Fatty didn’t understand and asked, “What do you mean, not a person? Not a person? Is it a monster or something?”
I replied, “That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that we’ve been together for almost a month now, day in and day out. Don’t we know who’s who? This kid, the so-called prophet, is just talking nonsense. People in ancient times were ignorant and backward. We’ve seen so much; can we really take these strange symbols seriously?”
While I said this, I didn’t truly believe it. I needed to be cautious; many things in this world are unpredictable. Whether this ancient prophet’s predictions applied to us, only heaven knows. With that thought, I picked up a black donkey hoof as a precaution.
I then asked Shirley Yang, “Did you see it wrong? There were originally five figures drawn, but maybe some have worn away over time, leaving just four. Is that possible?”
Shirley Yang pointed to the carvings on the stone box and said, “This stone box is well-preserved, with no signs of wear. Clearly, there are four figures. Look, the symbols for people are very simple: a circle for the head and a few lines for the body and limbs. Isn’t that exactly four people?”
I took a closer look, and she was right. She then showed me the earlier carvings on the stone box. The designs were so simple that even I could understand them at a glance. The first image depicted a child pointing at the sky, while many people on the ground were fleeing, likely ordinary folks.
The second and third images showed a tornado knocking down houses. The people who had been hiding were safe and gathered around the child, worshipping him. It seemed this child could predict disasters.
The fourth image depicted the child standing next to two adults, with an old man kneeling on the ground. The lines for these figures were extremely simple; the old man was represented by a circle for the head and a few strokes for a beard. Though simple, the composition was easy to understand.
The two adults were clearly much taller than ordinary people, and their carvings were detailed, unlike the rough depictions of common folks. These two might be the ancient sages from legends, while the kneeling old man was likely their servant. The remains of this old man in the stone chamber must belong to him.
It seemed Shirley Yang was completely correct; the owner of this stone box was a prophetic child. As I continued to look, each stone painting displayed the achievements of this child prophet.
When I reached the last image, I felt a chill run down my neck. In this stone painting, an old man and a young boy sat beside the stone box, while four figures stood in the tomb. These four figures were so ordinary and simple that it was impossible to tell their height, weight, gender, or age. One of them was reaching out to open the stone box.
This was the last image on the stone box, and there were no more. What secrets did this stone box hold? Most importantly, there were no signs that it had ever been opened, and it was sealed with cowhide lacquer.
I turned back to look at the other four people. Shirley Yang was supporting the dazed Professor Chen, while Ye Yixin had fainted, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Without any medicine to help her, Fatty sat on the ground, shaking his head helplessly at her.
There were definitely five of us. If this prophecy was accurate, then why were there only four figures in the stone painting when we clearly had five people? My mind raced, trying to think of all possible scenarios, but I couldn’t find any clues.
Could it be that one of the five wasn’t human but was controlled by a ghost or demon? Or, as Fatty suggested, was Shirley Yang the reincarnation of the Queen of Jingjue? I found these ideas absurd and laughable; I didn’t believe in reincarnation at all.
So, was the error in this ancient prophecy? I asked Shirley Yang which dynasty the prophet and sages belonged to.
Shirley Yang replied, “According to the Records of the Western Regions, the ancient sage of the Western Regions should be from the 16th century BC, during the Xia and Shang dynasties in the Central Plains. That was the first period of civilization in the ancient Western Regions, about a thousand years earlier than the thirty-six countries of the Western Regions.”
I calculated in my mind, surprised to find it was so long ago. This made it even less likely that we could take the prophecies carved on the stone box seriously. There were no other prophetic images, and perhaps the prophet had made a mistake and left one person out. Even the most precise calculations could have errors, especially with prophecies that had crossed thousands year.
I asked Shirley Yang if we could figure out what would happen after we opened the stone box based on the carvings outside. Would there be any danger?
Shirley shook her head and said, “There are no extra hints. We’re trapped in this tiny space, with no way up or down. The only option is to open the stone box and take a look. Since the prophet foresaw that we would end up here, maybe it will guide us on how to get out.”
