Gurgle, gurgle.
There is a bride in Luolong Cave.
The meat is beautiful and the meat is fragrant.
…
The children's songs kept echoing in the mountains. They were obviously the most cheerful tunes, but under the blowing of the mountain breeze, the children's singing became intermittent. The repeated echoes in the mountains made the childish nursery rhymes change their tone, and it was as sharp as a broken bowstring across a rotten erhu.
The more Jiang Chuyan listened, the more he couldn't help but frown.
My whole body started to feel uncomfortable.
Wait, what on earth is this nursery rhyme about? Something about gouging out eyes and ripping open the stomach... Is this what a nursery rhyme should be about?
He suddenly shuddered and stopped in astonishment.
"What's wrong?"
It seemed that he had been paying attention to Jiang Chuyan's actions. When Jiang Chuyan stopped, He Yuan also stopped.
The tall boy turned around and looked worriedly at the pale young man behind him.
"Did you hear that?"
Jiang Chuyan couldn't help but ask.
He Yuan looked confused.
"Huh? What did you hear?"
He asked.
Obviously, He Yuan heard nothing.
Jiang Chuyan fell into silence.
Having walked so far, Jiang Chuyan couldn't possibly hear the children singing again. In fact, after regaining consciousness, Jiang Chuyan discovered that he could hear nothing but the incessant whistling mountain wind.
Jiang Chuyan turned around and looked behind him. On the narrow mountain path, there was only lush greenery growing wildly. The figures of those skinny and strange children who looked like skeletons had long been buried by the moisture and bushes.
Even if we take a step back and say that the indigenous people of Longzhao only speak the Longzhao dialect, even if those children sang some scary nursery rhymes, Jiang Chuyan would have no way of understanding them...
"nothing."
After a brief silence, Jiang Chuyan said to He Yuan hesitantly.
"It's just a little bit of auditory hallucination."
In the nursery rhyme that I heard in my hallucinations, the Dragon God's bride was apparently dismembered and then eaten.
"We are heading up the mountain. The altitude here is higher than Longzhao Village. Changes in altitude lead to changes in air pressure and lack of oxygen to the brain, which sometimes affects the cochlea." He Yuan stretched out his fingers and circled them in his ears, explaining gently.
Jiang Chuyan could feel that He Yuan was actually a little worried about his condition, but in the face of Jiang Chuyan's abnormality, the boy was considerate and did not continue to ask questions.
Just like that, Jiang Chuyan continued to follow He Yuan restlessly towards the Luolong Cave.
In the second half of the journey, the original path became much steeper than before, and the unattended wild trees and shrubs on the roadside began to grow unscrupulously. One had to push aside those damp, nameless plants with great effort before one could barely squeeze through on the path.
Jiang Chuyan felt exhausted, and even He Yuan stopped talking after giving him a few instructions at the beginning.
The only good thing is that because the road is difficult to walk on, Jiang Chuyan has to pay more attention to the road in front of him instead of all kinds of random thoughts.
However, even though Jiang Chuyan had adjusted his posture very carefully, Jiang Chuyan, who was naturally much weaker than others, still slowed down his pace a little bit.
"call..."
"call..."
…
There was complete silence all around, with only the groans and breathing of He Yuan in front of him, and the gurgling sound of the boys' soles rubbing against the sticky mud on the wet mountain path.
The bushes rustled.
"call..."
"call..."
"call..."
…
Jiang Chuyan's breathing was also heavy. He subconsciously counted He Yuan's breathing in front of him to adjust his pace.
"call..."
It was at this moment that Jiang Chuyan's breathing paused. It was as if an invisible hand had clamped down on his throat. Cold sweat began to soak through the sweatshirt on his back. His heart, heavy as a lead block, began to beat erratically, causing a dull pain in his ribs.
wrong.
Jiang Chuyan thought.
He stared at the tall boy in front of him who was walking with firm steps. He wanted to call out to him, but his body seemed to be frozen and he couldn't move.
The tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of the mouth, and not even a single sound could be uttered.
Jiang Chuyan was extremely scared.
Because, just now, he clearly realized that the heavy breathing that had been lingering in his ears was not He Yuan's. The subtle footsteps that seemed to drag something forward also did not belong to him.
Yes, all the noises were not coming from the front, but from behind Jiang Chuyan...
*
A little earlier.
Longzhao Village, inside the small building.
After finishing the two bags of potato chips that he had stuffed into his luggage with relish, Bai Ke finally heard some noise coming from outside the door.
The man walked with heavy steps on the wooden board, making a series of "creaking" sounds.
"Brother Yuanzhou!"
Bai Ke suddenly perked up. He took a deep breath, adjusted his facial expression, and then rushed to the door excitedly with an expression that was half worried and half distressed.
The person who came was indeed Xu Yuanzhou, who had just returned to the small building. However, Xu Yuanzhou's face looked much worse than Bai Ke had expected. His face, which was actually quite decent, was now covered with fine beads of cold sweat, and his lips were completely bloodless, even a little blue.
"First words——"
Xu Yuanzhou staggered up the platform stairs, holding his right hand tightly with his left hand, and shouted reflexively when he saw the door open.
But when he saw that the person coming was Bai Ke, his eyes instantly dimmed.
One finger on his right hand stretched straight out, and it was noticeably darker than the others, looking quite swollen. Bai Ke was naturally startled when she encountered Xu Yuanzhou head-on.
"Brother Yuanzhou? What's wrong with you?!"
He looked at Xu Yuanzhou's hand in surprise.
"Also, Brother Chu Yan has already followed Master He to Luolong Cave..."
He added.
Xu Yuanzhou took a deep breath.
"I got bit by that mask... no, I got bit by that damn bug. Shit, it hurts like hell."
Xu Yuanzhou casually explained that he saw an abandoned mask on the roadside. As he was fiddling with the damn mask, a bug jumped out of the mask and bit his finger directly.
While saying these words, Xu Yuanzhou was gasping for air, with beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans dripping down his face. It was obvious that he was in great pain.
"Ah? Then, what should we do about this?"
Bai Ke was a little panicked.
He had long suspected that Xu Yuanzhou and Jiang Chuyan had broken up this time, and he had made all the necessary preparations, intending to play the role of a well-behaved, adorable, and comforting little cutie when Xu Yuanzhou returned. However, plans couldn't keep up with events. Seeing Xu Yuanzhou like this, Xu Yuanzhou probably wouldn't care about Bai Ke, no matter how sweet and considerate she was... A series of blisters formed on the area where Xu Yuanzhou had been injured by the insect, and they were swelling at a visible rate.
After hesitating for a moment, Bai Ke hurriedly helped Xu Yuanzhou into the small building.
"What should we do next? Is there an ambulance here? No, is there a village doctor here..."
Bai Ke had never taken care of anyone before, especially someone who was bitten by an insect, so he had no experience at all.
Xu Yuanzhou felt extremely upset when he saw Bai Ke standing there stupidly.
"Chu Yan packed all my backpacks. Go look for them. There must be ointment for insect bites in the medical kit. Shit, what kind of insect is this that hurts so much?"
As he spoke, Xu Yuanzhou's emotions gradually began to become unstable.
He cursed a string of swear words
Bai Ke had never seen Xu Yuanzhou like this before. In his mind, Xu Yuanzhou had always been so cheerful and cheerful, a typical leader. But now the boy looked like a drowned dog...
He's still the kind of domineering and helpless person who is in trouble.
With her back to Xu Yuanzhou, Bai Ke gritted her teeth as she searched her bag despite being scolded by the boy. She could no longer control her annoyance towards Xu Yuanzhou.
Fortunately, just as Xu Yuanzhou said, there was indeed a medical kit packed long ago in his bag, and Bai Ke just found it before his patience ran out.
