When we walked out of that dangerous road, it was already dark.
The mountain in front sank suddenly, and a rift valley appeared. The valley was more than ten feet wide, and the rock walls on both sides were cut like knives and axes, going straight up and down. The valley bottom was deep, and there was a faint sound of water flowing, but the fog was too heavy to see clearly.
Yang Scarface reined in his horse and held up a torch to shine on the other side. The light of the fire turned into a dim yellow in the mist.
"You have to go down to the bottom of the valley and go up from the opposite side." He pointed down, "There is an old mine tunnel at the bottom of the valley, you can go through it. If you take a detour, you will have to walk for three more days."
The head of the Feng family urged his horse forward, glanced at the bottom of the valley, and his face turned pale. "The mine tunnel? Is it safe?"
"I walked through it once twenty years ago." Yang Scarface said, "It was still passable at that time. Now..." He paused, "It's better than taking a detour."
No one refuted. The dangerous road for days has exhausted everyone's energy, and they just want to leave this ghost place as soon as possible.
The team went down a gentle slope.
The slope is steep and there are many gravels, so you have to lead the horse on foot. Qin Tiexin walked at the end, holding the back rail of the baggage cart to control the speed of descent. The wheels of the cart ran over the gravel, making a dull rolling sound. The valley bottom was very moist, and water droplets seeped out from the rock walls.
When we got to the bottom of the valley, it was completely dark.
Yang Scarface held up a torch to lead the way. After walking about a hundred steps along the river bank, a hole appeared in the rock wall.
The entrance of the cave is about ten feet high and wide enough to accommodate a car. There are traces of artificial excavation on the edges, but they have been eroded by time and are blurred. There is a wooden plaque embedded above the entrance of the cave, which has long since decayed, and only half of it is left. The word "mine" can be vaguely discerned.
"That's it." Yang Scarface said.
Everyone stopped at the entrance of the cave. When the firelight came in, they saw a deep lane extending inward, and it was pitch black in the depths. The wind blew out of the cave, bringing with it old dust and a faint, sweet smell.
"Light all the torches." Yang Scarface ordered, "Two people line up, with the horse leading the middle and the car following. Don't get separated."
The torch crackled and burned, and the smoke hovered on the ceiling of the cave.
The convoy slowly drove into the mine tunnel.
The alleyway was wider than expected, the ground was paved with worn stone slabs, and there were gouge marks on the rock walls on both sides. There were wooden beams supporting it every few feet on the top, most of which were decayed, and occasionally broken ones were hanging down. The air was dull, filled with the smell of dust and wet rocks.
After walking about half a mile, the alleyway begins to slope downward.
The slope was not steep, but it continued to go down. There were gradually forks on both sides, and the dark entrance of the cave was like the mouth of a wild beast. Yang Scarface chose the main road and continued moving forward.
Going deeper and deeper.
The range illuminated by the fire was limited, and there was always endless darkness ahead. The sound of horse hooves and wheels echoed in the alleyway, overlapping into a dull roar. No one spoke, only the sound of heavy breathing.
Qin Tiexin was walking in the middle of the convoy. He held a torch in one hand and kept pressing the handle of the short knife on his waist with the other hand. The tunnel was too quiet, abnormally quiet - logically there should be rats and insects in the abandoned mine tunnel, but along the way, he didn't see any living things.
After walking for a while, there was a collapse ahead.
The rubble blocked most of the alleyway, leaving only a gap as wide as one person. After Yang Scarface checked it, he decided to clean it up.
"Move Shitou!" he ordered.
The guards stepped forward and began to move away the gravel. Qin Tiexin also joined in. Two or three people had to work together to lift the large stones, and throw the small ones aside. After two and a quarter of hours of work, a narrow path was cleared, and the carriages and horses could barely pass.
After passing the collapse, the roadway suddenly widened.
A mining hall appeared in front of him, with a radius of more than ten feet, and a tall dome, hidden in the darkness. There were several thick stone pillars in the hall, and there were traces of smoke on the pillars. Broken mine cars, rusty pickaxes, and several rotten wooden supports were scattered on the ground.
"Take a rest here." Yang Scarface said, "Drink some water."
Everyone dispersed and looked for a place to sit down. The torches were inserted into the cracks in the rocks, and the halo of light was swaying.
