Burial Site Mystery Classic

Chapter 31

After driving for a while, our deduction proved correct. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, we finally saw the legendary ruins of the earthen city built by the descendants of the Tibetan Tubo royal family—the ruins of the Guge Kingdom.

The ruins of the capital of the Guge Kingdom are located in Zhaburang, 40 kilometers west of Zanda County, on the banks of the Xiangquan River. Along the Xiangquan River basin, the ruins of Guge-era villages are scattered throughout the earth forest. Centered on the ruins of the kingdom's capital in Zhaburang, the Duoxiang ruins are 30 kilometers to the west, and the Xiangzi ruins are tens of kilometers to the north. To the east lies the Daba ruins. All of these testify to posterity that a powerful kingdom once existed here.

The ruins of the Guge Kingdom are vast, but scattered throughout Zanda. When we refer to the ruins of the Guge Kingdom today, we are usually referring to the ancient city of this kingdom, situated on Zhaburang Mountain. The ancient city is built against the mountainside, with a wide plateau in front that extends to the Xiangquan River. At the foot of the mountain, the Zanda County government's cultural management department has constructed three small Tibetan-style flat-roofed earthen houses and a courtyard, and has assigned two villagers from Zhaburang Village to live there, care for, and manage the ruins.

We have now passed some ancient and dilapidated village ruins along the way and arrived at the ruins of the capital of the Guge Kingdom. The entire palace was built on this earthen hill before us, and even though only ruins remain, it still looks like a huge castle. Standing before the castle, we are still awestruck by its majesty.

It is said that the Guge Castle is about 200 meters high, 600 meters wide from east to west, and 1,200 meters long from north to south, covering an area of 720,000 square meters. Its scale is enormous. The ruins, functionally speaking, mainly consist of religious buildings, royal buildings, residences, warehouses, military facilities, roads, and secret passages. In terms of architectural style, there are palaces, multi-story buildings, single-story houses, cave dwellings, fortresses, towers, and walls. These two types are intertwined. For example, palaces belong to the palace category, but Buddhist cave dwellings belong to the cave dwelling category. Residents have both single-story houses and cave dwellings. The buildings are mainly concentrated on the east side, built against the mountain, rising in layers. According to preliminary statistics from archaeologists, there are more than 400 temples and houses, nearly 1,000 cave dwellings, 28 stupas of various types, 58 watchtowers, four secret passages, and 11 granaries of various sizes. These alone are enough to show how powerful the Guge Kingdom was in its heyday.

Standing before this ancient capital, witnessing hundreds upon hundreds of earthen caves and structures densely packed on this tall, majestic earthen slope, we couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. We knew that after overcoming countless hardships, the mystery we sought to uncover lay hidden within these caves and secret passages. Thinking of this, I couldn't wait to enter these caves and passages and unravel the ancient enigma recorded in the scriptures.

Because this area has become a well-known tourist destination, the local government has assigned personnel to guard it. An elderly man named Sodo, around sixty years old, is the sole caretaker. He is responsible for both receiving tourists daily and protecting the ruins, making his work extremely demanding. Now, the government has assigned another local villager, Dadaka, to assist him, in handling the increasing number of tourists and the maintenance of the ruins. When Sodo saw the dust kicked up by our car, he knew we had visitors again, so he ran outside early to greet us.

41. Ruins of a Dynasty Capital

Treating us like ordinary tourists, Sodo greeted us warmly as always and led us into the ruins of the ancient Guge Kingdom capital. He guided us through the vast ruins, explaining the history and legends of the Guge Kingdom. Under his guidance, we entered several earthen kilns on the hillside. Although they were empty, the earthen walls were covered with richly colored religious murals. The pigments used in these murals were mostly natural materials, prepared using a secret formula, which is why the colors remained vibrant even after so many years. Apart from some minor peeling, the murals were relatively well-preserved.

These patterns mostly depict Buddhist classic stories and images of Tantric deities, including some boldly styled depictions of male-female sexual union. The style is very similar to the murals we saw in the tomb passage of the Tubo ancient tomb, suggesting these murals belong to a similar historical period. Later, we saw many preserved clay and stone Buddhas, as well as earthenware jars and porcelain basins in several other caves. According to Suoduo, these artifacts were discovered during archaeological excavations at the site and are nearly three to four thousand years old, making them of extremely high research value.

After visiting the ordinary earthen kilns, Sodo led us to the two buildings atop the highest point of this castle on the earthen hill—the ruins of two of the most famous temples in the capital of the Guge Kingdom.

Upon entering the temple, I found that the Buddha statues were mostly well-preserved, with only a few missing limbs or other damage. Although most were clay sculptures, they were gilded or painted, and draped with white silk scarves like khatas, giving them a noble and sacred appearance. They were remarkably lifelike. In the center of the temple's main hall stood two unidentified Buddha statues, roughly life-sized, gilded, and seated on lotus-shaped altars. They appeared radiant and majestic. On each side of the main Buddhas were eight smaller clay Buddhas, likely unrestored. Three of these were incomplete. These Buddhas displayed various expressions—joy, sorrow, anger, and laughter—all seated peacefully to the left and right of the main Buddhas.

