Underworld

Chapter 8

The eldest brother chuckled and asked, "Little Shovel, do you understand now?"

Xiao Chan said, "I understand."

"Alright. You explain."

Xiao Chan said, "Miss Wei, what Er Gou said is just what has been passed down for a long time, and it's the common understanding. You could even call it mythology. All the mechanisms here are set up based on this theory. I ask you: when you came down from the 'Path to the Underworld,' did you ever think about going back?"

“No. But… we couldn’t go up there or go back.” Wei Yiyi was very honest.

The little shovel asked again, "Our appearance and body shape have changed. If you saw people who looked like us in your daily life, would you think they were ghosts or monsters?"

Wei Yiyi thought for a moment and said, "Yes. And they'll be so scared they'll think they've really encountered a ghost."

"Therefore, all these theories will manifest in another form here, not necessarily death," Xiao Chan said. "Following this theory, the underworld should be a vast space, perhaps even with light. Meng Po's soup is a nourishing substance that can sustain our life—it can even restore us to our original appearance! As for 'reincarnation,' this concept probably refers to passing through an insurmountable obstacle, or perhaps a mechanism, or maybe a natural barrier. If we can pass through it, we can naturally leave; if we can't, we can only stay. But in any case, we already have a chance to live, that's without a doubt!"

This is undoubtedly good news.

But the happiest person was Chen Xing. He had originally thought that the leader and the others had lost their minds, but now it seemed that they were all perfectly lucid. In that case, following them would surely lead to survival.

In this world, there are many kinds of people. One kind upholds morality and ethics in daily life, acting as upright gentlemen. However, when faced with dire circumstances, they first lose their composure and then abandon everything for a despicable means of survival. Another kind remains clear-headed, adhering to their own established rules and never violating them. They may be fierce and cruel, but they are never despicable.

These guys, as it stands, don't seem to be despicable people.

Between baseness and cruelty, he feared baseness rather than cruelty—because cruelty still has resistance, while baseness has no constraints whatsoever. To achieve its goals, it will stop at nothing and is impossible to guard against!

He suddenly realized: the reason he was like this was because he was a despicable person!

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ --- The Magpie Bridge Fairy replied [28]: The eldest brother quietly said, “All large-scale tomb passage mechanisms operate in stages. Therefore, there must be a ‘contract’. The so-called ‘every change, but not deviating from the principle’ means that the setting of any mechanism must follow a certain principle. The more sophisticated the mechanism setting, the easier it is to dodge or break once its principle is understood. Now, turning back from here, the mechanism has changed from a ‘dead’ state to a ‘living’ state. As long as we can reach the other side, we can definitely take the ‘ghost car’ back. The contract of the palace-moving mechanism has passed, and we will not get lost. After returning to the original place, it will only take a few days to dig to the surface. Even if we encounter rocks, we are not afraid, we…” His voice suddenly stopped.

Tools! When you need tools, you don't have them!

silence.

After a long silence, Er Gou said bitterly, "If it weren't for Zhu Qian, how would we have encountered so much trouble?"

"If it weren't for Ding Dada, we wouldn't be trapped here!"

A surge of anger suddenly welled up within Huang Zilan, and she couldn't help but shout, "Don't just blame everything on others! Isn't the cause related to you? If it weren't for your kidnapping, how could this have happened? If A Ding had acted sooner, who can say for sure if we would still be alive? And you're blaming him? Who knows who killed Tong Rong?"

Even Little Fatty deserved to die!

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Er Gou roared, "What did you say? You're asking for death!"

The eldest brother said calmly, "Er Gou, is your voice very loud?"

“Master! She…” Er Gou was furious.

"She's absolutely right," the leader said calmly. "Ultimately, the fault lies with us. But it's not that we're too cruel. Quite the opposite, it's that we weren't cruel enough. Not ruthless enough! Little Fatty's death was his own doing. As for you, I've told you more than once—always be vigilant, especially when dealing with people! But he didn't listen. One-Eyed's death was also because he was utterly despondent. As for Ding Dada, the fault lies with me. I shouldn't have been moved—if I had forcibly pulled the chain as soon as I saw it, given his mindset at the time, he would never have moved it, but I softened. That's why the terrible consequences we have now occurred. If you insist on shirking responsibility, why don't you say—the loss of the tool was caused by Wei Yiyi, An Yingying, and Chen Xing?"

