Chapter 229

The underground canyon seemed to have reached the lowest layer of the abyss's hell, with everywhere filled with the jagged, enormous skeletons of prehistoric creatures. Nearby lay scattered collapsed stone pillars, which, compared to those skeletons, seemed insignificant, and moreover, most were half-buried in the grayish soil layer, so at first, no one noticed any traces of human architecture here, until Ah Xiang pointed out that behind us stood a colossal black stone statue, and only then did we discover that there were so many stone pillars around.

The stone pillars were all carved with some bovine nostrils, some still retaining stone rings as thick as a child's arm, and most striking of all were the layered eye totems on the pillars. We had seen these totems countless times before—truly a common sight—and seeing them again here felt nothing out of the ordinary. The eye totems, aside from the two exceptionally unique ones at the altar's ends—one a closed eye, the other a weeping eye—were otherwise largely identical, and those on these pillars belonged to the more ordinary kind of pattern; I saw nothing different about them.

But Shirley Yang, upon seeing these eye totems on the stone pillars, seemed to notice some abnormality and insisted on closely examining Ah Xiang's eyes. Shirley Yang probably spoke in a consultative tone to avoid making Ah Xiang nervous, and her manner was no different from usual.

Ah Xiang nodded in agreement, her face showing a timid expression; she probably also felt bewildered, wondering what the eyes meant. So Shirley Yang held her breath, stood very close, and stared unblinking at Ah Xiang's eyes, as if trying to find something within them.

I understood that although Shirley Yang spoke lightly, she must have had some issue none of us had considered. Ah Xiang's behavior was indeed not quite right—she had actually developed a dissociative episode, picking up a sharp stone to stab her own eyes, perhaps just as Uncle Ming had said. She might have been struck by evil, and perhaps she is no longer the Ah Xiang we knew; more likely, her eyes have some connection to the E Luo Hai City, and could she possibly be a ghost mother demon consort among us?

I randomly guessed in my mind, turning over several thoughts, yet none seemed quite right. Seeing Shirley Yang staring at Ah Xiang's eyes, I also moved over with Pangzi to take a look. I wanted to see what exactly was in Ah Xiang's eyes, but after staring for a long time, I saw nothing unusual.

At this point, Shirley Yang seemed to have already found the answer in Ah Xiang's eyes. She first told Ah Xiang not to worry, that nothing would happen, then had us look at the eye totems on the stone pillars. Although they looked very similar to the other totems in "E Luo Hai City," there was one detail unique to them: here, the eye pattern had a ring of linear red protrusions outside the pupil. Shirley Yang said, "Look at Ah Xiang's eyes—you'll see something similar."

Only then did I notice that subtle difference. If one carefully observed Ah Xiang's pupils, one would indeed find blood traces, like a fine line encircling them; the blood traces resembled blood vessels in the sclera, but extremely fine, invisible unless scrutinized closely. If Ah Xiang had not rushed into this cave, we might never have noticed this place, and yet her eyes resembled the totems here. Was she intentionally leading us here? But facing Ah Xiang, I did not speak those words aloud.

Shirley Yang knew the earlier incident would easily cause suspicion, inevitably leading to doubt about Ah Xiang. Shirley Yang herself did not believe in the idea of eye reincarnation, so she explained: the human body emits bioelectricity through the eyes, amounting to roughly seven percent, which is very weak, but each person's constitution differs, and so does their sensitivity to bioelectricity. Ah Xiang's eyes can sense things ordinary people cannot detect—this is indeed special, but in today's world, many possess similar abilities, so she was subconsciously drawn here. The eye totems on the stone pillars are the best evidence.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Ming quickly said, "It's fine, let's hurry northward, leave this place early, and not worry about whatever ghosts are here..."

Uncle Ming had just spoken half his sentence when Ah Xiang suddenly said: "Useless foster father, there's no road left—behind us, many poisonous snakes are chasing us; we'll all die. I... I'm afraid of snakes, I don't want to die from a snake bite..." As she spoke, tears streamed down.