Fatty, growing impatient, walked over and pushed us aside. “You two have been studying for ages and haven’t figured anything out. It’s just a small box; how can a little kid predict anything? Look at this, it’s just a broken box, not even locked… Wait, didn’t the prophecy say one of the four would reach out to open the box? Let’s do it! Old Hu, come over and help me open it.” He was about to pull off the lid.
At that moment, Ye Yixin, who had been unconscious, suddenly convulsed, kicked her legs, and then lay still.
We immediately forgot about the stone box and rushed to check on her. We felt for her pulse, but there were no signs of life. She had been suffering from acute dehydration, and after all the running and the ordeal in the Ghost Cave of Mount Zagalama, she was in a precarious state. It was a miracle she had held on this long, but we never expected her to suddenly pass away like this.
The three of us stood in silence. Shirley Yang hugged Ye Yixin’s lifeless body and began to cry. I sighed, wanting to comfort her, but just then, the usually erratic Professor Chen stood up from the ground, walked over to the stone box, and pulled the lid open.
We were all dumbfounded. Everything matched the prophecy on the stone box perfectly: there were five of us when we entered, one person suddenly died, and then one person opened the box. People often describe Zhuge Liang as having divine foresight, but I thought even he couldn’t be this accurate. Accurate prophecies are truly frightening.
Worried that the confused Professor Chen might cause more trouble, Shirley quickly grabbed his sleeve and had him sit down to rest. Their relationship was like that of a loving uncle and niece, and seeing the professor in such a state made her heart ache, causing her to cry again.
I knew Shirley Yang was a fiercely competitive person who never showed weakness in front of anyone. Today, in front of me and Fatty, she had cried twice, clearly overwhelmed with sadness. The pressure she was under was immense, and I didn’t know how to comfort her, so I let her sit beside the professor and sob.
Fatty and I approached the stone box that the professor had opened to see what was inside. The two doors of the box were now open, and the cowhide lacquer seal had come off. Inside, there were two small stone doors, also sealed with cowhide lacquer, and three carvings that made me break out in a cold sweat, leaving me speechless for a while.
Fatty glanced at the carvings and, not understanding, asked, “What do these pictures show? Old Hu, are you scared by the stone carvings?”
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and said to Fatty, “These carvings are also the prophet’s predictions…”
Fatty quickly asked, “What do they predict? Do they say how we can leave this cursed place?”
I forced myself to suppress my racing heart and whispered to Fatty, “The prophecy says that among the four people who open the second layer of the stone box, one is an evil spirit…”
The three carvings in the second layer of the stone box depicted the following: the first showed four people standing in front of the open stone box. Three of them still had no distinguishing features, just ordinary human shapes. However, one figure had a single eye on its forehead, with two snake fangs drawn in the circle representing the head, along with limbs. It clearly resembled the guardian spirit from the fourth level of the Black Tower, but it was more accurate to call it a demon.
This figure had just a few more lines carved into it, and it sent chills down my spine. Now, with only four survivors—me, Fatty, Professor Chen, and Shirley Yang—who among us was the evil spirit?
The second and third stone paintings were side by side, depicting two different outcomes. In one scenario, three people and an evil spirit with an eye on its forehead opened the stone box together, and at that moment, the evil spirit would suddenly attack, ripping out the innards of the other three.
The second scenario showed the evil spirit lying on the ground, its head severed from its body, already killed. The three people had opened the second layer of the stone box, revealing a passage in the tomb that could lead to escape.
So, the prophet had given us a choice to determine our own fate? This was an incredibly difficult decision. Fatty and I were like two legs of a single person; we couldn’t do without each other. Professor Chen was kind and had treated me well, and Shirley Yang had saved my life. I couldn’t bring myself to harm any of them, regardless of which one might be the evil spirit.
