Xiaobai shot me a look and said, "What's wrong? You don't want to? The bugs we have in Yierheizi are carefully cultivated, high-grade space insects. They are extremely rich in protein—you wouldn't even get the chance to eat them usually! Besides, don't humans really like eating insects?"

I froze for a moment, suddenly recalling that the spatial rift here connected to the Yunnan region, and people from Yunnan indeed had a reputation for enjoying insects.

It seemed the only human society Xiaobai had encountered was likely confined to that area of Yunnan, which is how she reached the conclusion that we humans generally enjoyed eating bugs.

But even if we were to eat them, we wouldn't eat them raw.

So I said to Xiaobai, "The insects can be eaten, but could you please roast them first?"

Xiaobai shook her head and replied, "No, boyfriend. Once the bugs die, they lose their efficacy."

I was speechless for a moment. I looked at the beetle in the jar, which was larger than a common dung beetle, and a chill prickled the hairs on the back of my neck.

However, in order to open the coffin and solve the mystery, I swallowed hard and said, "Fine, tell me what to do then."

Xiaobai seemed quite satisfied with my attempt to keep my composure and said, "First, we need to link two of the insects together so they can exchange information with each other. Then, we eat one of them, and the other one will project what it sees directly into our minds."

The scenario she described sounded strangely familiar, so I interrupted her, saying, "Wait a minute!"

Xiaobai paused, looking puzzled. "What's gotten into you now, boyfriend?"

I straightened up and clarified, "What you're describing, doesn't that exist in the Gu arts of Yunnan as well? I remember my second aunt used snakes to cast a similar kind of Gu magic, allowing animals to act as her eyes and ears."

Xiaobai frowned and said, "I suspect that the Gu arts among your people originated from us in Yierheizi. The people from our planet taught your ancestors quite a few things back then."

I asked, "Then, was there one among your ancestors named Chiyou?"

Xiaobai thought for a moment and replied, "I wouldn't know about that. But if this Gu magic was indeed invented by that person, then it's quite possible they were one of us Yierheizi."

Hearing her say that made me increasingly believe it was possible. I might have stumbled unintentionally into the treasure trove of Gu sorcery—perhaps the very origin of all such arts. If I could bring back one or two of the plants or insects here, it would surely send my second aunt and cousin into fits of joy.

The thought brought a sudden pang of sorrow; it seemed I might never have the chance to call my cousin and second aunt that again.

Xiaobai reminded me at that moment, "Alright, we can research the Gu arts later. The crucial thing now is to open the coffin."

I nodded and looked again at the beetles inside the jar. They were much livelier than before and had started circling the bottom of the container.

And their eyesight was truly incredible; when I leaned my face close to the jar, they all recoiled and bunched together.

These beetles resembled scarabs in appearance, but their hind legs were more developed, and their eyes were enormous, round, and surprisingly cute—a match for mealworms in appeal.

Seeing them like this, I asked Xiaobai again, "Do we really have to eat them? And alive?"

Xiaobai grinned mischievously. "Just kidding! Eating them won't do any good. But you might have to suffer a bit, because I need the insect to bite you hard."

My face instantly brightened. "You have no idea! I've been studying biology since I was a kid. I've been bitten by insects countless times—spiders, centipedes, even cobras and Black Widows, I've tried them all, and I'm still alive. Being bitten by an insect is a million times better than eating a live one."

Xiaobai shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. Now, take the insects out of the jar one by one and release them."

I was once again confused by what Xiaobai was saying and asked, "Release them? Why let them go after all the trouble we took to catch them? I don't have a second flash-bang grenade."

Xiaobai patted my shoulder and said, "The insects of Yierheizi are more devoted than your Earthlings. Don't worry. If you let all but one go, the remaining one will be joined by its partner, because they always move in pairs. As long as we capture this pair, we succeed."

I asked skeptically, "Is it really that miraculous?"

Xiaobai nodded. "Of course. Try it if you don't believe me."

I nodded and said, "Okay..."

As I spoke, I opened the lid of the jar and poured all the beetles out in one go.

At that moment, Xiaobai exclaimed in exasperation, "Why did you let them all go! You were supposed to leave one!"

Watching the beetles fly rapidly away, I spread my hands with satisfaction and said, "Just kidding! I kept one!"

When Xiaobai saw the single beetle I held tightly in my hand, she slapped her chest in relief.