In addition, the walls and ceiling of the temple are adorned with colorful religious murals. At the top is a massive circular Vajra altar, inhabited by the four holy Buddhas and various venerable figures. The walls are painted with images of various deities and venerable figures, narrating classic stories from Tibetan Buddhism. Upon seeing these paintings, a powerful religious atmosphere immediately arises, deeply moving the viewer with the profound impact of religious art. According to Elder Sodo, the murals are the best-preserved feature of the Guge ruins. The Guge murals are grand in scale and unique in style, comprehensively reflecting all aspects of social life at the time. The figures are vividly portrayed with refined brushstrokes. The full-figured and dynamic female figures are particularly representative. Due to its location and the influence of various foreign cultures, the art style of Guge exhibits distinct characteristics of Kashmiri and Gandharan art.

Finally, we followed Sodo to the most mysterious and legendary part of the entire site: the Corpse Cave. Located on a cliff about 600 meters north of the Guge Kingdom ruins, the Corpse Cave is said to be the last remnant of the kingdom after its fall. When we arrived at the entrance to this mysterious cave, we found it carved into a cliff face nearly three meters above the surface. The entrance was small, less than a meter wide and only about a meter high. Inside, we discovered it was a three-chambered cave. The main chamber was an irregularly shaped square, about ten square meters in area. The rear and south chambers were small, each connected to the main chamber by a small opening. A small niche was also carved into the back wall of the main chamber.

The main chamber and two smaller chambers were haphazardly piled with two or three layers of scattered bones, tattered clothes, scraps of cloth, ropes, and small sticks—all long since decomposed into skeletons. The bones were arranged so chaotically that it was impossible to identify each corpse individually. A quick glance revealed a rough count of the remains. It was estimated that there were still more than thirty scattered corpses piled up inside the cave. Because many pieces of clothing and hair remained, the ground felt soft underfoot, a truly chilling and terrifying sight.

None of the skeletons in the cave were intact; all were decapitated. Strangely, no skulls were found, only two mandibles. Even more strangely, while no heads or skulls were visible, numerous braids and tied hair bundles were found. This indicates the bodies were originally placed in the cave with their heads intact, but these heads mysteriously disappeared. Some leg bones and spines were covered with dried human skin and flesh, indicating incomplete dehydration. Nearly ten skeletons were wrapped in Tibetan-style collarless coarse cloth robes and woolen fabric, with woolen ropes tightly tied around the waists, the ends of which were wrapped around the robes to bind the skeletons into a bundle. Based on the numerous pieces of tattered clothing, cloth, and knotted woolen ropes mixed in with the bones, as well as the signs of binding, it is believed that the bodies placed there were initially all dressed in robes, some even wrapped in large pieces of woolen cloth, and were placed in the cave with their limbs bound in a flexed position.

The corpses in this "mummified corpse cave" are said to be from the battle between Guge and Ladakh. The Guge king, unable to bear seeing his people suffer, made a pact with the Ladakhis: he agreed to surrender, but on the condition that his people not be harmed! After the Guge king and his warriors laid down their weapons, the treacherous Ladakhis took them all to the cave and executed them. The bodies were then thrown into the cave, and all the captured Guge people were taken to Ladakh, cruelly destroying the Guge kingdom. (Typed by the Nomad God)

This is indeed a moving story. However, based on the discovery of the young woman's body in the cave, and from both archaeological and folkloric perspectives, it seems to be a burial practice with certain rituals. Are these bodies from the Guge Kingdom period or later? Were they nobles, warriors, or ordinary commoners? Was this mass burial of corpses in the cave a special burial practice at the time, or a form of punishment? These remain unsolved mysteries of the Guge Kingdom.

After visiting the ruins of the Guge Kingdom capital, Sodo led us back. On the way back, I told Sodo that we were scholars researching history, and we had come here specifically to conduct field research for a paper on Tibetan history, so we would likely be staying for a few more days. I wondered if he could provide us with food for the next few days. Sodo, a true Tibetan, was warm and hospitable. Upon hearing that we were scholars conducting research, he was even more delighted and readily agreed to help us with food and water, assuring us that we could focus on our research and, after completing our academic paper, share more knowledge about Guge and Tibet.

By the time we came down from the ruins, the sun was setting. A slight, cool breeze blew across our faces, as if reminding us that a cold snap was coming soon. We took the tent from the car and, with Sodo's directions, found a sheltered spot to set up our temporary campsite for the next few days. Because of our sudden arrival, Sodo didn't have much time to prepare, so dinner wasn't very lavish. We took out the bread, biscuits, and canned meat we had brought, along with the butter tea, yak jerky, and yogurt that Sodo provided, and enjoyed a meal with some local barley wine. We ate happily together.

When dinner was over and Dunzi and I returned to our tent to rest, my mood suddenly plummeted again for some reason. I started thinking again about Uncle Zaximu, with whom I had spent several days and nights. I really wished he could suddenly appear before us at that moment, telling us ancient Tibetan legends, the mysterious tales of Guge, and the long history and profound meaning of Tibetan Buddhism.

Dunzi seemed to read my mind and comforted me, saying, "Our mission was fraught with danger, and it's inevitable that some people would meet with misfortune. Besides, Uncle Zaxi's sudden disappearance might have other hidden reasons, and he might not have met with misfortune in the cave as we thought. So you don't need to be too sad. Perhaps he's been blessed and is on his way here." Hearing Dunzi say this, I felt a little relieved.

