Suddenly, Tian Guoqiang let out a shrill scream: “Snake… snake…” Then the flashlight beam swayed and the torch dropped to the ground.
Although Tian Guoqiang was tall and strong, he had an intense fear of snakes his whole life.
“Where’s the snake?” Everyone rushed over.
They had been walking along the edge of the cave the entire time, not paying attention to the center. Now they noticed a round, three-tiered rammed earth platform in the middle of the cave. Tian Guoqiang was lying on top of the platform, pointing upward and trembling as he stammered, “Above… above…”
Liu Dashao shone his flashlight upward and saw, about twenty feet overhead on the cave ceiling, a massive snake coiled there. The snake’s entire body was pitch-black and shiny, with two sharp fangs glowing with an eerie blue light in the darkness. Its eyes were blood-red, and its long, forked tongue flickered out, almost producing a chilling hissing sound that sent shivers down one’s spine.
Liu Dashao shuddered involuntarily and was about to step back when he suddenly noticed the snake was oddly stiff, not moving at all. He carefully shone the light again and realized—it was a stone-carved fake snake.
He exhaled in relief. Damn it, this fake snake was too lifelike! At first glance, it had nearly scared the wits out of him.
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 almost wet your pants!”
With help from Liu Dashao and Bai Erlai, Tian Guoqiang stood up, patting his chest and muttering, “Oh my God, I nearly died of fright!”
A big, burly man speaking in such a squeamish way almost made Liu Dashao vomit. It seemed the shock had scared the masculinity right out of him.
Puzzled, Liu Dashao asked, “But why would someone carve a snake on the cave ceiling?”
Bai Erlai, finally getting a chance to speak, quickly chimed in, “You wouldn’t know this, but in the countryside, snakes are often called ‘earth dragons.’ Since they’re a type of dragon, they naturally belong in the sky!”
“Have you got any proof, or are you just making it up?” Tian Guoqiang asked.
Zhang Enpu said, “Bai is right. In ancient times, snakes were regarded as incarnations 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, this is an ancient altar used for sacrificial ceremonies!”
An altar?! If this really was an altar, then this cave must have been a place to worship the snake deity carved into the ceiling.
Tian Guoqiang asked, “Then how did the ancients get that snake deity up there?”
Zhang Enpu replied, “I think that’s exactly the reason Bai just mentioned—they regarded snakes as incarnations of dragons. And since dragons belong in the sky, naturally the snake deity would be placed above.”
The discovery of the altar excited everyone. Tian Guoqiang said, “We should quickly look for an exit. If this was a place of worship, there must be a way out!”
They split up to search the cave. Strangely, the cave seemed like a sealed room, with no exits on any side.
“Hey, did anyone find an exit?” Liu Dashao asked.
Everyone shook their heads. After searching for a long time, no one had found any sign of an exit. The earlier excitement vanished, replaced by sighs and frustration.
Tian Guoqiang loaded his double-barreled shotgun and cursed, “This is strange! There must be an exit! Something must be wrong. I’m going to search again!”
Watching Tian Guoqiang darting around, Liu Dashao was also 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? But after a long search, all the walls were smooth and seamless. Tian was right—something was definitely wrong. But what?
Liu Dashao tilted his head back 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 realization flashed through Liu Dashao’s mind, like a spark in the dark, though still unclear.
He followed the snake’s gaze eastward, directly toward a scroll painting on the fourteenth level of hell—the painting of the hell of untimely death. Liu Dashao walked up with his flashlight. The painting was strange—depicting several people with different suicide methods: hanging, wrist-cutting, and more.
Tian Guoqiang approached and asked, “What are you looking at, Dashao? You’re not studying which suicide method is more pleasant, are you?”
Liu Dashao kicked him lightly, “I’m thinking—maybe the exit is behind this painting?”
“But this scroll looks no different from the others except for the pattern!”
“I’m not talking about the painting,” Liu said, “I’m talking about that stone snake!”
At the mention of “snake,” Tian immediately hid behind Liu Dashao, stammering, “W-what about the snake?”
Liu pointed, “Look at the direction its head is facing—it’s pointing straight here. I suspect this spot might be the exit. Because when worshippers entered, they would see the snake deity immediately. And the snake is facing due east…”
Zhang Enpu suddenly understood, “Apprentice, I support your idea! Let’s focus our search here. The exit might really be here!”
“Hey, look at this guy! He’s got an eye on his belly!” Tian Guoqiang pointed at a figure in the middle of the painting.
Everyone looked closely. The figure was holding up his shirt with one hand and a knife with the other, about to stab his belly. In the center of his belly was a blood-red eye—strange and eerie.
“Who cares how many eyes he has? Let’s find the exit!” Bai Erlai snapped.
The more Liu Dashao stared at that eye, the more suspicious he became. He suddenly said, “Hold on, everyone!”
“What’s wrong, Dashao?”
Liu pointed at the eye, “This eye looks too strange. The more I look, the more suspicious it seems.” Saying so, he took out his small knife and poked the eye hard. To everyone’s surprise, the eye sank in about half an inch. Then they heard a deep, rumbling sound from inside the wall, like distant thunder on a dry summer day, shaking their ears with a buzzing noise.
Everyone covered their ears in shock, watching the painting. It began to slowly roll upward, pulled by some invisible force. A stone door appeared on the wall—arch-shaped, carved with strange symbols resembling oracle bone script. A crack formed in the center, and the door slowly slid open, revealing a dark tunnel wide enough for three people to walk side by side.
Cold wind howled from the tunnel, carrying a damp, musty smell.
“Great! We found the exit!” Bai Erlai shouted excitedly and rushed forward.
Zhang Enpu quickly grabbed him back, “The air is damp and smelly. If you rush in recklessly, you might inhale toxic gas and lose your life for nothing!”
Liu Dashao nodded in agreement, “Master, what should we do?”
“Wait for a quarter of an hour. Let the air circulate first,” Zhang Enpu said.
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 with the Taoist sword, and Bai Erlai brought up the rear with an iron rod. They formed a neat line and slowly entered the tunnel.
As soon as they stepped inside, a rumbling sound came from behind. They turned around in alarm—just in time to see the stone door closing again. They were now sealed inside the tunnel, with no way to go back. Liu Dashao silently prayed, “Amitabha, whatever god you are, please protect us and let us return safely!”
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