Burial Site Mystery Classic

Chapter 8

Now the situation had reached a critical juncture. Seeing that Dunzi's crossbow was ineffective against it, the rest of us also fired at the seemingly flexible body of the giant python. Sure enough, the gunpowder was quite powerful; in an instant, three bloody holes appeared in the python's body. Hit hard, the python halted its attack and turned to crawl behind a nearby boulder.

Taking advantage of the lull, we hurriedly reloaded our ammunition. Then, under my command, everyone surrounded the boulder from behind. But as soon as we got close, the enormous golden head suddenly popped out again and spewed a pungent white mist at us. "Poison!" Ah Bao shouted, dodging to the side. The rest of us, hearing his cry, didn't dare hesitate and quickly dropped to the ground.

Dunzi, standing nearby, glanced at me and said, "Damn it, I didn't expect this ugly monster to play dirty tricks on us. We need to figure out a way to put on our gas masks." Hearing this, I nodded repeatedly in agreement. But upon closer inspection, we realized our gas masks were all in our bags. And those bags were piled up not far from the boulder where the giant python was. If we went to get them, the python would definitely notice and attack us. What to do? We were at a loss.

41. Fierce Battle

Just then, the giant python seemed to realize we were all terrified of the poisonous mist it spewed from its mouth, and it became even more rampant, raising itself up and spraying the mist at us lying on the ground. We were forced to dodge and weaved, looking quite disheveled. In desperation, I saw the wolf-eye flashlight in my hand and immediately had an idea. I shouted to the others, "I'll count to three. When I say three, immediately shine the wolf-eye flashlight into the monster's eyes. If it's momentarily distracted by the light and abandons its attack, I'll go retrieve the package." Everyone understood my strategy and agreed, telling me to go get the package without worry, and that they would provide cover for me.

"One, two, three." As I quickly counted to three, the other three turned their wolf-eye flashlights to their brightest setting and simultaneously shone them into the giant python's eyes. Just as I expected, the giant python was momentarily disoriented by the sudden, intense light. In those few seconds, I rolled over to the pile of packs, grabbed a package containing gas masks, and quickly retreated back to the others. "Impressive!" Dunzi patted my shoulder, seeing that I had successfully retrieved the items. I didn't have time to say anything to him; I quickly opened the package, took out the gas masks one by one, and tossed them to them.

With gas masks on, we no longer had any reservations. We all stood up, raised our guns, and opened fire on the giant python. We'd already riddled the python with bullet holes, but none seemed to have hit any vital organs. The python was surprised that its poison gas was suddenly ineffective against us. Perhaps the pain had clouded its judgment, and while we were reloading, it charged again, its four short legs wriggling its fat, golden body.

Its sudden charge caught us off guard, and it seized the opportunity to rush to our side, splitting the four of us into pairs on either side. I was the closest to it at that moment, roughly less than two meters away. Seeing that I couldn't fire yet, it seized the chance, twisting its body and sweeping its tail at me with a "snap," knocking the shotgun I was loading from my hand. Then, it coiled around me and wrapped its body around me.

I gripped the python's forelegs tightly with both hands, trying my best to prevent its sharp toes from piercing my body. Seeing this, Dunzi and the others, fearing they might accidentally injure me, dared not fire rashly. Seeing an opportunity, Abao pulled an M9 tactical knife from his boot, leaped over, and slashed at the python's back. The python hissed in pain. But this golden-scaled giant python was no ordinary creature. Although it had been attacked multiple times and was already covered in wounds, none of them seemed to be its vital points, so it remained swift and incredibly strong. With a flick of its tail, it swept it across Abao's waist. Abao, still recovering from poisoning, was not yet agile and couldn't dodge in time, being swept aside with a loud thud.

Dunzi and Jenny, seeing the giant python's tail was incredibly powerful and unable to get close, grew increasingly anxious. The python, seeing that they had been repelled by its attacks, became even more smug, opening its massive maw, filled with barbed teeth, intending to swallow me whole. Just as I was about to despair, I suddenly remembered this scene, as if I had experienced it somewhere before. Thinking carefully, I recalled that when I fought the thousand-year-old earth spirit, I had also been tightly bound by its tongue, and I had broken free using the "Crimson Blood Universe Curse" taught in the "Exorcism Technique." Thinking of this, I immediately recited the incantation silently, then bit my tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the golden-scaled python's head with a "pfft." But for some reason, this time it didn't work. The blood didn't ignite on the python's head. However, this sudden spray of blood startled the python.

