Chapter 154: Chisel!

Inside the room, Xiaotian spoke slowly.

Perhaps because the three Commanders did not put on fierce faces this time, and Wen Gu's attitude was amiable, Xiaotian gradually stopped being nervous and immersed himself in his memories.

"In the past, I actually often followed the people from the Village who sold mountain goods out of the mountains to see the world—"

He was a young man with a lively temperament; how could he not have curiosity?

When his older brother was around, he could stay put, as there was someone to keep him company and play with, and there were dangers outside, so of course he stayed in the Village. But after his brother left the Village, he could not stay still, and during the farming off-season, he would run outside to play.

Some people never leave the Village in their whole lives, while others go out from time to time to trade for daily necessities for everyone; Xiaotian just followed the people selling mountain goods out, purely out of boredom to go out of the mountains for a few days.

He was especially good at running and reacted quickly to danger; although he had never studied and his knowledge was limited, his mind turned fast in critical moments, so he had avoided many crises.

Outside the mountains, he often chatted with people, including traveling merchants and villagers from other villages.

Once, he and a group of villagers from other villages listened to a peddler talk about things outside.

"That peddler said there is a place called Jinchan Hu, where there is a Danguan that worships a Heavenly Venerable that is especially efficacious. They don't look down on us poor families there, and many villagers like us walk for days just to go there and worship—"

At that time, Xiaotian thought of his older brother who had gone to be a soldier, and with other villagers together, his courage grew a bit, so he walked for several days to reach Jinchan.

He wanted to use the little money from selling mountain goods to pray for his brother's safety at the Danguan.

But upon arriving at the foot of the mountain and looking up at it, he did not know why he suddenly felt timid.

There was always a kind of oppressive, very stifling feeling.

"At the time, I thought it was because I had been walking for days and was tired, so I sat at the foot of the mountain to rest."

He couldn't bear to spend his little money to drink tea at a tea stall, so he just sat on the side and watched.

"Other villagers went up the mountain; some things about the mountain were told to me by them, and some I heard from the guests drinking tea while I was resting at the foot of the mountain."

Yu He asked: "So you came all this way with money, but didn't go up the mountain, nor did you go to the Danguan to offer incense oil?"

Xiaotian could not explain the reason: "I don't know why, I just sat there in a daze for half a day, and then waited for the others to come down the mountain, and went back together."

Because he had been there once, when he was being hunted by the Plague Ghost, he subconsciously ran in this direction.

Other places were completely unfamiliar, but at least he had been here once.

Wen Gu asked at this time: "What about those villagers who traveled with you?"

Xiaotian replied: "They went back with me at the time, but later I heard they came back here again; some came on their own, some brought their families—"

He told Wen Gu and the others—

The stone steps on Jinchan Mountain were laid one by one by the believers.

Another form of "offering incense oil."

The Danguan did not value wealth, only letting the believers pave the mountain road; the villagers were all quite grateful, feeling that this Danguan was indeed different!

In their view, not valuing wealth and not wanting money meant they must be true immortals!

The Daoist at the Danguan on the mountain said that the Heavenly Venerable could let them go to some Chang Le Pure Land, where they would not suffer from cold, would not go hungry, would have no war, and would never have any more suffering.

"Those villagers went and never came back, and everyone didn't suspect anything. Only when they couldn't find anyone anywhere did they believe even more that they had truly gone to that so-called Pure Land."

Although Xiaotian lived a bitter life, for some reason, whenever he thought of this mountain, he felt inexplicably afraid. When villagers asked him to go together, he would find excuses to refuse.

As Xiaotian spoke, he carefully glanced at Wen Gu and the others and asked: "Officer, is there something wrong with this Danguan?"

Yu He laughed fiercely: "Just look at this dilapidated Danguan now and you'll know; that evil Daoist was a swindler and was executed long ago! As for those missing villagers, the grass on their graves might be taller than you."

Xiaotian shrank back in fear and trembled as he said: "No wonder I was fine when I went to other mountains, but couldn't catch my breath when I came here! A cursed place!"

He was immensely grateful that he hadn't gone up the mountain back then.

