Chapter 65

Li Chuiyuan was about to speak a warning, but just as the sound reached his throat and before he could utter it, a scout suddenly shot up into the air.

Everyone was startled and looked up. Many flashlight beams also shone upwards. In the chaos, they only saw a thick, strong body standing tall and thrashing.

This sight caused the scene to instantly devolve into chaos.

The raised body quickly plummeted, its lantern-like eyes carving two red streaks of light across the night sky, before it charged directly towards the cave.

Everything happened too quickly and abruptly. Some of the scouts outside were frozen in fear, standing rooted to the spot, while others had fallen and were flailing their arms, their knees too weak to get up. Mixed in were many purely instinctive screams and shouts.

If it had been any other unexpected emergency, this group of organized scouts, who worked outdoors year-round, would not have panicked so severely. The problem was that encountering such a thing emerging suddenly from the deep night darkness, being utterly terrified, was a normal human reaction.

In contrast, Li Chuiyuan and his three companions, having experienced multiple strange incidents, showed greater resilience. While others were still bewildered and helpless, Run Sheng had already grabbed Li Chuiyuan's arm, preparing to carry the boy on his back, and Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin used each other for support to get up.

From a purely rational perspective, they should have had a better chance to evade and move away than the others. Yet, the "two large lanterns" ignored everyone else on the riverbank and charged straight at them.

This was its cave; now it was going home.

The four inside the cave suddenly had no escape. Remaining in place meant either being swallowed by the creature or crushed to death within the cave.

Run Sheng hoisted Li Chuiyuan onto his back and immediately ran deeper into the cave. Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang followed closely. The four reached the chasm inside the cave and, without hesitation, collectively leaped down.

The moment they leaped, Run Sheng pulled Li Chuiyuan in front of him, shielding the boy with his arms and using his own body as a cushion.

Perhaps because the creature frequently entered and exited here, the tunnel walls were polished very smooth, even slick. After jumping, the four slid rapidly downwards as if on a slide.

From behind, a grating friction sound, like truck tires constantly skidding on a slick road, echoed persistently, causing the tunnel itself to vibrate violently.

Protected by Run Sheng, Li Chuiyuan was able to look back. The two enormous red lanterns were still close behind, and he could vaguely discern two legs dangling and swinging beneath them – those of the scout who had been snatched at the beginning.

At this moment, Li Chuiyuan heard a sound from below, like a mighty rush of wind.

This meant the tunnel was nearing its end, and it was likely empty below. The four of them could fall to their deaths!

At that moment, first, there were no other feasible options; not only was it impossible, but even if it were, attempting to stabilize their bodies and slow down would result in being instantly swallowed by the creature behind them.

Second, if forced to choose an end, it seemed preferable to die quickly from a fall rather than be eaten by that thing.

Soon, the sensation of weightlessness appeared. The four slid out of the tunnel and then rapidly plummeted.

Even as he fell, Li Chuiyuan still looked up towards where the four of them had slid out. The two red lanterns had stopped, halted at the tunnel exit, and did not follow them down.

And just like that, the red lanterns grew smaller and more indistinct in his vision.

"Splash! Splash! Splash!"

A series of splashes.

Li Chuiyuan felt the stinging impact of the water hitting his back, but simultaneously, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew their lives were temporarily safe because there were two excellent swimmers in their group.

He didn't struggle, simply cooperating. Run Sheng quickly grasped him and swam to one side. The undercurrent was strong but not wide, and soon, the two reached the bank.

"Xiaoyuan, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Brother Run Sheng. How about you?"

"I'm thick-skinned."

Li Chuiyuan took out his flashlight, tapped it, and turned it on again.

Each member of the scouting team had one of these waterproof flashlights, which they kept attached to themselves and would never lose unless under special circumstances. The only issue was that these gadgets were somewhat clunky and often had poor contact, but the repair method was simple: just tap it with a stone.

"Flicker! Flicker! Flicker!"

Before long, the same response came from the opposite bank.

The underground river was noisy, with severe echoes, making shouting across long distances impossible.

The boy flashed his light twice with a long interval, indicating there were two of them. The opposite side soon did the same, suggesting Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin had reached the bank over there.

Li Chuiyuan raised his flashlight and waved its beam, signaling not to rush their reunion but to first check their respective riverbanks to see which location was more suitable.

