The carvings on the opposite bank of the river appear lifelike from the other side, but upon closer inspection, obvious traces of excavation can be seen. They are not particularly exquisite, let alone comparable to those from the Ming and Qing dynasties. They would even surpass the carvings from the Qin and Han dynasties by a wide margin.
But it makes sense, considering the mysterious construction date of the Miao Jiang Fairy Palace. It's quite incredible that people in ancient times could carve giant stones into their current form.
Song Laosan was the second to climb down the rope. He also scoffed at the craftsmanship of these stone carvings: "When we were on the other side, I was wondering why these stone carvings were so ugly. Now it seems that, considering the difficulty of the excavation when this place was built, it must have taken a lot of people to die to carve the rocks into shape. It's already pretty good that they can make them look like they have noses and eyes."
"No, although these sculptures are crudely made, all the faces of the statues are very similar, which means that the faces of these statues were not carved randomly, but represent a certain... perhaps you could say aesthetic."
I couldn't immediately determine the meaning of these statues, so I could only check the surrounding area along the protruding cliff in front of them for any traps.
After walking seven or eight meters, I shone my flashlight up and suddenly noticed a walnut-sized dent on the statue next to me, along with some pebbles on the ground. It was clearly caused by the grappling hook of a rope gun.
When Song Laosan saw where my flashlight was shining, he looked up and said, "There's no one else in this cave. It must be the traces left when Duan Jinyan and his men fired their rope guns. It seems we're on the right track!"
I shone my flashlight around again and soon found a barely noticeable fishing line on the ground, about ankle height.
"Xiao Duan, step back!"
When Song Laosan saw the fishing line, he pushed me behind him, turned on his headlamp, and squatted down.
Looking at Song Laosan's retreating figure, I asked, "Is this a booby trap they set up?"
"Of course! Otherwise, where would fishing lines have come from thousands of years ago? Duan Jinyan and the others are too cautious!"
Song Laosan lay on the ground, searching along the line for a long time, and then took out a grenade from a crevice in the rocks: "The safety ring has been removed, and the fishing line is tied to the tail of the grenade. Once this kind of booby trap is triggered, it will explode one hundred percent. If we hadn't checked carefully, there would have been problems!"
I pointed to the grenade in Song Laosan's hand: "Could you dispose of this grenade and prevent it from exploding? The adult jade worms haven't appeared yet, and we don't know how far Duan Jinyan and the others have gone. If this thing explodes, it will be very disadvantageous for us."
Song Laosan took a deep breath: "Okay, you come here, use a rope to tie up its U-shaped bolt, then you guys go first, I'll stay and handle it!"
At this moment, Wei Shengnan walked over from behind and said, "Hey, what are you two whispering about over there?"
"Duan Jinyan and his men have set up a trap here. Xiao Duan and I are dealing with it."
Old Song gripped the grenade tightly and gestured with his chin towards the front: "You guys go ahead, the two of us will stay here to handle this. Be careful when you walk, watch out for the pebbles and fishing lines under your feet, and don't fall into a trap!"
Jiang Man glanced at the grenade Song Laosan was holding, then patted my shoulder: "You go first. I've handled standard weapons abroad, so I'll stay and help!"
"Nonsense, Qu Ruili and the others are all here right now. If I let a little girl like you stay, they'd look down on me to death, wouldn't they?"
I smiled at Jiang Man and said, "Don't worry, Song Laosan was a soldier and he's very professional at handling these kinds of things. I won't risk my life."
"Being too proud is a recipe for suffering!"
Jiang Man rolled her eyes at me, then looked at Song Laosan seriously: "Hey, keep your hand steady!"
"Don't worry, you're worried about him dying, but I'm more afraid of getting blown up!"
Old Song grinned, and after Jiang Man had walked a distance, he began to instruct me to tie the U-shaped bolt along the pattern of the grenade. At the same time, he asked me, "Xiao Duan, I've noticed that the girl from the Jiang family has unusual feelings for you! There's a story in the way she looks at you!"
I carefully wrapped the grenade around my wrist and replied without thinking, "What do you think you, a thirty-something-year-old bachelor, could possibly understand?"
"Although I'm over thirty and unmarried, it doesn't mean I haven't had any romantic experiences! If I've lived this long and can't even understand a young girl's thoughts, then what's the point of living?"
Old Song smiled and said, "Little Duan, to be honest, I think you can give it a try with the Jiang family girl! Once we resolve Duan Jinyan's matter today, the feud between the four families will be over. Even without hatred, people still have to live, right? The Jiang family is a suitable choice for you. Whether you decide to stay in this circle or not, they can provide you with a livelihood and ensure that your former enemies won't retaliate after Duan Jinyan is gone."
When I heard Song Laosan say that, I paused for a moment, but quickly resumed my work: "What are your thoughts on Duan Jinyan's matter today?"
Song Laosan chuckled, "What do you mean, what do I think? I didn't think anything! I have no grudge against Duan Jinyan, it's not my place to think about such things!"
"You know what I'm talking about, don't play dumb!"
I gave a disdainful smile: "After we catch Duan Jinyan, Qu Ruilin and I will definitely fall out. You know that perfectly well."
Song Laosan licked his lips and remained silent.
“I know you’re on their side now. I’m not asking you to do anything for me. I just hope you won’t get involved when we fall out.”
I took a deep breath and looked at Song Laosan seriously: "What I fear is not an enemy like you, but that the last bit of friendship between us will be completely destroyed because of this incident, and we will become like strangers!"
When Song Laosan saw me staring at him, his gaze shifted slightly, and his lips moved, but in the end he didn't say anything.
I tied a knot in the rope in my hand and said in a calm tone, "I know you're in a difficult position about this. My words are just a suggestion. The final decision is yours."
Song Laosan nodded: "You go first. Although the safety pin of this grenade has been secured, it is still dangerous. I will stay here to deal with it."
Be careful!
I knew that grenades were detonated with a delay, so even if something went wrong, Song Laosan would have enough time to throw it away. Therefore, I didn't disturb him and got up to back away.
I took a few steps when Lin Que came running back from the front, panting, and said, "Big brother, you'd better go and take a look, there are corpses everywhere ahead!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com