Chapter 74 – The Strange Mural

Qiu Bai looked at the man in the team and indeed remembered someone like him.

Because he was rarely at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor back then, there was once a time when neither Hu Tao nor the senior staff were present, and it was this man who presided over the affairs.

Thinking of this, Qiu Bai’s mouth twitched slightly.

“This coffin is made of pinewood. If paired with the inner coffin you selected, I’m afraid your friend might feel uncomfortable.”

“Sir, why not take a look at this coffin design on the blueprint? It’s crafted from cypress wood, and the materials used are of ample quality.”

“If you wish for your friend to have a good resting place down below, choose this one.”

“Then let’s do as Mr. Qiu Bai suggests.”

“In that case, I’ll go find the best carpenter in Liyue Harbor tomorrow to have it made for you.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Qiu Bai.”

The memory of him promoting products to this archaeological teammate was still echoing in his mind.

“So it’s this gentleman.”

“I remember you. What a fortunate coincidence to meet you here.”

Qiu Bai looked at the man in the team and said with a smile.

“You’re too kind, Mr. Qiu Bai.”

“By the way, my name is Wang Xiaopeng.”

Wang Xiaopeng stepped forward and smiled at Qiu Bai.

“So it’s Mr. Qiu Bai.”

“I’ve long heard of your reputation. My name is Xiao Cui.”

The woman with a Vision hanging at her waist also walked over, smiling at Qiu Bai.

“Hehe, would Mr. Qiu Bai like to join us?”

“We were commissioned by the Tianquan, Lady Ningguang, to investigate this place.”

A middle-aged man from the team stepped forward, looked at Qiu Bai, and asked with a smile.

He spoke without hesitation, as this Mr. Qiu Bai, in Lady Ningguang’s evaluation, was a very mysterious person.

The key point was that they had originally intended, as Ningguang suggested, to invite this gentleman from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for this trip.

He himself felt that they didn’t need the help of a young man, so he came on his own. Now that they had encountered him, it was only natural to extend the invitation.

“Hehe, it seems this so-called archaeological team.”

“Is merely a show for outsiders. Their real target isn’t archaeology at all.”

Qiu Bai murmured inwardly, then maintained a calm expression as he looked at the people.

“In that case, I’ll accompany you on this trip.”

“I happen to have nothing else to do at the moment.”

Qiu Bai smiled at the group, then turned and winked at Bonanus behind him.

Bonanus nodded.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Qiu Bai.”

“Once this investigation is over, you’ll receive a generous reward.”

The middle-aged man in the team, hearing Qiu Bai’s words, also nodded with a smile.

Afterward, Qiu Bai and Bonanus joined the team and headed toward the inner cave.

The cave was damp and dark. Seeing this, several team members near Qiu Bai and Bonanus picked up torches.

The woman named Xiao Cui, who seemed to be a Pyro Vision holder, lit all the torches.

Holding torches in hand, the group ventured deeper into the cave.

After walking for a while, the view gradually widened. Looking ahead, there was a vast, seemingly tranquil space.

After proceeding a bit further, several Hilichurls and a few Ruin Guards suddenly appeared before them.

“Protect the archaeologists and Mr. Qiu Bai.”

“Let’s go!”

Xiao Cui shouted to those behind her, and the three Vision holders charged forward.

The sound of clashing combat echoed within the vast space.

The faint glow of elemental power from Visions illuminated the area intermittently—blue, red, and gold.

Behind them, Qiu Bai seemed lost in thought.

“Can you feel it, Bonanus?”

“That strange presence… it feels like it’s getting closer.”

Qiu Bai asked softly, glancing at Bonanus beside him.

“Yes, I can feel it too, but I can’t pinpoint its exact location.”

“We can’t let these mortals get near that presence.”

Bonanus nodded, frowning as he spoke.

Hearing this, Qiu Bai also nodded. He could sense the location of the presence but couldn’t discern its form.

“How interesting.”

Qiu Bai stroked his chin, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he murmured inwardly.

His gaze then shifted toward the darkness in the distance, a place ordinary people could never see through.

“All taken care of.”

“Let’s continue on our way.”

Xiao Cui and the two Vision bearers walked back.

“Thank you for your help, Miss Xiao Cui.”

“And you two as well.”

The middle-aged man smiled gratefully at the three Vision holders before him.

“Don’t mention it. It’s what we should do.”

Xiao Cui also smiled and nodded, and the group continued exploring deeper into the cave.

After the group reached a wall,

the middle-aged man in the middle stepped forward, touching the wall as he tried to make sense of the mural before him.

Taking a torch from a teammate beside him, he illuminated the stone wall. Under the reddish glow of the flame, he finally saw the painting clearly.

It seemed to depict a strangely shaped figure kneeling on the ground, praying to a cloud-like entity.

This entity looked extremely peculiar—like a dark cloud, but with a pair of eyes.

“What on earth is this supposed to be?”

“In all my years of archaeology, I’ve never seen such a bizarre mural.”

The middle-aged man touched the stone wall, his expression puzzled as he spoke.

“Even Uncle Yu can’t figure out this painting?”

Xiao Cui looked surprised, after all, the man was a renowned archaeological expert, one rarely found in Liyue.

Standing behind them, Qiu Bai’s mouth twitched slightly after seeing the mural.

So the reason he couldn’t discern the form of that presence was because it actually looked like this.

“What a bizarre thing.”

“It’s rare for something to look like this.”

Qiu Bai stroked his chin, evaluating inwardly.

“System, what is that dark cloud in the painting?”

Qiu Bai asked curiously in his mind.

“Ding!”

“Answering the host, this is the Demon God of Dreams.”

“But this is not the Demon God of Dreams’ true form—it is the state it takes when devouring the pleasant dreams of mortals.”

The system’s voice echoed in Qiu Bai’s mind.

“The Demon God of Dreams… didn’t it already perish?”

“The one who controlled Xiao and was later instantly defeated by Morax?”

Qiu Bai frowned slightly. During the Archon War, Xiao had been controlled for nearly a century and was titled a Greater Demon under its command.

When the Demon God of Dreams launched a large-scale attack on the territory of Morax, the God of Stone, Xiao was rescued by Morax.

But the key to this story is whether the Demon God of Dreams truly died. If it did, then what was the presence I felt earlier?

“Mr. Qiu Bai, could you come take a look?”

Uncle Yu, holding little hope, turned to look at Qiu Bai behind him and asked softly.

Lost in thought, Qiu Bai was interrupted and pulled back to the present, looking at the people.

“The dark cloud in this painting is the Demon God of Dreams from the Archon War.”

“And this form of the dark cloud depicts the moment He devours human dreams.”

Seeing the confusion on their faces, Qiu Bai explained.

The people standing before him widened their eyes in shock, staring at Mr. Qiu Bai.

“The, the Archon War period!”

“That was thousands of years ago! How could Mr. Qiu Bai possibly know about it?”

Uncle Yu looked at the young man in disbelief, exclaiming in astonishment.

If what this young man said was true, then hadn’t his decades of life been lived in vain?