Uncanny Valley

Chapter 26

Luo Fei had already noticed Anmi's favor towards Dirga last night. Strangely, Sotulan didn't seem to care much for this warrior. Even now, while he was praising him, his face remained expressionless, showing no corresponding appreciation.

Dilga was focused on clearing the way and paid no attention to the conversation behind him; it seemed he couldn't understand a word of Chinese either.

"High Priest, your Chinese is truly excellent. Not only is your pronunciation authentic, but your word choice and phrasing are also exquisite. I'm afraid many Han people can't compare to you." Luo Fei's thoughts drifted to this point, and he casually praised Sotulan a few times.

"To become a priest, one must understand Chinese. This is an unwritten rule that has been passed down since the Holy War."

"Oh?" Luo Fei asked with interest, "Why?"

"Because according to the clan rules, the Holy Maiden must learn Chinese from the priests. In fact, after the Holy Maiden is selected, the successor must first be sent to the priests to study. Only after mastering the reading and writing of Chinese can she return to the former Holy Maiden and complete the ceremony of the Holy Maiden's succession."

"The Holy Maiden must be proficient in Chinese?" Luo Fei pondered. "I remember you said yesterday that the Holy Maiden's guards are strictly forbidden from learning Chinese. Your clan rules are quite interesting."

“These are all rules passed down by the first Holy Maiden, Helai. She was the daughter of the old chief, and her status in the tribe was even higher than that of Aliya. So although there are many things that people don’t understand, generation after generation, no one has ever disobeyed them. Even the tribal chiefs are no exception.” When mentioning the names of the two holy war heroes, Sotulan’s expression was solemn and his tone was very respectful.

“Your Mandarin is so fluent, you must often interact with Han Chinese people, right?” Zhou Liwei chimed in, and Bai Jian’e answered next: “High Priest Sotulan is a frequent visitor to our Mi Hong Village. Just recently, he passed through the village on his way out.”

Sotulan nodded: "Our people rarely go out. The priests usually handle matters related to dealing with the outside world."

But then Luo Fei asked, "So, what was the reason for the High Priest's departure this time?"

Sotulan sighed heavily: "I'm going to find some people who have left the tribe."

"The people who left?" Luo Fei suddenly remembered what Old Wang, the landlord in Mi Hong Village, had mentioned, and blurted out, "Were they the tribesmen who were scared away by the 'demon'?"

"You know about these things too?" Sotulan looked at Luo Fei with surprise, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "That's right. After the news of the lost sacred object spread and people went mad from fright, some of our clansmen did run away from the village."

Luo Fei noticed that the other party was being evasive, so he didn't press the matter further. The group changed the subject to some unrelated topics and chatted as they walked until Dilga suddenly stopped. When they looked up, they realized that they had unknowingly arrived at the top of the low hill.

The Valley of Uncanny Things should be right in front of us! The group climbed to a high point and looked southwest. They saw that the slope of the low mountain on this side was very gentle, not like a mountainous area, but more like a hilly area.

“Li Dingguo’s army was once stationed here,” Sotulan said, pointing ahead. “Back then, they cut down trees and turned the entire hillside into a large military camp. This forest must have grown back after the holy war.”

Sure enough, although the trees on the hillside were dense, there were few towering giants, and the trees didn't seem very old. Luo Fei scanned the area, looking down at the entire forest. This gentle hillside stretched for miles before connecting with two steep peaks to the west. These two mountains stood on either side, leaving a narrow passage in the middle, which, from a distance, looked like a naturally formed gate to a valley.

Luo Fei couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Li Dingguo was indeed well-versed in military strategy. His camp was set up here, with the Hamo people's village behind him and a natural barrier in front. No wonder the Qing-Burmese army fought bitterly for three years and was finally defeated only by the Hamo people attacking from both sides.

Sotulan then turned around and stood facing southeast, raising his hand to point into the distance: "Look, that's the hanging lake on the cliff over there. After a night of heavy rain, the lake must be much fuller now, as you can tell from the force of the waterfall."

