The old Taoist priest, waiting for news from the edge of the pit, felt a growing sense of unease. Dozens of men had gone down, and there had been no sign of them. Another day was drawing to a close. The old priest approached Company Commander Li and said, "Why don't we all go down again tomorrow to investigate? It's not good to have no one, dead or alive." Company Commander Li replied, "Sure, Master, we'll all go down tomorrow. We'll leave a few brothers to watch the vehicles and supplies."
The next morning, Lao Dao and Company Commander Li gathered at the edge of the pit and counted their numbers. Company Commander Li said, "All seventy-eight of us are going down this time, including our Uyghur guide, Bakam. The five cooks will stay up to guard the vehicles and supplies. Two Uyghur men from Maimaiti's camel caravan will also go down." Lao Dao said to Yun Ba beside him, "Lao Ba, you stay up there and guard the supplies. If I don't come back this time, you should return to Dihua by yourself and find a vehicle to return to Sichuan Province when the time is right." Yun Ba nodded in agreement, tears welling in his eyes.
After everyone was ready, they began to descend into the pit one by one. The pit was pitch black, and as they went down, they felt a chill creeping up their bodies. The old Taoist priest led the way, holding a peach wood sword and chanting incantations. Company Commander Li and his soldiers followed behind, each holding a gun and looking tense.
Upon reaching the bottom of the pit, a strange smell permeated the air, a mixture of rottenness and the stench of burning spices. The old Taoist priest, shining a flashlight, surveyed the area. The pit was quite large, with numerous side passages.
"Company Commander Li, we need to be careful, this place is very eerie," the old Taoist priest said in a low voice. "Don't worry, Master, our brothers are no pushovers either," Company Commander Li replied.
They walked along a relatively wide stream, the path uneven and full of potholes, with the occasional dripping sound of water, yet there was no water to be seen. As they walked, a deep roar suddenly came from ahead, like the howl of some huge beast. The soldiers immediately gripped their guns, and the old Taoist priest also tightened his grip on his peach wood sword, ready for battle.
"Don't panic, everyone. Let's see what it is first," Company Commander Li shouted in a low voice.
The group moved forward slowly when suddenly, a huge black shadow rushed out from a side passage at incredible speed, instantly knocking down the soldier on the far side. The soldiers nearby reacted quickly, firing a burst of fire at the shadow. The shadow, in pain, retreated back into the side passage.
"What is it? Can you see it clearly?" the old Taoist priest asked.
"It was too fast, I couldn't see it clearly, it seemed to be covered in hair and very big," a soldier replied.
Company Commander Li frowned. "Keep moving forward, and stay alert."
But they hadn't gone far when something strange happened again; they found themselves back in the same place, as if they were going in circles. The old Taoist frowned, thinking that they had probably encountered a ghost wall and needed to find a way to break the deadlock.
"Company Commander Li, we need to find a way to break through this illusion, or we'll be trapped here to die," the old Taoist priest said.
"Taoist Master, do you have any ideas?" Company Commander Li asked the old Taoist. The old Taoist looked around, took out some cinnabar from his bag, and began drawing talismans on the ground while chanting incantations, hoping to find a way out. Just then, strange symbols began to appear on the surrounding walls, faintly glowing, as if foreshadowing some impending danger.
The old Taoist priest, trembling, took the silver hairpin from his robes, a resolute glint in his eyes. He gripped the hairpin tightly, muttering incantations, his feet moving erratically and hurriedly along the dark riverbank. As he walked, he sensed a large boulder behind which lay a burlap sack. The group rushed over, hastily opening the sack, and gasped at what they saw. Inside were several skeletons, stark white, a truly horrifying sight. The old Taoist's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on one of the skeletons—it was his beloved disciple, Yun Qi. The old Taoist swayed, tears welling in his eyes, his lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time. His overwhelming sorrow, like the river itself, surged forth uncontrollably.
The old Taoist priest suppressed his grief and turned to Company Commander Li, saying, "The seven who came down first are gone. Let's continue, following the stream. The rest of you, continue along the riverbank, torches burning and flashlights casting their beams." The old priest activated his senses, detecting Yun Qi's presence, and quickly told Company Commander Li, "Let's follow Yun Qi and the platoon leader's tracks and see if we find anything."
After traveling several miles, the group came to a huge stone wall blocking their path. The road ended there, and the river disappeared. But the old Taoist knew that the underground river must have flowed into a secret passage.
The old Taoist priest activated his senses and softly chanted Taoist scriptures. Soon, he located the mechanism in the hidden cave and pressed down hard on a protruding rock. With a rumbling sound, the cave opened. The old Taoist priest bent down and entered the cave, quickly sensing Yun Ba's presence. He hurriedly said to Company Commander Li, "He's right here." He then walked forward, and the others quickly followed.
They walked several hundred meters through the cave, then followed the stone wall for several miles, until they reached the edge of a huge pit. Beside the pit lay a skeleton, and the scattered military uniform clearly belonged to one of Company Commander Li's men. The old Taoist's heart sank; he secretly thought Yun Ba was likely in grave danger. The group gathered around the pit. The two ropes hanging above it swayed precariously when pulled, their ends empty. Company Commander Li, his expression grave, called out, "Get ready! Reposition the ropes; we must continue our reconnaissance."
Half an hour passed quickly, and more than ten people slowly descended along the ropes. Before long, a trembling cry came from below: "Company Commander, it's bitterly cold down here, we can't hold on much longer!" Company Commander Li frowned and shouted to the remaining men: "It's very cold down there, wear more clothes, and protect your hands and ears." The men quickly put on a piece of clothing or wrapped themselves in a piece of burlap.
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