Yin Shou Shu

Chapter 166 Stone Forest
"It's not evil..."

Ran Qing made this judgment after seeing that the monkeys were not injured after being hit by the incense ash.

Mo Li said: "Let's follow them and see, there's something strange about this group of monkeys."

The four changed direction again and followed the monkeys.

The road was a bit difficult to walk on at the beginning. The bushes and plants in the forest were very dense, and we had to keep cutting the bushes blocking the road to move forward.

But as they walked, the bushes in the forest became fewer and fewer, and the four of them began to move freely.

Although the giant trees above were still towering and their dense canopies blocked the sunlight, only specks of light were scattered on the ground.

But the area under the shade of the trees was empty and desolate, without even any plants, just barren loess.

The air here also began to cool, no longer as hot and stuffy as other places in the forest.

A cool breeze blew in their faces, and everyone who was feeling hot all over felt refreshed.

Long Zongshu's cousin was very surprised and asked, "There is such a place in the tiankeng?"

It is indeed strange that a piece of wasteland with only trees suddenly appears in an old forest with dense vegetation and tropical rainforest-like appearance.

Ran Qing started to walk in front to lead the way, while Long Zongshu walked behind to cover the rear. The two of them protected Mo Li and Long Zongshu's cousin in the middle.

The monkeys led the way, stopping from time to time to see if the four were keeping up.

The further we go, the more desolate it becomes. Although the ground is barren and devoid of vegetation, the treetops above our heads are becoming increasingly lush.

Not only the treetops, but also many thick vines are entwined between the trunks.

The dense leaves completely blocked out the sky, and no more spots of light fell on the ground. The light in the forest began to grow dim, but not to the point where a flashlight was needed.

Ran Qing and the other three became more cautious. Long Zongshu held the military shovel tightly in his hand. Ran Qing took out the death hammer from the canvas bag and put on the brightly painted evil ghost mask on the back of his head.

Finally, the monkey led them to the center of the dark forest, where there were black stone pillars in front of them.

Each stone pillar is about three or four meters high and stands seemingly randomly on the wasteland, like a stone forest.

These stone pillars are pitch black and covered with rough marks of weathering. They are not artificially carved pillars, but natural stones. Each pillar is crooked and has some strange patterns carved on it.

"This looks a bit like the Stone Forest in Nanzhao next door..."

Mo Li muttered softly.

Ran Qing walked to the edge of the stone forest, looked at the patterns carved on the stone pillars, and said, "Is this text..."

Some of it looks like text, but I can't understand it.

Long Zongshu and his cousin also looked at it for a while, but they also couldn't understand it.

Mo Li looked at it for a while and said, "It should be the writing of the ancient Zangke people."

"Yelang over a thousand years ago, and even earlier, the ancient Luo Kingdom, both had their own writing systems."

"But this writing system is not the same as the Chinese characters we commonly use. Moreover, with the extinction of the ancient Yelang culture, almost no one can translate the writing system."

"Stone carvings of ancient characters like these are occasionally found in the Qianghe area. They are relics left over from ancient times."

"When I passed by the Dishuitan Waterfall before, I saw similar stone carvings on the mountain next to the waterfall. There were dozens of characters carved on one side of the stone, none of which were readable and no one could decipher them."

Mo Li mentioned a place name that Ran Qing couldn't understand, and didn't know where the Dishuitan Waterfall was.

But if it's the ancient text of the ancient Zangke Kingdom...

"Was this tiankeng really the sacrificial site of the ancient Luo Kingdom in the past?"

Ran Qing took out two longans, crushed the shells and threw them away.

But the two longans spun a few times on the ground and then stopped.

Longyan's question for directions is ineffective, as there is no evil spirit nearby and no negative energy can be sensed.

Long Zongshu suddenly said, "Those monkeys are gone!"

Ran Qing and the others looked up quickly, and sure enough, they couldn't find the monkeys who were leading the way.

In the dark forest, there were only four people standing outside the stone forest.

Mo Li asked in confusion: "Why did the monkey bring us here? What's in there?"

The stone forest ahead was so densely packed that it was impossible to tell its extent. Between the stone pillars, some were wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but most were only wide enough for one person to pass.

"Let's go around and take a look at what this stone forest looks like," Ran Qing made a safe suggestion.

But just as he finished speaking, a low and strange sound suddenly came from the woods behind him.

It sounds like a toad croaking, or also like a buffalo's roar.

When this strange and dull sound was heard, the four of them felt their scalps go numb instantly.

"Over the mountain!"

The mountain passerby I met before actually appeared here?
And the cry kept getting closer, as if it was coming towards them.

Long Zongshu's cousin rushed into the stone forest and said, "Come in quickly, hide first!"

"It's too open out there. If they rush over the mountain, we're dead."

The narrow path in the stone forest is indeed more suitable for dodging giant snakes than the open wasteland outside.

Moreover, Long Zongshu's cousin had already rushed in, and the three of them had no choice but to follow.

"Mo Li, sulfur powder!"

Ran Qing quickly reminded the girl, sprinkling sulfur powder as he walked.

Most snakes hate the smell of sulfur, and sulfur powder can act as a snake repellent.

Although I don’t know if it will work on a huge poisonous snake like the mountain, I can at least try it.

When Mo Li heard Ran Qing's reminder, he quickly took out the sulfur powder from his bag and sprinkled it while walking through the stone forest.

Soon, the four of them arrived at the stone forest.

In the woods behind me, the sound of footsteps from the mountain peaks was approaching rapidly.

But the next second, a shrill scream suddenly occurred.

Ran Qing and the others were stunned for a moment, and then they realized that it was the cry of a monkey.

Over the mountain and attacked the monkey?

The four of them subconsciously stopped in the stone forest.

They heard a dull and slow sound approaching from outside the stone forest.

That was the sound of a huge heavy object rubbing against the ground.

Ran Qing's scalp tingled when he heard this: "Is this a four or five meter long snake?"

He had never seen a poisonous snake that was four or five meters long, but the noise outside sounded like it was more than four or five meters long.

To be able to make such a heavy and slow sound, its size must be beyond imagination.

Ran Qing subconsciously wanted to seek guidance from Long Zongshu's cousin. Among the few people, only Long Zongshu's cousin knew about the mountain.

But when he turned around, Ran Qing was stunned.

He was the only one in the empty stone forest.

Among the dark stone pillars in sight, Long Zongshu's cousin could not be seen.

I can’t see Mo Li or Long Zongshu either.

Originally, the four of them entered the stone forest at the same time and stayed together.

But in just a blink of an eye, the others disappeared from his sight.

Ran Qing stood alone in the stone forest, with a heavy friction sound coming closer and closer behind him.

The giant snake seemed to have chased into the stone forest. Its heavy body and scales rubbed against the ground, making a creepy sound.

And Ran Qing was isolated and helpless.

At this moment, he was confused.

——Where are the people?
(End of this chapter)