It was around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
The rain has become less intense.
There is a pool in the heart of the village, with yellow water still gushing and sewage flowing across it.
Xiao Shu moved to a higher place and expressed everyone's thoughts.
"Is there really a secret passage under the water?"
Li Changan did not guarantee the vote.
"How will you know if you don't try."
After the second search, everyone still returned without success. When the atmosphere was gloomy, Li Changan took the opportunity to reveal his findings.
He didn't mention the magic, he just said that he noticed the problem of stagnant water, and then walked along the canal and found the pond.
Honestly.
This is a bit fanciful.
Is there a secret passage hidden under the water? It’s not like making a movie!
But we have already looked in all the places we should look for, and everyone has no other direction at the moment, so they have no choice but to be a dead horse.
They discussed and took action to find ways to fill the ditch and block the flow of water.
Been busy for a while.
The murky water of the pond gradually calmed down.
A few more minutes passed.
A whirlpool appeared on the surface of the water, causing the water level to drop rapidly, revealing steps covered in silt and a... door?
Everyone thought it was a reservoir, but when the water level receded, they discovered that it was actually a sunken staircase. At the end of the staircase was a stone wall with the shape of a palace tower carved out, with a large stone gate embedded in it. The stone bolt locks it tightly.
From the palace to the gate, it is consistent with the architectural style of the village. It is embossed with complex cloud patterns of birds and animals. The craftsmanship is extremely exquisite and delicate. However, it is also in disrepair. There is a big hole in the door, and the water flows out of it. Go.
Seeing is believing, now no one doubts Li Changan's "inference" anymore, they are more surprised and shocked.
Wang Zhongmin's eyes widened even more.
"Your sister is so beautiful. What is buried under this village? Is it Qin Shihuang?"
At this time, Xiao Shu suddenly screamed.
"Bu? Bu!"
She screamed and jumped, leading everyone to look at a small piece of red cloth hanging on the jagged edge of the stone door.
"Chunhua is wearing a red dress!"
No more needs to be said.
Professor Shao immediately jumped down the stairs, followed closely by the other men. Through the waist-high sewage, they worked together to unbolt the door and push open the stone door.
As seen in "Wandering Dogs".
Behind the door is a tunnel going downwards.
Dark and profound.
The swaying wind and rain, the remaining stagnant water, and the dim skylight all passed over the crowd and plunged into the bottomless darkness, but there was nothing more than sporadic echoes.
Everyone couldn't help but hesitate.
Professor Shao gritted his teeth.
"There is convection, so I can go down."
We must take the lead again.
Li Changan quickly grabbed him.
"It's dark and wintery down there. We might bump into something. You should rest first while I go explore the road first."
Professor Shao didn't want Li Changan, an "outsider", to get involved, but the Taoist priest said that he often moved in dangerous areas such as deep forest caves and had rich work experience. In addition, Professor Shao remembered that when he ran into Li Changan yesterday, his clothes After getting wet and exposing all the tendons, there is really no reason to object.
But he still asked the students to bring over a bundle of nylon rope, a miner's hat and a walkie-talkie.
"Be careful."
"I know."
There are expressions of earnestness, worry, or shame behind the person saying goodbye.
Li Changan tightened the safety rope around his waist, turned around and disappeared into the dark tunnel.
He offered Chonglong Jade and sniffed it.
I want to see what is hidden under this lonely village in the cold mountain?
Human, ghost or demon.
…………
The tunnel is not big.
Only adults can bend down to walk through it.
But it has obviously been carefully polished, and the surrounding stone walls are smooth and smooth. Unfortunately, they are covered with a layer of moss of unknown type.
dark green.
When the light shines on it, it reveals a different kind of purulent and turbid color. When you touch it with your hand, it is covered with thick mucus.
Unfortunately, my feet were also slippery.
Li Changan had no choice but to hold back his nausea, grasped the stone wall with his five fingers, stabilized his body, and slowly moved down.
There was no reference in the tunnel, only cold water up to his ankles. As he descended step by step, darkness and dead silence stretched the time to an extremely long time.
I do not know how long it has been.
Li Changan finally set foot on a flat road.
He was in a daze for a while before he realized that he had passed through the tunnel.
look up.
What appeared in front of us was a huge cave, or in other words, an underground world.
Probably because, except for the continuously extending stone wall behind him, in front, to the left and right, and above the head, when the light shines through, except for a few huge stalactites standing abruptly, there is only darkness that is deep and has no boundaries.
I don't know how wide it is, and I don't know how dangerous it is.
Li Changan remembered two words inexplicably.
"Netherworld".
"Dongtian".
Li Changan was about to continue exploring.
But the waist is tight.
The safety rope ends.
The intercom also rang with inquiries, and Li Changan reported the situation.
"Don't wander around yet, we'll come down and join you."
Li Changan did everything he could and waited by the tunnel for a long time.
The group of people finally slid down like a pile of Arhats.
After careful counting, no one, including the girl Xiao Shu, was down.
We are not afraid of an accident. No one will collect the body for us.
