Liu Dashao’s face was serious as he spoke, “From the moment I first saw this palace from the shores of the heavy water, I felt that it was somewhat ethereal and illusory, not like any earthly structure. Now I feel even more puzzled. Take a look at the palace’s structure; there isn’t a single gap between the bricks and wood. It’s as if the entire palace was formed as one piece.”
Shaking his head, Liu Dashao continued, “This is simply unbelievable.”
At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan hesitated before asking Liu Dashao, “So, should we still go inside the palace?”
Liu Dashao gave a bitter smile and said, “Why don’t you all look back at the steps we came up?”
Confused, everyone turned around and were stunned— the small black boat they had arrived in had vanished without a trace! The heavy water shimmered ominously, vast and endless, but the boat was gone.
A chill ran through the group. This was a trap. The boat’s sudden appearance and disappearance had been solely to lure them to the palace.
What should they do? All eyes turned to Liu Dashao. He stood silently, gazing at the palace’s wide-open vermilion gates, his expression unreadable.
After a long pause, Liu Dashao turned calmly to the group, spreading his hands. “Since we’ve come this far, we should accept our situation. Let’s go inside and take a look.”
Everyone exchanged silent glances and nodded. Circumstances had left them no other choice.
Liu Dashao led the way, followed by the others, as they stepped through the palace gates.
Inside, the palace was pitch black. They could barely make out vague shapes hidden in the darkness. As the last two, Fan Debiao and Yang Weidong, crossed the threshold, the palace doors suddenly and silently slammed shut behind them before anyone could turn on their flashlights.
Everyone was startled, but before they could react, the hall was suddenly bathed in light—an eerie green glow emanating from the heavy water. Now they could see: countless lamps filled the hall, mounted on the walls, ceiling, and floor, all sculpted from bronze in various intricate designs. The fuel inside each lamp was the same eerie blue heavy water!
They stood in stunned silence, as if submerged in a lake of heavy water. Everything around them shimmered with a ghostly green glow, like a dream, surreal and intangible.
Even more astonishing was the fact that, apart from these heavy water lamps, the entire palace was completely empty—except for a tall green stone platform directly in front of them. Atop its dozens of steps stood seven strange, transparent humanoid statues, all made of green crystal.
Cautiously, they approached the platform and looked up at the statues. Now they could see clearly: the seven figures were women with serpentine bodies, bare-breasted, with slender necks and human arms and hands. Their hair was styled in phoenix knots, their eyes cast downward, arms raised slightly with hands in a delicate, flower-picking pose.
Puzzled, Fan Debiao asked, “What the heck are these? Snake-bodied women?”
Jia Zhuangyuan looked at him with disdain. “These are statues of Nüwa. Haven’t you ever studied history?”
Fan Debiao gave an awkward smile and said nothing more.
Liu Dashao frowned. “Why would there be seven statues of Nüwa in this palace of heavy water?”
Jia Zhuangyuan replied, “Worshiping Nüwa is common in western Chinese traditions. Before I came here, I read that many ethnic minorities in China revere Nüwa as their ancestral deity. But even I can’t figure out why there are seven statues here.”
Just as Jia finished speaking, a strange and clear musical sound suddenly echoed from somewhere unknown. The sound was both peculiar and beautiful, like music from heaven, mesmerizing and enchanting.
No one could tell what instrument made the sound or where it came from, but it seemed to be playing right beside each person.
Everyone was momentarily stunned, their hearts filled with unease, unsure of what change this sound might herald.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan cried out, “Look! The eyes of the seven Nüwa statues are open!”
They all turned to look. Indeed, the once-closed eyes of the seven mysterious statues were now wide open, giving off an indescribable eerie feeling. A chill ran down their spines.
Liu Dashao warned urgently, “Everyone, be careful! Something is definitely going to happen!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Debiao suddenly cried out, “Ow! Who the hell hit the back of my head? That hurts like hell!”
Everyone turned to look at Fan, who was clutching the back of his head and swaying unsteadily before suddenly collapsing to the ground. Everyone’s hearts sank—what had attacked him?
At that moment, Yang Weidong beside Fan also suddenly collapsed without warning. Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Damn it, there’s a ghost! Everyone, quickly gather back to back!”
The remaining people quickly formed a tight circle, backs to each other.
Liu Dashao formed his fingers into a sword shape and swept them across his forehead, activating his spiritual sight. He scanned the surroundings anxiously but saw nothing. He turned to Jia Zhuangyuan in alarm, “You said there’s a ghost—where is it? Why can’t I see it even with my spiritual eyes open?”
