Ancient tomb excavation traces

Across the stream was a flat area overgrown with flowers and grass, beyond which lay a forest. This forest was the only way into the mountains; it was deep, vast, and stretched out in all directions. I took off my stockings and looked up. When the thick clouds in the sky covered the mountains and cast shadows across the forest, I suddenly felt that it was like an ancient demon, stretching out its arms and spreading its sleeves, waiting for us to enter its deathly territory.

The air was filled with the fragrance of spring flowers, and colorful butterflies fluttered about, creating a mesmerizing scene. We stepped into the stream where the stone statue lay. The water wasn't bone-chilling, but it was surprisingly cold. I shivered, and Bao Cai walked cautiously in front of me, as if one wrong step would plunge him into an abyss.

I didn't feel good, not because of the water temperature, but because I was walking barefoot on these strangely shaped stone sculptures. I felt uneasy, as if they might wake up and grab my feet with their stone hands.

As I was thinking this, when I looked up again, my vision was a little blurry. I shook my head, thinking that it was probably because I hadn't been eating enough meat lately, which had caused me to lose my strength.

I walked lightly, like a drunkard. The stream was wide, and it seemed impossible to reach the other side. I called out softly to the little Taoist priest, and my voice echoed through the valley.

At that moment, the young Taoist priest slowly turned around, his eyes fixed on me with a sinister look. My heart skipped a beat, and I stopped in my tracks. In that instant, dark clouds shrouded the mountains, plunging the world into darkness, and a strange image flashed before my eyes—the stone statues, their tightly closed eyes, suddenly opened…

Are you kidding me? I steadied myself, and when I opened my eyes again, a chill ran through my body. The little Taoist priest and Bao Cai were gone! I stared in horror at the surging things underwater and unconsciously took a step back.

Just then, a chorus of sinister laughter filled my ears from all directions, and the once clean and clear stream beneath my feet turned blood red.

What happened? In my half-dreaming state, I saw faces emerge from the blood, their bodies stiffening and staring at me expressionlessly, while a large group of bodies crawled toward me from not far away...

"No..." I cried out in despair, but the sound wouldn't come out of my throat. Just then, something cold and slippery like a snake touched my bare ankle. I felt as if I had been electrocuted. Then, more bloody hands slowly climbed up my calves, as if trying to drag me into the water and leave me there forever, to sleep with them!

"Go to hell!" I cursed inwardly! I was on the verge of tears, watching helplessly as sinister faces pressed against my body, their hands already reaching from my chest to my throat.

"Go to hell!" I cursed again. When all the beauty of spring is shrouded in darkness, when the earth falls silent and only nightmares remain, you can't fight back, only trembling and despair.

I twisted my body, trying to break free from this cold confinement, but they surrounded me, densely packed, layer upon layer, with no gaps at all.

"No, no, no..." I screamed. Their hair was soaked in blood and stuck together, which was disgusting!

"Die..." These blood-covered figures seemed to open their mouths, their voices rising and falling, echoing in my ears, devoid of any emotion.

"Stay here..." A somber, hoarse whisper controlled my heartbeat.

I gasped for breath, trying to escape, but found that they were like waves, plunging me into the deep sea.

Calm down... I repeated this word over and over in my mind... I must calm down... It's all just a dream, the time travel is a dream... the man-eating vine is a dream... everything I'm experiencing now is a dream!

My body convulsed, overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions. I pulled out my Mongolian knife and yelled angrily, "Get the hell out of here!"

"Stop, Brother Feng!"

A person called out anxiously, weaving through the layers of shadows, and reached out their hand to me.

"Get out of my way!" I roared, wildly swinging the knife in front of me. I heard a muffled groan, and a stream of warm blood splattered onto my cheek. I stopped, staring blankly at the scene before me. The little Taoist priest stood in front of me, his hand covering his bleeding wrist, his brows furrowed.

"What happened?" That was the first thing I said.

The young Taoist priest gritted his teeth and endured the pain, saying, "You were just bewitched..."

Lost my mind? I stared at him blankly, my heart pounding, as if I had just come from a rock concert.

He didn't explain much to me. Besides his wrist, I also saw a bloody hole in his chest. I wondered to myself: Who did this?

Just then, a dull ache shot through my head, and fragments of memories flashed before my eyes. I looked at the Mongolian knife in my hand; there were specks of blood on it. I suddenly realized and muttered to myself, "It was me..."

Looking at Bao Cai again, I saw him standing in the middle of the stream, his eyes bulging, his knuckles mechanically flexing, and saliva constantly spilling from his mouth, as if he were possessed. I thought to myself: This is bad! He must be being tormented by something terrible right now! So I desperately called his name, trying to awaken his will. However, it was no use. Bao Cai's face was pale, like a madman sitting in an electric chair, emitting whimpering sounds, like a dog's warning.

I had never seen him so fierce before, and I couldn't help but feel a little panicked. Just then, he broke free from the invisible restraints and pulled out a Mongolian knife. I saw that the blade was pointing at himself, so I quickly shouted at him, "No!" I hurriedly tried to stop him, but I tripped over the statue and fell into the stream.

