Thriller suspense novel

Watersheds

Volume II

Phantom of the Mystery Case

Chapter I

The cave is withered and old

It's dark, it's still dark. Darkness reigns like a devil over this world.

Xiaoxue tried to open her eyes, but it was still dark in front of her. At this moment, Xiaoxue wondered if her eyes were blind or if she didn't open her eyes at all. She tried many times, but it was always dark in front of her eyes, and she couldn't see a single light.

What is this place? Xiaoxue can't remember, she doesn't remember how she was devoured in the dark. There is no warning, there is no mental preparation.

Stretching out her hands, Xiaoxue tried to grasp something, even if it was just a small straw.

She scratched in the dark for a while and caught nothing. Not even a small psychological comfort. It's like getting lost in a sea of sand, not finding a little hope.

Xiaoxue's heart crumbled, and she slowly squatted down, clasping her knees with both hands. It seems that this is the only way to alleviate the fear in the heart.

'Fang Xin, where are you?' I need you, I need you very, very much.'

The helpless little snow has been in the dark, and I don't know how long I have been in the road. In this place, time seems to freeze and loses its true meaning and function.

Xiaoxue felt helpless, and she couldn't tell if she was blind or if this place was originally a place of darkness.

If it's the latter, what is it? How did you come here for no reason?

I remember that I was very tired, and I was sleeping on a comfortable and fluffy bed. When I found myself conscious, I came to this strange place inexplicably.

Wait a minute!

Xiaoxue suddenly remembered something, and she stood up again excitedly, carefully recalling what happened before she fell asleep.

That's right, he and Fang Xin, Ruan Xiaotian, and Shen Kuo were involved in a game, tossing for a whole day and a night. Everyone is exhausted, hungry and exhausted plagues the whole body.

Therefore, when Xiaoxue chose to go to Fang Xin's house first to catch up on sleep, she did not hesitate at all.

In other words, he should still be in Fang Xin's house. The reason why it was dark was because she didn't know how long she had been asleep, maybe it was the middle of the night. And the darkness around may be the reason why the lights are not turned on.

When Xiaoxue's brain cleared up, she let out a long breath, purely to scare herself.

However, this idea of hers was just generated in her mind, but it was shattered by the reality in front of her.

Xiaoxue looked around, if it was just because the lights were not turned on, there was no light shining in for anything. In any case, even if there are no street lights, there should always be a little bit of other light.

But no, nothing. It's as if there has never been light in this world, and it's still pitch black all around. It's very black, it's a mess.

Xiaoxue has a new idea again.

Blackout? Like it has happened before, there is a power outage for no reason.

Xiaoxue was thinking that if it was really just a simple power outage, it would be easy to do, and she wouldn't have to be afraid of anything. Because blackouts mean that the darkness is only temporary.

'Fang Xin, Fang Xin, are you awake? Is there a power outage? What time is it? Why don't you speak?' Xiaoxue shouted loudly.

However, there is a strange silence in this space. Xiao Xue shouted several times, but she didn't hear Fang Xin's voice at all. Instead, she hears her own echoes in this strange space.

How is this possible?

Xiaoxue couldn't believe her ears. In Fang Xin's home, how could there be an echo. Moreover, such an echo makes people listen to it in an extraordinarily empty and terrifying way. It's like it's been sifted through layers, and it doesn't sound like a human being. One after another, it's creepy.

So, what's all going on? If you don't say it's not in Fang Xin's house, where will it be?

Xiaoxue began to feel uneasy, and she once again wondered if there was something really wrong with her ears and eyes.

Not only that, but she also seemed to smell a smell of yellow earth. She remembered that it was the kind of yellow clay that only existed on Xiaomao Mountain.

At the same time, the air is moist and cool and cold in the nose. This makes Xiaoxue's mind more sober, and this sobriety brings more fear and uneasiness.

Since she couldn't see anything, Xiaoxue could only stand in place, not daring to take even a single step in any direction.

It's a little soft underfoot, at least Xiaoxue can clearly feel that she is not standing on a solid concrete floor.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxue's legs began to tremble slightly. She couldn't guess where she was stepping on.

