Perhaps the scene of Xiaoyangzhou had struck them so deeply that Li Jiniao momentarily forgot about her grudge over the chickens. Moreover, since Chang Dong had asked something within her expertise, she felt a little proud and confident. "It's time for me to showcase my value," she said, quickly stepping in. "Do you know about that multi-pantry cabinet?" FATang immediately interjected, eager to demonstrate: "Yes, I know this one. It's the kind of display stand you see in homes—similar to a bookshelf, with open fronts and backs, divided into wooden compartments of varying sizes. You can place all sorts of decorative items on it. It's also known as a 'bo gu jia' or a 'collection cabinet.'" Chang Dong nodded. "A 'bo gu jia'—so the items on the cabinet are all spirits and ghosts?" Li Jiniao gave a hearty clap. "Exactly!" "At the very beginning, when we first entered the realm, there were no spirits or ghosts inside. After all, if something could be transported in, it had to be contained—packed, bottled, or enclosed in cages—and transported in tightly sealed vehicles from all directions, all the way to It is said that a massive cabinet was erected, displaying the vessels housing the harmful demons and spirits, and then thick walls were built on both sides to seal it off—specifically, the cabinet was positioned south of the pile of corpses known as Ya Dan. Chang Dong interjected: "Since the initial entry into the pass, there were no demons or spirits inside, so the Ya Dan pile must have simply been ordinary Ya Dan terrain. Did the Eye Tombs emerge from the cabinet of spirits?" Li Jinao replied: "Indeed, we've always known it wouldn't hold. With the annual leave periods lost in maintenance, and compounded by natural disasters, there would inevitably be lapses. Besides, if it had been truly sealed, there would have been no need to send the team into the pass at all. But rest assured, nothing major will happen—this was sealed by the very best alchemists of the time." "After the cabinet of spirits was erected, the main force began retreating northward, as far as possible. You've seen the maps, haven't you? The area around the pile of corpses is already considered a sacred zone—normally, no one visits there, let alone pass through it south of the pile." "Chang Dong pondered, 'Then the court magicians compiled a book called *The Book of Ancient Objects and Spirits*?' Li Jinao glanced at him, 'You're quite perceptive, aren't you?' 'The *Book of Ancient Objects and Spirits* is divided into three volumes. The upper volume records spirits that pose little threat—rather dull, yet useful, like the flowing light, which serves as illumination and guidance in desolate fields; or the shadow puppets, which are exactly the ones I keep in my theater box.' 'The middle volume contains spirits that don't actively harm people, but may cause complications if used improperly—spirits you've likely encountered, such as twin siblings.' 'As for the lower volume, I needn't elaborate further—yet the spirits in it are rarely seen. Over the years, only the Eye Tomb has truly been heard of in the world. Goodness, I've never seen one before...' Li Jinao murmured softly, 'This is going to cause a disturbance... Hm, how is it that you both are here?' He finally remembered the main point, but after so long, he no longer felt nervous—after all, it was just another chicken lost. Chang Dong said, "We were already in the city last night. Fortunately, we managed to escape." Li Jinao stammered, "Last... last night? The events that just happened?" "Ah, around midnight," Li Jinao's face suddenly turned pale. "Then how can you still be here, having meals? The Scorpion-Eye people might come and take the city any moment!" Ye Liuxi was puzzled. "Do they dare enter the city? Didn't everyone inside die?" "No, the Scorpion-Eye people aren't stupid. If they kill off all the residents and leave an empty city, what's the point? They could use the survivors as laborers. Those people wrapped in reeds—appear dead, but actually, it's far more complicated." "All of them must have been involved. Of course, Qi Niang's grass wouldn't touch the Scorpion-Eye people. In fact, I'm certain some of the Scorpion-Eye people must have already infiltrated the city..." Chang Dong suddenly remembered the frail man who had attacked them earlier. He locked that man in the ward. Last night, things had happened suddenly, and he hadn't had time to care for either his life or his death—had thought he'd likely perish in the city. But according to Li Jin'ao, something seemed... not quite right. —from setting up camp to boarding the vehicle, it had only taken five minutes; no time to eat the porridge, and he'd carried the pot and dishes all the way on his back, with anyone on the road free to take what they wanted when hungry. Ding Liu supported her head, murmuring, "My head... it's getting worse." She now had to race against the Lord of the Underworld. Fei Tang lifted the Zhun Shan He onto the roof of the vehicle. Last night, it had somehow managed to prove itself, so its treatment had improved: to prevent another fall, he tied it securely with a rope and placed a worn-out blanket beneath it, so it could rest a bit more comfortably. When the vehicle started moving, Li Jin'ao had already become a dark dot in the distance. Chang Dong studied the map and instinctively believed he was heading toward Black Stone City—so they were on the same route. “Chang Dong said: ‘…Alright, the car’s completely full.’ With so much cargo, the front seats were cramped, and if people crowded the back, Ding Liu would find it uncomfortable. Fei Tang didn’t quite grasp the nuance of the situation: ‘Dong brother, how could your car be full? You’ve never seen how Indians drive and carry passengers—people can sit on the doors, the roof, the windows. Your car could easily accommodate at least twenty!’ Ding Liu asked: ‘…Could I have a little space at the front, please?’ — Chang Dong drove past Xiaoyangzhou. Soon he caught up with Li Jinao, who was out of breath from the exertion. Finally, Chang Dong stopped and asked, ‘Would you like me to take you for a ride?’ Li Jinao was delighted—he had never sat in a steel-bodied vehicle before. He looked inside and felt he had squeezed in too tightly, so he volunteered to sit on the roof. Chang Dong hesitated: this was a violation of traffic safety rules, ignoring the regulations altogether. During this hesitation, Li Jin'ao had already climbed up. Chang Dong had no choice but to fetch a safety rope, tie it around the man's waist and secure it to the luggage rack. As he was tying the knot, Ye Liuxi suddenly called out, "Chang Dong!" Her tone sounded off. Chang Dong turned to look at her. Ye Liux西 pointed in a direction. When they looked that way, faint silhouettes could be seen moving among the wild grasses on the city walls of Xiao Yangzhou. Ye Liuxi handed over the telescope. Chang Dong took it and looked through it—almost immediately, he spotted the frail man, hunched over, intently staring at them. Good, they've now become enemies. …… Chang Dong soon restarted the vehicle. Fei Tang kept glancing back, his back sweating with anxiety, asking, "East Brother, is this okay? Won't they fire at us with a cannon or something?" Chang Dong replied, "Even Jiang Zhan doesn't have a gun, let alone a cannon." Ding Liu interjected, "That's not certain. I've watched historical dramas—there were those red-robed cannons in ancient times." "Chang Dong said, "The red-dressed cannon weighs at least a few tons. Do you think they could have secretly brought it into the city and hidden it somewhere? With only a few people, how would they possibly push such a heavy cannon up to the city walls? Relax—without vehicles, they can't pursue us. Even if they had vehicles, it would all depend on who drives faster." Ding Liu hadn't quite caught her breath when Chang Dong added, "But they've already offended the people. The journey won't be smooth. Make sure all your equipment is ready, don't leave anything idle, and settle on the rules beforehand—otherwise things will get chaotic." Gao Shen pulled out a field engineer's shovel from under his seat, "I'll use this. It can both cut and shape, and it's convenient. I'll take care of Xiao Liu. Master Qi asked me to follow her, specifically to protect her." Ding Liu nodded, understanding the priorities: even if she didn't see eye to eye with Gao Shen, when things went wrong, she'd still find herself behind him—just as a bodyguard should. Ye Liuxi said, "Fat Tang… I'll go with you." "Say, here, take this old watermelon knife," he tossed it to him, "When things go south, come find me—don't wait until you're dead. I'm not your nursemaid. You've got to act. If I knock someone down, don't let them get back up." FAT TANG swallowed hard, nodded repeatedly. Though it was just an ordinary watermelon knife, holding it felt different—like suddenly having a solid anchor. CHANG DONG reached into the glove box and handed over the gun: "Little Liu, your gun should still have a few rounds left. Take one of the two, and load the other one fully. Keep the second one for yourself." DING LIU nodded, took it, and began disassembling it: "Dong-gong, what's the use of an empty gun?" CHANG DONG smiled: "On the market, it can fetch a good price. It can also serve as a gift, helping us gain entry to the big folks' doors." He then stepped out and called: "Li Jin'ao?" It wasn't until a while later that Li Jin'ao finally hesitated, lowering his head and peering out nervously "Considering there were people and chickens on the roof, Changdong had already slowed down the vehicle as much as possible, but Li Jinao was still blown off his balance—his hair streamed backward like a man with a fresh coat of oil applied to his back. 'Have you ever been to Black Stone City?' Li Jinao shouted, his voice easily scattered by the wind. 'No, I've only been to big cities.' Changdong replied, 'We haven't either. Rural folks coming into the city often feel uncertain about the customs—do you have any tips on what to pay attention to?' Li Jinao exclaimed, 'You're being so cold and formal! You're people who drive iron-bodied vehicles!' 'At the city gate, they'll question you—what city you're from, what surname you belong to. Maybe someone will even come to meet you. As for me, just showing my "Master of the Way" card and mentioning the name of the old Li family, the gatekeepers would treat me with courtesy.' Changdong felt a weight settle in his heart. Indeed, smaller towns are easy to fool; once you reach a "big city," you immediately face your first hurdle. The Yulin Guard and the scholars probably hold their ground based on family surnames—no matter how casually they might offer their explanations, they won't be easily convinced, especially with such a prominent steel-bodied vehicle parked there. As for where they came from... Li Jinao racked his brains: "You've never been to Black Stone City, you're not locals, nor do you resemble the kind of scholars or diviners—so they must be relatives of the Yulin Guard. Relatives who can afford a corrugated iron vehicle? That surely points to one of the top families, surely a family named Zhao?" Yet he felt something was still off: he remembered hearing them refer to each other, and there seemed to be no one named Zhao among them. Ye Liuxi smiled gently: "Indeed, we have some experience. We're actually sent by the Zhao family to Black Stone City—to the old Li household, to meet their relatives, and to inquire about matters."