The 19th level of Hell

Chapter 34

After saying that, he put the two large bags on the ground and stretched his limbs, as if he were about to go into a competition.

Chunyu's eyes were wide open; all she could see was the dark shadow of the mountain rocks above her, like a giant head staring at her. Finally, she readjusted her breathing, raised her flashlight, and stepped into the cave with Gao Xuan.

The flashlight beam illuminated the cave walls, revealing clear signs of artificial carving. Chunyu gripped the flashlight in one hand and clutched her chest with the other, facing the darkness of the cave. She felt as if she had returned to the underground of the deserted village, to the terrifying, mysterious underground palace…

She finally couldn't help but tremble. The only thing that reassured her now was Gao Xuan's figure ahead of her. He walked forward with a steady pace, appearing calm and composed. The cave was unexpectedly deep, and there seemed to be a lot of space inside. The beam of the flashlight couldn't reach the bottom for long before it was swallowed up by the black mist.

Suddenly, a patch of color appeared on the cave wall. Gao Xuan immediately pointed his flashlight in that direction, and a mural immediately appeared.

Chunyu gasped and quickly shrank behind Gao Xuan. She saw that the mural on the wall was remarkably well-preserved, even the colors were very vibrant, and it was about two meters long and wide. The painting depicted two small black demons grabbing a woman's neck and using iron clamps to rip her tongue out alive. "Tongue-Pulling Hell!"

She couldn't help but cry out. The murals in front of her were incredibly lifelike, using some unknown technique. The woman whose tongue had been pulled out, although dressed in Tang Dynasty attire, had such a realistic face that it looked as if it were a photograph imprinted on the cave wall.

Gao Xuan also sighed softly, "Incredible."

His flashlight shone around the entire painting, making it seem as if it had just been painted. Although the brushstrokes and lines were still Chinese, and the background patterns had the style of Dunhuang murals, the details of the figures' bodies and faces were incredibly realistic. The woman's terrified expression, wide eyes, and struggling hands were as realistic as any European painter's. This realism in the figures was precisely what traditional Chinese painting lacked. This style of mural, with its combination of fictional demons and realistic figures, was something Gao Xuan had never heard of before. The artist of this painting must have been a reclusive master living in the mountains; if he had left his mark on history, he would probably have overshadowed masters like Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi.

Gao Xuan leaned closer to examine the details of the mural. It seemed to be painted with some kind of special mineral pigment. Combined with the perpetually dark cave environment and its seclusion deep in the mountains, it had remained remarkably well-preserved for thousands of years. "We've finally found the 'Nineteen Levels of Hell' mural. This should be the first level of hell. Let's continue—"

Gao Xuan pulled Chunyu along as they continued walking inside, and soon they saw the second mural, which depicted the second level of hell: the "Scissors Hell." The size and style of the mural were the same as the first one. "It's like we've really gone to hell."

Chunyu spoke softly. Although the content of the murals was chilling, Chunyu had almost forgotten her fear because she knew she was not far from the final secret. They walked on and discovered many more murals, which almost perfectly matched the legendary arrangement of the various levels of hell.

They quickly passed the murals of the upper nine levels of hell and then discovered murals of the lower nine levels of hell.

As they drew closer to the final painting, Chunyu's heart pounded with anxiety. In the dark, ancient cave, from the 16th to the 17th, and then to the 18th level of hell, each descent was terrifying. Fortunately, Gao Xuan held her hand tightly, giving her the courage to continue. When they discovered the murals of the 18th level of hell and witnessed all the legendary scenes of hell, Chunyu was already too weak to walk any further.

Gao Xuan whispered in her ear, "Why aren't you leaving? The final mystery is just around the corner." "Do you know what the 19th level of hell is?" "You'll know when you see it."

Chunyu's voice trembled: "What if we discover the secret and it's dangerous?" "I don't know." Gao Xuan's face was obscured in the darkness, but his voice sounded distinct in the cave, "But no matter what, I will protect you—I swear."

Chunyu reached out and covered his mouth: "Don't make any vows, let's keep going."

A few seconds later, the flashlight illuminated the last mural—the 19th level of hell.

