I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

The shadow beneath Master Lai's feet stood too straight.

Lin Ye glanced at it twice, but didn't dare to look any longer.

It's not that I'm afraid I've misread it.

It's because I'm afraid I haven't misread it.

Everyone still remembers how Lao Fang disappeared. If he were to suddenly say that Master Lai's shadow was not right at this moment, the group would likely panic again.

The worst thing here is chaos.

Xiaoman noticed he paused and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Lin Ye shook his head.

"Let's go first."

Xiaoman glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

The group continued forward.

Xing Shanhe rechecked the lighting positions, fixing all the lights as far back and diagonally above as possible, so that people's shadows would fall behind their feet.

The method is clumsy.

But now nobody thinks someone is stupid.

Living one more step is a good thing.

The passageway sloped downwards for a while longer.

The further you go in, the denser the carvings on the walls become.

At first, there were only scattered human figures and water ripples.

Later, it turned into rows and rows of kneeling images.

The figures were carved very small, with their heads bowed and their hands raised high above their heads.

Everyone was holding something in their hands.

Some are round.

It's effective.

There are long strips.

When the light swept across, it revealed a dense, overwhelming mass, as if the entire wall was covered with kneeling people.

Luo Xiaohu glanced at it only once before looking away.

"It makes my knees hurt to watch."

Xing Shanhe didn't scold him, but whispered, "Stop looking at the wall."

Luo Xiaohu immediately lowered his head.

"clear."

He's gotten smarter now.

This place isn't afraid of being timid, it's afraid of being impulsive.

Being timid might just cause your legs to go weak, but being reckless can really get you killed.

Su Tinglan stopped in front of a relatively well-preserved mural.

She didn't get too close, only letting Bai Yuan shine the light from the side.

A row of kneeling figures is carved on the wall.

The person at the front is holding a long, narrow ceremonial vessel.

The people behind them had roughly the same amount of stuff in their hands.

Pointed at the top and pointed at the bottom.

Its shape is very similar to the Togui human figure on the vertical shaft stone wall.

Su Tinglan looked for a long time, her voice very soft.

"This is Gui."

Lin Ye twitched his finger.

It's Gui again.

This word was like a small thorn, stuck in his mind.

It's better not to mention it, because it makes my skin ache.

Xing Shanhe stood to the side, not getting too close.

"Can you recognize it?"

"The shape is incomplete, but you can make out the general idea."

Luo Xiaohu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What exactly is the jade tablet used for?"

Su Tinglan looked at the kneeling people on the wall.

"Ritual vessels".

Luo Xiaohu waited for a long time.

"this one?"

Su Tinglan glanced at him.

"The most important matters of state are sacrifice and war; the ancients attached great importance to sacrifice."

Luo Xiaohu opened his mouth, but didn't dare to answer.

Su Tinglan turned the light downwards.

There are several lines of text below the mural.

The characters are badly worn, and many strokes are broken.

She examined it for a while, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"Not an epitaph."

Xing Shanhe asked, "What is that?"

"Sacrificial Address".

Su Tinglan slowed down her speech.

"This is not just a simple burial site."

Master Lai, who was standing to the side, suddenly added, "Old ancestral rites."

Su Tinglan looked at him.

Master Lai raised his chin.

"continue."

Su Tinglan didn't argue with him, but just stared at the picture on the wall.

"This place seems to have been built in later times by combining the legend of Fangfengshi with local sacrificial rites."

Lin Ye recalled the local chronicle that Ning Zhi had found.

The old name of Qingshan was Fengfengling.

Fangfeng broke his bones here.

There is a cave at the foot of the ridge.

Over time, it becomes a channel.

Previously, when he read these few sentences, he only thought that the ancient books were frightening.

Standing in this passageway now, looking at the kneeling figures on the wall, I realize that the local chronicles have been quite subtle in their description.

This is not a legend at all.

There really is something there.

Xing Shanhe raised his hand, signaling the people behind him to take notes.

This time, no one bothered to clean the dust.

Take a photo using only side lighting, then zoom in to view the image.

A captain, holding a probe, touched the groove below the mural from half an arm's length away.

The movements were very gentle.

a bit.

Two times.

no response.

No one breathed a sigh of relief.

No response here does not mean it is safe.

It only means that no foul has been committed yet.

They continued along the mural.

The further in you go, the clearer the ritual implements in the hands of those kneeling worshippers become.

In several places, the patterns on the jade tablet are carved particularly deep.

It's not just a simple decoration.

It seems more like something that someone described repeatedly later.

One of the jade tablets is engraved at the corner of the passageway.

The location is strange.

It is neither in the center of the mural nor at the very front of the worshiping procession.

Instead, it was beneath a patch of black water ripples.

It felt like being pressed down by water.

It's like it's floating out of the water.

The texture is much deeper than the surrounding area.

The edges have a bluish-white tinge, not from the light, but from the stone surface being worn for too long, reflecting a cold color when illuminated by a light.

