Suddenly, Tian Guoqiang screamed in a high-pitched voice, “Snake… snake…” Then, the light flickered, and the flashlight in his hand fell to the ground.
Although Tian Guoqiang was a big, burly man, he had always been terrified of snakes.
“Where’s the snake?” Everyone rushed over.
They had been walking along the edge of the cave and hadn’t noticed the center until now. They saw a circular, three-tiered platform in the middle of the cave. Tian Guoqiang was lying on the top of the platform, trembling and pointing at the ceiling, “Up there… up there…”
Liu Dashao raised his flashlight and shone it upward. About six or seven meters above them, a large snake was coiled on the cave ceiling. The snake was pitch black and glossy, with sharp fangs that gleamed with an eerie blue light in the darkness. Its eyes were blood-red, and its forked tongue flicked in and out, making a chilling hissing sound.
Liu Dashao was startled and was about to step back when he noticed that the snake seemed stiff and motionless. He took a deep breath and shone the light more carefully, realizing it was actually a stone carving of a snake.
Liu Dashao let out a long sigh. Damn, the snake was carved so realistically that at first glance, it nearly scared the life out of him.
He turned to the trembling Tian Guoqiang and said, “Get up! It’s a stone snake, not a real one. Look at you, you’re so scared you almost wet your pants!”
With the help of Liu Dashao and Bai Erlai, Tian Guoqiang stood up, patting his chest with lingering fear. “Oh my god, that really scared me to death!”
Hearing such a feminine remark from a big, burly man, Liu Dashao almost gagged. It seemed the shock had stripped Tian Guoqiang of his masculinity.
Liu Dashao asked curiously, “But why would someone carve a snake on the cave ceiling?”
Bai Erlai, seizing the opportunity to speak, quickly interjected, “You don’t understand. In the countryside, snakes are called ‘earth dragons.’ Since it’s a dragon, of course, it belongs in the sky!”
“I’ve never heard that before. Are you just making this up?” Tian Guoqiang said.
Zhang Enpu replied, “Brother Bai is right. In ancient times, snakes were seen as incarnations of dragons. Because they crawl on the ground, they’re also called ‘earth dragons.’ Among the deities worshipped by the ancients, there was the snake god. Look at our feet—this circular platform is likely an ancient altar for sacrifices!”
An altar?! If this was an altar, then this cave must have been a place to worship the snake god on the ceiling.
Tian Guoqiang asked, “But how did the people back then get the snake god up there?”
Zhang Enpu answered, “I think it’s for the reason Brother Bai just mentioned. They saw the snake as an incarnation of the dragon, and since it’s a dragon, it naturally belongs in the sky.”
The discovery of the altar excited everyone. Tian Guoqiang suggested, “Let’s hurry and find a way out. Since this is a place for sacrifices, there must be an exit!”
They began searching again, but strangely, the cave seemed like a sealed room with no exits on any side.
“Hey, have you found the way out?” Liu Dashao asked the group.
Everyone shook their heads. After searching for a long time, they still couldn’t find the exit. The earlier excitement vanished, replaced by sighs and frustration.
Tian Guoqiang loaded his double-barreled shotgun and said, “Damn it, this is so strange. There must be a way out here. Something’s wrong. I’ll keep looking!”
Watching Tian Guoqiang dart around, Liu Dashao was also puzzled. This was clearly a place to worship the snake god, so there must be an exit. Otherwise, how did the worshippers get in? But after searching for so long, the stone walls were smooth and seamless. Tian Guoqiang was right—something was off. But what exactly was it?
Liu Dashao tilted his head back and sighed deeply. At that moment, he caught sight of the stone-carved snake god again. Its head was raised high, its forked tongue flicking toward the east. The snake’s head? The direction? A flash of insight struck Liu Dashao, as if he had grasped something crucial, but it was still vague.
He followed the direction the snake’s head was pointing—directly toward the painting of the fourteenth level of hell on the east wall. The painting depicted the “Hell of the Wrongfully Dead.” Liu Dashao walked over to the painting with his flashlight. The painting was bizarre, showing several people committing suicide in different ways—hanging, wrist-cutting, and so on.
Tian Guoqiang walked over to Liu Dashao and said, “Dashao, what are you looking at? Are you studying which way of dying is more enjoyable?”
Liu Dashao kicked him. “I’m thinking that the exit might be behind this painting.”
“Really? This painting looks no different from the others except for the images.”
Liu Dashao said, “I’m not talking about the painting. I’m talking about the stone snake!”
At the mention of the snake, Tian Guoqiang immediately hid behind Liu Dashao. “The snake… what about it?”