Luo Fei and the others already knew the important role that Suspended Lake played in that period of history when they listened to the legend of the Holy War last night. Looking out from here, although the lake water on the top of the cliff cannot be seen, a waterfall cascades down the steep and towering cliff, its momentum is still very impressive.

Because the cliffs are staggered, the waterfall is divided into two sections. In the upper section, the water flows along the cliff, but in the lower section, the water becomes rapid and forms a distinct parabola. After falling nearly 100 meters, it hits the northeast slope of the low hill and eventually flows into the pool at the foot of the hill.

Luo Fei had witnessed the devastation of flash floods in Mi Hong Village. He could imagine that if the upper cliff were blasted open, the entire lake's waters would pour down, instantly washing away Mi Hong Village without a trace. He shook his head slightly and muttered to himself, "Flooding a mountain village—that's indeed a very ruthless tactic."

“Li Dingguo is well-versed in water, which is why he was able to come up with such a tactic.” Yue Dongbei seized the opportunity to boast again, “In his early years, when Li Dingguo was in charge of the army in Yunnan, he specifically worked on water conservancy projects and had an extremely deep understanding of water. Hehe, otherwise, the villagers of Mi Hongzhai would not have revered him as the ‘Rain God’ for generations.”

Luo Fei's heart stirred: This sounds true. Li Dingguo was able to accurately predict rainfall hundreds of years ago, so he must have indeed had a deep understanding of "water".

Bai Jian'e frowned, clearly unwilling to talk about the "Rain God." He coughed lightly and then changed the subject: "Let's hurry down to the woods and take a look."

Sotulan nodded and spoke a phrase in Hamo to Dilga. Dilga obeyed and led the group into the jungle of the "Valley of Terror." The trees here were extremely dense, like giant umbrellas, blocking the rain and obscuring the already dim sky. The light in the forest was faint, as if night had just fallen. After a while, their vision returned, and they could barely see objects within a few meters around them.

The atmosphere was eerie; they had once again arrived at the Valley of Terror, the legendary place haunted by "demons." Everyone's nerves were on edge. Anmi's two henchmen, in particular, gripped their sword hilts, maintaining a state of heightened alertness, as if facing a formidable enemy. It seemed that the devastation inflicted by the "demons" six months ago still lingered in their minds.

The group slowly made their way through the forest. Aside from the lush vegetation, they made no particularly noteworthy discoveries. As they continued onward, they unknowingly reached the depths of the forest. Just as everyone was beginning to relax, Dilga, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped, his right hand silently and swiftly drawing his scimitar.

The others immediately froze, their hearts pounding uncontrollably. They followed Dilga's gaze and saw something unusual.

Dirga reached his left hand behind his back, bent his middle and index fingers, and raised his thumb, ring finger, and little finger, then gently shook it twice.

Sotulan's expression changed, and he whispered to Luo Fei, "There are enemies hiding ahead."

Luo Fei's right hand was already on his gun; upon hearing this, he immediately released the safety. The two warriors at the back recognized Dilga's sign language, and drew their gleaming scimitars. Yue Dongbei, Zhou Liwei, and Bai Jian'e held their breath, frowning, appearing bewildered and tense.

The raindrops pattered against the leaves, making a rapid, restless sound. Apart from that, all other sounds vanished in an instant, as if even the air itself had frozen.

However, this silence was so short-lived. Just a moment later, accompanied by a rustling sound, the bushes not far ahead suddenly stirred.

Luo Fei's heart tightened: there really was someone! Just then, Dilga, who had been still, turned and pounced towards the disturbing bushes like a rabbit. Having learned from Zhao Liwen's tragic death, Luo Fei dared not be careless. He drew his gun and followed Dilga's footsteps. Hearing the chaotic footsteps behind him, he knew that others had followed as well.

