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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
Huzi: "There have been a few extraordinary individuals who came to our mountain before, each possessing Daoist Arts. They all came for the forbidden area of Futu Ridge, but in the end, they returned empty-handed. One of them was called Old Scholar; I wonder if Mr. Chang has heard of him."
Mr. Chang looked puzzled. "Old Scholar? I haven't heard of him."
At that moment, two members of the Investigation Team shouted from inside the vehicle, "Boss, everything is ready."
Chen Jixian bid us farewell and got into the car, and Mr. Chang also said his goodbyes.
I had intended to persuade them, but it was clear that their entry into the forbidden area was already a done deal; neither Chen Jixian nor Mr. Chang would change their minds.
I glanced at Huzi and got into the car as well. Huzi had no choice but to follow me. When Chen Jixian saw us coming along, a hint of gratitude appeared in his eyes.
Inside the vehicle, Mr. Chang said, "On my way here, I briefly looked over the information regarding Futu Ridge. What puzzles me is why this remote area is called Futu Ridge. The literal meaning of '浮屠' ( Futu Ridge ) is 'Pagoda,' which symbolizes saving a life being more valuable than building seven pagodas. Additionally, '浮屠' also refers to Buddha; ancient people referred to Buddhists as '浮屠.' Was there once a pagoda or temple on this mountain?"
I replied, "I'm not quite sure about that. The name Futu Ridge has been around for a long time; it used to be called Taboo Ridge. There wasn't a Buddhist temple here, but there used to be a Daoist temple."
"Daoist temple?" Mr. Chang asked in confusion.
"Yes, when Old Scholar lived in Futu Ridge, the villagers pooled their resources to build a Daoist temple. It was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and has since become a desolate ruin with nothing much to see," Huzi explained.
Mr. Chang quickly said, "Please take us to see the Daoist temple; I want to observe the terrain. The back mountain of Futu Ridge is a forbidden area, and if that Old Scholar truly had skills, he must have seen something significant in building the temple there."
The Investigation Team's vehicle followed our directions across the barren land until we reached the winding path at the foot of the mountain where the Daoist temple stood. The six of us got out of the car and began our ascent. Once we reached the top, Huzi and I discovered that the bodies of the two Daoists killed by Li Fugui over a month ago and Huang San's bodyguard had still not been dealt with. Now, those bodies had been reduced to mere skeletons, covered in flies and emitting an unbearable stench.
The expressions on Chen Jixian and Mr. Chang's faces were grim as they looked at me in confusion. I said, "Murders occasionally happen in these mountains. Last month I heard gunshots here; I don't know who it was, but judging by their clothes, it seems like a feud from the city—nothing surprising really. The stench here is unbearable; Mr. Chang should quickly observe the terrain."
Upon hearing this, two team members behind Chen Jixian quietly pulled their hands back from their waists. Mr. Chang let out a sigh of relief and took out a feng shui compass from his bag, muttering incantations for feng shui measurements as he walked according to different directions on the mountain path.
Suddenly, Mr. Chang's expression changed dramatically, as if he had seen something extraordinary. He circled around the dilapidated temple before signaling us to head down the mountain.
Chen Jixian asked, "Mr. Chang, what is the principle behind the feng shui layout here?"
Mr. Chang replied, "This is a blessed spot of Dragon's Embrace Mountain."
"Is this also Dragon's Embrace Mountain?" I asked, puzzled.
Hearing my question, Mr. Chang inquired, "Does Yang Hao know of any other places with the terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain?"
I nodded and said, "The winding mountain road from the county leads to a cliff on the mountain; that cliff also has the terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain. Previously, there was a Feng Shui Master named Huang the Lame from the neighboring village who confirmed it."
"Then let's go take a look," Mr. Chang said.
After we arrived at the cliff above Winding Mountain Road, Mr. Chang used his feng shui compass and walked around according to the measurement principles. He nodded and said, "Indeed, this is the terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain, but compared to the previous temple location, this place has much stronger Yin Qi."
Huzi remarked, "The wasteland below the cliff is the old ancestral grave of Futu Ridge; later, when the county built a road, they leveled the old grave."