The last sentence immediately put the three of them on edge. Er Gou said, "The loss of the tools has nothing to do with them. Ordinary people are simply unable to cope with sudden changes. Xiao Dao and I shouldn't have let our guard down and let them look after the tools."

“That’s right,” the elder said. “In everything we do, we must first reflect on our own rights and wrongs. If we make a mistake once, the fault lies with others; if we make a mistake twice, the fault lies with ourselves. We must never forget the lessons of the past. Remember: always be vigilant. In everything we do, we should first consider the worst-case scenario, reflect on it from the most benevolent perspective, and then strive for the best possible outcome, taking drastic measures. Only in this way can we guarantee victory. Now, are you still shirking your responsibilities?”

"I was wrong." Er Gou was still somewhat angry.

The eldest brother said approvingly:

"That's right. A true gentleman must be discerning in his methods. We cannot let Zhu Qian go. If she's not dead, and we can't force her to commit suicide, we'll have to kill her in other ways. As for Ding Dada, even if he doesn't die, a mere hint from us will make those who survive hate him to the core. Confucius said: 'The superior man kills with his tongue, the average man with his pen, and the inferior man with a stone tablet.' All gentlemen are of the superior kind; they should not act unless absolutely necessary. And once they do act, they must completely eliminate any possibility of resistance. This is the principle of a gentleman. You—must remember this well." "Yes."

The three disciples spoke in unison.

A chill ran through her, making Huang Zilan almost collapse.

But that was heartbreaking.

She had heard her husband sigh:

"Those who are truly wicked and evil must first possess extraordinary wisdom and a heart of great benevolence and love, and then they must have terrifying methods and ruthless confidence to instill fear and dread in the world and achieve unparalleled fame. Without leaving behind mountains of corpses, one cannot become a great general; without slaughtering all living beings, one cannot become a Buddha among all families. I cannot do any of these things, therefore, I will never become a great man."

"

These words remained incomprehensible to her. She knew that all truly wicked and evil people possessed extraordinary wisdom. But how could someone with such great compassion and love become so wicked and evil?

Now, she finally understands.

—What a group of gentlemen!

—What a great leader!

Chen Xing, however, seemed to have a vague understanding of these words.

—That's right. When necessary, one should indeed act decisively. Cut through the Gordian knot. Hesitation hinders great achievements.

In fact, we should first reflect on our own right and wrong, and then find the root cause of our mistakes. Only in this way can we know ourselves and our enemy, and cover up our shortcomings.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [29]: -- But is my current action right or wrong?

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ In the darkness, Xiao Chan's quiet voice came: "Master, the tools we currently have are a pointed shovel, a round shovel, a pickaxe, a ten-section telescopic crowbar, elbow joints, foot pushers, knee guards, cotton gloves, iron finger cots, and spring gloves."

"Ten tools are almost impossible to break through rock, but they're enough to break through ice. There's always a way out; perhaps we'll find other tools if we get out of here. We can only take it one step at a time. Can we break through the ice?"

V. Icebreaking

What would a couple do if they were trapped in a warm, dark environment where they didn't have to worry about hunger or thirst but couldn't get out?

Xu Fangfang and Du Liu are also in such an environment.

It seemed like only three days had passed, with water melting and dripping down every day. The water had long since submerged them. But strangely, they could breathe freely in the "water" like fish. After surfacing, they could even speak.

But they had nothing to say, they just floated up and down in the water, swimming around, no different from a fish.

When they want to drink water, they let it enter their bodies; when they don't want to drink water, water can't threaten them. Even without eating, they feel full of energy. They sleep in the water, are awake in the water, play in the water, and do nothing in the water. They neither think about why they have become like this, nor do they consider how to get out. They don't even care about the flower-like purple light that has appeared outside the transparent wall.

If everything is a dream, then there's no need to wake up. If one is already dead, then this underworld isn't so bad.

Outside the transparent cylinder where they were housed, there was a frozen stream with shimmering, colorful ripples. In the stream, a person was frozen solid—an arm, stiffly upright.

It has four hands on its arms.

Two black hands. Two white hands. The black hand is attached to the arm. The white hand is severed from the wrist.

—Ding Dada; A Ding

Ding Dada doesn't know if he's still alive.

