The clay figures came in all sizes and stood in every imaginable pose. Some wore bright clothes and had lifelike faces; at a glance, they looked like real people standing in the shadows. Most of the others, however, were much rougher. Some were plainly unfinished, with even their facial outlines left uncarved.
Rather than rush ahead, Li Bai held up her lantern and examined all the lifelike clay figures near the cave entrance, confirming that they really were just clay figures and not some sort of ghostly creatures in disguise.
"Girl, stop staring at them. These clay dolls look mighty strange to me. Let's... let's get inside and pay our respects to the goddess."
Zhang Yuanchao swallowed hard. Worried he might scare Li Bai, he kept one thought to himself: standing near these clay figures always made him feel as if someone were watching him, and the gaze seemed downright hostile.
Although she knew there was something very wrong with this cave, Li Bai nodded all the same, since the task required it.
Besides the clay figures, an iron stand had been set up near the entrance. A black pot rested on it, filled with solidified grease. Li Bai and Zhang Yuanchao both recognized what it was: an enormous candle.
Once lit, it cast light that drove back the darkness nearby. Zhang Yuanchao volunteered to lead the way, holding up the lantern to light their path, while Li Bai followed cautiously behind him.
They kept about two meters between them. After all, she still hadn't figured out what Zhang Yuanchao was really like.
The cave was far bigger than they had imagined. Inside was a long tunnel, winding and twisting, though they could tell it sloped steadily downward. The farther they went, the colder it became; the bone-deep chill nearly