Qiu Bai glanced at the man in the group and quickly recalled who he was.
Back then, he was rarely present at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but there had been one occasion when both Hu Tao and the senior staff were away, and he had stepped in to oversee the arrangements.
The memory made the corner of his mouth twitch.
"This casket is made of pine. If you pair it with the interior you selected, your friend might not rest comfortably."
"My friend, take a look at this design instead. It's crafted from cypress—far sturdier and made with higher-quality materials."
"If you truly want to give your friend a comfortable place in the afterlife, this would be the better choice."
"Then we'll go with what Mr. Qiu Bai recommends."
"In that case, I'll head to Liyue Harbor tomorrow and find the best carpenter to have it made."
"Thank you, Mr. Qiu Bai."
That scene of him pitching coffins to this archaeologist was still playing in his mind.
"So it was you."
"I remember now—what a coincidence, meeting here of all places."
Qiu Bai smiled at the man in front of him.
"You're too kind, Mr. Qiu Bai. My name's Wang Xiaopeng."
Wang Xiaopeng stepped forward, smiling.
"So it really is Mr. Qiu Bai. I've heard so much about you—I'm Xiaocui."
The woman with the Vision at her waist also walked up, smiling at him.
"Haha, Mr. Qiu Bai, are you here to join us?"
"We're here on Lord Ningguang's orders to investigate this site."
A middle-aged man from the team stepped forward and asked with a smile.
He didn't hide anything. After all, Lord Ningguang herself had described this Mr. Qiu Bai as a highly mysterious figure.
Truth be told, the team had originally planned to visit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to invite him along, just as Ningguang had suggested. But he had decided it wasn't necessary and came without him. Now that they'd run into him here, it was only natural to extend the invitation.
"Heh, so this so-called archaeological team..."
"Is mostly for show. Their true goal clearly isn't archaeology."
Qiu Bai muttered inwardly, then kept a calm expression as he looked at the group.
"In that case, I'll accompany you."
"I've got some free time anyway."
He smiled at them, then turned to wink at Fanan behind him.
Fanan nodded in response.
"Rest assured, Mr. Qiu Bai."
"There will be a generous reward once this investigation is over."
The middle-aged man gave a satisfied nod.
Qiu Bai and Fanan joined the group and followed them into the cave.
Inside, the air was damp and the passage dark. Seeing this, Qiu Bai and the other nearby team members picked up torches.
The woman named Xiaocui, who appeared to be a Pyro Vision bearer, lit the torches one by one.
With flames in hand, the group ventured deeper into the cave.
As they walked, the path gradually opened up into a massive chamber. It looked quiet, almost eerily so.
But just as they advanced, a group of Hilichurls and several Ruin Guards suddenly appeared ahead.
"Protect the archaeologists—and Mr. Qiu Bai!"
"Let's go!"
Xiaocui shouted, and the three Vision wielders sprang into action.
The clash of weapons echoed through the enormous space, elemental energy flashing in blue, red, and gold, faintly lighting the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Qiu Bai stood at the rear, deep in thought.
"Do you feel that, Fanan?"
"That strange aura… it's getting closer."
He spoke softly, eyes still scanning the shadows.
"Yeah, I feel it too. But I can't pinpoint where it's coming from."
"We can't let the mortals get too close."
Fanan nodded, frowning.
Qiu Bai gave a slight nod. He could sense the aura's location, but its form remained obscured.
"How intriguing..."
He muttered to himself, fingers resting on his chin, a faint smile forming on his lips.
His gaze shifted toward the distant darkness—into a space no ordinary eyes could penetrate.
"It's taken care of.
Let's keep moving."
Xiaocui returned with the two Vision holders.
"Thank you, Miss Xiaocui.
And you two as well."
The middle-aged man smiled and nodded to the trio.
"No need to thank us—just doing our job,"
Xiaocui replied with a smile, and the group continued deeper into the cave...
Eventually, they stopped in front of a stone wall. The middle-aged man stepped forward, placing a hand on the surface, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of the mural carved into it.
He took a nearby teammate's torch and raised it, letting the reddish glow reveal the image.
The mural depicted a bizarre figure kneeling on the ground, seemingly praying to a strange, cloud-like form. That form looked like a dark mass, almost like a black cloud—with eyes.
"What in the world is this supposed to be?
I've been doing archaeology for years, and I've never seen such a strange mural."
He ran his hand across the stone, puzzled.
"Even Uncle Yu can't decipher it?"
Xiaocui looked surprised. The man beside her was one of Liyue's most renowned archaeologists—experts like him were rare.
Behind them, Qiu Bai stared at the mural. The corner of his mouth twitched.
So that's why he couldn't sense its form earlier. It looked like... that.
"What a bizarre thing.
To think something could look like this..."
He stroked his chin, silently evaluating it.
"System, what is that black cloud in the mural?"
Qiu Bai asked inwardly.
Ding!
"Host, this is the Archon of Dreams.
However, this is not its true form—this depicts it in the act of devouring mortal dreams."
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
"The Archon of Dreams?
Wasn't it already defeated?"
"You mean the one who controlled Xiao... the one Morax obliterated?"
Qiu Bai frowned slightly.
During the Archon War, Xiao had been controlled for centuries, earning the title of a major demon under that god's command. The Archon of Dreams had once launched a full-scale assault on Morax's territory, and Xiao was only saved thanks to Morax's intervention.
But the real question was—had the Archon of Dreams truly perished? If so, what was that aura he'd sensed earlier?
"Mr. Qiu Bai, could you take a look?"
Uncle Yu, not expecting much, turned back and asked softly.
Snapped out of his thoughts, Qiu Bai looked at the group in front of him.
"The black cloud in this mural depicts the Archon of Dreams during the Archon War."
"This specific form shows it devouring human dreams."
He explained calmly to the puzzled group.
They all stared at him in shock, eyes wide.
"The Archon War?!
That was thousands of years ago! And Mr. Qiu Bai actually knows about it?"
Uncle Yu looked at the young man in disbelief, his voice rising.
If what this young man said was true... then hadn't he, a man with decades of experience, just been outclassed entirely?