Ancient tomb excavation traces

The wind blew relentlessly towards us, carrying a hint of dampness. The four of us sprinted up the long, endless staircase. As we climbed higher, the dark aura gradually expanded, allowing us to see our surroundings clearly even without the ever-burning lamp.

We are now on a cave staircase, connected to the bronze staircase, shaped like a flashlight from the 1970s or 80s. The cave passageway staircase is like a wooden ladder, very narrow, and a slight misstep can cause you to miss a step, which forces us to slow down.

As I walked through the gloom, I discovered amazing rock paintings on the cave walls. The paintings depicted farming, hunting, and several children holding kites. Behind them stood a man and a woman with gentle smiles. From their soft gazes, I judged that the man and woman were probably the children's parents.

However, these rock paintings were unlike anything one would expect from this eerie Chu tomb. They were delicate, gentle, and full of humanity, like a yearning for the beauty of life. Beneath the rock paintings lay several skeletons, holding small bronze swords, their postures suggesting they had committed suicide.

This made me think of a possibility: they might have been the craftsmen who built this Chu tomb. During the Warring States period, being assigned to build tombs was tantamount to a death sentence. These people might not have been able to bear waiting to die in the ancient tomb, so they chose to commit suicide. Thinking about this, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Under the feudal system, there were many tragic cases where life was as worthless as grass. If I were trapped in such a dark and hopeless place today, I would also choose to do the same as them.

Before I could look any further, Chen Yi turned back and urged me, "Liuzi, what are you looking at? Let's go!"

I responded softly and followed his footsteps. If the ancestor and the young Taoist were here at this moment, how exhilarated I would be about escaping! But no… I sadly glanced back at the now-vanished bronze passageway, my mind suddenly sinking. I disliked this feeling, so I lowered my head and patted my forehead.

The air was heavy and oppressive, like a silent black-and-white film. When I looked up, an endless abyss appeared before me, followed by a bridge shrouded in thick fog. Chen Tai stood on the bridge, turning to look at me indifferently, calling my name. He had lost his usual radiance in the fog, appearing pale and weak. I saw a trace of desolation in his eyes. He slowly turned and walked forward. I called after him, "Old Tai!"

He didn't turn around, but stopped on the bridge, gazing ahead, and said softly, "Ryuko, I'm leaving..."

"Go? Where to?" This atmosphere filled me with a strange sense of sadness.

He turned back, a bitter smile on his face, then turned and continued forward.

He didn't answer me. At that moment, I felt a deep sense of loss. "Chen Yi!" I shouted, and two lines of tears involuntarily streamed down my face.

As my headache gradually subsided, I returned to reality and looked at Old Tiao walking ahead of me. He looked at me, panting heavily, and said, "What's wrong, Liu Zi? Why are you so jumpy!"

His question immediately reminded me of how I had called his name without my knowledge, so I shook my head and said with a wry smile, "It's nothing..."

"Hurry up if you're free!" he yelled at me, then turned and continued running forward, excitedly shouting, "Damn it, I'm finally going to climb all those damn stairs!"

I silently wiped away my tears, suppressing my sadness. In fact, I've gained a new understanding of my headaches. These past few days, in that terrifying and oppressive environment, I've often had incredibly vivid hallucinations. These hallucinations seem to guide me, warning me of the dangers ahead. However, I'm unsure whether this is simply due to my mental stress, or if it truly foreshadows something.

I looked up and silently gazed at the exit not far away. It was originally just limestone, but it was carved into the image of a mythical beast by a skilled craftsman. The beast was carved so lifelike, with its teeth bared and claws outstretched, its face ferocious, and its eyes staring at Chen Tiao.

At that moment, watching Chen Yu's retreating figure, I blurted out, "Old Yu, come back!" The words were not under my control, but rather instinctive, like a fire alarm system installed in a house. However, Chen Yu, in his excitement, could not stop himself; he rushed out of the narrow exit.

"what!"

Suddenly, he cried out in alarm. My heart tightened, and I rushed over in three strides, grabbing his hand. He was hanging precariously below the rock, with a deep abyss below.

"Damn it!" I squeezed out the word through gritted teeth. Bao Cai immediately came over to help me when he saw this. The stale ash was very heavy. I gritted my teeth, and the wounds on my hands from the corpse cocoons were being pulled painfully.

"Ugh!" I used my last bit of strength, my face contorted in pain. The shrine maiden came to help, and the three of us managed to pull up a 170-pound fat man.

"Holy crap... holy crap..." Chen Yi was so frightened that he kept muttering to himself. I, on the other hand, was panting heavily, clutching my arm that had been rubbed raw by the rocks, staring blankly at the scene before me.

Before us lay a colossal cave, larger and deeper than the previous caverns. Above it were various strange little holes, some large enough to fit a cow, others as small as a fist, but most large enough to squeeze through. Around these holes were intricate, winding rock patterns, like vines climbing an old tree. And atop the cave ceiling were countless stone spheres, resembling glittering pearls.

Everything here is bizarre and unique, like an infinitely enlarged version of a rockery, so magnificent that words cannot describe it. And in front of us is a long suspension bridge, hanging there silently, cold and lifeless.

Below the suspension bridge was a long, dark waterway, dozens of meters away from us. Falling into it would be incredibly thrilling. Strangely, the water was completely still, without any flow or sound. Its color was yellowish, like river water, and from my angle, the surface of the water was emitting a faint green glow, as if it were poisonous.

I was filled with doubt. The water in caves is usually very clear; it is mostly groundwater from karst aquifers and shouldn't be so murky and lifeless.

Confused, I asked the witch if there was anything special about the water. She shook her head, saying she only knew the name of the waterway but didn't know why it was the way it was. The name she used made the water seem even stranger.

This water is called "Dead Water of the Netherworld." There are many interpretations of "Netherworld," most of which imply darkness. But in this scene, the only thing that comes to mind is a passage from Cao Zhi's "Eulogy for Wang Zhongxuan": "Alas, Master, may you rest in peace in the Netherworld." Here, "Netherworld" means the underworld, and this water reminds me of the River of Oblivion.