Maybe Uncle could solve his confusion. Perhaps Uncle had also experienced these things. Tomorrow, he would know everything. Chen Mu pinned his hopes on Uncle, unaware that Uncle was also troubled by this matter at this moment.
——At Uncle's House——
"You should go to bed quickly. The things have already happened. What else can we do?" a woman's voice said. "Mu'er is a smart boy. You should believe that he'll be fine."
"You don't understand, Shumin. This matter is no small deal," Chen Qingyi (Chen Mu's uncle) said.
"Then you should go to sleep first. Aren't we going to the ancestral mansion tomorrow? We'll talk about it when we get there," the woman called Shumin replied. Shumin was Chen Mu's aunt.
Chen Qingyi looked at the boundless night and sighed. Sure enough, what was meant to come would always come.
"Go to sleep, Shumin. You don't need to go with me tomorrow," Chen Qingyi said, pulling his wife towards the bed. Since this matter couldn't be avoided, he would just accept it calmly.
No one knew what would happen. Everything seemed extremely quiet under the night. The occasional chirping of cicadas only added a touch of tranquility. A figure melted into the darkness.
Early the next morning, Chen Qingyi packed up and set off for the ancestral mansion. Shumin watched him leave and then turned back into the house. Over the years, this was the first time Qingyi had been so panicked, as if facing a formidable enemy. But he said nothing.
Although Shumin was worried about her husband, there were some things she couldn't interfere with. She could only watch.
The Chen family's ancestral mansion was located in a remote suburban area. There weren't many people living around, and it was very desolate. Chen Qingyi drove for the whole morning and didn't arrive at the ancestral mansion until almost noon.
The antique style of the ancestral mansion looked out of place among the few Western - style houses nearby. Chen Qingyi found a place to park his car, picked up his things, and got out.
Most of the paint on the gate had peeled off, indicating the long history of the house. The house where the ancestors had lived for generations was now uninhabited. People only came to visit during ancestor - worship ceremonies.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Chen Mu and the chubby boy from the Zhou family having a meal. The two were startled by the sudden sound of the door opening. When they saw it was Chen Qingyi, Chen Mu quickly greeted him.
"Uncle, you're finally here," Chen Mu said, taking Uncle's package. The chubby boy also rushed over quickly. "Uncle, we've been waiting for you for a long time."
Chen Qingyi looked at the two kids and shook his head.
"Did you bring the bottles? Take them out and let me have a look," Chen Qingyi got straight to the point. He didn't want to waste too much time. The most important thing now was to solve this problem.
"Yeah, I brought both of them," Chen Mu replied. "Chubby, go and get them." The chubby boy dashed off to fetch the two hot - potato items.
In a short while, he came out carrying two big boxes. He placed the two boxes on the table as if they were ancestors and carefully opened them. "Uncle, look."
Chen Qingyi looked in the direction the chubby boy was pointing. There was a jade bottle in each box. He had heard of these bottles, but...
"Where did these bottles come from?" Chen Qingyi asked.
"The chubby boy bought his. Mine was retrieved by Liu Er. It was sent by an unknown person," Chen Mu said. "But it's really too much of a coincidence. They're both broken, and they're a pair."
Chen Qingyi looked at the two broken bottles, feeling mixed emotions.
"Do you know about the Yin - Yang Manuscript, Mu'er?"
"I didn't know before, but I found out last night," Chen Mu said.
Chen Qingyi was puzzled and looked at him questioningly. "Some strange things happened last night." Chen Mu told Chen Qingyi the whole story.
"Sure enough, it's finally here," Chen Qingyi said, shaking his head.
"Uncle, what's going on exactly?" Chen Mu asked.
Chen Qingyi's eyes shifted back and forth between Chen Mu and the chubby boy. The chubby boy felt uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Uncle, what's going on? I'm scared when you look at me like this," the chubby boy said.
Chen Qingyi said, "This matter has to be traced back a long time ago."
——Memory Divider——
Thirty years ago, Chen Qingyi was just an 18 - year - old young man, full of vigor and vitality. He liked to go tomb - raiding with the older generation. He was fearless at that time.
Until one experience completely changed him.
After observing the stars and finding a suitable tomb, several elders of the Chen family took a few young kids with them to rob the tomb, intending to let these future heirs experience the underground world.
It was supposed to be foolproof, but an accident still happened - several elders of the Chen family suddenly disappeared, leaving only the younger generation groping around in the tomb.
Chen Qingyi was okay. He had studied these things and wasn't afraid of the things in the tomb. The other peers weren't as calm as him. They were all in a hurry, running around in circles.
"Don't panic, everyone. Follow me," Chen Qingyi said. "I've read about this kind of situation before. We'll meet the elders soon. We're just separated for now."
"Why should we follow you! Who do you think you are?" a man in the group said.
Some people echoed, "Yeah, why should we follow you?"
Chen Qingyi didn't care. "You either follow me or die here. It's your choice."
Some timid ones had already followed behind Chen Qingyi, silently keeping their mouths shut.
The cemetery was very dark and a bit damp. It was very inconvenient to move around.
"Look, there are people over there," suddenly someone said, looking at the opening in front.
Chen Qingyi looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, there were two white - dressed women at the opening. In the pitch - black environment, the white color was very conspicuous.
"Don't go over there. Take the other path," Chen Qingyi said. "They're not real people. They're illusions caused by this damp environment. It's recorded in the book."
The man who had refuted him just now jumped out again and said, "What book are you talking about? I've never seen it! Don't try to mislead people here and talk nonsense."
After saying that, he walked towards the two women.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. The two women just now disappeared, and the man who had refuted Chen Qingyi also disappeared, right in front of everyone's eyes!
"Ahh!!" Everyone was so scared that they let out screams. Only Chen Qingyi calmly watched all this.
"Stop screaming. Take that path," he led the group towards the opposite path. Although it was crowded along the way, fortunately they managed to get through the difficult situation safely.
Chen Qingyi led everyone groping around in the tomb for more than three hours, but they still couldn't find the exit.
"Chen Qingyi, you told us to follow you. Can you actually lead everyone out?"
"Yeah, it's been so long."
Chen Qingyi could see everyone's anxiety. "Don't worry. It should be this way. I'm sure."
The previous records said that after passing the small passage in the tomb, the exit wasn't far away. As long as they were patient, they would definitely find the exit.
Chen Qingyi continued to grope around. He found some fragments on the ground. He picked them up and examined them carefully. These fragments seemed to be made of jade and were quite old.
It wasn't just this piece. There was also a piece at another opening.