Various common medicines are neatly placed in small bags, and instructions for use are even written on the plastic bags.
Bai Ke didn't care about anything else. He hurriedly found a Band-Aid and quickly took it to Xu Yuanzhou, ready to put it on Xu Yuanzhou's wound.
Then he was stopped by Xu Yuanzhou again.
Xu Yuanzhou took a deep breath and slowly moved his gaze from the band-aid in Bai Ke's hand to Bai Ke's face.
"I still have blisters on my hands."
Xu Yuanzhou gritted his teeth and spoke to Bai Ke word by word.
"Yeah, so..."
Bai Ke still looked a little dazed. Xu Yuanzhou had to force himself to stay alert despite the severe pain and added, "Go find some needles. I need to prick the blisters. Then look in the bag. There must be some skin ointment. And get me some antibiotics. Damn it, I'm not going to get infected if I get bit by a bug in this kind of place..."
Xu Yuanzhou didn't notice how ugly Bai Ke's face looked as he was being ordered around by him.
The only thing in his mind at this moment was Jiang Chuyan.
If it was Jiang Chuyan instead of Bai Ke who stayed with him at this moment, he would probably have been well taken care of by now.
But what about Bai Ke? She was like a headless fly, pacing the messy room. It took her a long time to find a sewing needle. Only after Xu Yuanzhou reminded her did she think of using a lighter to heat the needle to help Xu Yuanzhou pick the blister.
Due to this delay, the series of blisters on Xu Yuanzhou's hands had swelled up into round pieces, and the skin had become almost transparent.
Bai Ke had never seen such a scene before.
In fact, he never thought that Xu Yuanzhou would treat him like a maid whenever he encountered problems.
Looking at the crystal clear "soybeans" in Xu Yuanzhou's hand, his facial features almost wrinkled together. After hesitating for a moment, he cautiously moved over with the needle in his hand.
"Take it, what should I do next?"
"Find the blister and pop it!"
Xu Yuanzhou's voice sounded like he was grinding his back teeth.
Bai Ke pinched Xu Yuanzhou's fingertips as carefully as possible and took a look, but just after one look, his gaze completely froze.
Will a normal person's fingers really become like this after being bitten by an insect?
Bai Ke stared at Xu Yuanzhou's fingers in disbelief - he saw clearly that Xu Yuanzhou not only had blisters on his fingertips, but even under his nails there were densely packed small blisters.
No, no no, that doesn't seem to be herpes at all.
Looking closely, those tiny and dense blisters seemed to be still moving. Through the translucent fingernails, Bai Ke could see that those tiny blisters were vaguely covered with black dots the size of needle tips.
It looks like insect eggs about to hatch.
Looking more closely, I saw that the dense insect eggs were not only under the nails, but also in the large swollen blisters that were bulging and filled with similar things.
Under Bai Ke's force, those tiny translucent particles began to wriggle.
"hiss--"
Bai Ke was stunned by this embarrassing scene.
Seeing Bai Ke's dumbfounded expression, Xu Yuanzhou's already bad mood finally erupted like a volcano.
"What the hell are you doing? Embroidering here—"
He couldn't help but scold.
Hearing the sound of explosion next to his ears, Bai Ke's hands shook involuntarily.
"laugh--"
In a moment of carelessness, the needle in his hand pierced straight into the gap between Xu Yuanzhou's nails.
It felt like... accidentally sticking a needle into a ball of soft, water-soaked cotton.
In the dark, Bai Ke seemed to hear the sound of something being pierced, and a thick liquid instantly splashed out from the bursting huge bubble.
The red, yellow, and white liquid fell directly onto the back of Bai Ke's hand. As the mucus slowly slid down, Bai Ke saw some tiny particles as small as sesame seeds wriggling on the back of her hand.
Bai Ke's mind went blank in an instant.
He screamed, jumped up and took several steps back.
"Damn, damn, damn—"
He began to wipe the back of his hand frantically, and at the same time, Xu Yuanzhou's cry of pain rang in his ears.
