When they got closer, they realized that the houses were not built on the top of the tree.

All the huts were dilapidated and uninhabitable, and the branches of the trees passed through them.

It looks like it used to be a village, but at some point, the trees suddenly grew wildly, and the houses were lifted up to the sky.

"Where have all the people in the village gone?"

"It's not going to be all dead, is it? It's so close to the wetland, it's hard to keep the villagers from being swallowed by the pythons. ”

It was getting darker and darker, and everyone lit torches one after another and probed the neighborhood.

"It's better that they escaped, otherwise it would be too cruel if they were really devoured by the python. ”

"There's a graveyard there!"

Looking into the distance along the firelight, sure enough, there was a cemetery of considerable scale in the distance, with nearly 100 large and small earthen bags.

The terrible night wind blew above the graveyard, making a hair-making howl, and the flames trembled and could be extinguished at any moment.

None of the graves here have headstones, but they are arranged in such a neat way that it makes people shudder.

Shen Fang brought the torch close to a grave, "It seems that the villagers here are not all dead, they must have found another place to live." ”

"And there should be no shortage of people who survived. Liu Rufeng said: "Otherwise, if you want to bury so many people properly, it will be a big project." ”

Shen Fang asked Cangma, "What do you think?" ”

"I think there are too many of them. Cangma asked the question in his heart: "Even if all the people in the village die, there will be no need for so many graves." ”

"Yes, that's doubtful. Jiang Ping also said: "But don't you think this is more terrifying, why do you want to set up so many graves for no reason." ”

"Then dig up these mounds and take a look, I want to know what is buried in them. Qin Shaochong is still in a posture of not being afraid of heaven and earth.

"Digging people's graves is not a good thing, and I advise you not to do it. ”

Hearing Cangma say this, Qin Shaochong was willing to give up.

"But I guess it's mostly empty underground, so there's no need for you to dig up. Cangma walked to a small tree nearby and pushed hard, "Because I really can't think of where so much soil is transported from, how many people will be transported, and how long will it take?"

"Not bad. Qin Shaochong said: "The environment here is too complicated, and there are many wild beasts, if they transport soil from other places to build the tomb, it is too dangerous." So you mean that the villagers are hiding underground. ”

"I think so. Cangma continued: "They must have sensed the danger early on, and they didn't know where to flee, so they built a basement near the original village. I think there is no way to transport this soil, so it is piled up here. Look at these little trees in the cemetery, they don't grow tall because the roots are not deep enough. ”

When everyone heard Cangma's analysis, they suddenly realized.

"Shall we go to the secret room to have a look?" Shen Fang asked Cangmadao.

"Now that you're here, let's see how they're doing, because it's very likely that all humans will live in this way. "What Cangma said is by no means alarmist, because the world is beginning to change, and the scope of the impact is not limited to this.

"I haven't found the entrance to the chamber yet, though. Cangma looked at Shen Fang with an inquiry in his eyes.

"I didn't find it either. Shen Fang smiled bitterly, in fact, he had already started looking for the entrance to the secret room, "But I think that since they have worked so hard to build the secret room, there should be more than one entrance, but it must be located in an extremely hidden place." ”

"Isn't this nonsense?" Qin Shaochong said, "If it weren't hidden, maybe we would have found out a long time ago." ”

Cangma smiled secretly, he saw Qin Shaochong's raised eyebrows, and knew that he meant something. In fact, Qin Shaochong had already discovered the entrance to the secret room, but he didn't want to take the credit on himself. Because in the minds of the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he has never been a person with a rich mind, and his big arrogance is his disguise, and he can't easily put aside this layer of disguise.

"Why don't we split up and find the entrance to the secret room. Cangma suggested.

So everyone dispersed, Cangma secretly touched Shen Fang's shoulder, and said in a voice that others couldn't hear: "The entrance to the secret room is on the tree house." ”

And that tree house was the direction in which Qin Shaochong raised his eyebrows, and Shen Fang also understood it all.

Cangma and Qin Shao rushed in opposite directions and pretended to search for a while, then they heard someone shouting, "The entrance to the secret room has been found, and it is on the tree house." ”

Qin Shaochong squeezed his eyes at Cangma proudly, and Cangma secretly gave him a thumbs up.

The two of them followed silently to the location of the treehouse.

There is nothing unusual about this tree, but the ground around the tree is relatively compact, and the ground is very tight because people often jump from the tree. As for other places, there are no flaws at all, but Qin Shaochong can find this, which shows that his observation of details is very nuanced.