42. Strange Tales of the Secret Passage

The next day, following our pre-planned strategy, we first surveyed the area near the ruins of the ancient capital, comparing our findings with the replica of the mural, searching for any suspicious clues. Finding the Silver-Eyed Cave, containing clues to the mystery of immortality within this approximately 700,000 square meter area, and discovering the "Gate to the Sacred Realm" leading to immortality within the cave, should have been as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, we had the mural we obtained from the First Emperor's tomb, so we weren't completely without a clue. However, with the passage of time and the erosion of wind and rain, the towering earthen mural from the Qin Dynasty had long since changed. Furthermore, the capital city built on this mural during the Guge Kingdom period significantly altered its appearance, making it difficult to locate the Silver-Eyed Cave using only this old mural replica. Fortunately, since we were already at the Guge Kingdom ruins, I believed that with sufficient time and effort, we could still find the entrance to the Silver-Eyed Cave.

As time went on, we gradually narrowed down the search area. However, even so, based on the progress at that time, I estimated that it would take another month or so to finally find the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave, which was indeed too long for us; our supplies and plans couldn't keep up with the pace of the search.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, I found an opportunity to visit Sodo, the curator of the Guge ruins, hoping to glean some clues from him. I smiled and asked, "Uncle Sodo, these past few days of investigating the ruins of the dynasty's capital have been incredibly eye-opening. I've gained a lot. But besides what's on the surface, could you tell us about some of the secrets hidden within these ruins? Like the secret passages, the story of the burial cave, or whether any strange or mysterious events have occurred here since its discovery?" Sodo smiled and replied, "You really are a researcher. Your investigation is so detailed. To be honest, there are indeed some amazing legends about this ancient capital."

Hearing that there was a clue, I listened carefully to his story. "The exact era of this matter is unknown. In short, it was in a very distant time. I heard from my ancestors that a divine artifact from outer space was once buried in this earthen forest. After the Five Wisdom Vajrayogini subdued the Yin Mountain Demon Mother, she bestowed upon her the Yin Eye and the Dharma Eye, entrusting her with guarding this ancient artifact that descended from the heavens," Sodo said, taking a sip of butter tea. Then he continued, "Thousands of years later, thanks to the protection of the Demon Mother and the Wisdom Vajrayogini, this divine artifact has remained perfectly preserved in this Zanda Earthen Forest."

"And then what happened?" I asked. "Later, during the height of Tibet's power, the Tubo Kingdom, after the last Tubo king was murdered, began to disintegrate. The descendants of the Tubo king fled into this desolate earth forest, seeking a place to settle down. They established a new dynasty—the Guge Kingdom. Perhaps it was fate. By chance, the Guge king discovered a mysterious cave containing ancient artifacts on a huge hillside in the earth forest. This discovery greatly encouraged him. He believed that with this ancient artifact, he could restore the Tubo Kingdom to its former glory. So he designated this mysterious cave as a sacred cave and this huge earthen slope as a sacred site for the Guge Kingdom. At the same time, he cast many silver-eyed bronze statues and placed them near the sacred site to protect this holy domain. After some time, in order to obtain better protection from the artifact, this vassal king of the Guge Kingdom simply built his capital on this sacred earthen slope, thus leaving behind the ruins of the Guge Kingdom capital that you see today."

After listening to Sodo's words, I smiled and replied, "Yes, I've heard this legend told to me by an old storyteller before, and the details are indeed very similar. So, in your opinion, is this legend reliable or not? Does the mysterious ancient cave in the legend really exist?" Sodo, upon hearing my question, didn't know how to answer. He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, I can't say for sure. After all, this legend was told to me by my elders when I was young. Its veracity can't be verified one by one. However..." "However, what?" Hearing that Sodo seemed to have something else to say, I immediately became excited and quickly pressed for an answer.

Sodo looked at me. Suddenly, he lowered his voice and said softly, "However, during the time I served as a guide and guardian at these ruins, I did encounter some strange phenomena." "Really?" Hearing Sodo say this, I figured things were looking promising. So I quickly said, "Uncle, could you tell me what you encountered?"

Sodo took another sip of butter tea, wiped his mouth, and squinted his eyes. As he recalled the strange thing he had once encountered, he began to tell me about it. He said, "This happened about two or three years ago. The weather wasn't very good that day. There was a lot of sand and dust outside, and it was quite dark. So there were no tourists visiting. I was patrolling a secret passage in the capital ruins as usual. It was a narrow passage connecting the royal inner palace and a large temple. When I was walking alone in this passage with a torch, I didn't notice anything unusual at first. But when I reached the middle of the passage, a gust of wind suddenly blew in from outside, carrying a lot of yellow sand and extinguishing my torch. My surroundings immediately became pitch black, and I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Fortunately, I had walked through this passage countless times and was quite familiar with the environment. So I thought I would just feel my way out along the walls. I touched the walls of the passage with both hands and slowly made my way out. But at that moment, something strange suddenly happened."

Sodo paused for a moment, then continued, "At that moment, I suddenly heard a muffled 'crackling' sound. A dazzling silver light gradually emanated from one of the walls in the middle of the previously pitch-black passage. The light grew stronger and stronger, almost blinding me. Then, blurry figures appeared faintly within the silver light. Their figures varied, their expressions inscrutable, some resembling deities, others Buddhas. They were indistinct, but behind them, a huge, silver, olive-shaped object was clearly visible, like a giant, upright eye. I was greatly astonished. My hand, which had been resting on the wall, involuntarily left, wanting to reach out and touch the suddenly appearing light and shadow. But in that instant, after another 'crackling' sound, the silver light gradually disappeared. Finally, my vision returned to the darkness it had been in before."