If I had been uncertain about the truth of the prophet’s predictions before, I might not have been so afraid. But this prophet, who had died thousands of years ago, had made predictions that were eerily accurate. Did that mean one of us really was an evil spirit?
Whether it was a case of possession or a demon disguised as an ordinary person, it was a fact I had to face. The second layer of the stone box would definitely be opened, and if we didn’t eliminate the hidden evil spirit, we would all die here together.
Who could the… evil spirit be? It couldn’t be me. I glanced at Fatty; the eyes are the most direct window to a person’s soul, and it’s hard to fake one’s gaze. I knew his eyes well—they were the same as always, indifferent to everything, as if saying, “I’m the best in the world; anyone who disagrees can get beaten up.” So it couldn’t be Fatty either. If it wasn’t the two of us, then could it be…
I stole a glance behind me at Shirley Yang and Professor Chen. Shirley was also looking at me, and I quickly averted my gaze, pretending to look elsewhere.
Seeing Fatty and me whispering about the opened stone box, Shirley Yang asked, “Old Hu, what’s inside the stone box?”
I exchanged a knowing glance with Fatty, who quickly pretended to sit down and rest, conveniently blocking the opened stone box from Shirley’s view.
I needed to find a way to stabilize the situation and come up with a plan before taking action. I told Shirley Yang, “There’s nothing inside the stone box; it’s empty.”
Shirley asked once but didn’t press further. She sat down and took out her water bottle, trying to get Professor Chen to drink a bit. However, Professor Chen had completely lost his mind; he didn’t recognize anyone and knocked the water bottle to the ground, stomping his feet and laughing loudly. This was our only remaining half bottle of clean water, and Shirley hurried to pick it up, spilling more than half of it in the process.
Fatty leaned in and whispered, “What should we do? Should we… take them both out?”
I cut him off, “No, we can’t act rashly until we figure this out. We’ll regret it if we do. By the way, can we rule out our own suspicions?”
Fatty replied, “Of course! We know what we’re about. I think the American girl is the most suspicious.”
I said, “I think we should at least go through the motions. Otherwise, if we start fighting, it’ll give Miss Yang and Professor Chen a reason to blame us.”
Fatty grumbled, “Damn it, power comes from the barrel of a gun. What reason? Just take them both down and interrogate them one by one. If they don’t confess, we can use some serious punishment. If that doesn’t work, then…” He made a chopping motion with his hand, mimicking a beheading gesture.
When Fatty mentioned that power comes from the barrel of a gun, a strategy suddenly came to my mind. The evil spirit must have escaped from the ancient kingdom of Jingjue. No matter how well it disguised itself, it hadn’t lived through the Cultural Revolution. These monsters didn’t engage in political study or read newspapers; they might not understand the outside world while pretending to be human.
So I said to Fatty, “The fact that you just mentioned power coming from the barrel of a gun proves you’re not the evil spirit. Now, test me, and I’ll prove I’m not one either, then we can question the other two.”
Fatty scratched his head and said, “Then recite a line from Chairman Mao’s poetry.”
Without thinking, I recited, “A song of international sorrow, the wild wind falls from the sky.”
Fatty nodded, “Right, you’re definitely not the evil spirit.”
Shirley Yang, being sharp, noticed that Fatty and I were whispering and realized something was off. She stood up and walked over to us, asking, “What are you two talking about? Why are you whispering?”
We jumped up from the ground and shouted, “Stop! If you come any closer, we won’t hold back!”
Shirley was taken aback and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Are you both losing your mind?”
Fatty replied, “It’s nothing. We just want to hear you sing a song. How about ‘Chairman Lin’s Orders’?”
Shirley looked even more confused. Given the circumstances—having just lost so many companions and being trapped—who would have the heart to sing? Moreover, asking her to sing “Chairman Lin’s Orders” made no sense at all.
I thought Fatty’s request was a bit off. Asking an American girl to sing that song was pointless; she probably wouldn’t even know it. But what could we ask her instead? Who was the current president of the United States? Hell, I wasn’t even sure myself.