Just then, Jenny suddenly shouted, "Hit it at the seven-inch mark! Maybe its vital point is there!" Hearing her shout, everyone remembered this saying and suddenly their minds cleared. At that moment, Dunzi shouted, "I'm going all out! Leopard, it's all up to you now!" With that, he lunged at the giant python.

The giant python, seeing yet another fool, paid it no heed. As usual, it lashed out with its tail, aiming for Dunzi's waist. Dunzi, seemingly prepared, spread his arms and, just as the snake's tail reached him, lunged forward, embracing it tightly and collapsing to the ground. Instantly, the snake's tail lost its power and could no longer be moved.

Seeing this, Ah Bao remembered Dunzi's earlier words and immediately understood Dunzi's intention. He quickly got up from the ground, rushed to my side and the giant python, grabbed the M9 tactical knife he had just stuck in the python's back, and pulled it out forcefully. Because the knife was stuck so deep, it brought out a stream of foul-smelling python blood as it was pulled out. The pain caused the python to coil around me even tighter. I could almost hear the "crackling" sound of my bones being wrapped around the python's body, and breathing became extremely difficult. Ah Bao, knife in hand, didn't dare to rest for a moment. He quickly found the seven-inch mark on the python's neck, gritted his teeth, and plunged the knife into the python.

Jenny seemed to be right; the giant python's vital point was indeed right there. The sudden thrust sent a shiver through me, and I lost all my previous brute strength. The coils binding my body suddenly loosened. Seeing my chance, I immediately released my grip on the python's forelegs and ran away. Dunzi, seeing I was out of danger, finally released his hold on the python and rolled to the side, skimming the ground.

The giant python, finally realizing our power after that powerful attack, knew we weren't to be trifled with. It twisted its blood-soaked, fat body and hurriedly ran towards the "river of corpses." We hadn't intended to chase it, but in its haste, as it passed our pile of belongings, one of its feet accidentally slipped into the strap of one of the backpacks, and it then dragged the backpack away in a hasty escape.

Jenny exclaimed, "Oh no! The white jade seal and the manuscript are in that bag!" We panicked and grabbed our weapons, rushing after it. Although the giant python was badly injured, it still managed to run fast. We chased it for a long time but couldn't catch up.

Jenny ran and shouted, "Don't let it get into the river!" Hearing Jenny's shout, we realized the giant python was less than a hundred meters from the "River of Corpses." Everyone was extremely anxious. So we all raised our guns, aimed at the python's vital spot, and fired. But we weren't perfect marksmen; the bullets all grazed the python's body.

Just as we were worried that the giant python would try to escape into the "River of Corpses" with its backpack, something strange happened. It suddenly stopped, and although it kept pushing forward, its entire body seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch. We were all overjoyed to see this. Dunzi, while running, said half-jokingly, "Looks like it's the Bai Nacha Mountain God protecting us again. Now I'm really starting to worship this savior of suffering mountain god, hehehe."

When we got close to the giant python, we saw that its backpack was stuck on a large rock protruding from the ground. No wonder it couldn't escape; monsters are monsters after all, unlike humans who have brains. When it saw that it couldn't move forward, it didn't turn around to see what was wrong; it just kept crawling forward and ended up getting stuck there.

We had already experienced its power, and although it was now on its last breath, we still dared not approach it easily. We all picked up our guns and fired wildly at it. Only when it truly breathed its last did we slowly walk over. Dunzi, Abao, and I ran to the giant python and poked it with our guns to make sure it was really dead. Jenny, on the other hand, quickly ran to the large rock that was wedged the backpack to check its condition.

Jenny checked the contents of her bag and, finding nothing missing, relaxed. But just as she was about to return with her backpack, she seemed to notice something and waved to us, saying, "Come and see, what's carved on this stone?"