The interior of the treehouse was small enough for two people to stand side by side, and the trunk was hollowed out, making a hollow echo when struck with the back of the hand.

The secret door to the secret room is above this tree trunk, and if you push the bottom of the secret door with your hand, the door panel will turn in. There is a rope ladder at the bottom, and there is a faint light at the bottom.

However, everyone did not rush down, because when Shen Fang put his ear on the rope, he heard a subtle bell coming from the rope ladder, which seemed to be a device deliberately set up to prevent foreign intruders.

If you climb down the rope ladder, the bell will ring, and it is very likely that you will be treated as an enemy.

So after some deliberation, they decided that it was best not to go in too many people, so as not to be mistaken for an intruder. Let Shen Fang and Cangma go down to investigate first, and the others will wait nearby for the time being, and wait for the two to come back before making a decision.

Cangma and Shen Fang's skills are not bad, even without the help of rope ladders, they can still dive to the bottom of the passage. In order to prevent the hollow trees from collapsing, many reinforcement facilities have been built inside, and it is extremely rare for the trees to continue to grow despite this level of damage. Come to think of it, the person who commanded the construction of this secret room should also be an extremely wise person.

After coming to the bottom of the secret passage, Shen Fang carefully took off the bell and wrapped it in a strip of cloth so that it would not make a sound. They agreed that if there was an accident that was difficult for the two of them to deal with, Shen Fang would throw the wrapped bell on it.

Although this is unlikely, there is still a plan.

After descending the rope ladder, there is a staircase paved with stones, and the light comes from here. As you descend the stairs, the road widens, and the walls and ceilings on both sides are made of stones, making them very solid.

Hold your ear to the wall and you can hear the cacophony of conversation coming from the stone wall, where people seem to be anxiously discussing something.

"With the exception of the patriarch, all the old men have been sacrificed. ”

"People with mobility problems and newborn babies are all dead. ”

"Then it will be our turn. ”

"Tomorrow is the night of the full moon, and if you want to live and continue to get food, you have to choose three more people to be sacrificed. ”

......

In the largest stone room, all the villagers sat together, and this was not only the place where they met, but also the place where they lived on a daily basis. Under each person there is a box circled by lines, which is their bed, the man is on the left, the woman is on the right, and everyone is not allowed to enter other people's areas without permission.

The people here are all unkempt and listless. Because they rarely have access to sunlight and food that provides nutrients to their bodies. They have long forgotten what they are living for, and the only reason they live is the fear of death.

Because I don't want to die, I live, so I survived in this dark room where I didn't see the light of day.

Each person will feel a stone from the altar, and only three of these stones will be black, and whoever touches the black stone will be escorted outside the stone chamber to die. But before dying, they can get a bowl of white rice, as well as enjoy a day of sunshine and fresh air.

But these things are so ordinary that they are not worth their lives for them, so no one wants to die.

One by one, the dry palms reached into the jar, and they grasped a stone tremblingly, holding it tightly, and only when they returned to their positions did they dare to carefully open their palms to take a look.

"Thank goodness. Some breathed a sigh of relief.

After seeing that all the people had received the stones, the patriarch shook the jar, and there was still a stone left in it.

"The last stone is mine. And the patriarch poured out the stone out of the jar, and it was white.

The patriarch had no expression on his face, his skinny cheeks were as cold as rocks, "Whoever got the black stone, hurry up and stand up." ”

Hearing the patriarch's words, those who had obtained the white stones like the patriarch also stood up and echoed: "Those who should stand up should come forward quickly." They shouted as they proudly flashed the stones in their hands, "Those who dare not open their hands must have got the black stones." ”

"Hurry up and reach out!"

They roared, like wild beasts, unreservedly revealing the ugliest nature of man, but in their hearts they were so proud, because they were all lucky. Most of them were lucky compared to the three poor people who were about to be sacrificed, and the joy of this pathetic luck overwhelmed them, and even deprived them of the sympathy and pity that human beings should have.

"Stretch out your hand, Wang Yuan!" he shouted at a boy who wouldn't open his hand.

"Why should I listen to you!" Wang Yuan clenched his fists and shot back viciously.

"You dare to talk to me like this, according to your seniority, you have to call me the fourth uncle!"

"Wang Si, you still remember that you are my fourth uncle. Wang Yuan said coldly: "Then let me ask you, how did my father die?"