Severing ties with family to marry the young marshal, his whole family chases me to the crematorium.

Upon hearing Shen Qingyao's slightly stern voice, Long Jiaojiao's face, which had been beaming with excitement and craving for food, instantly fell flat. She could only reluctantly suppress her amusing expression.

It looked like a child being scolded by a teacher, with its head drooping and making whimpering sounds, appearing extremely disappointed.

"I was wrong, Mother, please don't be angry..."

Long Jiaojiao raised her head and looked at Shen Qingyao pitifully with her big, watery eyes, her gaze seeming to say:

"I really know I was wrong, please forgive me."

Seeing Long Jiaojiao's pitiful appearance, Shen Qingyao's heart softened, and in the end, she couldn't bring herself to be too harsh on it.

She sighed softly, patted Long Jiaojiao's little head, and said:

"You're not allowed to keep thinking about eating people anymore, that won't do."

"Okay, I understand!"

Upon receiving Shen Qingyao's forgiveness, Long Jiaojiao immediately nodded happily, a bright smile returning to her face.

Just as Shen Qingyao and Long Jiaojiao were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out from the other side. Someone shouted:

"We found the mechanism!"

This shout was like a stone thrown into still water, causing a great stir and invigorating everyone present.

However, before Shen Qingyao could stop her, an impatient person eagerly reached out and pressed the so-called mechanism.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening rumble resounded throughout the space, and the ground seemed to tremble slightly.

Everyone stared expectantly at the tightly closed stone door, thinking that it should be able to be opened now.

However, something unexpected happened. The expected scene of the stone gate slowly opening did not occur. The stone gate remained standing there motionless, as if mocking the ignorance and recklessness of these people.

"What's going on? Why won't the stone door open?"

The crowd erupted in uproar, with various doubts and speculations rising and falling.

"Did we press the wrong button? That's not the button to open the stone door at all?"

Someone raised their own questions.

"Impossible! We've searched every nook and cranny of this place, and this is the only one that looks like a mechanism. Judging from its location and style, it's definitely meant to open the tomb door!"

Another person retorted decisively. For a moment, everyone looked at each other, puzzled as to why this situation had arisen.

The crowd looked at each other, most of them showing deep disappointment.

After confirming that the tomb door could not be opened, they turned around helplessly and began to search the surroundings again for any new clues or mechanisms.

However, unlike the others, Shen Qingyao and Si Jingnian had extremely solemn expressions at this moment.

"This cannot possibly be just a useless mechanism!"

Shen Qingyao bit her lower lip and murmured softly. Her beautiful eyes shone with wisdom and determination.

"Since it failed to open the tomb door, it must have had other important uses, perhaps it was some extremely hidden trap trigger mechanism."

Si Jingnian, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Shen Qingyao's opinion.

The surroundings were deathly silent, so quiet that it made one feel uneasy.

The more tranquil the atmosphere, the stronger Shen Qingyao's unease became, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her heartstrings, making it hard for her to breathe.

Time passed quietly, second by second, until Shen Qingyao keenly noticed something amiss.

At some point, the space they were in gradually became brighter. The flashlight beams that could only illuminate a short distance in front of them could now project a much wider range.

At first, Shen Qingyao thought it was her imagination, but as the light intensified, she finally became convinced that it was no accident.

At this moment, everyone's mind was focused on how to successfully enter the tomb chamber. Apart from Shen Qingyao, no one paid any attention to the subtle changes that were taking place in the surrounding environment.

Logically speaking, the ability of a flashlight to illuminate a greater distance and to make the surrounding environment brighter should be a cause for celebration.

After all, this would allow for a better observation of the surroundings, which would help in finding more clues about the entrance.

But for some reason, Shen Qingyao felt that there was an inexplicable eeriness to the matter, as if a pair of eyes hidden in the shadows were watching their every move, ready to strike at any moment...

This place is like a bottomless dark abyss, and no one can know for sure how many meters underground they have gone.

In this endless darkness, time loses its meaning, for there is no alternation between day and night.

Therefore, it was truly perplexing when the surroundings gradually began to brighten.

To say that there is a sky, a sun and a moon, and sunrise and sunset here is simply a pipe dream and completely defies common sense.

After all, this is underground!

"Si Jingnian, have you noticed anything unusual?"

Shen Qingyao's gaze slowly fell on Si Jingnian beside her, her eyes revealing a questioning look.

However, when faced with her question, Si Jingnian simply shook his head blankly, indicating that he had no idea.

"Haven't you noticed? Our surroundings are gradually getting brighter!"

Shen Qingyao felt increasingly uncertain. She couldn't help but wonder to herself if she was the only one who had seen this change.

But are Si Jingnian's observations and feelings the same as his own?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Si Jingnian's previously calm eyes narrowed instantly. As if he had suddenly realized something, he quickly turned his head and looked around.

As he observed more closely, his expression began to subtly change. He was first slightly taken aback, then his expression gradually became heavy, like a dark cloud, until it finally became extremely ugly.

"Ah Yao, what you said is true, the environment around us is indeed getting brighter and brighter, but why is that? Could it be... could it all just be an illusion?"

Si Jingnian frowned, his voice filled with doubt and astonishment.

Shen Qingyao gently shook her head, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, her gaze fixed firmly on her surroundings.

She slowly reached out and touched the stone wall, feeling its realistic texture. Then she bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, and smashed it hard on the ground. Everything was so realistic that she couldn't doubt its authenticity.

After careful observation and inner reflection, she was finally able to be 100% certain that the scene before her was not an illusion.

Moreover, in order to further confirm her judgment, Shen Qingyao also specifically asked Long Jiaojiao, who was also in the same place.

Long Jiaojiao blinked her bright, lively eyes and nodded without hesitation, saying:

"Mother, I guarantee that this is definitely not an illusion!"

Having received an affirmative answer from Long Jiaojiao, Shen Qingyao's doubts only deepened.