If it were dark, Old Gong could still keep his eyes on Yang Guijin.
In broad daylight, and we were resting earlier...
I crouched down, carefully examining the ground. Even if we were far away from Yang Guijin earlier, and there was some deviation, it would be at most a few tens of meters away.
How can people be ghosts? They cannot hide in the ground.
Four scans of the area within a few meters, and it was clear that there were no pits or holes.
I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the unease in my heart.
I was just about to go back to wake up Kanzenbo.
As I took the second step, my third step landed on nothing, and I fell…
My legs dangled in mid-air, and I widened my eyes as I looked down at the spot where I had stepped into nothingness…
To the naked eye, it was indeed yellow earth beneath my feet, but my foot had actually stepped through into nothing!
Taking one step back, I crouched down and carefully identified the situation.
I realized that there was an inconspicuous hole in this spot.
Why was it described as inconspicuous?
It was clearly exposed at the mouth of the hole, but because it was surrounded by yellow earth and had no sharp edges, and it was polished too smoothly, it didn't attract any attention...
If I had walked a little faster, I would have fallen straight into it...
Taking a deep breath, I followed a more inconspicuous step at the edge of the hole and descended down.
The steps were not straight; they formed a spiral shape.
The hole itself wasn't very concealed; it was just there, out in the open.
It seemed like anyone could walk in.
The air grew cool, the sunlight weakened, and slowly disappeared.
I had walked about twenty meters deep, and there was no light at all, so I had to turn on my flashlight to see.
A dark, vertical tunnel with a yellow mud pillar running through the center.
The overall width of the cave was only about one meter, and it was very cramped and oppressive.
How deep is it here?
It's not likely to be a looting tunnel; looting tunnels aren't this precise...
Could it be that this is another entrance to the mountain tomb?
Just as I was thinking this, the cave finally reached the bottom, and in front of me was a tall and narrow door.
I slightly frowned.
If it weren't for Yang Guijin going down first and my urgency to come over, I would definitely have woken up Kanzenbo to come with me.
With the earlier situation, it would be best to first make sure that Yang Guijin is alright. However, if there's any danger, I would still need to go back immediately; two people are safer than one.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the doorway.
Approximately seven to eight meters later, after exiting the doorway, the sight before me suddenly brightened up!
No need for flashlight light; there was light here, just very dim.
The view in front of me revealed at least a ten-meter-high ceiling, arched at the top, with four perfectly square sides.
This is not a simple underground room; standing in the center is an extremely tall person!
No, it's not a person but a statue.
The person is not over ten feet tall!
The statue's face was extremely solemn and dignified.
The ground around the statue was filled with mats for people to meditate on.
Looking around further, each wall had doors, some open, some closed…
I did not see Yang Guijin.
He must have gone into one of the doors.
I originally wanted to keep going forward, but I stopped and furrowed my brow before turning around to go back.
Yang Guijin was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn't go door by door to find him, as I had no idea what was behind each one.
Given the situation down here, with such a strong sense of malevolence, I should be able to use the sake rat to summon Kanzenbo as well.
As I stepped back onto the ground, I saw Kanzenbo searching nearby.
She was startled upon seeing me and even covered her chest.
"Wh-What happened?!" Kanzenbo looked quite puzzled.
"I'm not sure, Old Gong might know. Yang Guijin is missing," I said in a low voice, explaining the situation earlier and what was down below.
Kanzenbo's face changed slightly. She only just woke up and told me that she had just realized that we were missing, and the footprints disappeared at the center. She couldn't be sure where we had gone, so she had been searching ever since.
Without much talk, we descended through the channel again.
When we reached the bottom, I led Kanzenbo towards the statue.
Originally, I had wanted Kanzenbo to use the sake rat.
As I was watching, I noticed Kanzenbo being very cautious and there was a hint of fear in her eyes.
This feeling, of knowing something about the place, must be because she has some knowledge of it.
"Old Chu didn't lie... Yang Guijin was right... It really is a Taoist temple..." Kanzenbo said cautiously.
"Taoist temple?" This time, I was the one taken aback.
A Taoist temple underground? This doesn't seem like a normal Taoist temple. It's more like a cult.
We stopped walking, and we happened to be standing right under the statue.
The statue, about ten feet tall, wore a extremely luxurious robe. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a dark red robe, yet it also resembled a Taoist robe. It was simpler than a dark red robe but more luxurious than a Taoist robe.
The robe seemed to have a faint blackish purple hue.
The statue's face, which was extremely stern, seemed to be looking down upon us.
Kanzenbo hesitated slightly, but she cast the incantation first. The bamboo spirit rite was indeed effective, and many bamboo spirits emerged.
Silently, Old Gong appeared on the night pot. He licked his lips, but his eyes were unusually vigilant.
"That's why... I had always felt a sense of familiarity with Gaotian Mountain... Gaotian Taoist, Gaotian Temple..." Kanzenbo let out a long breath.
"The regulatory Taoist temple in L anchang City?" I pondered.
"No... It's not."
"It's a Taoist who believes in ghosts." Kanzenbo shook her head.
My pupils contracted.
Kanzenbo just opened her mouth and began to tell me everything she knew.
Many years ago, in the midst of chaos and confusion.
Although there were Taoists who went down to mountains to uphold justice, not all Taoists were good.
The Tianshou Taoist Temple was notorious for its evil Taoism, dark spells, and the raising of ghosts.
Gaotian Taoist, on the other hand, did not raise ghosts, but instead believed in the four-faced and seven-holed great ghost.
The ghost was named Gaotian. It was said that Gaotian had four faces, each with complete seven orifices.
There were also rumors that Gaotian was once a Taoist who had mastered his arts and, when he first went down the mountain to visit other Taoist temples, was mistaken for an evil ghost and attacked by everyone.
He was so severely injured that he died without a cure.
After his death, Gaotian did not rest in peace. He continued to study Taoist arts and became a ghost Taoist, traveling around to guide and cultivate talented children. Gradually, he formed the Gaotian Temple.
The Taoists of Gaotian Temple were elusive and mysterious, although they did good deeds, they would kidnap children and force them into the temple to practice Taoism.
There was also a rumor that the undeterred Gaotian ghost wished to find a suitable child to possess and return to life.
With so many rumors and stories, there was no definitive answer.
What can be known is that the Taoists of Gaotian Temple had a perverse character, helping some and killing others.
They often demanded half a family's fortune to help someone, and for murder, there was no reason.
At least, the people who were killed could not say what grudges they had with the Taoists.
About sixty years ago, Gaotian Temple disappeared from the yin-yang world, and no Taoist has appeared since then.
After Kanzenbo finished speaking, I walked a few steps to the side and then walked to the very end of the statue to take a look.
Indeed, the statue had four faces, each of which was extremely stern and indifferent.
"Thunder from the heavens, suffering for the ghosts, how difficult."
Old Gong shook his head, his voice shrill.
Suddenly, I saw something seem to poke out from the waist of the statue's robe.
I hadn't noticed it before; it seemed to have just appeared.
Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be made of copper at the top...
An artifact?