Ahead, a continuous rustling sound came from the bushes, as if someone was running rapidly within them. Due to the dense foliage, the runner's figure remained elusive. The group pursued relentlessly, but after a while, the difference in their pace became apparent. Yue Dongbei was panting heavily, moving the slowest. Sotulan, being older, wasn't much better off. However, the two Hamo warriors were lagging behind, strictly adhering to Anmi's orders to carry out their guard duties. Zhou Liwei and Bai Jian'e walked side-by-side in the middle. Luo Fei and Dierga, each carrying a weapon, ran at the very front of the group, but unfortunately, their speed was still slightly slower than their pursuers.

The disturbances in the jungle stretched forward with incredible speed, constantly breaking the tranquility deep within the forest. The runner always easily widened the gap between himself and his pursuers, yet "he" seemed unwilling to completely shake them off. Sometimes, "he" would noticeably slow down, as if waiting for Luo Fei and the others.

After this happened two or three times, Luo Fei became alert: something was wrong, "he" was intentionally leading us forward! Realizing this, Luo Fei slowed his pace. He wanted to tell Dilga about his concerns, but they couldn't communicate verbally. Just as he was getting anxious, Dilga stopped on his own. He stood there, staring blankly at the rustling bushes ahead, a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.

This time, the runners ahead did not stop. The rustling bushes gradually receded into the distance. By the time Zhou Liwei, Suotulan, and the others arrived, "he" had already disappeared from their sight, and the forest became deathly silent once more.

"Wh...what happened? That...that..." Yue Dongbei was the first to lose his composure and asked anxiously. But he was so exhausted that he could only gasp for breath before he could finish speaking.

Luo Fei understood what he meant and pointed ahead, replying, "They ran in that direction."

"Why...why...why aren't you going to chase them anymore?" Yue Dongbei rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction.

Luo Fei said in a low but solemn voice, "The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light, so we must not be rash. Let's move forward together, everyone follow me, and don't scatter."

After saying that, Luo Fei rushed in front of Dilga and was about to take another step into the depths of the bushes when he suddenly heard Sotulan behind him say, "Luo, please wait a moment."

Luo Fei turned around and saw that all the Hamo tribe members were solemn, and the atmosphere seemed somewhat strange. This made him frown and ask uneasily, "High Priest, what's wrong?"

“If we continue onward, ahead…” Sotulan narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment, and then said, word by word, with utmost solemnity, “we should be at the ancient cemetery.”

"Ancient tomb site?" Although no one had ever mentioned this place before, Luo Fei already had a vague idea of what was going on when he heard the name.

Sotulan's next explanation coincided with Luo Fei's conjecture: "That's where Li Dingguo buried his fallen soldiers. Thousands of the dead rest there. We shouldn't disturb them so easily."

Although the ancients valued the custom of returning the dead to their hometowns, Li Dingguo was trapped in the valley and naturally couldn't care less about such things. Giving the fallen a handful of earth was already a rare privilege. Therefore, the formation of a large, concentrated cemetery in this area was a natural consequence of its clearing.

No wonder Dilga stopped; he had his concerns. Luo Fei thought to himself, knowing that the Hamo tribe always respected the dead. After hesitating for a moment, he carefully considered his words before saying, "Death is something that has already happened and cannot be changed now. What we should care about is the evil that still exists. We have come to eliminate evil, and the dead will not shelter those sadistic demons."

Sotulan was clearly swayed by Luo Fei's words, and he nodded firmly: "Luo, you're right. If the demon has indeed run into the graveyard, then we must chase after it without hesitation. Let me lead the way in this place."

Sotulan spoke as he stepped forward. Dirga saw his intention, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, then spoke a sentence in Hamo, his tone anxious and worried, clearly wanting to stop him from entering the cemetery.

Sotulan glanced at Dilga expressionlessly, exuding an imposing aura without anger. Dilga sullenly retreated and followed behind Sotulan.

Sotulan turned around and said apologetically to Luo Fei and the others, "Please forgive Dilga's rudeness and cowardice. According to the folk songs of the Hamo tribe, this land was once a place where demons fought, and it was full of terrible evil power."