He saw many things:

It was as if he had become a ghost. He no longer possessed a physical body. He floated, drifting aimlessly to a strange place. It was a mountain, filled with writhing, ever-changing spirits. Inside the mountain was a vast, empty sphere. At its center floated an insubstantial void, and within its inner walls dwelled hordes of ghosts. The sphere spun, its center rotating in reverse. There was wind. The wind swirled ceaselessly, carrying the ghosts to and fro within the sphere's inner walls. There was rain. Rain fell intermittently from the spinning sphere, but it scattered in all directions.

He drifted into the center of the ball, but ended up on the mountaintop.

The mountaintop was vast and open, with a winding stream flowing below. The stream teemed with wandering ghosts, radiating a purple light—when these ghosts "died," they transformed into quietly emerging purple flowers. These purple flowers, however, were food for the living ghosts. The more purple flowers a ghost consumed, the brighter its radiance became. But none of the ghosts' radiance surpassed his. His radiance surpassed that of all the ghosts; they worshipped him in fear, and the purple flowers, too, worshipped him.

He drifted away along the stream.

Like the inner wall of a sphere, the curved rock face is riddled with caves of all sizes. Each cave winds upwards; some are covered in black ice, reflecting iridescent light; some are smooth, tranquil rock paths; some are filled with raging fire, surrounded by ghosts radiating purple light; some are dirt paths, trodden by hopping zombies; some are paths covered in sand, where ghosts sink into them; some are filled with water, where ghosts frolic by the water's edge. Only one path, blooming with flowers and bathed in springtime light, leads to an erupting volcano. Only one rain-soaked path leads to a wall. On either side are narrow passageways hidden in endless darkness, filled with ghosts radiating purple light; on the wall, seven-colored light emanates, converging into five large characters: "Master of the Tomb, A Ding." An ugly, legless man sits before the wall, but only two severed wrists remain attached to his arms.

That person was him. It was Ding Dada—A Ding; but that "he" glared at him and handed him a mirror. In the mirror was a completely unfamiliar person, tall and handsome with murderous eyes. "You're not. I am," the ugly, legless man said to him.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [30]: He saw again that opposite him was a group of familiar people, all of whom were pleading with him, but he remained unmoved. Beside him were purple ghosts, who killed the group without saying a word.

He walked step by step.

He saw two people being tortured, groups of people fighting, people walking and laughing, and he saw himself struggling to walk into the stream and sink into its waters. He saw dazzling green light, and he saw himself frozen in the stream. He saw people struggling in the abyss, and inside the abyss, the five characters "Lord of the Tomb, A-tong" were flashing everywhere, while outside the abyss, the sun shone.

He saw Tong Rong again. Nine Tong Rongs were walking towards him, and then more Tong Rongs were walking towards him. So many "loves," he couldn't tell which one was his true love. But each Tong Rong extended her intact hand to him, demanding his severed wrist.

Suddenly he heard a sound. In the darkness, there were sounds of footsteps, voices, screams, fighting, and many other indistinguishable noises. Among these sounds, a voice from the depths of hell murmured, yet entered his ears with unparalleled clarity: "My dear, the earth has collapsed again. When life comes, you must preserve her." (December 28th, heavy snow.)

All the large circular holes vanished suddenly. No matter how hard people dug, they couldn't find a trace of them. But at this moment, the purple light video footage they had captured yielded analysis results.

The result was unexpected. At the time, one machine was playing at high speed and the other was paused, but a third machine suddenly displayed a still image.

A cylindrical, transparent object stands in a stream; its lower part is filled with a scarlet liquid, resembling blood. But within this blood-like liquid, two naked people are embracing. The still image, after being deconstructed, transforms into deliberately filmed sex scenes—a standard pornographic videotape.

That image was just one tiny, barely discernible point of purple light. If calculated in this manner, the storage capacity of the entire purple light would be staggering—enough to store at least the total amount of newspaper articles from all countries in the world over the past century. If the purple light contained valuable data, it could only be analyzed and examined by large computers used for analyzing interstellar phenomena.

At this time, all the mutated dogs had been sent to the scientific research institute for analysis, dissection, testing, and observation... On New Year's Eve, the large round hole reappeared.

Hundreds or even thousands of round holes of varying sizes have appeared on the land that people have dug up. The holes emit a purple light, which looks bizarre and fantastical in the snowy night. When looking at the Wangzhuang cemetery with a telescope, it feels like seeing a scene from an alien galaxy in a science fiction movie.

