Xishuangbanna Valley of Horrors

Chapter 9

Why is the bridge getting narrower and narrower as I walk across it?

When we first came up, the bridge, though not quite meeting national first-class standards, was at least wide enough for one and a half people to cross with their arms outstretched. But now, I'm finding it difficult to even spread my legs 90 degrees to the side. The increasingly cramped bridge also affected the people behind me. What was initially a chaotic line gradually became more orderly due to the situation. I was in front, followed by Ye Min, then Lü Fang, and Horse Face was at the very back.

Everyone immediately sensed something was wrong, and they all stumbled forward, their faces hesitant, following me step by step. As the leader, I had to force myself to set a good example, so I had no choice but to hold a flashlight, widen my eyes, and demonstrate in front of everyone. Ye Min nervously tugged at me, and out of her trust in me and for the sake of saving face, I forced a smile and joked, "How come this bridge is getting as slender as you as you are as we walk across it?"

The three people behind me didn't react at all, and I was extremely embarrassed. Damn it, that's probably the worst joke I've ever told in my life.

However, my awkward situation was immediately broken. The bridge surface ahead suddenly changed—the crowded granite bridge surface, the one beneath our feet, now had neatly arranged, remarkably symmetrical circular pits, clearly man-made. Furthermore, their arrangement was unique, following a sequence of 1, 2, 1, 2, 1… with each row of pits precisely positioned between them. This orderly arrangement of pits within such a chaotic architectural complex was almost unacceptable, and their diameter was enormous relative to the bridge's width—I could barely find a foothold where two pits were side-by-side. Worse still, every single circular pit was filled with water. I recognized the water; it was the black liquid under the hair of dead bodies. Now, with a closer look, I realized it wasn't just the lighting.

It is truly black water.

Section 75: Totem (7)

Looking at the water, I felt another wave of fear. But something even more striking than the water was what we discovered: inside the railing of the arched bridge at the starting point of the first round of arranging, on either side, stood two large wooden discs, each about a foot wide and half a person tall. The discs were densely covered with inscriptions. I recognized the characters; my fears were indeed not unfounded. They were all inscribed with units of time: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai…

Characters overlapped, lines overlapped.

Throughout history, tribes and ethnic groups around the world have maintained the custom of totem worship. In China, for example, many folk decorative patterns evolved from totems, such as horses, cattle, bears, flowers, leaves, mountains, and stones. Ethnic minorities have even more totems. For instance, the Oroqen, Hezhe, and Evenki peoples of Northeast China all worship the bear totem; the Li people of Hainan Island regard the cat as their ancestor; the Miao, Yao, and She people use the dog as their totem; the Yi people of the Ailao Mountains in Yunnan worship the dragon totem; and the Mongolians of the grasslands worship the wolf totem…

Could it be that the Naniso people worship a time totem?

The dazzling font made me a little dizzy, but even so, I didn't forget to say, "What is this thing?" Anything was fine as long as it pulled everyone out of the awkward atmosphere of my earlier joke; that would have been too embarrassing. Lü Fang stepped past me, adjusted his glasses, and carefully examined the half-person-high wooden disc for a while before saying, "They're made from aged willow wood. Judging from the blurred, serrated growth rings, these two willow trees are over a hundred years old."

Upon hearing this, I immediately flew into a rage: "Is this the time for you to show off your knowledge? People have died, how can you still be pretentious?! What we need to know is what they are used for!" Lü Fang quickly apologized, saying that he had done specialized research on the age of trees in university, and now, seeing this willow tree with its rare age, he couldn't help but get distracted.

It's important to know that willows are considered yin trees, and it's rare to find a willow tree that lives this long; this is a valuable research sample.

All I know is that willow wood is indeed a dark wood, and it's rumored that some coffins used for ghost marriages are made of willow wood. But I don't know how long this tree actually lives. Hearing what Lu Fang said, my face got a little hot, so I quickly asked him, "Then what do you think is the meaning of using this kind of wood to make these strange plates and these arrays in this place?"

Section 76: Totem (8)

Lu Fang remained silent, speechless. Ye Min, unable to squeeze through, could only put her hand on my shoulder, stand on tiptoe to look, and murmured with furrowed brows, "Do you expect us to play hopscotch to get there?"

Hearing her words, I rolled my eyes, turned around, and said to her irritably, "If you're calling me 'sister,' then don't make me cry, okay? Give me that half of the nylon rope in your bag." Knowing she'd gotten nowhere, she grumbled and pulled the nylon rope out of her bag and handed it to me. Seeing me holding the nylon rope and staring at him, Lü Fang stammered, "Wh...what...?"