"Oh?" Luo Fei was extremely interested and immediately asked, "What does the folk song say?"

Sotulan sang the folk song in Chinese: "Demons clashed here, leaving behind a hellish ruin. Thick smoke rose from the cracks in the ground, and the hot blood of the demons flowed on the land."

"Interesting. Let's go and see this land for ourselves."

“Please follow me.” Sotulan clasped his right hand to his chest and slowly walked towards the cemetery ahead. Every two steps, he would bow slightly and murmur prayers for the souls who had not yet returned home. Under his guidance, the group did not walk far before suddenly emerging from the jungle and arriving at an open space.

Luo Fei was suddenly stunned. He even blinked hard in surprise, because a completely different and strange world had indeed appeared before his eyes.

The clearing was about several dozen acres in size, surrounded by dense thickets, but not a single tall tree could be seen. Among the sparse shrubs, however, one plant took root everywhere and grew extremely luxuriantly, becoming the most dominant species on this land.

It was a herbaceous plant, less than a meter tall, with a straight stem and few branches. At the very top of each plant's main stem, a single flower grew. The petals of the flower were simple in shape, but their color was striking: an extremely deep dark red, faintly tinged with black.

It seems to be the flowering season for this plant now. One plant after another stands close together in the open space, all the flowers blooming in a rage, shimmering with an eerie black and red hue under the nourishment of the rain.

For some reason, Luo Fei suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He frowned and asked Sotulan, "What kind of flowers are these?"

“The blood of the undead,” Sotulan murmured.

Luo Fei grinned: "The blood of the undead?"

“Yes, translated into your Han language, that’s the name.” Sotulan paused slightly, then added, “The mountains are vast, but only in this place can such flowers grow.”

Luo Fei let out a soft sigh. He knew where his discomfort came from. Indeed, the reddish-black color resembled the stale, decaying blood mixed with soil of a dead person. The numerous flowers before them stretched out in a continuous expanse, and a faint, putrid stench filled the air, making them feel as if they were in a giant pool of blood.

“Blood of the dead. Interesting, very interesting…” Yue Dongbei seemed to have developed a strong interest in this eerie name. He bent down and gently stroked a blooming flower in front of him, then looked around and muttered to himself thoughtfully, “Ancient cemetery, flowers growing on the ground of the dead… Could this be the source of all terrifying forces?”

Upon hearing this, Luo Fei, Zhou Liwei, and Bai Jian'e reacted simultaneously. Based on their discussion of "Gu techniques" the previous night, this suddenly appearing, mysterious, and unique plant was indeed highly suspicious.

Luo Fei turned his head and looked at Zhou Liwei with a questioning gaze. Zhou Liwei understood what he meant, and after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head: "I can't say now, we need to take it back for testing and analysis."

"Hehe, then we'll have to be flower thieves for a bit." Yue Dongbei joked as he grabbed the lower part of the flower stem and tried to pull the plant up by its roots. But after a few tries, the soil around the plant didn't budge at all, indicating that although its stem wasn't thick, its roots were very firmly planted.

“Pulling won’t work, we need a knife.” Zhou Liwei borrowed a curved knife from a Hamo warrior next to him, took two steps forward, and with a swift motion, cut the plant cleanly off its stem and roots.

Luo Fei said from the side, "Let's cut down a few more. I also need to send some to our bureau's identification center for analysis."

Zhou Liwei nodded, then cut down four or five more plants in one go, giving one to Luo Fei and Yue Dongbei, and keeping one for himself, examining it carefully.

The flower had few petals, but each one was broad and thick. Luo Fei reached out and rubbed the petals, and juice immediately seeped out, staining his index finger and thumb dark red.

Luo Fei brought his finger to his nose and sniffed it gently. The smell was very faint, an indescribable plant scent, completely different from the fishy and rotten smell that filled the air.

So where does this fishy, rotten smell come from?

Luo Fei crouched low, sniffing like a hunting dog, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. Soon, his brow furrowed, as if he had made a discovery. He took a step forward, gently brushed aside a patch of weeds and decaying leaves, and rummaged through them, finding a grayish-white object.