"It hurts, Bai Ke, you're crazy——fuck——grass——"
…
"I'm sorry, yes, I'm sorry."
Bai Ke apologized to Xu Yuanzhou incoherently, but she didn't dare to get close to Xu Yuanzhou again.
"I just wasn't thinking about your hands. Your hands are so scary."
Bai Ke's eyes widened.
"It's just a few fucking blisters—fuck—"
Xu Yuanzhou's face looked ferocious. He roared viciously, gasping for breath as he carefully pulled the needle out from between his fingers.
Following his movements, Bai Ke slowly looked at Xu Yuanzhou's hand, and was surprised to find that the man's injuries were just a few swollen blisters, no pustules, no strange particles, no insect eggs...
Only Xu Yuanzhou's face was extremely gloomy.
Wait, what was that thing I just saw... Am I... drunk too?
Bai Ke was stunned.
*
Xu Yuanzhou was sure that this was the most painful day of his life.
His mood is now at its worst.
That damn bug... He never expected that the unknown bug would jump up and bite him.
Probably due to the insect bite infection and a little allergy, Xu Yuanzhou could feel his body getting hot and his eyes were dizzy.
When the needle was pulled out from between his fingers, the pain wasn't too intense, but the sour, tingling sensation made his entire body numb. When he looked at Bai Ke again, a strong feeling of disgust was about to burst out like a fountain.
If it weren't for this guy...
If it weren't for Bai Ke, this annoying, stupid guy, who kept pestering him, Jiang Chuyan might not have misunderstood their relationship at all. And if Jiang Chuyan didn't misunderstand him and Bai Ke, he probably wouldn't have broken up with him.
When he thought of this, Xu Yuanzhou's lips trembled slightly.
"I've really had enough. If Chu Yan was here, this wouldn't happen at all."
Xu Yuanzhou's voice was low, but it was unusually clear in the quiet room.
Bai Ke had originally had enough of the guy in front of him who was ordering him around, and he was about to turn around and leave.
However, when Bai Ke heard Xu Yuanzhou mention Jiang Chuyan in such a nostalgic and longing voice, a hint of strong unwillingness flashed in her eyes.
The original indignation he felt towards Xu Yuanzhou was forcibly replaced by forced tenderness and attentiveness.
Even if it was just a pretense, Bai Ke swore that he would never lose to Jiang Chuyan.
He would not allow Xu Yuanzhou to still be obsessed with Jiang Chuyan at this time.
He slowly moved towards Xu Yuanzhou's side.
"I'm sorry, I was just too worried about you, that's why I was so flustered."
Hearing Bai Ke's words without complaint, Xu Yuanzhou, who was originally between rage and severe pain, was also stunned, and then a trace of discomfort flashed in his eyes.
Bai Ke is concerned about herself...
Xu Yuanzhou's expression relaxed, and he felt slightly touched.
When he was injured, the only person who stayed by his side was Bai Ke.
But Jiang Chuyan had already abandoned her and went to fool around with that bastard.
"Bai Ke, you are just too clumsy."
Xu Yuanzhou said this in a stern tone, but his voice was much softer than before.
Just when he was about to say a few words to calm Bai Ke's emotions, a faint foul smell suddenly came from Bai Ke's body.
Xu Yuanzhou's stomach churned and he dodged to the side uncontrollably.
"Wait, Bai Ke...what's that smell on you?"
Xu Yuanzhou couldn't help but complain.
Bai Ke froze.
"Smell? What smell?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and sniffed it.
The next second, Bai Ke opened her eyes wide in shock.
What's going on? He does have a smell, and it's an extremely indescribable smell.
The smell wasn't very strong, but... it was extremely unpleasant. It was fishy, and there was also an unbearable, putrid-sweet smell, like a corpse that had been dead for a day or two and was about to decay.