Ah Xiang's words startled everyone greatly—how could they come just like that? Recalling the black snakes in the white tunnel of Thunder Strike Mountain, which still made one's flesh creep, if we encountered a snake swarm in this underground grand canyon, there would be nowhere to hide; running forward wouldn't help, and how could our two legs outrun those black snakes gliding like wind? The ancient walls on both sides were as smooth as knife cuts—even monkeys would fear climbing them.

At this moment, from the crevices of the eastern cave and rock crystal veins came the faint sound of snakes slithering. Uncle Ming's face turned ashen as he grabbed my arm: "Brother Hu, this time we're entirely counting on you. Fortunately, I listened to you earlier and went north—there's water there, and water means a path to survival. If we hadn't listened to you and turned back, we'd likely already be in snake bellies by now. Let's flee north for our lives!" As he spoke, he tried to pull me forward.

I quickly pressed down Uncle Ming's hand: "Don't panic—up ahead is flat terrain; fleeing there would mean certain death. I think our only option now is to first enter that black giant statue, seal the entrance to block the snakes, then think of another way to escape."

The sound of the snake swarm surged like a raging tide—though unseen, the sound alone chilled our hearts, leaving no room for delay. I had Pangzi carry Ah Xiang, grabbed Uncle Ming, and we strode forward to the cave mouth at the base of the black giant statue. The statue's interior had been hollowed out, light was dim, and we used flashlights to briefly scan the surroundings: there were wooden and stone structures, with many levels, appearing to lead directly to the statue's crown.

The black snake swarm had already closed in—no time to examine the interior. Pangzi threw Ah Xiang to the ground, and together with me and Uncle Ming, we moved two large stone slabs to block the door. The tense feeling showed no easing; our legs felt weak. Pangzi and I had often caught snakes in the wild, but these black snakes were not only numerous but moved like electricity, their venom so potent that contact meant death, touch meant demise.

We worried not only that the statue might have other crevices; after discussion, the group decided it would be safer to go above, as the upper levels seemed relatively secure. To conserve light, we lit only one headlamp and one flashlight. As we climbed up, we discovered the interior was far from safe: the statue's interior had been carved into many non-adjacent stone chambers, overall resembling the honeycomb-like "E Luo Hai City," but less complex. The cave-like chambers were pitifully small—I thought this was not meant for human habitation, as it was too narrow and oppressive; if people lived here, they might soon suffocate.

Dust covered everything here, air circulation was poor, and if the five of us lingered too long in a cramped area, we would feel chest tightness from oxygen deprivation.

Only when we climbed to the fourth level did we feel a cool breeze blowing in. In the dark passage, following that cool, whistling airflow, we felt our way to a one-meter-square opening—a ventilation shaft in the lower part of the statue. Since the statue's entire body was black, this opening was invisible underground; without those fallen stone pillars, even the bottom entrance would be hard to spot.

I lay at the vent, peered out from above, and looked down: the fluorescent glow was hazy, but I could see writhing, twisting masses of black snakes gathered beneath the statue—large ones as thick as a person's arm, small ones shaped like willow leaves, each with a black bead-like eye on its head. The snakes lay lazily coiled or fought and bit each other; their numbers kept growing. Watching the writhing mass too long made one feel nauseous.

After seeing this, Shirley Yang told us: "These snakes' behavior is strange—they don't seem to be coming to attack us; rather, they appear to be waiting for something to happen."

Pangzi set Ah Xiang down, caught his breath, then said: "I think they're waiting for us to go down so they can have a meal." He glanced at his watch and added: "Isn't it just about mealtime?" Ah Xiang was frightened by Pangzi's words, curled up with her knees hugged, trembling on the ground. Uncle Ming, seeing her state, also seemed disoriented, asking me what we should do now—we had no food, little water in the canteen, and couldn't possibly hide in the statue forever. Moreover, the stone chambers inside gave one goosebumps; even Ah Xiang said this place gave her a headache. We've truly walked into a dead end—even with wings, we couldn't fly out.

I also felt uneasy—outside was definitely impassable, and this black statue's interior didn't seem fit for human habitation. Heaven knows what's here, but we must stabilize everyone's morale. So I found an excuse to steady morale and said: "Actually, not only does the north belong to water, but in the Five Elements, black also represents water. This giant statue is entirely black, so naturally it belongs to water. Therefore, I believe hiding here means we will certainly face no threat to life."

