Ancient tomb excavation traces

The day before we left, Ge San prepared a feast for us. Bao Cai got drunk and kept saying that we were being fed his last drink, but despite saying that, he ate even more heartily than the rest of us. At times like this, I always felt contempt for him. However, in reality, during our time relying on each other, my brotherly bond with Bao Cai grew stronger. Someone like him, when faced with troubles, would mutter to himself, but after a few drinks and a good night's sleep, he would be fine.

But I'm not...

I lay on the thick mat, unable to sleep all night, driven by a mix of trepidation and excitement. I had only ever heard my grandfather talk about our ancestors' tomb raiding, never imagining that one day I myself would be going down there. It truly proves the saying, "A penny can drive even a hero to his death!"

However, there was no other way; he had chosen this path of thievery, and he had to finish it even if he lost a leg.

The next day, as dawn broke, we began our disguise. I tied my hair up, while Bao Cai, whose hair was shorter, could only wear a headscarf to cover it. Afterwards, we both changed into neat, ancient-style outfits, which looked pretty good. I said to Bao Cai, "You look a bit like a chivalrous hero!"

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai's eyes lit up, and he immediately straightened his back and gestured to me, saying, "Young master, which martial arts character do I look like? Guo Jing or Yang Guo?"

I shook my head, twirled Bao Cai's headscarf around his nose, and said, "I told you, even though Yang Guo is missing an arm, women who see him are doomed for life. Where do you get your confidence that you resemble him?"

Bao Cai said smugly, "Back in college, I might not have been a heartthrob, but I was definitely a bohemian artist. Girls were attracted to my personality. Who's so materialistic these days, judging by looks?"

I looked up at him, put the pistol and Mongolian knife back into my bag, and said, "Really? But I heard from Lao Tzu that you've never even had a girlfriend?"

"Ugh..." Caught off guard, Bao Cai choked on his breath. He paused for a moment, cursing the old man several times, before walking away quietly.

After the makeover, I felt a little uncomfortable. To avoid attracting attention, Ge San made us wear simple country-style short shirts and gave us a sachet. Bao Cai sniffed it carefully and found it contained herbs like patchouli and perilla to repel mosquitoes, probably because the area was overgrown with weeds and must have been quite bothersome.

With everything prepared, we set off from Qiantou Village and walked westward the entire way.

Sadly, transportation was underdeveloped in this era, and there were very few ordinary roads to travel. Sometimes, a few main roads would be specially built for fighting or transporting supplies. To avoid detours, Ge San basically followed the mountains. At this point, I really wished those who carved tunnels would blast a hole in it for me so I could pass through smoothly.

But dreams are nice, but reality is cruel. The clothes I thought would be the best armor for tomb raiding were scratched all over by the thorny plants and shrubs in the mountains, and my face also had small, itchy cuts from the grass.

We traversed mountains and valleys almost without stopping, but my legs finally gave way. Going downhill, I was completely sprawled out, my knees wouldn't bend, and I tumbled down the slope several times, falling and getting dazed. Bao Cai was much better at this than me. He grew up in the mountains and had experienced this kind of hardship, so when he saw my disheveled state, he couldn't resist making fun of me. His smug look was somewhat like Chen Tiao's.

Ge San was even more impressive. He walked steadily, traversing mountains and rivers without breaking a sweat. It seemed he could reach his destination quickly on his own. Moreover, his skill in cutting wild grass was incredibly efficient, reminding me of Bear Grylls from "Man vs. Wild," the legendary man at the top of the food chain.

Having finally arrived at the market, in order to avoid the outlaws and soldiers, Ge San adjusted his time difference and chose to travel at night and hide during the day.

The three of us walked under the moonlight, the spring breeze of the night chilling us to the bone. The desolate path seemed endless, with only a few pedestrians occasionally seen hurrying by, heads bowed, carrying lanterns, looking like ghosts. Passing through the wilderness, we saw abandoned skeletons, their eerie presence under the moonlight both terrifying and somber.

In this situation, I suddenly recalled a poem by Cao Cao, in which there is a very vivid passage:

The bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no cock crowing for thousands of miles.

Of the people who survived, only one in a hundred remained; the thought of it breaks one's heart.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand," a tragic tale of the power struggles at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Bao Cai muttered Amitabha and walked away, while Ge San seemed numb to it all.