Xiaotian's eyes darted around. He had said so much, surely he could ask a question?

"Officer, my older brother—"

Once the words were out, he suddenly didn't know how to ask.

Wen Gu asked him: "Was your older brother good to you?"

Xiaotian immediately said: "Of course! I poked a scar on his arm, and he didn't even beat me until I cried! He said he wanted to let me live a good life!"

"Officer, that—is my older brother already—harmed by someone?" Xiaotian asked, plucking up his courage.

"I won't hide it from you, we truly don't know. And it is indeed possible that someone is impersonating your brother," Wen Gu said.

Xiaotian had been out of the mountains and seen the world; he knew that since someone was impersonating his brother and had caused a major incident, it was very likely that his brother had truly been harmed by someone!

The two brothers hadn't seen each other for many years; to say they were grief-stricken wouldn't be that intense, but he still felt a blockage in his heart, very stifling.

Mountain folk like them, who hid in the mountains to avoid war and corvée labor, thought every day about what to eat tomorrow and how to survive; they didn't have that much time for sentimentality.

Especially living in the border regions, they had seen too much war and too many broken homes. They even seemed numb in their emotions.

Even so, he still wanted—wanted to wait for an answer.

Many things have no answer, especially for little people like them.

But he still couldn't help but harbor a glimmer of hope.

"Officer, if there is news of my older brother—"

"We will tell you," Wen Gu said.

"Hey! Many thanks, Officer!"

Xiaotian was taken back to the courtyard.

Inside the room, Wen Gu organized and wrote down everything Xiaotian had said.

The three Commanders were having a heated discussion.

"It seems now that the possibility of Tian Tu being impersonated is even greater."

"Where is the real Tian Tu? When was he replaced?"

Why was everyone so shocked by the betrayal of "Xiaotian" at the time?

Coming from a farming background, the Zhao Family valued his ability and promoted him all the way; when selecting personal guards, he was spotted by Zhao Shaozhu at a glance, and there were even thoughts of taking him by his side as a personal bodyguard in the future.

Thinking further ahead, as the Zhao Family continued to grow, his personal bodyguards would all become high-ranking officials!

Therefore, they could not figure out what kind of immense benefit would make Xiaotian suddenly defect.

Now they knew; the other party was very likely neither from a farming background nor would they remember the Zhao Family's kindness—they had been on a mission from the very beginning!

Being able to be completely replaced, the real Tian Tu had likely already been silenced.

In the past, during the chaos of war at the border, there were too many opportunities for such replacements; it would be impossible to trace detailed information on such a minor figure.

The Patrol Guard Division continued to search the mountain.

The weather today was alternating between cloudy and sunny, but it wasn't too bad; it didn't look like it was going to rain.

"Conservatively estimating, we will have to stay here for at least half a month," Ming Tiao said, looking at Jinchan Hu.

Those people had long since left this place, and before evacuating, they must have done a good job of covering their tracks; searching would certainly not be easy.

Now, besides the first batch of registered personnel from the Patrol Guard Division on the mountain, there was a second batch of laborers who had arrived, and they had brought more tools for digging and excavating.

As long as the location could be found, there was plenty of manpower.

There were also those refugees, who could all do work.

The refugees were very willing, saying one after another: as long as they were given food, they would definitely work actively!

Before the location was found, the refugees were not without work to do.

While the Patrol Guard Division personnel searched the mountain, they were arranged to clear the messy vegetation on the mountain and collect usable firewood.

Wen Gu arrived at the Danguan on the mountainside.

The abandoned Danguan had long been left unattended and had become a dilapidated building.

There were originally Copper Bells hanging outside the Danguan, but perhaps the passing patrol teams found them noisy and had taken them down.

There were some stone-paved paths on the mountain; they were relatively narrow, but it was still quite convenient for people to walk on them.

Tian Kou and other refugees carried baskets, collecting the vegetation on the mountain.

Those trees that had been cut still had a section left on the ground; if tidied up, they could be used as firewood.