In a flash, the young Taoist priest grabbed Bao Cai's hand holding the knife, but Bao Cai was like a drunkard, incredibly strong. I saw the young Taoist priest gritting his teeth and struggling with him, his face already red from straining. I quickly got up, rushed behind Bao Cai, grabbed him by the back of his hand, and shouted, "Little Celestial Master, hurry!"

The young Taoist priest nodded, then bent his hand back, causing Bao Cai to release his grip in pain, and the Mongolian knife fell into the water. However, Bao Cai was still not in a daze; his two hands, aggressive like nimble cat claws, reached for the young Taoist priest's heart.

Seeing that this old man was deeply immersed in demonic possession, I hardened my heart and shouted, "I'm sorry!" Then, I slapped him on the forehead. The slap must have been too forceful, because the young Taoist priest stood there dumbfounded, his face full of astonishment, while Bao Cai staggered a few steps and fell into the stream with a thud.

He splashed in the water, shouting, "Mom! Help! Help! A water ghost has grabbed me!" Hearing this demonic cry, I breathed a sigh of relief and thought to myself: Bao Cai and I have experienced many strange things. Although we were scared and went crazy, we have to say that our hearts are strong. Because of this ordeal, it really felt like we had entered the eighteenth level of hell.

I gave a wry smile and looked at Bao Cai, who was so frightened he was out of his mind. I told him to stop taking pictures, but he kept taking pictures on his own. When he got tired of taking pictures, he looked around and went ashore with a look of terror on his face. He looked as if he would be boiled alive if he stayed in the water any longer.

I was looking for the Mongolian knife that had fallen into the water, but while I was looking, I came across the stone human figure sculpture in the water. Because of the fright I had just experienced, I had developed a deep fear of it. So as soon as I got the knife, I ran to the shore in a panic.

After the initial embarrassment, Bao Cai gave the young Taoist priest some basic first aid.

I looked at him and asked, "Did I inflict this hand injury?"

The young Taoist priest glanced at me and said sullenly, "You attacked yourself just like Brother Liu. I couldn't wake you up, so in my haste I reached out and the knife injured me..."

A wave of emotion washed over me, and I thought to myself that this little Taoist priest who had appeared out of nowhere was truly a kind person. But then I looked at the bloody gash on his chest, and with a forced smile, I asked him, "This wound? Was it also because of me?"

The young Taoist priest shook his head and said, "No, I did it myself..."

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai leaned forward and blurted out, "You saw it too, didn't you? The water ghost..."

Water ghost? Bao Cai's words puzzled me greatly. I clearly saw the stone statue come to life, not a water ghost. Could it be that Bao Cai has a problem with his expression?

The young Taoist priest said, "What I saw was different from what you saw... but I know what bewitched me, so I injured myself with the peach wood awl!"

Self-harm? Good heavens! This is no different from hanging oneself by the hair or pricking one's thigh with an awl. I thought to myself, that little Taoist priest is really ruthless. But if it weren't for him, Bao Cai and I would be dead.

But why would that happen? I asked the young Taoist priest curiously, "I felt something was very strange just now. When I walked to the middle of the stream, I saw that the stone statues in the water came to life... but Bao Cai said he saw a water ghost... How could this be?"

The young Taoist priest said solemnly, "It should be the scent of flowers..."

"The scent of flowers?" I stared intently at him, waiting for him to continue.

The young Taoist explained, "It might be a mind-bewitching flower. I sensed it when we entered this place, but I didn't expect it to be so powerful." He glanced at me and Bao Cai, then continued, "Each of us has something we fear deep down. When what we fear is triggered by some external force, it produces terrifying hallucinations." The young Taoist spoke earnestly, a hint of sadness in his eyes. I wondered to myself, could what he saw have stirred up some painful memories for him?

I didn't ask, after all, it's their privacy. However, having lived in the 21st century, I've rarely heard of flowers that can bewitch the mind, so I asked, "Little Master, do you know what flower causes us to hallucinate?"

The young Taoist priest shook his head. At that moment, Bao Cai stood up, looking as if he had no other choice. He gazed at the clusters of flowers behind me and said, "Grandpa Bao has seen and studied most of the flowers here, but there's one I haven't seen before..." He pointed to the lush green ground behind me. I looked in the direction he was pointing, and indeed, there was a flower that was unforgettable. Its petals were crimson like blood, smooth as silk, resembling a Flemish red poppy, with a black halo in the center, looking like a skull from afar. Surrounded by a thousand petals, it was flamboyant and unrestrained, exuding an eerie beauty. This vibrant color reminded me of a saying: the more beautiful something is, the more deadly it is…

I sighed, my thoughts drifting for a moment. When I came to my senses, I realized that the young Taoist priest and Bao Cai's eyes were fixed on me. I called out softly, but neither of them responded.

I thought to myself: This is bad, has it gotten me possessed again? Just as I stood up, Bao Cai's voice trembled as he said, "Young Master..."

Startled by his soft call, I quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"A...a head is moving..." Bao Cai managed to utter these words with difficulty.

I was taken aback for a moment when I heard that, then I forced a smile and said, "Brother, you're asking for a beating again!" But as I said that, I clearly felt uneasy.

Driven by this unease, I suppressed my smile and slowly turned my head. In that instant, my heart clenched, for I saw a face—an extremely sickly pale face! He was there, staring at us with a chilling, sinister gaze, and what was most terrifying was—that face was so damn strange!