Bai Ke thought he was different from the smelly boys at school, who usually wanted to marinate themselves with all kinds of skin care products and perfumes. He never dreamed that one day, he would actually emit such a disgusting odor.
This was a bolt from the blue for him.
What's even scarier is that the person who pointed this out is the person he's been hooking up with.
"Yeah, what happened? Haha, yeah, yeah, I think I accidentally stepped on something when I came back. This backward, damn place is full of dog shit. Damn, it's so annoying..."
Bai Ke spoke incoherently.
Without paying any attention to the fact that blood was still dripping from Xu Yuanzhou's hand, he quickly found an excuse and began to retreat towards the door.
"Bai Ke——"
In the room, Xu Yuanzhou seemed to call him, but Bai Ke did not even look back at Xu Yuanzhou, but rushed directly to the simple toilet in the small building.
Bai Ke hurriedly took off all his clothes, then raised his arm to smell it carefully.
Then he cursed under his breath.
The smell still hasn't dissipated.
A faint, rancid smell, with a warm stench like a breeding ground for maggots.
That wasn't the smell of his clothes, but rather the smell coming from inside his body.
Bai Ke's face was completely distorted. What was going on?
Is it because the sheets are dirty, or did I accidentally get something dirty on me? Why, why do I have this strange smell?
Countless chaotic thoughts flashed through Bai Ke's mind, but he had no time to think about them in detail.
There is no running water in Longzhao Village.
All daily water needs to be collected in advance, then poured into water tanks or jars, and stored in water areas such as toilets and kitchens.
However, perhaps considering that Jiang Chuyan and his group were college students from outside the city, Budacuocuo gave them extra preferential treatment when arranging their accommodation this time: as if from the 1980s, plastic thermoses with brightly colored shells were lined up in a row, filled with hot water, and placed inside the small building in advance.
But after just one night, the hot water inside was now only lukewarm at best.
But for Bai Ke at this moment, temperature is no longer a problem.
He didn't care about anything else and simply pulled the cork off the thermos, picked up the kettle and started pouring water on himself.
However, the moment the water fell on her body, Bai Ke immediately felt something was wrong. It was so strange, why was the water sticky...
Then, as the water poured down, something fell on him.
Bai Ke felt a tingling sensation on his shoulder. The boy turned his head and saw the segment of the worm falling out of the silver spout of the kettle.
Look at that thing, it is thicker than two finger joints combined, and its joints reflect a reddish-brown light under the dim light of the toilet. It seems to realize that its gentle water town is about to disappear. Its thick tail swung, and countless thin legs with curved hooks twisted and hooked Bai Ke's skin.
"quack--"
The distance is too close.
Bai Ke vaguely heard the subtle friction sounds made by the limbs and carapaces twisting.
Most of its body had fallen out of the kettle, while the other part was still hidden inside.
After being stimulated, something squeezed out from its tail.
It was a long egg pod that looked like a small purse.
*
With a "bang", the muffled sound of the thermos tank exploding was heard in the simple toilet.
This was followed by a series of screams.
The next second, Bai Ke, wearing only a piece of clothing and soaking wet, rushed out of the toilet, crawling and rolling.
"Shit—shit—"
Bai Ke's face was distorted, and he kept cursing after rushing out of the toilet, but his body was shaking uncontrollably.
It took Bai Ke a long time to calm down, and at this moment, Bai Ke felt a chill.
Someone was watching him.
Bai Ke suddenly turned his head and met the white face that appeared from the stairs.
At first glance, it looked as if the "ancestor" masks on the ceiling had inexplicably come alive.
There was no color on his face, and his expression was extremely numb.
The eyes were pitch black, looking like a dark cave.
But the mask was now staring at Bai Ke and smiling—a smile that didn't move its eyelids, only the corners of its mouth slightly raised. It was a strange and malicious smile.
It was as if they knew what happened in the toilet in advance and were excited because of Bai Ke's fear.
Bai Ke, who was already frightened, almost fell down when he saw that face. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was not a mask, but Liu Tianyu.
