Did we run into another Ghost Blows Out the Light scenario? It couldn't be that bizarre, especially since we were still crawling through a long, narrow tomb tunnel, far from the main chamber of the ancient tomb. I touched the simple gas mask over my mouth; it shouldn't have been my breathing or movements that extinguished the candle.

Perhaps there was an airflow in the tunnel. I took off my gloves and tested the air all around, but felt no strong draft. To hell with it, I’d light another one.

I struck a match, intending to relight the candle, only to find the ground before me completely bare. The candle that had been firmly planted in the dirt was gone without a trace. My scalp prickled instantly. I had assumed entering the main chamber from this tunnel would be as easy as taking something from my pocket, but this time, I’d truly seen a ghost—the candle right in front of me, vanished into thin air in the split second I was distracted in thought.

I reached out and touched the spot where the candle had been stuck, my fingers meeting something hard and flat—a stone slab. Where had this slab come from?

I couldn't afford to waste time. I tore off the gas mask, slapped Fatty’s leg, and told him, "Hurry and crawl back, this tunnel isn't right."

Big Gold Tooth, panting heavily behind me, heard my words, quickly tucked himself in, and started turning to retreat. This time, it was hell for Fatty; he couldn't turn around in the cramped tunnel. All he could do was drag the ropes tethering the two large geese behind him, bracing himself on his elbows to inch backward.

We had reversed direction and crawled back no more than five meters when Big Gold Tooth up front suddenly stopped. I asked from the rear, "What's wrong, Master Jin? Grit your teeth and hang on. We’ll rest once we’re out; this isn't the time to catch your breath."

Big Gold Tooth turned back toward me, his face utterly bloodless from fright, managing to get the words out only with great difficulty: "Master Hu... there’s a stone door ahead. It’s completely blocked the way. We can't get out."

I used my wolf-eye flashlight, shining past Big Gold Tooth to illuminate the path ahead. Sure enough, there was a massive, smooth stone blocking the way. As I advanced, I had been carefully observing, having noticed no grooves or mechanisms for a trap. The tunnel walls were smooth earth. I had no idea where this heavy slab of stone had emerged from, now standing squarely in front of us.

Seeing there was no retreat, staying put was not an option. I signaled Big Gold Tooth to turn around again, then pushed Fatty from behind, urging him to crawl forward.

Fatty, not understanding the sudden reversal, saw us moving forward then backward, and erupted in fury: "Old Hu, are you trying to exhaust me to death, you bastard? I can’t crawl anymore. If you want to keep moving, crawl right over me."

I knew we had encountered something extraordinary. I couldn't articulate what it was right then, but stopping was out of the question, and I didn't have the leisure to explain to Fatty. I simply urged him repeatedly, "Why so much nonsense? I told you to go forward, so just crawl forward! Quick, follow orders and obey command."

Fatty noticed the unusual edge in my voice and realized the situation might have changed. He stopped complaining and hurried the two geese forward again, scrambling ahead nearly two hundred meters before stopping abruptly.

I thought he was tired and needed a break, but then I heard Fatty call out from ahead, "**, Old Hu, there are three tunnels up here. Which one do we crawl into?"

"Three tunnels?" Tomb raiding tunnels were always singular paths; there was never any mention of forks. Even with two extra heads, I couldn't fathom what was happening.

I told Fatty to crawl into the tunnel directly in front of us and clear the intersection so I could examine the situation of these three connecting passages. I moved to the center, and Big Gold Tooth followed, utterly exhausted and unable to speak. I gestured for him to relax and rest while I figured out these three tunnels before deciding on the next step.

I meticulously examined the three tunnels ahead. They formed a crossroads with the tunnel we had crawled in from. The walls of the tunnel directly ahead were smooth and regular, as before, dug with measured, deliberate strokes.

However, the work on the other two paths was incredibly sloppy, clearly done in a frantic rush by the diggers. Yet, judging by the technique, it was fundamentally the same as the neatly carved tunnel. There was a large pile of excavated earth in this area, obviously deposited while digging those two side passages.

I wondered if the senior figure who financed the construction of the Fish Bone Temple might have dug these. Perhaps after opening the tunnel, he took treasures from the main chamber, found his exit sealed by the stone door, and couldn't return, so he dug out from the sides in an attempt to escape?

Speculation wouldn't yield results. I told Fatty and Big Gold Tooth to rest and stand guard while I tied a long rope around my waist and crawled into the left-hand tunnel to scout the situation. If anything happened, I would blow the whistle to have them pull me back.

Just as I was about to slip in, Big Gold Tooth reached out and stopped me. He took a golden Buddha amulet from around his neck and handed it to me. "Master Hu, wear this. It's been consecrated. It can serve as protection if you run into any foul things."

