As they approached the gate, countless clusters of the red flowers known as “Ubume no Hanakotoba” bloomed vividly along the edge of the city wall. Their blood-red hue resembled freshly spilled blood, dazzling and breathtakingly beautiful.
Standing beneath the city gate, everyone looked up and saw four large blue characters engraved on the gate tower: “Fengdu Ghost City,” with a line of smaller blue characters beneath it too faint to read under the glaring light. Liu Dashao guessed that it might be an inscription by someone important, perhaps even Zhang Jiao himself.
The passageway through the gate tower was neither long nor wide. Two semi-circular black doors stood silently open, leaning against either side of the passage. Each door was adorned with a carved black dragon winding across its surface. The dragon eyes were inlaid with natural red gems, and clouds were sculpted swirling around them. The craftsmanship of these doors was exquisite and grand, hinting that the structures and decorations within the ghost city would be even more impressive.
Stepping beyond the gate, they found a main street that divided the city into two parts. To their astonishment, countless life-sized terracotta figures stood along the street in various poses: fruit and vegetable vendors, woodcutters carrying bundles of hairpins, scholars shaking folding fans and reciting poetry with shaking heads, girls lingering in front of jewelry stalls, squads of soldiers dressed in yellow turbans, and waiters shouting in front of taverns. Each terracotta figure was incredibly lifelike. Their decorations, their eyes, and the various items they sold were all made from different types of terracotta. For example, the fruits and vegetables in front of the vendor were actually various ceramic artworks. Everything seemed like a living scroll painting of an ancient city, or as if they had stepped into a vivid Han dynasty town bustling with life.
Although the group had anticipated that everything inside the city would be extraordinary and breathtaking, the scene before them still filled them with awe and amazement. The buildings lining the streets were diverse: two-story taverns, mansions with long corridors, inns, and general stores.
Seeing this, Jia Zhuangyuan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Now, I won’t be ashamed to admit it to everyone. In my more than twenty years of tomb raiding, I’ve seen countless ancient tombs across the country. But compared to just a few minutes’ worth of sights from this Fengdu Ghost City, those tombs are simply incomparable.”
Liu Dashao sneered slightly and said, “Jia, you’re just excited about the treasures, aren’t you? Unfortunately, we can’t even touch these things. No one dares to take anything because the ghost city’s traps might be hidden in any of these terracotta figures or objects.”
Jia Zhuangyuan gave an awkward laugh and replied, “I didn’t even think about moving anything. I know just as much about Fengdu’s legends as you do. I’m not so greedy or reckless as to risk my life.”
Carefully walking around the terracotta figures, the group moved forward. The further they went, the fewer terracotta figures they encountered. Ahead, they came upon a structure spanning the street like an archway, inscribed with strange characters. Upon closer inspection, even Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan couldn’t recognize the script. Fan Debiao and Cai Qingchong were equally puzzled.
At this point, Jia Zhuangyuan spoke up, “This archway should be the dividing point of Fengdu Ghost City. You can see that beyond it lies a crossroads with roads leading in all directions.”
Everyone turned their gaze past the archway and indeed saw a crossroads, just as Jia had said. Liu Dashao then asked Jia, “Jia, which way should we go?”
Jia replied decisively, “The gate we entered through is the main entrance of Fengdu Ghost City. The inner city must lie straight ahead, near the golden section point of the city. We should keep going straight.”
As they continued forward, Jia seemed somewhat distracted. He stopped talking and slowly fell to the back of the group. Liu Dashao noticed this and deliberately slowed his pace to walk beside him.
Jia seemed unaware of Liu’s presence, likely lost in thought. Liu quietly asked, “Jia, you seem troubled. Is something on your mind?”
Jia suddenly looked up at Liu, forcing a smile. “No, nothing at all.”
Liu continued, “Jia, do you think this city is actually the Fengdu Ghost City from the legendary Nine Heavens?”
Jia looked at him with a blank expression. “Perhaps. What’s wrong with that?”
Liu paused briefly before carefully choosing his words. “Jia, whether it’s one of the Nine Heavens or Fengdu Ghost City, I remember that our mission before we set out was to find a treasure of great importance to the nation. But now, I feel like we’re wandering aimlessly underground. What’s going on?”
Jia looked at him strangely for a moment before whispering, “That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering.”
Liu gave a bitter smile and followed behind him.
They continued down the street for about ten minutes. The only illumination came from their flashlights. The countless dark mansions lining the street were shrouded in darkness, as if countless hungry ghosts were watching them hungrily.
Though their footsteps were light, apart from their own, the underground city was completely silent, creating a tense and uneasy stillness.
Suddenly, Liu Dashao and Jia Zhuangyuan at the front abruptly stopped and signaled for everyone else to halt.
Indeed, when everyone stood still, faint footsteps could still be heard echoing, coming from within their own group.
Everyone was startled and looked around anxiously, but all five of them were standing in place, unmoving. What was happening? Was there a ghost among them? Or perhaps an invisible spirit?
Just as everyone was filled with suspicion and fear, the footsteps abruptly ceased. The entire city seemed to return to its deathly silence.
After a while, Liu Dashao calmly said, “It’s gone.”
Sweating profusely, Fan Debiao asked anxiously, “Master Liu, who’s gone? What was that sound?”
Liu explained, “When we left the dark mansion, I had a strange feeling that something was wrong. It felt like something was following us. I focused my attention on the surroundings, and while we were walking, I noticed something unusual in the footsteps. Something had joined our group. That’s why I signaled everyone to stop. Sure enough, that sound wasn’t made by any of us. I don’t know what it was, but now I can’t sense it anymore. It must have left.”
Jia Zhuangyuan nodded and turned to the group. “Let’s keep moving. The road ahead is long, and many unimaginable things await us. Stay alert.”
With that, the group resumed their journey. Liu Dashao sighed inwardly. It seemed his many doubts would only be resolved when the time was right. He thought to himself, *Sigh, I wonder how Diao Shu and the others are doing.*
After the strange incident, everyone became more vigilant. Liu Dashao also focused his attention, as the current situation was critical.
They walked for another ten minutes or so before reaching a crossroads. At its center stood a tall, strange, bluish stone statue.
They shone their flashlights ahead. The statue emitted a faint blue glow under the light, though its material was unknown. When the beams fully illuminated it, they realized it was a Taoist priest wearing traditional robes. They were standing behind the statue.
They circled around to the front. The statue was over two meters tall, holding a fly whisk in one hand, wearing a Taoist headpiece, and with a sword slung diagonally across its back. Its face was finely sculpted—pale with a red complexion, eyes gently lowered, a single strand of beard beneath its chin. It looked incredibly lifelike, exuding a sense of ethereal wisdom.
Fan Debiao whispered, “Who is this Taoist?”
No one answered. Throughout history, many famous Taoists had existed, and none could recognize which one this was. Only Liu Dashao seemed particularly interested. He circled the statue, examining it carefully.
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