The entire mountainside was hollowed out.
A colossal dome stretched before their eyes, grand and imposing.
As they entered, the torches within the chamber lit up one by one, automatically.
Beneath the dome stood a square stone pillar altar, appearing as if carved directly from the mountain itself, standing at a height of 1.2 meters.
Upon the altar sat a Buddha's head, its color slightly darkened.
The coiled hair on its head was intricately complex, and its earlobes extended to its chin.
Its face was full, yet its eyes bore dark tear stains.
“The Golden Buddha of Western Xia!” several voices exclaimed in unison.
Modern Buddha statues were either serene or solemnly majestic.
This Buddha, however, wore an expression of compassionate sorrow, as if weeping.
Only the head remained, the body was absent.
It was like an eternally unbefitting guardian, protecting this main tomb.
Behind the Buddha's head was the resting place of the coffin. The coffin was entirely crafted from green jade, appearing like jadeite at first glance, but Li Chonglou immediately recognized it as a serpentine jade.
It seemed to be the Stone-Asbestos Green, produced in the deep mountains of Yuchéng.
Stone-Asbestos Green, named for the asbestos found in Yuchéng's deep mountains, was transparent and emerald green. However, being a byproduct mineral, it often coexisted with pyrite.
It was riddled with cracks and fissures, making it almost impossible to find large raw pieces.
Since ancient times, it had been an excellent material for seals. Though not as valuable as Tianhuang or Blood Jasper, it was still rare.
To use an entire piece of Stone-Asbestos Green for a coffin here indicated an unimaginable level of luxury.
Despite the presence of numerous inclusions of pyrite, it forced one to marvel at the tomb owner's noble status in life.
The golden Buddha head and the jade coffin alone were enough to confirm this was undoubtedly a royal tomb of the Western Xia.
In addition, there were countless burial objects, though most were pottery jars, bronze incense burners, and animals carved from Stone-Asbestos Green.
But their sheer scale was enough to make the experienced Professor Song tremble.
"Cheng Gong, quickly, record it!" he urged excitedly.
Cheng Gong hastily grabbed his camera and rushed towards the golden Buddha to take photos.
Zhang Chen couldn't help but follow him.
"Don't touch it if you don't want to die in here!"
Just as his old habit flared up and he reached out to touch the golden Buddha's head, Li Chonglou's stern voice stopped him.
Observing the dome's layout, with the Buddha's head occupying the center rather than the jade coffin, there must be a hidden mechanism.
It was likely the focal point bearing the entire tomb's traps.
Any touch or displacement might cause the stone walls to re-seal, or even lead to the mountain's collapse.
Having experienced the peculiarity of the stone walls, Li Chonglou dared not be careless.
Better safe than sorry.
Zhang Chen was startled and swiftly retracted his hand.
Seeing everyone staring at him, he felt a bit awkward and chuckled twice.
"If we can't touch anything, how are we supposed to move these items to the museum?" Zhao Zheng asked with a troubled expression.
If Yuchéng could boast another royal tomb museum of the Western Xia, his fame would soar, and it would bring immeasurable economic value.
"I suggest we best protect it in situ and not move anything," Lin Ying advised. "The value of each of these ancient artifacts, preserved for a millennium, is immeasurable."
"Any damage during the moving process would be irreparable."
"If you want a museum, why not build one around the tomb itself?"
Zhao Zheng and his wife exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with joy. "That makes sense."
The group reached a tacit understanding and began their respective tasks.
Li Chonglou scrutinized the burial objects, which, while not exquisitely crafted, bore extremely ancient markings.
Even in his previous life, when he was at his zenith, he had never seen such items.
They were truly treasures of the nation, deserving of the title.
For someone who loved antiques and cultural relics, it was no different than a poor man discovering a mountain of gold.
The archaeology team, referencing historical records of the Western Xia, analyzed and documented each item.
