CHAPTER XLIII

Sound Exploration

The sound flickered, high and low. As if they heard, but as if they could not hear anything. Like a ghost, hovering in everyone's ears, far and near.

What's even more interesting is that everyone can't tell where the sound came from, let alone what the specific content of the sound is.

The reason why Fang Xin thought it was Xiaoxue was purely an expectation in his heart. In fact, he, like everyone else, couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. He just expected that it would be Xiaoxue, or either Shen Kuo and Du Zijuan.

Everyone stood still and didn't do anything. So far, where exactly are they sent from. It seems that every corner of the entire hall is the birthplace of sound. Therefore, they do not dare to act rashly.

'Holy, what the hell is this place.' Ruan Xiaotian scratched his hair and said, 'How can I hear that there are voices in all directions, but there doesn't seem to be.'

Hu Jie took advantage of the oil lamp to carefully observe the surroundings. She calmly said, 'I always think this place is weird, something is not quite right.'

'What do you mean?' Fang Xin took a step forward and asked.

Hu Jie looked disappointed and said, "I can't say it either. Think about it, would normal sound look like this? Also, when the sound was loud, I could clearly hear that it was a human voice, coming from a far, far away. But when the sound is small, it is like a birdsong, and it rings in our ears. I really can't imagine what we're hearing.'

Fang Xin wrinkled his face and said, "You mean to say that what we hear may be hallucinations. But what else could be at the bottom of the lake, in this ancient ruin, where there was not a single sign of life except us? Could it be that it's a skeleton soldier or some other goblin?'

'It's hard to say.' Hu Jie said without a trace of expression, "Didn't something pass by us quickly just now, and we didn't find it!" Anything is possible until the truth of the matter is known.'

Ruan Xiaotian took two steps, held his chin and said, "Since that's the case, why don't we go separately and look for it. Damn, I don't believe I can't find a reason.'

'Nope.' Fang Xin immediately objected, "In the dark place, there is something unknown to us. If we are hastily separated, there is a great possibility that accidents will happen one by one. For now, for me personally, it's better to act collectively.'

'I agree with you, it's never a good idea to separate.' Hu Jie said.

Du Zijuan and Jingzhi actually said in unison: 'We can't act separately.' Whether it's for everyone's sake or for personal reasons. At the very least, the two of them were also on Fang Xin's side.

Ruan Xiaotian knew that he was bored, so he had to say: "Damn, I'm just talking casually. You don't have to join forces and attack me personally!'

No one paid any attention to him, and everyone was thinking about what to do next.

The sound continues, intermittently. It's like the cry for help of a dying person, and it's like a ghost crying wolf in the underworld. It is impossible to distinguish what is what.

But there's one thing, staying here isn't an option after all. Finally, Fang Xin said, "Let's go together, let's find out!"

His views were immediately shared by others.

Du Zijuan followed up and said, "Why don't we take down the oil lamp. It is better to have light than to look for it in the dark.'

Since falling to the bottom of the lake, Fang Xin's flashlight was either lost or could no longer be used after entering the water. At the moment, it seems that this is only possible.

What worries Fang Xin is that whether these oil lamps, which have existed for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, can still be taken down is also a question.

Fortunately, Fang Xin's worries are unnecessary. I saw that Du Zijuan easily took down an oil lamp beside her. Because there is no wind, the candle flame burns steadily, giving off an enticing aroma. It seems that it can still burn for a long, long time.

Fang Xin also effortlessly took down the other one.

In this way, the four oil lamps were taken down by Fang Xin, Ruan Xiaotian, Jingzhi and Du Zijuan respectively. Only Hu Jie, she didn't take anything.

After pondering for a long time, Fang Xin decided to explore his left front. Because, he felt that the voice was coming from that place. Although he can't make a correct judgment yet, he has to find a target.

No one knows how big the whole pavilion is. Except for a small area illuminated by oil lamps, everything else was swallowed up by darkness.

It's just that the whole pavilion gives people a feeling of emptiness. It's as if the pavilion is so big that it's too big to understand or accept.

And that's exactly what happened, they walked for more than ten minutes, and still didn't come to the end. Wherever I passed, I saw only a few pillars, and nothing else.

Fang Xin had to stop, according to their speed, after more than ten minutes, they had walked at least a hundred meters. If that's the case, this pavilion is ridiculously big.

Hu Jie asked her question: 'Will we keep going around in circles?'

Ruan Xiaotian, who was walking behind the most, immediately retorted: "Damn, how is this possible. We're not always moving forward, how could it be that we're going in circles.'

