Just over twenty minutes later, Bai Jing regained consciousness. She looked at Luo Yang, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment. Like Shi Fei, she had spent the past few days trapped in what felt like a dream, but now that she was awake, she could not remember any of it.
"Who... are you?" Bai Jing's voice sounded a little dazed too.
Luo Yang stood up, not the least bit tired. On the contrary, he felt remarkably good, thanks to absorbing and refining the evil spirit's spiritual energy.
"My name is Luo Yang. I'm a doctor," he said by way of a brief introduction.
"How did I end up here?"
"We'll have to start with the day of the incident," Luo Yang said. "Do you remember touching anything unusual in the Sacrificial Pit?"
He had asked Shi Fei the same question, but Shi Fei was only an artifact restorer. That day, he had been cleaning his tools beside the Sacrificial Pit and had succumbed before even entering it.
Bai Jing searched her memories.
Luo Yang watched the changes in her expression, but his eyes kept straying to her skin. She really was pale-even the skin on his inner thighs was not as fair as the backs of her hands. Her skin was exceptionally delicate too, her cheeks looking as though the slightest touch would make them ooze water.
Bai Jing suddenly looked up at Luo Yang.
Luo Yang hurriedly redirected his gaze. "Did you remember something?"
Bai Jing spoke somewhat slowly. "I remember that day... my professor took a Bronze Knife out of the soil. He was very excited and called us over to look at it. I'm short, and several experts were gathered around him, so I couldn't see the Bronze Knife. I tried to squeeze through, and just then..."
Her breathing quickened. Clearly, she had remembered something that frightened her.
"What happened then?" Luo Yang was eager to hear the answer.
"My professor suddenly let out a strange cry and started slashing at people with the Bronze Knife. Everything was chaos. I fell to the ground, and he came toward me with the Bronze Knife. His eyes were terrifying..." Bai Jing clutched her head, looking anguished.
Luo Yang comforted her gently. "Miss Bai, it's all over now. You're safe. Don't be afraid. Take your time."
Bai Jing took a deep breath and continued. "I begged him not to hurt me, but he seemed not to recognize me. He raised the Bronze Knife and slashed me, and I passed out."
After saying that, she instinctively looked down at herself.
"You don't have any wounds," Luo Yang said.
Bai Jing looked astonished. "How is that possible?"
"The Bronze Knife had just been unearthed, so it must have been covered in soil. Even if it struck you, it wouldn't necessarily have left a wound," Luo Yang said. "Another possibility is that you were so frightened that you fainted before it hit you."
Bai Jing looked at Luo Yang and inexplicably blushed. "Did you... examine my body?"
"No."
"Then how do you know I don't have any wounds?" There was a hint of suspicion in Bai Jing's eyes.
Somehow, the conversation had veered off in entirely the wrong direction, leaving Luo Yang a little speechless. As a doctor, wasn't examining a patient perfectly normal? Yet between her professor slashing her and having her body examined, she clearly cared more about the latter.
"Well, I read your examination report, so I'm familiar with your condition." In the end, Luo Yang chose to make up a story. He could hardly tell Bai Jing that he had sensed everything about her. He even knew there was a small lipoma two inches below her right armpit, but there was no need to mention that.
"Which hospital do you work at? What were you doing just now?" Bai Jing was intensely curious about this young man, who was about her age. Luo Yang's looks reminded her of a celebrity, but she could not remember which one.
Luo Yang smiled. "Miss Bai, I'm here to treat you. Are you conducting a census?"
Bai Jing's cheeks flushed slightly. "Sorry. I'm a little compulsive. Whatever I encounter, I want to get to the bottom of it."
"What's your professor's name?" Luo Yang steered the conversation back on track.
"Professor Su Changming. He led the excavations of Pit No. 6 and Pit No. 7, and he's very experienced. I'm a graduate student at Shu University, studying archaeology, and Professor Su is my supervisor. I worked so hard to get this opportunity. I never imagined something like this would happen."
"It was an accident," Luo Yang said reassuringly.
Bai Jing suddenly remembered something. "Oh, how is Professor Su?"
"He should be all right. I'll go treat him next. You can go outside and stretch your legs. Curator Ma of the Museum is very concerned about all of you. He should be delighted to see you're all right." Luo Yang headed for the door.
"Dr. Luo, please wait."
Luo Yang turned around. "Is there anything else?"
"What illness did I have?" Bai Jing asked.
"When you go outside and see Curator Ma, he'll tell you," Luo Yang said.
"You're a doctor. Can't you tell me?" Before Luo Yang could answer, Bai Jing rattled on. "Something's wrong here. If I was sick, I should be in a hospital, but this is a prefab building. When I woke up, I saw you sitting cross-legged on the floor. You weren't acting like a doctor. So you must be something else besides a doctor. Tell me, who exactly are you?"
Luo Yang felt a headache coming on. He smiled and said, "Miss Bai, I suggest you change your major."
"Huh? To what?"
"Criminal investigation. I think that would suit you better."
Bai Jing pouted, looking rather displeased.
"Go outside and stretch your legs. Curator Ma can answer all your questions. I need to hurry and treat your professor." Luo Yang walked out.
Hiss, hiss!
The medical worker stationed at the door sprayed Luo Yang with disinfectant again. Since he was not wearing a face shield, it hit him right in the face.
"There's no need to spray me again. There's no virus," Luo Yang said.
Hiss!
Another cloud of disinfectant struck Luo Yang in the face.
Luo Yang gave the medical worker a deeply resentful look, but could not be bothered to say anything else.
Ma Zhonghua hurried over. "Luo, how did it go?"
"Miss Bai is all right now. She'll be out shortly," Luo Yang said. "By the way, she mentioned a Bronze Knife. Where is it now?"
The clue Bai Jing had provided was important. In all likelihood, the Bronze Knife was the root of the problem.
"It should still be in the Sacrificial Pit. Do you need it? I'll have someone fetch it for you," Ma Zhonghua said.
"Whatever you do, don't touch it," Luo Yang said quickly. "I'll deal with it after I've cured all the archaeologists."
Ma Zhonghua smiled. "Once everything's settled, I'll throw you a celebration banquet. We'll have a few drinks together."
Luo Yang had intended to politely decline, but suddenly remembered Ma Zhonghua's position and changed his answer. "Sounds good, Curator Ma. We'll have a proper drinking session then."
Grandmaster Yingma's Golden Bronze Mask resembled the bronze masks of Sanxingdui, and an artifact with powerful spiritual energy had appeared in the Sacrificial Pit. Was there a connection between the Ancestral Shaman lineage and the Sanxingdui Civilization? These questions could not be answered in a day or two. He would certainly return to Sanxingdui to look for clues, and having a museum director as a friend could only help.
"Curator Ma, which room is Professor Su Changming in?" Luo Yang asked.
Ma Zhonghua pointed to one of the prefab isolation rooms. "That one."
"All right. I'll get to it." Luo Yang walked toward the prefab isolation room.
Before you continue