Jia Zhuangyuan, breathing heavily, replied, “I’m not sure if they’re ghosts. But they’re definitely invisible. Look at those heavy water lamps—they’re swaying back and forth. That means they’re here in the palace, drifting around, waiting to attack us.”
Everyone looked at the swaying lamps and saw that they were indeed moving from side to side. Invisible ghosts? Liu Dashao felt a chill run through him—this was beyond belief.
Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Remember when we first left the haunted house and heard footsteps but saw nothing? I think it was ghosts. They just hadn’t attacked us then.”
Liu Dashao thought for a moment and said, “So you’re saying they’ve been following us all along, even into this palace?”
Jia Zhuangyuan shook his head. “I don’t know for sure, but I think they were already waiting for us inside the palace. Did you notice the sudden music just now? I think it was meant to mask their footsteps. And those statues suddenly opening their eyes? That was probably the trigger for some hidden mechanism.”
Cai Qingchong asked, “So what do we do now?”
Jia Zhuangyuan sneered, “Whatever these things are, one thing’s certain—we need to disable the mechanism. Once we do, they’ll reveal their weakness, like footsteps.”
At that moment, Liu Dashao looked down at the motionless bodies of Fan and Yang and was horrified to see dark spots forming on their faces. He shouted urgently, “Master Jia, look at them! Their faces are breaking out in black patches!”
Liu Dashao’s expression turned grave as he spoke, “From the moment I first laid eyes on this palace by the heavy water, it felt ethereal and unreal, unlike any structure of this world. Now, I find it even more peculiar. Look closely, the structure of this palace, there’s not a single seam between the bricks and wood. It’s as if… the entire palace is one solid piece.”
At this, Liu Dashao shook his head and said, “This is truly unbelievable.”
Jia Zhuangyuan hesitated and asked Liu Dashao, “So, should we still enter the palace?”
Liu Dashao let out a bitter laugh and said, “Turn around and look at the steps we came from.”
Everyone turned around in confusion and was stunned. The small boat they had arrived in had vanished into thin air! The heavy water lay vast and serene, but the black boat was nowhere to be seen.
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts. This was a conspiracy; the appearance and disappearance of the boat were meant to lure them to the front of this palace.
What to do? All eyes turned to Liu Dashao. He stood quietly, gazing at the vermilion doors of the palace that stood wide open, his face expressionless.
After a long while, Liu Dashao turned around calmly, spread his hands, and said, “Since we’re here, let’s make the best of it. Let’s go in and take a look.”
Everyone exchanged silent glances and nodded. Reality had left them with no other choice.
Thus, Liu Dashao led the way, and everyone followed, stepping into the palace.
Inside the palace, it was pitch dark. Everyone could only vaguely make out that there seemed to be many objects hidden around. Just as Fan Debiao and Yang Weidong, the last to enter, stepped in, before anyone could turn on their flashlights, the palace doors silently closed in an instant.
Everyone was startled, but before they could react, the interior of the palace suddenly lit up. It was the eerie glow emitted by the heavy water. Now, everyone could see that countless lamps had been lit throughout the palace. Above the hall, on the walls, and on the ground, there were numerous bronze lamps of various shapes. And the fuel inside these lamps was the heavy water, glowing with a cyan hue.
Stunned, everyone felt as if they were submerged in the heavy water lake, surrounded by an ethereal cyan light, everything seemed like an illusion, unreal and dreamlike.
What surprised everyone even more was that, apart from these heavy water lamps, there were no other furnishings or objects in the entire palace, except for a green stone platform directly in front of them, with seven strange, translucent, cyan humanoid seated statues placed on its dozens of steps.
Everyone cautiously approached and stood below the platform, looking up at the strange humanoid statues. Now, they could see clearly that these seven statues, resembling cyan crystal sculptures, were all women with snake bodies and human heads, bare-chested, with slender necks, human arms and hands, phoenix buns on their heads, downcast eyes, and arms spread out, hands in a flower-picking gesture.
Fan Debiao, seeing this, asked in confusion, “What are these? Snake-bodied, human-headed women?”
Jia Zhuangyuan gave him a disdainful look and said, “These are statues of Nüwa. Haven’t you studied history, kid?”
Fan Debiao awkwardly smiled and didn’t dare to speak again.
At this moment, Liu Dashao frowned and said, “What does it mean to have seven Nüwa statues in the heavy water city’s palace?”
Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Worshipping Nüwa aligns with the customs of the Western Regions. Before I came, I checked the data, which showed that many ethnic minorities in China worship Nüwa as their ancestral mother. However, I can’t figure out why this temple enshrines seven Nüwa statues.”
Just as Jia Zhuangyuan’s voice fell, suddenly, a strange and crisp sound of musical instruments came from nowhere, enchanting and melodious, like the sound of heaven, intoxicating.