Qin Tiexin did not sit down. He held up a torch and walked around the mine hall, observing the surroundings. There were dozens of holes on the hall wall, of different sizes, which should lead to different mineral layers. The sweet and greasy smell in the air became stronger, mixed with old dust, and the smell made him dizzy.
He walked to a rock wall and reached out to touch it.
The rock wall was damp and sticky to the touch. Looking closely, there was a thin layer of colorful film attached to the wall, which was like oil and glue, glowing strangely under the firelight. He scraped off a little with his fingernail and twisted it - it was smooth and had a sweet smell.
"What is this?" Li Yun came over.
"I don't know." Qin Tiexin said, "Don't touch it."
Li Yun nodded and took a step back. Her face was a little pale, and running around for days and being depressed in the mine made her nervous.
After resting for a quarter of an hour, Yang Scarface stood up and said, "Keep walking."
The convoy moved again, passed through the mine hall and entered another tunnel.
This lane is even narrower. The rock walls on both sides squeeze in, and the vehicle shaft almost touches Shitou. There is water seeping down from the top, dripping, dripping, and falling on people's shoulders, making it cold.
After walking about a hundred steps, there is a fork in the road ahead.
There are two roads, one on the left and one on the right. The left road is wider, but the sound of rumbling water can be heard from deep; the right road is narrow, but looks dry.
"Go to the right." Yang Scarface judged.
The convoy turned into the right lane.
The alleyway winds downwards. The slope gradually becomes steeper. Many of the stone slabs on the ground are damaged, and the wheels sink into pits from time to time. The air becomes more and more stuffy, the sweet and greasy smell is too strong to be resolved, and some people start to cough.
Qin Tiexin frowned.
He slowed down and listened carefully - in addition to the sound of the motorcade, there seemed to be a very subtle hissing sound deep in the alley, like something leaking air.
"Captain Yang." He said.
"Huh?"
"This doesn't taste right."
Yang Scarface also noticed it. He reined in his horse and held up the torch to shine forward. Within the reach of the fire, there was a faint mist floating deep in the alleyway.
"Stop!" he shouted.
The convoy came to a sudden stop.
Everyone looked forward. The colorful mist was slowly filling in. It was as thin as a veil at first, and gradually became thicker. Under the firelight, it appeared colorful and strangely gorgeous.
"Poisonous miasma!" someone exclaimed.
The colorful mist spread very fast, and it was already there in the blink of an eye. The two horses in the front inhaled the mist, and suddenly started to neigh, kick their front hooves wildly, their eyes were bloodshot, and foam came out of their mouths and noses. After a few breaths, the horses' legs weakened and they fell to the ground, twitching a few times and then stopped moving.
"Back up!" Yang Scarface yelled, "Go back up!"
The convoy panicked and turned around. But the alley was narrow and the cars and horses were crowded, so it couldn't turn around for a while. The people behind pushed forward, and the people in front retreated, creating a chaotic mess.
The colorful mist has covered the fallen horse corpse and continues to flow in.
One of the guards was unable to dodge, and his arm was covered in mist. The fabric corroded instantly, and smoke emitted from his skin. He screamed and slapped him desperately, but the skin and flesh had begun to fester, exposing the white bones underneath.
"Don't touch!" Yang Scarface slashed off the man's arm with a knife, but the ulcer was still spreading.
"What should we do, Master Qin?" Master Feng's voice trembled, "We won't die here, right?"
"Don't panic, retreat first!" Qin Tiexin and Yang Scarface directed everyone to retreat outside the scope of the poisonous mist. Everyone looked at the poisonous miasma in front of them with fear in their hearts. The tragic situation just now was right in front of them. They were afraid that they would be the next to be killed, so they hurriedly retreated.
Qin Tiexin stood on the edge of the poisonous miasma. The effect of his fifth level of body refining made his resistance to the poisonous miasma much higher than that of ordinary people. He reached out and touched a little on his fingers to feel it carefully. Li Yun also stepped forward at this time, using Spiritual Qi to protect herself, and observed with Qin Tiexin. This poison seemed to have an impact on ordinary Qi Refining monks, let alone those mortals behind.
"It's fire poison." He observed it for a moment and confirmed with Li Yun, "The fog becomes stronger when it encounters fire and disperses when it encounters wind. The torch stimulates the effect of this poison."
"I did bring two miasma-avoiding pills, but each one can only protect one person." Li Yun looked at Qin Tiexin and said softly.
There was a questioning look in his eyes.
"It's not that time yet." Qin Tiexin looked ahead firmly.