42. Underwater Secret Passage

When Jenny asked that question, we knew something unusual had happened again, so we quickly ran to her side and knelt down to examine the stone she was referring to. The stone was half-buried in the ground, and one side of it was carved very smoothly. There seemed to be some strange patterns faintly engraved on it.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the patterns on it were actually characters written in Han Dynasty seal script. Although the characters had been blurred by wind and rain due to their age, the two characters "Sishui" were still legible. This further confirmed that the place we had arrived at was indeed called "Sishui" during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Moreover, judging from its appearance, it seemed that there should be other characters on the part buried underground.

To obtain more reliable information, we decided to dig out the large rock first. Everyone took out their entrenching tools and began digging around it. When we were halfway through, we could see all the writing on the rock. I bent down and examined it closely; I saw sixteen characters on the rock: "South bank of the Sishui River, underwater plank road. Leading to the north bank, Dripping Green Canyon."

When I read the sixteen characters aloud, Dunzi and the others could hardly believe their ears. Dunzi laughed and said, "An underwater walkway? A cross-sea bridge? Brother, who are you trying to fool?" But when I repeatedly explained that I wasn't in the mood for jokes and that there really were sixteen characters carved on the stone, their smiles gradually faded, and they squatted down to examine the characters more closely. Although Han Dynasty seal script is very different from the characters we use today, there are still some similarities between characters of the same word. So after my explanation, they looked at it and thought it did indeed seem to be the sixteen characters I had described.

Dunzi, looking puzzled, scratched his head and asked, "So, there's a passage built under the 'River of Corpses'?" "This technology is quite advanced even today. How could it have existed during the Wei and Jin Dynasties? It seems unlikely," Jenny muttered to herself. Seeing this, I thought for a moment and said, "Logically speaking, it is indeed unlikely. But archaeologists have discovered murals inside the Egyptian pyramids depicting flying machines and electromagnets—objects we only see today. Logically, that's absolutely impossible. Yet, it really is." Dunzi nodded and said, "I've heard about this too. It's truly a perplexing mystery. So, what do we do next?"

"What should we do? We just need to cross the river, right? This river is weird, and we don't know if the water is poisonous. There's no bridge or boat nearby, and I'm struggling to think of a feasible way to cross. If there really is an underwater passage down here, wouldn't that be perfect for us?" I replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Dunzi smiled and said, "That's right, how could I be so stupid?" So everyone worked even harder and started digging with their entrenching tools.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, we had already dug to a depth of about two or three meters. Using the light from our wolf-eye flashlight, we saw a stone door emerging from beneath the large rock. It was about eighty centimeters wide, and because the lower half of the door was still buried deep in the soil, we couldn't immediately determine its height. But based on the width, I estimated it to be about two meters.

By this time, the eastern sky was already turning white, and dawn was approaching. Seeing everyone drenched in sweat and panting heavily, I knew they were all exhausted. So I said, "It's almost dawn, and everyone's tired. Let's take this opportunity to rest for another two or three hours. We'll continue digging tomorrow morning—no, I should say this morning—after we wake up." The others were indeed very tired, and naturally, no one objected. So they tidied up their belongings and equipment, which had been disorganized during the fight with the giant python, and then lay down to rest.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, we finally dug through the entrance to the underwater tunnel. As we pushed open the stone door and stepped into the tunnel, we were met with an extremely horrifying scene. The tunnel's left and right sides were filled with rows of dark, desiccated corpses. Some were standing, some were sitting, and some were simply sprawled on the ground, their heads completely obscured. Jenny and Dunzi were both startled by this sudden and terrifying sight. Jenny even let out a scream. The sound echoed through the tunnel for a long time before gradually fading away. Judging from the echo, it seemed to be an extremely long tunnel. If it only led to the other side of the river, it couldn't possibly be this long, because the widest part of this "river of corpses" wouldn't exceed fifty meters. And this underwater tunnel before us was bottomless.

I figured since these were all from the Wei and Jin dynasties, they might be related to that tomb raider. So, no matter where the passage led, I decided to go in and take a look first.

I shared my thoughts with everyone. Although Jenny and Dunzi were both terrified by the horrific scene inside the passage, when they heard me say that this passage was very likely related to the two tomb raiders who had suddenly disappeared years ago, who were also the original owners of the two white jade seals, they decided to go in and take a look no matter what.