Fang Xin said: 'After the matter is not clarified, any possibility can exist. And I am also inclined to Mr. Hu's point of view. If we're not going around in circles, how can we explain that we've been walking for so long and haven't come to an end yet. I don't believe that an ancient building can be so big. Unless it's a royal palace, or the residence of an emperor or general. But this seems unlikely, and I have never heard of any famous mansion submerged in the lake.'

Fang Xin stood on Hu Jie's side, and what he said was the truth, leaving Ruan Xiaotian speechless.

Du Zijuan held an oil lamp, shone on the pillar next to her, and said, "I have an idea. As...... Why don't we make a mark on the pillar. In this way, we know whether we are going around in circles or not.'

'That's a good idea.' Jingzhi also immediately agreed.

Du Zijuan looked at Fang Xin, waiting for his answer. Fang Xin didn't think about it and said, "Zijuan, just do this."

But then the problem came again. What do you use as a mark? Pen bar, no brought. There are colored things, a few people looked for it several times, but they also found nothing.

Du Zijuan stood beside the pillar and thought for a long time. Finally, she dipped her hand in a little dust from the oil lamp and wrote a big 1 on the pillar. I walked to the pillar next to Ruan Xiaotian and drew a big 2.

Finally, she looked around, and as far as her eyes could see, she could no longer see the third pillar. And then she said, 'All right, that's all right.'

Is it really done? No one knows. A group of five people, still with apprehension, continued to walk forward.

Next, about every minute or two, you will come across two identical pillars. Du Zijuan looked at it and found no markings before writing a new number on it.

I thought it was right to go on like this, but I didn't think that they were still wrong.

More than ten minutes later, Du Zijuan was surprised to find that a big 1 appeared on the newly appeared pillar. And Du Zijuan is also very sure that it is her own handwriting. It's her handwriting that hasn't been written long ago, and it's not yet dry.

'Damn, we're really going around in circles, and we're hitting the wall?' Ruan Xiaotian really couldn't figure out what was going on.

Fang Xin thought about it calmly and said, "I don't believe in any ghost hitting the wall. If you want me to say, if the light is abundant, we can see the layout of the whole pavilion. Probably not a problem. The reason why we go around in circles is because we can't see the big picture. There must be something quirky about this floor.'

'But what do we do now?' Jingzhi asked hurriedly.

This is indeed a problem, even if they know what to do. What's more, they don't know anything now, and they don't know how to crack it.

The crowd was lost in thought. Nowadays, there is no substantial difference between walking and not leaving. At most, after ten minutes, they will be back to square one. Then, start all over again.

It's okay for a short time, but in the long run, they have to die in this pavilion. And most likely, this pavilion is not big. Maybe it's just all they see.

But what's next?

Go, definitely not. If you don't go, you can't either.

Just when everyone was racking their brains and puzzled. Suddenly, something flashed past everyone, with a strong wind.

By the time everyone reacted, the shadow had already scurried from one end to the other. It's amazingly fast, like a wolf hunting, it's extremely fast.

When they looked back and saw the true face of the black shadow, everyone was stunned. Jingzhi was so frightened that she couldn't speak, and she only shivered all over. Du Zijuan was no better, she and Hu Jie hugged each other tightly. What's even more outrageous is Ruan Xiaotian, with a snort, like a rabbit, he jumped behind Fang Xin.

The mood is relatively stable, only Fang Xin. Because he had seen the dark shadow in front of him, more than once. He was only slightly startled, and he couldn't imagine that in this place, in the depths of the lake that was almost isolated from the world, he could still encounter a dried corpse.

As Jing Zhi had seen before, it was indeed a living corpse.

Fang Xin's mind was thinking quickly. The skeletons have a provenance, over there at the resort. Could it be that the source of these dried corpses is at the bottom of this lake, in this pavilion? Otherwise, there is no way to explain why the dried corpse is here. Could it be that it is also jumping down with it? Jumping down with the snow? It's too bizarre to make sense.

By all indications, the Dry Corpse and the Skeleton Soldier are mortal enemies. When two groups of people come together, it's like a cat meets a mouse, and they have to fight.

Moreover, the dried corpses seem to be on their side. Especially to Xiaoxue, very respectful. In this way, the dry corpse is a friend and not an enemy to them.

Fang Xin's thoughts turned quickly, and he thought about many questions at once. At the same time, the cadavers standing in front of them glanced back at them. After a few seconds of short pause, the dry corpse walked forward slowly and faintly, just as Fang Xin had seen before.

