"Zhe Gu Shao" felt an ominous premonition upon seeing the human skeleton, and listening to Elder Liao Chen’s grave tone, he knew the situation was serious, so he asked the elder what "Bodhisattva Closing Its Eyes" meant.

Elder Liao Chen explained, "The moon has seventy-two phases of rupture; tonight is a major rupture, where misfortune repays evil. Legend says that under such celestial timing, the earthly yang energy is weak, and the Taiyin star dominates, making it the most likely time for strange occurrences. Which tomb-raider, knowing this, would dare enter a grave to steal at such an hour? At first, I assumed this was an unowned, empty tomb, but to find a corpse inside—even more sinister is the Thousand-Eyed Black Buddha behind the skeleton. This Black Buddha is no ordinary object. If there are lurking evil spirits in this tomb, our badger-hoof charms and glutinous rice will be useless tonight. We must retreat quickly."

Though reluctant, "Zhe Gu Shao" understood the danger and said no more. He, Elder Liao Chen, and the American priest turned to retreat through the tunnel beneath the Jade Gate.

The three reversed their course, the rear guard becoming the vanguard. The American priest, Thomas, who was at the back, was secretly overjoyed to see the other two preparing to leave. He immediately found the tunnel entrance, lit a candle "Zhe Gu Shao" had previously given him for light, and prepared to bolt inside.

Elder Liao Chen, walking second, cried out, "Not good!" He lunged out and grabbed the collar of Father Thomas, yanking him back. A plume of dense, black mist suddenly erupted from the tunnel. Had Elder Liao Chen been even a hair slower, Father Thomas would have been engulfed by the black fog. One moment more, and the pious priest would likely be meeting his God.

"Zhe Gu Shao" and Elder Liao Chen recognized this as the tomb's poison gas. To have such a venomous trap set at the only exit revealed the ruthlessness and cunning of the Xixia people. None of them could figure out which of them had triggered the mechanism that activated the poisonous smoke. They were saved only by Elder Liao Chen’s vast experience, despite his age, which saved Father Thomas's life.

This black poison mist might have been brewed from the venom of a thousand-legged worm; it was thick and would not dissipate, clinging like coagulated black **. More and more black fog spewed from the tunnel. "Zhe Gu Shao" and the other two had taken their secret antidotes. However, the Mojin Xiaowei's secret medicines were primarily formulated against corpse toxins; whether they would be effective against such dense poison smoke was uncertain.

Seeing the fierce, rapid approach of the thick black poison smoke, the three dared not be careless. They could only retreat toward the corner of the burial chamber where the bones lay. But this spot was exposed; after a few steps, they reached the dead end. How could they devise a way to block the poison mist and prevent it from entering the rear chamber of the tomb?

"Zhe Gu Shao" and Elder Liao Chen were not worried about having no path backward; carrying their Whirlwind Shovels, they could always dig an escape tunnel if necessary. The real problem was the poison mist. In a moment, they could be lying dead on the floor.

Even with "Zhe Gu Shao’s" quick wit and Elder Liao Chen's experience, they were at a loss. If it were ordinary poison gas, they could simply hold their breath and push through using the medicinal power of the "Red Casket Marvelous Heart Pill." But this black poison fog was thicker than anything they had ever encountered. The three had been cautious since entering the tomb passage and couldn't fathom how this black smoke had suddenly appeared.

The stone wall of the burial chamber was right behind them. "Zhe Gu Shao" and the other two pressed their backs against it. No matter how skilled they were, there was no retreat here; they could only watch the dense black smoke slowly close in.

Father Thomas, seeing the terrifying poison mist, turned ashen-faced, forgetting for a moment to pray to God for protection. "Zhe Gu Shao" nudged his shoulder and asked, "Hey, you foreign monk of the worshippers of God, your master is too busy now, why isn't he coming to save you?"

Father Thomas suddenly remembered his clerical status and replied with forced composure, "The Almighty Father is likely busy with other matters and cannot attend to me right now. But I believe I will surely go to Heaven after death. Living is not important; what matters is attaining Heaven after death. Believe in God and gain eternal life."

"Zhe Gu Shao" sneered, "Hmph, so your master is that busy. I see if he’s too busy, it means he’s not very competent. It would be better to have a monkey act as God; monkeys have plenty of energy."

Hearing "Zhe Gu Shao" suggest a monkey was better than God, Father Thomas immediately became enraged and was about to retort when "Zhe Gu Shao" continued, "Foreign monk, if you are willing to convert to my Buddhism now and stop believing in that damned God, I have a way to keep you alive. If you refuse, in one minute at most, the poison mist will reach here. Unless you are not made of flesh and blood, in about one minute, you will die from the poison smoke, bleeding from all seven orifices."

Father Thomas replied, "Death is imminent, yet you remain so calm. I admire you for that, but please respect my faith... However, but—can believing in the Bodhisattva truly save me? You aren't trying to trick me, are you?"

Elder Liao Chen had also discerned the crucial point about the poison smoke. Hearing the implication in "Zhe Gu Shao’s" words, he realized the young man must have thought of a way out. Seeing "Zhe Gu Shao" still had the presence of mind to joke with the American priest at this moment of extreme peril, the Elder couldn't help but admire his nerve.

It turned out that "Zhe Gu Shao," seeing the path ahead completely obscured by black fog, instinctively pressed against the wall. He felt a coolness beside him and touched an object. Turning his head, he saw a lamp holder embedded in the chamber wall—it should have been the position of the long-burning lamp above the coffin.

