At last, the topic turned to Nu Wa’s flesh, causing Xing Shen’s palms to sweat nervously. Although many of his previous beliefs had been overturned during this journey, the core objective remained unchanged.
He and Uncle Jiang were here to find Nu Wa’s flesh.
Lin Xirou asked, “Have any of you heard water sounds down here?”
The matter of water sounds varied from person to person. Nie Jiuluo had heard it faintly, mixed with the wind sounds. Among others, some claimed to have heard it while others hadn’t, with the latter forming the majority.
Lin Xirou said, “The Clay Army’s terra-cotta warrior boundary was built too cautiously, still some distance from the true dividing line. Black and White Ravine, as its name suggests, contains a stream. Autumn and winter are the dry seasons, while water levels gradually rise in spring and summer. At this time of year, the water is rising, but it’s not substantial yet, which explains why many of you can’t hear it.”
“There’s another theory that the sun-facing wall of Black and White Ravine is Nu Wa’s corpse, using her body as a boundary. After her corpse collapsed, her blood transformed into rivers, while her flesh and bones seeped into the riverbed’s silt.”
“Our people believed that as Nu Wa could create humans in life, she could also guide them in death. While Black and White Ravine was deadly, the solution must also lie within it.”
“Thus, our first batch of death warriors bid farewell to our people and advanced toward Black and White Ravine. They had two missions: first, to ‘pan for gold’ during the dry season, excavating Nu Wa’s flesh; second, to find a path. After we fled into Black and White Ravine, humans sealed all exits using various methods. The death warriors needed to forge a passage to the surface for our people.”
Yan Tuo felt chills down his spine and murmured, “Kua Fu Seven Fingers?”
Lin Xirou showed surprise: “You’ve figured that out? Perhaps you’re not all fools after all.”
She sighed: “Black and White Ravine is a curse. Once inside, whether xiao or human, you’re trapped within its bounds. Whether going up or down, you’ll die faster.”
“So while the gold panners were fine, the pathfinding death warriors sacrificed their lives to forge ahead. Manual excavation of such a massive project might not show results even after thirty or fifty years, and they gradually fell one after another. To commemorate them, we compared them to Kua Fu who chased the sun. ‘Kua Fu Seven Fingers’ represents the seven exits they ultimately excavated.”
Yan Tuo fell silent. He had initially thought Kua Fu was a giant, but it turned out to be an embodiment of countless death warriors.
“The gold panners also had their findings. The flesh was certainly unrecoverable—how could it not decay in water? Their shamans divined that Nu Wa’s flesh had already merged with the collapsed earth’s soil. So they panned out the precious soil from that area and, to correspond with the seven exits, molded seven Nu Wa statues from this soil.”
“These seven Nu Wa statues were regarded as talismans that could break through Black and White Ravine. Ground xiao could use them to achieve human transformation, becoming like us. Ghost Xiao could similarly transform into a white-eyed ghost. In short, once entering the Black and White Ravine, everyone could only travel one way. We could only go to the surface, while they could only enter the underground—at most, they could revisit the Black and White Ravine area, but could never return to their starting point.”
Nie Jiuluo let out a long sigh.
This one-way restriction shocked her, as if Nu Wa herself had appeared and declared sternly: If you insist on crossing boundaries against my will, very well, then follow this path to its end.
It seemed the white-eyed ghosts could never reach the surface, and those like Lin Xirou could never cross back over Black and White Ravine.
She heard Yan Tuo ask Lin Xirou: “If ground xiao can transform using the soil, then in the mini plastic greenhouses I saw on the farm’s second underground level—that soil was actually from dissolved Nu Wa statues, wasn’t it?”
Lin Xirou remained silent, which served as confirmation.
“Then, achieving this transformation requires more than just soil, right? You’d need blood sacs too?”