The legs are so weak that there is almost no amount of strength to support them. Xiaoxue squatted down again, holding herself tightly with both hands, which was a little comfort for herself.

She wanted to cry, but before she could cry. Out of nowhere, the voice of a woman singing. Xiaoxue couldn't hear it clearly, because the song came from all directions. It's like the ceiling speakers that you have everywhere in a large shopping mall, and you can't hear exactly which direction the sound is coming from.

Xiaoxue was attracted by this song, she forgot her fear, forgot the fear of being alone in a strange environment. She just listened quietly, listening to this beautiful song.

After listening for a while, Xiaoxue noticed that she didn't understand a word. In other words, what the woman sings is not the Mandarin she is familiar with, nor does it seem to be a dialect anywhere in China. That is, she had never heard this language before.

What's going on here?

The woman's voice was crisp and very loud though. However, what is being sung, when listened closely, is more like a sentimental, rhythmic recitation of poetry than a song.

Xiaoxue was dazed, her mind was in a mess, and she couldn't figure out what was going on with her.

The singing continued, and the more Xiaoxue listened to it, the more she felt that it didn't look like someone was singing at all. And the singing is not like a song that only human beings sing.

It's like it's coming from hell, the dark hell.

Xiaoxue couldn't help but tremble when she thought of this. Hell is dark and terrifying. Isn't she in the dark right now. And again, in the midst of boundless darkness. Could it be that you have come to hell?

Cold sweat seeped out from every pore of the body, and the heart was crumpled into a ball. Xiaoxue suddenly felt very depressed, and it began to be difficult to breathe, as if the air around her was also solidifying, making Xiaoxue breathless.

'What the hell is this place?'

Xiaoxue muttered secretly in her heart, until now, she still couldn't figure out where she was.

I don't know how long it took, but all of a sudden, the singing stopped. Just when Xiaoxue hadn't fully reacted, her eyes suddenly lit up.

Xiaoxue's eyes widened, looking at everything that was happening in front of her, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

The surroundings were not what she was expecting, Fang Xin's home. This place is really unfamiliar, at least Xiaoxue can be sure that she has never been here.

How to say it, this place resembles a cave. Xiaoxue clearly saw that there were many raised yellow stones on the cave wall, and the surrounding yellow soil was also wet. No wonder she could smell the earth.

As for the bright light, Xiaoxue saw that on the wall of the cave, there were several bronze lamps inlaid with them. Strangely, all of a sudden, the lights came on one by one, inexplicably. It's as if there is someone who can't see or touch it, and it's lit one by one.

And the shape of these copper lamps is more peculiar and weird. Xiaoxue can't describe it, like a cow with a big mouth, or a sheep. I say this because Xiaoxue really can't tell what kind of animal it is.

The only thing Xiaoxue knows for sure is that these copper lamps are quite old. If it's not thousands of years, it's hundreds of years old.

Moreover, from the perspective of the shape and production process of the copper lamp, it is very fine. Although Xiaoxue can't tell what kind of animal it is, she can also see that every detail of the copper lamp is very delicate, and it is simply lifelike.

The flame of illumination, the flame of warmth, is kindled from the mouth of the brass lamp.

The light of a copper lamp is nothing, but a dozen copper lamps are enough to illuminate a large area. For the light snow in the dark, it ignites hope.

Xiaoxue didn't start paying attention to everything around her until this point. She found herself in a strange cave. The cave is not big and not particularly high. But when Xiaoxue saw it for the first time, she had an eerie feeling.

She has been to Shanjuan Cave and Linggu Cave in Yixing, but those places are completely different from here. Because there are often tourists, the cave also seems to have a lot of aura, which can make people feel more comfortable.

But it's different here, and it gives Xiaoxue a cold feeling. Especially the woman's chant she had just heard was more like floating up from hell.

The structure of the whole cave is extremely simple, and it can be said that it is in a primitive state. But it is different, and there is still a certain gap with the real primitive society.

First of all, judging from the dozen or so bronze oil lamps on the cave wall, they are by no means the product of primitive society. However, it should be quite old.

