unglückliche Beziehung

Kapitel 11

I assessed the situation and knew this was the only option. Although the explosion might damage the internal structure of the underground building and buried items, as long as we controlled the number of bombs, it shouldn't be a major problem. So I had Ah Bao retrieve two TNT-36M engineering plastic explosives purchased from the United States, secured them in a safe location, and then carefully detonated them.

With a deafening roar, sand and stones flew everywhere, and thick smoke billowed from the open space. We had initially thought that the bomb would at most blast a small hole in the building, but to our surprise, the ground began to tremble violently, as if an earthquake had struck. We were all taken aback.

58. Land subsidence

Just after we detonated the bomb, the ground trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck. We felt everything around us shaking violently, and even our balance began to falter. The towering altar in front of us swayed precariously under the tremors, seemingly about to collapse. Large and small black rocks rained down from the top of the altar, creating craters of varying depths in the ground. Realizing the danger, we quickly turned back and found several large rocks to use as cover, taking refuge beside them.

Dunzi, hiding under a huge rock, cried out in panic, "How could I be so unlucky? If I had known the foundation here was so fragile, I shouldn't have given such a terrible idea!" "It's not your fault," I comforted him. "It's fate; there's nothing we can do about it." Just as we were talking, something even more terrifying happened. We saw several cracks gradually spreading outwards from the collapsed hole. Then, with violent tremors, those cracks widened and extended in all directions, seemingly about to reach us. The large and small rocks that had fallen around the open space, after splitting open in those cracks, all fell into these fissures extending to their sides. It looked as if everything in the open space would be swallowed up by these cracks.

Seeing the situation was dire, I yelled for everyone to retreat immediately, then turned and fled. I'd only run about seven or eight meters when, worried about what was behind me, I glanced back. There it was, the massive black boulder I'd been hiding on had wobbled and collapsed into the huge fissure that had just extended to its side. I hadn't expected the explosion to be so devastating; cold sweat broke out on my body, and I dared not look back. I was terrified that if I slowed down even a little, I'd fall into the crevice like that boulder. Everyone else followed me, fleeing towards the edge of the clearing; no one dared to linger.

Just as we were about to reach the edge of the clearing, with the dense woods less than two hundred meters away, we suddenly heard a thunderous roar, followed by a violent tremor of the ground. Before we could even figure out what was happening, we felt our bodies involuntarily tilt backward. Looking closer, I realized that the ground beneath our feet had also tilted due to the sudden change, leaning towards the center of the clearing. The angle of the tilt was so great that we lost our balance and fell to the ground, rolling down the sloping surface.

The sudden ground fissure and landslide kicked up a huge cloud of dust, choking us and making us sneeze uncontrollably, even squint our eyes. It was obvious that the ground had tilted because the crack in the center of the open space had widened and eventually collapsed. The surrounding surface soil was then stretched by the sinking ground, causing it to tilt as well. If we kept rolling like this, we would surely fall into the ground and never come out again. Realizing this, I dared not be careless any longer and struggled desperately to keep from rolling down. I gripped the grass and rocks on either side with both hands, finally managing to grab onto a protruding rock, stabilizing my downward momentum. Then I looked around; thankfully, everyone else was in the same situation, clinging to rocks or grass, having temporarily stopped sliding downhill.

After about three or four minutes, I felt the tremors around me gradually subside, and finally, calm returned. My heart was still pounding, and the air was thick with dust and sand, making it difficult to breathe. I looked around carefully and realized that the ground we were on was now tilted at nearly a forty-degree angle, and I was secretly amazed at the intensity of the sinkhole that had just occurred. After resting for a while, I saw that Ah Bao and the others were able to move upwards, so I followed them, using the protruding rocks and grass roots and vines on the surrounding ground to half-crawl and half-move upwards step by step.

When we all stood on the flat ground at the edge of the clearing, we looked towards the center. Before us lay a huge crater, as if struck by a massive meteorite. The towering altar still stood tall in the center, though slightly tilted due to the shifting soil. The flat ground around the altar was gone, revealing a massive structure that had been buried beneath it. The structure resembled a temple, supported by thick, round stone pillars. The main body was constructed of uniform black bricks and stones. Although this underground structure was likely part of the altar, using the same bricks and stones, its color had noticeably changed due to its long burial underground.

On the side directly opposite us, we saw what appeared to be a door in the wall of the underground structure. It turned out this was the entrance to the spirit altar. So I discussed it with everyone. Although the surrounding geological structure was extremely unstable and prone to further collapse, we all agreed to go and carefully examine the structure's condition.

Just in case, we took out a bundle of safety rope from our equipment, tied one end to a large tree nearby in a sailor's knot, and then threw the other end to the bottom of the huge pit in front of us. By this time, Ah Bao's wound from the blue-tailed swallowtail butterfly bite had almost healed, so he was the first to pull himself up to the bottom of the pit using the rope. When he reached the bottom, he stomped around to make sure there were no holes and it was safe for the time being, then waved to us and shouted, "Come on down, everyone, it should be fine." So Dunzi and I climbed down the rope to Ah Bao's side.