The old man's words captivated me, and I pondered the mystery within. "And then what happened? Did you go back into the secret passage to investigate?" I asked, puzzled. Sodo replied, "Of course. I didn't believe it was a hallucination, so I groped my way out of the passage, ran back to my lodgings to retrieve a light source, and then went back into the passage to see what had happened." "And what did you find in the end?" "Unfortunately, the passage was empty; I found nothing. Since then, every time I enter that passage to investigate, I examine it carefully, but I always find nothing. And the holy light and Buddha image I saw that time have never been encountered again."

After listening to Old Man Sodo's words, I fell into deep thought. Old Man Sodo's experience was indeed quite miraculous. Could this be connected to the Silver-Eyed Cave in some way? I pondered this for a while, unable to make up my mind, and finally decided to go back and tell everyone, to see what they thought. However, I had a vague feeling that we were getting closer and closer to our goal.

43. Exploring the Secret Passage

I called Jenny, Dunzi, and the others back to camp from the ruins of the Guge Kingdom capital, where they were searching for clues. During dinner, I recounted my conversation with Sodo, the guardian of the ruins, that afternoon. At first, everyone seemed quite surprised, but their expressions quickly changed to excitement. Jenny spoke first: "I think this clue is very important; it should be related to the Silver Eye Cave we're looking for." "Are you so sure?" I asked. Jenny looked at me, nodded confidently, and replied with a smile, "Didn't you notice what Sodo said? He said that in that intense light and shadow, many figures of gods and Buddhas appeared, and more importantly, behind those figures was a huge, oval-shaped, eye-like object, towering high. Since he mentioned eyes, I believe that this is similar to the bronze statues of the Silver Eyes of Guge, the ancient legend of the Silver Eye Demon Mother, and the huge eye-shaped symbol depicted on the massive earthen hill in the Qinling murals—all things related to eyes are more or less related to the Silver Eye Cave we are looking for."

After listening to Jenny's analysis, everyone agreed that it made a lot of sense. A-Bao added, "Moreover, this mysterious silver light appeared precisely in the ancient city's secret passage, which is said to contain a secret Silver Eye Cave. This can't be explained simply as a coincidence." "That's right, I think this clue deserves our attention, Si Nan. How about we ask Old Man Sodo to take us to that passage tomorrow? Maybe we can find a breakthrough there," Dunzi said with a smile. I nodded and replied, "Sure, we'll go find Uncle Sodo again tomorrow and check out that passage. It's getting late. Everyone should get some rest. Dunzi, it's your turn to work the night shift." "Don't worry, nothing will go wrong," Dunzi replied with a smile.

The next day was cloudy, and the usual intense sunlight was no longer noticeable, making it quite comfortable to walk outdoors. The four of us arrived at the old man Sodo's dwelling, a small, flat-roofed hut built temporarily with earth and wood near the ruins of the Guge Kingdom's capital. When we entered, Sodo was cooking by the stove. Tibetan stoves are quite interesting. A typical stove consists of three deep, barrel-shaped pots of varying heights. Because Tibetans are a deeply devout Buddhist people, they believe in the existence of countless gods and Buddhas, and their worship of these deities is innate. Therefore, in their stoves, the tallest pot is used to cook offerings of meat and sacrifices for the gods; the middle pot is used for cooking daily meals; and the shortest pot is used to cook food for livestock. At that moment, Sodo was using the tallest pot.

As soon as the four of us entered the house, he smiled broadly and invited us to sit on the brightly colored wool rug spread out on the floor. While pouring us butter tea, he asked if our exploration work over the past few days had yielded any good results. I smiled and replied, "I really want to thank you, Uncle, for your help and care these past few days. We've indeed seen a powerful and prosperous Guge Kingdom from these remaining historical sites, and we've obtained a lot of valuable firsthand materials, providing invaluable references for our research." "That's good, that's good," Sodo replied with a smile. "As long as I can introduce this great historical dynasty to more people, and let more people care about Guge, care about Tibet, and help the people here develop and build, I'll be very satisfied." "That's for sure," Jenny said with a smile. "The people here are so simple and so warm. They've left a deep impression on me. Now the country is vigorously promoting the development of the western region, and more and more people are turning their attention to this mysterious and sacred land of Tibet. More and more people are starting to care about Tibet's economic construction and development, and are coming to Tibet to invest and start businesses. I believe that with the strong support of the government and the people of the whole country, Tibet's tomorrow will definitely be more splendid and wonderful!" As expected of the president of a large corporation, Jenny's words made Sodo very happy. His dark brown and wrinkled face was now filled with a happy and satisfied smile.

Seeing that the time was right, I asked, "By the way, my companions were very interested in what you told me yesterday afternoon. They all hope you can take us to that magical secret passage to see it for ourselves. I wonder if you have the time?" Although I said this, I wasn't very confident, wondering if Elder Soto would be willing to take us to that mysterious passage. To my surprise, he readily agreed. He said, "What a coincidence! Today is the anniversary of three years ago when I saw the miraculous Buddha image in the secret passage. I'm currently preparing offerings for the holy Buddha, and I'll be going to that secret passage to worship the Buddha image soon. You can come with me."

Hearing Sodo's words, everyone was extremely excited. The thought that they might find clues to the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave they had been longing for in that mysterious path filled them with eager anticipation.

After Sodo prepared the offerings for the ritual, he led us to the ruins of the Guge Kingdom's capital. Inside a dilapidated temple built along an earthen hill, we discovered a very inconspicuous entrance hidden behind an earthen wall. Sodo took out the lighting equipment he had prepared beforehand and then crouched down to squeeze into the narrow passage.

