In the inn, of course, there were plenty of mice.

Especially since this inn had been around for a while, the mouse holes in the cracks of the walls ran in all directions, and with the squeaking cries of Mouse One and Mouse Two, they all poked their heads out.

Some stood guard in the corners of the guest rooms, while others ran along the tunnels to the outside of the inn and hid in the grass for surveillance.

This was the reason for the cooperation between Li Yan and Lv San.

With Lv San, their scouting abilities were exceptional, and during conflicts, Li Yan could strike from the front while Lv San assisted from the side, enough to handle most complex situations.

Strangely, after the two groups in the inn's main hall finished their meals, they were not in a hurry to leave but requested rooms to stay the night, not speaking to each other.

Unknowingly, the night deepened.

In the room, Lv San whispered close to Wu Ba, patiently teaching him to speak human language.

As for Li Yan, he was sitting at the table and took out a brocade from his bosom, carefully examining the patterns on it.

This was something Shen Jinghong had written to him.

Hearing that the other party had studied "Ghost Book" and knife fighting, Li Yan was intrigued; he was not particularly interested in the military code of knife fighting, but he could not miss out on the Ghost Book.

Within the Mystical Sect, there were also Ghost Books.

It was a type of cipher similar to the oracle bone script and had been popular among wizards since the Xia dynasty, also known as Tiān script, commonly used in sacrifices to communicate with spirits, possessing incredible mysteries.

To this day, many Magic Veins still use this cipher.

But the Ghost Book before him clearly had issues.

According to what Shen Jinghong had mentioned, the origin of this book was also quite bizarre.

During the reign of Song Yuanjia, someone in Jingkou was killed by a lightning strike, and the four characters "业缘所杀" ("killed by Karma") that remained on his arm were recognized by calligraphers as Ghost Book.

But Li Yan knew this explanation was somewhat incorrect.

Examining these patterns closely, they were clearly forked patterns caused by lightning, yet they also formed square and straight large characters, resembling ancient seal script.

They appeared historical and unrelated to the Yin Bureau, instead more akin to the Thunder Technique of the Mystical Sect.

After all, some talismans of the Thunder Technique were also formed by observing the patterns left by lightning strikes.

But the formation of characters still made him puzzled.

If there indeed existed the Netherworld and Yin Bureau in this world, then surely the Heavenly Court existed as well, could it be influenced by the power of the Heavenly Court?

Unfortunately, according to what Shen Jinghong had said, this Ghost Book only consisted of these four characters.

Wanting to study it, he could not discern anything further.

However, in the future, he could certainly pay more attention.

After all, the Thunder Technique was essential for his survival.

"Squeak, squeak!"

Just then, Mouse One suddenly stood up and cried out twice.

Lv San immediately whispered in a low voice, "Two people have gone out."

Li Yan immediately understood, slightly moved his spell, and with a light flick of his little finger, a Grass Spirit Paper Man flew out from a pouch on his waist, spun in mid-air, and entered the night sky through the cracks of the windows and doors.

At the same time, Li Yan also closed his eyes.

The Grass Spirit Paper Man silently floated above the inn, and Li Yan, too, saw the two departing people.

One was a traveling merchant,

and the other an old man carrying a fish drum.

Both of them jumped out of their respective room windows, clung to the wall cracks with their hands, moved agilely like geckos scaling the walls, and leaped to the ground.

After landing, they glanced at each other, then both looked at Li Yan's room, noticed the candlelight and shadows, then turned and left, running towards the dense forest nearby.

Meanwhile, in the night sky, the Grass Spirit Paper Man followed them closely.

The two successively entered the dense forest, clearly on guard, maintaining a distance of several meters from each other, and exchanged a few words about the Spring Festival.

"So, it's Master Chen San from Yu State."

The middle-aged man resembling a merchant slightly bowed, his smile not reaching his eyes, said, "Our line of work isn't honorable, now that we've met, we should clarify things to avoid misunderstandings, don't you think?"

The old man also responded indifferently, "Old Wang the skinny from Xiangzhou, I've also heard of you, quite skilled in identifying gold and defining graves..."

Their conversation was fully heard by Li Yan.

Zhao Lvzi had mentioned that if one were to categorize the tomb raiders in the pugilistic world, there would generally be three types.

This first one, naturally, followed the path of seeking treasures and exploring mysteries.

These people were descendants of Pre-Qin Fangshi, inheriting secret practices, entering various ancient tombs to search for treasures and the Elixir of Immortality.