As I walked, I observed the horrifying mummies around me. The clothes on each corpse were long since rotten and torn, replaced by fine spiderwebs. These webs were so incredibly fine that they seemed to clothe the mummies in a gossamer veil. Even our faint breaths were enough to gently lift them, causing them to drift slowly with our breath.

Then, those thousand-year-old mummies, like ghostly soldiers just risen from hell, suddenly appeared before us, riding on a gentle, eerie breeze. Each one had a demonic face and fangs, utterly terrifying. As I walked, I felt my heart pounding faster, my legs seeming to weaken, and I slipped several times, nearly twisting my ankle. Dunzi was even more disheveled, drenched in sweat, and simply closed his eyes, grabbing my shoulders and following closely behind.

The passageway was extremely quiet, and perhaps due to the building's design, every sound seemed amplified. Our footsteps, our breathing, even the sound of sweat dripping from our sweat-soaked hands onto the ground could be heard clearly.

Jenny whispered as we walked, "This place is so eerie! Where did all these mummies come from? It's like hell on earth!" Hearing this, I replied, "When I visited Fengdu Ghost City before, I went to the eighteen levels of hell. The clay sculptures there were so lifelike; they terrified so many people! It was truly terrifying. But compared to this, it's like heaven and earth." Dunzi, who was already afraid to open his eyes, became even more panicked after hearing our words and quickly cried out, "Stop! Stop! Don't you know that scaring someone can kill them? If you keep talking like this, I'll be scared to death by the two of you, even if I'm not killed by the ghosts!"

Normally, we would have laughed ourselves to death if we heard Dunzi say something like that. But now, our hearts were pounding, and we were all enveloped in this terrifying atmosphere, so we didn't feel like laughing at all. Just then, we suddenly heard Abao say softly, "Hey, there seems to be something carved on this wall?" Hearing this, we turned around and saw him staring intently at the wall on the left side of the passage. So we shone our wolf-eye flashlights on that wall and then shifted our gaze there. What I saw made my mouth involuntarily gape wide open.

Forty-three, red spider

On the wall, I saw a large "Hetu" (River Diagram). The solid and hollow dots carved into the wall, despite thousands of years of change, were still clearly visible. Since there was a "Hetu," there should also be a "Luoshu" (Luo River Writing). Naturally, I turned around, picked up my wolf-eye flashlight, and shone it on another wall. Sure enough, on the opposite wall, there was a large "Luoshu" pattern.

This further proves that this underwater passage is closely related to the two tomb raiders. Everyone was incredibly excited upon seeing the two diagrams, and their previous fear subsided slightly. Previously, we had only speculated about the meaning of the treasure-hunting poem, unsure if our trip to Nianzi Mountain was the right one. Whether we would ultimately find a result remained uncertain. But since discovering this underwater passage, and especially after seeing the "Hetu Luoshu" on the inner walls of the passage, our speculations have been confirmed.

Since that's the case, despite the eerie and seemingly endless underwater passage, we had to keep going. To prevent any unexpected situations, Dunzi and I walked in front, Jenny followed in the middle, and Abao brought up the rear. We carried our crossbows and hunting rifles, ready to deal with any emergencies.

After walking for about ten more minutes, we suddenly heard Dunzi shout, "What's that sound?" Because his eyes were closed, Dunzi's hearing seemed to be more acute than everyone else's, and he was the first to notice the unusual sound. Hearing this, we all stopped and listened carefully for a while. We gradually heard some rustling sounds coming from the passage. Although the sounds should have been very faint, the passage's special sound amplification made them clear enough for us to hear distinctly.

"It seems to be coming from the ground," Ah Bao said after listening for a while. Following the sound, we looked down and immediately got goosebumps. On the ground, about eighty centimeters wide, countless red spiders had appeared out of nowhere. Each one was about the size of a palm. Some were crawling aimlessly, while others had already started crawling onto our boots. Instinctively, I lifted my foot and shook it a few times to get them off, but as soon as my foot touched the ground, several more new ones crawled up.