Secondly, Xiaoxue saw that on the wall of the cave, there were countless pits. It is long and flattened, with a depth of about half a meter. What exactly it does, Xiaoxue is not very clear.

Under the light of the oil lamp, such pits are covered all over the cave. You don't need to count to know the way, at least there are dozens of them.

And in these pits, Xiaoxue can vaguely see that there seems to be something that is tightly wrapped. The shape looks like an individual.

Xiaoxue's brain shook, like an electric current, at a very fast speed, a few spins in her brain.

A terrifying thought was generated in Xiaoxue's mind.

Could it be that this is a tomb, and in the pit are dead bodies?

Thinking of this, Xiaoxue's legs seemed to be cramped, depressed and weak.

How is this possible, how is it possible? He was obviously lying on the comfortable big bed of Fang Xin's house, why did he come here inexplicably. What the hell is this place?

Although Xiaoxue felt scared, she still staggered towards one of the pits, step by step. She wanted to confirm her thoughts, this place didn't look like a tomb at all. The most important thing is that she didn't see the entrance to the tomb at all, or the exit.

It's a completely enclosed place.

The pit is not very high above the ground, and Xiaoxue has to crouch down to be parallel to it.

Before making a move, Xiaoxue took a deep breath. A slender hand slowly reached into the pit.

When her fingers had just touched something similar to cloth, all of a sudden, the place where her fingers touched instantly turned into a pile of dust. Some fell, some drifted into the air.

What was revealed was a terrifying skeleton of a dead man.

I saw the skeleton with its mouth wide open, looking up at the sky. Although there are only a bunch of skeletons left, the feeling to Xiaoxue is that this person seems to be in great pain before he dies. That is, it is by no means a normal natural death.

Xiaoxue didn't dare to look again, she staggered back a few steps before she stood firm.

I can't believe I've ended up in a tomb for no reason. Looking at the situation, it is at least a tomb of thousands of years.

So, whose tomb does this tomb belong to? If it's really a tomb, then these people may be funerary goods. In addition to the ancients using living people to accompany the burial, there should also be some other things that tomb robbers called the underworld.

For example, bronze, pottery, jade, and even valuable funerary objects such as gold and agate.

Xiaoxue didn't think much about it and walked towards the depths of the cave. She wasn't looking for any valuable burial goods, but for an exit out of the place.

The whole cave is not straight, but like a crescent moon, showing an arc. Narrow at both ends and wide in the middle. The place where Xiaoxue was just now is the narrow end of it.

Now, under the light of the copper oil lamp, stepping on the ground that is not too flat, Xiaoxue walks to the deepest part of the cave.

It turned out that the cave was not as small as she thought. As you go, the cave gets bigger and wider. The number of copper oil lamps on the cave walls also increased.

In the deepest part of the cave and the widest part of the entire cave. Xiaoxue saw that on the wall of one of the caves, there was a small platform made of yellow stone and yellow mud. It's not very big, but it's more than a meter high. On either side of the small platform, a circular object is placed.

Xiaoxue didn't know what it was, but looking at its texture, it looked like some kind of bronze ware. Its shape looks very similar to that of today's drums. That is, this is a copper drum used by people two thousand years ago.

In addition, there are some copper buckles of different shapes scattered around the copper drum, the bull and tiger copper case, the copper bell and the bull head copper ornament and so on are no less than hundreds of pieces.

Xiaoxue secretly thought, so many bronzes were used by the ancients thousands of years ago, it's amazing. If you take it out, you will definitely be able to sell it for a lot of money.

These are real antiques!

Xiaoxue also thought about it, and now she still has a problem whether she can even get out. As for the rest, it's better not to think about it than to think about it.

However, Xiaoxue became interested in the two copper drums. Nothing else, she just wants to know if the copper drum will sound after thousands of years.

With such a question, she walked into one of the copper drums. Walking into the road of knowledge, the bronze drum has produced a lot of oxidation with the passage of time. The whole drum body is green and yellow, and has long lost its original color.

Gently knocked on the copper drum, and it really made a 'bang' sound. The sound was small and dull, but it lingered in the cave for a long time before disappearing.