After catching her breath, she scolded, "You primitive alien from a lower civilization! How dare you trick me!"

I frowned and said, "Hey, that's how you talk to your boyfriend!"

Xiaobai froze, then her face flushed rapidly, and she said coyly, "You finally admitted it?"

I realized I had misspoke and stammered, "No!... I, I meant..."

Xiaobai pointed to her lips and said, "I know you're shy. I see that you humans start with kissing too. It happens naturally after kissing. Come on!"

I swallowed hard and said, "No, no, we shouldn't do that right now. Let's open the coffin first. Where is that one insect you mentioned? Why did they all fly away?"

Xiaobai huffed, feeling her effort wasted. "If you don't want to kiss, fine. That insect will fly back soon enough."

She was right. Soon, I noticed one insect circling above my head, emitting a low buzz.

I hadn't expected these bugs to fly so fast; I could barely track their trajectory. Without the flash-bang grenade, I probably never would have caught one.

I slightly parted the fingers of my hand, and the beetle in my palm immediately became agitated, apparently sensing its mate nearby and struggling to break free.

The one in the air also sensed the trapped beetle’s presence and suddenly dropped onto the back of my hand, which had taken on a woody texture.

At that instant, Xiaobai, with quick eyes and hands, snatched the beetle that had landed on my hand.

Simultaneously, the beetle in my palm seemed to realize its partner had been caught and went frantic, biting down hard into my palm.

I cried out, "It bit me! It bit me!"

Xiaobai understood and immediately pushed the beetle she held through one of the air holes in the coffin.

No matter how smart the insect, it was still just an insect. After entering the coffin, it didn't fly back out the way it came; instead, it started bumping around inside, which suited my purpose perfectly.

Xiaobai was right. As the insect bit my palm, a blurry shadow—like TV static when a channel goes off—suddenly appeared before my eyes, showing scenes from other frequencies.

Now, this scene was growing clearer, gradually overriding my normal vision.

Frankly, the compound eyes of this insect were miraculous. Although the entire image was black and white, it could somehow capture all directions—front, back, left, and right—like a three-dimensional surveillance monitor equipped with omnidirectional cameras.

You truly couldn't imagine the bizarre sensation of being able to see things happening behind your own head.

This feeling of strange excitement lasted for two seconds before I was stunned by something else the insect saw inside.

Indeed, there was a corpse lying inside the coffin. The body hadn't decayed; its muscles and other parts were still plump. Its clothing was very strange, appearing to be made of tree bark—a rough, greenish-blue material.

The corpse's limbs were stiff, and its skin was ashen white, typical coloration for a thousand-year-old "zongzi" (mummified corpse), the kind that might spring up the moment the coffin was opened.

But it wasn't certain it was dead, as there were many ice blocks scattered around the body, emitting wisps of cold air.

These ice blocks had fused together over the millennia into a single mass. And perhaps the material of the inner coffin differed from the outer one; it possessed a white luster and seemed inherently cold, possibly being the legendary ice-jade material.

At this point, Xiaobai nudged me with curiosity. "Well! Is there a person inside?"

I nodded. "Yes, there is a person."

Xiaobai asked again, "Is it alive or dead, or what you call a living dead?"

I shook my head. "I can't tell yet, as I can't see any breathing. He's wrapped in something resembling bark."

Xiaobai inquired further, "What kind of bark? Is it the same kind you have?"

I shuddered internally. Could this individual actually be the same species as me?

Just as I was thinking this, the beetle, in its frantic movements, bumped near the ancient corpse's hands.

At that moment, I saw that clutched in the hands of the supine ancient corpse was a carving made of black jade.

The black jade was semi-translucent, likely a rare, precious black jade. The carving depicted a beast resembling a Suanni, resting prone on the jade block, facing upward. Its two eyes emitted a faint green fluorescence, seemingly alive and glowing with shifting light.

As I watched in amazement, the light in the Suanni’s eyes suddenly fixed onto the beetle, and the light slowly intensified.

The beetle seemed unaffected, merely crawling a short distance on the wall after tiring from flying.

The light from the Suanni’s eyes remained locked on the insect, though its purpose was unclear.

And just then, the image before my eyes flickered, and a man's voice entered my brain.

He must have found the mental link between the insect and me, allowing him to project directly into my mind.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.