The four of us nervously followed Sodo into the secret passage. It was midday. Sunlight reflected off the ruins near the site, casting a few rays into the hidden passage, so initially, it wasn't too dark. However, as we went deeper, the sunlight gradually diminished, eventually disappearing completely. I followed Sodo for about two hundred meters when he stopped beside a wall. He then skillfully took out all the items he was carrying and arranged them in a specific order on the earthen wall. After completing these preparations, he knelt down and began to worship devoutly, chanting scriptures as he did so. At that moment, even without Sodo's guidance, we immediately realized that this seemingly ordinary earthen wall was the place where the mysterious Buddha's light and shadow had appeared, as Sodo had mentioned.

While Sodo knelt in devout worship, we took our respective lighting equipment and carefully examined the secret passage. It was a simple passage, about 2.5 meters high and 2 meters wide. The surface was paved with irregularly shaped stone slabs. The earthen walls on either side and the top of the passage had been tamped down over a long period, making the surface mud extremely solid. Over hundreds of years, it had gradually hardened to the point of being as hard as stone. These mud walls should have originally been covered with numerous murals depicting religious themes. However, for some unknown reason, the murals here were severely damaged, peeling away more thoroughly than those in other parts of the entire Guge ruins, leaving only very faint traces of color on the mud walls. They were practically invisible without close inspection.

Just then, Sodo, perhaps having finished his prayers, calmly stood up and asked if we wished to join him. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," and since we were here, we naturally wanted to respect the etiquette and customs of our Tibetan friends. Thinking this, I took the lead and knelt in the spot where Old Man Sodo had previously knelt, respectfully bowing several times towards the mysterious earthen wall. Afterwards, Jenny and the others also respectfully bowed to the mysterious earthen wall. Seeing that we had finished, Old Man Sodo seemed very satisfied, and pointing to the earthen wall we had just bowed to, he said, "It was on this very wall that mysterious Buddha's light and holy image suddenly appeared three years ago." As he spoke, a solemn expression appeared on his face.

44. Night Visit to the Ancient Road

Sure enough, I thought to myself, and couldn't help but glance a few more times at the earthen wall we had just been worshipping. At first glance, this earthen wall didn't seem particularly square; it was just like all the other earthen walls along the path. Without someone pointing it out, we wouldn't have been able to tell which wall had seen the Buddha's light and shadow. So, I curiously asked Sodo, "Uncle Sodo, there's something I'd like to ask you. According to your own description, after you saw that miraculous Buddha's light and shadow in the secret passage, you quickly ran out of this path. But when you went back in, how did you determine that the earthen wall where the Buddha's light and shadow appeared was the one in front of us? To be honest, I looked here carefully for a long time and found that all the walls here look the same; it's generally very difficult to distinguish them."

Sodo, upon hearing my explanation, laughed and replied, "Difficult to distinguish doesn't mean impossible. I've traversed this path many times myself, and I'm very familiar with the environment. Of course, I can distinguish it. Besides, do you remember? I entered the path with a torch, and when the Buddha's light and shadow appeared, the torch went out. So when I ran out of the path, I left the torch in front of the earthen wall where the Buddha's light and shadow had appeared. I used that as a marker. That way, when I re-entered the path with a light source, I easily found that earthen wall."

"I see." I suddenly understood. Because Sodo was in the way, we didn't dare to make any big movements. So after a quick look and note-taking, we left the path with Sodo. Before leaving, when Sodo wasn't looking, I secretly made a mark in front of the earthen wall with a few clods of mud. After returning to camp, the four of us gathered together and exchanged our opinions. Finally, we decided that we should act quickly and enter the path again that night to look for clues about the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave.

For the rest of the time, I don't know why, but I was constantly restless, always checking the time on my watch, unable to calm down completely. Except for Jenny, who was quietly writing in her adventure journal by her sleeping bag. Dunzi and Abao seemed to be just as anxious as I was, wishing time would pass faster.

We finally made it to around ten o'clock at night. The area around the Guge ruins was completely silent. Apart from the occasional howling of sandstorms, there was no other sound on this vast expanse of land. I was the first to emerge from the tent, followed by the other three, who had brought their pre-prepared equipment. I looked at the sky and saw it was a clear day. A bright full moon hung low in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars, making the dark blue night sky exceptionally beautiful. Looking into the distance, I could no longer see any light from the small earthen house where Sodo lived. Then, we tiptoed quickly towards the high earthen mound to the northwest—the ruins of the Guge Kingdom's capital.

Arriving at the foot of the ruins of the Guge Kingdom's capital, we gazed into the distance. By the bright moonlight, we searched among the ancient buildings and dilapidated cave dwellings built on the earthen slope, looking for the hidden entrance to the passage that Rilisodo had led us into. "Look, there it is!" Jenny suddenly pointed to a temple-like structure on the slope. Following Jenny's direction, I looked closely and indeed, it was the ruined temple Rilisodo had led us into. At this moment, Jenny had already taken out a replica of the Qin Mausoleum murals from her backpack and was examining it against the towering earthen slope before us. Although thousands of years had passed, and this massive earthen slope where the Guge Kingdom's capital once stood had undergone tremendous changes, similarities could still be seen in the undulating terrain and shape of the two murals when compared to the replica. Using these high points and low valleys as reference points, we carefully analyzed the situation and concluded that… The location of the Silver-Eyed Cave marked on the replica of the Qin Mausoleum murals was indeed near the ancient temple ruins before us. It seemed that the path we had entered during the day was very likely closely connected to the Silver-Eyed Cave. This discovery excited everyone present. "What are we waiting for? Let's go in!" Dunzi exclaimed happily. So we put away the replica of the Qin Mausoleum murals, quickened our pace, and hurried towards the remaining temple ruins on the earthen slope.

