The others looked at each other, some sighing, some whispering amongst themselves, a sense of unease spreading through the crowd. The platoon leader circled the stone wall several times, shouting as he went, "Don't just stand there, look for any mechanisms. Such a large stone wall couldn't have been blocking the way for no reason."
So the group dispersed and began to feel their way along the rock face. Some tapped and knocked on the rock face, trying to hear where there were any hollows; others searched for suspicious cracks or protrusions at the bottom and around the rock face.
Yun Ba took out several talismans from his pocket, chanted some incantations, and tossed them into the air. The talismans burst into flames and floated towards the stone wall. He wanted to see if he could find a clue to a breakthrough through magic. Several strong warriors discussed whether they should work together to push the stone wall, thinking they might be able to move it. They walked to the edge of the stone wall, assumed a horse stance, and prepared to exert their strength.
Just as everyone was busy at work, a soldier suddenly shouted, "Platoon leader, there's a bump here, it doesn't look right!" The platoon leader hurried over and saw a faint ring of lines around the bumped rock. Yun Ba also came over, gently pressed his hand on the rock, and with a "boom," the stone wall slowly moved, revealing a narrow passage. Everyone cheered, and the platoon leader waved his hand: "Let's go!" Everyone hurried towards the passage.
They walked for about a hundred meters, and suddenly the space opened up before them, leading them into a huge cave. The cave ceiling was a hundred meters high, and it seemed as if there were twinkling stars on it; it turned out to be many fireflies floating there.
After advancing another hundred meters, the platoon leader shouted, "Stop!" A huge, bottomless pit appeared ahead, emanating a chilling, howling wind that sounded like weeping. The platoon leader said, "There's no way forward. We need to go down and see what's in this pit. I'll take a few brothers down to check first."
So everyone quickly took out ropes and joined them together; the rope was about a hundred meters long. A short while later, the platoon leader and five men slid down the rope. Soon after, the platoon leader's voice was heard: "It's so cold in there!" However, a few minutes later, there was no more sound. Everyone pulled hard on the rope, only to find it empty; the platoon leader and his men had vanished.
About an hour later, Yun Ba glanced at the remaining dozen or so men and said loudly, "Brothers, let's get ready and go down to check. Leave one of the weaker brothers here to guard the pack, food, and water." Everyone responded in unison, "Alright!"
Before long, Yun Ba led the dozen or so people down the rope, slowly sliding down into the large underground hole. They had only slid about forty or fifty meters when a cold, biting wind swept over them, cutting like knives and causing excruciating pain. Two people let out a scream and plummeted straight down, motionless.
The remaining people couldn't help but shout, "Oh my, it's so cold! My hands that are holding the rope are almost frozen and I can't feel them anymore!" Yun Ba shouted at the top of his lungs, "Let's not stay in this windy spot, let's keep sliding down."
They slid down several dozen meters more when suddenly a cloud of black mist enveloped them. This completely bewildered everyone; there was nowhere to hide! In just a few breaths, seven or eight people fell like dumplings being dropped into a pot, screaming in agony. Yun Ba was terrified, thinking that the black mist must be poisonous; a few breaths would make anyone dizzy. He quickly pulled out a medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out several antidote pills, and gave one to each of the remaining people, telling them to put it in their mouths immediately.
Yun Ba led the remaining few people, slowly sliding to the bottom of the cave. He shakily took out a tinderbox, blew it on with a "poof," and the dim light flickered in the cave. This startled everyone; the scene was something they never wanted to remember.
Good heavens, the bottom of this cave is full of bones! Piles upon piles, like small mountains—how many people must there be? Thousands upon thousands! Many bones have already weathered into dust; they look like they've been there for a hundred years. Yun Ba steadied himself, took a few breaths, and said, "We're really in deep trouble this time. It's a miracle we're even alive. Want to go back? No way. With our current strength, we can't even get past that layer of poisonous gas." The remaining people sighed, one of them almost crying, "Master, what do we do? We'll all listen to you." Yun Ba gritted his teeth, "There's no other way but to keep going and see if we can find a way out." The others responded, supporting each other, walking unsteadily along the stone wall, following Yun Ba forward. With each step, the bones beneath their feet made a creaking sound, echoing in the cave, sending chills down their spines.
After walking for about ten minutes, everyone was cold and hungry, feeling like they couldn't go on. Yun Ba shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hang in there a little longer! Let's find a place to sit and rest for a bit." A moment later, Yun Ba's eyes lit up; ahead lay dozens of thick iron chains. It turned out to be a bridge, but the wooden planks were long gone, blown away by the wind. Yun Ba plopped down and said, "Let's drink some water, rest, and then climb across these chains. Maybe there'll be a glimmer of hope on the other side of the Bone Pit."
The group rested for a short while, then gripped the thick iron chain tightly and began to climb toward the other side. Beneath the chain, a chilling wind howled, carrying with it eerie cries and howls—it was terrifying, enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Yun Ba yelled at the top of his lungs, "Don't stop! Don't let that noise from down below distract you!" Before he could even finish his sentence, he saw four people screaming as they fell down. Yun Ba was terrified and quickly shouted to the remaining three, "Hurry up and climb, or we'll all be sucked down!" Hearing this, the three of them frantically sped up. The chain was a hundred meters long, and they had barely managed to climb halfway up.
When the four of them finally managed to climb to the other side after much effort, the other three were exhausted and said, "We can't go on anymore, we have no strength left. We need to find a place to sit down and eat something." Yun Ba said, "Okay, you go first and find a place to rest. I'll stay behind and keep watch." The three of them then helped each other and continued on their way.
Less than two minutes later, Yun Ba heard a loud shout, followed by several screams. Yun Ba's heart skipped a beat, and he ran over as fast as he could. What he saw was astonishing! The three men were covered in water rats, swarming around them, each one as large as a wildcat. The three men didn't even have the strength to swing their daggers; in the blink of an eye, they were pounced on by the water rats and devoured completely in no time.
Seeing this, Yun Ba turned and ran. He'd barely reached the iron chain bridge when a large swarm of water rats came chasing after him. Seeing Yun Ba as a live prey, they were determined to get him. Yun Ba quickly took out insect repellent and sprinkled it on the water rats. The rats squawked and trampled each other, dozens falling into the deep valley in an instant. Yun Ba brandished his dagger, killing more than a dozen large water rats, but he himself was scratched several times.
Yun Ba knew in his heart that he probably couldn't escape this time. He no longer had the strength to go back to the other side of the bridge, and he still had several wounds on his body. He grabbed the iron chain and moved forward for more than ten meters. He watched as more than a dozen large water rats slowly approached along the iron chain bridge. He closed his eyes and slowly let go of the chain. Like a leaf, he floated down.
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