But compared to yesterday, Liu Tianyu's face is now very swollen.
The boy who was originally just slightly fat has now become wider, his eyes sunken in the slightly swollen pale flesh, his pupils appear dark and deep, and the whites of his eyes are almost invisible.
Moreover, Liu Tianyu only showed his head at this time, and the whole person looked like he was squatting on the ground, with extremely obscene movements.
"What are you looking at?!"
Bai Ke's eyebrows immediately raised when he recognized Liu Tianyu, and he yelled at the man fiercely.
"You're a voyeur!"
After realizing that he was discovered, Liu Tianyu's eyes rolled around. For a moment, he looked very much like a local villager in Longzhao Village.
"You're always like this..."
He suddenly muttered to Bai Ke without any reason.
"It's been so long and I still can't remember. Don't use the water from the first bottle. There are bugs in it."
Hearing this, Bai Ke frowned, and the next second his expression suddenly changed.
"What the hell does that even mean? Did you do this? Hey, Liu Tianyu, tell me!"
However, after saying that, no matter how much Bai Ke scolded him, Liu Tianyu didn't respond. Like a snail or some other reptile, he retreated slowly into the shadows of the second floor, leaving Bai Ke standing there, her heartbeat still failing to return to normal for a long time.
Boring boy tricks.
Do you think you can scare yourself by talking nonsense?
Bai Ke stared at the direction where Liu Tianyu disappeared, spat, and cursed.
But while cursing, Bai Ke couldn't help but pick at his shoulders nervously.
I had clearly shaken off the bug the first time, so why was my shoulder still itchy? Even now, Bai Ke still felt the nauseating sensation of the bug scratching against her skin.
Now, what Bai Ke desires most is an ordinary bathroom with hot water.
He felt that he could stay there for a whole day, but such a simple wish was a fantasy in Longzhao Village today.
Bai Ke stared at the row of thermoses neatly placed outside the toilet for a long time, but he didn't have the courage to open more thermoses to pour water for a bath.
When Bai Ke regained his senses, he found that he had wrapped himself in a piece of clothing and rushed out.
Following the direction Jiang Chuyan had mentioned before, he chased after him. All that remained in his mind were the few words Jiang Chuyan had mentioned before - there was a hot spring near Luolong Cave, and it was just right for him to take a bath.
Oh, right, didn't those two people say that it's actually not far from Longzhao Village?
Damn it, I should have gone with them earlier...
*
Maybe even God is silently blessing Bai Ke.
At least that's what Bai Ke himself thinks.
After running for a short distance, Bai Ke actually caught up with Jiang Chuyan and He Yuan in the mountains.
However, after the initial excitement faded, Bai Ke looked at the backs of the two men, and the mockery in his heart kept surging uncontrollably.
Jiang Chuyan, who usually seemed so aloof and indifferent, now wished she and He Yuan could become conjoined twins. They were just climbing a mountain, but He Yuan kept hugging Jiang Chuyan from behind, his gestures filled with possessiveness, as if he wanted to pull Jiang Chuyan directly into his arms.
"Tsk—"
This guy Jiang Chuyan has really been hooking up with He Yuan for a long time, right?
The two of them were so passionate...
Xu Yuanzhou really should be allowed to see Jiang Chuyan's true face.
As this thought flashed through his mind, Bai Ke involuntarily raised his cell phone, pointed it at Jiang Chuyan's back, and quietly took a photo.
[Click.]
However, after pressing the camera button, Bai Ke couldn't help but frown as he looked at the image displayed on the phone screen.
My hands were shaking just now...
Why was He Yuan, who was behind Jiang Chuyan, photographed as a series of overlapping shadows?
[whee--]
Suddenly, Bai Ke heard a small, yet malicious, sneer. The sound was right next to his ear, as if someone was chuckling behind him.
Bai Ke was startled and turned around suddenly, only to find that there was no one behind him, only a few branches swaying in the air.