Time passed unnoticed. Outside the tomb, the sky had gradually darkened.
Not a single person felt tired.
"Looks like we'll be here all night," Zhang Chen yawned, glancing at his watch. As he spoke,
Suddenly, a small pellet flew through the passage and struck his neck.
He then slumped to the ground, limp.
Lin Ying was the first to sense something amiss and turned back. Li Chonglou was the second.
The others hadn't even noticed Zhang Chen fall.
Almost simultaneously, a black projectile shot in, arrow-like, heading for the Buddha's head.
Illuminated by the torches and spotlights, its figure was revealed: Ayō Qūbǐ, who had stolen from their room the previous night.
His owl-like eyes glowed with a faint green light.
He had once again donned a mask adorned with a skull.
"Such audacity, to rob openly?" Lin Ying reacted instantly, her body spinning. Her toes tapped, lifting her off the ground as she intercepted Ayō Qūbǐ.
She had been on guard all along.
Since he dared to break into Li Chonglou's room the previous night with the intention to kill, he surely wouldn't give up.
Indeed, as soon as dusk fell, Ayō Qūbǐ had arrived.
Lin Ying, arriving slightly later, landed and swept a roundhouse kick, forcefully cutting off Ayō Qūbǐ's forward path.
Forcing him to land, he used his hands to lightly parry Lin Ying's kick, using the momentum to arc around and dart towards the golden Buddha.
Unfortunately, with Lin Ying present, he couldn't succeed.
Her hands formed palms, and she began to grapple with Ayō Qūbǐ.
It was only after a few exchanges that Cheng Gong and the Zhao couple reacted.
"There's an intruder, call for backup quickly!" Cheng Gong's face turned green as his voice resonated through the entire chamber.
"No need to call. Can't you see Lin Ying is dealing with him?" Zhao Zheng was relatively calm. "The people outside are probably as dazed as Zhang Chen."
Only Professor Song remained absorbed in observing the treasures, oblivious to the commotion.
Even Li Chonglou found himself impressed. Such a state of mind was truly at the peak of obsession.
For pure academic research, perhaps only such individuals could achieve extraordinary accomplishments.
In terms of obsession, he himself still fell short.
As for his senior sister Lin Ying, he wasn't worried in the slightest.
From their encounter the previous night, he knew the masked man was no match for his senior sister.
Daring to openly break in and snatch the Buddha's head probably meant he was desperate.
As expected, Lin Ying's attacks became increasingly rapid. Ayō Qūbǐ could still parry them initially, but soon he was forced to rely on evasion to dissipate the force of her blows.
He fought with growing astonishment.
"How can this woman possess such strength and speed?"
"I had a miraculous encounter in the mountains as a child and was taken in by the Chen family of Yuyuan. I trained for eighteen years to reach my current skill."
"She looks so delicate and fair, not at all like someone who has suffered hardship. How is it possible?"
Such thoughts churned incessantly in Ayō Qūbǐ's mind.
As his focus wavered, Lin Ying delivered a palm strike to his chest, sending him flying over three meters.
He grunted, staggering to the ground, his face ashen pale.
But the moment he landed, he lightly raised his hand, and two small pellets shot from his fingertips, aimed at Lin Ying.
*Splat! Splat!*
Lin Ying swatted them away with her palms.
But the next second, her pretty face suddenly changed.
The pellets exploded the instant they contacted the edge of her palm, releasing a cloud of purplish-black smoke that was intensely pungent.
"Damn it, anesthetic!" Before she could even form the thought, Lin Ying felt a numbness spreading from her palm.
"You are too arrogant. The arrogant are always foolish," Ayō Qūbǐ sneered. "After our encounter last night, how could I not prepare something to deal with you?"
"This golden Buddha is of utmost importance to me and my village. I am determined to obtain it."
As he spoke, he leaped forward, reaching the Buddha's head and extending his hand to take it.
This turn of events was completely unexpected by everyone.