The bottom of the pit was full of rock fragments that had fallen when the ground subsided, making it very difficult to walk on. We walked slowly for more than ten minutes before finally reaching the huge building below the altar. Only upon closer inspection did we realize that the outer walls of the massive building were densely covered with many strange symbols, somewhat resembling some kind of writing, yet also like patterns. These mysterious symbols seemed strangely familiar, as if I had seen them somewhere before. After thinking for a while, I remembered seeing similar patterns and symbols carved on the walls of the shaman's wooden hut earlier.

We walked around the massive underground structure, but aside from discovering these mysterious patterns, we found nothing else suspicious. After careful discussion, we felt that these symbols and patterns didn't seem to have much connection to the clues we currently had, especially the phrase "Taiji Hunyuan" following "Looking Afar from Deer Terrace" in the treasure poem, which didn't seem to have much of a connection. So we decided to put these mysterious symbols aside for now and continue to investigate the interior of this underground structure.

Having made up our minds, we wasted no more time and quickly went to the large door we had spotted while observing the underground structure at the edge of the open space. Upon closer inspection, we realized it was a stone door, about three and a half meters high and two meters wide. It was carved from a single piece of black rock, the kind used to build altars, and was decorated with carvings of mythical birds and beasts. The design was magnificent, and the craftsmanship was exquisite.

We cleared away the rubble piled outside the stone gate, then pushed hard against one of the doors. Perhaps due to its age, the hinges were jammed, making it difficult to open. Finally, we used a large, wooden pillar-like object—perhaps fallen from the top of the altar—that we found nearby, and managed to force a narrow gap between the two doors. I peered inside, but it was pitch black; I couldn't see anything. Just as I was about to take out my flashlight and shine it inside, a golden light suddenly flashed through the crack. Everyone jumped in fright. Dunzi, looking terrified, whispered, "Could there be a ghost hiding inside?"

59. Underground Temple

"Impossible! If there were other ghosts, they would have come out long ago. What are they still hiding inside for?" I thought for a moment and replied. Suddenly, I remembered the golden dragon I saw in that big tree during the thunderstorm. So I said, "Unless it's the golden dragon I mentioned before." "A golden dragon?" Dunzi asked with a doubtful expression. "You mean there really is a real golden dragon in here, just like you said?" Jenny asked, still seemingly unconvinced. I nodded and said, "I'm not entirely sure either. The weather was bad with thunder and lightning, so I couldn't see very clearly. But the golden light I saw just now really resembled the light emitted by the golden dragon I saw." "Since no one is sure, let's go in and see for ourselves," Abao said. Jenny and I both agreed. Dunzi was initially worried, but wanting to see the real golden dragon I mentioned, he finally agreed to go in with us.

We squeezed through the gap between the two doors, one by one, sideways. Then we turned on our wolf-eye flashlights. For some reason, we only saw a beam of light shooting forward from each flashlight. But the beams didn't illuminate anything; they seemed to vanish into the boundless darkness around us. We still couldn't see anything around us. Only by shining the flashlights on the nearby ground could we see things in the vicinity. "How big is this place? Even the wolf-eye flashlights can't reach the edge," Dunzi exclaimed. "The wolf-eye flashlights have a range of eighty meters. This must be over a hundred meters, which is why the flashlights can't reach the edge," Abao explained.

Since we couldn't see clearly from the surroundings, let's check the rooftop. With that thought, I shone my wolf-eye flashlight overhead. Sure enough, I found something. The entire rooftop was painted with countless gods and Buddhas in vibrant colors. Despite being over a thousand years old, the colors remained incredibly vivid, without a trace of peeling or damage. Dunzi was overjoyed when he saw the exquisite ceiling paintings. He quickly pulled out a digital camera from his backpack, taking pictures as he said, "A few days ago, a client mentioned wanting some murals of gods and Buddhas. I'll let him take a look first, and if he likes them, I'll find a way to bring them over." He chuckled to himself. Hearing him say this, I thought to myself, this trip has been full of dangers, and who knows what will happen next? Whether we can even get back is uncertain. And yet, he's still thinking about making money. He truly is a money-grubber.

Just then, the golden light flashed again. We looked and saw that it seemed to be coming from the left front, so we quickly quickened our pace and followed. Along the way, we found some gold and silver utensils, bronze bells and tripods, jade cong and gui, and earthenware jars and bottles on the floor inside the building. Based on my professional knowledge, judging from the shape of these objects, they looked very much like sacrificial vessels used in some kind of ritual.