“Look at the direction the snake’s head is pointing. It’s directly toward this spot. I think the exit might be there because when people came here to worship, they would see the snake god, and its head points east…”
Zhang Enpu suddenly understood. “Disciple, I support your idea. Let’s focus our search here. Maybe the exit is really here!”
“Hey, look at this guy. Why does he have an eye on his stomach?” Tian Guoqiang pointed to a figure in the middle of the painting.
Everyone looked closely. The figure was lifting his shirt with one hand and holding a sharp knife in the other, about to stab his stomach. In the middle of his stomach was a blood-red eye, which looked extremely strange.
Bai Erlai said, “Who cares how many eyes he has? Let’s just find the exit!”
The more Liu Dashao looked at the eye, the more he felt something was off. He said to the group, “Wait a minute!”
“Dashao, what is it?”
Liu Dashao pointed at the eye. “This eye is really strange here. The more I look at it, the more it feels wrong.” With that, Liu Dashao took out a small knife and poked the eye. To his surprise, the eye sank half an inch into the wall, and then a deep rumbling sound came from the stone, like summer thunder, making everyone’s ears ring.
Everyone covered their ears and stared at the painting. The painting seemed to be pulled by some force, slowly rolling upward. A arched stone door appeared on the wall, carved with strange symbols resembling oracle bone script. The door split in the middle and slowly opened, revealing a passageway wide enough for three people to walk side by side.
A cold, damp wind blew out from the passage, carrying a musty, salty smell.
“Great, we found the exit!” Bai Erlai was about to rush in.
Zhang Enpu grabbed him back. “The musty smell is strong. If you rush in recklessly, you might inhale toxic gas and die for nothing.”
Liu Dashao nodded in agreement. “Master, what should we do then?”
“Wait for fifteen minutes. Let the air circulate, then we’ll go in,” Zhang Enpu said.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Liu Dashao led the way with a flashlight in one hand and a shotgun in the other. Tian Guoqiang followed with his double-barreled shotgun, Zhang Enpu walked in the middle with his Taoist sword, and Bai Erlai brought up the rear with an iron rod. They lined up neatly and slowly entered the passage.
As soon as they stepped into the passage, they heard a rumbling sound behind them. Turning around, they saw the stone door closing again. They were now trapped in the passage, with no way to go back. Liu Dashao silently prayed, “Amitabha, may the Buddha protect me and let me return safely!”
Although Tian Guoqiang was a tall and burly guy, he was deathly afraid of snakes his whole life.
“Where’s the snake?” Everyone rushed over.
Up until now, they had been walking along the edge of the cave without paying attention to its center. Now they noticed a round, three-tiered rammed earth platform in the middle of the cave. Tian Guoqiang was lying on top of this platform, pointing upward and trembling as he stammered, “Up there… up there…”
Liu Dashao raised his flashlight and shone it upward. About six or seven meters above them, coiled on the cave ceiling, was a large snake. Its entire body was pitch-black and shiny, with two sharp fangs glowing an eerie blue in the dark. Its eyes were blood-red, and its long, forked tongue flickered out, seemingly producing a chilling hissing sound.
Liu Dashao shuddered involuntarily, preparing to step back, when he suddenly noticed the snake was unusually stiff and motionless. He held his breath and looked again carefully, finally realizing it was a stone-carved fake snake.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Liu Dashao muttered, “Damn it, this snake is too lifelike! At first glance, it almost scared the living daylights out of me.”
He turned to the trembling Tian Guoqiang and said, “Get up already! It’s just a stone snake, not a real one. Look at how scared you are—you nearly wet your pants!”
With help from Liu Dashao and Bai Erlai, Tian Guoqiang stood up, still shaken, patting his chest and exclaiming, “Oh my God, you scared me to death!”
A big, muscular man speaking in such a feminine way almost made Liu Dashao gag. It seemed the guy had been so frightened that even his masculine spirit had vanished.
Puzzled, Liu Dashao asked, “But why would someone carve a snake on the cave ceiling?”
Bai Erlai, finally finding a chance to speak, quickly chimed in, “You wouldn’t know this, but in rural areas, snakes are often called ‘earth dragons.’ Since they are dragons, of course they should be in the sky!”
“Have you ever! You’re probably just making that up,” Tian Guoqiang replied.
Zhang Enpu said, “Bai is right. In ancient times, snakes were considered manifestations of dragons. Because they crawl on the ground, they were also called ‘earth dragons.’ In the pantheon of gods worshipped by ancient people, there was even a snake deity. Look at the round rammed-earth platform beneath our feet. If I’m not mistaken, it was an ancient altar used for sacrifices!”
An altar? If this was indeed an altar, then this cave must have been a place for worshipping the snake deity on the ceiling.
Tian Guoqiang asked, “Then how did ancient people get the snake deity up there?”
