Hu Tao spread her hands helplessly. "According to the ancient texts, that kingdom vanished completely during the Archon War. The king didn't even survive long enough to see the outcome. In fact, calling it a kingdom is generous—it was more like a large settlement, and its existence was so brief it left no historical trace."
Teyvat had seen too many civilizations rise and fall. Some were backward and ignorant, not even worthy of leaving ruins behind.
Jiang Bai shrugged in disbelief. "Honestly, what can you even say? All I've got is—they got exactly what they deserved!"
A kingdom willing to bury thousands alive for personal gain deserved its fate.
Hu Tao sighed softly. "Those Corpse Puppets were nourished by dense yin energy for thousands of years. If I hadn't used that secret technique, I'm not sure I could've destroyed them all..."
Hearing about a secret technique, Jiang Bai instantly grew anxious. "That secret technique didn't cause you any lasting harm, did it? You didn't have to pay some huge price, right?"
"It burned up nearly half my blood. I'll just be weak for a long while."
Hu Tao didn't seem too bothered by this.
In that moment, using the technique had been a desperate last resort. After releasing it, she'd had no strength left—she'd even lost consciousness. If even one Corpse Puppet had survived, she would've been done for.
But since she'd managed to survive, a good rest was all she needed. Compared to the technique's sheer power, losing just half her blood was hardly a big price.
"That was way too close..." Jiang Bai shuddered at the thought.
If he'd arrived just a little later, he might never have seen Hu Tao again.
He grabbed her hand, holding tightly. "Director, promise me—next time something this dangerous happens, you'll take me with you!"
He didn't tell Hu Tao to avoid such dangers entirely; dealing with ghosts and spirits was her duty, after all.
All he could do was pray such dangerous situations occurred less often—or find a way to make Hu Tao stronger.
Hu Tao glanced down at their clasped hands. Maybe he'd genuinely been frightened; his grip was so tight, it was clear he wouldn't let go without a promise.
She gently patted Jiang Bai's hand, signaling him to relax. "Don't worry—if I need help, I'll definitely call you."
Jiang Bai still felt uneasy. After all, he couldn't always be at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"When we get back, training starts immediately. Director, I'll supervise you myself!"
Hu Tao recalled previously forcing Jiang Bai through intense training. Now, the roles had reversed—he'd be pushing her instead...
Well, fine. Her employee had grown strong, so she, as the Director, couldn't afford to fall behind.
Jiang Bai led her over to a seat, gesturing toward the food already laid out on the table.
Hu Tao genuinely wanted to eat, but a certain someone still held onto her hand, refusing to let go.
She narrowed her eyes into crescents, staring directly at him. "Just how long are you planning to hold my hand?"
Jiang Bai acted like he'd only just realized it. He laughed awkwardly and released her. "Director, your hands are ice-cold. You need to keep them warm..."
Because she'd lost so much blood, Hu Tao's circulation was weak, leaving her hands chilled.
Jiang Bai draped his heavy coat around her shoulders, carefully adjusted the collar, and fastened it with a neat bow.
Hu Tao froze slightly as Jiang Bai leaned in close, unconsciously holding her breath until he finally pulled away. Only then did she recall how breathing worked, feeling like she'd narrowly survived a crisis.
A certain hazy memory surfaced in her mind—something that may or may not have been a dream. "Last night, did you... never mind."
It was probably just her imagination. Better not ask...
"Huh?"
Noticing her face still slightly flushed, Jiang Bai tilted his head curiously.
Last night? What about last night?
Aside from holding her in his arms while sleeping, he hadn't done anything else...
Hmm, she definitely wasn't asking about that.
But even if she asked, he'd never admit it!
Casually changing the topic, Jiang Bai asked, "But if that formation was just human-made, why couldn't we use the Communication Device inside the tomb?"
At the mention of the Communication Device, Hu Tao's attention immediately shifted.
She quickly composed a message to Xiangling to test if it could be sent out.
But just like back in the tomb, the message vanished into thin air, blocked by some mysterious force.
Hu Tao pondered this. "It's probably due to the area itself. Very few things can interfere with adeptal communication artifacts. Including that tomb, this entire region is probably covered by an invisible barrier, which explains why we can't contact anyone outside."
The region Hu Tao referred to included the enormous underground canyon and the palace below them.
Jiang Bai nodded thoughtfully. "Since the Sifang Compass points straight toward that palace, it looks like we'll need to explore it carefully."
Hu Tao agreed. The logic made sense.
"But there's no rush to explore. Your health comes first, Director. Rest until you've fully recovered and regained your strength."
Since Hu Tao was now awake, it meant she was out of danger; recovery was all that remained.
He'd brought plenty of food and water—enough for them to stay comfortably for a while.
Bloop quietly poked its head out from Jiang Bai's pocket, glanced around curiously, found nothing interesting, and ducked back inside to continue sleeping.
The underground darkness warped their sense of time. Without the pocket watch Jiang Bai carried, it would've been impossible to tell time at all.
Thanks to her extraordinary physical constitution and the fundamental enhancements from her Vision, Hu Tao recovered quickly. Soon, she was able to move around normally without dizziness or weakness.
Holding the lumenstone, the pair jumped straight through a window, descending into the palace below.
Standing on the sideways wall of the palace felt strange yet intriguing to Jiang Bai—as if they were defying gravity.
"Director, did you bring the Kamera? Let's take a picture."
Hu Tao stared blankly at him. They were in this bizarre situation, and all this guy could think about was taking pictures?
Then again, snapping a photo to tease Xiangling later could actually be pretty fun.
"Yeah, I brought it."
She eagerly set up the Kamera. The two posed dramatically, pretending to walk casually on the vertical wall, matching excited grins on their faces.
This unknown palace was majestic, built with sharp angles, its roads and gates all formed in perfectly regular hexagons.
Inside, the space was incredibly spacious. Their voices echoed clearly from every direction. The doorways, now located too high on the walls, made navigating somewhat challenging.
But to Jiang Bai, none of this posed an issue. He effortlessly conjured stone pillars from beneath their feet, elevating them directly up to the doorway to pass smoothly into the next chamber.