Now there was no coffin, only an empty lamp socket set into the wall. What were "Zhe Gu Shao" and Elder Liao Chen looking at? They immediately saw that the lamp's position was wrong. By convention, long-burning lamps were situated at a height of three feet, three inches, and three fen, but this lamp was clearly set lower by nearly half an inch, and its bracket angled slightly downward. This had to be a mechanism for a secret wall. Pushing the lamp holder upward would surely cause the entire wall to pivot, opening the hidden chamber behind it. This chamber, known as the "Cha Ge" (Insert Pavilion), was where the tomb owner's most important burial artifacts were kept, hidden so that even if the main tomb was looted, the treasures inside would remain undiscovered.

"Zhe Gu Shao," daring beyond measure, still managed to tease the foreign priest during this critical, split-second decision. Seeing the priest unyielding in his refusal to abandon God for Buddha, he felt a twinge of guilt for his piety. The black fog in the chamber ahead was thickening; "Zhe Gu Shao" dared not delay any longer. He reached out, grabbed the long-burning lamp, and pushed upward. The lamp embedded in the wall indeed moved at his touch. A muffled clunk sounded, and the wall against which the three were leaning slowly rotated backward. Dust flew off the stone surface, showering everyone.

Behind the wall was a tomb "Cha Gezi," about two zhang wide and high. The hinged wall, with its mechanism, swung inward, bringing the Thousand-Handed Black Buddha and the skeleton lying near the wall right into the space with them. This "Cha Gezi" lacked the many rare jewels of the outer chamber; it contained only one locked chest.

Without pausing to look closely, "Zhe Gu Shao" dug up two sections of the floor, smearing the loose earth into the seams of the mechanism wall to prevent the external black poison smoke from seeping through. He also noted that the soil beneath this "Cha Gezi" was relatively soft, giving him confidence that they could dig an escape tunnel within an hour. The air inside should last that long.

Elder Liao Chen, having spent his life exploring tombs, was familiar with such narrow chambers. Seeing "Zhe Gu Shao" working tirelessly, he immediately used his Whirlwind Shovel to start digging the escape tunnel, all while sitting cross-legged, counting his prayer beads, and meditating.

Father Thomas, observing "Zhe Gu Shao" digging and Elder Liao Chen meditating, both quietly engaged in their tasks, could not help but ask Elder Liao Chen, "Did you notice anything in that black mist outside? It didn't look much like poison gas to me."

Elder Liao Chen kept his eyes closed for a moment before slowly opening them and saying to Father Thomas, "What? You saw it too?"

Father Thomas nodded. "When the rotating slab door brought me in, I was very close to the black smoke. Inside the smoke, I thought I saw a humanoid shape, very much like a Buddha statue. What exactly was that..."

"Zhe Gu Shao," engrossed in digging the escape tunnel, paused upon hearing Father Thomas and Elder Liao Chen. He looked up. In the instant the wall turned into the Cha Ge, he too had seen that strange phenomenon within the black fog.

Elder Liao Chen pondered for a moment, then pointed to the multi-armed black Buddha statue against the wall. "That Black Buddha is said to be the evil god worshipped by the ancient Lu Yu people, specializing in controlling and dominating darkness. The cult that worshipped the Dark Buddha was eradicated by the authorities as early as the late Tang Dynasty. I never expected the Xixia court to harbor an image of the Dark Buddha. The material of this Black Buddha might be Fu Yu from ancient Persia. Legend says Fu Yu is an extremely rare, strange stone—it has the name 'jade,' but it is not jade. Any human or animal that touches Fu Yu will have its flesh and internal organs instantly dissolved into pus, leaving only a skeleton. The deceased's spirit then attaches itself to the Dark Buddha, thus remaining restless."

"Zhe Gu Shao" glanced at the stark white human bones and said to Elder Liao Chen, "It seems this skeleton was once a loyal guard who chose to remain in the treasure vault, dying after touching the Fu Yu while guarding the cavern's treasures. Perhaps the sudden black dense smoke we encountered wasn't poison gas at all, but rather..." Without finishing, everyone understood the implication.

Elder Liao Chen instructed "Zhe Gu Shao" and Father Thomas not to let their skin touch the Black Buddha statue, urging them to quickly break through the tunnel and leave. If the evil spirit of the Black Buddha truly haunted the place, this small Cha Ge could not contain it. Elder Liao Chen recalled the skeleton clutching a set of keys and casually took them. There was a chest in the Cha Gezi; perhaps one of these keys opened that box. It was worth a try.

Elder Liao Chen lit the candle. In this "Cha Gezi," there was no need to search for the southeast corner; any trace of light would suffice. Trying the keys, he found that one of them perfectly fit the lock on the chest. "Zhe Gu Shao’s" escape tunnel was already more than a zhang deep. When he surfaced to dispose of loose soil, he saw Elder Liao Chen open the box. He couldn't resist stopping his Whirlwind Shovel to see if the "Dust of Ages Pearl" was inside. He and Elder Liao Chen lifted the lid together. However, the box contained only a tortoise shell inscribed with strange characters.

"Zhe Gu Shao’s" hopes, though he had prepared himself mentally, were dashed. He felt an extreme sense of loss, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him on the coldest day of winter, chilling him to the bone. He stood frozen on the spot, felt a sharp sweetness rising in his throat, and vomited a mouthful of blood, which splattered entirely over the tortoise shell.

Elder Liao Chen was greatly alarmed. He knew that "Zhe Gu Shao," being a man of such passionate spirit and heavy burdens, was prone to severe emotional swings that could cause him to vomit blood, especially when faced with intense disappointment. Fearing "Zhe Gu Shao" might collapse, he and Father Thomas quickly reached out to support him.

Just then, Elder Liao Chen noticed that all the eyes on the Black Buddha statue against the wall had inexplicably opened. The hundreds of eyes on the statue stared out in the darkness at the three tomb robbers who had broken into the treasure vault, radiating an aura of wicked malice.

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