Xue Liangliang also waved his light beam from his side, indicating he understood.

This wasn't Morse code; the communication relied on their mutual understanding.

Next, Li Chuiyuan began to observe his surroundings with his flashlight. To conserve power, Run Sheng's flashlight was temporarily unused, and the same applied to the opposite bank, where only one light shone.

The bank on their side was not narrow at all; instead, it was quite spacious, with typically more than ten meters between the rock wall and the undercurrent.

The problem, however, was that the rock wall was exceptionally smooth, like a giant mirror. Run Sheng attempted to climb it bare-handed but eventually had to give up; it was simply unclimbable.

Li Chuiyuan wasn't disappointed by this, as the creature was at the very top. Even if they could climb it, they might encounter it again.

At that moment, a light signal came from the opposite bank: first, a rapid, high-frequency flashing, followed by vertical waving.

"Brother Run Sheng, Brother Liangliang found something. Let's go over there."

"Okay."

But just as Li Chuiyuan was about to reattach his flashlight to himself, its beam swept across a figure.

At first, the boy thought he was seeing things, as in the predominantly dark environment, he trusted his ears more than his eyes.

He shone the flashlight back, and the person reappeared, standing there, right hand gripping the rock wall, right leg extended, revealing half a face, as if peeking.

Run Sheng immediately took two steps forward, positioning himself in front of the boy. Clearly, he had seen it too.

"Xiaoyuan, should we go take a look?"

Run Sheng knew that in dangerous situations, the boy always chose caution. Yet this time, the boy's answer was:

"Brother Run Sheng, let's move forward."

"Okay."

To be cautious, Li Chuiyuan had only scouted the immediate area after landing. He hadn't yet explored the area ahead, but judging by the figure's posture, there was clearly a recessed area to its left.

Either there was a protruding corner, or a new cave entrance was hidden within.

He had roughly calculated the time it took for the four of them to slide down the tunnel and then free-fall after exiting it, managing to estimate the vertical drop. With such a drop, blindly following the underground river's flow would most likely lead not to sunlight after exiting a water curtain cave, but further downwards.

The best way to leave this place was to find a path that led upwards.

The flashlight beam remained fixed on the "peeking" figure. The figure neither moved nor attempted to hide.

Could it be, not human?

When they were close enough, the flashlight's fine reflection confirmed it was stone, and Li Chuiyuan felt a sense of relief. It was indeed not a person, but a stone carving.

However, the design of this stone carving was unusually eerie.

Li Chuiyuan wasn't sure if the carving originally had any color painting, but none was visible now. From its physique and posture, it appeared to be a woman.

She wasn't peeking... she was observing.

The two words were similar but represented entirely different perspectives: the former centered on himself and Run Sheng, while the latter centered on the carved figure.

Li Chuiyuan shone his flashlight to the back-left of the stone carving, revealing a cave with stairs inside.

Immediately afterward, Li Chuiyuan shone the light on the stone carving again, this time on its back.

Now, the female features were clearly visible, and even the design of her skirt could be seen. Thanks to his daily appreciation of A-Li's attire, Li Chuiyuan could now mentally reconstruct the style of the dress based on the existing patterns on the stone carving.

She hadn't been carved elsewhere and then placed there; she was directly carved into this angled rock wall, with many parts of her front half integrated with the wall.

Li Chuiyuan took several steps back in the direction they had come from. Run Sheng also retreated, and the two of them were once again directly facing the stone carving.

"Xiaoyuan, this is a bit spooky..."

What frightened Run Sheng was never a physical object, but the atmosphere.

And Li Chuiyuan was trying to recapture that very atmosphere.

As he had approached earlier, he felt a sense of familiarity. Now, that feeling returned, and he remembered its origin.

It was reminiscent of the "Woman Opening a Door" painting often found on the walls above the coffin in the main chambers of many ancient tombs.

There were many academic theories about this, and Li Lan's favored interpretation was that it symbolized the tomb's occupant being welcomed and guided into another world of the underworld after death.

Of course, this "underworld" didn't necessarily refer to Yama's hell; its meaning varied based on different periods, regions, and religious beliefs. Sometimes it meant ascending to immortality, other times simply returning to another dwelling no less grand than a worldly abode, where one could indulge in pleasures as in life.

In short, it was not a place for the living.

Then, considering the stone stairs in the cave behind it...