Lin Xirou said, “Yes, blood sacs are medicine. In your Chinese medicine, flowers, grass, insects, and birds can all be used as medicine—why should humans be an exception? We have no choice; we need ‘humans’ as medicine to survive normally under the sun. As long as this medicine’s bloodline continues, we can keep going.”
At this point, she changed course: “You think white-eyed ghosts don’t need blood sacs? They need them too, or how else could they survive underground? What we do to humans, they do the same to our people. Half a pound for eight ounces—everyone’s doing the same thing.”
Finally, she gradually spoke of the era familiar to the Bandaged Army: “But our path of chasing the sun was too difficult. Look at the grasshopper—you’ll know that after mutation, consciousness gradually diminishes until finally becoming a blood-thirsting, flesh-eating beast.”
Yan Tuo followed her words: “And this area was remote, even more unpopulated during the Qin Dynasty. You hadn’t found usable blood sacs before becoming bestial?”
“Yes, quite a few burst out through the exits and hurt people. Some were killed as wild beasts, others were captured alive. However, ground xiao truly possesses ‘treasure-seeking’ characteristics, probably from living underground. This trait manifested at times, catching some people’s attention.”
Her tone carried a hint of pride: “Gradually, people came—sporadically, but precious.”
“All under heaven toil for profit; people always follow benefits. This reminded us that we too were human, understanding your greed and nature all too well. We used the arriving people for transformation, developing wolf ghosts, and spreading bewitching rumors outward. In that era, relying on word of mouth, the spread was very slow, but at least it was ongoing.”
This matched their previous speculations. Nie Jiuluo coldly watched Lin Xirou, unable to stand her arrogance and wanting to deflate her: “Good plan, just terrible luck—you didn’t expect to attract large units of the Bandaged Army, did you?”
Lin Xirou remained silent for a good while.
Indeed, they hadn’t expected it.
When the Bandaged Army arrived, they instantly crushed their carefully cultivated plans.
These people were practically madmen, erecting golden human gates, and cutting off passages. Despite knowing the unthinkable consequences of entering Black and White Ravine, they still came in waves. Not only that, they systematically set ambushes, forced confessions, deceived, and even discovered the secret of Nu Wa’s flesh. Four of the seven Nu Wa statues were seized in one confrontation.
This explained why, beyond xiao ghosts, white-eyed ghosts appeared.
All were created by humans.
Then suddenly, the Bandaged Army outside seemed to vanish without a trace, no longer sending people in. This place became a forgotten dark corner.
She smiled bitterly: “That’s right, the Bandaged Army came, and our days of suffering began. Nu Wa’s final sanctuary for us became a true hell. Yan Tuo, do you know what I am?”
Yan Tuo didn’t understand her meaning: “Aren’t you just a ground xiao?”
Lin Xirou said: “Ground xiao?”
She laughed, her laughter extremely eerie, crackling like strange night birds, giving Nie Jiuluo goosebumps.
Xing Shen suddenly gasped, his tone extremely tense: “Watch out, they’re coming!”
Holy shit, they’re coming?
Inside the beacon tower, death-like silence fell instantly, tension spreading rapidly. Apart from Xing Shen and Datou, almost everyone’s eyes darted toward the entrance.
Lin Xirou slowly leaned back against the wall, gradually regulating her breathing.
Feng Mi, noticing others weren’t paying attention to this side, moved closer to Lin Xirou.
Lin Xirou’s voice was extremely low, almost whispering against her ear: “One of us two must get out.”
Feng Mi nodded.
Standing high, Xing Shen could see far, so after his warning, they still had quite some distance from the white-eyed ghosts. Taking advantage of the time, he asked Lin Xirou: “What do white-eyed ghosts hunt with? Smell, vision, or something else?”
Lin Xirou cleared her throat, carelessly: “Not with eyes—down here underground, eyes aren’t very useful, though they’re still sensitive to light.”
Someone immediately used a bag to cover the only illumination rod, though its brightness was already very dim, making little difference whether covered or not.
