The Path to Another World

Hearing Tian Jun's words, and remembering that he was also short of money and had been driven crazy by debt collectors lately, he stuffed 100,000 yuan into his drawer and said gratefully, "I won't say any more polite words! If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know. You said there's a big deal? What kind of big deal?"

"I spent about a month surveying the area recently and discovered an ancient tomb. It's quite old, and judging from the feng shui and layout, it's likely an imperial tomb, or at the very least a princely one. If we can retrieve the burial items, they're probably priceless. My brother and I could live off them for generations," Tian Jun said proudly. The fact that he discovered such an ancient tomb, which hadn't been looted in the long river of history, shows that his family's skills were quite remarkable.

"This is illegal! Without the country's permission, this is tomb raiding," Ye Fan said, somewhat alarmed. "Besides, I'm only good at appraising treasures; how can I possibly help you?"

"Don't worry, brother, why would I drag you into this? Our place is very remote, deep in the mountains, there aren't even any basic roads. Last time I spent a few thousand yuan and found several ancient ceramics in a tomb, they haven't been authenticated yet. The villagers almost treat me like a god of wealth, who would report me to the police! Besides, as long as we don't sell the stuff overseas, it's not a big problem." Tian Jun said smugly when he saw Ye Fan's puzzled expression. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round, let alone keeping a bunch of naive people quiet. "As for asking for your help, it's not about appraising treasures. It's just that I feel that ancient tomb is quite unusual. Even with my abilities, I can't fully understand its feng shui layout. Also, I heard from the villagers that sighs can be heard frequently in the vicinity. I suspect there might be something unclean in that tomb. I'm only good at mechanisms and tomb finding. As for those things, that's your forte. You've practiced Taoist arts with your grandfather since you were young, so you should be able to solve most small problems!"

I remember when Grandpa first said he was going to catch ghosts, I absolutely refused to believe that ghosts really existed. I always scolded my grandpa for being old-fashioned and superstitious. Then one time, during a spellcasting session, Grandpa finally opened Ye Fan's third eye, leaving him dumbfounded as he stared at the energy bodies wandering in the sky. Some were humanoid, their features even vaguely discernible, while others resembled beasts, like cats or dogs. Grandpa explained that after a life form dies, its soul transforms into its original energy body. These energy bodies can devour and merge with each other. If the energy body is benevolent, it becomes almost transparent; if it commits evil even once, the transparent energy body will be stained with a little black. If the evil deeds increase, the transparent energy body will gradually turn gray or even black, becoming resentment. If a spirit devours enough energy, it will eventually transform into what people call an evil spirit, or even a physical demon. That would be the most terrifying state, and most sorcerers would simply avoid it. Fortunately, the conditions for the formation of such an evil spirit are extremely demanding; otherwise, evil spirits and demons would roam everywhere, and humanity would have no peaceful place to live. Having studied Taoist scriptures with his grandfather since childhood, he had already opened his third eye. After years of cultivation, he reached a bottleneck three years ago, and his Taoist power could no longer advance. After numerous experiments, he could only deal with ordinary light gray energy bodies. If he encountered dark gray or black energy bodies, he would likely be in danger. In this age of rapid scientific advancement, few people still believe in such existences. He could barely be considered an expert in this area, of course, compared to ordinary people. "Are you sure there's something like that inside?" Ye Fan's expression was very solemn. "If that thing has cultivated inside for thousands of years, it would probably already be a monstrous genius. Even if my grandfather went, it wouldn't be of any use; he would never return."

"No, I've already checked carefully. There was no such sound before; it only started appearing more than ten years ago after a young woman committed suicide there. It should be fine." Tian Jun knew the gravity of the situation and had already investigated everything thoroughly, not daring to be careless in the slightest. "Don't worry, we'll stop after this job. You don't want to live a mediocre life like this, do you? I remember you used to have many ideals. With this money, you can do anything you want."

Tian Jun's words reminded Ye Fan of Lin Xue, who had left him a week ago. He thought of their past intimacy, the sharp words that felt like blades, and the fat man's contemptuous and sarcastic gaze. His previously hesitant gaze instantly hardened. Fortune favors the bold, and it seemed he had to take a gamble. Only by becoming a superior person could he not have to be at anyone's mercy. He firmly replied, "Okay, I agree! But I need to go back to my hometown to get my grandfather's set of tools."

Hearing that Ye Fan had finally agreed to help him with this deal, Tian Jun, whose heart had been in his throat, finally breathed a sigh of relief. For him, tomb raiding wasn't just about the wealth inside; it was also about his passion. Seeing an ancient tomb lying there waiting for him, yet unable to dig it up, felt like leaving a stunningly beautiful woman outside a cage while a lustful man imprisoned for decades sat inside. He understood that feeling all too well. His professional intuition told him that this tomb was definitely something special, and with Ye Fan's help, the success rate had increased by at least 20%. Overjoyed, he clinked glasses with Ye Fan over some water to express his excitement.

Looking around Ye Fan's small antique shop, seeing a wide variety of antiques, jade, and other collectibles, she felt an itch to grab them, her professional instincts kicking in again: "Can I look around? You know I share the same love for antiques as you."

"Whatever, I've looked through everything and there's nothing good. I've appraised everything. Take whatever you like. Anyway, I don't plan to continue running this little shop." Ye Fan replied casually. These were all things he had collected himself. The valuable items had already been sold at high prices, and the rest were not anything special.

With Ye Fan's permission, Tian Jun began rummaging through the antique pile, picking and choosing, hoping to find something of value to satisfy his professional hobby using his expertise. After nearly turning the shop upside down, one item finally caught his eye.

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