At this moment, Yu Feibai picked up the piece of cloth, examined it repeatedly, and couldn't help but shake his head: "Alas, another false alarm. I've gotten something practically useless—tasteless to eat, yet a waste to discard."

"You can't say that; this thing is quite useful."

Elder Hou disagreed with Yu Feibai, stating very seriously, "This blueprint has significant research value. Furthermore, by analyzing the layout of the underground palace, we can discern its characteristics and determine what era this tomb belongs to."

"Oh."

When Yu Feibai heard this, his interest waned even further. He immediately turned back, full of zest to have some tea, only to find Wang Guan still fiddling with the mechanical box. He casually asked, "What are you doing? Aren't you tired of playing with it yet?"

Having already deciphered the mechanism, Yu Feibai was completely uninterested. If the box were his, it would inevitably end up gathering dust on a high shelf. Seeing Wang Guan still messing with it naturally struck him as odd.

"I'm going to show you a little trick."

As he spoke, Wang Guan smiled, slowly restoring the opened mechanical box to its original state, then pressed a finger down, easily defeating the first layer of the mechanism.

"Tch, what's the point of showing off after the fact?" Yu Feibai naturally scoffed.

"Don't rush; the best part is coming up."

As he spoke, Wang Guan solved the second lock and arrived at the third challenge: the chessboard lock. At this point, he held his breath, yet he didn't touch any of the superfluous black and white dots. Instead, to Yu Feibai’s astonishment, he pressed down all the black and white dots representing the chess pieces in the miniature board, leaving only the excess dots untouched.

Click!

In that instant, a miracle occurred. The black and white dots within the chessboard indeed retracted, but instead of revealing dense pinholes, they formed seam-like gaps. Simultaneously, the superfluous dots remained, and several of them actually popped up halfway, looking like tiny pillars standing erect across the board.

"Damn, what happened?"

In a flash, Yu Feibai was dumbfounded, unable to help but exclaim.

"What is it?"

The others were also deeply perplexed, turning back to look, and they too spotted the mechanical box in Wang Guan's hands. At first glance, they hadn't noticed the change in the box, but upon looking closer, they all perceived something amiss.

"How could this be?"

Startled, the others abandoned the underground palace blueprints and crowded around.

"Wang Guan, how did the mechanical box transform like this?" Elder Qian asked with astonishment. However, before Wang Guan could explain, Yu Feibai excitedly interjected, "During the third chessboard lock, he didn't move those extra pieces; instead, he pressed down all the pieces in the game! Then the box changed like this. Damn, there must be a trick, a massive trick he found..."

Yu Feibai shouted excitedly, and the others, influenced by his emotion, naturally became somewhat agitated and expectant. The people present were not fools; they clearly understood that such a change in the box meant there was another possibility.

"Wang Guan, quickly, hurry and solve the rest of the mechanism..."

In his excitement, Yu Feibai didn't forget to urge him on.

Having reached this stage, Wang Guan had no intention of hiding his ability any longer. He carefully manipulated a few of the tiny pillars, still following the cracks in the chessboard to the endpoint, and then pressed them down one by one.

Click!

There was another sharp sound, and the mechanical box opened. Unexpectedly, it didn't open on the top of the box, but cracked open directly at the bottom. Wang Guan quickly flipped the box over, and everyone immediately saw another keyhole.

"A Twin Swans locking system—this is the true Twin Swans! Not only was there a double mechanism set up, but the box contains two distinct storage compartments." At the same time, Elder Hou sighed with amusement and exasperation, "A master craftsman made this mechanical box. The methods used to manipulate people’s expectations are too brilliant, making it impossible to guard against."

The others considered this and deeply agreed.

They had thought that by completely solving the box’s mechanism and obtaining the contents, the task was a resounding success. But who could have predicted that this was only one half of it, with the other half hidden much deeper?

"That's incredible."

Yu Feibai marveled, simultaneously more astonished. "Wang Guan, how did you figure this out?"

"Yeah," the others chimed in, equally curious. After all, even the experienced Elder Hou hadn't realized the box had a double safeguard with a hidden secret inside. So how did Wang Guan know?

"Well..."

Wang Guan scratched his head and deployed his universal excuse: "I just felt something wasn't right, felt like the box might still be hiding something. Then I had a sudden thought—maybe there was another possibility. Turns out I actually stumbled upon the right answer."

"Intuition again," Elder Qian and Yu Feibai said with resignation, already used to it.

"Forget it, another time your blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse," Yu Feibai waved his hand, adding with interest, "Open the box again. Hopefully, this time it’s not another underground palace blueprint."

"That’s hard to say..."

Wang Guan smiled, retrieved a long needle, and opened the box with ease. Inside, there was indeed another compartment, which also held a folded piece of cloth.

"No way, it's like this again!"

When Yu Feibai saw it, he immediately flared up, complaining angrily, "Don't be so stingy! Even if you don't hide rare treasures, a little gold or silver would suffice!"