Xiao Xue was excited, and when she was about to knock it a second time, an old voice suddenly floated in her ear, which scared Xiao Xue a lot.

At first, Xiao Xue's soul was reluctant to know what was going on. It took a few seconds for her to react. That's nothing else, it's a human voice. Someone was greeting her, and the old, hoarse voice was saying, 'You're finally here!'

Obviously, the voice was next to Xiaoxue, or even in her ear, quite close.

Xiaoxue's feet softened and she took a few steps back. Only then did she see clearly that on that small platform, I don't know when, there was one more person. But in Xiaoxue's opinion, it's more like a ghost than a human.

I saw the man sitting cross-legged on the small platform, and although his eyes were wide open, he couldn't see the eyeballs inside. There is almost nothing left of the whole face, only skin and bones.

That's right, it's the image of the dried corpse that Xiaoxue saw before. It's just that this dried corpse is still wearing the costume of no longer any dynasty. Moreover, this dried corpse can still speak.

Xiaoxue clearly knew that the words just now were said by the dry corpse in front of her.

The dried corpse can speak, which surprises Xiaoxue. She stared straight at the dried corpse, her heart full of apprehension and uneasiness. If there was a way to escape in front of her, she would definitely flee without hesitation. Unfortunately, the whole cave seems to be a dead end. In addition to the yellow stone, there is yellow mud.

'My Highness Princess, I have been waiting for you here for a thousand years, and today it has finally arrived.' The wizened old man, like a dried corpse, spoke again, 'We have been waiting for you here for a thousand years, and today we have finally arrived.'

On the shriveled face, there is no expression to be seen. After the old man said these inconsequential words, he stretched out his bony arms slightly and raised them to both sides.

Xiaoxue didn't know what he wanted to do, so she instinctively took a few steps back. Her lips trembled and she asked, 'You...... Who are you?'

She had a lot of questions to ask, but she didn't know what to ask or how to do it.

Princess? She remembered that Zhong Qiong also told her what kind of princess she was. However, why don't you know the Tao and don't understand? Princess? What does it mean to be a princess? The Emperor's daughter? This is also ridiculous, in today's society, how can there be any emperor, let alone a princess.

The withered old man did not answer her question, but spread out his hands and said something in his mouth. Xiaoxue can't hear clearly, and she can't understand it. Like an ancient priest, chanting an ancient incantation.

Just when Xiaoxue was at a loss, she saw the withered old man spread his palms. Originally, there was only a row of pits, and on top of the empty cave wall, all of a sudden, countless pits appeared.

One next to the other, densely packed with all the walls of the cave. It's like a juggling, and all of a sudden, it appears.

In Xiaoxue's opinion, there is no warning and no psychological preparation. She didn't even know what was going on, and it just appeared in front of her eyes for some reason.

Hundreds of pits are not empty. In each pit was something like a humanoid, exactly like what she had observed.

If this is the case, then there are at least a thousand dry bones in this cave that does not see the light of day. And she was surrounded by thousands of dry bones, and she couldn't go anywhere.

Xiaoxue's heart was beating faster, and she didn't know what to do? She wanted to scream, in this isolated place, was it useful to scream? She couldn't imagine if the screaming would wake up these corpses that seemed to be asleep. Then, make her one of them.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxue panicked even more. She didn't dare to look again, didn't dare to think again, and turned her head. But the same is true of the cave wall behind her. From the bottom to the top of the cave, which was not visible, and moreover, a little closer to her.

Xiaoxue was hesitating, and she even wanted to close her eyes tightly, not to look at anything, not to think about anything.

And at this moment, the withered old man spoke again. The tone is still so old, so hoarse. Like a cat that moves in the dark, it makes a poignant, creepy sound.

The old man said, 'Wake up, wake up!' Our master is back, wake me up, all of you! Reverently greet our host, our esteemed princess.' The withered old man said as he stretched out his arms. It's like praying, praying to people who are sleeping.

Hearing the old man say this, Xiaoxue's heart rose uneasy. She had a premonition that something terrible was about to happen. Right in front of her eyes, right now.