Dunzi was even more delighted upon seeing this, stopping in his tracks and saying, "It's good that I came in to take a look; this trip was definitely worthwhile. These antiques, though not numerous, are still worth a considerable amount of money." He bent down to pick up a bronze cauldron for a closer look. But as soon as he grabbed the cauldron, he found it was as if it had been poured onto the ground; he couldn't lift it at all. Dunzi thought to himself, "Strange, this bronze cauldron is only the size of a basketball; no matter how heavy it is, it shouldn't be impossible to lift." So he tried to lift it with both hands, but still couldn't budge it. In desperation, he unintentionally rotated the bronze cauldron slightly from side to side. Immediately afterward, we heard a faint sound of liquid flowing around us, and in a short while, the previously pitch-black underground structure suddenly became brightly lit. Everything around us was clearly illuminated by the living light, crystal clear.

Only then did we realize that we were in the middle of a colossal temple. The temple was estimated to be nearly ten thousand square meters, with the entire hall supported by eight massive round pillars. The pillars were intricately carved with dragons and phoenixes. The ceiling of the temple featured the same murals of gods and Buddhas we had just seen, depicting flying apsaras and various bodhisattvas. The four walls of the temple, however, were rather terrifying, covered with murals of the Ten Kings of Hell, various ghost generals, the Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and scenes of the eighteen levels of hell.

Looking further along the walls surrounding the temple, we noticed rows of oil troughs. At regular intervals, a wick protruded from each trough, holding a lit oil lamp. The sound of flowing liquid we had heard earlier must have been from the mechanism activated by the turning of the bronze cauldron. The lamp oil then flowed into the troughs. Since the wicks likely contained low-ignition-point substances like white phosphorus, as air gradually entered the temple and the wicks absorbed more oil, they spontaneously combusted.

Looking around, Dunzi asked me suspiciously, "Brother, don't you think something's off about this place?" "Oh? What's wrong?" I asked him in return. Dunzi pointed to the top of the temple, then to the four walls, saying, "Can't you see? There's something wrong with these paintings. Generally speaking, gods and Buddhas are gods and Buddhas, and ghosts and monsters are ghosts and monsters. You wouldn't have so many gods and Buddhas painted in one room, and then so many ghosts and monsters from the underworld." He paused, then continued, "But look here, gods and Buddhas are all in one room; it's just incongruous."

After hearing his explanation, I chuckled and replied, "Hey Dunzi, stop spouting nonsense." Dunzi seemed confused, not understanding why I said that. Just then, Jenny came over, smiling, and said to Dunzi, "You don't know, judging from these murals and the layout of this temple, this should be a temple dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is both a bodhisattva and in charge of the six realms of reincarnation in the underworld, so of course there are gods, Buddhas, and ghosts here." Hearing this, Dunzi finally understood, smiled sheepishly, and explained, "Actually, I already knew, but I wanted to test how much you, someone with formal training, really know about these ancient religions."

Not wanting to embarrass him, I didn't argue further and continued to scan the layout of the temple. Suddenly, I noticed something amiss and couldn't help but remark, "Strange, why aren't there any golden statues or images of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in this temple?" My comment immediately caught Jenny and the others' attention. Jenny looked around the entire hall and nodded, saying, "Yes, where did Ksitigarbha go?"

Just then, we suddenly heard Ah Bao shout from ahead, "Come quick, look! What's this?" We looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ah Bao standing on a high platform in the center of the temple. So we quickly ran over.

When we arrived at the high platform in the center of the temple, we saw Ah Bao staring intently at an object on it. We moved closer and examined it more closely. It turned out to be a small, pure gold stupa, about the size of a regular teapot. The stupa was intricately carved with various exotic flowers and plants. Its design was very ancient and its craftsmanship exquisite. Through the openwork outer layer of the stupa, we could see that there seemed to be another layer inside.

So I reached out, grasped the top of the stupa, and slowly lifted it open. Inside, a smaller, pure gold stupa was revealed, not only carved with nine Buddha statues but also inlaid with nine gemstones such as turquoise and agate. Dunzi was utterly dumbfounded; I doubt he had ever seen such exquisite treasures in his entire life.

60. Holy Pagoda and Buddha's Light

I reached out and lifted the lid of the pagoda. Inside, I discovered an even smaller pagoda. Smaller yet more exquisite, each of the eight pagodas was inlaid with an emerald, each the size of a pigeon egg. In this way, I lifted a total of eight pagodas. At that moment, we could smell a faint, pleasant fragrance emanating from within the pagodas. The scent was neither sandalwood nor laurel; it was something I had never smelled before, yet it was incredibly comforting. The fatigue from searching for treasure for so many days instantly vanished, and I felt refreshed and full of energy.

"What kind of treasure is inside?" Dunzi asked in surprise, his eyes wide as he watched the layers of the pagoda being peeled away. "It looks so mysterious!" I shook my head, indicating that I wasn't quite sure either. "Open another layer. In Buddhism, there's a concept of 'nine times nine equals one,' so this ninth layer must have something special," Jenny said softly after a moment's thought. "Yes, that seems to be the case." So I continued to pinch the top of the ninth layer of the pagoda, preparing to peel it off. Unexpectedly, this layer was different from the others; it seemed to be firmly nailed to the base of the pagoda, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remove it. "Strange, it seems to be sealed shut; I can't peel it off," I explained to the others as I released the top of the pagoda I was holding.