I pulled out the black donkey hoof and coaxed Shirley Yang, “Just don’t ask so many questions for now. Take a bite of this, then give Professor Chen a bite. Just do as I say; it’ll only do you good.”
Shirley was getting angry. “Have you lost your mind too? This donkey hoof is for warding off evil spirits. I’m not eating it; put it away.”
The more she refused, the more suspicious she seemed. I exchanged a glance with Fatty, who didn’t hesitate to push Shirley down to the ground and used his belt to tie her up securely. Shirley’s face turned a mix of blue and white with anger as she gritted her teeth and said, “Hu Bayi, are you trying to kill me because I figured out your tome raider scheme? Let me go!”
Professor Chen, watching from the side, was laughing heartily, drool running down his chin. I glanced at him, feeling a deep sadness. Such a knowledgeable elder had ended up like this, but I couldn’t rule out his suspicions either. I needed to clarify Shirley Yang’s situation first before dealing with him.
I steeled myself and asked Shirley, “Are you really the Queen of Jingjue?”
Shirley snapped back, “You’re talking nonsense, Old Hu!”
I coldly replied, “You seem like you’re possessed by that demon queen, or maybe you’re her reincarnation. How else could you have seen the scenes in the Ghost Cave in your dreams? And how would an American girl know about our tome raider traditions?”
Fatty had been eyeing Shirley Yang suspiciously for a while, and now he finally seized the opportunity. He pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into the ground. “Old Hu, you hand her over to me. She knows we’re tomb raiders, which isn’t surprising. This demon must be able to read minds; asking her won’t help. Let’s cut her face a bit and see if she confesses.” He was about to make a move.
Seeing the tears welling up in Shirley’s eyes, I couldn’t bear it. I remembered how she had saved me in the Zagalama Valley and how I had promised her my life. How could I turn against her now?
I quickly stopped Fatty, “Wait! Let’s first explain our policy on dealing with captives. If she continues to resist, then we can take further action.”
Fatty said, “Honestly, I don’t want to ruin such a pretty face, but this demon is cunning. We need to be careful not to be seduced by her beauty.”
Shirley Yang grew increasingly agitated, nearly losing her composure. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, “I don’t even know why I dreamt of the scenes in the Ghost Cave. I understand your tomb raider traditions because my grandfather was in the same line of work before he went abroad. I’ve only heard him talk about it. I was planning to discuss this with you later… I’ve said all I needed to say. You two can do whatever you want. I guess I misjudged you.”
Fatty snorted, “Sweet talk, huh? You’re playing innocent. Keep spinning your tale. Old Hu, what’s your decision on this?”
I held the black donkey hoof up to Shirley Yang’s mouth. “Just take a bite. If you do, I’ll let you go immediately.”
Shirley replied, “You… you might as well kill me. If you don’t, I won’t spare you in the future. I’ll haunt you as a ghost.”
Seeing her refusal to bite the donkey hoof, I took the dagger from Fatty’s hand. A voice in my head questioned whether I could really harm her if she was the evil spirit. The answer was a resounding no. But if I didn’t kill the evil spirit among us, we would all die in this tiny tomb. Damn it, maybe it would be better for us all to die together.
As I wrestled with these intense thoughts, Professor Chen stood up, laughing foolishly and flailing his arms, going mad again. I was worried he might try to open the second layer of the stone box, so I reached out to stop him.
Professor Chen laughed loudly, shouting, “Flowers, so beautiful, red and green, I found them… hehehe.”
Watching his erratic behavior and hearing him talk about flowers, I suddenly recalled a similar madness I had heard about. It wasn’t something I had seen; it was a story about a surviving British explorer… My mind was a tangled mess, but suddenly, an invisible hand pulled at a thread of thought. This thread was thin, but I managed to grasp it.
Corpse Flower?… Could it be that we hadn’t escaped the illusion trap it created? The Corpse Flower, a devilish bloom from hell, was still within our control, luring us into self-destruction…