I suddenly thought of some methods and added: "Earlier, in the canyon's bottom, we all saw stone pillars and fossilized skeletons coated with a layer of volcanic cocoon, and many large bulges on the ground—those should be ancient volcanic bombs. Moreover, the temperature here is noticeably higher than elsewhere. These signs indicate a volcanic belt runs through here. Although we found a dead volcano in the lake, that doesn't mean the entire belt is dead. Snakes prefer cold and yin; they come from the eastern caves and dare not approach the north. The farther north we go, the stronger the sulfur smell. If we can find a way to shake off the snakes and flee forward one or two li, we'll be safe. I think we can make torches from materials here to repel the snakes."

Uncle Ming, hearing my words, pointed out a major flaw: "No way—these snakes here are all black, so they should belong to water too. Although I don't fully grasp the Five Elements, I know water overcomes fire. So even though snakes like cold and yin, they dare come here. Besides, we survive when we meet water—how dare we light torches? Isn't that violating the taboo of mutual conflict and restraint?"

I thought: This old harbor farmer is really hateful, daring to lecture me on the Five Elements' mutual generation and overcoming—those principles are like a cartwheel's logic; you can argue any way and make it round. Even if I, Old Master Hu, reason unreasonably, I can still stir up three parts of reason from one. Can you make him fall flat? So I said to Uncle Ming: "Heaven produces water, Earth produces fire, Heaven produces wood, Earth produces metal, Heaven produces soil. The five positions and five forms all unite through five. Thus, in the River Map, odd yang numbers are male, even yin numbers are female. In the great numbers, yin and yang transpose, so the female is completed by five. Modern people only know water overcomes fire, but don't know water is the male to fire, fire is the female to water. Nowadays, people only know water thrives in the north, fire rises in the south, but don't know the waxing and waning of the Five Elements relate to the Year Star. Uncle Ming, you only know water overcomes fire, but don't know that if fire flourishes and water wanes, the blazing fire can still overcome the declining water. This shows you don't understand the ancient method. We are in a state of flourishing water; those snakes are declining water, so our flourishing water can borrow fire to overcome the declining water. But this fire must not exceed our water, or we too will be in danger."

Uncle Ming listened, his eyes glazed over, and after a long while said: "Too... brilliant, so I often tell Ah Xiang, when she marries, she should marry a gold-seeking military officer... otherwise she'll have no prospects."

Shirley Yang suddenly waved her hand lightly, signaling everyone to stop talking—there was movement outside. We immediately became alert. Tiptoeing to the vent to peek below, but Shirley Yang wasn't asking us to look at the snake swarm below; she pointed to the high cliff, where a long string of white tiny lights had lit up sometime, swaying faintly up there, quite a number of them.

But the distance was too great, and the crystal veins on the cliff had grown sparse, the fluorescence dim—what was that? I rubbed my eyes hard, still couldn't see clearly, and it didn't look like lamps; it looked like countless tiny people in white clothes standing there. Suddenly, a white shadow flashed before my eyes—on the cliff, a slightly gentle stone slope appeared, and several large clumps of white, flower-like things rolled down from above, landing at the canyon's bottom.

On the ground, the snake swarm surged toward those fallen white objects. We were only ten or so meters above the ground. Looking down, things were fairly clear: I saw one large clump after another of sticky, spherical objects, grape-sized, as the black snakes rushed forward, crowding around them and then stopping motionless. Suddenly, many bright red things emerged from those white objects—like flowers blooming out of nowhere—but vanished instantly, flickering red and dark. The more we watched, the stranger it seemed. After focusing, we finally saw: in a fossilized skeleton embedded in the rock, a black snake, its body more than double the size of its kind, had coiled out from some rock crevice—unknown where—flicking its blood-red tongue. Its entire body was covered in black, gleaming scales, strange and wondrous, drooling from its mouth; the saliva that fell to the ground instantly caused a small patch of red poisonous fungus to sprout from the stone, then wither just as quickly—born and dying in an instant. The snake's venomous ferocity had already surpassed human imagination. The large snake descended from the bone, slithering among those white objects, swallowing each empty space one by one, while the other black snakes remained still and silent nearby, not daring to move, as if waiting for their leader to finish eating before it was their turn.

