The Human-faced Crow first passed through a downward tunnel, then a slightly undulating stretch of flat ground, followed by a gently sloping descent that went on and on until it reached a fork.
It entered one branch, followed another gentle slope... and came to yet another fork.
The twisting paths were dizzying, but Feng Ling remembered this place.
Last time, after the Human-faced Crow entered the leftmost branch, it lost consciousness after flying a little over a hundred meters.
—Although she often failed to remember unimportant faces and names, she remembered information that interested her very well.
Feng Ling carefully examined the surrounding rock walls, then looked at the forked tunnel ahead.
The tunnel entrance was circular, its edges exceptionally smooth. Layers of dried mud had accumulated around the outer rim, like traces left behind by some creature while digging.
But the tunnel outside was different. It bore obvious signs of human construction, and there were even wooden supports not far away to prevent collapse. Feng Ling had not noticed these details before.
She could not help hesitating. She wanted to enter the tunnel and find out what had killed the Human-faced Crow before, but she also wanted to follow the man-made tunnel and see where it led.
After weighing it for a moment, she decided to follow the same route as last time.
The Human-faced Crow slowly flew deeper inside.
It flew for over a hundred meters, yet nothing happened. The monster did not seem to be here.
Continuing onward, it discovered a huge pit. Of course, that was from the Human-faced Crow's perspective. If Feng Ling herself were here, it might not have looked so large.
The Human-faced Crow threw the little nightlight in its claws into the pit.
By the weak light, Feng Ling saw scattered white