I'm speechless. How can there be no teamwork at all? I held back for a moment and said to him, "Give me your Swiss Army knife. I'll tie it to this and drop it down to measure the depth of those round holes."

The old drunkard's intention was not in the wine, but in the sharp weapon he used in a desperate situation.

Unexpectedly, Lü Fang refused to agree, claiming that the knife was a keepsake left to him by his grandfather, and what if it got ruined by that black water, which he didn't know was poisonous? I was speechless. Why didn't his grandfather leave him a pair of big leather shoes? That way, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to take it from him.

"Then...give me your old, beat-up mini flashlight." I had no right to force him to hand over what I wanted, but I had to test the waters; better safe than sorry. Seeing that I had put down the Swiss Army knife, he hurriedly pulled the old flashlight out of his pocket and handed it to me.

I later learned that he had lied to me; his grandfather had left him nothing except his father. In the war-torn era in which his grandfather lived, a Swiss Army knife made in the USA was shockingly expensive. Perhaps his motive for lying was the same as mine.

I tied one end of the nylon rope tightly to the broken mini flashlight, made a tight knot, and tossed it into the first circular pit in front of me. I, meanwhile, held the other end of the rope, half-squatting on the ground, intently watching the rope unravel, not daring to be careless for a moment, so focused that I didn't even notice the horse-faced man mocking me behind my back. Lü Fang and Ye Min looked at me with considerable confusion: "Are you afraid you'll fall into this thigh-thick, round pit and won't be able to get up?" I didn't explain, nor did I want to. These idiots should really drown too, preferably to the point of being unable to take care of themselves; then they'd understand.

If no one can understand you, wouldn't you feel very lonely?

Section 77: Strange Mechanisms (1)

Chapter Eleven: Strange Mechanisms

My head was spinning. It felt like something suddenly yanked the rope down. I didn't dare think too much about it. I shuddered and got up to greet Lu Fang, who was still yelling things like, "How did it fall in? Good thing I didn't give you my Swiss Army knife." He said, "Stop talking nonsense. What did you mean when you said that thing was movable?"

1 agency

2 dead ends

3 out of control

Chapter Eleven: Strange Mechanisms

1 agency

In a moment of anger, I sensed something was amiss. The flashlight, though miniature, still had some weight; it wasn't light. But judging from the speed at which the rope sank, something seemed wrong—it was heavy, but quite slowly. Slow speed simply means the buoyancy of the water is greater than the weight of the sinking object, right? I spent three years in junior high school constantly failing science subjects and just copying answers; my basic knowledge was terrible. To grasp this principle was already quite remarkable.

I didn't ask the college student next to me; if I had to ask someone for even basic physics knowledge, I might as well just plunge in and die. I figured that was probably it, so I took a good look at the pure black water. What was it floating about? It wasn't the saltwater of the Dead Sea. If it were, wouldn't we be at a huge loss? My hand was still throbbing. Thinking and looking, I started to understand.

It turns out the liquid inside wasn't water—at least, not 100% water.

I risked dipping my hand into the black water seeping onto the bridge, only to find that it didn't feel like water in my mind. Instead, it seemed a bit... viscous? Realizing this, I remembered how I had once swung through this viscous substance of unknown origin with the hair of so many dead people who had been dead for who knows how many years, as if it were Mount Tai. What if I really lost my grip and fell in...? At that moment, I felt my stomach churning, so I simply squatted down and started dry heaving.

For people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), some things are worse than death.

Ye Min thought I was poisoned, and her face turned pale. I said with difficulty that I was fine, and she calmed down. At this moment, the nylon rope in my hand had reached its end. The small end of the rope was in my hand, and the rest of it was completely submerged in the black water. The feeling in my hand was very strange. I tried to pull the rope, and it was pulled down again.

It seems like it's not over yet.

After we took stock of the items, I estimated the length of the rope while we were resting and sharing snacks. I was thinking it might come in handy later, so I calculated it to have a better idea of its length. Based on my estimation, the nylon rope Ye Min had left was about two meters long. The remaining length in my hand was at most twenty centimeters... Why did they dig this hole so deep?

Section 78: Strange Mechanisms (2)

Just when I was racking my brains over this clueless, viscous black water cave, I accidentally let my mind wander, and the last bit of rope I had in my hand slipped and fell into the black water. All because I'd heard Lü Fang say, "This thing seems to be able to move..."