This wasn't the main tomb chamber, nor was it a normal tomb passage. So, who was the stone carving here to welcome?

Li Chuiyuan turned sideways, looking at the surging underground river.

When rational thinking led nowhere, it was time to switch to a different mode of thought.

If the underground river could be likened to the Underworld River or River Styx, then the stairs and the "Woman Opening a Door" statue standing here would surely be for welcoming ghosts from the Underworld as guests?

If this was indeed a tomb, then how hospitable must the tomb's occupant have been in life to still joyously welcome ghosts from all directions after death?

Li Chuiyuan looked towards the opposite bank. After their initial signal, the light remained on, occasionally swaying slightly to indicate they were still alive.

The boy began signaling for them to come to their side.

Both sides had made discoveries. Where to rendezvous would depend on who held more sway in the group.

Soon, the other side responded: they were entering the water.

Run Sheng went to wait by the bank, and before long, he helped pull the two drenched men out of the water.

"Huu... huu..." Tan Wenbin knelt on the ground, catching his breath.

Xue Liangliang merely spat a few times and then walked towards Li Chuiyuan. "Xiaoyuan, we found a boat over there, but it's a stone boat, carved into the rocks on the bank."

"Then take a look at what we found over here."

Xue Liangliang raised his flashlight, first examining the stone carving, then the stone stairs inside the cave.

Li Chuiyuan explained the meaning of the "Woman Opening a Door" painting and his own interpretation to Xue Liangliang. After listening, Xue Liangliang immediately agreed, "Then the boat we found on the opposite bank, isn't that a ferry boat for the underworld?"

Li Chuiyuan nodded, "It does seem to fit together."

Xue Liangliang asked, "Xiaoyuan, should we go up the stairs, or..."

Li Chuiyuan: "Wait for rescue."

Just then, Tan Wenbin shouted, "The water's rising!"

Li Chuiyuan and Xue Liangliang immediately went to check. The river's water level had indeed risen.

Earlier, when they landed, there was still a drop-off, but now not only had that drop-off been erased, but the river water had also begun to spill onto the bank.

Li Chuiyuan raised his flashlight and shone it onto the wall above again. "No wonder this rock wall is so smooth. The water level must rise and wash up to here."

Xue Liangliang: "This is nature's uncanny craftsmanship."

"Brother Liangliang, now doesn't seem like the time for philosophical musings."

"It doesn't matter anymore, because we only have one option left."

"Let's go," Li Chuiyuan decided. "We have no choice but to go up."

Run Sheng led the way, Li Chuiyuan and Xue Liangliang walked side-by-side, and Tan Wenbin brought up the rear. There had been no deliberate rehearsal, yet everyone seemed to naturally know their positions.

The stone stairs were very slippery and had no handrail. Everyone had to bend at the waist and walk cautiously upwards, occasionally pressing their hands against the steps to maintain balance.

Tan Wenbin joked, "It would be great if there was an elevator, like in a hotel." Xue Liangliang responded, "Are you also hoping there's a room with a bed for you to lie down and rest after we get up there?"

"Of course, preferably with a pot of tea brewed too."

After walking for a considerable distance, the flashlight finally illuminated the top.

The top was dark red, with a door and windows. The door was open.

Li Chuiyuan felt that the stone carving at the bottom of the stairs would have been more appropriately placed here.

Tan Wenbin: "I actually guessed right; there really is a room!"

Run Sheng: "Xiaoyuan?"

"Let's go in, Brother Run Sheng."

"Okay."

There was no turning back. In fact, the hope of rescue had been slim from the start, as the rescue team's first priority would be to deal with the large creature above. Now, with the added characteristic of the underground river's rising water, placing hope in rescue was pointless.

Run Sheng entered the doorway, followed by Xue Liangliang. Before entering, Li Chuiyuan checked the nearby window, finding it, like the door, made of stone, yet its color was still vibrant, though somewhat dim.

This meant that even if the underground river's water level rose further, it wouldn't reach this point.

The double doors were fixed and could not be pushed, remaining permanently open.

Upon entering, they found that all the furnishings inside the room were also stone carvings: two rows of long benches, a bed, and a tea table with a tea set on it.

The teapot had no lid, and the flashlight beam revealed a white liquid inside. Looking up, they saw that the ceiling was not flat but had numerous stone formations extending downwards. The largest and thickest of these pointed directly into the open teapot.