Hearing what I said, Dunzi reached out and tried to remove it himself, but he couldn't. "Never mind, even if there's nothing inside the pagoda, this nine-story pure gold pagoda is priceless. Let's just take these stories back," Dunzi said with a smile, touching the layers of the pagoda that had been peeled off beside him. Just then, Jenny seemed to notice something and whispered, "Shh, don't say anything. Look, there seem to be words carved on the ninth story of the pagoda."

Hearing Jenny's words, we were all quite surprised, and quickly moved closer to the pagoda, carefully examining the ninth layer of the pure gold pagoda. Eight layers had already been peeled away, one by one. The pure gold pagoda before us had shrunk from the size of a teapot to the size of a teacup. This layer of the pure gold pagoda no longer used openwork carving; instead, the images of the Eighteen Arhats and various Bodhisattvas were carved around the pagoda's body using incised lines and a relief-like technique. Because it was no longer openwork, we couldn't see what was inside. Upon closer inspection, we could indeed see several characters, about the size of grains of rice, carved on one side of the pagoda: "Only when all sentient beings are liberated will I attain Bodhi; only when hell is emptied will I vow to become a Buddha."

Upon closer inspection, I realized the verse referred to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Considering I hadn't found any statues or images of him in the entire temple, this exquisite nine-story golden pagoda, prominently displayed, must contain something closely related to Ksitigarbha. With that in mind, I had a rough idea of what was inside. I said, "I reckon it contains not only priceless treasures, but also sacred Buddhist relics." "Oh, you already know what's inside?" Dunzi asked immediately. "Yes, if I'm not mistaken, it must contain the relics of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. No wonder there are no statues of Ksitigarbha in this temple; it turns out it enshrines his relics."

My words reminded Jenny, who immediately nodded and said, "Yes, how come I didn't think of that at first? I remember that at the Hong Kong International Antiques and Art Auction in 2001, a pure gold stupa originally used to hold Shakyamuni relics was auctioned, and it looks very similar to this one." Upon hearing that there were Buddha relics inside the stupa, Dunzi couldn't contain himself any longer. He reached out, grabbed the top of the stupa, and pulled hard, trying to open it to see the Buddha relics inside. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open it.

I patted his shoulder, making him let go, and said, "Buddha's relics are no ordinary objects; they are sacred Buddhist artifacts. Not just anyone can see them. Buddha guides those with affinity. Only those with true wisdom and sincere devotion to Buddha can see the sacred face of Buddha's relics. Don't force yourself here." After saying this, I took out a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped the sweat left on the top of the stupa from the force I had exerted while pulling on the pier. Then, I devoutly bowed three times before the stupa to express my utmost respect and admiration for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's fearless spirit of "If I don't go to hell, who will?" and his grand vow to "not become a Buddha until all the little devils in hell are liberated."

Just as I finished my three bows and was about to replace the remaining parts of the pagoda that had been removed, I suddenly saw the ninth-tiered pagoda begin to melt from the top, as if the pure gold cover had been melted by a sudden burst of heat. Immediately afterward, countless golden rays shot out from within the pagoda, illuminating the entire temple as if it were daytime. After the golden light faded, a five-colored halo emanated from the pagoda and gradually spread throughout the temple hall. Under the illumination of this five-colored halo, the gods and Buddhas painted on the temple ceiling seemed to come alive. The flying immortals and holy Buddhas flew before our eyes, and we seemed to hear the chanting of Buddhist scriptures. It felt as if we had arrived at a sacred mountain, the abode of gods and Buddhas. Finally, a giant white lotus suddenly bloomed where the pagoda had stood. A benevolent-looking golden Bodhisattva, holding a lotus flower in his left hand and making the abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness) with his right, appeared on the white lotus, silently watching us. Behind him, an angry golden dragon surged and roared, guarding him on both sides, its entire body emitting bursts of golden light.

We were stunned by this sudden and miraculous event, unable to recover for a long time. This phenomenon lasted for over a minute before the colorful halo slowly disappeared, and everything returned to its previous state. The melted first layer of the stupa stood perfectly intact before us. The four of us looked at each other, speechless. It was then that I realized the golden dragon I had seen was the one of the eight guardian dragons protecting Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. And that day, with the thunder and lightning, it was possible that the Buddha's relic had manifested at an auspicious time, which is why I had seen that fleeting flash of lightning and dragon shadow.

Finally, I was the first to regain my composure and asked in utter astonishment, "Is this real? It's not a hallucination, is it? We actually saw Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva appear?" Dunzi was so shocked he couldn't speak; he could only nod vigorously at me. I never imagined that such a seemingly unremarkable temple would house such precious Buddhist relics. To be fortunate enough to see them today is truly a blessing beyond measure.

