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

Si Jingnian gazed intently at Shen Qingyao before him; her gentle yet firm gaze seemed to penetrate the deepest defenses of his heart.

He knew very well that Shen Qingyao said those words entirely out of concern and to comfort him.

A warm feeling welled up in his heart, moving him to the point of almost being unable to control himself.

Over the years, Si Jingnian has always maintained an extraordinary strong personality.

To outsiders, he is like a mountain that stands tall and unyielding, indestructible and never showing weakness.

He has never been willing to show his vulnerable side to anyone, let alone actively seek understanding from others.

To those around him, he was the high and mighty ruler who issued commands, requiring only that everyone obey his orders unconditionally.

However, only he himself knew that in many quiet moments at night, when faced with the casualties and sacrifices of his soldiers, he had also felt bewildered and uneasy.

Whenever a mission fails due to a poor decision, he is also plunged into deep self-blame and guilt.

However, he chose to bury all these emotions deep in his heart and never revealed them to outsiders.

In front of his subordinates, he always wore a stern face, presenting an image of being impartial, ruthless, and cold-blooded.

Over time, people seemed to have gotten used to him, believing that this general was naturally cold and ruthless.

But who would have thought that it was Shen Qingyao, this seemingly weak woman, who actually saw through his disguise and saw the real him?

At this moment, gazing into Shen Qingyao's concerned eyes, Si Jingnian could no longer suppress the surging emotions within him and whispered:

"Ayao, thank you! Thank you... for your understanding and comfort."

Although the sentence is short, the gratitude it contains is extremely sincere and profound.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyao's lips curled up slightly, she shook her head gently, and then remained silent.

She knew in her heart that what she said was true. Although this mission to delve into the ancient tomb was undertaken by Si Jingnian and Secretary Chen, they never forced anyone to participate.

Before entering the tomb, they had repeatedly confirmed with everyone that anyone who felt fear or was unwilling to take risks could choose to withdraw halfway.

However, whether these people were after the gold and silver treasures in the tomb or had other ulterior motives, they all willingly followed along in the end.

Moreover, these people did not come away empty-handed from this adventure. Regardless of the final outcome, they will all receive appropriate compensation.

Even if someone encounters misfortune and dies during the search, the money will definitely be handed over to their family.

Although she and Ruan Hongshuang had suggested returning to the ground several times, they had not agreed. In reality, they both had the right to give up halfway and leave.

Time passed quietly, and before long, Shen Qingyao felt that her physical strength had been largely restored, reaching about 70% to 80%.

But at this moment, she had already vaguely sensed that there was a yin energy in the tomb again.

Her heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of unease filled her chest.

In order to find a way out of this place as soon as possible, she had no time to rest and threw herself back into the arduous search for clues.

Seeing the scene before her, despite being extremely exhausted, Ruan Hongshuang gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand up, slowly beginning to carefully search for any possible clues.

After all, she also keenly sensed that the yin energy in the tomb was becoming increasingly intense.

The terrifying monster formed from yin energy alone had already seriously injured many of their companions.

If the same situation were to repeat itself now, very few people would likely survive and continue onward.

Thinking of this, Ruan Hongshuang felt a pang of anxiety and quickened her pace of the search.

Shen Qingyao turned to look at Ruan Hongshuang, only to see that her face was as pale as paper, without any color, and she looked extremely weak and tired.

However, after a slight hesitation, Shen Qingyao ultimately swallowed back her words of concern.

Because she knew very well that now was not the time for comforting others. If she could not find a way out of this place as soon as possible, then not only would she not be able to care about others, but even her own life was uncertain.

So Shen Qingyao stopped thinking about it and focused her energy on continuing her search.

Before long, she reached the feet of the Heavenly King statue. At this moment, she had no time to appreciate the Heavenly King's majestic and solemn figure; she was only focused on finding some useful clues in the surrounding area.

She would never let go of even the slightest clue.

Not long after, a slightly protruding stone at the feet of the Heavenly King caught Shen Qingyao's attention.

The rock wasn't protruding much; if she hadn't been so observant, she probably would have easily overlooked it.

Filled with curiosity, Shen Qingyao stepped forward and gently pressed the protruding stone with her finger.

However, to her surprise, no matter how hard she tried, the protruding rock remained completely still, as if it were rooted to the spot, without any reaction.

It stood there quietly, as if it were just an ordinary stone that had not been properly treated.

The tomb is vast in scale, but its interior construction is of the highest quality.

Both the floor and the walls were polished to an extremely smooth finish, with almost no flaws to be found.

This abruptly protruding stone, although its protrusion is not conspicuous and difficult to notice without careful comparison, easily stands out as incongruous when compared with its surroundings.

How could such a seemingly insignificant flaw appear in such a vast and exquisite tomb? This is simply illogical!

Shen Qingyao pondered to herself, her brows furrowing slightly.

However, she had already tried to touch the protruding stone several times, but all her efforts were in vain. It was like an indestructible rock that no one could budge even an inch.

Just as Shen Qingyao was preparing to find another way, suddenly, Ruan Hongshuang's shouts came from not far away.

"Yaoyao, come here quickly!"

Upon hearing Ruan Hongshuang's call, Shen Qingyao knew that her senior sister must have made some important discovery or found some clue.

So she temporarily put aside her investigation of the motionless protruding rock and turned to walk quickly in the direction from which Ruan Hongshuang's voice came.

After all, finding the key clues to solve the puzzle is the most urgent task. As for this protruding stone that doesn't seem like a flaw, we can only study it slowly later.

Shen Qingyao approached Ruan Hongshuang and looked at the wall where Ruan Hongshuang was pointing. She could vaguely make out a pattern from the intricate patterns on the wall.