Fang Xin didn't think about it, and blurted out: 'Quick, keep up with it!' The other four people were stunned on the spot, and they didn't know what to do.

In the dark, without any references, it is not easy to discern the direction. And now, Fang Xin actually asked them to follow the dried corpse in front of them. This can't help but make others feel incredible.

'Holy, what do you mean?' Ruan Xiaotian pointed to Fang Xin, who was walking in front, and asked.

Now, only Fang Xin was walking with steps, and the others were all stunned on the spot, including Ruan Xiaotian.

After taking two steps, seeing that none of them had followed, Fang Xin had no choice but to stop and say, "The others don't know what to do, Ruan Xiaotian, you have forgotten. If my guess is correct, the dried corpses that appear are not in the same group as the skeletons. Not only is it not a gang, but it is evenly matched. Remember, they saved us. So, it shouldn't be wrong to follow the dried corpse. Maybe they'll get us out of here.'

After finishing speaking, the eyes of the others all turned to Ruan Xiaotian, all waiting for his confirmation.

Ruan Xiaotian thought for a long time, scratched his hair and said, 'Damn, it seems like this!' At this moment, everyone's hearts were relieved.

The dry corpse was expressionless, and it seemed to wait unhurriedly, until everyone had made up their minds, and then it turned back, exploring the darkness at the same speed as a normal person.

For a dried corpse, it doesn't need to be shiny. Familiar with the way, walking unhurriedly in the dark.

Under the leadership of the dry corpse, along the way, everyone found that they did not encounter a single pillar. As you can imagine, it is definitely a mistake to follow the pillar. But then again, if there were no pillars, they wouldn't know what to do.

A cigarette, under the faint light of the oil lamp, seemed to appear on the floor in front of it a black thing. It is rectangular in shape and noticeably darker in color than the surrounding darkness. As far as the eye can see, it's the size of a car.

Taking a closer look, Fang Xin couldn't help but be overjoyed, and shouted behind him: 'Hey! It's the stairs and we've found our way out.'

The others listened and all rushed up.

Indeed, the long black is indeed an exit to the staircase that leads down.

The wooden staircase stretched from their feet down what seemed to be long, long, until it reached the depths of darkness as thick as ink.

Five people with oil lamps stood at the top of the staircase. At this time, Hu Jie finally found out that something was wrong, and she exclaimed: "By the way, what about the dried corpse, why is it missing?"

After such a reminder, several other people noticed that the dried corpse that led them disappeared from the Dao.

Jingzhi trembled and said, "Could it be that it went down?"

Hu Jie immediately objected, saying, 'But we didn't hear a sound, let alone see anything going down!'

It was Fang Xin's words that dispelled their concerns. He said, 'Don't forget, it's not a human at all. Just followed all the way, and you heard its footsteps? No, I don't!'

When everyone thought about it, it was true.

Ruan Xiaotian looked at the staircase of the black hole and said, "Damn, what should we do?" Is it really going down?'

Fang Xin didn't say anything, he raised the oil lamp and took the lead down the stairs. Seeing this, the others didn't say anything more, and followed one by one.

The stairs may have been around for some years, and they seem to be particularly soft to step on. Every time I step on it, it makes a creaking sound, which makes people weird and upset.

However, in this way, it dispelled the little fear that lingered in their hearts. At the very least, they knew that the noises were made by people, not some ghosts. What made them even more relieved was that the sound also proved that their companions were right next to them.

How high the stairs are, no one knows. All five of them were here for the first time in this place, and they basically didn't know anything. But judging from the fact that they jumped from the roof, each floor should not be too high, only about three meters. But the strange thing is that they walked down for a full five minutes, and they didn't reach the end yet.

Fang Xin began to get nervous and panicked again, and his feet slowed down. Because of the darkness all around, the oil lamps didn't shine very far. He only saw his own feet, except for the stairs or the stairs. After a rough estimate, at least it has been a hundred levels, and it hasn't come to an end yet.

When he was hesitating, he suddenly heard Ruan Xiaotian shouting: 'Damn, you see, there seems to be someone in front.'

The five people all looked forward in unison, only to see a faint figure not far away, as if there was a person. But because the light is too dim, I can't see who that person is at all.

Fang Xin held up the oil lamp and carefully identified it. He suddenly felt that this person's back was very familiar. But who it was, he really didn't remember for a while.

At this time, I heard Du Zijuan suddenly say: 'It seems to be Shen Kuo, do you look like it?'