I took the golden Buddha and examined it. It was clearly an antique, quite old. I told Big Gold Tooth, "This gold Buddha is very valuable; you two keep it for self-defense. The tunnel is awfully strange, but it doesn't feel like a ghost is causing trouble. Maybe it’s some kind of mechanism we haven't encountered. I’ll scout the tunnels on the sides; I’ll be fine. Don’t worry."

Big Gold Tooth was no longer as frantic as before. He grinned, reached inside his collar, and pulled out over twenty trinkets—pendants of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Guanyin, and even some Taoist paper talismans. The pendants were made of gold, jade, ivory, and jadeite, each one different. Big Gold Tooth declared, "I’ve got a whole pile of these things, all consecrated. Bring on whatever foul spirits; I’m not scared of them."

I realized then why this scoundrel insisted on entering the main chamber—he had this treasure trove as backup. I told him, "That's right, a tomb raider who fears ghosts isn't a tomb raider, and a tomb raider who fears ghosts won't go robbing tombs. I'm just worried we've encountered something beyond common sense, which would be difficult. But I can't be sure yet. Let me check out this side tunnel first."

Saying that, I accepted the golden Buddha from Big Gold Tooth and hung it around my neck. Secretly, I thought: I’ve handled many antiquities lately, and my judgment is sharper than before. This consecrated Buddha doesn't look fake. Damn it, I’m not returning it right now. The two Mojin Talismans he gave Fatty and me last time were both fakes. Maybe my previous tomb raids didn't go smoothly because I was wearing fakes, angering our Ancestors. Wearing a fake is worse than wearing nothing. I’ll return this once Big Gold Tooth can procure the real Mojin Talismans for us. Consider this my deposit for now.

In this tunnel, I could already clearly feel the wind; the airflow was strong. It seemed to connect to somewhere, meaning I didn't need to worry about air quality. I instructed Fatty to stick to the old communication signals.

Fatty and Big Gold Tooth stayed behind to rest. I headed into the left-hand tunnel, keeping the safety rope attached so I wouldn't get lost. If either of them encountered trouble, they could pull the rope or use the whistle to signal.

With everything arranged, I put on my gas mask, used the wolf-eye for light, and crawled into the left tunnel on my belly. This tunnel was clearly dug in extreme haste—narrow and difficult to navigate, barely wide enough for one person to crawl through. Anyone with slightly weaker nerves could easily suffer a mental breakdown here due to the suffocating lowness, feeling as if they were being buried alive.

I worried about the air quality deeper inside and dared not linger. After all, the gas mask only protected the nose and mouth from inhaling noxious gases; the eyes and ears were exposed. If there were toxic vapors or miasma, poisonous gases could still enter through the five senses, and with my eyes exposed, I could still be poisoned.

The cramped tunnel completely destroyed my sense of direction and distance. After crawling what felt like a short distance by instinct, I encountered another heavy stone slab ahead. The thickness of this slab was impossible to estimate; it seemed fused with the surrounding earth, not inserted later, and its size was equally unknown. The entire path forward was completely blocked.

The end of the tunnel suddenly opened up, indicating the person from before had clearly tried to dig an escape route from below or around the sides. They had dug deep all around, but the massive stone slab seemed boundless. It was impossible to find an edge to dig around.

Being trapped wasn't a first for me, so although this was bizarre, I didn't lose heart. I crawled back the way I came. When Fatty and Big Gold Tooth saw me return, they asked, "How was it? Where does it lead?"

I roughly explained the situation at the end of the passage. All three of us were puzzled and unable to comprehend. Was this huge stone slab naturally embedded in the earth? Yet it was so perfectly shaped; carving such a slab weighing several thousand pounds by hand would be extremely difficult.

The strangest thing of all was how we didn't notice this slab when we entered the tunnel, yet it appeared out of nowhere when we went back? Legends say ancient tombs are full of mechanisms, but none could be this potent. No, not potent—just strange.

Now we had two tunnels left: one sloping downward, and another similar to the narrow one I just explored. I suspected the situation inside would be the same: blocked by a giant stone slab, with no way around.

But I’m the type who won’t give up until I see the Yellow River—damn it, that saying isn't very auspicious right now. We aren't far from the Yellow River; does that mean I'm destined to give up? Then I won't shed tears until I see the coffin. But this is a tomb-robbing tunnel, not far from the ancient tomb’s main chamber, and there will naturally be coffins in an ancient tomb. This time, we’ve hit a dead end, with both the Yellow River and coffins involved.

I dared not think anymore. The most dangerous thing now was scaring myself. After resting for a few minutes, I crawled into the right-hand tunnel, following the same method. Whether this end was also blocked by a huge stone was something I had to see. This path was the final option; only then could we plan our next move.

I crawled to the end of the narrow tunnel, and indeed, there was another massive stone. I couldn't help but curse aloud, but then I noticed something unusual.