Zhang Enpu replied, “I think that’s exactly the reason Bai just mentioned—they regarded snakes as dragon incarnations. Since they are dragons, of course they should be in the heavens.”
The discovery of the altar excited everyone greatly. Tian Guoqiang said, “We should quickly look for an exit. If this is a place of worship, there must be a way out!”
They began searching separately again, but strangely, the cave seemed like a sealed room with no exits on any side.
“Hey, did anyone find the way out?” Liu Dashao asked.
Everyone shook their heads. After searching for so long, they hadn’t found any exit at all. The earlier excitement vanished, replaced only by sighs and frustration.
Tian Guoqiang loaded his double-barreled shotgun and cursed, “This is strange! There must be a way out. Something must be wrong. I’ll keep looking!”
Watching Tian running around, Liu Dashao was equally puzzled. This place was clearly a site for worshipping the snake deity. If it was a place of worship, there must be an entrance. Otherwise, how did the worshippers get in? Yet everyone had searched thoroughly, and all the surrounding walls were smooth and sealed. Tian was right—something was definitely wrong. But what?
Liu Dashao stretched his neck and sighed deeply. At that moment, he glanced again at the stone-carved snake deity. Its head was raised high, facing the exact east direction, its red tongue flickering. Snake head? Direction? A sudden flash crossed Liu Dashao’s mind, as if grasping a crucial clue, though it remained vague.
Following the snake’s head direction, he looked eastward and saw the fourteenth layer of hell painted on a hanging scroll. It depicted the hell of wrongful deaths. Liu Dashao walked toward the scroll with his flashlight. The painting was strange—several figures were shown dying in different ways: hanging, wrist-cutting, and more.
Tian Guoqiang approached Liu Dashao and asked, “What are you looking at? Don’t tell me you’re studying which death is more pleasant?”
Liu Dashao kicked him lightly and said, “I’m thinking—maybe the exit is behind this painting?”
Tian replied, “You can’t be serious! This scroll looks no different from the others except for the pattern.”
Liu Dashao said, “I’m not talking about the scroll itself, but the stone snake!”
At the word “snake,” Tian immediately hid behind Liu Dashao and stammered, “W-what about the snake?”
Liu Dashao continued, “Look at the direction the snake’s head is facing—it’s pointing directly here. I suspect the exit lies exactly where the snake’s head is pointing. That way, anyone entering the cave would immediately see the snake deity. And since it’s facing east…”
Zhang Enpu suddenly understood and said, “Apprentice, I support your idea. Let’s focus our search here. The exit might really be here!”
“Hey, look at this! This guy in the painting has an eye on his belly!” Tian Guoqiang pointed at a figure in the scroll.
Everyone looked closely. The figure was holding up his shirt with one hand and holding a dagger in the other, about to stab his belly. In the center of his belly was a blood-red eye—strange and eerie.
Bai Erlai said, “Who cares how many eyes he has? Let’s just find the exit!”
The more Liu Dashao looked at the eye, the stranger it seemed. He suddenly said, “Wait everyone!”
“What’s wrong, Dashao?”
Liu Dashao pointed at the eye and said, “This eye looks too strange. The more I look at it, the more suspicious it seems.” Saying this, he took out a small knife and poked the eye hard. Unexpectedly, the eye sank in about half an inch, and a deep, rumbling sound echoed from within the wall, like distant thunder on a dry summer day, making everyone’s ears buzz.
Everyone covered their ears in shock, watching the scroll. It began to slowly roll upward as if pulled by some invisible force. A stone archway appeared on the wall, carved with strange symbols resembling oracle bone script. A crack formed in the center of the stone door, then it slowly slid open on both sides, revealing a dark passage wide enough for three people to walk side by side.
Cold wind blew out from the passage, carrying a damp, moldy smell.
“Great! We found the exit!” Bai Erlai shouted excitedly and rushed forward.
Zhang Enpu quickly pulled him back. “The air in there is moldy and heavy. If you rush in recklessly, you might inhale toxic gases and lose your life!”
Liu Dashao nodded in agreement and asked, “Master, what should we do then?”
“Let’s wait fifteen minutes for the air to circulate before entering,” Zhang Enpu replied.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Liu Dashao led the way with a flashlight in one hand and a bird gun on his shoulder. Tian Guoqiang followed with his powerful double-barreled shotgun. Zhang Enpu walked in the middle, holding the Celestial Master’s sword, while Bai Erlai brought up the rear with an iron rod. They lined up neatly and slowly entered the passage.
As soon as they stepped inside, a rumbling sound came from behind. They turned around in alarm and saw the stone door had closed again. They were trapped inside the passage now, with no way back. Liu Dashao whispered silently in his heart: “Amitabha Buddha, urgent as the law commands, no matter which Buddha you are, please protect me and let me return safely!”
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