Pangzi wondered: "What is that? Chicken eggs?" Although I couldn't see clearly, that large mass of white objects should be the eggs of something—very like those of giant white ants or similar, inside which were wrapped many insect and animal carcasses. I looked again at the row of white tiny figures above, and already guessed eight or nine out of ten, then told everyone: "Those are the Guanyin figures above—no wonder these black snakes endure this place's dry heat; truly, as Pangzi said, they're here to eat. Once full, they'll disperse. Let's wait patiently for the chance—these Guanyin-like small beasts are naturally cruel and cunning, moreover extremely greedy; they like to hoard food, and even if they don't eat, they'll hide things deep down. Who would've thought they'd end up benefiting the snake swarm."

After hearing my explanation, everyone finally relaxed—after all, the snakes weren't coming for us, and they likely hadn't noticed we were hiding here. It wouldn't be long before we could escape—but Ah Xiang suddenly said: "No, it's not the Guanyin—they've already seen me... I can feel it." She then lowered her head, fell silent, looking utterly helpless.

I heard Ah Xiang's words with great seriousness—she wouldn't joke about this. Thinking of that poisonous snake's fresh red venomous drool, I felt sweat begin on my forehead. I glanced sideways again toward the vent—only to see the giant snake coiled on the whale fossil of the Dragon King, now raising its head toward our vent, flicking its tongue.

I hastily retracted my body—yes, I could feel it too. The snakes below certainly knew of our presence, though they didn't know whether they planned to eat the ant eggs first then attack us, or whether, because this statue is a forbidden zone, they dared not enter. I had Pangzi stay at the vent to monitor the snakes' movements, while I, Shirley Yang, and Uncle Ming three of us hurried to make some torches. I slipped into the stone room beside the vent, held up my flashlight for light, and searched for oil-containing vessels. Though time had passed, the ox fat or pine resin in ancient buried grounds could preserve for extremely long periods—perhaps still usable for fire. When we came up earlier, we had already seen this place seemed to lack lanterns; here, no sunlight, no firelight—truly highly unusual.

Holding a sliver of hope, I shone my flashlight around—the stone room's four walls were bare empty; only in the corner lay an ancient jade mask without eye holes. Shirley Yang, in another stone room, also found the same thing. I asked Shirley Yang: "Could this be the demon mother's mask from the Demon Kingdom? Could those people wear masks to show their faces? Is this statue's interior built for the demon mother to reside in?"

Shirley Yang said: "No—the demon mother of the Demon Kingdom holds an extremely high status; she would certainly reside in the divine palace of E Luo Hai City, which has already been utterly destroyed. Look at this environment—it's poor; calling it a prison wouldn't be an exaggeration. Moreover, the eye marking is very special, resembling Ah Xiang's eyes; such eyes shouldn't be ghost eyes—only after several generations of demon mothers could one be born who truly sees ghost caves. I think this might be used to... imprison those candidates whose eyes don't meet the requirements? Outside the stone pillars are bull nostrils and stone rings—clearly for administering cruel punishments; those eliminated might have all been chained in that canyon to feed the snakes."

I nodded: "If that's the case, this place really does resemble a prison, but I still have one biggest question I can't figure out..." Just as I said this, Pangzi came scrambling back from the vent in a panic, asking me: "How are the torches coming along? I see the snake swarm already starting to drill into our position—if we're to light torches, we must hurry." Pangzi didn't wait for my answer, suddenly lowered his voice to me and Shirley Yang: "Look at that little girl—what's she doing over there?" I looked behind at Ah Xiang—she stood in a dark corner, her back to us, herself facing the black stone wall, her hands lightly stroking that stone wall, her whole body trembling. Suddenly she turned to face us, her cheeks streaked with two lines of black blood, slowly raised her arm, extended her index finger, and pointed at the wall, saying: "There's a woman here."