However, two questions have always puzzled me. If this temple is dedicated to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, why wasn't it built openly above ground, but instead buried deep underground in this dark and sunless place? And if the temple beneath this altar enshrines Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the ruler of the underworld, responsible for guiding evil spirits and monsters, why does the "Netherworld Illusion" phenomenon appear above the altar, along with those mummified evil spirits? I've pondered these questions for a long time but still have no answers, wondering what secrets lie hidden within.

Sixty-one, Hunyuan Bagua Forest

These two questions had been bothering me, and I couldn't figure them out, so I went to ask Jenny. Jenny also found it very strange when she heard me say this. Just as we were pondering these two questions, we heard Ah Bao's voice from beside us again. He said, "Hey, there seems to be another passage leading up here." Hearing that he had made another discovery, we temporarily put aside our two suspicious questions and quickly went to Ah Bao's side. When we got there, I noticed that Dunzi hadn't followed, so I turned around to look. I saw him still standing on the platform where the Buddha's relics were placed. I knew he was hesitating about whether to take that pure gold, exquisite nine-story pagoda, whether he should take it, and whether he could take it. So I shouted, "Don't hesitate! Taking this sacred object will bring retribution!"

Hearing this, I saw him approach with a reluctant expression, so I patted his chest and comforted him, saying, "There must be even more treasures in that tomb. If you really like this stupa, we can come back to burn incense and candles and take the relics back after we finish this mission. Anyway, no one usually comes to this desolate place, so there's no need to worry about someone else taking them." Dunzi felt a little better after hearing me say this, and said, "You said it yourself! You have to come here with me again next time, or I won't be your brother anymore." "Okay, no problem," I replied with a smile.

Then we looked toward the passage that Ah Bao had mentioned. We saw that the passage was built into the innermost wall of the temple. Because the entrance to the passage was closed, and the door was painted with dark, hellish scenes of the underworld, just like the surrounding walls, it blended in with the surrounding walls, so we didn't notice it at first.

When we arrived, Ah Bao had already pushed open the wooden door at the entrance of the passage, revealing a series of upward-reaching steps. "Since there's a way, let's go up and take a look," I said, leading the way up the stairs. The others followed me after I went in. The stairs were quite narrow, not wide enough for two people to pass at the same time. We could only go up one after another. Since there were no lights in the passage and it was pitch black, I led the way with my wolf-eye flashlight. Our footsteps echoed in the spiraling passage, as if many people were following us. That sound was very unsettling and uncomfortable.

Startled by the echoing, terrifying footsteps, Dunzi followed closely behind me, not daring to widen the distance even slightly. We had no idea when we'd reach the top of this spiraling staircase, or how high we'd climbed; we just kept going up the dark stairs. Since there were no ventilation openings, it was incredibly stuffy. I was drenched in sweat and felt very uncomfortable. After about twenty minutes, I finally saw a wooden door appear before me. A wisp of cool breeze blew in from the crack in the door, instantly making me feel much better.

I turned to the others and said, "We're here! I can already feel the fresh air outside." Dunzi and the others were very happy to hear this, and urged me to hurry up and go out. I tried hard to push the wooden door open, but it seemed to be locked from the inside and I couldn't push it open at all. I saw that the wooden door was very soft after so many years of wind erosion, so I simply raised my foot and kicked it hard, smashing the wooden door to pieces.

As we emerged from the passage and reached the top of the altar, we discovered a platform of approximately one hundred square meters. Judging from the remaining ruins, a pavilion-like structure must have originally stood on this platform, but it had long since collapsed. Only a few thick wooden pillars remained, still swaying precariously atop the altar.

Looking at the sky again, dawn was breaking in the east; another sleepless night was about to begin. After all this commotion, everyone was exhausted and sleepy. Dunzi noticed the flat, well-ventilated platform atop the altar and suggested, "It's still pitch black all around. Why don't we rest here for a bit and come back to look for any useful clues on the altar when it gets light?" Everyone agreed, and they each found a brick or stone to lean against, lay down, and fell fast asleep.

When we woke up, it was already broad daylight. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, stretched, and said, "Ugh, my back and waist are aching from sleeping so much." "You should be grateful," Dunzi said dismissively. "Miss Jenny stayed up all night keeping watch for us." I knew Dunzi was just good at talking, so I didn't argue with him anymore. I then told everyone to start searching the top of the altar thoroughly. We had carefully examined every part of the path we had come from, but hadn't found any useful clues. Now, the top of the altar was our last chance. If we didn't find any useful clues, our plan might have to stop. So, once everyone understood this, they searched very meticulously. Every stone, every wooden pillar was examined. But after searching carefully for a long time, we still didn't seem to find a single clue.