At this point, the Wangzhuang cemetery was taken over by the Academy of Sciences.

Police believe that the two people are Xu Fangfang and Du Liu, who are missing. This means that other missing persons may also be found in the purple light, and they must be underground. They should be rescued as soon as possible.

However, the Academy of Sciences believes this will be a new century's mystery, and the danger of ultraviolet light is already widely known. Before the potential consequences of this situation are clearly assessed, blindly pursuing any action will be of no benefit to the country or its people. We must not allow hundreds or thousands of people to face death because of one or two individuals; besides, judging by the timeline, the crisis has already occurred. Such attempts to "save lives" are a noble yet foolish act.

On the same day, the elderly professor was acquitted. Archaeological excavation work was halted. The government's approval was granted for the requisition of land in Wangzhuang.

Breaking the ice is difficult because the ice can "grow".

Breaking the ice was incredibly slow. But to Chen Xing and the others, it was already a miracle. For the leader and his crew, breaking this kind of "ice" was essentially no different from breaking rock. And given the severe loss of tools, only the shovel and pickaxe were truly effective. During the excavation, Xiao Dao couldn't help but sigh, "If only One-Eyed hadn't died. Breaking ice was his specialty. If Little Fatty were here, our tools wouldn't be lost; we've gotten used to having him watch over the tools… cough! And our speed wouldn't be as slow as a snail's crawl!"

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [31]: Xiao Chan smiled, “Interesting, it really does look like a snail crawling.”

"So Zhu Qian must die!" Er Gou said, "I have a good idea to kill her."

Xiao Dao asked excitedly, "What idea?"

"Kill her!" Er Gou let out a barking laugh.

"Go away! So cliché!" Xiao Chan waved his hand, catching his breath. "They're no different from skeletons anyway, so save your energy." He shoveled a couple more times and continued, "Maybe she's already dead. In my opinion, it would be better to force her to leave alone after we see them, or trap her somewhere and let her starve to death."

“That’s no use.” Xiao Dao shook his head. “Who knows how many traps are in the tomb? As the saying goes, good people don’t live long, but bad people live a thousand years. Maybe we won’t trap her to death, but let her escape instead. That would be a bad deal. I agree with Er Gou’s opinion.”

"

The eldest brother remained silent. What he was thinking was unknown, but the three women couldn't help but worry about Zhu Qian. They hoped—they hoped Zhu Qian was dead.

But what they didn't know was that Zhu Qian was not only alive, but also thriving.

Okay, it's relative. When you're just a child, "living well" might simply mean eating well, playing well, having good stories to hear, playing with good toys, no one bullying you, your teachers, parents, and aunts all liking you, and you getting whatever you want immediately. When you grow up to be a student, "living well" might just mean doing well in school, being valued by your teachers, not being scolded or beaten by your parents, having classmates and friends who like, respect, and even admire you, not having to worry about food, clothing, or material possessions, being able to satisfy your vanity, having a good father and mother, and even if you don't like studying and only like playing games, no one will blame you. When you become an adult, "living well" might mean having a happy family, a good job, being able to realize your ideals and ambitions, being self-reliant, and having a wide circle of friends. When you become middle-aged, "living well" might mean having a high-ranking position, being respected in society, having many people asking for your favors while few asking for yours, having a successful family, career, and children, and being wealthy, powerful, and capable... When you become elderly, "living well" might simply mean having filial children, being healthy, having few regrets in life, having done what you wanted to do and succeeded in most of them, and having descendants who are also successful... When you die, "good" can only mean going to heaven instead of hell, becoming a god instead of a ghost, and being reborn into a good family in the next life... But for people like Zhu Qian, being alive is good.

Hunger makes people unwilling to speak or move; cold makes them want to sleep forever. The darkness without light renders their eyes useless ornaments. But their senses of hearing, taste, smell, touch, and alertness are heightened.

Hunger makes people lazy, and cold slows down metabolism.

The body's spontaneous resistance is increasing, and latent "force" is being triggered.

Harsh environments can temper people. As long as people's willpower remains and their minds remain clear, the harsher the environment, the more it can enhance their "extraordinary" qualities.

It felt as if the terrain had changed. But the darkness prevented people from knowing exactly where the change had occurred.