"Where did all these red spiders come from?" Dunzi said indignantly, stomping on several spiders to death. "Judging by their eerie appearance, they must be highly poisonous. We've already eaten all the antidote, the black sesame grass, so we mustn't get bitten by them again!" But there were thousands upon thousands of red spiders; it seemed impossible to stomp them all. The number of spiders around us was increasing rapidly, and we practically had nowhere to put our feet.

I shone my wolf-eye flashlight into the passage ahead and noticed that there seemed to be far fewer red-haired spiders on the ground there than where we were. I called to everyone to hurry up and get there. However, when we quickly reached the front, we found that the spiders had multiplied considerably in no time. Judging from their crawling speed, they shouldn't have been able to catch up so quickly. These terrifying red-haired spiders appeared suddenly before us like ghosts, truly making our hearts pound.

In this situation, we can't afford to stop for even a moment. We can only keep running forward to temporarily escape the encirclement of these red-haired little monsters. Hopefully, once we reach the other end of the passage, we can quickly get out of this underwater tunnel; otherwise, the red-haired spiders surging up like a torrent will devour us until only bones remain in a minute.

We ran for almost another ten minutes, but the underwater tunnel seemed endless. Before us stretched the tunnel into the darkness, with no sign of reaching the exit. Dunzi was completely out of breath, shouting, "Ugh, I can't go on! If we keep running like this, I'll either get bitten to death by these red spiders, or I'll just exhaust myself to death!" Jenny chimed in, "Can't we think of a way to temporarily halt this red spider army's advance?" I was about to answer when Ah Bao behind me said, "Use fire! These poisonous insects should be afraid of fire." Hearing this, we all thought it was a good idea.

So, after we stopped, Ah Bao had Jenny quickly take out a first-aid kit from her backpack, pull out a roll of cotton gauze bandage, and sprinkle some medical alcohol on it. Then Ah Bao took out a Zippo lighter from his pocket, lit it, and unfurled it, throwing it on the ground behind us.

Sure enough, the red-haired spiders that had hurriedly caught up immediately stopped in their tracks upon seeing the fiery dragon on the ground. Especially the spiders in the first few rows; smelling the acrid smell of burning embers, they feared being burned and hastily turned back. However, their actions were no match for the overwhelming advance of the red-haired army. The spiders behind, completely unaware of what was happening ahead, continued pushing and shoving their way forward. As a result, the first few rows of red-haired spiders were squeezed into the flames and burned half to death.

We thought this would definitely stop the red-haired spiders from their relentless pursuit, but that wasn't the case. We discovered that although the flames had blocked the spiders' path behind us, the number of spiders under our feet continued to increase. "Strange, where did these spiders come from?" I muttered to myself. "Yes, everyone, search carefully. If, if we find them crawling out of some cave or crevice, we'll, we'll light the entrance to that cave with alcohol. That should be able to, should be able to, stop them for a while," Jenny said, panting heavily.

So, following Jenny's suggestion, we quickly grabbed our wolf-eye flashlights and started searching around, hoping to find the caves or crevices she had mentioned. But what we found truly horrified us. A terrifying scene unfolded before our eyes. The mouths of the mummified corpses lining the underwater passage were wide open, and red-haired spiders were frantically crawling out of them. These mummified corpses were actually the nests of these red-haired spiders!

Upon seeing this scene, we all felt a wave of nausea and almost vomited up the food we had eaten that morning. Since there were so many nests, simply setting fire to them wouldn't be enough to burn them all down; the only viable plan was to keep running. Dunzi, running alongside me, said, "Forget it, I... I'd rather die from exhaustion. I'd rather die from exhaustion than have this... this stinking body of mine used as a nest by these red-haired... little demons."

I wasn't in the mood to listen to Dunzi's nagging; I ran while observing the situation on both sides of the passage. Strangely enough, I noticed that the mummies placed on both sides of the passage originally had their mouths tightly closed, and no spiders were crawling out of their mouths. But as soon as we passed by those mummies, their mouths would open one by one, and then those hideous red-haired spiders would begin to crawl out of the mummies' mouths.

What's going on? Is it some kind of powerful trap? I wondered to myself. But even if it really was a trap, we didn't have time to stop and examine it closely. We could only keep running until we escaped through another exit of this passage.

