Chapter Eight: Exploring the Cave

It was a whirlpool, not particularly violent, with a tree branch firmly trapped at its center, unable to move forward even an inch.

Seeing this, Xiang Jiuxi was certain the river's entrance to the underground lay here, for only a stream plunging straight down could create such a vortex.

He probed with a long branch, confirming that the water here was much deeper than elsewhere—deep enough to submerge him entirely.

“I really guessed right. The river does flow underground!”

Yet amid his excitement, he quickly saw the problem: the entrance was extremely narrow, making it impossible for him to swim down. His hopes were dashed.

But heaven never blocks all roads. The situation wasn’t without a turning point.

In his memory, the underground chamber was a labyrinth of intersecting passages, its structure exceedingly complex. He hadn’t had time to explore it all back then, having been delayed by other matters and forced to hurriedly store his supplies within.

The original entrance was now lost—undoubtedly collapsed long ago. So… could the hole beneath the bluestone plaque be another way in?

Though it was the only option before him, Xiang Jiuxi wanted to solve one more mystery before exploring: what exactly was that glowing thing inside the cave?

Calming himself, he made the most reasonable judgment: what he saw was likely a trace of the cave’s original inhabitant.

A creature capable of constructing such a chamber probably wasn’t an easy adversary. He had no confidence that he could handle it.

Yet without the supplies, he had no hope of surviving the Death Road.

Other needs could be managed slowly, but the most urgent was a means of transportation.

That’s right—he’d specifically left a motorcycle and two barrels of diesel inside the chamber, to facilitate moving his goods. With these, his time on the road would be greatly reduced, and the dangers would decrease accordingly.

Without the motorcycle, it would take him at least three days to reach his destination, and his chance of survival would be one in ten thousand.

Caught between wolves ahead and tigers behind, Xiang Jiuxi was in a dilemma, unable to make a decision.

Lingering here had become pointless. Firming his resolve, he suddenly let out a venting roar: “I’m going to explore the cave!”

Compared to the long, dark road, he’d rather face whatever creature dwelled below.

Rip—

He tore another strip from his already worn clothes.

A splash—

He placed the cloth on the ground and doused it with water from his own body, heated to 37 degrees by his circulation.

Suppressing his revulsion, he used the wet cloth to cover his mouth and nose, then returned to the bluestone plaque. If conditions allowed, he’d have used a damp towel for this, but the river behind him stank to the heavens—he dared not risk it. Still, he needed some protection.

So, he resorted to this crude method.

He moved the bluestone plaque aside, revealing a large opening.

The cave glowed with a faint blue light. Xiang Jiuxi lay prone by the entrance, craning his neck to peer inside, hoping for clues.

He found a narrow, vertical passageway, straight down. At its end, lights flickered—a border of blue radiance hinting at a larger open space beyond, from which the glow emanated.

Around the entrance were many claw marks, likely left by the “original inhabitant” coming and going.

The claw marks had five digits, and unlike most beasts with sharp claws, these were relatively smooth—almost human-like.

“Could it be… an ape of some kind?”

He was puzzled, unable to guess what sort of animal it might be.

But what did it matter? These days, even cows ate people—what was impossible anymore? No matter what monsters or spirits lived below, he would charge in!

With this resolve, Xiang Jiuxi made three more thorough circuits along the riverbed.

…

“Sigh, it seems… there’s no other way.” In the end, he had to accept there was no other entrance, and returned to the hole, dirty and discouraged.

But this time, he came prepared.

While searching, he’d been lucky enough to find a rusty fruit knife. After careful sharpening, its blade gleamed again.

Xiang Jiuxi knew that animals’ attack range was limited by their arm length, and close combat was a grave mistake. To keep the cave’s “original inhabitant” at bay, he found a sturdy stick and tightly bound the fruit knife to it with cloth, creating a “spear.”

No matter what, this spear gave him courage. Returning to the entrance, he felt less afraid.

Taking a deep breath, Xiang Jiuxi thrust the spear in first, then entered headfirst.

The shaft dropped straight down for about ten meters, with many handholds carved into the walls—like steps—clearly crafted by the original inhabitant for easy passage.

Based on the spacing, he deduced the creature was about a meter long and, since it needed these holds to climb out, not particularly strong-limbed.

Which raised a question: how had a creature with weak limbs and blunt, flat nails managed to excavate such an enormous underground chamber?

Puzzled, Xiang Jiuxi crawled to the end of the tunnel. Two or three meters below him lay a spacious area, much brighter with blue light than the entrance.

He used the spear to shield his head, carefully poking out half his face to observe.

The space wasn’t large—about the size of a bedroom. The walls were irregular, the ground uneven and pitted.

What excited him was that two more tunnels opened in the side wall, confirming his theory. Through these, he could likely reach the old storeroom.

But there was a surprise: there was no visible light source here. The space was empty, nothing displayed, and in the silence, only the faintest trickle of water could be heard.

The light came from one of the side tunnels.

His entryway was flush with one wall, and the handholds in the tunnel stretched all the way to the floor—a carefully built “staircase.”

The two new tunnels were on the opposite wall, one to the left, one to the right. The right-hand tunnel flickered with a gentle blue glow, brightly illuminating the chamber.

For Xiang Jiuxi, this was great news. Since his entrance was still two or three meters above ground, he’d need to descend before he could fight—if he were attacked during that vulnerable moment, he’d have no chance to respond.

Now, he had plenty of time to prepare.

Just as he steadied himself to drop down, a warm breath suddenly brushed the back of his neck.

Instinctively, Xiang Jiuxi turned his head—only to be confronted with an incredibly twisted, skeletal, demonic face, hunched over his shoulder, grinning wickedly.