She continued: “Their sense of smell is formidable. There’s someone with a gunshot wound beside me—they’ll quickly follow this blood scent. If you want safety, I suggest getting rid of her quickly.”
This indeed caused panic, with someone stammering: “H-how do we get rid of her?”
“Let her go, as far as possible. Maybe her scent will even lead the white-eyed ghosts away.”
Shan Qiang reacted quickly: “Let her go? After all the trouble catching her, now you want to release her? What a clever scheme you’ve got.”
Lin Xirou chuckled: “Good intentions taken as donkey liver and lungs. If you don’t want to, fine. Just wait for the white-eyed ghosts to come.”
She unhurriedly added fuel to the fire: “Honestly, we ground Xiao became weaker after human transformation because up there is a civilized society. But white-eyed ghosts are different—underground is a carnivorous world. Besides humans, there are all sorts of crawling things and rodents you can’t name, with rat eyes as big as ping-pong balls. Do you think white-eyed ghosts became top predators for fun? Though still in human form, they’re different in every way. They constantly sharpen their nails—the longer they live, the harder their nails become. One swipe can tear open the toughest cowhide…”
Xing Shen growled lowly: “Gag her!”
Though he knew this woman was fear-mongering, he still couldn’t prevent her from creating panic.
Someone had already been led by Lin Xirou: “Brother Shen, better safe than sorry, right? Maybe we should drive out the woman with the gunshot wound?”
Shan Qiang spat: “She’s saying this deliberately, can’t you see? After causing us so much harm, how could she be good? She’s only trying to lead us into a trap! Just treat her words as farts.”
He then suggested to Xing Shen: “Brother Shen, I just understood—whether xiao ghosts or white-eyed ghosts, they’re mostly inherited from our Bandaged Army ancestors, right? We’re all family, all dealing with ground xiao. Why don’t we try calling out to communicate? How do you know it won’t work if you don’t try?”
Several people agreed with this: “Yeah, why should our own people fight each other? Maybe everything will be fine once we explain things clearly…”
Xing Shen was extremely frustrated but couldn’t explain: Family? Thinking it’s all happy families? Whether white-eyed ghosts or xiao ghosts, plainly speaking, they were the abandoned ones.
In his view, the group of white-eyed ghosts drew closer. Xing Shen’s forehead broke out in fine sweat. He suspected the two groups they’d encountered earlier had merged into one—combined, he estimated nearly thirty of them.
He said: “They’re coming this way. Load your guns.”
The grasshopper had already hopped in, no longer bothering to trouble Lin Xirou, lying prone and trembling.
Nie Jiuluo spoke up: “Since we’ve been discovered anyway, right? Then turn on the lights—help us see more clearly, and we can use the strong light to dazzle their eyes.”
That made sense. Xing Shen ordered: “Turn on the lights.”
Soon, over ten powerful wolf-eye flashlights beamed out from both the observation holes and the doorway. Since entering the green soil, they hadn’t used the flashlights much, so when turned on, they were at full power with fresh batteries. In an instant, while not exactly daylight outside, it was comparable to stage lighting with spotlights fully open.
The observation holes were too small, and the not-so-large doorway was crowded with people. Yan Tuo didn’t plan to join this commotion. He held his gun in one hand and gripped Nie Jiuluo’s hand tightly with the other, his palm covered in a thin layer of sweat. He wanted to instruct her something but felt anything would be useless—”Stay close to me,” “Hide behind me”? Who could know what would happen once chaos broke out?
Just then, whispers came from the doorway: “What’s that? Is that… a little girl?”
Holy shit! A little girl?
Yan Tuo’s mind jolted, and in the next second, he rushed forward, pushing aside the two people in front of him.
It really was—beyond the flashlight beams, at this distance, the face wasn’t visible, only a small figure standing alone beside a stone slab. Two white points showed on the face, hands curved into claws, scraping up and down on the stone surface.