Xue Liangliang pointed at the teapot. "Binbin, your tea."

Tan Wenbin asked curiously, "What is this? I think I've seen similar photos in a magazine."

Xue Liangliang: "Stalactite."

Tan Wenbin: "Sounds expensive. Can we drink it?"

Xue Liangliang: "Calcium carbonate precipitate."

Tan Wenbin sighed. "The scientific name just takes all the fancy out of it."

Li Chuiyuan looked around and said, "There's no way out."

The stone house was not large, about the size of a typical residential living room, but the only opening was the entrance. The other three sides were all rock walls.

Tan Wenbin said exasperatedly, "No, they went to all that trouble to build such a long stone staircase just for this?"

"Let's all look again, see if there are any hidden passages." After saying this, Li Chuiyuan walked to the bed. He reached out to touch it, then climbed onto it, shining his flashlight into the crevices, only to find the bed had no crevices.

Xue Liangliang, meanwhile, focused on examining the tea set, touching and twisting here and there. "Everything here is fixed stone. Let's look for anything that isn't fixed; there might be a mechanism."

"Okay!" Run Sheng squatted down to inspect the chairs.

"Alright, look for mechanisms." Tan Wenbin yawned as he responded, walking to the east wall and rubbing his eyes. He wasn't being lazy; he was genuinely tired. After a full day of work and spending the first half of the night searching for someone, it was now likely the latter half of the night.

A few days ago, he would have been in a tent at this hour, competing with Run Sheng to see who could snore louder.

Subconsciously leaning his hand against the wall, Tan Wenbin blinked hard, trying to shake off his drowsiness.

After mustering a little more energy, he intended to continue helping with the search. Then, he looked at his left hand in surprise, astonished to find that it had sunk into the wall.

"What the hell!"

Tan Wenbin instinctively tried to pull his hand out, but the more he exerted force, the stronger the suction from the other side became.

As the other three heard his shout and turned to look, they witnessed Tan Wenbin flattened against the wall. Run Sheng reacted quickly, trying to pull him back, but before his hand could even touch Tan Wenbin, the latter completely sank into the wall and disappeared.

As he vanished, the wall also began to soften and sway.

"Brother Binbin seems to have found an entrance."

Li Chuiyuan said this, then extended his hand. His fingertips naturally penetrated the wall, and as he pushed further, he felt a suction from within.

The boy not only didn't resist but actively leaned forward. The next moment, he felt himself being pulled into a viscous substance, but this state didn't last long. He was quickly flung out, staggering several steps forward before regaining his balance.

Other than being completely drenched again, he felt no other discomfort.

Li Chuiyuan looked ahead and saw Tan Wenbin slumped on the ground with his back to him. When he raised his flashlight, his pupils suddenly contracted: a giant snake head was suspended right in front of them.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

Tan Wenbin screamed loudly.

Li Chuiyuan stepped forward and patted his arm. "It's fake, it's a stone carving."

"Ahhhhh..." Tan Wenbin continued screaming while looking at Li Chuiyuan, then his voice gradually subsided. His hand began fumbling on the ground. "Huh, where's my flashlight?"

Clearly, after just entering, he had shone his flashlight, coming face-to-face with the stone snake head, completely terrifying him.

Li Chuiyuan raised his flashlight to the ground to help him search, but found nothing could be illuminated ahead.

"Brother Binbin, stop."

Tan Wenbin stopped. He had seen it too. He reached his hand forward to probe. "Xiaoyuan, it's a cliff ahead. My flashlight fell down."

"It's fine, as long as you're okay." Li Chuiyuan walked to the edge and continued to illuminate the area, but it was too deep and too dark below; nothing could be seen.

At that moment, Run Sheng and Xue Liangliang also entered, both drenched.

Tan Wenbin immediately warned, "There's a stone snake head ahead, be careful not to get scared."

But even with the warning, when they actually shone their flashlights on it, both of them paused.

Li Chuiyuan had now reached the area beneath the snake head to examine it. Initially, he thought it was just a standalone stone snake head, but he was proven wrong. Only the snake head extended to the platform where they stood; its body was complete, but it rose vertically upwards.

The snake's body was covered in densely carved scales, providing good handholds and footholds.

Li Chuiyuan pointed upwards and said, "Let's climb up."