Along the way, I was filled with mixed emotions, both excited and worried. I was happy that so much time had passed, and that we were finally about to uncover the secrets of the Burial Mystery Scripture. But I was also worried about what dangers and obstacles we would encounter this time, and whether everyone would be able to escape unscathed as before. As I pondered these thoughts, I followed Ah Bao, who was driving at the front of the group, up the earthen slope. Before I knew it, we had returned to the dilapidated temple, which was almost half-collapsed.

Although it was the same spot, it seemed vastly different from how it looked during the day. Moonlight streamed in through the half-collapsed roof, casting a cold, white glow on the clay statues that weren't completely broken or collapsed, instilling a chilling sense of dread. Hidden and concealed by the surrounding buildings, the temple's interior was a mysterious and eerie interplay of light and shadow, as if countless unknown demons lurked in the shadows, poised to launch a sudden attack. I don't know why, but I, usually so fearless, suddenly felt incredibly timid. I forced myself to suppress my panic and try to remain calm. I glanced back at Dunzi; he was also drenched in cold sweat and breathing rapidly. Jenny and Abao were similarly pale and tense. It seemed a mysterious force within this dilapidated temple was gradually taking control of our minds.

I silently recited the "Mind-Guarding Mantra" from the exorcism manual, clearing my mind of all distracting thoughts. Then I walked to the wall concealing the entrance to the secret passage, intending to push aside the large stone slab blocking it. But just as I struggled to push the slab, I suddenly heard a loud "boom." I was startled and turned around to see a clay statue suddenly collapse. The statue crashed heavily onto where Jenny was standing. Fortunately, Ah Bao reacted quickly and pulled Jenny aside, narrowly escaping the disaster. The clay statue, taller than a person, grazed Jenny's clothes as it slammed into the ground, turning into a pile of scattered dirt and dust. Having witnessed that terrifying scene, everyone was quite shocked. There had been no wind, no tremor; how could the perfectly good Buddha statue have collapsed without warning? Thinking about this, we vaguely felt an ominous premonition beginning to loom over everyone.

"Jenny, are you alright?" I walked over to her and asked with concern. Jenny seemed still shaken; her face had turned even paler. It took her a while to recover before she answered, "Ah? Oh, I... I'm fine, it's nothing, it's nothing." Seeing Jenny's expression, I knew she had just been startled and would recover soon, so I relaxed. Returning to the earthen wall, I pushed the stone slab again, glancing nervously around as I did so, afraid that something else might happen. Ah Bao and Dunzi stood on either side of Jenny, constantly watching their surroundings. Fortunately, this time nothing dangerous happened. After a while, with my pushing, the stone slab slowly moved aside, gradually revealing the dark, nearly waist-high entrance to the path. Although we had entered this path during the day, and this wasn't the first time we had seen the entrance, I didn't understand why, but at this moment, this dark entrance seemed like a mysterious door leading to an unknown world. It exuded a vague, eerie, and terrifying aura. Seeing it sent a chill down my spine.

45. The First Appearance of Buddha's Light

After hesitating for a while, I finally mustered up the courage to take out the wolf-eye flashlight. I turned it on and shone it into the entrance of the passage. Seeing nothing unusual, I bent down and crawled inside. Seeing that I had taken the lead, the others mustered their courage and followed suit. The beams of light emitted by the wolf-eye flashlights shifted and intertwined in the pitch-black passage, creating a very peculiar phenomenon of light and shadow.

For some reason, this time, entering the passage felt even colder and more gloomy than when I entered during the day. When we arrived at the mud marker I had left before leaving during the day, we gathered together. I looked at the mysterious earthen wall and said, "Everyone, carefully search the area and see if you can find any suspicious clues." Everyone nodded and began searching. But after searching for a long time, it seemed like we had made no progress.

At this moment, Jenny lowered her head and pondered for a moment before saying, "I think the holy light and shadow that Sodo saw back then was probably caused by him accidentally touching some mechanism, which produced some kind of unusual phenomenon. Right, his torch was blown out by the wind, so he was groping his way forward, supporting himself on the wall. It was at that moment that he suddenly saw the mysterious holy light and shadow." Jenny's words immediately made us realize something. Yes, we had been relying on our naked eyes to survey the surrounding environment. If the mechanism was designed to be very hidden, it wouldn't be visible to the naked eye. In that case, even if we searched with our eyes wide open for a long time, we naturally wouldn't be able to find it immediately.

Thinking of this, I said to everyone, "In that case, let's simulate how Sodo felt his way forward along the wall after entering the path, and try it a few more times. Let's see what we can discover." "Okay. Let's do that," Dunzi nodded in agreement. So, I stayed in front of the wall where the Buddha's light and holy shadow had appeared, while Jenny and the other two retreated back to the entrance of the path and slowly moved towards me, feeling their way along the wall.

Once, twice, three times... we tried more than ten times. The scene we hoped for still didn't appear. "Could there be some detail we missed?" Jenny muttered to herself, head down. I looked at her, then at Dunzi and Abao beside me, and also fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, my eyes lit up. I immediately exclaimed, "That's right! When Uncle Sodo groped his way here, the methods he encountered were closely related to his height. Among the four of us, Jenny and Dunzi are shorter than Uncle Sodo, while Abao is taller. Therefore, despite our many attempts, we still haven't encountered the same situation as Uncle Sodo." "If that's the reason, then you should try it a few times yourself. Your height should be about the same as Uncle Sodo's," Dunzi replied, looking at me. "Yes, I'll try a few times," I said, quickly walking towards the entrance of the passage. Reaching the vicinity of the entrance, I placed my hands on the passage wall and began to feel my way into the passage.

