The Path to Another World

One by one, the villagers arrived at the ancestral hall as quickly as possible. Looking at the crowd eagerly waiting below, Grandpa Li couldn't help but burst into tears again. Several elderly people with snow-white hair and beards, supported by the crowd, stepped forward and asked with trembling faces, "Little Li, is what you said true?" Everyone also pricked up their ears, waiting for Grandpa Li's answer.

When the two heard the elders address Grandpa Li as "Little Li," they inexplicably thought of some ancient profession serving in the palace and almost burst out laughing. However, seeing the solemn and serious expressions on everyone's faces, they could only try their best to control their emotions. Grandpa Li respectfully raised the pendant with both hands and presented it to the elders: "I have personally verified it; please examine it, elders!"

When the elders saw the pendant in Grandpa Li's hand, with its familiar gemstone—a gem they could draw perfectly even with their eyes closed—they were already seventy percent certain it was genuine. They pushed aside those supporting them, solemnly raised their hands above their heads to receive the pendant, and, putting on their reading glasses, examined it again against ancient texts. The others held their breath, afraid of disturbing the elderly, their eyes fixed intently on the pendant. In the vast square with its thousands of people, there wasn't a single sound; even a pin dropping could be heard clearly.

The elderly men examined the artifact meticulously, afraid of missing even a single pattern. Finally, amidst the anticipation of the crowd, they raised their heads, their faces filled with excitement, tears streaming down their faces, and shouted, "Fellow villagers, this is truly an ancestral artifact! We are saved! We no longer need to be confined to this corner; we can go out and see the world! Cheers!" Upon receiving the elders' affirmative answer, everyone in the square was stunned. They had thought they would continue to live in this cramped place for the rest of their lives, following in the footsteps of their ancestors. They never expected happiness to come so quickly. For a moment, they were too stunned to react. After a while, they came to their senses and involuntarily ripped off their hats, towels, and other items, throwing them into the air with thunderous shouts, wildly venting their joy. Laughter echoed throughout the entire village, and the atmosphere was even more lively than a wedding during the New Year. Seeing the frenzied crowd, the elders couldn't help but shed tears. If they were younger, they probably would have joined the frenzied crowd as well. An elder stretched out his arm and pressed it down. The crowd immediately stopped cheering and waited quietly for the elder to give his instructions.

The old man pointed his thin, bony right hand at Ye Fan and Tian Jun, solemnly saying, "We were able to bring back the ancestral artifact this time entirely thanks to these two great benefactors. Without them, we would have continued to guard it for another thousand years. Without them, our descendants would still be living here in fear of losing their freedom. We have no more treasures, so to express our gratitude, we all want to show our appreciation with the utmost respect." After speaking, several elders led the way, and everyone knelt down, bowing to the two men. Startled, the two men quickly stepped aside, waving their hands repeatedly, saying, "We only did what we should do. This is just Heaven's arrangement. We cannot bear such a great honor; it would shorten our lifespan..." The two men hadn't expected the crowd to react so wildly after learning the truth.

"Your kindness to our village is immense. If we aren't allowed to finish these few kowtows, we'll kneel here forever. This kindness is truly overwhelming. If we aren't even allowed to do this much, we'll never have peace of mind for the rest of our lives." The elders couldn't insist on getting up, so the two reluctantly accepted the villagers' three bows. Seeing the two accept everyone's thanks, the elders became happy and waved their hands, shouting, "Tonight's bonfire party is here to welcome our two esteemed guests. Everyone, go home and prepare!" The villagers looked at the two gratefully and, amidst shouts and cheers, went home to prepare for the evening's bonfire party.

"Well, elders," Grandpa Li said with a beaming smile, "these two brothers have brought us such a generous gift this time. Shouldn't we offer them something in return? We can't just let them work for nothing!" He felt a little awkward about letting the two of them into the ancient tomb directly.

"Of course, that's only right. One should not be ungrateful and should repay kindness. Young brothers, just name your price, as long as our village can afford it!" An old man waved his hand dismissively and laughed. What treasures could the village possibly have? Even the most valuable treasures couldn't compare to the future of the village.

"We are very interested in this ancient tomb. Can we go down and take a look?" Tian Jun was a little embarrassed. He felt uncomfortable discussing how to rob their ancestors' tomb in front of other people's descendants.

"Uh!" The laughing elders were stunned. They never expected the two men to be so bold as to make such a strange request. "Well, young brothers, it's not that we're ungrateful. First, this is our ancestral tomb, and we can't let you dig it up like this. Second, even if we let you dig, you can't, because according to ancestral teachings, there's another condition needed to open the tomb: a alignment of the seven stars. According to ancient texts and astronomical knowledge, this means that five stars in the sky must align in a straight line. Combined with the ancestral artifacts, only then can the tomb be opened. Otherwise, it's all in vain."

"Can we take a look?" Tian Jun asked again with a grin. "It's fine, feel free to look around, just don't damage anything in the ancestral hall." Seeing that the two weren't giving up, the elders chuckled and let them do as they pleased. Seeing that the elders didn't object, the two didn't press the issue further. Whether it could be opened or not, they could tell with a glance. The two walked around the foot of the mountain, checking everything. To their surprise, they found no doors or openings. The entire mountain seemed to be a single, continuous entity, without any concealment of formations. Ye Fan shook his head helplessly. "Junzi, there are no formations here. Above ground, I don't think we can find a way in."

"Then take a look, which direction would be more suitable for breaking ground?" Tian Jun quietly scanned the area using his family's detective techniques, hoping to find some flaws.

Ye Fan looked around and pointed to the due east, saying, "This is it. Every morning the sun rises from the east and shines directly into the ancient tomb. This is where the yang energy is strongest." "Alright!" Tian Jun channeled all his inner strength into a drill and forcefully drilled into the ground, trying to see if he could forcefully break through the tomb's walls to get in. However, Tian Jun had exhausted all his inner strength, his face as pale as snow, and still had no results. He could only give Ye Fan a bitter smile and helplessly withdraw the last bit of inner strength he had left to circulate throughout his body to recover his strength.

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