But things didn't go as smoothly as we had imagined. When we finally reached the end of the passage, exhausted, we were stunned by what we saw, and no one could speak for a long time. Before us lay a dead end, with no exit whatsoever.

44. The True and False Secret Passages

Dunzi and I went forward and tapped the four walls with the butts of our rifles. We found that they were indeed solid, and it seemed to be a dead end with no other exit. Seeing this, Dunzi panicked and shouted, "I didn't expect to be fooled by those two old tomb raiders. We actually walked into the trap they set for us. Now we're afraid we can't get out."

The rustling sound grew louder, and I knew the red-haired spiders behind me were closing in. "Think of something quick," Jenny urged me from behind, "or it'll be too late." What to do? If we couldn't come up with a solution soon, it seemed we'd really be stuck, just like Dunzi had said. As the saying goes, "a moment of crisis breeds wisdom," and in this life-or-death situation, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. I suddenly remembered the two "Luoshu Hetu" diagrams I'd seen on the wall when we first entered this underwater passage.

For some reason, it seemed that every time the two tomb raiders arranged the "Luoshu Hetu" markings, they were giving future generations a hint, a way to continue the journey according to the clues provided. From the "Luoshu Hetu" patterns hidden on the two white jade seals to the incomplete "Luoshu Hetu" patterns on the silk manuscript, it was always the same. Following this pattern, the two "Luoshu Hetu" we saw when we entered this underwater passage should also contain some clues. It's all our fault for being too reckless; we rushed in as soon as we saw a path, without properly examining and studying the outside beforehand.

After I shared my thoughts with everyone, Dunzi yelled, "Hey, how come you only remembered this now? If I had known—I wouldn't have come in. It would have been better to just wait quietly outside." Just then, the red spiders crawled up to us. There was no other way but to fight our way back. Jenny took out all the cotton bandages from the first-aid kit, divided them into four portions, and poured all the medical alcohol onto them. We each took an alcohol-soaked bandage and wrapped it around the muzzle of our crossbows. Then, we lit them one by one. The alcohol ignited, emitting a blue-green flame that illuminated the walls of the passage. The desiccated corpses with their gaping mouths on both sides of the passage looked even more eerie and terrifying in the blue-green light.

"Hurry up, everyone! This alcohol evaporates quickly; it won't last long. We must break through these red-haired spiders and get back to the entrance before the torches go out!" I shouted to the others. Ah Bao and I then led the way, waving our makeshift torches—made from a shotgun and cotton bandages—on the ground. The red-haired spiders, spurred by the acrid smell of the flames, retreated to either side. A gap appeared in front of us, just wide enough for one person to pass through. Without delay, I was the first to rush forward, using the torch to scare away the spiders as I ran. Seeing that I had already made it back, the other three followed without hesitation. Countless red-haired spiders were burned and trampled to death along the way.

At this point, Dunzi was perhaps truly enraged by these red-haired spiders. Summoning courage from who-knows-where, he ran while simultaneously using the butt of his hunting rifle to smash the gaping, desiccated corpses beside him. As he smashed them, he viciously shouted, "I'll teach you to harm people! I'll teach you to harm people!"

After finally breaking free from the encirclement of those red-haired spiders, we were all exhausted and drenched in sweat. Thankfully, we made it out no matter what. By then, the alcohol torches had mostly burned out. We relit our wolf-eye flashlights and jogged back along the same path towards the two "Luoshu Hetu" stone carvings at the entrance.

When we arrived at the "Luoshu Hetu," Dunzi almost collapsed. It was clear that he had exhausted all his strength and could no longer hold on. Seeing this, Abao quickly helped him up and lifted his arm to help him walk around.

Jenny and I arrived at the "Luoshu Hetu" stone carving mural and examined it closely. Sure enough, we noticed something. There was a small square hole in the middle of each of the two images. Because the passage was dark, we hadn't paid attention to it before, so we hadn't noticed it then. "What are these square holes for?" Jenny asked me softly. I hadn't figured out their purpose either, but after carefully examining their sides and depth, an idea suddenly struck me. I said to Jenny, "Do you see that the size of these two square holes matches our two Faqiu Zhonglang General seals perfectly?" Jenny immediately understood and quickly took out the two Faqiu jade seals from her backpack. We each took one seal and stood in front of the images on either side of the passage. Following the instructions, we simultaneously inserted the two Faqiu jade seals into the square holes in the images. Just as I expected, the seals fit perfectly. Then we tried pressing down hard, and we heard a series of "click-clack" sounds.

