Jackson hobbled over to Fan Debiao, who was utterly astonished. Smacking his lips, Fan said, “Foreign devil, not bad! Your wall-climbing skills are pretty decent. When we get out, I’ll have to test you.”
Jackson ignored Fan and pointed at something in the mud, saying, “Look over there—there’s something.”
Following Jackson’s gesture, Dashao Liu looked over and saw a corpse sticking out from the middle of the skulls. The corpse was terrifyingly pale, completely hairless, and upon closer inspection, had no face at all.
Seeing the corpse, Fan Debiao swore, “Damn! There’s a mummy here who practiced the Wu Xiang martial arts and ended up disfigured. Let me give it a few rounds to help it grow a face.”
Just as he raised his gun with one hand, Caqingchong stopped him, saying, “Wait, this might not be a corpse.”
Fan was puzzled, “How could it not be a corpse? It looks exactly like one. Bandit leader, you must be mistaken this time.”
Ca Qingchong ignored Fan, leaped back into the mud, and as soon as he landed, the skulls mysteriously sank back into the mud. Then, Su Yougui helped Da Guoguo jump back into the mud too. Before Dashao Liu could react, he slipped and fell into the mud pit. Seeing this, Fan Debiao and Jackson also jumped back into the mud pit.
Confused, Dashao Liu asked Ca Qingchong, “What exactly is this thing?”
Ca Qingchong replied, “This is called ‘Renling.’ When I first arrived in this cave, something felt familiar about this mud. Now that I’ve seen this ‘Renling,’ I finally understand. You all know the legend of Nüwa creating humans. It’s said that the mud she used to create humans was soaked with ‘Renling.’ Although ‘Renling’ cannot grant immortality, it is a miraculous medicine for healing injuries.”
He then used his dagger to cut off a piece of “Renling” and fed it to Da Guoguo. Soon after, Da Guoguo gradually regained consciousness. Seeing this, Dashao Liu couldn’t help but be amazed, never imagining such a miraculous medicine could actually exist.
Seeing the miraculous effects of “Renling,” Fan Debiao hurriedly grabbed a spade, wanting to cut up the “Renling” and take it back. However, as soon as it was removed from the mud, the “Renling” turned into black sludge.
Ca Qingchong explained, “Renling cannot survive outside of this fragrant mud; it deteriorates once removed.”
Upon hearing this, Fan Debiao became frustrated and said, “Since we can’t take it out, we shouldn’t waste it. I’ll eat a few bites to strengthen my body.” He then used his dagger to cut off a piece and shoved it into his mouth.
As soon as he bit into it, his face twisted in agony. Spitting it out, he cursed, “Damn, this meat tastes awful.”
Seeing Fan Debiao’s pained expression, Dashao Liu dared not try it himself and teased Fan, “That’s natural. They say good medicine tastes bitter. Don’t you agree?”
Hearing Dashao Liu’s remark, Fan Debiao was speechless and turned his head away, spitting repeatedly.
Dashao Liu turned to Ca Qingchong and asked, “Brother, you mentioned ‘fragrant mud’ just now. What’s the story behind it? What is it?”
Dashao Liu had heard of various types of mud, such as yellow mud and white mud. During the Three Years of Natural Disasters, when everyone was desperately poor and the only pursuit was a full stomach, some people even ate white mud.
However, Dashao Liu had never heard of this so-called “fragrant mud,” so he naturally felt curious and asked Ca Qingchong what exactly this “fragrant mud” was.
Ca Qingchong explained, “It’s said that Nüwa used this ‘fragrant mud’ to create humans, mixed with white objects resembling human bones. Perhaps someone witnessed Nüwa using this ‘fragrant mud’ to ‘create humans,’ giving rise to this legend. It’s said that this ‘fragrant mud’ can both radiate and absorb heat. That’s probably why the water here is so cold. This substance must be extremely rare and precious. Could it be that Zhuge Liang was looking for this ‘fragrant mud’ as the elixir of immortality?”
