The rugged mountain road jolted us for nearly half an hour before the car finally stopped, and Anding said, "We're here!"
When I got out of the car, I suddenly realized that we were in a huge natural cave!
A cave? Why were we here?
Before I could react, I heard Zhang asking in confusion, "Isn't this the Cave of a Thousand Illusions?"
"You wouldn't happen to tell me that the ancient altar of the Luo Shi Ghost Country is located in this Cave of a Thousand Illusions, right?"
"That's right! This is it!" Anding emphatically nodded and said, "According to the ancient records of my Yi clan, the entrance to the altar is indeed inside this Cave of a Thousand Illusions!"
Hearing this, I carefully surveyed the surroundings and saw that the mountainous area, viewed through the skylight, was magnificent, reaching up to the blue sky. It was truly magnificent!
The Cave of a Thousand Illusions, also known as the Qing Xu Cave or Big Cave, is a large karst cave formed by three parts: the natural bridge, skylight hole, and cave. It is a typical karst landscape.
Looking around, the cave undoubtedly gave the first impression of being enormous! One couldn't help but marvel at the wonders of nature. I had visited many similar caves before, but compared to the current Cave of a Thousand Illusions, it was simply unmatched!
This cave was so large that it could probably accommodate tens of thousands of people without feeling crowded! According to Zhang, the skylight part of the cave had applied for the Guinness World Record back in 2001 and had been approved by the headquarters in Shanghai.
Strangely, within this enormous cave, there were not only various statues of Buddha, Daoist temples, and Buddhist temples but also many large, corroded and yet-to-be removed machinery.
Perhaps sensing our confusion, Anding explained that this place used to be the foundry and propeller production workshop of the first aviation engine manufacturing plant of the Republic of China. It was said that even Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek had personally visited here. He stood under the skylight of the Cave of a Thousand Illusions and had a grand feast for over 2,000 employees of the engine factory, making for a spectacular scene.
However, not long after, the government suddenly announced its intention to abandon this place! The public reason given was that there was a large skylight behind the cave and the thin rock layers on the roof made it vulnerable to aerial bombings, thus the decision to abandon the site.
Anding, however, did not believe this. According to his speculation, the real reason at that time was likely that they had triggered certain mechanisms within the altar!
Because according to information from insiders at the time, shortly after the engine factory had operated for less than half a year, the workers began to die mysteriously from time to time. There was even a tragic day when dozens of people died.
So the government of Chiang Kai-shek had to abandon this place, relocating the engine factory elsewhere. However, they then heavily guarded the site both day and night, not letting anyone enter. There were rumors of many more deaths happening over several months before they finally left the place in embarrassment.
Without guidance from the Phoenix Feather, we had no idea where the ancient altar of the Luo Shi Ghost Country was located. However, Anding's speculation unintentionally gave us a big hint.
Since it was highly likely that someone had triggered some mechanisms within the altar in the past, it indicated that Chiang Kai-shek's men had probably found the location of the altar. Although it had been several decades, the traces of the construction at that time were still there. By looking at the locations of the construction, we might be able to find some clues!
Said and done, Xu Jingyang, Anding, and others immediately split up and began searching in all directions in this huge cave.
Meanwhile, I was wandering around with Zhang and Director Han. Since there were people from the religious bureau, we naturally didn't need to worry about it. We just treated it as sightseeing and it was good to play around. Anyway, I had already decided to have Zhang drive me home later.
Calculating the time, I had been delayed in Dafang County for a full two days. If I didn't hurry back home, my family might call to urge me...
After searching for nearly an hour, Xu Jingyang and the others finally chose to give up. After so many years and such a vast area, it would be strange if they found it! Moreover, if it were so easy to find, the Ghost King's tomb would not have been preserved until now!
Then, they discussed the next strategy: whether to enforce strict blockade and try to find Sima Yinyin on the night of the full moon, or to station and wait for him.
I, however, didn't care at all. I was about to leave anyway. What to do next, and my relationship with them, was actually not of much concern to me. I couldn't be bothered with this matter.
After the discussion, they ultimately decided to stay put and wait for the rabbit to come to the tree, preparing to wait at ease. As long as Sima Yinyin dared to come, he would definitely have no way back!
Having made up their minds, they prepared to go their separate ways. Since there was still half a month until the full moon, Xu Jingyang and the others naturally needed to prepare for a protracted war, so they returned to the county to purchase some food and camping equipment.
As for me, I immediately found Zhang, but to my surprise, he handed me his car keys and said, "You drive back yourself!"
"What?"
Drive back by myself?
Upon hearing this, I was dumbfounded. I looked at Zhang in astonishment and blurted out, "Are you kidding me?"
"I'm not kidding. I'm serious."
Zhang smiled and said, "You drove just fine before, I believe in you, there shouldn't be a problem!"
"Damn it!"
I finally realized what he was up to. He insisted that I drive the car earlier, just to let me warm up and then drive back by myself later?
Damn it, I only had half a day of driving experience. You want me to drive a long distance alone? Do you know it's over four hundred kilometers?
Looking at Zhang, who seemed completely serious, and having no choice, I accepted the car keys! Damn it, it's just driving a car, I'll just drive more slowly, and it'll be fine. Without you, Zhang Jun, I wouldn't be able to go home?
However, as I took the car keys and was about to leave, I found that Zhang and Director Han showed no intention of leaving. So, I stopped and asked, "Why are you guys not leaving?"
Zhang casually said, "Ning just told us to stay here temporarily with Anding and the others, to prevent Sima Yinyin from sneaking in early."
