Chapter 1 Mud Figures

The mud figures varied in size and posture. Some were brightly dressed with lifelike faces, so that in the dim light they seemed like living people at first glance. But the majority were much rougher, some even unfinished, their facial features not yet carved.

Li Bai didn't rush forward. Lantern in hand, she carefully examined all the lifelike mud figures near the cave entrance, making sure they were just mud figures and not some disguised demons or monsters.

"Girl, don't look at them. This old man finds these mud dolls very strange. Let's...let's go in and pray to Niangniang."

Zhang Yuanchao swallowed hard, afraid of scaring Li Bai. He didn't voice his concern, but standing near these mud figures gave him the feeling of being watched, and with ill intent.

Although she knew there was something wrong with the cave, Li Bai nodded, given the requirements of her mission.

Besides the mud figures, there was also an iron frame at the cave entrance, holding a black pot filled with solidified grease. Li Bai and Zhang Yuanchao understood immediately that it was an oversized candle.

Once lit, the light dispelled the darkness nearby. Zhang Yuanchao volunteered to go first, holding the lantern to light the way, while Li Bai followed cautiously behind.

They kept about two meters apart, as she hadn't yet figured out Zhang Yuanchao's true intentions.

The cave was much larger than expected, a long tunnel winding and twisting downwards. The further they went, the colder it became, the biting chill almost freezing Li Bai.

"Girl, put on this coat, you'll catch a cold."

Li Bai felt warmth on her back as Zhang Yuanchao took off his coat and placed it directly on her shoulders. The warmth of the coat made her whole body feel warmer.

"What are you doing? It's too cold here, you should wear it yourself."

Li Bai tried to give him back the coat, but Zhang Yuanchao refused. He exaggeratedly flexed his arms, showing off his bronze-colored muscles. "This old man is healthy, it's nothing."

But when Zhang Yuanchao's gaze fell on the nearby mud figures, his expression clearly darkened.

If Li Bai could barely tolerate the cold, the faint, ever-present gazes made her extremely nervous. Several times she suddenly turned around, but behind her all was quiet, save for the mud figures standing on either side of the tunnel.

The lantern didn't provide enough light, and the faces of the mud figures standing further away flickered in and out of the darkness. Li Bai even imagined a scene in her mind: the moment she turned around, the mud figures would turn their heads, their faces wearing eerie smiles as they looked at them from behind.

Zhang Yuanchao stopped in front of one of the mud figures, examining it first, then quickly moved to the next, as if he had discovered something. Wrinkles formed on his face.

"Did you find something?" Li Bai asked, wrapped in the coat.

"Strange, very strange! These mud dolls don't seem to be made by the same person." Zhang Yuanchao pointed to the neck of one of the mud figures. "Look, the marks left on it are too rigid. It's the work of an apprentice who's only been learning for half a month, just scraping with a clay knife. And look at this one, this one is much better, definitely a master craftsman, no knife marks at all, all shaped by hand. And this one, this one is even worse, this person clearly doesn't know anything..."

After commenting on a dozen or so mud figures, Li Bai gradually began to see what he meant under Zhang Yuanchao's guidance. The quality of the mud figures varied greatly. Some standing near the back looked like they were just messing around, with only the rough shape of a person, a round head with nothing on it.

"The exquisite mud figures here should be made by Mud Figure Zhang. As for the others, they were probably made by the villagers helping out."

Li Bai's theory made sense. There were many mud figures here, hundreds as far as they could see, and the tunnel stretched ahead seemingly without end. The number might be shockingly large, and Mud Figure Zhang and a few apprentices couldn't possibly handle it all.

Looking at the mud figures in various poses, Li Bai suddenly had a strange feeling, as if this underground area was also a village, and these mud figures were the villagers guarding it. While the outside world was quiet at night, this underground area might be a different scene altogether. People would be coming and going in the underground tunnel, the mud figures playing and making merry, but all of it would stop with the entrance of living people.

Shaking off the increasingly strange thoughts in her head, Li Bai focused her attention on Zhang Yuanchao. "Aren't you a tour guide? How do you know about pottery?"

"That's not difficult. This old man used to be a carpenter in our village, and I know a little about bricklaying too. Girl, let me tell you, carpentry is a good job, not only can you fill your stomach, but you are also respected. When a family builds a new house, they have to ask me to take a look at the main beam, and the gate too. If I say it's an inch off, they'll change it immediately. These eyes of mine are the ruler."

Speaking of these things, Zhang Yuanchao seemed like a different person, chattering away. Li Bai was annoyed, but after this episode, the fear pressing on her heart had indeed dissipated a lot.

"If carpentry is as good as you say, why did you leave the village and become a tour guide in the mountains?" Li Bai asked.

As soon as this question was asked, Zhang Yuanchao, who had been talking non-stop about his past glories, immediately stopped talking. After a long time, he let out a long sigh.

After about half an incense stick's worth of time, the tunnel came to an end. After lighting another black pot at the end of the tunnel, the two of them suddenly found themselves in a place that resembled a small square. Neither of them had expected such a large space to exist underground.

"Hiss—"

With a gasp, Li Bai saw a statue 20 meters away. The statue was five meters tall, its entire body dark green, with a huge belly. Most strangely, the statue's head was covered with a large red veil. The figure was none other than the Zhusheng Niangniang (Child-Giving Goddess) that she, Yao Shunyu had seen last night!

In front of the Zhusheng Niangniang statue were placed incense candles and offerings. In front of them on the ground was a dirty futon, obviously left for them to kowtow on. Their task tonight was to kowtow to Zhusheng Niangniang.

Walking closer, Li Bai noticed that the so-called offerings were also very strange. They were not the common cattle, sheep, and pigs (da san sheng), nor were they the chickens, ducks, and fish (xiao san sheng), but mud figures.

The mud figures were only palm-sized, each presented on a separate offering plate. Because they were facing the Zhusheng Niangniang in a kowtowing position, their faces could not be seen.

From left to right, there were ten in total.