Sure enough, the corpses lying in the pit crawled out of the pit as if they had received some kind of revelation. The corpses in the higher pits, as if in free fall, also fell from a very high place. After landing on the ground, he stood up steadily.

They don't feel any pain on their bodies. If it is a human being, if he falls from such a high place, he will be crippled if he does not die. Therefore, Xiaoxue is even more convinced that what appears in front of her is definitely not a person, but an ancient corpse that has been dead for thousands of years.

After a few minutes or so, all the ancient corpses had landed on the ground, standing straight inside the cavern's passage, blocking the entire passage.

Only the small area where Xiaoxue stood was empty.

Those ancient corpses seemed to be in awe of Xiaoxue, and stopped four or five meters away from Xiaoxue, not daring to take another step in the thunder pool. They all stood respectfully, with their heads bowed.

At this time, Xiaoxue's front and back, left and right, all around were full of ancient corpses. Xiaoxue wants to go, and it is difficult to fly at this time.

Just when Xiaoxue was still hesitating, still contradictory, and still hesitating, she heard a familiar chant in her ears again.

The singing voice is very low, but it makes Xiaoxue hear it more clearly. It was as if this beautiful woman's singing voice was in her ears, very close to her.

Xiao Xue looked for prestige, and in the front row on her right, stood the withered old man. And the chanting came from the ancient corpse beside the withered old man.

That is, it was a female corpse? Xiaoxue couldn't help but look at the female corpse a few more times. However, from that face that was close to a skeleton, Xiaoxue really couldn't tell the difference between men and women. All the ancient corpses, after thousands of years of cruel years, are almost exactly the same, there is no difference.

As for the content of the singing, although Xiaoxue could hear it very clearly, she still couldn't hear what it was singing. I had no choice but to frown and continue to listen intently.

The voice is very good, very crisp, like a beautiful girl, standing by the clear river, facing her beloved brother, gently telling her love. Sweet and elegant, like hearing the most beautiful sounds in the world.

It's just a pity that the heavenly singing voice actually came from the mouth of a female corpse. Moreover, it is still a thousand-year-old female corpse. When Xiaoxue thought of this, her whole body felt as if she had been suddenly poured a basin of cold water, and she shivered with the cold.

After a long, long time, Xiaoxue felt like a century had passed. The singing finally stopped, and the cavern fell silent again.

The air is suppressed, and Xiaoxue's heart is also suppressed. At this time, Xiaoxue didn't want to do anything, she just wanted to get out of here and leave this ghost place quickly.

What will happen next, Xiaoxue is not clear at all. She just hoped that these hideous ancient corpses would disappear as quickly as they suddenly appeared.

She's been in this tomb-like place for a long, long time. The air here is muddy, and everywhere is eerie and full of murderous atmosphere. It would be nice if Fang Xin was here, at least she wouldn't be so scared.

Until now, Xiaoxue has not been able to distinguish whether these thousand-year-old corpses, as far as she is concerned, are friends or foes. Although the old man respects her like an elder, he still calls her a princess. But she just doesn't know when she became a princess, a princess of a group of ancient corpses.

Xiaoxue even wanted to laugh, this bizarre thing like Arabian Nights would actually appear on her. It's funny and funny when you think about it.

But Xiaoxue never laughed, what stood in front of her, after all, was an ugly and terrifying ancient corpse, how could you still laugh if you called her a little girl.

When the song was over, the old voice sounded again. Then the withered old man raised his shriveled arms, faced the little snow, and fell to one knee reverently, and said, 'Welcome back our patron saint. My princess, we have been waiting here for thousands of years, and it is only today that we have finally been waited. Thanks to God, the princess's mission will be opened and accepted at this moment. Our people here, all of our people, will pray sincerely that in the next thousand years, the princess will be able to guard for us and guard the secrets of the people.'

As he spoke, under the leadership of the withered old man, all the ancient corpses knelt on one knee, lowered their heads, and put their hands together under their foreheads. The mouth is chanting something that Xiaoxue can't understand at all, similar to the voice of a monk chanting.

The movements are neat and consistent, but it makes Xiaoxue overwhelmed. She looked at these ancient corpses that bowed down to her, full of questions. She asked, 'What mission?' Me? I...... What mission can I accomplish?'