My head was spinning. It felt like something suddenly yanked the rope down. I didn't dare think too much about it. I shuddered and got up to greet Lu Fang, who was still yelling things like, "How did it fall in? Good thing I didn't give you my Swiss Army knife." He said, "Stop talking nonsense. What did you mean when you said that thing was movable?"

Lu Fang nodded and pointed to the willow wood carving plate with the words of counting units all over its cross-section, and told me: "This thing is not inlaid in the granite of the railing, but is assembled together like some kind of mechanism."

What? Mechanisms? I was taken aback. Hearing these words, we all simultaneously conjured up images of a hail of arrows and stones... Mechanisms? The technology of designing and building mechanisms in ancient times was unparalleled, exquisite and precise to the extreme. Just think of Zhuge Liang's mechanisms during the Three Kingdoms period—how sharp and ingenious they were! In the past, when we watched movies and TV shows, those who perished under ingeniously designed mechanisms just felt incredibly satisfied, even cheering... But now... standing here...

Yeah, it was really great. Didn't you see we were so excited we couldn't even speak?

I paused for 0.71 seconds, then rolled my eyes and asked again to confirm, "Are you... are you sure this is a mechanism? No, a trap?"

Actually, "mechanism" and "mechanism" are essentially the same concept. "Mechanism" refers to everything, while "mechanism" refers to the mechanism within a crossbow that fires an arrow. Just as humans include men and women.

Now it was Lü Fang who was less certain. He stammered that he had only thought it looked like it, and that he didn't have any knowledge in this area and was just saying it offhand.

Hearing his certainty, I felt a surge of murderous intent. I pushed him behind me and tiptoed towards the left-hand disc. It seems a happy life still depends on one's own efforts.

In desperation, I saw clearly under the flashlight's beam that the connection between the disc and the stone arch bridge was indeed a mechanism-like structure: between the two objects was a stone pillar as thick as an adult's arm, wrapped in scattered branches, which I guessed were willow twigs. Their outer surfaces were coated with a dark, oily lubricant—perhaps those things from the pit in the ground? I wasn't sure. Would you dare reach in and touch it? I certainly wouldn't. Whatever it was, I looked away and made a decision.

Section 79: Strange Mechanisms (3)

I handed the flashlight to Ye Min behind me, then yelled for Lü Fang to grab me. I took a deep breath and used all my strength to push that ridiculously large, round engraved plate. I felt even more ridiculous than it at that moment.

The creaking and clanging sounds came from the bridge. Ye Min's startled reaction startled me, making me regret bringing her on this trip. Why was she so easily frightened? I was almost scared to death by her, not by the ghosts. Just as I was about to comfort her, she pointed to the ground and showed me the pit where I had just lowered the rope.

Lu Fang noticed it too, and he whispered, "Water! Water's flowing out! Water!" as if the water really was sulfuric acid. I blocked them and stepped back a few paces, and sure enough, the contents of the pit overflowed, though not in large quantities.

I looked at the black water overflowing on the ground, then at the willow wood discs inside the railing, and pondered for a while. Hmm... that should be it. I analyzed to them, "These two willow wood discs engraved with clerical script and these circular pits on the bridge surface should be a set of mechanisms, a relatively simple type that opens and closes up and down. Rotating the discs will cause the mechanisms at the bottom of the pits to rise or fall, and you can understand it by looking at the overflowing black water."

Lu Fang and Ye Min agreed that this made perfect sense. Ye Min even suggested that everyone move the disc to a suitable position so that the water would drain away and the road would be filled in, killing two birds with one stone.

I've discovered I really like this little girl; she's just a troublemaker. My whole rambling explanation was completely improvised, based solely on appearances to avoid further panic—pure fabrication. How could the wisdom of our ancient Chinese ancestors be as casual as children playing house? Why would they carve these bizarre holes and go up and down on this strange bridge just to play with this mushy mess? Who knows what these mechanisms might actually be connected to?

However, I wasn't about to shoot myself in the foot, so I quickly came up with a reason: "That is indeed a good idea, but I think we should forget about it." Ye Min was puzzled, so I glanced at Lü Fang and continued, "What if all this water spills out and gets on your clothes? I can't say for sure what this water is, what if it's poisonous?" Lü Fang had never seen such a liquid before and nodded nervously.

Ye Min stuck out her tongue and said "Oh".