Chunyu had already closed her eyes; she wouldn't dare open them until Gao Xuan finished reading. However, she didn't hear Gao Xuan's voice for a long time. The cave was eerily quiet, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

Finally, she couldn't help but open her eyes, only to see that the mural was covered by a large patch of black grime, making it impossible to see the content of the mural. But this was indeed the last mural, because the background around it was the same as the previous dozen or so paintings, except that where there should have been figures, only this large black patch remained.

Gao Xuan stood blankly in front of the mural for a long time before finally speaking: "The 19th level of hell was burned down."

This large black mark was actually a trace left by fire. This ancient pigment was extremely vulnerable to fire; once exposed to high temperatures, it would immediately turn to ashes, leaving only this black burn mark. "So who burned it?"

Gao Xuan took a deep breath and thought for a moment before saying, "I guess it must be Mazzolini. He must have seen this mural back then and learned the secret of the 19th level of hell. If he had just burned this mural, he would have been the only person in the world who knew this secret." "And what about the old man who guarded the mural?" "I don't know, maybe he died at Mazzolini's hands." Gao Xuan sighed slightly and said, "Now I can only speculate that Mazzolini, in order to obtain this secret, endured hardship and learned to paint from the old man here, eventually gaining the old man's trust. After he learned the final secret, he betrayed the old man and killed him, and burned the last mural, finally making this secret his personal property."

Chunyu's lips trembled. Had the secret of the 19th level of hell been lost forever? She had endured so much to reach this desolate wilderness, only to find this meaningless blackness? This was the end of the cave; all that remained was a solid stone wall. Looking at the terrifying darkness around her, she could no longer hold back her tears. Gao Xuan immediately put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Don't be too sad. It's just a mural; it's not a secret."

Perhaps there was nothing in this last painting to begin with? It's like someone spending their whole life searching for treasure, only to find the box containing it empty – the treasure never existed in the first place.

Tears soaked Gao Xuan's shoulders as he helped Chunyu slowly walk towards the cave entrance. They didn't look at the murals again along the way—to hell with them.

When they emerged from the cave, they discovered that it was already completely dark outside, and gusts of cold wind swept through the bamboo forest, making a terrifying howling sound.

The deep mountains in the darkness were even more terrifying. Chunyu clung tightly to Gao Xuan, looking at the shadowy mountains stretching into the distance under the night sky, and said, "Let's leave here quickly!" "No, it's too dangerous to cross the forest in the dark. Although we marked the way here, it's still easy to get lost at night. If we get lost, we're doomed."

Getting lost? Chunyu couldn't imagine what would happen if she got lost in the dark forest. It reminded her of the American horror movie "The Blair Witch Project," and she certainly didn't want to run into a Chinese version of the witch here.

Gao Xuan continued, "There might be wild animals here at night." "Don't scare me."

“Wolves have always been present in the mountainous areas of Zhejiang and Anhui. In the deep forests during winter, the male and female wolves may be starving, and we may just be delivering ourselves to their doorstep.”

Chunyu shook her head and said, "You're being quite humorous. So what should we do? Wash ourselves clean and wait for the wolves, using our flesh and blood to solve the problem of food and shelter for the protected wild animals?" "The only way now is to go back into the cave, light a bunch of torches, and the wild animals won't dare to come in." "Spend the night in the cave? Doesn't that sound like Peking Man?" "That's how our ancestors avoided wild animals. It's warmer inside the cave than outside, and it also protects us from the cold wind." After saying that, Gao Xuan ran around picking up dry branches, and in just a few minutes he had collected a large bundle. Then he grabbed the two large bags that had been thrown outside the cave and dragged them into the cave together.

Chunyu waited alone at the cave entrance, listening to the strange noises coming from the dark forest. She was already terrified and hurriedly followed Gao Xuan back into the cave.

After scanning the cave several times with the flashlight, Gao Xuan finally found a relatively clean spot. He piled up dry branches on the ground and skillfully lit a fire. Watching the campfire leap in the dark cave, casting two shadowy figures on the surrounding walls, it truly felt like being a primitive cave dweller.

