Taotie, the Gluttonous Beast

Gu Qingluan shook her head, unable to fully understand the origin and meaning behind it all.

She refrained from indulging in further speculation and slowly scanned the reliefs.

She had a lingering sense that these carvings held more than just decorative value.

Perhaps they could reveal something crucial.

Su Lie, upon hearing her analysis, joined her in the search.

Suddenly, Gu Qingluan's gaze halted.

On one of the walls, there was a carving—a depiction of a Taotie with the body of a bull and the face of a human, its mouth wide open, revealing its blood-stained maw. Before it lay a twisted representation of the cosmos, encompassing the sun, moon, and stars.

The representation of the sun, moon, and stars symbolized the vast universe and all creation.

As for the Taotie, it was one of the four ancient ferocious beasts, notorious for its insatiable greed.