Fang Xin immediately went to look at it again, and sure enough, the back in front of him was very similar to Shen Kuo. Could it be that he sent the previous cry for help? But looking at his current appearance, it seems that there is nothing wrong at all, so how can he send a signal for help?

'Shen Kuo, you stand still.' Fang Xin didn't think much about it, and after calling out Shen Kuo's name, he rushed towards that back. The rest of the people also followed behind Fang Xin and rushed down together.

No one noticed, in fact, they only went down a few steps to the next floor. It may be the darkness that makes them mistakenly think that this staircase is long, long and has no end.

The back didn't seem to hear Fang Xin's call, and kept walking forward, without even turning his head back.

What made Fang Xin even more strange was that Shen Kuo's back was obviously a few steps away, but no matter how he ran, it was never far or close, and he couldn't catch up if he kept the same distance.

Finally, after a short run, Fang Xin sensed that something was wrong. He slowed down, but the back in front of him was still the same distance, not far or close.

When the others followed, Jingzhi asked, 'What's wrong?' Why don't you chase it?'

Fang Xin finally stopped, he didn't look back and said, "It's weird, this person is not Shen Kuo. If we catch up with it, we will probably step into another trap.'

'Holy, how could it be?'

At this time, Hu Jie's thoughts were basically the same as Fang Xin's. She said: 'If it was Shen Kuo in front of us, we would have called him for so long, even if he was deaf, he would have heard it. Moreover, I believe that Fang Xin can also see that the back has always kept a distance from us. I can't catch up, and I can't throw it away. The real Shen Kuo will never have this kind of situation.'

'So.' Jingzhi asked nervously, 'If that person is not Shen Kuo, who could it be?'

No one answered her, so no one knew the answer. What's more, whether the person in front of me is a person or not is still a question.

'Damn, do you see, why did that person suddenly disappear.' Ruan Xiaotian pointed ahead in shock. There, where the original back was, there was really nothing.

There is no need for Ruan Xiaotian to remind him, because everyone's eyes are always on that black shadow. Fang Xin could see it clearly, his back was in Fang Xin, and they stopped, and suddenly disappeared without taking two steps. It's like the world has evaporated, and the blink of an eye is gone.

Where did the back go?

'Let's go, go over and see.' Fang Xin greeted and took two steps towards the place where his back disappeared.

Fang Xin thought so, since he had come to this place, he had to figure things out before talking. What's more, Xiaoxue's whereabouts are still unknown. If he didn't find them, Fang Xin's heart would not be at ease.

However, before he had taken two steps, he was stunned by the sight before him. He never imagined that such a strange thing would happen in this stranger's pavilion.

The others were just as surprised when they caught up. Ruan Xiaotian said very strangely: 'Damn, did you really encounter a ghost hitting the wall?'

Fang Xin remembered that this pavilion was all made of wood. Whether it's girders, columns, walls, or floors, it's all wood.

But right in front of them, a wall appeared. What's even stranger is that this wall turned out to be made of bricks. Its color is blood red and blood-red, and it is very cautious.

The oil lamp in Fang Xin's hand shone to the left and right, and sure enough, the blood-red brick wall was without end to the left and right. Like a long snake, it stretches infinitely to the left and right.

How could a brick wall suddenly appear here? This made Fang Xin feel very confused.

Du Zijuan swallowed her saliva and said, "That person...... Passed through the wall?' At this time, not only her, but I'm afraid everyone else has this idea.

It was very strange that a blood-red brick wall suddenly appeared in front of them. And this brick wall has no doors and no windows. If it was really Shen Kuo, it was absolutely impossible for him to suddenly disappear in front of this wall.

So, there must be something strange about this wall in front of you.

Fang Xin wanted to say something, but saw Hu Jie slowly stretch out a hand, wanting to touch the wall. Seeing this, Fang Xin immediately stopped her: "What do you want to do? Don't die.'

Hu Jie was stunned for half a second before she said with little confidence: "I just want to see if this is a real wall. Could it be our hallucination again?'

'Hallucination or not, until we figure it out, it's best not to act rashly.' Fang Xin said firmly, "On the upper floor, we clearly feel that although the area of this pavilion is not particularly large, it is far from being as small as we imagined. And just now, we came down the stairs and didn't take a few steps at all. In other words, the wall shouldn't be here.'

'Damn, what are we going to do?' You can't just stand here stupidly and not leave.' Ruan Xiaotian said unconvinced.

And at this moment, the strange sound that I had heard before reappeared. This time, not only can you hear the sound nearby. Moreover, I can hear clearly that there are only two words calling for help: help! Help me!

