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墨書 Inktalez
I didn't respond, as the rain continued to pour down, showing no signs of stopping. The dark clouds hung heavily in the sky, and suddenly, a low rumble of thunder echoed, sounding like a pot about to boil over, shaking my eardrums.
At that moment, Xiao Hui walked in from outside, brushing past me. I didn't notice anything unusual about her.
Thus, my earlier suspicions about her eased somewhat.
Xiao Hui whispered a few words to Shovel, who then hurriedly ran out.
Seeing something was off, Fat Ma followed right after.
I turned to glance at Xiao Hui; she looked back at me and expressionlessly said, "You should go take a look too!"
Something must have happened. Without hesitation, I followed the mud man ahead of me.
The mountain path was particularly difficult to navigate due to the continuous rain. Mud kept sticking to the soles of my shoes, and the trees in the forest were bowed down by the heavy downpour.
The roar of the river grew louder, and I knew we were nearing its edge.
Raindrops fell on my raincoat, creating a sound that dulled my perception of the outside world. Aside from the rushing river, most sounds were muffled.
After walking down a stretch of slope, I could see the river surging restlessly through the gaps between the trees.
"It's already several times wider than its original channel," the mud man said as I approached.
"This is a tributary of the Yangtze River," he continued.
Fat Ma also came closer, looking puzzled. The mud man added, "You might not understand this part, but you've all heard of Dujiangyan, right?"
I nodded. The ancient and renowned Dujiangyan irrigation system was constructed under the supervision of Li Bing and his son. However, there were rumors that Li Bing had no son; historical records suggested that a fictional son was created to spare Li Bing from the disgrace of being labeled as "unfilial for having no descendants."
Dujiangyan had a history spanning thousands of years, yet it still served its purpose in water management.
Having mentioned Dujiangyan, I could almost confirm which river this was. "This is the Min River, right?" I said. The Mud Man nodded.
Fat Ma listened to our conversation and finally understood what we were talking about.
More and more people gathered by the riverside when suddenly someone shouted, "Look, there's a wooden plank!"
We followed the sound and looked at the water's surface, which was cluttered with debris—broken trees swept away by the current, various pieces of trash, and even animal carcasses.
A wooden plank was not surprising, I thought to myself.
However, Fat Ma and the Mud Man had already rushed forward. Those who often worked in the fields could tell at a glance that it was a coffin board.
"It has been scattered," Fat Ma whispered.
The Mud Man nodded.
At that moment, Shovel walked over to me and said, "The water level is too high."
I didn't respond, and he didn't elaborate further. We continued to gaze at the turbulent waters, which splashed onto my shoes.
Just then, Fat Ma ran back to me and said, "Old Sun, come take a look."
I followed Fat Ma's lead and walked a few steps upstream.
"Fat Ma" pointed to a wooden plank floating in the middle of the river and whispered, "The Tomb might have been washed away. If water gets inside, it will all be over."
After hearing "Fat Ma's" words, I was somewhat shocked. "Could it be…"
The Mud Man chimed in, "If the fat guy's deduction is correct, then the Tomb should be hidden at the bottom of the river."
With that confirmation, I couldn't help but glance at the turbulent waters, my heart mirroring the waves on the surface.
Raindrops fell onto the river, blooming into flowers before disappearing.
There was nothing more we could do. After a while, with no more valuable discoveries in sight, the crowd began to disperse.
Slowly, only "Fat Ma," the Mud Man, and I remained, along with "Shovel." "Xiao Hui" took one last look before turning to leave.
And 'the gentleman' had never appeared at all.
The rain grew heavier, droplets streaming down from my hat brim onto my face. I wiped away the rainwater repeatedly, but after a while with no discoveries, the three of us decided it was time to go.
As we were leaving, I called out to "Shovel."
But he refused, saying, "The gentleman told me to stay here and keep watch. I can't leave."
I was momentarily speechless. We had no choice but to leave first. Back in the tent, we took off our raincoats and dried ourselves off.
"Fat Ma" shook his head and said, "As long as the river doesn't recede, we can't go down."
"This isn't something we should worry about," the Mud Man replied.
Fat Ma was momentarily stunned and said, "You're right; it seems I've been worrying for nothing. We can always just head back home."
However, I didn't share his sentiment. This situation was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface. The group we were following was fundamentally… two words surged in my mind: odd people. Yes, they were indeed a bunch of oddballs.
They hardly spoke, and one soldier insisted on being addressed as 'Sir.' Then there was yesterday's warning—these things made me suspicious.
I questioned not only the intentions of this group but also the value of this Tomb.
Finally, afternoon arrived, and the rain began to lessen, though it did not stop entirely. It wasn't until the next morning that the downpour finally ceased.
The sky hinted at clearing up.
Looking towards the river, the flow had become somewhat gentler.
The water level had dropped a bit, revealing stones on the riverbed that had been submerged and were now starting to darken. The plants that had been overly soaked were wilting and dying.
"In another day or two, the river should return to its original state," I said.
Upon hearing that we would have to wait a day or two longer, Fat Ma's once-bright eyes dimmed slightly.
Mud Man remarked, "Not necessarily. Even if the rain stops, we might not be able to go in fully because the river's flow is still strong."
I didn't know when Xiao Hui appeared behind us and said, "By then, there will be Oxygen Equipment."
Her words felt like a reassurance for the three of us.
It also halted our debate.
Suddenly, someone shouted Xiao Hui's name, saying that the person they were waiting for had arrived.
Xiao Hui turned and walked away.
I was curious about who they were waiting for, so I turned and followed. The Mud Man and Fat Ma also did not linger and followed along.
The weather had cleared up, and the sun peeked out, shining down on the earth.
I caught up with Xiao Hui and walked alongside him, asking, "Who is the person you are waiting for?"
Xiao Hui did not answer directly but said, "Don't ask what you shouldn't."
I was met with a cold shoulder, and Fat Ma then placed his hand on my shoulder and burst into laughter.
I smiled; I had long been accustomed to Fat Ma's schadenfreude nature.
I fell back a step and walked alongside Fat Ma again.
Fat Ma said, "Old Sun, don't be discouraged. Keep trying."
His words suddenly reminded me of the time when I was sent down to the countryside as a youth; he often teased me and Hills.
The name Hills floated back into my mind...
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