"That explains it. It's a pity for this treasure ground of Dragon's Embrace Mountain. If it were ancient times, discovering such terrain would have led to executions in surrounding villages. The terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain is essentially that of Dragon Veins, gathering dragon energy meant for emperors who rebelled," Mr. Chang explained.
Huzi responded, "What era are we in? There are no emperors anymore."
Mr. Chang continued, "That's true, but this terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain is said to be rare for centuries; beneath it flows the river-like Dragon Vein. It's hard to find even one such spot, let alone two pieces of Dragon's Embrace Mountain terrain at once."
Mr. Chang's expression suddenly grew more troubled. Chen Jixian asked, "Mr. Chang, is there something wrong?"
Mr. Chang said, "The terrain of Dragon's Embrace Mountain should be filled with clouds and mist; it shouldn't be so dense with Yin Qi. Even if Futu Ridge's old ancestral grave were buried here, it shouldn't cause such significant Yin Qi that affects the environment—it's much colder here than in other places."
I said, "To be honest, Mr. Chang, there is a cave below the cliff. Inside the cave, there used to be a Big Red Coffin, which is inscribed with Yinwen, marking it as the Underworld Entrance. We must not open the coffin."
Mr. Chang looked surprised and asked, "Is there someone in the mountains who knows about Yinwen?"
I nodded and replied, "His name is Guo the Blind. He is quite eccentric and difficult to deal with. The person buried in the Big Red Coffin is also unusual. In short, the relationships involved are complex and hard to explain, and there are many things we do not understand or know clearly."
After hesitating for a moment, Mr. Chang said, "I'll go down and take a look."
"Do you have any protective treasures on you, like a jade pendant from a Taoist master or a Talisman?" I asked.
Mr. Chang replied, "I don’t have any of those. Such treasures are not easily obtained; one needs sufficient fortune."
"Then I'll go down with you," I said.
Understanding that there might be something strange below, Mr. Chang didn’t ask who I was or whether I could protect him. After he nodded in agreement, Chen Jixian instructed his subordinates to take climbing gear from the equipment box to lower us down, and he slid down with us.
When we reached the entrance of the cave halfway down the cliff, I was startled myself because the dark cave felt as cold as facing an open refrigerator in summer.
Mr. Chang was no less afraid; he took a deep breath and was about to step inside when Chen Jixian stopped him. He pulled out a dagger from his gear and cleared away the newly grown vines at the entrance before stepping in first.
With sunlight streaming through the gaps in the vines, we could roughly see inside the cave. I reminded Chen Jixian that there was a marshy pool in the central area of the cave. When Chen Jixian turned on his flashlight and shone it inside, he discovered that there was indeed something unusual.
However, what lay in the middle of the cave was not a marshy pool but a pit—a bottomless pit.
Our voices echoed within the cave as Chen Jixian directed his flashlight toward the pit; its beam could not reach the bottom at all.
I looked around inside the cave; aside from the marshy area having transformed into a pit, everything else remained unchanged. Suddenly, I recalled Guo the Blind’s translation of Yinwen inscribed on the Big Red Coffin.
Underworld Entrance, do not open the coffin.
Could this really be the entrance to the Underworld?
Otherwise, why would the legendary Old Scholar seal an innocent woman in a coffin and place it over this opening?
"Is there ice buried underground? Why is it so cold?" Chen Jixian remarked.
We couldn't figure it out either. Mr. Chang wandered around the cave for a while, feeling the damp earth inside. Suddenly, he sneezed.
A loud echo reverberated from the bottom of the cave, startling me.
Mr. Chang sensed something unusual beneath his feet. He bent down to pick up something from the ground and said, "What animal's fur is this?"
It suddenly occurred to me that Big Black Cat used to live in this cave. Having lived for over seventy years, it must have shed its fur countless times, so it wasn't surprising that Mr. Chang found a large clump of it.
However, when he walked to the cave entrance, we were all taken aback; what he held was just a single strand of fur that looked like a tail spine from some large creature.
"This fur resembles feathers but lacks quills. It looks like a tail spine from some creature, yet it's much softer. Are there any large animals left in these mountains?" Mr. Chang asked.
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