"Stay here?"
Hearing this, I frowned and then burst out, "Damn it! Why doesn't he stay here himself?"
"Uh... they may have other more important things to do!"
Zhang was nonchalant and said, "Relax, I used to come here often and never had any problems! You better get on the road. Be careful. Now, let's go, I guess..."
"Relax my ass!"
Before Zhang could finish his sentence, I snapped in annoyance, "Go back! This is not where you guys should stay! I don't know what they're thinking, leaving you here. Even if Sima Yinyin really comes, can you stop him?"
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, and weakly asked, "Isn't it too unfortunate? He comes neither early nor late, but right now?"
"Aren't you unfortunate enough?"
Glaring at Zhang with annoyance, I continued, "Whether Sima Yinyin comes or not, you staying here is already meaningless! If he comes, you can't stop him, and if he doesn't come, it's even more meaningless..."
"Listening to you, it seems to make some sense!"
Nodding, Zhang quickly changed the subject, "But we've already promised him, would it be...?"
"Enough! Listen to what Wang Lin says! I'll inform Anding and the others to leave as soon as possible!"
Director Han was decisive. After hearing my analysis, he immediately made a decision and quickly walked toward Anding.
After a brief communication, to my surprise, Anding adamantly refused to leave with his people. In his view, they had a large number of people, and they were all top-notch individuals in the tribe. With such a big group, handling a mere Sima Yinyin would be a piece of cake?
Despite our repeated emphasis on the opponent's very strange methods, which were not something ordinary people could deal with, Anding remained stubborn! His words even made me angry. I grabbed Zhang and Director Han and said, "Forget it! If they don't leave, let them stay here! Let's go!"
After saying that, I pulled Zhang and Director Han and walked toward the cave where the car was parked without looking back.
At this point, I even seriously doubted whether the people from the religious bureau were intentionally using them as bait! Damn it, with a little bit of brainpower, they shouldn't have made such a foolish arrangement?
Including Ning Zhaoyang, five members of the religious bureau, all with considerable levels of cultivation, all left. Only a bunch of ordinary people were left here? What's the difference between them leaving together and leaving these few people behind?
Do they even naively think that with just a dozen ordinary people, they can really take down Sima Yinyin? At that time, it is likely that not only would they not be able to capture him, but also the lives of these people brought by Anding may be at risk at any time, right?
We quickly got in the car, and I naturally got in Zhang's used car, while Zhang got into Director Han's car. However, after we got in the car, neither of us immediately started the car.
After struggling internally for a long time, I couldn't help but curse, "Damn!"
After cursing, I pushed the car door open directly and got out again. When I turned back, I found that Zhang and Director Han had already got out of the car and were smiling at me.
"Don't just smile! Can't I stay here and enjoy the scenery?"
I think a song can aptly describe my current mood, that's "Too Soft-hearted."
Yes, I was still too soft-hearted. I just couldn't harden my heart! After all, these were the lives of a dozen people. If Sima Yinyin didn't come, it would be fine, but if he did, who among them could stop him?
Leaving everything else aside, just his bizarre ghost-controlling abilities were definitely not something these ordinary people could contend with at the moment! So, after a tug of war between the two sides of my heart, I finally decided to stay first! Everything would have to wait until the people from the religious bureau returned!
"Haha... I knew it, you just can't bear to leave!" Director Han smiled with satisfaction, then said, "Since you've decided to stay, let's quickly discuss our plan! In case it really happens, we should be prepared..."
"Mmm." I nodded, agreeing with Director Han's statement. Since we've decided to stay and help, we should make all the necessary preparations before Sima Yin arrives! After all, once we confront him, even I have no confidence, let alone protecting so many people simultaneously.
But in this situation, I was like a clever woman without the means to cook, having no materials at hand, how could I prepare?
After some contemplation, I arranged two Eight Yang formations with pebbles on the ground. Of course, without any materials or seals, these Eight Yang formations were just empty shells with absolutely no effect.
Seeing that we didn't leave and instead started arranging pebbles on the ground, Anding couldn't help but become curious and quickly approached us, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Setting up a formation," I said, as I placed the last pebble on the ground. Then I told Anding, "Go tell your people, if something happens later, have them stand according to the positions of the pebbles I arranged!"
"Why?" Anding looked at me with suspicion, clearly unaware of formations. How could I explain it to him? I thought for a moment, and then suddenly came up with an idea, and said, "Do you know about Zhuge Liang's Eight Trigrams formation?"
"Eight Trigrams formation?" Anding was first surprised, then excitedly nodded, "I know, I know, I read about it from storytelling! Could it be that you're arranging Zhuge Liang's Eight Trigrams formation?"
"Similar, but definitely not as powerful as his. However, it will provide some protection, so when I call for you to enter the formation later, you must quickly take your positions, there must be no mistakes!"
"Okay, okay, okay!" Anding nodded repeatedly, then called his people and explained to them, sometimes pointing to the pebbles on the ground.
The Yi people, upon hearing this, showed excitement and quickly rushed over, like rehearsing, they all stood in the positions of the pebbles.
I didn't say much about it, it was better for them to rehearse in advance, to avoid panic and any mistakes later, that wouldn't be good.
Of course, everything I did was just in case. After all, whether Sima Yin would come was still unknown, and from here to the county town was only a short half-hour drive, plus the time for procurement, it would be about two hours, and Xu Jingyang and the others should be back by then!
And when they come back, naturally I wouldn't have to worry about these things anymore.