I looked at that humanoid figure, and inexplicably, goosebumps fell all over the ground. At first glance, it seemed like a stone statue, but I quickly realized that was impossible because the form was too lifelike; it looked just like a person who had been solidified after hanging. In that era, even if someone wanted to carve such an astonishing piece, it wouldn’t be so realistic. Although there were many evil gods in the southern barbarian regions, they often took an exaggerated approach and didn’t focus on realism.

There were so many strange occurrences along the way that I dared not take them lightly; it was possible that the green light I saw earlier came from this thing, and its position seemed just right. Cautiously, I approached the humanoid figure, and as I got closer, the waxy feeling of a dead body became even more pronounced. On the other hand, I noticed that its right hand was severed at the wrist, and the entire hand was missing. It wasn’t originally cast that way; it had been damaged.

What a little thing! Trying to imitate Venus but failing miserably! I hesitated for a moment, then carefully used my military dagger to scrape off the white sediment on it to see its original color. After scraping off a patch, I was taken aback; this thing was actually a dark red and colorful pattern, but not very bright, rather dull and tangled together, resembling mold. As I continued to scrape, I discovered that the dark red mottled mold was actually rust—this thing was made of iron.

No way! Is it an iron statue? Gathering my courage, I pinched it with my hand, and sure enough, it was solid iron. In some areas, it had been tempered well and had not yet rotted, and I could even see exquisitely carved patterns on it. The other surfaces were completely rusted, covered in dark red spots.

I gradually realized something and immediately scraped off all the attachments from it, revealing a uniquely shaped iron statue before me. I couldn’t help but be a bit stunned because the impression this thing gave me earlier was that it was lifelike but with a crude surface. Now, upon closer inspection, its surface had actually been polished; although it was now rusted beyond recognition, it was clear that it had once been very exquisite, adorned with beautiful patterns—it was a work of art. When I touched it, I felt that the patterns were exactly the same as those on the iron pieces I had discovered under the oil bottle bed.

I understood! What the archaeological team had salvaged from underwater was this! Those iron pieces were fragments of this iron statue. Could this thing be considered a cultural relic? Did it have any archaeological value?

Then I recalled that the oil bottle had mentioned these iron pieces were very dangerous, so I kept my guard up, no longer touching it, and maintained my distance to observe carefully. I had no expertise in iron artifacts, but I was quite knowledgeable about gilded bronze vessels. I had seen iron statues in the antique market; they were typically small pieces, and I had never seen one this large. First, iron was very expensive in ancient times; a statue this size would be astonishingly costly in terms of raw material alone. Second, iron artifacts are not easy to preserve; they rust too easily. Many Ming Dynasty iron Buddhas are actually hollow.

If this thing’s overall craftsmanship was similar to the iron pieces from the oil bottle, it was basically solid, possibly containing something inside but not too hollow, and it could be very heavy. Such a heavy object—could it be a large iron Buddhist implement used to lock away some demon?

I let my imagination run wild, but I also knew that I could never come up with a coherent explanation; there was no thread connecting all these events, and no matter how I pondered, it would be of no use.

I wanted to take a look at the patterns on the iron statue, but the rust was so severe that I couldn’t see it at all. There was nothing notable in other areas either. The horse figurine had mentioned that there were many iron blocks; could it be that there is more than one iron statue here? Yet, the surroundings were empty, with nothing else in sight. Such a large object couldn’t possibly be hidden beneath the collapsed debris. Where did the archaeological team retrieve those iron blocks from?

Could it be that every Yao village has the same iron statue distributed throughout the entire village? Or is it hidden in other places within the ancient building?

I turned instinctively and saw the large door behind me. Recalling that photo, there was a corridor on one side of the screen. I adjusted my position and found that the corridor in the photo corresponds to the back door of the rear hall here.

In an ordinary old residence, this door should lead to the first main courtyard, but here, there is only the facade of an ancient building. So beyond this door, there must be an exit leading to the cobblestone street of the ancient village; it couldn’t possibly be a corridor.

However, in my memory, the door frame in the photo is identical to the one here. There is no doubt that the photo was taken in this very spot. How could there be a discrepancy? Could it be that there was a corridor here when the photo was taken, but it was later demolished?

My sense of time was completely confused. It seems that both the time the photo was taken and the time when this ancient village sank must be reconsidered.

I approached to take a closer look. The intricately carved door showed no signs of decay. When I pulled on it, I realized that its exterior, which appeared wooden, was actually made of iron. I shone a flashlight on it and was taken aback; I couldn’t see the cobblestone road outside. Behind this door, there truly was a corridor.

The corridor wasn’t flat; it sloped downwards, leading deep underground. The surroundings were exactly as they appeared in the photo.

I became increasingly convinced that the location captured in the photo was right here. A sudden realization struck me: could it be that if this structure exists, the back door of the rear hall connects to a corridor that leads underground? Does this ancient residence have a back entrance, but the courtyard of that back entrance is built underground?