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墨書 Inktalez
Time passed quickly, and two hours later, the sky had completely brightened. The surroundings became remarkably clear, and the few who were still in a light sleep gradually woke up.
Accompanied by a slight feeling of heat, they began to pack their belongings.
Old Liu lit a dry cigarette and took a puff, resting his hand on a stone pillar while gazing ahead. From behind, it appeared as though a piece of his cheek was missing, creating a sunken look.
The ground was littered with scattered stones and debris, making the path somewhat uncomfortable underfoot.
The group, all former soldiers, had no trouble covering several hundred miles in a day during their previous marches. Thus, this small path was nothing for them.
After marching tirelessly for half a day, the sun began to scorch the ground, and everyone was drenched in sweat. During this time, Seven took the opportunity to observe the surface of the stone pillars.
The spacing between the pillars had changed; they began to become sparser, and some pillars had grown larger, with diameters reaching up to two meters.
Old Liu, walking at the front, slowed his pace slightly, his expression growing serious. The others behind him also began to walk more cautiously.
Cao Shi impatiently remarked, "Old man, why are we suddenly slowing down?"
Old Liu ignored him and focused intently on examining the surrounding environment. The area around the stone pillars remained silent.
First exchanged glances with Seven and also began to scrutinize the geographical situation around them. Not far away stood a stone pillar with a diameter of about three meters, which caught Seven's attention.
Seven walked directly over to it. The surface of the pillar looked rough and somewhat loose; it felt prickly to the touch. Drawing a dagger from his waist, Seven scraped off a layer of skin from the pillar to understand its material. A layer of debris fell away, revealing a bluish color that resembled granite in hardness. Seven made a mental note of this and tapped it with his hand—huh? A question mark formed in his mind.
Uncertain yet intrigued, he tapped again, feeling both nervous and excited. Seven called over First.
Third and Second remained where they were without moving, while the woman seemed lazy as well. It wasn't until Seven beckoned Third and Cao Shi over that she finally lifted her eyelids.
The four gathered around the pillar.
Upon learning the situation, Third took out a dagger and scraped another section of the stone pillar, this time revealing a large area. The exposed surface was still a shade of blue, but it seemed to have some carved markings on it. Third wiped away the remaining dust with his hand. The others leaned in closer, and familiar characters began to emerge—once again, a series of strange symbols that startled them. However, Third was lost in thought.
The words "No entry for those not of our kin; violators will die" had been translated earlier. Third tried to identify similar strokes and eventually managed to discern the two characters for "kin," though he couldn't confirm it outright.
Seeing everyone so focused, Second picked up the dagger and scraped away another section. Next to the series of symbols, murals began to appear.
Second quickened his pace. The others were drawn in by the unfolding scene, and Seven joined Second in clearing the surface of the pillar.
First soon joined as well, while Third continued working diligently. Before long, the entire circumference of the lower part of the stone pillar had been cleared. The revealed content caused their expressions to shift slightly.
At some point, a woman named Xin Shui Su had appeared behind them, her gaze fixed intently on the content of the pillar.
The first thing that caught their eyes was an image of a woman dressed in bridal attire, wearing a red veil. Following her were a group of people carrying her in a palanquin. Then came the grim scene where all those carrying the palanquin had died, yet the palanquin remained standing on the ground. As the bride fled for her life, her veil fell to the ground. However, what puzzled them was that this entire mural did not depict who the assailant was; Third's brow furrowed slightly.
Second then asked, "Where did the bride go?"
"This entire mural isn't complete," First replied.
Second pulled his attention away from the pillar and glanced back, only to find that woman standing silently behind them, her expression somewhat eerie. Startled by this sudden presence, Second let out an involuntary gasp. The others quickly turned around and realized it was just a false alarm. Third continued to focus on the content of the stone pillar.
The woman circled around them and approached the pillar directly. From her backpack, she pulled out a shovel and struck the stone pillar forcefully several times. The abrupt sound drew everyone's attention as they watched a large piece of the surface peel away.
They stood there dumbfounded for a moment, assessing in their minds that this was indeed a strong person.
Yet, the woman seemed oblivious to their reactions, her focus entirely on the stone pillar. However, she was disappointed as nothing more appeared on it.
Instead, she sensed something was off about this stone pillar. She continued tapping with the shovel but not as forcefully as before. Afterward, she returned to her original spot as if nothing had happened, seemingly losing interest in the stone pillar altogether.
Watching the woman leave, Second exchanged glances with a few others, silently acknowledging each other. However, there was no time to dwell on it.
Seven spoke up, "It's confirmed, this stone pillar is hollow. There might be something hidden inside."