Following the sound, we looked down and saw that a stone slab had sunk, revealing a tunnel entrance about sixty centimeters in length and width. Everyone crouched down upon seeing the opening, craning their necks to peer inside, eager to see what secrets lay hidden within. As soon as I peeked in, I felt a gust of cold wind blow out, sending a chill down my spine. Looking further, I saw that the tunnel was completely dark inside, with no way to see the bottom.

"Is this going to be another dead end?" Dunzi asked worriedly. "It shouldn't be," I replied. "Jenny and I have carefully examined the two diagrams here, and there's nothing else suspicious." Dunzi seemed a little relieved after hearing this. As we spoke, the familiar rustling sound grew closer. We knew the swarm of red spiders was almost there, so without further ado, we quickly burrowed into the tunnel and resealed the stone slab at the entrance.

The passage before them seemed to truly lead to the "river of corpses," the air inside extremely damp. Groundwater seeped from the stone walls on either side, carrying the same strong, foul stench as the river itself. The initial section was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass; even a slightly overweight person had to squeeze through sideways. But after about twenty or thirty meters, the passage gradually widened, eventually reaching a similar width and height to the fake passage above.

As Dunzi walked slowly alongside us, he murmured, "Those two tomb raiders are really damn clever. They actually created a fake passage to fool everyone. Who would have thought the real underwater passage would be underneath that fake one?" I chuckled and said, "Who wouldn't dig up every last detail of their treasure and hide it carefully, afraid of being discovered? Especially since what they hid wasn't just a mountain of treasure, but also an ancient scroll containing the secret to immortality!" Dunzi nodded, laughing, "Hehe, that's true. If it were me, I might come up with some even more outrageous ways to hide my treasure."

Having learned from our previous experience, we dared not be careless again. As we walked, we used our wolf-eye flashlights to illuminate our surroundings and the ground, carefully observing the situation so that we could respond promptly to any suspicious circumstances.

The passage seemed much shorter than we had imagined; in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, we had reached its exit. Before us stood two stone doors, roughly the same size as the entrance to the underwater passage we had discovered on the banks of the "Corpse River." Furthermore, by the light of our wolf-eye flashlights, we could see that the two doors were densely covered with carvings, the content of which seemed to be related to the two tomb raiders of yesteryear.

45. The Wolf Shadow in the Canyon

We carefully examined the carvings and discovered that they depicted the story of the two tomb raiders. These two men came to this mysterious mountain, painstakingly studying the secrets of an ancient scroll. However, for a long time, they yielded no useful results.

One day, while relaxing in the mountains, they stumbled upon secrets related to an ancient scroll in a cave. Following these clues, they eventually learned incredible magic from the book, gaining the power to control the weather. They used these magical abilities to control the mountainous region and, relying on their immense wealth, established a mysterious cult, living a life of absolute dominance. However, despite all this, they still failed to find the so-called secret to immortality.

In their quest for immortality, they embarked on a massive construction project in the mountains, based on fragmented records in the ancient scroll and their own bold speculations. They commissioned the construction of secret passages, altars, and spirit platforms for a ritual to transcend the mortal realm and escape the cycle of reincarnation. Once the passages, altars, and spirit platforms were complete, they held a grand ceremony in the mountains that lasted eighty-one days. Finally, on a full moon night, they shed their mortal forms and ascended to heaven. Before knowing they were about to become immortals, to ensure their descendants would share the same fate, they concealed the location of the ancient scroll within two seals and some manuscripts, leaving them to their descendants. They hoped that one day their descendants would also unravel its mysteries and ascend to the celestial realm to share in their blissful union.

“So, this legend about immortality seems to be true,” Dunzi said excitedly. “It’s just a few carvings, so they might not all be real, but it’s not impossible that it’s true. In short, anything can happen until we see that ancient scroll with our own eyes,” I replied with a smile. Jenny nodded and said, “Only when we see that ancient scroll with our own eyes can all the secrets be truly revealed.”