There are more and more questions, and it is becoming more and more unclear. Xiao Xuehu looked at the ancient corpse in front of him suspiciously, and then stopped his gaze on the withered old man's body.

She found a problem, and the whole time it seemed that only this withered old man was talking. And the other ancient corpses are forever silent.

The old man said, "My princess, you are our patron saint, and your mission is naturally to guard us, this place, and the secrets of your people. Until, until the next Guardian appears.'

'What?' Xiaoxue was taken aback when she heard this, "You want me to stay in this place?" This one...... This place where birds don't poop for a lifetime? Are you kidding. You must be mistaken, mistaken. I'm not the princess you're looking for, some patronus.'

'Your mission is predestined, and it is not up to you or me. In your veins is the blood of our people.' The withered old man said categorically, as if what he said should not be doubted.

'No, no, no.' Xiaoxue wanted to go, but she resisted as much as she could. She didn't believe in this, she didn't believe that she was a supreme princess. She's leaving here and returning to her own realm.

There must be something wrong, something must be wrong. But what exactly is wrong, Xiaoxue can't think of it for a while.

She struggled to restrain her emotions. However, all the surroundings were occupied by these ancient corpses, and even if she had the ability to go, she couldn't get out. What's more, she didn't know where the way out of this cave was, so how to go.

Unbeknownst to him, as soon as Xiao Xue's words were finished, those ancient corpses actually kowtowed to Xiao Xue in unison. The sound of kowtowing spread throughout the cave, and it couldn't be dispersed for a long time.

Xiaoxue didn't expect such a show, she took two steps back in a panic. I want to say something in my mouth, but I don't know what to say.

Those ancient corpses, like bowing to the king, kept kowtowing to Xiaoxue. His forehead hit the yellow mud ground with a dull sound.

Finally, the old man said, 'Our people have buried a secret here, and this secret is known only to us. For thousands of years, we will all have a guardian who will firmly guard this secret. My Highness Princess, you are the Guardian we have been waiting for. So please don't say no. Your refusal will bring ruin to our people. The flames of anger will relentlessly devour everything, devour you and me.'

As for the word 'secret', Xiaoxue has heard it several times in the mouth of the withered old man, in just a few minutes. In other words, this so-called secret is very important to them.

But so what? This matter has something to do with myself again. All she wants now is to get out of this cave, out of this hellish place.

Therefore, Xiaoxue still insisted: 'Your business has nothing to do with me, and I don't want to be a princess. Listen, I'm leaving, I just want to get out of here.'

If she could, she would have screamed and roared out in her heart. But she still suppressed, she thought that if she wanted to leave completely, she might have to rely on these thousand-year-old corpses.

The withered old man let out a long sigh, and the most of the exclamations were loss and disappointment. He raised his hands and faced the sky, and his mouth was actually whimpering.

And after a long sigh from the withered old man, there seemed to be a 'boom' sound in the cave. At first, the sound was not very loud, as if it was extremely far away. However, in less than a minute, the roar came from the right side of Xiaoxue. Moreover, the momentum is huge. Like a flood, surging forward.

Xiaoxue's face turned white in an instant, and her eyes stared into the distance. And the ancient corpses who were prostrating were still kowtowing there, as if they didn't have any reaction.

The fire rushed mercilessly, like a fierce snake, and instantly engulfed everything, engulfing the entire cave.

Xiaoxue immediately felt that she was surrounded by scorching flames, and her whole body smelled of burning. The heat wave lingered around her for a long time.

The sudden fire made Xiaoxue have no time to react at all. In an instant, she saw that her hair was feverish, and the skin on her body turned into black carbon, falling off piece by piece.

It wasn't until the fire enveloped her that she realized what had happened. However, it was too late and there was no hope.

Xiaoxue fell to her knees in pain, she wanted to scream, she wanted to shout for help. However, it seems that something is stuck in my throat, and I can't make a sound.

Oh, my God! What the hell is going on? (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (biquge.info) to vote for recommendation, monthly pass, and your support. That's what motivates me the most......)