Section 80: Strange Mechanisms (4)

Just as I was feeling smug, a cold voice came from behind Ye Min: "Shouldn't we turn back and go left?" Oh, Mr. Ma. I'd almost forgotten about him. From the incident at the fork in the bridge until now, he hadn't uttered a single word, following us like a ghost, cold and sinister. Seeing his unwavering obsession with "left," I suddenly regretted arguing with him and hurting his pride. I've heard many terrifying stories about mental illness cases; most of them involve the protagonist undergoing a traumatic experience and then becoming... well, you know, doing things that are extremely detrimental to social harmony.

The horse-faced man has basically met all the preconditions; all that's missing is a sudden attack... or perhaps it already has. The thought of walking through such a dangerous and eerie place with someone whose nerves are likely to malfunction, or who already are...

So I glanced back and politely replied to the horse-faced man, "Uh... it's probably too late to turn back now... we've already gone so far, and the longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be for Su Yan." What a perfect excuse! Even Lü Fang was a little agitated when he heard this.

An ancient saying goes: "Those who follow the Way receive much help." The Way is benevolence. I doubt that no matter how difficult Horse Face is to deal with, he wouldn't blatantly disregard the lives of others. If he dared, then I could blatantly deal with him. I'm not worried about anyone investigating, much less about receiving a note the following year saying, "I know what you did last spring." Ye Min and Lü Fang? Child's play. I thought wickedly as I spoke.

People are not supposed to hurt each other, until something called "thinking of oneself" came into being.

"Then let's keep going." Horse Face's words pulled me out of my incredibly wicked thoughts. I was a little annoyed that he didn't persist. Actually, I was hoping to just turn back and find a new path, so why did I cut off my own escape route? Oh well, if you can't handle it, you have to take it.

"Let's go!" I immediately rubbed my hands together and started preparing. In the middle of it, I heard Lü Fang tell Ye Min that she should hold onto the railings on both sides of the stone arch bridge, keeping her weight on her palms, and that she shouldn't step over the circular pits marked "1, 2, 1, 2" with her heels; it was best to walk along the edge. Hmm…great minds think alike. Ye Min asked him, "Why? What's inside?" My heart skipped a beat; it reminded me of that half-pulled nylon rope that looked like it had been pulled down by something.

Section 81: Strange Mechanisms (5)

I feigned composure and echoed Lü Fang, saying, "How could that be? What are you yelling about? Less talk, more action."

I wondered why women always liked to get to the bottom of everything, and I also wondered why I always had to deal with water. Holding onto the railings on both sides, I just wanted to get across as quickly as possible, and tried not to think about that damned nylon rope. I vaguely remembered a folk tale: if someone drowns in the water, their vengeful spirit will not rest, but will linger at the bottom of the water, mostly around the water plants. They are neither hungry nor tired; they wait quietly, waiting for someone to come… waiting to drag them down…

What nonsense is this? I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my mind. Perhaps I shook it too hard, and my vision blurred. The dark, round holes on the bridge ahead seemed to be gradually expanding. I hurriedly rubbed my eyes hard, and then quickly checked again. The round holes filled with black, sticky stuff looked normal, arranged in the same orderly fashion.

It was just a hallucination.

Perhaps we've been gone too long... but the oppressive feeling I had when I entered hasn't dissipated at all. As time goes by, it becomes heavier and clearer. Su Yan and Ye Min are right, we shouldn't be curious, and we shouldn't have come in. But... if people knew the consequences, they wouldn't pin their hopes on so-called "remedies for regret."

Thinking about it carefully, I've only lived a third of my life, and I already have so many regrets...

I was feeling a bit discouraged, and my expression started to droop again. But then, in my melancholy, someone put their arm around my shoulder from behind. When I turned around, it was Ye Min again, and I saw her smile at me.

Understanding and being understood are a wondrous relationship. How great are those who can understand others; and how fortunate are those who can be understood. Some people cannot understand you because they are not born with that ability; others can, even if they also lack the ability to understand you, but at least they are trying. Even if their understanding is only 10%...5%... it is still something to be thankful for.

Although you are the only one I want to understand... but who has the obligation to understand whom?

Looking at Ye Min's forced smile, I felt a little ashamed. A woman is better than you; what kind of grown man are you? Looking at her, I even had the urge to slap myself a few times.

Section 82: Strange Mechanisms (6)

"Xiaomin, you follow behind Lü Fang," I said, taking her hand away. Ye Min nodded and stepped aside to let Lü Fang walk forward and follow me. This way, it would be easier for me to discuss some more central issues with him.

Actually, I wanted to ask him about his relationship with Su Yan, but I was afraid it might be inappropriate, so I changed my mind. Instead, we had a random conversation about ancient mechanisms and architectural principles. Two laymen trying to pretend to be experts discussing things they didn't understand at all—it was so contrived.