Another hallucination?
And just as he thought this, his feet slipped inexplicably and he fell forward uncontrollably.
*
"rustle--"
The grass and trees behind Jiang Chuyan began to shake violently.
Jiang Chuyan, who was originally unable to move due to fear, seemed to have suddenly broken free from a nightmare.
"who--"
He turned his head nervously, and then, to his great surprise, saw a familiar face covered in mud suddenly rolling out from among the lush grass and branches.
"…Bai Ke??"
Jiang Chuyan was stunned.
"Why is it you?"
While Jiang Chuyan was utterly astonished, Bai Ke also looked stunned. The boy, who usually cared about appearance, was now covered in mud and lay on the ground for a while before stumbling to his feet.
He was breathing heavily, first looking behind him, then turned his head and looked in the direction of Jiang Chuyan for several seconds.
How strange...
Bai Ke vaguely felt that something seemed wrong, but at this moment, he didn't have time to think too much. He could only awkwardly put the phone back into his pocket and pretend that he had done nothing.
He licked his lips.
"I-I just felt a little bored. Besides, we've spent so much time coming here, it's not a good idea to stay in the building all the time, so I thought it would be better to catch up."
Bai Ke made up an excuse and said dryly.
"Then why have you been hiding behind us? Do you know that you almost scared me to death?"
Jiang Chuyan let out a long sigh, patted his chest and muttered.
"I'm not hiding here. I just caught up with you guys."
Bai Ke said this in a whisper, and then met He Yuan's gaze.
The tall boy's half-smile made Bai Ke feel inexplicably chilled.
There's still something strange...
Bai Ke's intuition was sounding the alarm, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
"What's wrong? Can't I come?"
In a panic, Bai Ke simply took the initiative and asked first.
"That's not the case."
Jiang Chuyan replied in a low voice.
He looked at Bai Ke suspiciously, his brows unconsciously furrowed.
According to his understanding of Bai Ke, since she finally had the opportunity to be alone with Xu Yuanzhou, Bai Ke should really want to stick to Xu Yuanzhou.
But now Bai Ke actually left Xu Yuanzhou behind and chased after him, which was completely inconsistent with Jiang Chuyan's understanding of Bai Ke.
However, since Bai Ke had arrived, Jiang Chuyan couldn't just turn her away. He patiently reminded Bai Ke a few times, asking her to be careful on her way. Then, Jiang Chuyan asked Bai Ke to follow him as they headed towards the Falling Dragon Cave.
*
Luolong Cave is indeed not too far from Longzhao Village.
Except for the last section of the road which is a bit rugged, it actually doesn't take too much time to walk through Longzhao.
After climbing the most arduous section of the mountain path, the entrance to Luolong Cave soon appeared before the unsuspecting trio. The pitch-black opening lay between two towering cliffs, beneath which flowed a gentle stream, and surrounded by lush, almost wild vegetation. The entrance to Luolong Cave was extremely narrow and deep. On either side, two sharp, drooping stalactites could be vaguely seen, giving the cavern the appearance of a long-dead, ancient beast, its yawning maw staring directly at the humans at the end of the path.
Even though there was still a long distance from the cave entrance, the damp and cool air from inside the cave had already seeped in little by little with the wind.
"Hiss, it's so cold."
The three of them shuddered.
"This is Luolong Cave."
Jiang Chuyan stopped unconsciously and looked at the cave entrance, his eyes were dazed for a moment.
"here..."
"Um?"
He Yuan asked.
"How strange, I seem to have been here before."
Jiang Chuyan stared at the cave entrance and said in a daze.
When He Yuan heard this, his eyes flashed for a moment, and the boy grinned and smiled brightly at Jiang Chuyan.
"What a coincidence! When I first came here, I also felt that this place looked very familiar. It was as if I had been here before."
The boy sighed softly.
"Actually, I've always felt that Longzhao Village and I have a special connection. You won't believe me when I tell you this, but when I was little, I kept dreaming about this village and this cave..."
