—it was a tip-off from Old Huang!"

Liang Qian sighed and said, "All of this stems from me; you don't blame me, do you?"

I shook my head and replied, "All of this was predestined; I just didn't expect that behind the oriole, there was an eagle. Xie Yuting also entered the ruins at the same moment to stop Grandpa. Furthermore, Grandpa’s seemingly rushed entry into the Heilongou ruins had already laid out a grand strategy, which was also something I hadn't anticipated."

Liang Qian stated, "Comparing Xie Yuting to an eagle, that doesn't seem quite right, because the eagle behind the scenes is actually your grandfather. Despite everything that has happened, the plan is still following the route he prearranged."

I nodded and said, "You still haven't told me what you meant by 'it was too late' back then."

Liang Qian said, "After re-entering the Heilongou ruins, I found the geothermal activity was even more intense. Remember the incident where water leaked inside the cave where you were? That was a manifestation of geothermal movement. That’s why I said it was too late—because the mountain collapse was imminent, and those precious documents would be buried within the mountain. At that moment, I only wanted to reach the secret chamber with the crystal coffin as quickly as possible. I didn't realize the most valuable information had already been obtained by you. However, now that you tell me the content of the Wei King's silk manuscript is false, I am even more suspicious that the true secret place is hidden within the Ghost Eye."

"The Ghost Eye again..." I sighed, saying, "But the Ghost Eye has been sealed; we can't get back in at all."

Liang Qian shook her head and said, "No, the well we saw was not the Ghost Eye; that was merely one entrance into it. The real Ghost Eye is deep underground, and there are many entry points to it, including the Lop Nur sinkhole."

Hearing her speak with such conviction, I asked, "How do you know that?"

Liang Qian took out a yellowed piece of paper from her pocket and said, "Do you remember this? Xie Yuting took half, and I kept the other half. This piece I possess contains this very information."

I looked at the yellow paper in her hand. I still couldn't recognize the distorted script, and I figured Liang Qian wouldn't lie to me.