Everyone was still diligently searching. As I examined the platform before me, I silently recited the treasure poem: "Looking afar from Deer Terrace, the primordial chaos of Taiji. Looking afar from Deer Terrace, the primordial chaos of Taiji." Suddenly, something dawned on me, and I called out to everyone, "Perhaps our observation method is flawed again." Everyone seemed confused, standing there dumbfounded, waiting for my explanation. So I continued, "The treasure poem describes 'Looking afar from Deer Terrace, the primordial chaos of Taiji,' meaning to look into the distance, to see from afar. But we've been looking closely up close, so of course we can't find the clues we're looking for."

After my explanation, everyone suddenly understood and nodded in agreement. "Looking into the distance, looking into the distance... this platform is only about a hundred square meters, so looking anywhere doesn't really count as looking into the distance, unless you look to the side..." Dunzi said, casually turning his head to the side and looking towards the dense forest outside the platform. What he saw startled him, and he immediately shouted, "Ah! I found it! I found it! Come and see!"

Hearing Dunzi suddenly shout so excitedly, we immediately realized he must have found some useful clue, so we were thrilled and quickly ran over. Dunzi pointed excitedly to the dense forest outside the altar and said to us, "Look at that forest, what does it look like?"

We looked in the direction Dunzi pointed and towards the distant grove of trees. Within that dense grove was a relatively flat, semi-circular meadow. Because there were no trees on the meadow, it formed a striking contrast with the tall trees surrounding it. Next to it was another grove of trees, also roughly semi-circular, but taller and with more vibrant green leaves, standing out prominently from the rest. This semi-circular meadow and the semi-circular grove of tall trees leaned against each other, bordering each other. The connecting area between them formed an "S" shaped curve. From a distance, wasn't this a giant natural yin-yang symbol?

“‘Looking out from Deer Terrace, the Taiji symbolizes the primordial chaos.’ That’s right, the ‘Taiji’ mentioned in the treasure poem must be right here,” I said. Looking at the enormous Taiji Yin-Yang diagram before me, I was filled with even more emotion. We had finally taken another giant step forward. I felt as if the treasure cave of Faqiu was getting closer and closer, and the mystery of immortality on that half-finished scroll seemed to be about to be solved one by one.

62. Venturing into the Enchanted Flower Lawn Again

I examined the enormous "Tai Chi diagram" in the distance again, and realized that the lawn within it was the very same one we had visited before, the one teeming with "underworld bewitches" and blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies. This discovery surprised me greatly. We had deliberately avoided that lawn because we couldn't think of a way to deal with the thousands upon thousands of blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies. So, since the treasure poem pointed to this place, we really had to venture into that lawn to find the next clue.

I shared this information with the others. At first, they didn't realize that the lawn in the "Tai Chi diagram" was the same lawn we had visited before, the one with the "Underworld Enchantress" and the Blue-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly. They were all quite surprised when I mentioned it. After they verified the appearance of that lawn again as I had suggested, and compared it with some features of the lawn we had visited before, they found that it was indeed as I had described.

"What should we do? We've already experienced how formidable those blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies are," said Dunzi, frowning and looking utterly dejected. We didn't answer him immediately; we were all racking our brains, trying to find a suitable solution.

Suddenly I had an idea, although it wasn't a great idea, but I could only give it a try.

So I said to the others, "I've come up with an idea." "Tell me, tell me!" Dunzi urged as soon as he heard I had a solution. I looked at Dunzi and said, "Generally speaking, insects are afraid of fire and smoke. Why don't we set that lawn on fire? First, it will burn away those harmful 'underworld bewitches,' and second, the smoke and ash will scare away those blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies." "That sounds like a good idea, but it's not late autumn yet. The grass on that lawn is still lush and green, not withered at all. It won't be easy to set fire to such a large area of grass all at once," Jenny replied after listening to my explanation. I looked at her and smiled, saying, "I know that the two or three lighters we have won't solve the problem, but wouldn't it be easier if we had some fuel?" Ah Bao, standing nearby, was confused by my words and asked, "Fuel? We didn't bring any of that with us, did we?" I looked at him, smiled mysteriously, and said, "We didn't bring any, but I think I can conjure up a few cans of fuel for everyone." Everyone was baffled by my words, except for me, who chuckled to myself.

Afterwards, we ate some dry rations and rested briefly on the altar before leaving the towering platform. I led everyone to the abandoned mine that had almost trapped me there. Only then did I tell them that I had found several barrels of unused fuel in the mine's tunnels. Hearing this, everyone understood what I had meant and was immediately delighted. "What are we waiting for? Let's go in!" Dunzi patted me on the back. "Don't rush. You've forgotten, this mine is very strange. It can suddenly become a maze of passages, and if we just rush in, we'll easily get lost." I paused for a moment and continued, "To be on the safe side, we'll lower a rope down from the mine entrance, and one person will stay at the entrance. The other three of us will pull the rope in. Then we'll follow the rope out, and that way we won't get lost." Everyone agreed that this was the safest approach, so they quickly had Abao bring out the safety rope and tie it to a large rock at the mine entrance. Jenny was left at the tunnel entrance in case of any emergencies. Then the three of us, holding onto the rope, crouched low and slowly made our way into the mine.

