Without the illumination provided by the fluorescent forest, my vision suddenly became pitch black after entering the cave below.
The reason I waited half an hour before coming down was because I was certain that the people from Ping'an Village wouldn't waste their time on us and would definitely go back to chase after Duan Jinyan and the others.
Although we can be sure that the people from Ping'an Village won't be lying in wait for us below, they might still leave behind some booby traps or other obstacles.
To avoid accidentally triggering a trap, I turned on my headlamp during the descent.
The soil beneath the fluorescent forest is unique; it is not only hard but also full of gaps, much like a large sponge.
After I turned on the flashlight, I found obvious digging marks in the cave next to me. The marks were very rough, and the cave walls were pitted and uneven, as if they had been carved out bit by bit with stone.
Moreover, the passage is not vertical, but slopes downwards.
The monkey followed me down into the cave and was the second to do so. It spoke from above, saying, "Young Master Duan, this cave is a bit strange. It wasn't dug down, but rather dug up!"
I looked at the pitted marks on the cave wall and paused for a moment: "How did you figure that out?"
"Different points of focus."
As the monkey descended, it replied, "Look closely at the marks on this cave. The digging marks are shallow at the top and deep at the bottom. When people work, their strength gradually diminishes, and they become less and less capable as they dig. That's why the digging marks become shallower as you go higher up. Also, this cave is crudely made and doesn't look like a dedicated passage."
“That’s natural. On our way here, we saw stone carvings along the way. Although they were crudely made, their craftsmanship was definitely not this backward. So this cave is not in line with the craftsmanship of the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace.”
I continued moving downwards: "What I'm curious about isn't why there's a cave here, but how Duan Jinyan knew this location and carried out the blasting."
The monkey, naturally unable to answer my question, followed me and began to move downwards.
Just as the monkey said, the tunnel was dug without any skill, simply sloping downwards with almost no gentle steps.
After crawling down about twenty meters, I was nearing the end of the passage.
Shining a flashlight over, you can see that the ground is less than half a meter below this cave.
I crawled out of the cave, first squatting on the ground, and then lying down.
We are currently in a horizontal fissure between mountains. The area is not very large, and it is even narrower in the distance.
At the top of the fissure was a large expanse of bluestone, with only a small patch above our heads consisting of a layer of sponge soil. Scattered around the top were fragments of sponge soil and sharp stones.
The monkey picked up a stone, examined it, and gestured to me: "It looks like this passage above us was carved out of stone. Do you think it might have been an escape route left by the slaves who built the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace?"
“We’ve got the same idea. Judging from the location of this crack, this cave does indeed look like an escape route. Such passages are usually concealed. Perhaps because of its age, the entrance has been sealed off, which is why Duan Jinyan and his team chose to use explosives.”
I saw a handprint on the mound of earth next to me, and shone my flashlight on the mark ahead: "Both groups of people came from here, let's follow them!"
The crevice beneath this cave is only half a meter high at its highest point, and only about thirty centimeters wide at its narrowest. It was somewhat manageable for us to crawl through, but for Manjing, it became extremely inconvenient, and he couldn't climb out no matter what.
The narrow passage ahead was like a checkpoint, trapping us here. Once we passed through this exit, the space ahead became spacious.
Manjing tried it out at the checkpoint and said to me, "Brother, this place is too narrow. Don't worry about me, just keep going!"
"Nonsense! We didn't come here to die. The situation ahead is still unclear. I absolutely cannot leave you here!"
I observed the terrain blocking the well. It wasn't that the entire mountain had sunk, but rather that there were many protruding rocks, like growths. "If we can find a way to straighten out these protruding rocks, you might be able to get through."
The monkey reminded him, "Young Master Duan, didn't you just get the explosives left behind by those people from Ping'an Village up there?"
"No, the space here is too cramped. If we blast these rocks, we'll be in even more trouble."
I waved my hand: "This can only be repaired manually. Do you still have your tools?"
"I'm here!"
The monkey opened his backpack, pulled out a Luoyang shovel, and began smashing the rocks on the ground: "These rocks are too hard; it will probably take an hour or two to deal with them."
I thought for a moment and said to the monkey, "Okay, let's split into two groups. I'll go ahead and check the situation first. You guys stay here and rest."
"I'll go with you."
Hearing what I said, Jiang Man moved forward a short distance: "We've already passed two gates and are only one step away from the Miao Jiang Immortal Palace. We don't know what risks lie ahead, so having someone with us is good for our safety."
Manjing chimed in, "Brother, you all go together! Leave the tools with me, I'll clear a path myself, and I'll join you after we're out of this predicament!"
"No, if we encounter any danger ahead, we can turn back. I'm more worried about you staying behind."
I waved my hand: "I'm only going to the front to scout, I won't fight them. I'll come back to help after I've confirmed the situation there!"
Jiang Man said, "Then it's settled. I'll go with you!"
"good!"
I knew that the matter at Manjing would take time to resolve, and I didn't want the team to stagnate, so I led Jiang Man ahead to climb forward.
We continued climbing for a while, and suddenly a downhill slope appeared below, ending at a cliff.
Jiang Man shone her flashlight on the stalagmite next to her: "There are signs of wear here. The people here before must have used a rope to go down from here."
I lay on the cliff edge and shone my flashlight down. I discovered a cave at the bottom of the cliff. We tied the rope we were carrying to a stalagmite and slid down the cliff.
The cliff is only four or five meters high, and the area below is about six square meters. Apart from the scattered rocks, there is only the cave.
After Jiang Man landed, she picked up a palm-sized black stick and handed it to me: "Duan Shenxing, look at this."
"The bronze artifact, judging from its shape, should be a wedge."
I touched the cave beneath my feet: "This cave was dug out by man. I am now certain that this simple passage was the escape route left by the craftsmen who built the Miao Jiang Fairy Palace."
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