The first time, nothing unusual happened. So I returned to the entrance and tried again. The second time, I failed again. The third time, I switched to the other side of the wall and groped my way back to where Jenny and the others were hiding. After walking about two hundred meters, I was almost at their location. Just then, I suddenly felt my right index finger touch a round, coin-sized protrusion. Then I heard a sharp "squeak" sound. At the same time, a strong gust of cold wind blew in my face. In that instant, a faint white light appeared in the previously pitch-black path. I forced myself to calm my excited heart and opened my eyes wide to find the source of the white light. I quickly found the source: the mud wall where Uncle Sodo had seen the Buddha's holy light.

At this moment, Jenny and the others stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with immense surprise, fixed intently on the wall emitting an increasingly intense white light. We squinted at the magical wall. As the white light grew stronger, transforming from a faint glimmer into a dazzling white wall, I began to see faint figures within it. Behind those figures was a huge, oval-shaped object. At first glance, it looked like a giant, upright eyeball, standing silently there. After about twenty or thirty seconds, the white light gradually disappeared. The passage returned to its previous state.

I stood there, looking at Jenny and the others, who were also looking in my direction. "Si Nan, could this white light be coming from the legendary Silver Eye Cave?" Dunzi asked, looking at me. Jenny quickly followed, asking, "What did you touch just now? Did you notice it?" "Yes, I did." I nodded, then quickly looked at the wall beside me. "It looks like there's a small, round protrusion here," I said, shining my wolf-eye flashlight on the wall.

Jenny, Dunzi, and Abao quickly ran to my side and pointed their respective lights at the earthen wall I had mentioned. I stretched out my right hand and felt around on that section of the earthen wall again. By touch, I quickly found the round, protruding switch that controlled this secret mechanism inside the tunnel.

I slowly placed my finger on the switch, applying a little force. A sharp "squeak" sounded again from inside the tunnel, and the white light reappeared before our eyes with a gust of cold wind. After the white light vanished again, the tunnel returned to its usual tranquility. After witnessing all this, none of the four of us spoke. After a minute or two of silence, we suddenly burst into joyful laughter.

"Great! We've finally found the entrance to the Silver-Eyed Cave!" Dunzi exclaimed happily. I nodded and replied, "Yes, I just looked closely again, and there really does seem to be a cave entrance behind that white light. Those figures and eye-shaped shadows are objects at the entrance blocking the white light emanating from the depths of the cave, causing this phenomenon." "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go in!" Dunzi urged excitedly. Hearing Dunzi's words, I looked at everyone and replied, "Although we've found the entrance to the mysterious Silver-Eyed Cave, there are still two problems." "What are they?" Jenny asked. I looked at Jenny and said, "First, based on what we know so far, there's some kind of mysterious light source inside the Silver-Eyed Cave. This light source emits a strong glare inside, making it impossible for people to open their eyes. In that case, even if we go in, we'll be like blind people, unable to conduct normal exploration."

I paused briefly, then continued, "Secondly, after these two attempts, I discovered that the opening time of the Silver Eye Cave entrance is extremely short, only about twenty or thirty seconds. This means that even if the first few people manage to enter smoothly, by the time the last person presses the opening switch, it will be too late to run to the other side and enter the cave." "Oh right, I didn't notice those two points," Jenny replied with a smile. "Then what do we do?" Ah Bao asked, "Are we just going to give up?" "Give up? Of course not. We've overcome so many difficulties; are we going to be stopped by such a small obstacle?" I replied with a smile. "Now that the Silver Eye Cave entrance has been found, entering the cave is only a matter of time. However, I think we shouldn't rush in. Let's go back to camp and discuss it carefully before figuring out a way to get into the cave."

46. Preparation

After listening to my suggestion, Jenny replied, "I agree with Si Nan's suggestion. Let's go back and discuss it properly. We can devise a feasible plan and then come back at a suitable time." "In that case, I have no objection. Anyway, we've already found the ancient cave, so what's a couple more days?" Dunzi said with a smile. I checked my watch; it was almost dawn. To avoid arousing Uncle Sodo's suspicion by discovering our unusual behavior that night, we quickly returned along the same route and retreated back to our tents in camp. Due to the fatigue of the night, everyone felt very sleepy. As soon as we returned to camp, everyone crawled into their tents and had a good night's sleep.

I slept until noon the next day. When I opened my sleepy eyes, I found the sun already high in the azure sky. I called the others to get up and eat something, then we sat around the camp to discuss our next steps. I took a sip of the milk tea Uncle Sodo had provided and spoke first: "Last night, I summarized the two problems we're currently facing. Now let's discuss them and see what good solutions we can come up with." Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.

After a few minutes, Ah Bao suddenly spoke. He said, "I suspect the white light emitted by the mysterious source in the Silver Eye Cave is connected to the mechanism at the cave entrance. The light only shines when the entrance is opened, and stops shining when the entrance is closed. Otherwise, after thousands of years, what energy could sustain such a strong light for so long without it going out?" "That's certainly possible," Jenny said. "If that's the case, we can enter the cave first, and then open our eyes after the light goes out, so it won't affect our search. But what if it's not like that? Wouldn't we all be blind? So, just in case, we still need to be fully prepared."

