Beyond the back door of the small wooden building lay a ravine. The ravine was filled with rotting leaves, and its depth was unknown. Anyone with jungle experience would avoid such a ravine; otherwise, one step in and you might never climb out again.
Han Bo led the Madman up the gravel path along the edge of the ravine until they reached a cliff face. This cliff face was very secluded; this mountain was rarely visited except by herb gatherers, and there was already a ravine blocking the way, with a small wooden building built in front of the ravine. If they didn't go through the wooden building, the only way to get here was from the cliffs on both sides of the mountain.
There is a cave on the left side of the mountain wall, and a large iron gate is installed at the entrance of the cave.
The Madman screamed and howled when he saw the iron gate, his cries were incredibly agonizing, as if he had seen something that terrified him.
Faint sounds could be heard coming from inside the cave, like human shouts or the roars of wild beasts.
Han Bo took out the key, unlocked the iron gate, and brought the Madman inside.
The cave twists and turns, and soon it got dark.
Han Bo took out a flashlight to illuminate the way and led the way, while the other three people supported the Madman as they walked forward.
The sounds from inside the cave grew louder and clearer; they were human cries.
"What's all that noise about? It's driving Laozi crazy!"
Han Bo cursed and shone his flashlight forward.
In the beam of the flashlight, a river could be seen ahead, with many iron cages hanging on the cave walls along its banks. Half of the cages were submerged in the water, and the other half were exposed. Some cages were empty, while others were filled with people. Shouts were coming from the cages with people inside, echoing through the cave.
Han Bo waded across to an empty cage, unlocked the door with a key, and had the Madman locked inside. The Madman seemed resigned to his fate and fell silent, obediently entering the cage, gripping the iron bars with both hands, half his body submerged in the water.
A person in a nearby cage shouted, " Han Bo! You're a monster! Why did you lock me up here? Let me out!"
Han Bo said impatiently, " Han Laizi, you're the one who yells the loudest! If you yell again, I won't bring you any more food."
Han Laizi pleaded with him, "Uncle Han Bo! We're on the same side, why did you lock me up?"
Han Bo said, "You're more trouble than you're worth! If you hadn't offended that Shi guy for some crazy woman, how could you have ended up killing the Medicine Granny?"
Han Laizi said, "How was I supposed to know it would turn out like that! I've done this before, and nothing ever happened!"
Han Bo said, "How can that be the same? You're from Kuaziba, don't you know what that guy surnamed Shi does?"
Han Laizi cried out pitifully, "I know I was wrong! Grandpa Han Bo, please let me out, I'll do anything you ask!"
The cages nearby held Han Laizi's father and his brothers, who all pleaded with Han Bo, " Han Bo, we're all family! You can't treat us like this!"
Han Bo said, "It's not that I want to lock you up, it's just that the Medicine Granny gave the order. She's angry right now. I'll beg her to release you after she calms down in a couple of days."
Han Laizi cried, "Then at least give me a cleaner cave! This cage is full of water, I can't even sleep. If I'm locked up for two more days, I'll rot!"
Han Bo said, "Once the water level recedes, you can lie down and sleep. But don't blame me for not warning you, the water level hasn't risen yet. When it does, you'll only be able to breathe through your nose."
After he finished speaking, he locked the cage containing the Madman, turned around and left, leaving only the cries of Han Laizi and his group echoing in the darkness behind him.
One of the three people who came with him asked, " Han Bo, who made this cave? It's amazing!"
"You're making a big fuss about this! These pig cages existed back in World War II; the Japan invented them to hold prisoners of war. Some were in caves, some in rivers—basically, there had to be water. Cave cages were the best; no one had to watch over them. When the groundwater receded, the cages were dry, so you could sleep inside. But when the water rose, the cages were only about ten centimeters above the water, making it hard to even breathe. And who knows what might be in the water—it was torture..."
Han Bo showed off his knowledge to his younger brother, "There are so many pig cages like these in Mianyue, and I've heard there are even more in the Golden Triangle. We rarely see them here now; the ones we used to find in the mountains were all dismantled by the locals and sold as scrap metal."
Why did the Medicine Granny lock people up here?
"Hehe, you don't know, do you! If you were locked up in there for a few days, you'd know what it means to be worse than dead! Do you know how prisoners are punished for their mistakes?"
A man nearby said, "I know, I heard it's solitary confinement."
"That's right, it's solitary confinement, commonly known as the 'little black room'," Han Bo said. "No matter who you are, no matter how strong or resilient you are, once you're locked in that little black room, you'll be released after three to five days, and you'll be completely obedient. I've heard that people who are locked up for a long time go crazy!"
"No wonder everyone locked up here is Madman. I thought they were already crazy to begin with, but it turns out they were driven mad by being locked up."
"But aren't people even wilder when they're insane? Why do all these Madman listen to the Medicine Granny?"
"You didn't know that the Medicine Granny is the reincarnation of the Medicine Buddha!"
"I heard that the Medicine Granny has a junior sister who's even more powerful than the Medicine Granny, and she's so alluringly beautiful that men get hard just by looking at her!"
"Really? When can we see it too?"
"I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore. Saying too much will cause trouble. Look at what happened to those people in the cage..."
"Hey, Han Bo, why aren't those guys yelling anymore?"
"What?"
Han Bo stopped and listened carefully. The cave was very quiet, with only the echoes of their voices buzzing around them.
"Huh, how strange! Could those Guisun be dead? I have to go back and check."
They started walking back by flashlight, but as they walked, they realized something was wrong.
Although the cave is winding and circuitous, I've been in and out many times, and there's no other way, so I can't get lost. But after walking for so long, I still haven't reached the place where the pig cage is hung.
The flashlight flickered a few times and then went out; it seemed to be out of power.
The surroundings were immediately plunged into darkness.
"Brother Han Bo, why is it so dark? I'm scared!"
"What are you afraid of! Coward!"
Even though Han Bo said that, he himself felt uneasy, as if something was watching them from the darkness.
He took out his lighter and lit it.
The firelight shone like a star in the dark night of the deep cave, serving no purpose other than to add to the mystery.
After a while, the lighter got too hot and burned Han Bo's hand.
Han Bo cried out "Ouch!" and threw the lighter away.
The fire didn't go out; the lighter rolled a long way on the ground. It probably leaked gas when it fell, because the flame suddenly shot up Old Gao.
In the firelight, Han Bo saw a woman standing deep inside the cave.
The woman was only covered by a few strips of silk cloth, which concealed her vital parts. Her graceful and exquisite figure, illuminated by the firelight, stirred endless fantasies.
Han Bo glanced at her once, then dared not look again. He didn't even see what the woman's face looked like; he only saw a head of long, silvery-white hair spreading out behind her, stretching out like a demon into the surrounding darkness.