The captain with the broken eyebrow in front stopped.

He didn't touch it with his hands, but only used a probe to test the edge of the groove.

The probe tip got stuck slightly.

Duan Mei frowned, trying to turn the probe out.

Xing Shanhe immediately raised his hand.

The meaning is clear: Don't move.

Duanmei nodded.

The probe was stuck tighter than he had expected.

As he released his force, the probe handle suddenly slipped.

Duanmei instinctively reached out to steady himself.

The action is fast.

Before Xing Shanhe could even finish saying "Don't put your hands on it," his palm, through his glove, had already brushed against the edge of the jade tablet pattern.

Lin Ye's ear suddenly pierced.

That old sound suddenly emerged from the wall.

"Greetings."

"Not advisable."

"To greet someone without bowing..."

Lin Ye's expression changed.

"Let go!"

Even a broken eyebrow wants to be loosened.

But he couldn't let go.

His palms seemed to be glued to the wall.

The edges of the gloves pressed against the stone surface, until even the knuckles turned white from the pressure.

Duanmei's expression changed instantly.

He gritted his teeth and reached for his wristband with his other hand.

"pull."

Xing Shanhe has already stepped forward.

This time, he didn't pounce directly.

Everyone saw how Lao Fang was swallowed by the shadow of the wall.

He used the safety hook to attach the hanging ring on the lower back of the man with the broken eyebrow and pulled it backward.

Duanmei swayed slightly in the upper body.

My hand didn't leave the wall.

Not only did he not get off the wall, his knees suddenly bent.

It wasn't me kneeling.

It was as if two invisible hands were pressing down on his shoulders and legs, forcibly pushing him to the ground.

The bone made a very soft cracking sound.

Heh.

Duanmei let out a muffled groan, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.

"Captain Xing..."

Xing Shanhe's face turned ashen.

Hang in there.

His broken eyebrow and teeth were trembling.

"We can't hold on any longer."

The next second, he knelt down on both knees at the same time.

The sound of his knee hitting the stone slab was so muffled it made my heart clench.

He was kneeling directly opposite the jade tablet pattern on the wall.

The posture was almost identical to that of the kneeling figures in the murals.

Kneel on the ground.

Lean forward.

Right hand against the wall.

Support yourself with your left hand.

The only difference is that the people in the murals are kneeling in worship voluntarily.

A broken eyebrow is not it.

He was shaking all over.

"pull."

Xing Shanhe lowered his voice.

Two captains immediately stepped forward and used ropes to fasten the shoulder straps and belt of the man with the broken eyebrow.

Chen Jin also went over to help.

This time, no one touched the wall.

Nobody looks at the murals.

Everyone was only focused on the deductions made on the living person.

The three of them pulled backward together.

Duanmei's back arched as he was pulled.

But the hand pressed against the wall remained motionless.

It's like it's grown into a stone.

Lin Ye heard the last two words finally fall.

"Take my life."

The forehead with the broken eyebrow began to press downwards.

Not very fast.

It's little by little.

It was as if an invisible hand was pressing down on the back of his neck, pushing his head toward the stone slab.

He braced himself with his left hand, which was on the ground, and struggled to push against the ground.

The veins on the back of his hand were bulging.

But his forehead was getting closer and closer to the stone slab.

Luo Xiaohu's face turned green.

His lips moved, but he didn't dare to make a sound.

Even without anyone reminding him, he knew he couldn't shout randomly.

Su Tinglan stared at the image of kneeling and worshipping on the wall, her face turning pale.

"He touched the pattern on the ritual vessel."

"Then?"

"The custom here is that you must bow when you meet someone."

Lin Ye added a sentence.

"To refuse to bow to someone who greets you is to take your life."

Everyone looked at him.

Lin Ye did not explain.

There was no time to explain.

His forehead, with its broken eyebrow, was less than a palm's width off the ground.

Xing Shanhe gripped the rope, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

Mr. Lai.

Master Lai has finally made a move.

He didn't touch the wall, nor did he try to pull the hand with the broken eyebrow.

He walked behind Broken Eyebrow, first glancing at the back of his neck, then at his right wrist pressed against the wall.

Then, he placed the thermos next to his feet.

Lin Ye glanced at it.

Even at a time like this, he still subconsciously felt that this thermos was pretty tough.

Master Lai extended two fingers and touched the back of the neck where the eyebrow was broken.

His other hand hovered above the broken eyebrow's right wrist, without touching the skin or the wall.

His face visibly darkened.

A few seconds later, a little blood seeped out of her nose.

Lin Ye's heart tightened.

This old man is really putting in a lot of effort.

Master Lai whispered, "Don't pull."

Xing Shanhe immediately raised his hand.

Everyone stopped.

The broken eyebrow and the drooping forehead continued downwards.

Three fingers.

Two fingers.

One finger.

Master Lai suddenly pressed down on the back of his neck with his finger.

The movements were very gentle.

Duanmei suddenly shuddered, as if someone had choked him.