The others also crowded around, their attention drawn to the object in Luo Fei's hand. It was a curved piece of bone with a row of granules in the middle, clearly recognizable as human teeth.

Luo Fei lifted the skeleton slightly, letting the heavy rain wash away the surface dirt, and said as he looked at it: "Human lower skeleton, the deceased was male, around thirty years old. Time of death... at least a hundred years ago."

“These should be the remains of those who died in the Battle of Liqing. Now that they are buried, their souls are at peace, and they should not be disturbed like this.” Sotulan bowed slightly, looking at Luo Fei with solemn eyes, his tone full of consolation.

“The deceased…” Luo Fei sighed softly and shook his head, “Their story is over. But we are caught in a whirlpool. Perhaps the answers to some questions still need to be told to us by the dead.”

At this point, Luo Fei paused slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Then he handed the bone to Zhou Liwei: "Teacher Zhou, take a look." He then tilted his head and began to think about something.

Zhou Liwei flipped the bones over twice and smiled slightly at Luo Fei: "Officer Luo, although you are not a medical professional, your judgment is very accurate."

Luo Fei glanced at Zhou Liwei with some disappointment: "There's something strange about this skeleton, didn't you notice?"

"A strange spot?" Zhou Liwei stared intently at the mark. Luo Fei pointed to a spot on the bone and pointed out, "This mark is something I just scratched with my fingernail."

"Oh?" Zhou Liwei also scratched the bone with his fingernail, then suddenly realized, "Hardness, there's a problem with the hardness!"

“That’s right.” Luo Fei nodded. “During my studies at the police academy and my many years as a criminal investigator, I’ve come into contact with the skeletons of many victims. Each skeleton is like a book, and I’ve learned to talk to them.”

"Talk?" Yue Dongbei scoffed. "Can they even talk?"

“Not with your mouth, but with your eyes, with your heart.” Luo Fei gave Yue Dongbei a serious look. “It will tell you a lot about the deceased, some things from before they died, and some things from after they died. Nothing can be ignored, because for us police officers, this may be the key to unlocking the secrets of the bloody case.”

Yue Dongbei felt a little intimidated under Luo Fei's gaze. He scratched his head and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, so what does this bone tell you?"

"Its texture was noticeably softer than normal bones, a typical sign of calcium deficiency. I initially thought the deceased suffered from rickets or similar conditions, but I quickly dismissed that idea. First, Li Dingguo would never allow someone with rickets to join his army, as such individuals would be utterly incapable of fighting. Second, the deceased's teeth were perfectly aligned, contradicting the symptoms of calcium deficiency in rickets patients. So I changed my approach; the calcium deficiency in the bones must have been due to post-mortem loss."

"Calcium loss after death?" Yue Dongbei looked at Luo Fei with some confusion. Zhou Liwei also focused his gaze, waiting for Luo Fei to continue.

“Yes, the soil takes away the calcium from the bones.” Luo Fei picked out some soil particles that had just become embedded in his fingernails, gently rubbed them into powder, and let the rain wash them away. “It is because of this kind of soil that the biological community on this land is so unique. Tall trees cannot grow, making it a paradise for ‘undead blood’.”

"Oh!" Yue Dongbei suddenly understood, slapping his forehead. "You mean: the soil here is acidic?"

“Not bad.” Luo Fei looked at the red and black flower in his hand. “So only plants that are extremely acid-resistant can survive in this land. Such an extreme living environment will inevitably give birth to some unique species.”

Zhou Liwei bent down, rubbed up a handful of soil, examined it for a moment, and then exclaimed in admiration, "Brilliant. It turns out we don't need to go into a laboratory to know the properties of this soil."

“Of course, this is just my inference based on a single bone and the biological community. To further verify it, we need more evidence.” Luo Fei said, while looking around. “There should be more bones here.”

"That's easy." Yue Dongbei casually darted into the flowerbed and started searching the ground. A short while later, he made a discovery.