I sympathize with the dead, and I also sympathize with myself for being born into this era. I think to myself: if I don't want to become like this, I must change my fate.

We continued on, determined to reach our final destination near the southern branch of the Wuling Mountains. Bao Cai, a native of Hunan, said that this place was roughly equivalent to the primeval secondary forest area of ​​the valley in Jiemuxi Township in our time.

I joked, "We're already in a primeval forest. What if we encounter a powerful wild animal and die there? Wouldn't that be a terrible waste?"

Bao Cai said my mouth was unlucky, that I was thinking of dying when we were only halfway there, and that I had to spit a few times before he would stop.

As we continued forward, the sound of babbling water filled our ears, which was undoubtedly a joyful thing for us, who were hungry and thirsty. We stopped at the flat area at the edge of the forest, where towering wild trees stood at both ends of the rocky beach, and the wildflowers by the stream were delicate and lovely, emitting a faint fragrance. Birds chirped in this refreshing place.

Gazing at the breathtaking scenery, I couldn't help but exclaim, "This is paradise on earth!"

"Who says otherwise? Our country is absolutely gorgeous!" Bao Cai exclaimed, completely captivated.

I said, "If we could go back to reality, then this trip to ancient times would be like a vacation!"

"That's a good point, but... I have a feeling we can't go back!" Bao Cai added.

Hearing this, my face darkened, and I kicked him in the butt, saying, "Don't jinx it!"

Bao Cai cried out in pain and scolded me for being so rude, an art student. Ge San, seeing us making a fuss, turned around and urged us on before heading into a tea stall.

Unfortunately, this stall didn't have chairs like the ones from our time; they just gave me a mat to kneel on, which undoubtedly added fuel to the fire for my aching legs.

Unable to bear it any longer, Bao Cai and I decided to go get a relaxing foot bath to reduce the swelling.

The stream was not only crystal clear, but most importantly, it was cool and refreshingly comfortable. Our feet swung in the water as we looked up at the towering trees in the distance, and the layered mountains shrouded in wisps of cloud. Under the somber sky, those distant mountains exuded a hazy, dreamlike quality.

As Bao Cai and I were chatting, we suddenly heard a voice say, "Come, help the old lady sit down."

My gaze immediately turned to the opposite bank. On the rocky beach across the stream, a handsome young man in a long robe, holding a banner, was helping a pale-faced old woman to sit down. Beside the old woman was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen. The girl looked anxiously at the young man who resembled a Taoist priest.

The boy put down the banner, took out a piece of yellow paper from his waist, waved it in the air, and muttered something.

I listened intently, and in my daze, I heard a voice say, "Evil spirits, retreat!" Then something miraculous happened; the paper, as if under some kind of spell, suddenly burst into flames. I was puzzled and opened my eyes wide, only to see the boy quickly put the burning yellow paper into a bamboo jar and have the old woman drink it.

Seeing this, I looked at Bao Cai in astonishment and said, "Holy crap, is this some kind of magic trick? Did you secretly put some kind of flammable device in your hand?"

Bao Cai stroked his chin and said, "This young man looks so serious, he doesn't seem like a con artist. Look at that girl's smiling face, so grateful. I think that guy should just help her out!"

As we were talking, the young man looked up and gave us a faint smile. As the saying goes, talking about someone behind their back shows a guilty conscience, so I quickly put on my shoes and urged Bao Cai back to the tea stall.

To be honest, I don't believe in ghosts and gods, but thinking about the stone door I saw earlier, the claws and shadows that appeared inside, and the inexplicably mutated corpse, I started to wonder: Do unseen things and powers really exist in this world? But then I thought, if even time travel has happened, what else is impossible?

I took a sip of tea to calm myself down. Just then, a middle-aged man at the next table said, "Look at Zhang Tianshi's grand-disciple! With just one appearance, the evil aura on Granny Liu dissipated. He truly possesses boundless magical power!"

"That's right! The Liu family must have done something terrible to deserve this; all the men in the family are gone, leaving only two women. Honestly, if no one comes to perform a ritual, I don't think even Cui'er can be saved."

Upon hearing the name Zhang Tianshi, I spat out the tea I had just taken a sip, splashing it all over Bao Cai's face. He looked at me with a mournful expression, and I immediately said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just couldn't hold it in when I heard Zhang Tianshi."