Ca Qingchong’s explanation was too abrupt for Dashao Liu to fully understand, but he was certain that this “fragrant mud” was the same kind Nüwa used to create humans. Could this “fragrant mud” really possess the power to transform mud into people? If so, wouldn’t that make it a kind of mud spirit?
After thinking for a moment, Dashao Liu questioned Ca Qingchong, “Wait a minute, didn’t the bamboo slips say they were going to Zhang Jiao’s coffin to find the elixir of immortality? Those people were all expert tomb raiders; they couldn’t possibly be unaware of this ‘fragrant mud.’ If they were really looking for ‘fragrant mud,’ why would they bother with the coffin?”
Ca Qingchong was momentarily silent after hearing Dashao Liu’s words, then replied, “Your analysis makes sense. We can only know the truth by opening Zhang Jiao’s coffin.” With that, he signaled everyone to gather their belongings and head off in search of the great teacher Zhang Jiao’s coffin.
Everyone packed useful items like explosives, entrenching tools, and handguns into one bag, while other useless items were stuffed into another bag and left behind in the cave. They also divided up Jackson’s compressed biscuits, thinking that since they were already near Zhang Jiao’s coffin, food wouldn’t be necessary anymore. Fan Debiao slung his double-barreled pistol over his shoulder and refused to put it in the bag, saying that strange and unpredictable things were lurking around here, and it would be a shame if the gun wasn’t drawn before they were “sent back.” He firmly believed, “As long as the gun is with me, I am safe; if I lose the gun, I lose my life.”
That was just how Fan Debiao was—he wouldn’t do anything without confidence. Therefore, Dashao Liu didn’t say anything to him and just let him be. Dashao Liu looked at Da Guoguo in amazement, watching him swing an entrenching tool with vigor, seemingly even stronger than before. He couldn’t help but think how effective this “Renling” was—could it really bring the dead back to life? Unfortunately, the “Renling” couldn’t survive outside the fragrant mud, so he felt a pang of regret at not being able to take it with him, wondering if it might come in handy someday.
When Da Guoguo saw that Dashao Liu was ready, he said, “Alright, let’s go.”
Fan Debiao was thrilled and happily started singing a mountain song. Jackson even joined in with him. Dashao Liu listened and felt a headache coming on, unable to comprehend how Jackson’s taste could be so low.
So, the group set off toward the cave entrance, listening to Fan Debiao’s “celestial music.”
Upon reaching the cave entrance, everyone turned on their flashlights, but the space was too vast to see clearly. Suddenly, the area became brightly illuminated. They turned around and saw Jackson holding a miner’s lamp, grinning behind them. No one had expected that Jackson had managed to retrieve the lamp when their boat had fallen apart. He was indeed quick on his feet.
Dashao Liu carefully examined the surroundings. Below the group was a large pond, with nine stone pillars rising straight up from the water. Four pillars formed two groups of two, creating two circles, while the fifth stood alone in the center. On top of the pillars was a massive circular stone slab, although it was somewhat smaller than the pond. When their backpacks had fallen, they had landed in the water, so Zhang Jiao’s coffin must be on the stone slab. Initially, what they had seen above was an illusion caused by the distance, which had created a “merging effect” between the stone slab and the pond.
The pillars were carved with many thundercloud patterns. Upon closer inspection, each pillar was carved with dragons. Seeing this, Dashao Liu exclaimed in shock, “Wow! Isn’t this the ‘Nine Dragons Carrying a Corpse’ formation?”
Fan Debiao walked up to Dashao Liu and said, “What ‘Nine Dragons Carrying a Corpse’? Where do you see nine dragons? The middle pillar is so smooth there isn’t even a ghost’s shadow on it.”
Hearing Fan Debiao’s words, Dashao Liu looked again and realized that indeed, the middle pillar had no dragons—not even a bird.
Da Guoguo said, “Master Liu is right. This is indeed the ‘Nine Dragons Carrying a Corpse Formation.’ I think the ninth dragon should be on the coffin.”
With that, he leaped forward and jumped onto one of the pillars, beginning to climb upward.
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