Lao Tian believes that rotten plants, corpses and other things may decompose into dilute hydrochloric acid substances. In other words, there is enough underground space to store these things in the distance from Guizailing to Yinyang Cave.
We couldn't find any other entrance to the underground river. The only one we knew was the black hole at the bottom of the pond.
If there is space under the water, there may be ancient tombs. There are many examples of underwater tombs. This place was marked in the notes left by Master Wu.
In the past, people in the Southern Pavilion often said: "Brother, if you don't have a gas bottle, why don't you go dig a water hole with a gang?"
This person will reply: "I won't go, I won't go, I can't hold it in, you can pay for it yourself."
Back in the desert, the group of Chaoshan people named Huang used to dig water holes during their lifetime.
I tried to figure it out, but I was a little discouraged. What if it drowns me?
I quietly said to the leader: "Botou, why don't we go back? It's better to go back to the north. Besides, I'm not sure if there is anything under the water."
The boss seemed to be very interested in the mystery of Guizailing. He said: "Yunfeng, we have found the door. No matter whether there is something or not, we should try to take a look. This is also an explanation to my junior brother."
It’s hard for me to say anything after talking like this.
Another day passed, late at night, a few of us quietly came to Guizailing Reservoir. The pond was not bubbling that night.
I discovered something strange.
The time when the pond is bubbling coincides with what the ranger Lao Hu said before. He said at that time that there would be soldiers crossing the border two to three days a month.
"Hello? Is there any movement around?" He stood on the shore and pressed the intercom to ask.
Soon Xiaoxuan's voice came.
"No movement, very quiet."
"How is the cabin?" Tuotou asked again.
Li Tiecheng's voice came: "No problem, everyone snores when they sleep."
This set of diving equipment was old. After making sure that no one was around, Dou Yazai put the tank on his back, checked it carefully, and said, "Then I fell down?"
"Well, Douya, your main task is to go down and see where it leads. You must pay attention to safety. If you can't do anything, come back as soon as possible."
"Okay."
Dou Sprout put on his mask, looked back at me, jumped into the pond with a pop, and quickly disappeared.
You can generally stay underwater for 40 minutes to an hour with a gas bottle, depending on the depth of the water. Bean Sprout went into the water at around 12 o'clock. He had to get into the black hole at the bottom of the pond to see where the other end leads.
Everyone was worried and kept looking at the time on their phones. It was getting closer and the water surface of the pond was still quiet.
1:05.
1:10, 1:20.
"Come up!"
Uncle Xue, who had been staring at the water, suddenly said he saw light.
"puff!"
Dou Sprout broke his water and came out wearing a mask.
He swam hard this way, and when he reached the shore, Brother Yu and I hurriedly pulled him up.
"Huh...huh...huh..."
Dou Sprout took off his mask and lay on the ground, gasping for air.
He waved his head and hands, meaning to let him slow down first.
"Ahem," Dou Sprout coughed, sat up and said excitedly, "Oh my God! Damn it! You will never expect it!"
"I followed the underwater hole and swam down for more than 20 meters! Then when I swam up, it was very dark there, there was no light, and the surrounding area was like a stalactite cave!"
"Also...Also, I seem to have seen two or three stone men under the water."
Lao Tian hurriedly asked: "Are you sure? What does the stone man look like? Is it the same as the one on the ground in Guiziling?"
Dou Sprout wiped his face, "I don't know. I didn't see clearly. It seems to be the same. Oh no, it seems to be different."
"Speak clearly! Are they the same or different?"
"Fuck! Why are you shouting so loudly!"
"I told you I didn't see it clearly! You'll know if you go down and take a look for yourself! I owe you!"
"you!"
"Don't make any noise, Douya, thank you for your hard work." He squinted his head and looked at the water and said, "It seems there is something wrong."
"Junior brother," he turned around and asked, "when we got sick, Wang Junhua went to the south. Did he come into contact with people from the southern sect?"
Uncle Xue thought for a while and recalled: "Maybe. I remember Lao Wang asked me once later where I could buy a pick shovel."
He thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it a day, junior brother. I'll go to Yongzhou with you tomorrow to find channels and get a few more sets of diving equipment."
....
"Ah sneeze!"
"Ah sneeze!"