While Lü Fang and I were pretending to talk, Ye Min didn't interrupt, nor did Horse Face. By the way, Horse Face, he's now officially become a major worry for me.

From the "Floating Clouds and Dragons" housing complex to the underground stone arch bridge; from the willow wood totem-carved mechanism to the "Black Water Circular Void Cave," Horse Face hadn't uttered a single word since his two lukewarm remarks. The more he remained silent, the more I paid close attention to his every move. Being prepared wasn't without reason. Ever since I successfully thwarted his two encounters with me on the bridge, and with his affair with Fatty Lin exposed, his usual leadership demeanor had vanished like smoke. Moreover, he knew his knowledge base wasn't as extensive as Lü Fang's, his ability to control situations wasn't as good as mine, and he couldn't even match Ye Min's ability to stabilize morale. The blow of falling from the peak to the bottom could easily distort a person's mind, especially since I knew he wasn't exactly mentally healthy. How many businessmen aren't shrewd? When I joined the company, I was always thinking about when I could turn the tables on him and outmaneuver him. I never expected to succeed here. Now, I felt no satisfaction; I just hoped he wouldn't be unable to overcome his own inner turmoil.

Even when disaster strikes, one's fate is still in one's own hands. Based on this, we can only ask him to make do for now.

I was talking to Lü Fang absentmindedly, my eyes never leaving the bridge. The black, round pits were gradually expanding as the bridge widened, growing from 1, 2, 1 to 3, 4, 3. After confirming it wasn't a hallucination, I warned everyone to be careful. If someone slipped and fell in now, it wouldn't just be a matter of one leg sinking in.

The "black water circular void" has expanded in size from as thick as a leg to as thick as a person. This change makes it seem less like we're walking on a potholed road and more like we're wading through a large, dark river with a few stone platforms across it. However, the widening of the bridge also means wider footholds; unless you're completely incompetent, you're unlikely to fall in easily now. The bridge is now wide enough that we no longer need to walk in a single file. Ye Min and Ma Lian have caught up. Looking at the changed environment, I think we should be almost at the end of this "ravaged" stone arch bridge, right?

Section 83: Strange Mechanisms (7)

This strange bridge worries me even more than the old bridge in my hometown that causes several tragic car accidents and deaths every year.

I guessed right. As we quickened our pace, the bridgehead gradually came into view. However, this bridgehead was completely different from the one we had come from.

2 dead ends

We finally crossed the bridge, but the gap between the two ends is just too big!

First, let's look at the structure. The previous bridgehead was so ordinary I didn't even bother describing it; there was nothing special about it. But the bridgehead before me now is quite luxurious. As you can see from the comparison, the bridge surface here is much wider than the previous one, reaching about six meters at its widest point. The ground connected by the four large, round, black water holes is no longer made of rammed earth or bricks, but rather of high-quality stone, extremely shiny to the eye and smooth to the touch. Moreover, the gleaming bridge surface is carved with relief patterns of nine snakes playing (I initially thought it was playing with a pearl, but after searching for a long time, I couldn't find any pearls), and there is no color whatsoever; the nine snakes are all black and white.

Following the Nine Serpents mural, there's a flight of stairs, a verdant staircase with over twenty tiers. Looking at the railings on either side, the changes are quite significant; although they still appear rough, they now feature carvings.

On the left-hand railing is a stone-carved Qilin, baring its fangs and claws, looking quite fierce; on the right-hand railing is a stone peacock, serene and docile, extremely elegant. I think this must be a female peacock, because I didn't see its magnificent long tail feathers. If it weren't for the crest on its head that signifies its status, I would have thought it was a turkey.

Both stone sculptures are black and white.

Stone arch bridges should have carvings, right? As I looked around, I tried to recall, the most typical example being the Lugou Bridge. The stone lions on the Lugou Bridge left an impression that can't be described as "profound." Hmm, if that's the case, then this should be the bridgehead, the gate, the front, and so on.

I laughed when I saw these things. I chose the right one, and I was right!

Besides the bridge, there were walls and tunnels all around. There was only a corner about a hundred meters directly in front of the Qilin and Peacock Bridge, which should be the exit. While Lü Fang and I were busy looking at the stone carvings, Ye Min had already followed Ma Lian ahead. Then I heard Ma Lian chuckle. I looked over and saw that Ye Min was completely dumbfounded. Needless to say, something must have happened again.