No one knew what instrument produced this sound, nor where it came from, but it seemed to ring right beside everyone’s ears.
For a moment, everyone was at a loss, even feeling a bit uneasy, not knowing what change this sound might herald.
Suddenly, Jia Zhuangyuan exclaimed, “Look! The eyes of these seven Nüwa statues have opened!”
Everyone hurried to look, and indeed, the eyes of the seven mysterious Nüwa statues, which were originally downcast, suddenly opened wide, giving off an indescribably eerie feeling. Instantly, a chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
Liu Dashao urgently said, “Be careful, everyone! Something is bound to happen.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fan Debiao suddenly cried out, “Ouch!” He clutched his head and shouted, “Who the hell hit the back of my head? It really hurts.”
Everyone quickly turned to look at Fan Debiao, who was clutching the back of his head, swaying, and then suddenly collapsed. Everyone was shocked; what had attacked him?
At that moment, Yang Weidong, who was beside Fan Debiao, also suddenly and without warning, collapsed to the ground. Jia Zhuangyuan shouted, “Damn it, there are ghosts! Everyone, quickly gather back to back.”
The remaining few in the hall quickly huddled together, back to back, tightly pressed against each other.
Liu Dashao formed a sword with his fingers, wiped his brow, and nervously looked around, but saw nothing. He asked Jia Zhuangyuan in panic, “You said there are ghosts, where are they? I’ve opened my Yin-Yang eyes, but I can’t see anything.”
Jia Zhuangyuan also breathed nervously and said, “I’m not sure if these things are ghosts, but they are definitely invisible; we can’t see them at all. Look at those heavy water lamps, they’re swaying back and forth. What does that mean? It means they’re in the palace, floating around, waiting for a chance to attack us.”
Everyone looked at the heavy water lamps, which were indeed swaying left and right. Invisible ghosts? Liu Dashao felt a chill run down his spine; this was too bizarre.
At this point, Jia Zhuangyuan said, “Remember when we just left the haunted house, we heard footsteps but couldn’t see anything? I think it was ghosts. But at that time, they didn’t attack us.”
Liu Dashao said thoughtfully, “You mean, they’ve been following us all along, following us into this palace?”
Jia Zhuangyuan shook his head and said, “I don’t know, but I think they’ve been waiting for us inside the palace all along. Do you know why the strange sound of musical instruments suddenly started in the palace? I think it was to cover their footsteps. The sudden opening of the eyes of these seven Nüwa statues, I think, is more like the activation of a mechanism.”
Cai Qingchong asked, “So, what should we do now?”
Jia Zhuangyuan sneered and said, “We don’t know what these things are, but one thing is certain: as long as we break the mechanism, they will reveal their flaws, such as footsteps.”
At this moment, Liu Dashao looked down at Fan Debiao and Yang Weidong lying motionless on the ground and was horrified to find black spots appearing on their faces. Liu Dashao quickly shouted, “Senior Jia, look at them, what’s wrong? Why are there large black spots on their faces?”
Jia Zhuangyuan looked and urgently said, “Damn it, it’s corpse poison. I need to save them immediately, or they’ll die!”
Everyone quickly huddled together and slowly moved to their side. Jia Zhuangyuan squatted down, lifted Fan Debiao’s head, while Liu Dashao and Cai Qingchong used their bodies to shield Jia Zhuangyuan’s head to prevent the invisible ghosts from attacking him in the dark.
Then they heard Jia Zhuangyuan curse, “There really are ghosts! There’s a green corpse hair stuck in the back of each of their heads. But this is strange, why would ghosts use corpse hairs to attack us? Ghosts and corpses are two different things.”
Amidst curses and questions, Jia Zhuangyuan finally managed to pull out the corpse hairs from Fan Debiao and Yang Weidong, applied an antidote for corpse poison, took out two ropes, tied them to their wrists, and slowly stood up.
At this time, the sound of musical instruments in the palace was still continuous, and the swaying shadows of the heavy water lamps indicated that those things were still floating in the palace, ready to attack everyone at any moment when they were not paying attention.
Jia Zhuangyuan handed the ropes to Cai Qingchong and Liu Dashao and said, “Now, let’s not worry about what these things are. It seems they only target the back of our heads. Our first priority is to solve the problem of this music. Let’s all pull Fan Debiao and Yang Weidong towards the platform with the seven Nüwa statues. I’ll try to break the mechanism first, and then we’ll deal with those invisible things.”
Everyone agreed, and together they pulled the ropes, dragging the unconscious Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong towards the platform. The invisible things seemed to understand their intentions and seemed to be chasing around them, spinning around them constantly, and the lamps around them were shaking violently.
