The word "evil sect" conjures up all sorts of associations.
I was a little curious about what was down there.
But while curious, I had no intention of going down myself.
Qu Chuan, also known as Old Man Qu, organized another suicide squad that day. After giving them their send-off drinks, the three men entered the passage again.
Having learned from the previous experience, they were fully equipped for this descent.
Their demeanor made me feel as though I were going to war.
I had expected some sort of harvest from this expedition, but who would have known that after more than ten hours underground, there was no word from the three men?
The ropes binding them had also snapped. After waiting another ten-plus hours with no activity from below, the mission was declared a failure.
Qu Chuan had been mobilizing people for over a year, day and night, for the treasures here. He certainly wouldn't be happy to give up now.
However, with the loss of men and material, this was no solution.
As an outsider, I didn't voice my opinion, acting as if nothing were wrong and wandering around.
Fatty and the others could now move around, but their range was limited to the vicinity of the house. Coupled with the icy and snowy conditions outside, it was better to stay indoors.
Three days after the second team entered the passage, Fatty and I were standing in the snow, smoking cigarettes.
He asked me, "Brother Xiang, what do you think is really down there? Why do people go down and never come back?"
I exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "It's hard to say... but I think it's definitely not simple down there..."
"Brother Xiang, I heard that this country of the Japanese has something called vengeful spirits?" Fatty asked.
I had also heard about the vengeful spirits of the country of the Japanese, and it was common knowledge there.
It was said that the country of the Japanese had three great vengeful spirits: Sugawara no Michizane, Taira no Masakado, and Emperor Sutoku.
These three had different legends, similar to our vengeful ghosts in China. Essentially, they were unwilling to rest after death and thus wreaked havoc on the living.
But that was all within the country of the Japanese, what did it have to do with this?
Seeing my silence, Fatty continued, "Brother Xiang, I heard that the country of the Japanese has a profession called Onmyoji. They say that Onmyoji can set up barriers, and once a living person enters the barrier, they will..."
Before he could finish, I interrupted him, "You mean that there's a barrier set up by the little Japanese down there?"
"Yes!" Fatty nodded. "Definitely. Otherwise, why would living people go down and just disappear?"
I didn't quite agree with this theory. I still believed that there must be some mechanisms or traps beneath the passage.
Those people must have triggered them when they went down.
I explained my persistent idea to Fatty, but he disagreed, saying, "Brother Xiang, if it were ordinary people who went down and this happened, I'd definitely think you were right. But, don't you forget, what kind of people are they? They are tomb raiders who have been going into graves for years. What kind of mechanisms haven't they seen? I don't think it's possible."
Fatty had a point. Could there really be something "down there"?
As we were walking back after finishing our cigarettes, someone suddenly ran over and found me, saying that Old Man Qu wanted to see me.
It was common for Old Man Qu to ask for me, so there was nothing strange about it. However, I noticed that the man looked flustered, so I asked an extra question, "Does Master Qu need me for something?"
He hesitated and said, "Your friend tried to run away. He was discovered by our men, and he even fought back, stabbing one of our men with a knife."
I was stunned, "Who?"
"That man."
Fatty and I exchanged glances, thinking, "This is bad!"
Of our group of four, apart from me and Fatty, the only other man was Jiang Feng!
I quickly asked the man to lead the way, and Fatty and I rushed over.
When we arrived, Jiang Feng was already bound and tied to a chair. His mouth was gagged, blood was oozing from his forehead, and his face was bruised and swollen, clearly having taken a beating.
Seeing me arrive, Old Man Qu gave me a wink, "Xiao Fei, how do you want to handle this?"
I quickly put on a smile, "Master Qu, what exactly happened?"
"What happened? You don't know?" Old Man Qu sneered. "I told you, once we're done with our business, I'll let you go... I've been treating you well during this time, don't tell me you think my words are worthless?"
"Master Qu, please don't be angry. There must be some misunderstanding..."
"Misunderstanding my ass! Damn it, he stabbed my man, and today I'm going to deal with him!" Da Kui, standing nearby, menacingly pulled out a bayonet and walked towards Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng was terrified and cast a pleading look towards me.
I quickly stepped forward to stop Da Kui, "Brother Kui, since it's already happened, how about we just let it go? I promise there won't be a next time..."
"Promises are worthless! Get out of my way!" Da Kui shoved me hard. The force was not light, and I staggered back two steps before regaining my balance.
"Enough!" Old Man Qu roared, silencing everyone.
I quickly went to plead for mercy. Old Man Qu looked at me expressionlessly, "Since you're here with us, you have to follow our rules! Xiao Fei, don't say I'm not giving you face. Have I treated them badly during this time?"
"Master Qu, my friend was wrong. Please be magnanimous..."
Before I could finish, he said, "Fine, I'll give him a chance! I have a few brothers who went down there and haven't returned..."
Hearing this, I had a bad feeling. As expected, Old Man Qu's next sentence was, "If he helps me find my men, I'll spare him!"
"Master Qu! He's never been into a grave before. Sending him down there is just sending him to his death!" I said.
"What? You don't agree?" Old Man Qu sneered. "Fine, then we'll do it according to my rules!"
Saying that, he narrowed his eyes, "Kui Zi!"
"Yes, Master Qu!"
"How he stabbed our brother, you stab him back twice as much!"
"You got it!" Da Kui grinned and lunged forward with the bayonet.
I quickly signaled Da Kui, but he completely ignored me.
Didn't this guy promise to guarantee our safety?
How could this be...
Just as I was at a loss for what to do, Jiang Lingxi rushed in from outside and shielded Jiang Feng, "What are you doing?!"
"This doesn't concern you, get out of the way!" Da Kui said fiercely.
"This is illegal!" Jiang Lingxi gritted her teeth. "Murder is punishable by death!"
"Punishable by death?" Da Kui sneered. "I'll count to three. If you don't move, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Seeing this, Jiang Lingxi looked at me, her eyes tearing up, and shouted, "Xiang Fei! Aren't you working with them? Say something!"