Chapter 193 Cave
In less than half an hour, the three of them had made a general tour of the cemetery, mainly because one could see the entire area at a glance.
There is nothing else except the tombs.
There is no other way to go except the path that leads up.
Since one cannot "pass by" here and there is no place for people to stay, how could Mao Ya meet "Auntie Feng" here?
Qin Yi looked at the area again and pointed at the broken wall.
"Let's go over there again?"
Only when I got closer did I realize that this piece of broken wall was very high. It looked like it was caused by a landslide several years ago.
There are some neatly built tombs near the mountain wall, and some have foundations made of bluestone slabs. They are probably the respected people in the village. The ashes of paper burned in front of the tombs are obviously more than those of other tombs.
Walking forward along the broken wall, Lin Li, who was walking in front, suddenly said "Huh?" and then pointed to the ground and said:
"There is no grave here, why are there so many incense ashes?"
He made way, and sure enough, there was a clay pot placed on the open space in front, and the pot was filled with incense sticks. Not only was the pot full, but the ground next to it was also filled with incense sticks. There were also quite a few ashes from burning paper money, much more than those in front of other graves.
Qin Yi took only one look and then turned his gaze to the mountain wall facing the clay pot. There were many dead vines growing on the mountain wall. They should have been densely covering the mountain wall, but the stems and leaves had all withered in winter, revealing many brown stone walls.
A few people followed Qin Yi's gaze and looked more closely, and they saw that there was a faint hole behind the dead vine.
It’s not big, it’s located at a high position, and it looks a bit eerie.
Su Tong took a look and felt a little uneasy.
Qin Yi and Lin Li stepped forward and quickly cleared the dead vines aside, and a neat cave entrance appeared on the mountain wall.
However, most of the lower part of the cave entrance was buried in the soil. It was not known whether it was caused by human beings or natural disasters. Only a small opening at the top was left, which was pitch black.
Qin Yi pulled out a flashlight from his waist, climbed a few steps up the dirt pile, shone it carefully inside the cave, and turned back to say:
"The cave is not big. You wait outside. I'll go in and take a look."
Lin Li stepped forward and said, "Boss, let me go in too!"
"No need! I'll go check it out and come back."
After Qin Yi finished speaking, he climbed up the mound, bent down and crawled in.
Lin Li also climbed up a few steps and lay down at the entrance of the cave to look inside.
At first, I listened to his real-time broadcast:
"Ah! This hole is not very big. You can see the bottom at a glance. There seems to be a clay sculpture and an altar with many tablets on it..."
Then, there was no sound.
"What's wrong?" Su Tong looked up and asked.
"I can't see clearly! It's too dark inside, and the boss's flashlight is going to the side."
The two waited for another six or seven minutes before they heard Qin Yi's voice, deep and serious:
"You two should come in and take a look."
Su Tong and Lin Li looked at each other, and their hearts sank suddenly.
Without saying much, they climbed up the mound one after another and went into the cave.
This is a natural cave. The cave is not very deep. Opposite the cave entrance is an altar with a clay sculpture on it. The face is a little blurry and it is impossible to tell which deity it is just by the appearance. One can only tell that it is an old man, perhaps an ancestor.
There are some tablets of different sizes on the altar, which appear to be the ancestors of several major surnames in the village. In front of the altar is a huge earthenware jar filled with incense ash and unburned incense.
It is estimated that before the cave collapsed, villagers would worship their ancestors here all year round.
It was obvious that Qin Yi didn't want them to see these. He walked to a cliff on the side of the cave and shone the flashlight on one spot.
Su Tong looked closely and saw that it was an iron ring nailed firmly to the mountain wall, with half of the broken chain still remaining on the iron ring.
The cave was damp and the iron chain was rusty.
Su Tong didn't understand Qin Yi's intention for a moment. Looking at this iron ring and chain...
Then, her heart suddenly shrank and a feeling of palpitations spread throughout her body.
She turned her head sharply towards Qin Yi, "You mean...they..."
Qin Yi's face was solemn, his eyes seemed to be filled with ice, and his voice was low and clear:
"If Mao Ya and Hu Zi really saw Auntie Feng in the uninhabited back hills two years ago, then it could only be here. There is only this one possibility, because she is being controlled here."
Qin Yi took the flashlight and shone it on the sparse weeds and a few vines on the soil at the entrance of the cave. "Two years ago, this cave entrance should not have been blocked."
Su Tong only felt a chill running up his spine, which then quickly spread throughout his body.
If "Auntie Feng" is really Yu Fengzhi, what happened to her?! She had imagined the worst possible scenario, but just by looking at the remaining iron chain, she felt that the truth might be even more cruel...
How evil can human nature be?!
Qin Yi stretched out his hand and held Su Tong's shoulder, tightening it, and whispered:
"Let's find the answer first. If the two comrades were really murdered, we must make the truth known and not let them die in vain."
Su Tong nodded slowly. Now was indeed not the time to be sad. She adjusted her breathing and calmed herself down.
Lin Li had already walked around the cave, but the light was too dim and he couldn't find anything.
He turned back and asked, "Boss, are there any other clues in this cave?"
Qin Yi shook his head. The cave was really not big. It had been two years since the incident, so the walls had been severely weathered and a thick layer of dust had accumulated on the ground. Even if something was left behind at that time, it would have been covered up by time.
The few of them searched the cave again and again, and finally checked the altar and tablets carefully, but found no useful information.
The iron ring and the remaining iron chain were like a pair of invisible hands, tearing at my heart and causing me to feel pain, depression and discomfort.
But this discovery alone cannot prove anything and is still just a guess.
Apart from this cave with its entrance buried, there was no other gain in the back mountain. The few people walked towards the village with heavy hearts.
What Mao Ya said is very likely to be true.
She and Hu Zi might have really seen "Auntie Feng" in the back mountain, the "Auntie Feng" trapped by iron chains - but there was still no way to prove that "Auntie Feng" was Yu Fengzhi.
Su Tong thought about Mao Ya's words.
"Yes! Brother Huzi and I exchanged the candy with Aunt Feng."
"What did you exchange it for?"
"Empty bottle."
"Where did you change it?"
"Back mountain."
Empty bottle?!
If Auntie Feng was chained in that cave, why would she exchange candy for an empty bottle? What did she want the empty bottle for?
I can’t think of it…
She put herself in the shoes of the man, wondering if she was locked in that cave, helpless and desperate, what could an empty bottle do...
Suddenly, she stopped.
An incredible thought flashed through my mind.
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