When they reached the platform, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly laughed and said, “Damn it, you little ghosts, let me give you a taste of what I brought.”
With that, he reached into his backpack, took out a handful of glutinous rice, and scattered it into the air around them. Amidst the melodious music, faint “squeaking” sounds of pain could be heard.
Jia Zhuangyuan sneered with satisfaction, “Once I break the mechanism, I’ll deal with you little ghosts.”
After saying that, he jumped onto the platform, flashed behind the cyan crystal Nüwa statue, and disappeared. The others stayed below the platform, back to back, watching the faint, fluctuating air currents in the air, all wide-eyed, really wanting to see what these invisible things looked like, whether they were ghosts or some other creatures.
Everyone was hoping in their hearts that Jia Zhuangyuan would quickly find and break the mechanism, otherwise these invisible ghosts would eventually trap them here. The palace doors were closed, and the boat on the heavy water outside was gone; it seemed all part of the conspiracy of these invisible ghosts.
Just as everyone was worried about Jia Zhuangyuan, suddenly, the music that had been lingering in the palace abruptly stopped. Everyone’s hearts leapt with joy; it seemed Jia Zhuangyuan had found and broken the mechanism of the music.
Indeed, the eyes of the seven Nüwa statues had returned to their original downcast state.
Jia Zhuangyuan’s hearty laughter came from the platform. He emerged from behind the statue, casually scattered another handful of glutinous rice, quickly jumped down from the platform, and stood beside everyone.
The handful of glutinous rice seemed to encounter something in the air, making a slight popping sound like beans, followed by a few squeaks of pain.
However, everyone did not hear the expected footsteps. The swaying shadows of the heavy water lamps in the palace told everyone that these invisible things still existed.
Quickly, the group huddled together and slowly moved closer to the two fallen men. Jia Zhuangyuan knelt beside Fan Debiao and lifted his head. Liu Dashao and Cai Qingchong shielded Jia with their bodies to prevent the invisible ghosts from attacking him.
Jia Zhuangyuan cursed, “Sure enough, there’s a ghost! Both of them have green-colored corpse hairs stuck in the back of their heads. But this is strange—why would ghosts use corpse spirit hairs to attack us? Ghosts and corpse spirits are completely different things!”
While muttering and questioning, Jia Zhuangyuan managed to pull the hairs out of Fan and Yang, then applied an antidote ointment to counter the poison. He tied ropes around their wrists and slowly stood up.
Inside the palace, the music continued to play, and the flickering lamps showed that the invisible entities were still present, drifting around and waiting for another chance to strike.
After handing the ropes to Cai Qingchong and Liu Dashao, Jia Zhuangyuan said, “We’ll deal with what they are later. It seems they only target the back of our heads. For now, our priority is to stop the music. Let’s pull Fan and Yang up to the platform with the seven statues. I’ll try to disable the mechanism first, then deal with these invisible entities.”
Everyone nodded and, working together, began dragging the unconscious Fan and Yang toward the platform. The invisible entities seemed to sense their intentions and followed closely, swirling around them. The lamps near the group swayed violently.
When they reached the foot of the platform, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly laughed loudly. “Heh, you little ghosts, let me show you a gift from Old Jia!”
He reached into his backpack and flung a handful of sticky rice into the air. Amid the pleasant music, faint shrieks could be heard.
Jia Zhuangyuan chuckled smugly, “Once I disable the mechanism, I’ll deal with you punks.”
With that, he leaped onto the platform and disappeared behind the green crystal Nüwa statues. The others remained below, backs to each other, staring intently into the air, hoping to catch a glimpse of the invisible entities—whether they were ghosts or something else.
Everyone silently hoped Jia Zhuangyuan would quickly find and disable the mechanism. Otherwise, these invisible ghosts would eventually trap and kill them all. The palace doors were shut, and the boat on the heavy water had vanished—it was clearly all part of the ghosts’ scheme.
Just as everyone was worrying about Jia Zhuangyuan, the music that had been echoing through the palace suddenly stopped. Everyone felt a surge of hope—Jia must have found and disabled the source.
Sure enough, the seven Nüwa statues had returned to their original, serene expressions with eyes cast downward.
Jia Zhuangyuan’s laughter echoed from the platform as he reappeared from behind the statues. He flung another handful of sticky rice into the air and quickly jumped back down to join the group.
As the rice flew through the air, it seemed to hit something invisible, producing a faint popping sound, followed by a few more shrieks.
But no footsteps followed their expectations. The swaying heavy water lamps told them the invisible entities were still present.
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