There was no need to hesitate, as they had no other options. To leave this place, they had to press on. Most importantly, the snake's body led upwards, aligning with their survival objective.

The four climbed onto the snake head, ascending step by step as if on a ladder.

Just like when they climbed the stairs earlier, they continued to shine their flashlights upwards as they ascended.

Suddenly, the flashlight beam illuminated a figure standing at the top of the snake's tail.

Another stone carving?

This was Li Chuiyuan's first thought, but quickly, reality shattered his assumptions. The figure retreated; it was moving!

The four climbing the snake had clearly all witnessed this, as they were all looking up while ascending.

Due to this development, all four simultaneously stopped, unsure whether to continue.

"Xiaoyuan?"

"Brother Run Sheng..."

Just as Li Chuiyuan began to speak, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his brain. He couldn't help but press his forehead against a scale, using its coolness to clear his head.

At this moment, the snake's body he was gripping seemed to come alive and began to twist.

But when Li Chuiyuan looked up again, the sensation of twisting vanished.

A hallucination?

"Xiaoyuan?" Run Sheng asked again.

Li Chuiyuan vigorously shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. "Brother Run Sheng, let's go up!"

"Okay!"

Run Sheng accelerated his climb and reached the top.

When Li Chuiyuan climbed up, he found another platform ahead. Following Run Sheng's flashlight beam forward, he saw another gigantic snake head.

"No, something's wrong..."

Li Chuiyuan gritted his teeth; he felt that something was amiss.

At that moment, Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang also climbed up, both beginning to pant.

Run Sheng asked, "Xiaoyuan, should we continue climbing?"

Li Chuiyuan raised his hand, signaling Run Sheng to wait so he could carefully consider what exactly was wrong.

He began to recall every detail since climbing the stairs, as well as the various conversations between the four of them. The feeling of unease grew stronger, and he started to wonder why he was only noticing it now.

To his surprise, at that very moment, his own voice rang out:

"Brother Run Sheng, keep climbing! This is just a ladder. As long as we keep climbing, we'll definitely get out!"

Li Chuiyuan's eyes widened. Who was imitating his voice?

But just as the boy tried to speak a warning, he discovered, to his horror, that he couldn't make a sound.

He clutched his own throat with both hands, trying to force out a sound to warn them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

He wanted to rush over and pull Run Sheng, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead and wouldn't move.

"Brother Binbin, Brother Liangliang, hurry up! Just grit your teeth and keep going. Once we're up, we'll be out, and you won't be tired anymore."

"Yeah, keep going!"

"I'm fine, Xiaoyuan."

Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang continued moving forward, while Run Sheng had already led the way onto the snake head.

They need to realize I'm not moving! They need to realize I'm not there!

But as Xue Liangliang's flashlight swept across, Li Chuiyuan was horrified to see Run Sheng, who was already on the snake head, turn around and bend down to help a small boy up.

After being helped up, the small boy deliberately turned his head and looked at him.

A mocking smile played on his lips.

What exactly are you?

No, what exactly is *this place*?

Li Chuiyuan closed his eyes and tried the "walking in the netherworld" technique. Usually, in such unusual situations, this technique allowed him to see things invisible in reality.

However, he failed; the technique didn't work.

This was the first time he had failed to perform "walking in the netherworld" since learning the technique.

Of course, there was another possibility...

He was actually already in a dream!

Li Chuiyuan looked upwards and, following his usual method for ending "walking in the netherworld," imagined himself rising to the surface of the ocean, floating up, up, up...

He woke up, opening his eyes to find himself standing in water, the level already up to his neck, very close to submerging his mouth and nose.

Turning his head, he saw that all four of them were standing neatly at the bottom of the stone stairs, not even having ascended the first step.

Run Sheng, Tan Wenbin, and Xue Liangliang were still standing with their eyes closed, completely unaware.

Without explanation, Li Chuiyuan sensed a gaze fixed on him from behind. He immediately turned around in the water to look.

The stone carving of the "Woman Opening a Door," which should have been facing away from the stairs, was now facing directly towards them.

Initially, she had revealed her right hand, right leg, and the right half of her face, while the other half was completely fused with the rock wall.

Now, she revealed her left hand, left leg, and the left half of her face.

The face on this side had an upturned corner of its mouth, bearing a mocking smile.