Dou Sprout sat on the bed, covered himself with the quilt, and sneezed twice in succession.
The boss, Uncle Xue, and Li Tiecheng drove to Yongzhou early in the morning to look for channels to buy diving equipment. Lao Tian kept pacing back and forth around the stove.
"Hey, can you stop spinning in circles? I'm so dizzy." Dou Sprout couldn't help but say.
Lao Tian stopped, turned around and asked me: "When will they come back?"
I said I don't know, we can just wait.
"Brother Xiang? Brother Xiang, are you in the house?"
At this time, Xiao Tang's shout suddenly came from the courtyard. I told her before that my surname was Xiang, and my name was Xiang Feng.
"What's wrong, Xiao Tang? Do you have something to do with me?"
Xiao Tang stood in the courtyard and said with a smile: "Brother Xiang, grandma fried the oil tea at noon, and asked me to ask you to eat the oil tea. She also said that you must come over, because the two of us can't finish it."
It was almost dinner time, so I said OK, Xiao Tang, I’ll go later.
Dou Yazai heard it in the room, and he said jealously: "Fengzi, I discovered a problem. You are not as handsome as me, and you are not as rich as me. Why are there women surrounding you wherever we go? I Why aren’t there any? How am I worse than you?"
"Get out of here, don't talk nonsense. I'm not 18 yet. You just asked me to have a meal out of politeness."
"Oh... Then come back and bring me some. I haven't had oil tea yet."
"I don't dare to eat the big pot of food cooked by Brother Yu. Good guy, I sprayed for an hour that day and my legs were numb."
I thought they wanted me to try local specialties out of politeness, but after I went there at noon, I realized that they were asking me for help.
During the Lantern Festival, there is a folk activity in their village called lantern walking, which involves filling lamps with oil and placing them on the ground, forming a road, and then letting people walk on them.
This kind of folk activity is held once a year. The village committee has little money and needs to raise money for kerosene every year. According to the head count in the household registration book, each person in each household contributes 80 cents, and everyone has to contribute.
The people who collect money every year are called "snakeheads." This year it was Xiao Tang's turn to be the snakehead, but Xiao Tang's parents were working in other places and hadn't come back, so his grandma invited me to eat oil tea and wanted me to help Xiao Tang. We made a smuggler together to collect money, and the money collected also included money for the fireworks to be set off during the Lantern Festival.
They didn't speak until I finished eating. Eaters have short hands, so they had no other choice, so they agreed.
I thought it wouldn't be too difficult, but it only cost eighty cents per person. Who can afford such eighty cents?
But who knows, that's not the case.
We went there at around one o'clock in the afternoon. Xiao Tang knocked on the door from door to door with a pen and notebook. Most of the villagers gave in, but there were always some who wanted to take advantage and were unwilling to pay.
People said: "I won't walk around with the lanterns or watch the fireworks. I won't hand it in this year."
Xiao Tang said: "Uncle, our village does this every year, so don't be special."
"I said! I won't pay it! Eight cents is not money. You can still buy three steamed buns. You should leave quickly!"
Seeing Xiao Tang's expression of embarrassment, I called the man aside and said, "Do you want to hand me over? If you don't, do you believe I will do it?"
After collecting money all afternoon, it was already dark. A total of one hundred yuan was collected. It was exhausting. Almost every household had paid it.
After returning home, candles were lit in the room. Dou Sprout looked me up and down and asked, "Why did you drink oil tea for so long? Could you be with that little girl..."
"Shut your mouth!"
"He hasn't come back yet? Where did that person go?" I saw that there were only three of us in the room.
"He must be in the West Room," Dou Sprout pointed to another room.
Later, Xiao Tang brought over a large pot of oil tea and heated it up. I went to the West Room and asked him to come out and eat together.
"Brother Tian, Brother Tian?"
"Sleep?" I knocked on the door but there was no response.
When I pushed the door open and went in, I saw that there were neat bedding on the pit and no one was there.
I didn't pay attention at first, thinking I might have gone for a walk or something, but I waited until after 11 o'clock and still didn't see anyone.
It was Dou Sprout who discovered it first. He suddenly shouted:
"It's over Mineko!"
"The diving suit is gone! The remaining bottle of oxygen is gone!"