At that moment, Old Liu returned, his face dark and brooding. First greeted him and shared their findings. Old Liu reacted more calmly than expected. He took a puff from his pipe and slowly exhaled, the smoke obscuring his features.
After a moment, Old Liu said in a hoarse voice, "Our destination isn't here; don't meddle in unnecessary matters." With that, he walked away.
"Old Liu is harder to deal with than that old man," Second muttered under his breath.
"Second really knows how to read people," Seven added, and the two of them chuckled. But amidst their laughter, Third's deep voice interrupted, "Big Brother, I want to stay here."
The laughter abruptly stopped as First glanced at Third. "Third, the task ahead is entrusted to you brothers," he continued.
After a moment of silence, First finally spoke up. "Third, what are you up to now?" Second asked, turning his gaze toward him with curiosity.
But Third remained silent. Then First's steady voice broke through the tension, "Alright, Third, if you have something to do, go ahead! We'll handle the rest."
Grateful, Third looked at them all. Second took over the conversation but only managed to say, "Third, take care of yourself." Following suit, Seven patted Third on the shoulder and said, "Whatever you decide to do, I support you."
Meanwhile, Old Liu had already started moving again.
After a brief farewell, the others followed suit. The woman exchanged a glance with Third before quickly catching up with the group.
Old Liu showed no sign of concern for the missing member. Second glanced back one last time; Third stood beside the stone pillar watching them.
When Second turned back again, he could no longer see Third. As they hurried along the path, the distance between the stone pillars began to close in again. It was getting dark; one couldn't help but admire the woman's stamina. While everyone else was panting heavily, she seemed unaffected.
"Rest and replenish your strength," Old Liu said simply.
Second took out a water bottle from his backpack, ready to take a sip, but First stopped him, saying, "Drinking is strictly prohibited during the march." Second chuckled awkwardly and pulled out another water bottle to drink from.
First sat back down at a distance, gazing around. In the dim environment, the stone pillars loomed in the darkness. Seven was resting with his eyes closed.
The woman stared wide-eyed, lost in her thoughts.
Suddenly, a cool breeze swept through, carrying a hint of chill. Seven opened his eyes and remarked, "It's going to rain."
About half an hour later, it indeed started to rain. The others had already donned their raincoats and were prepared.
A clap of thunder rolled in, followed by a flash of lightning that illuminated the entire area. Several more flashes lit up the surroundings as bright as day, though it was a pale light. Raindrops fell like scattered beans, hitting the ground one by one. Amidst the curtain of rain, Old Liu urged everyone to hurry along.
A flashlight flickered to life, its beam barely penetrating the rain. After walking for about an hour, the ground began to dry up.
"Strange, what's going on?" Seven glanced back and said, "This should be localized rain." Old Liu scoffed but didn't respond. The woman remained silent as well.
Second commented, "No wonder this rain is so peculiar."
First shook off his raincoat and put it away; faint thunder still rumbled in the distance. The group paused for a moment before continuing on their way.
After walking for a while, Old Liu suddenly stopped. The others gathered around as a cave entrance appeared ahead. Second shone his flashlight inside; the soil around the entrance was loose, revealing glimpses of the underground below. Seven estimated, "About two meters deep; it's an Earth Cave."
Old Liu pulled out a pipe from somewhere and took a puff before saying, "This is indeed an Earth Cave." He explained that this was a geographical feature unique to this type of terrain.
"Some may be deeper; falling in could be fatal."
Taking the flashlight from Second's hand, Old Liu crouched down and shone it inside, faintly discovering what seemed to be bloodstains. He lowered himself further to take a closer look and said, "This place is a hotbed of trouble!"
No one responded, and it felt as if Old Liu was speaking to himself.
After traveling non-stop for about two days, they had encountered relatively few dangers along the way.
Leading the group, Old Liu remarked, "We've arrived."
At this moment, the others finally had time to consider other matters; they had reached the center of the Stone Forest. Standing there, they could already see the eastern side of the Stone Forest.
However, Old Liu clearly had no interest in taking in the view. He walked directly toward a cluster of shorter stone pillars and gestured for the others to follow. They complied.
Another entrance appeared before them, approximately one meter in diameter. Looking down into it, aided only by the light, they could see about three to four meters deep.
It was quite deep.
"This is another Earth Cave," Second said. Seven shook his head in disagreement. The woman named Xin Shui Su, who had been silently following them without speaking a word, interjected, "This is a Skylight." Her tone was extremely cold but melodious.
The group looked at her in surprise, even Old Liu, who was smoking, couldn't help but glance at her. He offered her a friendly smile, though it seemed somewhat forced.
After speaking, the woman fell silent again, her presence fading as if she had never been there at all.
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