It's just that these two words keep coming up and again. Sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes short. No wonder it sounded so strange before, not like it was sent by a human.

'It's Liu Ting.' Fang Xin was very pleased, he immediately heard the owner of the voice.

Du Zijuan also pointed to the right hand and said, "That's right, it's Liu Ting. Like, like over there.'

Fang Xin naturally heard it, he didn't hesitate any longer, holding the oil lamp, along the brick wall, in the direction of the sound, groping forward. A few people in the back also followed, following closely.

At this time, the voice is getting clearer and clearer, judging from the sound, Liu Ting should be not far ahead. It was probably only a few steps away, but it was too dark for the group to walk very slowly.

The strange thing is that they walked along the root of the wall for about ten minutes, and still did not see Liu Ting's shadow. What's even stranger is that the wall in front of you seems to have no end and will never end.

After walking for a while, Fang Xin decided to stop. Ruan Xiaotian, who was following behind, didn't pay attention and hit Fang Xin's back headfirst. He pinched his sore nose and said, 'Damn, I don't have to warn you to brake.'

Fang Xin ignored him, his eyes staring at the brick wall in distraction.

Hu Jie took two steps and asked, 'What's wrong?' Fang Xin pointed to the wall and said, "This wall is too weird, if we continue to walk like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to walk for another ten days and half a month. Gotta think of something else.'

'Holy.' When Ruan Xiaotian heard this, he was full of suspicion and said, 'Is this place that big?' Can you walk for ten days and half a month?'

Du Zijuan said to Ruan Xiaotian: 'Don't forget to go up to the next level, we have been going around in circles.'

Jingzhi also seemed to understand something, and said, "You mean, we are on this floor, or are we going around this wall in circles?"

Du Zijuan glanced at Fang Xin and nodded with great certainty.

After being silent for a while, seeing that everyone was out of options, Hu Jie asked Fang Xin: 'Do you have a better way?'

Fang Xin shook his head helplessly and said, "Have you noticed, Liu Ting's shout was in front of us at first. As we got closer, the sound got louder and louder. But now, I could clearly feel that her call had turned behind us. Moreover, the sound is getting quieter and quieter, and it seems to be getting farther and farther away from us.'

Hu Jie snorted and said, "I've noticed it too, which only proves that we are getting farther and farther away from Liu Ting. But along the way, we didn't find her.'

'You're right.' Fang Xin suddenly pointed to the wall and said, "So I concluded that Liu Ting should be on the other side of the wall. That's why we came all the way and didn't see her.'

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes turned to the brick wall in front of them.

Ruan Xiaotian pointed to the wall and said, 'Damn, if she's over there, how can we get there. And how did she get there? What did she encounter over there, and she had to shout for help?'

Oh, yes! The old problems are not solved, and new ones have reappeared. And these problems, none of them, can be solved.

Fang Xin didn't say anything more, he looked for the voice and walked back again. After walking for a while, he stopped. Everyone else looked at him puzzled, but he faced the brick wall and only said one sentence: 'Liu Ting is right in front of us, very close to us.'

'But how do we get there?' Du Zijuan asked.

Fang Xin was silent, he turned his face to them, sweeping them over one by one. The expression on his face was solemn, as if he had made a big decision.

After the last breath, he took a long, deep breath. Slowly stretched out his hand, and slowly reached out to the wall. Everyone else was puzzled, staring at him intently, not knowing what he was going to do.

And a miracle happened at this moment. Fang Xin's hand paused when it touched the wall. But after only half a second of pause, his hand reached forward again, and it actually passed through the wall. It's as if that wall is transparent and doesn't exist.

Everyone else was stunned and couldn't say a word. This kind of unbelievable thing, they absolutely can't think of it.

Fang Xin's expression was very relaxed, and the confusion in his heart seemed to have finally been solved. He let out a long sigh, and then, in a flash, his man passed through the wall and disappeared into it.

The remaining four people were all dumbfounded, and one by one their mouths opened wide, and they couldn't even say a word.

After waiting like this for a while, Fang Xin's head suddenly popped out of the wall again, and he smirked at the four of them and said, "What are you still doing in a daze, I found Liu Ting, come here.'

In addition to being surprised, the four of them were taken aback by the sudden appearance of Fang Xin's head. After you see it clearly, the four of you look at me, and I look at you. Finally made up his mind and followed Fang Xin into the wall.

Since Fang Xin didn't have anything to do, of course they wouldn't be fine. (To be continued......)