By the time we successfully carried the buckets of fuel to the lawn, it was nearly dusk. We stood at the edge of the lawn, hesitant to venture out. In the distance, we saw thousands of blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies fluttering and frolicking above the lawn, just as they always did. Looking closer, the "underworld bewitches" on the lawn seemed even more vibrant than before, and a faint, sweet fragrance filled the air. Knowing the fragrance was poisonous, we quickly pulled out our gas masks and put them on.

"What do we do next?" Dunzi asked, looking at me. So I replied, "First, find some dry branches and make a few torches. Then, light the torches with incense as we enter the middle of the lawn." We then slowly walked into that terrifying lawn, torches in hand and on fire. As soon as we entered, we quickly poured incense in a relatively dense patch of grass and lit it. The flames engulfed the grass, emitting thick black smoke. The blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies, realizing we had entered the lawn, were about to swarm and attack us, but as soon as they got close, they were choked by the torches and the thick smoke from the grass, unable to fly, and fell to the ground. Due to the effect of the smoke and fire, the blue-tailed swallowtail butterflies couldn't get close to us and could only circle around us.

Seeing that the situation was under control and developing as planned, we grew bolder. We continued walking a short distance, then, as before, poured fuel on a patch of grass and lit it. We continued like this, lighting the fire as we approached the center of the meadow. After about half an hour, we reached the center of the lawn. Standing there, we looked as far as we could, but the entire meadow appeared perfectly normal, without any clues. "The next line is 'Frosty Stone as a Gate,' the clues are probably concentrated on a certain stone, everyone look for it," I said. "But this is just a flat area, there's not even a trace of a stone in sight," Dunzi said after looking around for a while.

As our torches began to die out, and our fuel supplies dwindled, we realized that the combination of the grove of trees and the lawn formed the "Tai Chi symbol" mentioned in the treasure poem. Since we hadn't found anything on the lawn, perhaps the clues were hidden in the tall grove of trees. So I decided to go back and check the grove. I said to everyone, "Since we haven't found any useful clues here, let's check the grove over there. We're running low on fuel, so let's hurry and get out of there."

When we finally emerged from the lawn and reached the junction of the lawn and the woods, our fuel was almost gone. Dunzi glanced at the fuel can and said, "Luckily we got out in time, otherwise we wouldn't know what to do, haha." I looked up at the sky; the moon was bright, and the stars twinkled. I took the opportunity to check the celestial phenomena. The Three Enclosures were clear, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions were bright—an auspicious sign. It seemed we wouldn't encounter too much trouble. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed a few dark clouds drifting along the edge of the White Tiger in the west, suggesting we might encounter some trouble if we headed west. After confirming our location, the tall, dense forest we were about to enter was to our west. It seemed this journey wouldn't be smooth sailing; we should remain vigilant and cautious.

So I shared my observations of the stars with everyone, told them to be careful and not to fall behind, and then we all walked into the woods together.

63. Man-eating plant giant winged mosquito

Upon entering this dense forest, I noticed it was quite different from any we had passed through before. Here, everything seemed exceptionally tall, and most of the trees were as thick as washbasins. The soil appeared particularly fertile, causing the plants to grow so rapidly. Ah Bao, at the head of the group, used a small machete to hack away at the thorns and weeds blocking our path, saying, "The vegetation here seems incredibly robust. Even ordinary thorns are as thick as water pipes. My arms are aching from chopping them." "Yes," I added, "Logically, the north has less rain, so vegetation grows slowly. It's unlikely so many enormous plants could grow here. Unlike the southern rainforest, where plants absorb plenty of water and have ample sunlight, their growth is much faster." I continued, "There seems to be something fishy about this. I noticed the sky looked a bit strange earlier, so everyone be careful."

So we carved a path through the dense undergrowth and thorns, groping our way deeper into the forest. Suddenly, I felt something entangle my foot, pulling me to the side and causing me to fall to the ground. I then saw Ah Bao and the others being dragged down as well. The thing wrapped around my foot seemed to be trying to drag me somewhere, relentlessly pulling me away. I gripped a tree trunk tightly with one hand, trying to stop it from pulling me away, and then I looked up at my foot. In the beam of my wolf-eye flashlight, I discovered that my foot was wrapped with a vine as thick as an arm. Ah, that's what it was! Without time to think further, I dropped the flashlight, drew a tactical knife from my waist, and slashed fiercely at the vine. The tactical knife was quite sharp; after a few strokes, the vine was severed in half.

I quickly ran to Jenny, who was clinging tightly to a large tree, struggling to avoid being dragged away by the vines. Seeing this, I quickly crouched down and used my tactical knife to cut the vines binding Jenny's feet in half. When I cleared the remaining vines from her feet, I noticed rings of purplish-red welts on her skin. After confirming that Jenny was out of danger, I was about to get up to help the others when I saw Dunzi limping over, supported by Abao. Abao must have cut the vines from his own foot to free Dunzi.