"I've always felt that I stumbled here not by accident, but by being summoned. Perhaps I have a connection to this place in a past life..."
He Yuan's words seemed like a joke, but when you listened carefully, you could hear a hint of seriousness.
Jiang Chuyan couldn't help but look at him again.
But He Yuan had already taken the lead and walked towards the cave entrance, as if the "summoning" and "previous life" he had just said were just a few casual words.
Jiang Chuyan was stunned for a moment, then followed.
*
Walking on the crudely built stone steps, Jiang Chuyan, He Yuan and Bai Ke soon arrived in front of the cave.
When looking from a distance, the cave entrance seemed narrow and dark. When I got to the front of the cave, the indescribable eerie feeling became even stronger.
Before entering the cave, He Yuan called Jiang Chuyan and Bai Ke and distributed some equipment.
This place hadn't been commercially developed, so naturally there was no lighting inside the cave. So it was quite normal for He Yuan to bring a flashlight. What surprised Jiang Chuyan was that He Yuan pulled out not only a flashlight but also several red candles from his bag.
"What is this? Don't we have flashlights? There's no need for candles, right?"
Taking the candle, Bai Ke asked with a frown.
He Yuan ignored the other party, but took out his lighter and lit the red candle in Jiang Chuyan's hand with his eyes downcast. Then, he looked into Jiang Chuyan's eyes and explained softly.
"Luolong Cave is different from the caves we usually visit, which are maintained and operated by professionals. There is no professional ventilation equipment inside the cave..."
"What's the meaning?"
"What I mean is, in this kind of cave, if there are changes in temperature and air pressure or other special conditions, you may occasionally experience a lack of oxygen after entering the cave. That can be quite dangerous. So when exploring, you must pay attention to the candle in your hand. If the candle goes out, it means the oxygen level is insufficient, and you must retreat immediately."
He Yuan said.
"By the way, although villagers occasionally come here to worship the Dragon God, most of this area has never been explored. If you want to stay alive, stay where there are traces of human activity and don't wander around... Remember, the caves are complex and intricate. If you get lost, you might end up here forever..."
He Yuan said the last sentence while looking at Bai Ke.
Bai Ke's face twitched. He Yuan's words sounded like a considerate warning.
But Bai Ke had a subtle feeling that He Yuan's words... seemed more like a curse on him.
He swallowed dryly, a mixture of uneasiness, irritation, and fear slowly welling up in his heart.
"Isn't there a hot spring nearby? How about I go soak in the hot spring first, and then I'll wait for you there."
Bai Ke said in a low voice.
Jiang Chuyan didn't notice that Bai Ke felt unnatural at that moment because of He Yuan.
He rubbed his brows and resisted the urge to sigh.
"No, you haven't studied the map. It's too dangerous to go to the wild hot springs alone."
"But--"
"If you don't want to go into the cave, you can wait for us outside. I will share with you the information we collect in the cave later."
Jiang Chuyan said.
Bai Ke often skipped classes at school and was always late and left early for group work. Jiang Chuyan had always assumed that Bai Ke was simply too lazy to go into the cave. After all, the interior of Luolong Cave was clearly not very good.
But he didn't expect that just this one sentence would anger Bai Ke.
"Don't make it sound like I came here on purpose to get some free time. It's just a cave, right? Who wouldn't know how to do that—"
As he spoke, he grabbed the flashlight and red candle and walked into Luolong Cave first.
"Bai Ke——"
"That's all right. Don't worry too much about that guy. He's... scared to death."
He Yuan smiled lightly, then grabbed Jiang Chuyan's hand tightly.
"Can you hold my hand later?"
"ah?"
Jiang Chuyan's attention was mostly on Bai Ke, and he didn't react at all at this moment.
"Haven't I told you before, I'm actually very afraid of the dark."
The tall boy also took the opportunity to soften his tone and spoke to Jiang Chuyan in an almost pitiful tone.