"What should we do then?" Dunzi asked. Jenny looked at Dunzi, then at me, and replied, "Unless we try to get some sunglasses that can block strong light." Jenny's words gave me an idea, and I suddenly thought of a feasible method. So I happily said, "That's right, I've thought of a way." "What way?" Dunzi asked. I took out a glass mask from a military hazmat suit from my bag. Then I said, "Why don't we try painting this glass mask black, and then wear it into the cave? That way, we can protect our eyes from the strong light inside the Silver Eye Cave." Dunzi laughed immediately when he heard me say this. He said, "Haha. This is a simple method that our science teacher taught us when we were kids to make a small tool for observing solar eclipses. Find a piece of glass, paint it with black ink. That way, you won't hurt your eyes when you observe the sun. Your little brain is really useful." Jenny also thought this method was feasible, but the key was where to get black paint? In the end, we decided to ask Uncle Sodo for help. Let's see if we can solve this problem.

"So, how do we solve the problem of the last team member not having enough time to enter the cave entrance?" Dunzi asked. I thought for a moment and quickly came up with an idea, but I didn't tell Liu Ke. I just told everyone to first ask Uncle Sodo for help in finding a solution to the black paint problem, and I would handle the rest. Then, I assigned tasks to the four of us. Jenny and Abao were to find a solution to the black paint problem. If they could get direct help from Uncle Sodo, that would be best. If not, they would have to think of other ways. The worst-case scenario was to drive to the nearest market and buy some sunglasses. However, that would waste at least three days of our time. I didn't recommend using that method unless absolutely necessary. I, along with Dunzi, would gather materials and make a small tool to solve the problem of the cave entrance's short opening time.

After dividing the tasks, the four of them went their separate ways to prepare for their respective missions. Not long after, Jenny brought good news: they had been very lucky to obtain a box of colored paints from Uncle Sodo. Apparently, it was leftover paint from a painter who had previously come here to sketch. Perhaps the painter had left in a hurry, leaving the paint behind, which Sodo found. Once the two of them had the paints, they began to apply some black paint to the glass of the hazmat suits and masks.

Dunzi and I found some wooden strips near the ruins and then made a tripod based on the height of the switch for opening the Silver Eye Cave in the secret passage. We also found a long wooden stick and tied it to the tripod. By the time everything was ready, it was already one o'clock that night. I tested it a few more times and felt that my tool was working properly before I gathered everyone together again.

Jenny held up two glass masks, smiling as she said to me, "Sinan, this is the result of Ah Bao and my afternoon's work. Please check it and see if it's up to standard." I took one of the masks from her, put it on, and then turned on the wolf-eye flashlight. I tested it as a light source, and the effect was indeed quite good; Jenny and her team had done a very meticulous job. The paint was applied very evenly, and even with the masks on, there wasn't that uneven, gloomy feeling of some areas being brighter than others.

"So, what's your result? What is it? Show it to us!" Jenny said with a smile. I gave Dunzi a mysterious smile, and Dunzi immediately understood, walking to the side and bringing over the wooden frame we had placed in the corner. Jenny looked at it and asked, "How did you make a frame? What's it for?" I patted the frame and said with a smile, "I'll keep that a secret for now. You'll find out when we take action tonight." "It's nothing special, look at how smug you two are, hehe," Jenny replied with a smile, looking at Dunzi and me.

As everyone organized the tools and equipment they would bring for their nighttime cave expedition, they chatted and laughed. Time passed quickly. Around 11 PM, I noticed the light in Uncle Sodo's house had been off for a while, so I joined the others, carrying our prepared tools, and once again headed towards the secret passage in the ancient city ruins.

Because we left clear markers before leaving the Path last time, we quickly arrived at the mechanism that opened the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave after reaching it this time. Then, Ah Bao, Dunzi, and I worked together to set up the support frame next to the mechanism. We aligned one end of the long wooden strip on the frame with the circular protrusion on the mud wall that controlled the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave. Once everything was ready, I signaled everyone to take out their modified glass masks from their backpacks and put them on. Next, we walked to the mud wall where the entrance to the Silver Eye Cave was hidden. I picked up the end of the wooden strip extending from the wooden support frame on the opposite mud wall and said to my companions, "I'll count to three. When I count to three, I'll open the cave entrance. Ah Bao will go in first. After the entrance closes, I'll reopen it after counting to three. Then Dunzi will go in second, followed by Jenny. Finally, it'll be me. Do you all understand?"

Everyone saw me holding the end of the wooden stick. They realized I was going to use this fixed stick to press the switch for the ancient cave entrance on the opposite mud wall, and they all laughed and replied in unison, "Got it!" The crucial moment was finally approaching, and everyone felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. The four of us looked at each other and shook hands for encouragement. Then, Ah Bao walked to the mud wall where the Silver Eye Cave entrance was located. He nodded to me and said, "Si Nan, I'm ready, you can begin!"

47. Entrance to the Ancient Cave

"Alright, everyone, let's get ready to begin." I said, turning my head to the side and looking at the position on the wall where the wooden stick in my hand was pointing, counting, "One." The smiles on everyone's faces immediately vanished.

"Two," I continued counting. A strange feeling, a mixture of joy and sorrow, suddenly welled up inside me. I thought of the myths about the Silver-Eyed Demon Mother, the ancient legends about the Silver-Eyed Cave, and the thought that in a few minutes we would be in such a legendary and mysterious cave, with all sorts of terrifying things waiting for us. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.