Chapter 36 – Ghost Pounding the Wall
“Master, I’m hungry.” Hadn’t even walked a few steps, when Huang Shulang’s stomach started growling.
I just found that my plan was somewhat inadequate. I didn’t account for Huang Shulang’s appet.i.te. I gave him a packet of biscuits, which was immediately eaten clean in two-three bites.
“Would eating a bit less kill you?” Hearing Huang Shulang making crunching sounds while eating, made my heart somewhat itchy, so I turned my head around, only to see that a packet of biscuits being conveniently thrown to the ground. It made me angry to the point of death, I hadn’t eaten yet!
“I thought you didn’t like eating.” Fatty also tried to give some lame reasoning, I was disinclined to deal with him. If I had known earlier, bringing along Teacher Lin would have been better than this fatty. However, how could I make Teacher Lin let me go down?
“Move on!” I said clenching my teeth.
I didn’t know how long the tunnel was, the footprints on the ground were somewhat disorderly, some were coming back, some are going forward, it was impossible to distinguish where the person at that time was going. After nearly half an hour of walking, we still hadn’t reached the end. Only at this time, I discovered something amiss.
Black Bean came up to me, looking as if he was holding something on his mouth, and started whining. When I saw the thing that Black Bean was holding in his mouth, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Unexpectedly, it was the biscuit packet that Huang Shulang had thrown to the ground. It’s impossible to get mistaken by it. When Huang Shulang had thrown the wrapper to the ground, I had also specifically shined the flashlight on it. Black Bean had been running ahead all this time, definitely didn’t have time to go back and get it. Now seeing this wrapper, the only reasonable explanation is that Huang Shulang and I had gone back while walking.
“Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!” Huang Shulang was trembling from head to toe, and finding it difficult to even speak.
“Ghost your d.a.m.ned head, we’re just going in circles.” I hit Huang Shulang’s head.
“It’s Ghost pounding the wall[1]. W-We walked all the way till now, we didn’t see any fork in the road.” Huang Shulang spoke very logically. While walking all along the way, I had been very carefully illuminating the cave walls, and definitely hadn’t discovered any fork in the path.
“Don’t panic, want to lose face? This is just a little trifling matter, yet you’re still so afraid like that.” I took out two fruit knives from my backpack. These were my weapons that I had prepared to protect myself. From them, I handed over one to Huang Shulang, “Take it.”
Huang Shulang didn’t dare to take it: “Master, later won’t you make me go and fight with the ghost?”
“Coward. I, your father, just don’t want to let you march to your death. It is to let you slash out the knife along the way and make a notation on the roof. Moreover, also keep a look out and see which place in this tunnel is a bit unusual.” I said.
Huang Shulang took the knife, walked alongside me, and used the knife on one side of the cave wall while walking to make slashes.
This time, we`d walked for five-six minutes, when Black Bean walking in front suddenly stopped. Rushed towards the left side cave wall and began barking incessantly.
Black Bean had discovered something!
I promptly sped up my pace and ran over there. Huang Shulang promptly chased after: “Slow down a bit, I’m at my limit. Who knows this place doesn’t have any issues?”
I didn’t pay attention to Huang Shulang, because from the shouts of Black Bean, I could hear that Black Bean didn’t detect any danger, but rather had discovered some important clue.
Black Bean looked at me, and began barking wildly at the left side cave wall.
I also carefully looked at that cave wall, I couldn’t discover it having any apparent issues. While walking past the cave wall, I used my hand to touch it, trying to see if it had some kind of a mechanism.
It was this touch, that made me jump in fright, as my hand could only feel the air. This wall which seemingly didn’t appear to have any problems, was unexpectedly fake. There simply was no cave wall here, rather there was a cave.
“So it turns out here’s the problem!”
I went inside the cave, Huang Shulang who was walking behind me exclaimed suddenly.
“Master, Master, Where did you go?” Huang Shulang from his voice seemed to be panicking greatly.
I didn’t even have time to size up this new cave, and just moved back hastily.
It seemed as if I had suddenly appeared in front of Huang Shulang. Huang Shulang was extremely surprised: “Master, what had happened just a moment ago? Why did you disappear all of a sudden? Really frightened this disciple.”
“Come come, Huang Shulang touch this place with your hand.” I beckoned Huang Shulang.
Huang Shulang bewilderedly moved towards me.
“Touch this place on the wall and have a look.” I said smiling.
Huang Shulang was thinking of reaching out to climb the wall; resultantly, his hand only caught air. His body suddenly lost its center of gravity, and he directly fell down into the branch cave.
“Ah!” Huang Shulang let out a pitiful yell, “Master, there is a trick here!”
Huang Shulang from my perspective, appeared to have suddenly drilled straight into the wall.