"How strange! How come these vines are like living things, dragging people away? Have we encountered some thousand-year-old tree spirit or vine monster again?" Dunzi asked, puzzled. I hadn't figured out the truth of the matter yet, so I didn't answer him. "No, on the island of Java in Indonesia, there grows a terrifying man-eating tree called 'Dianbo.' This tree is made up of many soft branches. Normally, these branches are spread out freely. Once a person or wild animal accidentally touches one of the branches, the tree seems to receive an alarm and immediately mobilizes all the branches to quickly grab the person or animal, like a sea bream wrapping its tentacles around its prey. At the same time, the branches will exude a gelatinous liquid that digests the person or animal. Then the branches will unfold again, waiting for the next opportunity." Ah Bao, who was standing nearby, said when Dunzi asked this, "I used to work on a mission on the island of Java in Indonesia when I was a mercenary, and I saw that terrifying man-eating tree with my own eyes. And the plants that attacked us just now do look very similar to 'Dianbo.' Maybe they belong to the same type of plant as 'Dianbo.'"

At this point, Jenny chimed in, "Yes, what Ah Bao said reminded me of reports I'd seen before. The earliest reports of man-eating plants came from explorers in the latter half of the 19th century. One of them, a German explorer named Karl Liechtenstein, said that after returning from an expedition, he had personally witnessed a man-eating tree on the island of Madagascar in Africa, which the local inhabitants revered as a sacred tree. Once, a native woman, for violating tribal rules, was driven to climb the sacred tree. As a result, eight leaves with hard thorns on them quickly and tightly wrapped her up. When the leaves reopened a few days later, people found only a pile of bones inside. From then on, rumors about man-eating plants spread even more widely, and reports about them also increased."

After hearing their explanation, we finally understood. It turned out these weren't tree spirits or vine monsters, but living, man-eating plants. We always thought only animals fed on plants, but it turns out some plants feed on animals. It seems the world truly is full of wonders!

To prevent ourselves from being swept away by those man-eating plants again, we all carried sharp machetes or daggers so that we could cut them off if attacked by the vines again.

However, perhaps frightened by our earlier frenzied hacking, those man-eating plants disappeared without a trace. We circled the forest several times, but due to the late hour and the dense canopy of tall trees, not a ray of moonlight penetrated, making it impossible to find any hidden clues. So we decided to find a place to camp and return for a closer look the next day. But for some reason, after falling asleep, I had a series of strange dreams that made me feel very uncomfortable.

I was awakened from my sleep by a strange buzzing sound. Looking around by the light of the campfire at our campsite, I saw four or five mosquito-like monsters hovering above us. They were monsters because of their enormous size, almost the size of an adult wild rabbit, with a wingspan of at least two meters. They were mosquito-like because, apart from their extraordinary size, every part of their bodies was exactly the same as an ordinary mosquito. I've probably never seen mosquitoes this big before, let alone anyone in the world.

These giant mosquitoes were circling overhead, probably discussing which one of us to attack first. I glanced at Dunzi, who was supposed to be on night watch, and saw him sitting against a large tree trunk, rifle in hand, fast asleep. That lazybones! He was supposed to be on watch, but he slacked off. Luckily, I'm not a heavy sleeper and woke up easily. Otherwise, we'd probably still be completely unaware that those giant mosquitoes had sucked all our blood dry.

Seeing the urgency of the situation, I quickly shouted, "Get up! Something's happened!" My sudden shout startled everyone. Dunzi suddenly woke up, jumped to his feet, pointed his gun at the surroundings, and circled around a few times, shouting, "Where? Where's the situation?" "Up there, right above your head," I shouted back. Hearing this, everyone looked up and, sure enough, saw the giant mosquitoes. They were all quite surprised.

Seeing that we had suddenly woken up, the giant mosquitoes, perhaps not wanting to miss their chance for a feast, immediately flapped their enormous wings and swooped down on us. I saw one of the mosquitoes suddenly fly aggressively towards me, so I quickly lowered my head. With a "buzz," the mosquito, like a fighter jet, swiftly flew over my head. The strong wind it created whipped my hair around. It was clear that it was incredibly fast.

Because those giant mosquitoes were flying very fast, Dunzi had no chance to aim, so all I could see was him aiming his shotgun here and there without ever firing. Seeing this, I knew that using a gun wouldn't solve the problem, so I drew my tactical knife from my waist and decided to engage in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat with these giant mosquitoes.

Sixty-four, Decaying Corpse in the Ditch

The giant mosquitoes raised their needle-like proboscis, charging at us repeatedly as if brandishing short javelins. When I saw one of them swooping down on me, I ducked. Seeing its first attack fail, the mosquito turned and flew at me again. This time, I didn't dodge; just as it was about to reach me, I suddenly thrust my tactical knife forward. The mosquito's charge was so fast that it couldn't react in time. It crashed into the knife with a "crack." The force of the impact was so great that I was knocked to the ground as well.