After we pushed open the two doors together, we found ourselves in a canyon. On both sides of the canyon were sheer cliffs, as if cut by a knife. Looking up at the cliffs, we saw towering peaks, lush trees, vibrant wildflowers, and a chorus of birdsong. The distance between the two cliffs was quite wide and open, roughly several hundred meters.

Over thousands of years, rocks of all sizes have tumbled down from the cliffs on both sides, accumulating at the bottom of the canyon, resulting in a scattered jumble of boulders and boulders throughout the valley floor. A winding mountain stream flows past us, its clear sound echoing as the water splashes against the rocks. All of this gives us the feeling of being in a secluded paradise. Our spirits are invigorated.

Upon seeing the magnificent scenery, Dunzi couldn't help but exclaim to himself, "I never imagined that there would be such a paradise on earth on the north bank of that disgusting 'Corpse River'!" I recalled the sixteen characters carved on the boulder at the entrance to the underwater boardwalk on the south bank of the "Corpse River," and looking at the scenery here, I felt that it truly lived up to the name "Dripping Emerald Canyon" mentioned in those sixteen characters.

It was nearly dusk, so we decided to camp there. At first, we thought the mountain stream was the source of the "Corpse River," so we were afraid the water might be poisonous and dared not approach it, much less drink it. However, after observing it, we found the spring water to be clear and transparent, and we didn't smell the foul odor of the "Corpse River." To our even greater surprise, we found many salamanders playing freely in the clear water.

Dunzi caught a black-backed, red-bellied salamander, lifted it up by its tail, and said with a smile, "It seems that the spring water here is not poisonous." By this time, our water bottles were almost empty, and we were all very happy to see that the water was drinkable. We pulled out the stopper and started pouring the spring water into the bottles.

That night, the moon was bright and clear, and we sat around the fire, chatting and admiring its glow. The enchanting surroundings seemed to make us temporarily forget the danger and terror around us. As I ate my compressed rations, I said to everyone, "Judging from our current location, we should have reached the north bank of the 'Si River.' According to Yingzi, the mountain where the shaman resides should be to our northeast. If my guess is correct, and the 'Wu Mountain' mentioned in the treasure poem is indeed that mountain, then the treasure cave of the tomb raider should be located in this vast mountainous area where we are now." Everyone seemed very happy to hear this. It seemed we were very close to our final day.

Just as we were having a pleasant conversation, a very loud wolf howl suddenly rang out from the cliff. The sound was exceptionally piercing, sending chills down our spines. We instinctively looked up. Under the bright, full moon, on a protruding rock on the cliff, we saw the silhouette of a wolf crouching. The wolf held its head high, howling at the sky with an air of regal authority.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through our minds—the wolf king! Only then did we realize that we were now in the territory ruled by wolves from Mongolia and Siberia—the Wolf Gully. This sudden realization sent a chill down my spine. I didn't know if the wolf king had already spotted us. I didn't know if its howl was a signal to gather its forces for a desperate battle or a mournful cry to the moon. But whatever the reason, it was always better to be prepared. We quickly took out our guns and ammunition and loaded them. Because we had heard that wolves were most afraid of fire, besides making the fire burn even brighter, we also lit four torches, one for each of us to scare away the wolves.

Dunzi and I stood back to back, and I could clearly feel his rapid heartbeat. He told me about his time serving in the army in Shaanxi, when he and his comrades were once surrounded by a large pack of wolves during a mission. Since they weren't on a military mission, they didn't have enough ammunition. In the end, amidst the wolves' repeated ferocious attacks, two of his comrades were dragged into the woods and dismembered. Blood, bones, and clothing were scattered everywhere. Even now, the scene still sends chills down my spine and makes me break out in a cold sweat.

I've heard many stories about wolf packs. Wolves have always been known for their cunning, ferocity, and cruelty. Even without Dunzi's reminder, I knew that if we were to fight those wolves to the death today, with our weapons and equipment that were barely better than firewood sticks, our chances of survival were slim, and we would likely face certain death.