At the same instant, Master Lai's other hand, which was suspended in mid-air, swept to the side.

It was as if there were some invisible lines in the air that he had abruptly cut off.

The broken eyebrow was finally pressed against the wall with the right hand, which was now free.

He fell backward.

Xing Shanhe grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him away from the wall.

Broken Eyebrow fell onto the stone slab, his chest heaving violently.

He didn't die.

But his face looked much paler.

He was a robust man in his thirties just a moment ago, but now his eyes are sunken and his lips are frighteningly pale.

It felt like a layer of vital energy had been drained away in a few seconds.

Luo Xiaohu's voice trembled as he watched.

"Is he still alive?"

Xing Shanhe bent down and touched the side of the broken eyebrow's neck.

"To live."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

With only half a mouthful left, no one dared to let go.

With a broken eyebrow and open eyes.

His eyes were unfocused, as if he had lost half his soul.

His lips moved, and he made a very low sound.

"Propriety must not be neglected."

Xing Shanhe frowned.

"What?"

Duanmei acted as if he hadn't heard.

His eyes were blankly fixed on the top of the passageway, and he kept repeating the same words to himself.

"Propriety must not be neglected."

"Propriety must not be neglected."

"Propriety must not be overlooked..."

The sound was very soft.

But inside this passageway, what was more terrifying than screams was the sound of screams.

Luo Xiaohu took half a step back.

"Is he...?"

"Shut up."

Xing Shanhe's voice was deep.

Luo Xiaohu dared not say anything more.

Xing Shanhe had someone attach a spare rope to Duanmei and gave him some water.

A broken eyebrow can be swallowed.

It can also breathe.

It's just that my eyes aren't focused.

It's like the person is still here, but their heart has been left inside the wall.

When Master Lai stood up, his body swayed slightly.

He bent down to pick up the thermos.

Lin Ye instinctively reached out his hand.

Master Lai looked at him.

"What, worried about me?"

Lin Ye remained expressionless.

"I'm afraid you'll fall to the ground and block the way."

Master Lai chuckled.

This smile seemed more forced than usual.

He raised his hand to wipe away the blood from his nose and looked at the jade tablet with its pattern.

"This place is really strange."

Lin Ye looked at Duan Mei.

The man with the broken eyebrow is still reciting.

"Propriety must not be overlooked..."

"Propriety must not be overlooked..."

He felt a chill run down his spine.

In the past, when dead people chatted, he would at most find it noisy.

Now, every word I say seems to carry a chilling aura.

They are not telling stories to living people.

It's a repetition of the rules here.

Hearing of his name did not elicit a response.

The shadow does not precede the movement.

When you are greeted, you should bow.

All rules revolve around one thing.

Sacrificial ceremony.

The name is a sacrificial name.

The shadow is a sacrifice.

Ritual vessels are used in sacrificial rites.

Living people come in, not into a tomb.

They were forced into a pre-arranged sacrificial ceremony.

Xing Shanhe looked at the forest.

"Did you hear that just now?"

Lin Ye was silent for a moment.

"The ritual markings must not be touched."

"besides?"

"Don't take anything from the ceremonial objects you see," Lin Ye said, looking at the jade tablet. "And definitely don't reach out."

Xing Shanhe nodded without asking any further questions.

He now knows that asking too many questions is useless.

Lin Ye will naturally say what he can say.

It's something that can't be said, and you can't force it out of you.

Xiaoman walked to the edge of the woods.

"You were trying to help him up?"

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"Who?"

Xiaoman glanced at Master Lai.

Lin Ye's face stiffened.

"no."

"You reached out your hand."

"Conditioned reflex".

"Don't reflect next time."

Lin Ye sighed.

"I'll try to be more cold-blooded in the future."

Xiaoman said, "I'm not telling you to be cold-blooded, I'm just telling you not to reach out your hands indiscriminately."

That's a very strong statement.

But Lin Ye could tell that she wasn't criticizing him.

It was a reminder to him.

Su Tinglan stood in front of the mural and did not move any closer.

She slowly shone the lamp over the row of kneeling worshippers.

Everyone had their heads down.

Each person held a ritual vessel in their hands.

The human figures of Togui are carved more deeply than those of the others.

Like all the kneeling and worshipping figures in the entire passageway, they all ultimately pointed to those few jade tablets.

She stared for a long time, then lowered her voice.

"They seem to be protecting something."

As these words were spoken, a low tremor suddenly came from deep within the tunnel.

thump.

It wasn't the sound in my ears.

It was like a gentle nudge to the soles of everyone's feet from under the stone slab.

The expression in Duanmei's eyes, which had been relaxed, suddenly shifted.

He stopped saying "etiquette must not be neglected."

He slowly turned his head and looked deeper into the passageway.

Those eyes were frighteningly empty.

A few seconds later, he said softly in a hoarse voice:

"Gui is inside."

Lin Ye suddenly looked up.

In the darkness ahead, all the fixed lights dimmed almost simultaneously.