…
Although there was a stone door on the ground, everyone was mentally prepared for the cave underground, but when they suddenly saw such a wide place hidden behind the dark and narrow tunnel, they were inevitably surprised.
Several flashlights flickered in vain for a while.
Wang Zhongmin hissed and took a breath.
I don't know if it hurts from falling, or because I'm surprised and frightened.
"Hey sister, I have never seen such a big cave in my life! This is probably the largest cave in the world. Why don't you take off for a tour?!"
Zeng Guangwen chuckled, his spectacles reflecting in the darkness.
"The largest cave in the world is Mammoth Cave in the United States. The length currently explored is more than 600 kilometers."
"Americans are long, but ours are thick!" Wang Zhongmin blurted out in a pornographic tone, but soon realized that it was inappropriate, and smiled sarcastically, "When looking for someone, find someone first."
With this interruption, everyone recovered from their shock.
They searched separately again.
Li Changan walked along the stone wall on the left. The air was filled with an unpleasant musty smell, but there was no trace of Ma Chunhua. After bypassing several stalactite pillars, the water under his feet became deeper and deeper. He guessed that there should be other water inlets besides the tunnel. At the same time, the "squeaking" sound echoing in the cave became increasingly intense.
Li Changan followed the sound and found an underground river.
It is more than ten meters wide, the water is turbid and fast, and the depth cannot be seen.
People's calls rang out in the darkness, and they all said they saw an underground river. It seemed that the entire cave was cut off by this underground river.
Li Changan was just thinking about whether he could get around it, when a sudden exclamation came into the echoes surrounding the cave.
It's Xiao Shu again.
she says:
"There's a bridge here!"
…………
The bridge is a cable bridge.
Cross the underground river and reach the other side.
However, the iron ropes were rusted and the wooden boards were rotten, giving off a dangerous smell from the inside out.
"Have you found any trace of Chunhua?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Professor Shao frowned and pointed his flashlight towards the other side. In the dim light, he could faintly see some undulating outlines.
He hesitated for a moment.
"Ma Chunhua is in this cave. She is right. I brought you into the mountain."
Everyone tried to persuade them: "Professor, don't be impulsive. This bridge is too dangerous! We can find other ways."
"There really is another way, and the predecessors would not choose to build a bridge underneath."
This time he was determined not to let anyone take risks for him. He made safety measures with the rope himself and boarded the rope bridge.
Unexpected.
It can also be said to be reasonable.
The bridge is actually still usable.
As the iron rope swayed, he slowly and tremblingly groped his way across the bridge step by step.
Arrive at the other side.
But.
A moment ago, he was still responding to the shouts of everyone here.
next moment.
The words stopped and people paused.
Standing motionless.
It was as if his whole soul was suddenly captured by something.
No one asked what happened, because the same thing happened on the other side of the rope bridge.
Under the illumination of Professor Shao's flashlight, the outline of the opposite bank that was originally undulating in the darkness appeared.
The sharp ones are the roof ridges, the flat ones are the courtyard walls, and the sunken ones are the streets.
This is a village.
A village built deep in the mountains.
A moldering village.
…
The village layout is simple.
With a street about five meters wide as an axis, the buildings are distributed along the street.
The houses are all made of stone walls and blue tiles, but some are single doors; some have high walls; some are just fences, and you can see the chicken coops, pig pens and firewood sheds in the courtyard. Everything is available, and even ditches and cisterns are dug beside the street, and there are stone troughs for animals to drink next to them.
However, all of this has become moldy and hairy for some unknown reason, and all kinds of molds, yellow, dark green, purple, and gray, are growing wantonly, covering layer after layer wherever you can see.
It was so rich that it made people sick, and it reminded Li Changan of the dead mouse again.
Yi Baohua is usually quiet, but he is unexpectedly curious, bold or reckless.
He pushed open the window of a house.
Let the light in.
Tables, chairs, beds...all kinds of furniture and furnishings are covered with mold.
Everything except people.
Li Changan has never seen such a strange thing, let alone other people.
Professor Shao, in particular, was already incoherent.
"I have been to Zhongdong Miao Village, which is said to be the last cave-dwelling tribe and the real underground village. No, no, no, it's all fart..."Xunyi Zhi" contains: In the middle of Daxing, there is a common man named Zhang Jiaju in Anpingfang. There was no water for several feet beyond the well. Suddenly, I heard voices and the sound of chickens and dogs. It was very noisy, as close as next door. After digging a few feet, I saw a stone shell, and a crack was broken. There was a faint light, and I saw that the farmhouse was in good order. ...Ha, ha, I am Zhang Jia, and today we are all Zhang Jia!"
Li Changan understood Professor Shao's gaffe at this time. As an archaeologist, how could he not be fascinated by the thing he had been pursuing for half his life?
But the Taoist priest tensed his nerves.
He held up the Chonglong Jade and carefully captured every breath in the air.
If something goes wrong, there must be a monster. The village that is inexplicably built in the cave in front of you is probably related to the mysterious sect.
But after sniffing for a long time, he found that except for the stronger musty smell and the richer spiritual energy than the ground, there was no noteworthy smell at all.