The remaining two were from the north and south.

Those from the north, mostly from Shan State and Yu State, excelled in using the Lu Ban ruler and Luoyang shovel, determining fortune and deciphering mechanisms.

The people from the southern sect were even more adept at using Fengshui techniques to locate gold and determine burial sites.

The two sects merged with each other, yet each retained its own unique abilities.

Among tomb raiders, there were also their own rules.

Sometimes they did not even trust their own people, let alone outsiders. When two groups encountered the same target, they would definitely seek to clarify the situation.

These two people were clearly leaders of their respective groups, and after a standoff, Wang Lao, who posed as a merchant, finally shook his head and said, "Chen San, you are a senior in the pugilistic world, so I will speak frankly."

"Did you come here on someone's commission?"

"What a coincidence."

The elderly man with the fish drum spoke up as well, "I too am here on someone's commission; it seems our patrons are the same."

"Bai Family!"

The two spoke simultaneously, then their brows furrowed deeply.

A murderous intent flashed in Wang Lao's eyes as he sneered, "Does the Bai Family not understand the rules? Chen San, shall we teach them a lesson?"

Chen San pondered and said, "Since they were able to suddenly find us, they're probably not to be trifled with, they likely want us to cooperate."

"Oh?"

Wang Lao's interest was piqued, and after a slight hesitation, he took out an object from his chest—it was a half piece of a gilded copper plate.

Chen San, his brow furrowing, also took out a half piece of a gilded copper plate from his chest and said gravely, "If not for this object, I would not have come. Take a good look, Brother Wang!"

With that, he casually tossed the copper plate over.

Wang Lao caught it and put the two pieces of the copper plate together, then began to recite, "Emperor Wu of Tang..."

"It is Wu Youxu!"

Chen San mused, "During Empress Wu's reign, the Wu Family held great power. There are rumors this man 'had noble ambitions from a young age, was content and desirous of little,' once disguised himself in Chang'an as a fortune teller, with remarkable accuracy."

"This man was highly valued by Empress Wu, titled Prince Anping, attained the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and General of the Thousand Bulls Guards, but disliked the conflict in court and retreated to live in seclusion in Songshan, an anomaly in the Wu Family."

"An anomaly in the Wu Family?"

Wang Lao scoffed, "I've lived half my life and seen few who do not crave power; even the tombs of those claimed to be incorrupt officials that I have visited are more luxurious than those of ordinary people!"

"Is this the tomb of Wu Youxu?"

Chen San frowned and replied, "Unclear, the rumor has it that he was buried in Songshan, never having come to Ezhou; there might be some underlying issue."

The expression on Wang Lao's face grew somber, "His family has suffered a death; they probably already went in but couldn't get their hands on it, hence calling us here."

With that, he threw the half-copper plate back.

"Chen San, it seems to be a major burial site: revealing it to outsiders likely isn't well-intended. We need to be cautious and not fall into anyone's trap!"

Chen San caught it and smiled, "Agreed, let's pretend we don't know each other, and deliberately find fault with each other when the time comes..."

Though he didn't finish his sentence, the two had understood each other's intentions, bowed to one another, and turned back to the inn under the cover of night.

Huu~

After they left, the Grass Spirit Paper Man spontaneously combusted.

Inside the inn, Li Yan opened his eyes and remarked with some surprise, "They are indeed planning to raid a tomb—it's a royal tomb..."

With that, he recounted what he had seen.

Lv San asked, "What should we do?"

Li Yan smiled and said, "Let's not act just yet. Tomorrow, when they enter the village and locate the tomb, we'll assess the situation."

"If nothing unexpected happens, there will be a Tomb Guardian Beast inside; if it really is 'Mangyan,' we'll make our move then!"

...

The next day, as dawn was just breaking,

The two groups left the inn one after another.

Not long after their departure, Li Yan and his two companions also left the inn but chose a path far from the mountain trails, moving through the dense forests and hills nearby.

In the sky, a few birds summoned by Lv San circled back and forth, constantly monitoring the movements of both groups.

Watching them travel for over ten miles, they reached a small village by the lake and were immediately stopped and questioned by someone before being led inside.

Li Yan and the others were in no hurry and waited in the nearby mountain woods.

Suddenly, Lv San spoke, "More people are coming, I've seen them at the Shen Family!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Li Yan went up to the hill and peered down through the branches.

He saw two people approaching on the mountain path, one an old Taoist and the other a lavishly dressed young man.

This person was none other than Shen Jingcan from the Shen Family!

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