As soon as I said that, the people at the next table gave me a disdainful look. Bao Cai swallowed hard and lowered his voice, saying, "You playboy, don't you dare disrespect someone's idol, or else..." He made a cut across his neck with his hand, pretending to be dead.

I wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, so I put on a serious face and said, "The Zhang Tianshi they're talking about is the 'Old Ancestor Celestial Master' that Taoists refer to, who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. If this young man is a disciple of Zhang Tianshi, then his magical powers must be incredibly strong."

"It really is true. Look at his skill with talismans. I think the ancients were really good at it, so I really believe in them." Bao Cai looked at him with admiration.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the silent Ge San and realized I'd let my guard down. I immediately gave Bao Cai a meaningful look. Bao Cai stared at me blankly and asked, "What's wrong, young master? Are your eyes bothering you?"

Ge San took a sip of tea, carefully set down the earthenware bowl, and then said expressionlessly, "Brother Feng didn't say where he was from last time. After observing you two for a few days, I feel that your way of speaking is quite different from ours. Now I have some doubts. May I ask why?"

Ge San suddenly blurted out something, and I looked embarrassed, forcing a wry smile. "I'm from Qiantang, so it's not that we're any different. It's just that when we talk, we always like to use metaphors from our own hometowns. For example, 'idol,' which means someone you admire. It's a way of showing respect, haha..."

I gave him a perfunctory reply, and Ge San took a sip of tea and said, "I see."

I nodded guiltily, and he didn't ask any more questions. After resting for a while, he put down a few coins on the low table and told us to continue on our way.

Bao Cai and I exchanged glances, wondering what he was thinking since he hadn't given us a single expression after asking his question. But since we were already part of the trio, even if this guy was strange, we had to go with him. After all, the path to the underground was fraught with danger, and without a reliable person, Bao Cai and I would probably be doomed. Having figured it out, I dragged my weary legs and followed.

As we approached the southeastern branch of the Wuling Mountains, the air and scenery here were already different from what we saw outside. Bao Cai said he had visited this area before, but it looked different now.

Upon hearing this, I whispered to him, "It's been about 1,800 years, of course it's different!"

Bao Cai straightened his modified luggage bag and said, "That's true. This is ancient times, the sky is blue and the trees are tall, I think it's quite nice, except there's no girl to fall in love with at first sight. Traveling like this, I have no motivation, and I'm incredibly lonely!"

I spat and said, "We're going to an ancient tomb, not like we're sightseeing. Bringing a girl along? Any girl who comes with us would be scared to death!"

"Sigh...that's true. If I go there, I don't know if I'll even survive..." Bao Cai sighed, his face contorted with worry.

Ge San turned to us and said, "We're still quite a distance from where the map indicates. The forest isn't a habitable place. I think it's getting dark, so let's spend the night here!"

I was happy to finally be able to rest, but as I looked up at the gradually darkening world and the trees surrounding this empty space, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine. I thought to myself: Although I had camped and played outdoor games with my friends before, we had tents back then and didn't go very deep. Now this place is deserted, and who knows what kind of dangerous wild animals, poisonous insects, or poisonous plants might be lurking around.

Thinking this, I felt a pang of regret. Bao Cai was in no better condition than me. He was shivering and tried to start a fire, but Ge San stopped him, saying it would attract wild animals.

There was no other way. Although Ge San was unfamiliar with this area, he was an expert in wilderness survival, so we had to trust him.

Following Ge San's instructions, I held up my bicycle light for him. He found some tough old vines, cut them with a machete, and made three hammocks. He said that the forest was too cold at night, so sleeping higher up would prevent the cold from seeping in and also avoid being bitten by poisonous insects.

I thought the ancients had amazing survival skills in the wild, but then I realized that we modern people are too advanced, so we can't handle this kind of environment.

At this moment, the light in the sky gradually faded, and tonight's moon was obscured by thick clouds. In this deep, dark world, all the creatures that appeared beautiful during the day shed their masks and transformed into something else entirely.

I lay on my back in the hammock, the branches overhead looking like withered claws. In such a dark night, how many dangers lurked all around? How much terror would steal our heartbeats?

Thinking this, I carefully turned to the side in the cramped hammock, and there I saw Ge San staring at me silently.

This bizarre scene terrified me so much that my hair stood on end, and I tumbled off the hammock in a panic. Hearing the commotion, Bao Cai jumped up, exclaiming in alarm, "What! What happened?"