The Taoist priest remembered the conversation Zhong Huansu had before leaving:
"Fellow Taoist, you don't need to be too nervous. Civilians will not be allowed to go on really important tasks first. As the old saying goes, ninety-nine percent of all ghosts and ghosts have died due to exhaustion of spiritual energy. You are responsible for this mission. Insurance effect.”
"Since there is no need, why would you go out of your way to spend money?"
“Because sometimes, a mission is more than just a mission.”
Zhong Huansu dropped a sharp remark and left with a smile. But as soon as he left the house, the old water ghost Boss Wu, who was hiding in the toilet and eavesdropped the whole time, exposed the hidden meaning of his words.
"It's just that their department's work is not good. Let's throw some bones out there and see if you idle civilians are obedient."
Leave aside the rest for now.
Could it be that, as Zhong Huansu said, the demons and monsters that may exist here have already burped themselves?
Ha, that would be great.
The Taoist thought.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live less and make more money?
Zeng Guangwen's shout came from the front.
"Professor, come here quickly!"
…
Zeng Guangwen is in the small square at the end of the street.
A stone wall stands beside the square.
There are murals painted on the walls.
The mural was not covered with mold, and it was contrary to the normal situation in this place. It was not so refined and complicated. It only used lines to outline a village in the mountains that was in disaster. The villagers fell one by one, and only one hero walked out of the village alone.
It is simple and rough, but it exudes a vigorous vitality. People can't help but be infected by the scene in the painting, and they can't help but want to understand the story that happens next.
Unfortunately, the rest of the stone wall has collapsed, and the fragments are scattered all over the floor, buried under layers of mold.
But the reason why Zeng Guangwen calls everyone is not just the mural.
His flashlight pointed behind the collapsed stone wall, where there was an upward stone step. The stone step was covered with thick mold and had a series of obvious footprints.
After struggling for a long time, I finally found someone!
Only then did everyone get out of the atmosphere of searching for something mysterious.
Hurry up the stone steps and arrive at a temple - a temple built in a cave on the mountainside and carved out of stone.
At this time, everyone was already a little numb. There could be a village in the cave, and what's so strange about a temple?
There are temples and statues of gods.
It stands silently deep in the temple.
Pig nose, eagle eyes, beard and halberd.
This familiar face has entered reality from the mural.
Standing high on the altar, he looked down coldly at the mortals who broke into its hall.
The flashlight light shone in various directions, casting a jagged light and shadow on the statue, making it look even more terrifying and menacing.
When they met Leng Buding, everyone immediately gave a brief exclamation and long-lasting heart palpitations.
Li Changan was the first to come to his senses.
As a Taoist priest, he has always lacked piety and spirituality. To him, the idol is just a stone.
He searched for a while with a flashlight and found a touch of dark red in the corner next to the altar.
Ma Chunhua!
When everyone saw it, they hurriedly pointed to the light.
The disheveled woman huddled there, holding Xiang Andai's stiff body in her arms.
Xiao Shu carefully called twice.
She slowly raised her head towards the light, with a dazed smile on her face.
Then.
Bring the head of the corpse close to the heart and shake it gently.
Lips parted slightly.
A soft folk song echoed in the darkness.
The singing voice was vague and strange, but familiar.
Li Changan pointed the flashlight at the face with eagle eyes and pig nose again, and Zeng Guangwen murmured beside him:
"Ee-e-e-ke."
…………
Everyone worked hard all day to search and rescue Ma Chunhua.
Everyone was exhausted.
Therefore, although several members of the archaeological team were ambitious and wanted to dive underground, they still had to go back to the ground to make repairs first.
So everyone crossed the swaying chain bridge again and climbed up the long tunnel.
The sight is about to see the light of day again.
Wang Zhongmin, the leader, suddenly let out a strange cry.
When the Taoist priest heard this, he thought that the ghost and the snake spirit had finally appeared. With excitement, he jumped forward with a few vigorous steps.
However.
There were no demons or ghosts, just a few figures standing silently in front of the stone door in the dim wind and rain.
There are seven people in total.
The same skinny, same withered, same old life, looking over with the same hazy eyes, which showed no emotion at all, but made people faintly feel chills running down their spines.
It is the owners of this isolated village in the mountains, seven residents who have aged with the village.
Professor Shao came up panting. Seeing this, he immediately used his own experience to persuade:
"Fellow folks, don't get excited. The job of our archaeological team is not to disturb your ancestors or cause damage. On the contrary, we are to help you protect it and repair it."
"right."
Wang Zhongmin also chimed in.
"These things will only grow mold if they are buried underground. If they are developed, people in the whole county will benefit from them. Isn't it good?"
They both said a lot to each other.
The seven old people still looked the same, looking dull in the rain.
Until the two of them were thirsty and looked at each other, unable to find anything to say.
But they turned around at the same time and left.
From beginning to end, not a word was spoken.
Everyone was at a loss.
Li Changan stared at the past thoughtfully. .
Their backs were like pieces of rotten wood and clumps of mold, blending into the dilapidation and decay of the old village in the miserable wind and rain in the evening.
