The group proceeded one by one into the chamber, and after careful searching, the unsurprising result emerged—no valuable discoveries were found.
Ultimately, everyone's attention focused on the stone coffin.
Removing the lid, the coffin revealed itself to be of odd proportions—long at one end, short at the other. Its design was peculiar, lacking any ornate features, appearing as a simple rectangular block, slightly smaller in size, measuring approximately five feet.
Upon inspection, it appeared seamless from all sides, instilling a sense of unease.
Nodding to this, Mrs. White suggested, "Yuanbao, why don't you take a look?"
Yuanbao walked over, crouched down, and placed his ear against the stone coffin. After a brief moment of listening, he shook his head, indicating there was no echo, confirming its solid composition.
White Snow, still hopeful, suggested, "Grandma, should we dig a bit more?"
Without a word, Mrs. White's uncertainty was palpable.
Silence implied consent, and White Snow signaled to Yuanbao.
Yuanbao nodded, then retrieved two shovels, remnants from a previous expedition.
With determined effort, he began digging deeper.
Two hours passed, with several holes dug five to six meters deep, yet yielding no results.
"That's enough, there's no use digging further. There won't be anything below," Mrs. White concluded.
Accepting reality, White Snow prepared to empty the circular pit and take away the "three-nothing products."
Calculating the potential profits, I realized that after expenses, White and I would split the earnings fifty-fifty, each receiving around a hundred thousand. However, whether I could actually get my hands on the money depended on my luck.
Noticing Yuanbao exchange whispers with White Snow and then shoot a look at me, I sensed danger.
In hushed tones, I relayed to Stone Jingxia and Big Nose Cannon, "From now on, we need to be extra cautious. If any unexpected situation arises, we strike first, taking out Huang Erhei before dealing with the others."
They both nodded in agreement.
Stone Jingxia expressed concern, "Big Pillar, there's also Yuanbao, and White Snow doesn't hesitate to kill. The three of us..."
Big Nose Cannon smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Brother, Sister-in-law, don't worry. Look at this."
He pulled back the gun's bolt, and it moved.
I quickly restrained his hand, "What's going on?"
"I don't know, maybe all the knocking around loosened it."
After wiping his nose, Big Nose Cannon continued, "Brother, I've checked, the magazine is full. Even if Huang Erhei has a golden finger, he can't dodge bullets, and that savage, when the time comes, as long as you give the order, I'll make sure they all... won't survive."
As for Sun Tiedan, I was unsure. On the fishing boat "Jiyu 0825," Monkey King Xiao Liang had betrayed me to Chief Engineer Gou Tianming.
As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.
If he chose the wrong side, it wouldn't be my fault.
In an instant, the atmosphere became tense, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Mrs. White kept her eyes closed, an ancient, inscrutable aura surrounding her; no one knew what she was thinking.
"Let's go, pack up, and head upstairs to prepare the banquet. It's time to serve the meal."
White Snow called out, leading the way toward the staircase.
"Snow, wait."
Suddenly, Mrs. White opened her eyes and spoke.
"Grandma, what is it?"
"I can't shake the feeling that this stone feels too conspicuous. There must be some hidden truth."
Mrs. White's words resonated with me; indeed, the situation might not be as straightforward as it seemed. We must have overlooked some crucial information.
After pondering for quite some time, a sudden flash of insight illuminated my mind.
"Ah, I see now!"
Upon hearing my words, everyone turned their attention to me.
White Snow exclaimed anxiously, "Guangting, what have you discovered?"
Before I could speak, Stone Jingxia retorted directly, "Guangting, it's your name that was called, no need to be shy."
With that, she linked her arm with mine, leaned her head on my shoulder, and shared an affectionate moment.
Given White Snow's temperament, she surely couldn't swallow this insult and retorted, "The two of us..."
Sensing trouble brewing, I coughed twice to interrupt her.
Mrs. White spoke up, "Guangting, share your thoughts."
I spoke deliberately, "This is a judgment stone."
A similar stone was unearthed at the Zhouyuan site in the Fufeng and Qishan areas of Shaanxi Province. Initially, experts were baffled, but after extensive research, it was confirmed to be a "judgment stone."
As the name suggests, it was used for judgment purposes, placed in busy areas for those who made mistakes to sit on, reflecting on their actions and receiving admonition from passersby.
This was not fabricated; even today, the influence of the judgment stone persists, such as in collective punishment.
It's no exaggeration to say that the judgment stone is perhaps the most remarkable stone in thousands of years.
Mrs. White nodded slightly, "Hmm, I've heard about this matter."
Should I sit on it now?
With his head tilted, Big Nose Cannon asked, "Brother, what mistake did you make? Tell me, did you offend Sister-in-law?"
"Screw off, don't add to the chaos."
I pushed Big Nose Cannon away and looked up, noticing some patterns on the wall.
"Give me the flashlight."
With the light shining, the outlines became clearer.
"There's a mural here."
The reason it wasn't noticed earlier was due to the angle. Only by sitting on the judgment stone and looking from this perspective could it be seen.
Upon hearing this, everyone revived, one by one climbing onto the stone. With flashlights in hand, they illuminated the entire wall as bright as day.
After three thousand years, the mural had suffered severe erosion from time, with large sections peeling off and the remaining parts blurry.
After staring for a while, my eyes began to ache, tears welling up.
I rubbed my sore eyes, "I can't see clearly, it's too far away."
Big Nose Cannon said, "Iron Egg, I'll ride on your shoulders, you carry me up."
Sun Tiedan snorted and ignored him.
Suddenly, Song Haizhu went mad again, swinging his arm wildly. Huang Erhei dodged swiftly, but unfortunately, Liu Yuanbao and Big Nose Cannon were hit, knocked off the stone and onto the ground, cursing loudly.
"Madman, lunatic!"
"This is insane, ah, it hurts more than being hit with a cannon."
Song Haizhu stared vigilantly at Sun Tiedan, "Don't kick my eggs, don't kick my eggs."
"Pillar, my pillar."
Mrs. White cooed softly, patting Song Haizhu's big head.
Like a compliant Alaskan, Song Haizhu quieted down.
Suddenly, an idea struck me, and I blurted it out.
"Mrs. White, why don't you ride on Big Pillar's neck and let him carry you up? How about that?"
Mrs. White's expression turned instantly furious, glaring at me.
"What audacity!"