They all had a smoky smell on them now. Just a moment ago, under the guidance of the Patrol Guard Division personnel, they had held their breath and let the smoke from burning firewood and leaves drift over them for a while to mask their scent, so as not to attract Plague Ghosts again while wandering outside.

Of course, it was impossible to completely mask the scent of humans, but it had some effect.

The refugees also dared not stray too far from Wen Gu and the others. In case a Plague Ghost chased after them, they would be able to call for help in time.

Seeing Wen Gu and the others continue walking up the mountain, the refugees followed closely behind.

If one took the mountainside where the Danguan was located as a boundary, walking further up, the mountain was not as well-maintained as the lower part, and there were fewer stone-paved paths.

But there were also sights on the mountain that could not be seen below, such as the deity statues carved into the mountain wall.

They were the same appearance as the deity statue in the Danguan, only carved into the mountain wall, lacking in detail and even appearing rough.

But one could roughly make out that expression: an arrogance that looked down upon all living things.

Wen Gu looked at the location of the deity statue and marked it on the map.

He wondered why the mountain wall deity statue was carved here; was it a matter of Feng Shui? Or some other reason?

Continuing to walk up the mountain, they hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard a thud behind them.

They turned around to look.

It was Tian Kou.

He had felt inexplicably uneasy when passing by that deity statue, thinking that this might be the "evil Daoist" the officials had mentioned. Distracted, he hadn't paid attention to his footing for a moment and had fallen.

But after falling, he remained in a half-prone position, not getting up, his head tilted back as he stared at the mountain wall. It was as if he had been stunned by the fall, or as if he had seen something and was frozen there.

Wen Gu and the others walked over and asked, "Any discoveries?"

Tian Kou scrambled up and pressed himself against the mountain wall to look.

The mountain wall was uneven, and there was a symbol on a protruding stone surface near the bottom.

It was carved quite shallowly, and the position was not very conspicuous.

Wen Gu looked toward that spot.

It looked like an irregular circle with a cross drawn inside it.

But seeing Tian Kou's reaction, they realized something was wrong.

"Is it the character for 'field'?" Wen Gu said.

Tian Kou's lips moved; he was a bit excited, yet somewhat disbelieving, and said, "My brother carved it!"

They had never been to school and didn't recognize the vast majority of characters, but they knew how to write their own surname.

It was written rather irregularly, so it looked like a drawn symbol.

His brother had once told him that the two strokes inside the "field" character were like the two of them playing around with wooden sticks.

Having seen it so much since childhood, he was too familiar with it and recognized it at a glance.

Tian Kou stared at the symbol, his mind in chaos, and was about to straighten up.

Suddenly, he heard Wen Gu shout, "Wait, stay in that exact position!"

Tian Kou didn't understand why, but he obediently returned to the position he had been in, pressing against the mountain wall to look at the symbol.

Slightly bent over with his back arched, his whole body hunched there, he looked very much like someone acting furtively.

Ming Tiao also saw it now: "If it were just ordinary carving on the mountain wall, one would either stand or squat; this posture looks more like... being vigilant of the surroundings?"

Looking around, there used to be trees nearby.

"Perhaps he saw something on the mountain?"

They looked toward the mountain path and then up the hillside.

Wen Gu looked at the deity statue again at this moment and suddenly asked Tian Kou, "How is your big brother's hearing? Are his ears sensitive?"

Tian Kou said, "My big brother's ears are incredibly sharp!"

Ming Tiao and the others caught the implication: "Deputy Envoy, are you saying—inside this mountain?"

There is such a large hollow inside the mountain? And it goes all the way up the mountain!

This place is not too far from the border; before the chaotic times, soldiers might have also come here to worship the gods.

Suppose Tian Tu also came here to worship.

At the same time, when someone was transporting items into the cave, they made a sound, which was accidentally heard by Tian Tu outside.

Tian Tu heard an unusual noise, so he scratched the most familiar symbol as a record?

What the truth is, it is hard to guess.

But if Tian Tu really heard an unusual sound here—

"If you can hear movement while pressing against the mountain wall, it means there is a large hollow inside this mountain, and it is not deep!"

Only if the hollow inside the mountain is close to the surface of the wall is it easy to hear the difference!