"Gold and silver are too vulgar," Elder Qian said with a slight smile. "Besides, this mechanical box itself is a rare treasure. It's a rare fortune just to witness it firsthand; why demand more?"

"That makes sense," Elder Hou agreed wholeheartedly, nodding with a smile. "Such a rare artifact passed down is worth far more than ordinary gold and silver treasures."

As he spoke, Elder Hou casually picked up the cloth from the box and gently unfolded it for examination.

"Hmm?"

After a quick glance, Elder Hou's expression shifted, and he instinctively drew the cloth back to conceal it.

"What's wrong?"

The others naturally noticed, but only Yu Feibai asked without reserve, "This piece of cloth seems different from the first one. It looks like it has text on it..."

"I can't tell you," Elder Hou shook his head slightly, his expression a mixture of surprise and caution. "Lingxi, whose box is this? I need to discuss something with him on behalf of the Cultural Relics Bureau."

"This belongs to Brother Zeng from Chaozhou," Elder Qian said thoughtfully, then gestured, "Mingsheng, give Brother Zeng a call and let him know the mechanical box has been unlocked."

"Okay."

Fang Mingsheng quickly nodded and immediately pulled out his phone to dial. In truth, this man was adaptable. He was often ostentatious elsewhere, but here at Elder Qian's residence, he was remarkably subdued, to the point where people often overlooked his presence.

Of course, such people are often the most formidable and the most likely to succeed. Some might find this behavior hypocritical, but in society, these are the types who thrive, though when trouble arises, they are never far from the scene.

Digressing slightly, back to the main point.

At that moment, after connecting with Elder Zeng, Fang Mingsheng quickly reported the situation there. Hearing that the mechanical box had been successfully opened, and moreover, that it had a double mechanism, naturally brought Elder Zeng both shock and joy.

"...The mechanical box hides two pieces of cloth... one is the underground palace blueprint..."

Fang Mingsheng said softly, "The other piece was seen by Elder Hou, who solved the mechanism, and he immediately tucked it away. I don't know what it is, but he wants to speak with you... Alright, I'll pass the phone to him; you two can chat."

"Brother Zeng, this is Hou Guangping!"

At this time, Elder Hou took the phone from Fang Mingsheng, immediately stood up, exchanged pleasantries with Elder Zeng, and walked outside, pacing in a corner of the courtyard, murmuring quietly.

"What on earth is it that requires such secrecy? Aren't you curious?"

Seeing this, Yu Feibai was tormented by curiosity. If Elder Qian weren't presiding over things, he probably would have snuck out to eavesdrop.

Elder Qian calmly raised his cup to sip his tea and casually remarked, "There are too many private matters in the world. If you cared about every single one, you'd be overwhelmed and driven away. So why seek unnecessary trouble?"

"I can't speak for other matters, but I care deeply about this one," Yu Feibai argued righteously. "This happened right under our noses; we should all have a share in the knowledge. We have a right to know."

"Wang Guan, don't you agree?"

Yu Feibai was shrewd; he intended to rally an ally and increase the pressure.

"I don't,"

However, Wang Guan didn't fall for it, or perhaps he already knew what the item was and naturally felt no curiosity, so he simply and cleanly laughed, "You just want to know for yourself. Don't drag me into it."

"...Not cooperating at all," Yu Feibai rolled his eyes.

Just then, the communication must have ended. Elder Hou walked back in with a smiling face, returned the phone to Fang Mingsheng, and then chuckled, "Brother Zeng asks you to bring the mechanical box back. As for the two silk cloths... I will keep them for the time being."

This was to be expected, and Fang Mingsheng wasn't surprised, though he felt a slight pang of regret.

After all, none of them were fools; they could guess the situation with a little thought. If one piece of silk was the underground palace blueprint, then the other, with no surprise, must be the specific location.

With these two items, they were 100% certain to find that tomb, which might belong to a prince or king. If luck held, and the tomb hadn't been looted, the burial goods might still be inside...

Thinking of this, Fang Mingsheng sighed inwardly, but his smile remained on his face as he repeatedly nodded to show his understanding.

"Brother Hou, you've gained quite a bit today?" Seeing Elder Hou nod, Elder Qian immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Since that's the case, don't rush off. Stay for a simple meal before you go."

"...That would be good."

Elder Hou had indeed been planning to leave, but once Elder Qian brought it up, he considered it briefly and then laughed heartily, "Then I shall impose. But I must declare in advance: if you treat me to a meal, there must be wine. No wine, no go."

"There will be wine, plenty of it, and it will be fine wine you've never tasted before."

"Really? A new vintage?"

Amidst the laughter and conversation, following Elder Qian's invitation, everyone headed toward the dining hall.

At the same time, Elder Hou clapped Wang Guan on the shoulder, praising him, "You are very astute, your mind is exceptionally flexible. Are you interested in studying the art of mechanisms with me?"