The colorful murals on the cave walls flickered in the firelight, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of hell. Chunyu, shivering, looked at the murals and asked, "Why did the ancients paint these pictures?" "I don't know," Chunyu replied. "Perhaps they expressed some kind of emotion. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, society was turbulent, and painters came to these deep mountains—perhaps to live in seclusion, or perhaps to seek refuge. That great, unknown painter hid in this cave, perhaps spending his entire life painting on the cave walls. I think he used this masterpiece, 'The Nineteen Levels of Hell,' to depict the suffering of the world and the wickedness of the human heart. Its purpose is to warn people not to do bad things while they are alive." "Each level of hell is a warning to the world? Then what does the nineteenth level of hell warn people about?"

Gao Xuan didn't answer her question and busied himself with his own tasks. He took out a lot of camping supplies from his bag and soon set up two small tents, each just big enough for one person. Inside were enough warm sleeping bags and blankets to last the night.

Only then did Chunyu realize how hungry she was. Gao Xuan immediately took out a small oil stove used for camping and cooked two bowls of instant noodles, quickly solving the dinner problem for the two of them.

The steaming noodles temporarily dispelled the chill from Chunyu's body. In the wisps of smoke rising from the campfire, she saw beads of sweat trickling down Gao Xuan's forehead, the firelight dancing on his face. They gazed at each other. Looking into his eyes, illuminated by the firelight, Chunyu's heart raced. She silently warned herself, but her capillaries defied her brain, and a blush crept up her cheeks. "Why is your face red?"

Gao Xuan's eyes were truly sharp, and Chunyu could only lower her head: "What nonsense are you talking about? The firelight is red, so of course your face will look red too."

But he put down his bowl of noodles, his expression becoming much calmer. He said softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you here. You've suffered so much, and we haven't even discovered the most important secret." "Forget it," Chunyu looked up and smiled bitterly. "I suggested it first, it's not your fault. Let's just say it's a rare camping trip. Spending the night in a cave like this is something you'll probably never do again in your life." "Are you scared now?" "I don't know. But I've experienced the most terrifying nightmares in the world, I think I can handle fear." Gao Xuan was somewhat puzzled: "What are the most terrifying nightmares in the world?"

Chunyu was actually thinking of the deserted village. She put down her bowl and pondered for a long time before finally saying the place—"The deserted village." "Have you been to the deserted village?" He seemed very surprised. Because of that novel that was widely circulated among college students, Gao Xuan also knew about the existence of the deserted village.

This question touched a nerve with Chunyu, and she didn't lift her head for a long time. Although she didn't want to remember anything from that place, in this dark, ancient cave, the terrifying experience from six months ago flashed through her mind like scenes from a movie.

Replying.

Gao Xuan looked into her eyes, then suddenly grabbed her hand. The warmth of his body made Chunyu much stronger, and she slowly raised her head. Tears seemed to be welling up in her eyes, but they never spilled. "Tell me, what did you experience in the deserted village? Telling me will make you less afraid."

She felt that Gao Xuan's voice was like a lullaby, as if it had taken her back to a long, long time ago.

Finally, she told everything: the ancient legend of the deserted village, the strange adventure, and all the nightmares that followed…

Of course, what Gao Xuan found most incredible was that Chunyu had miraculously recovered her health after those dozen or so days and nights in the hospital, becoming a true survivor. When Chunyu finished speaking, she felt a strong sense of exhaustion, as if something had been drained from her body. Gao Xuan gently supported her, letting her lean on his shoulder, like an older brother caring for a younger sister. But Chunyu's desires went beyond that, and Gao Xuan was well aware of that.

The campfire was actually quite small, and Gao Xuan had to add branches little by little, otherwise it would soon run out. The faint firelight finally illuminated their faces, and Chunyu slowly recovered. She leaned completely against Gao Xuan's body, as if a large hand was tightly protecting her, making her no longer feel any cold.

Chunyu looked up into Gao Xuan's eyes and said, "I've already told you my secret, so why won't you? Isn't that unfair?" "My secret? Then what do you want me to say?"

She hesitated for a long time before speaking, "You're so handsome, you must have had many girlfriends, right? Then tell me about your first love, okay?" "My first love?" Gao Xuan raised his head and took a deep breath. In the red light of the campfire, his eyes looked strange. After a long wait, he said, "I don't know if that counts as my first love, because I really liked her, but she never liked me."

His answer surprised Chunyu: "Are there girls like that?" "Yes, she's just like you, very special too—her name is Yunhan." "Yunhan?"