If the hollow is far from the surface of the wall, or if the hollow is very small, it is very difficult to distinguish just by the human ear.

Ming Tiao said: "Let us look again to see where there is an entrance or exit nearby!"

Wen Gu looked at the statue of the Heavenly Venerable on the mountain wall, saying nothing.

If it were that easy to find, it would not have been impossible to find for two days in a row.

He reached out to the side: "Hand over the iron hammer."

The leading servant looked at Wen Gu, then looked at the large hammer and small hammer in the cargo basket, and handed over a small hammer.

Wen Gu: "—The big one!"

The other person hurriedly handed over the large hammer.

Wen Gu picked up the iron hammer and swung it toward the statue without hesitation.

Clang!

The people with Ming Tiao all thought at the same time: Damn!

Don't you scholars always say to respect ghosts and gods?

This is too "respectful"!

They were not stupid people; they could understand the reason why Wen Gu did this.

They were just shocked that Wen Gu had no hesitation at all, no scruples, and directly hammered the statue!

People of this era are still very superstitious in this regard. They would not easily destroy a statue; even if it involved some evil Dao, they would plaster it over with mud or other things if they didn't want to see it, or hold a Dharma Assembly before smashing it. Not smashing it directly.

If it were them, they would certainly have scruples and hesitation.

Wen Gu ignored the others; he swung a hammer at the statue and listened carefully.

It seemed there was a slight change, but it was not obvious enough.

He was about to strike another blow.

Tian Kou came over at this time and said: "Official, let the little one handle this kind of rough work!"

Wen Gu did not insist and handed the hammer over.

Tian Kou also had great concerns about this; if it were in the past, he certainly would not have dared to snatch the hammer for such a statue.

But now, looking at the symbol left by his brother beside him, a surge of brute force suddenly rose up in him.

Having done farm work since childhood, don't look at how thin he is now; after eating his fill, his strength had returned quite a bit.

He gripped the iron hammer with both hands and looked at the statue on the mountain wall; his originally timid gaze was swallowed by the fierce energy that had been ignited.

The pent-up frustration in his heart urgently needed to be vented!

Before the others could react, Tian Kou had already struck the statue with another hammer blow.

Clang!

After taking two blows, a corner of the robe of the statue on the mountain wall was completely destroyed.

This time, Wen Gu listened intently and confirmed that the sound had undergone a slightly longer, distinct change!

He immediately said: "Chisel the mountain!"

Why look for an entrance or exit? Just chisel straight in!

Since the change in sound can be heard from here, there must be a shallow cave, so just break through the wall and enter!

The three Commanders also heard the abnormality in the sound, cast aside the concerns in their hearts, and immediately set to work.

What statue?

It is just an evil Dao!

Hammering a stone statue is roughly equivalent to slaying demons and eliminating devils!

Chisel!!!

Once the others saw that the leaders were all moving, they naturally followed actively.

There is no need to open a large hole; one only needs to focus on one spot and chisel inward to see if a hollow inside the mountain can be found.

The tools used by the Patrol Guard Division were the highest quality batch in Xinzhou at the current stage.

The hardened iron chisels, under the strikes of the iron hammers, continuously opened holes in the mountain wall and split the rock.

They had enough manpower here; when a few people got tired of chiseling, they would switch to the next batch to continue.

The clanging sounds were incessant.

The area of the stone statue on the mountain wall being destroyed kept increasing, expanding from the corner of the robe to the sleeve, and it was still increasing rapidly.

The statue looked down upon all living beings, yet could only watch as these mere mortals kept smashing the mountain rock with hammer and chisel.

Under the alternating chiseling, with another strike, a small hole was finally broken open.

It was like a crack breaking through a haze, revealing a clear sky.

At this moment, everyone felt as if they heard their own heartbeats like beating drums.

Crash—

Inside, it seemed as if a batch of objects slid down due to the recent chiseling and hammering, revealing some traces from the broken hole.

Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the clouds, shining down.

An Arrow hidden in the darkness slid down from the cave entrance, its arrowhead reflecting a cold light.

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