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

"Yaoyao, come and take a look. Doesn't this thing look like some kind of animal?"

Ruan Hongshuang pointed at the object in front of her with a curious expression and called out to Shen Qingyao in a puzzled tone.

Upon hearing her friend's call, Shen Qingyao, who had been frowning and deep in thought, immediately looked up and followed the direction Ruan Hongshuang was pointing.

The object was covered with strange and complex patterns. At first glance, it seemed very strange, but there was also a vague sense of familiarity about it.

After Ruan Hongshuang's reminder, Shen Qingyao nodded as if she suddenly understood.

"Indeed, I didn't notice it before. Now that you mention it, I'm looking at it more closely, and it really does look a bit like some kind of animal."

As she spoke, she leaned closer, wanting to see the patterns more clearly.

However, despite staring intently and carefully observing every line, she still couldn't quite make out what the pattern was.

However, when she stepped back a few paces and brought the entire object into view, a sudden thought struck her.

These patterns, when combined, actually form the shape of an animal! And judging from its outline, this is no ordinary small animal, but a mythical beast that is tall, mighty, imposing, and awe-inspiring.

This beast stands tall with its head held high and its limbs strong and powerful, as if it could unleash astonishing power at any moment.

Its fur shimmered with a dazzling light, as if burning with flames.

Especially his eyes, like two blazing flames, exuded a chilling pressure that made people involuntarily feel awe and even have an urge to kneel down and submit, just by looking at them.

"Could this be the legendary ferocious beast Taotie?"

Shen Qingyao murmured to herself, her mind flashing back to the description of Taotie in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The more she thought about it, the more similar it seemed, and she couldn't help but get excited.

But soon, Shen Qingyao noticed something was amiss.

She stared intently into the eyes of the Taotie again, her brows furrowing tightly.

Although these eyes still look majestic, for some reason they always give people a hollow and lifeless feeling, as if they are blind.

"Strange, what exactly happened? Logically speaking, if it were the work of ancient craftsmen, their skills should have been quite superb. How could such an obvious flaw appear in such a crucial part?"

Shen Qingyao circled the carving that resembled a taotie with a heart full of suspicion, constantly changing her perspective and scrutinizing every detail, hoping to find the answer to her question.

Could it be that this legendary ferocious beast Taotie was originally a one-eyed dragon?

She pondered to herself, but quickly shook her head and dismissed the idea.

After all, judging from the size, architectural style and interior decoration of this ancient tomb, it was clearly the resting place of a member of the royal family in ancient times.

Given such a noble status, how could someone possibly have deliberately carved a crippled ferocious beast in their tomb?

Just then, the image of the protruding stone she had just discovered flashed through Shen Qingyao's mind, and a thought struck her as if she had grasped a clue.

So she turned to look at Si Jingnian beside her and said softly:

"Si Jingnian, could you please help me? I'm too short to reach the top. Could you lift me up so I can get closer and see clearly?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Si Jingnian lifted Shen Qingyao up with both hands, as if she were as light as a feather.

Shen Qingyao was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained her senses and focused all her attention on the carved mural in front of her.

To confirm her suspicions, Shen Qingyao even disregarded her image and lay face down on the mural, her eyes almost touching the surface of the stone wall, carefully examining every texture and line inch by inch.

Persistence pays off, and finally, she successfully found a subtle flaw in a corner.

Around the blind eye of the Taotie, there was an extremely fine, barely visible crack.

If you don't get close and observe carefully, you won't notice this unusual thing at all.

Shen Qingyao's eyes were sharp and unwavering. Without the slightest hesitation, she quickly pulled out an extremely sharp dagger from her bosom and carefully extended it toward the seemingly intact blind eye.

She first touched it gently, then applied slight force, tentatively trying to pry it open.

Unexpectedly, she pried off this normally sturdy blind eye so easily.

"Si Jingnian, put me down quickly!"

Unable to hide her excitement and eagerness, Shen Qingyao suppressed her voice and asked Si Jingnian to put her down.

Si Jingnian did as he was told. He had just placed her steadily on the ground and hadn't even had time to ask what had happened when Shen Qingyao shot off like an arrow towards the protrusion she had just discovered.

Upon seeing this, Si Jingnian and Ruan Hongshuang exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly; it seemed that Shen Qingyao had already discovered something.

So the two of them didn't dare to delay and quickly followed after him.

However, just as Shen Qingyao was happily preparing to swing her dagger again to dig out the protruding rock, suddenly, a furious shout exploded in her ears like thunder:

"What are you doing? These are all precious cultural relics! How can you damage them!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Secretary Chen running towards them, looking very nervous and panting.

His eyes were full of reproach as he stared straight at Shen Qingyao, as if she had committed an unforgivable crime.

"Young Marshal's wife, these are all incredibly precious cultural relics. They have survived the vicissitudes of time and must not be damaged or destroyed in the slightest. We bear the sacred mission of protecting and cherishing them!"

Secretary Chen's face turned bright red, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead. He looked extremely nervous.

However, looking at Secretary Chen in such a state, Shen Qingyao couldn't help but feel that it was absurd and ridiculous, and the words she uttered were full of sarcasm.

"Since these are cultural relics that require special protection, then what is the purpose of our arduous journey here? Is all this manpower, material resources, and financial resources just to become food for the demons and monsters in this ancient tomb?"

“I have no objection to your desire to protect cultural relics, and I wholeheartedly support it. But right now, our most urgent task is to find the key clues that can lead us out of this place as soon as possible. We must not let go of even the slightest clue.”

As Shen Qingyao spoke, she slightly raised her chin, staring sharply at Secretary Chen, making no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction.

After being refuted so mercilessly by Shen Qingyao, Secretary Chen's face instantly darkened, looking as ugly as if it could drip water.