A big live person suddenly vanishing in front of one’s eyes like this, was indeed mysterious. Only I quickly understood that the reason for this kind of thing in this place, was because I was able to detect the aura of Primordial Qi here. Primordial Qi had built a fake sign here, making it look very much like a cave wall, but it actually concealed the true branch cave. I also didn’t have any kind of experience in this field, naturally would end up deceived all of a sudden. If it were not for Black Bean’s initial discovery, I probably wouldn’t have been able to discover this problem.
I hastily drew an arrow on the ground, pointing towards the new cave. Under such circ.u.mstances, I naturally couldn’t help but be more careful.
“Master, Why haven’t you come in yet?” Huang Shulang, who was already inside, couldn’t help but yell out. I quickly went inside. Huang Shulang was constantly shining the flashlight on the walls of the cave.
“Conserve the electricity, we still don’t know how long we will end up staying here. If the electricity is used up, then at that time you wouldn’t be able to cry.” I warned.
Huang Shulang promptly turned off the flashlight, leaving only the light on the miner hat worn on the head. Since these hadn’t been used for a long time, left neglected on the mountains, and moreover had been possibly used by the archaeology team. Therefore, they’d already begun to darken, somewhat showing lack of use. It was also because of this, that I was somewhat worried, that once the electricity in the flashlight was all used up, Huang Shulang and I would end up in a state of complete darkness. In case we run into some danger, we would be in big trouble.
“Old way is better.” I said facing Huang Shulang.
Black Bean was quite intelligent, having made this discovery, it was also carefully noting the cave walls on both sides.
Sha Sha Sha
In the cave suddenly a “Sha Sha Sha” sound resounded.
“Stop!” I shouted promptly.
Huang Shulang’s heart jumped in fright, as he looked at me full of secret grievance.
“There’s a sound, listen carefully.” I said promptly.
“w.a.n.gw.a.n.g, w.a.n.gw.a.n.g, w.a.n.gw.a.n.g…….” [2]
Black Bean barked fiercely. It seems my intuition was correct, there is indeed something.
“You stand right here, don’t move. I’ll go and take a look.” I said to Huang Shulang.
“Better I go along with you.” Huang Shulang said hastily. He was afraid of being left alone. Although the thing making the sound might be very scary, staying in the same place was even more terrifying. If the situation was that of ‘moving the tiger from the mountain’, then he might as well be a block of fat meat.[3]
I also thought that Huang Shulang had become brave all of a sudden, “Ok, you walk ahead.”
The moment these words left my mouth, Huang Shulang almost knelt down to the ground, “Ma-Master, it’s better if you’ll be in front. I’ll bring up the rear.”
How could I not see through these sly thoughts of Huang Shulang? I Laughingly said: “Fatty, you are very intelligent.”
Huang Shulang didn’t dare to talk back, with his head drooping low, he didn’t dare look at me.
“w.a.n.gw.a.n.g, w.a.n.gw.a.n.g, w.a.n.gw.a.n.g…….”
Black Bean absolutely didn’t know the word “Fear”, as all along he remained the one ahead.
Suddenly, at that place a gray silhouette abruptly rushed towards us. I used the flashlight to look at it, unexpectedly, it was a big gray rat which had become as fat as cat.
Black Bean immediately came to intercept in front of my body. He had stopped barking, bending his body slightly, as if a stretched bow and arrow, with his eyes carefully watching the big rat drawing closer and closer.
The big rat panicked unexpectedly, couldn’t choose a path and kept rushing straight at us.
“My mother, how is this rat so big? Is he about to turn into a goblin?” Huang Shulang opened his eyes wide, somewhat inconceivably said.
The moment the big rat had almost reached our side, Black Bean moved. He looked almost like an arrow leaving its bow as he moved out, instantly arriving in front of the big gray rat, directly lifted his front legs, and thrashed out ferociously. The big rat was unable to dodge in time, flew out nearly ten-twenty feet. Heavily hit the cave wall, before falling down to the ground, tumbling continuously more than ten times, before stopping.
However, this big gray rat didn’t seem to have received a big injury. Managing to crawl up in piece, this time, it didn’t dare rush to our side, and instead escaped down the path from which it came.
“Aiya, I was scared to death. Such a big rat, probably must be several jin in weight.” Huang Shulang was still frightened.
“Shouldn’t be? Does a rat frighten you so much?” I said dissatisfied.
Huang Shulang ashamedly hung his head: “That rat was bigger than a cat. Also don’t know what thing it eats.”
Correct. This rat in this cave, what had it actually eaten? Unless, they were capable of going out.
“Black Bean, chase after that rat.” I promptly yelled at Black Bean.
Black Bean seemingly understood what I’d said, and quickly rushed out in pursuit.
“Follow quickly!” I said to Huang Shulang, and immediately moved in pursuit.
If we are able to find the exit point used by this rat, then Fatty and I would have an escape route. In case if we were to encounter any danger, we would be able to get out from this exit. What exactly had happened to the people of archaeology team that day? I still hadn’t managed to grasp any clues.[4] We came in through a big hole, how can we exit through an alley? These things were not of the greatest importance, for now, I must chase after that big rat, and firstly seek a way out for myself.