"Beautiful!"
Even Yao, who had survived in the wilderness for a long time, was captivated by the mural's magic and exclaimed with admiration.
However, Yao's gaze gradually lingered on the mountains and lake in the painting.
He murmured to himself, turning to Jiang Fan, gesticulating as if trying to convey something to him.
"Facing the mountains, by the water, facing the mountains, by the water!"
Yao mumbled the words on the floor tiles, trying to communicate with Jiang Fan.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't form a perfect sentence.
Yao's language skills were indeed lacking, and he was sweating with frustration.
"I know what you mean."
Jiang Fan patted Yao on the shoulder. His thoughts were the same as Yao's; he believed the mountains and water in the mural were meant to indicate the direction of their path.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Fan stood before the mural, facing the mountain peak where the Yanhuang Emperors stood.
Then he moved closer to the lake, and his eyes fell upon the very middle of the seven diverging paths.
"It's the middle path."
Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian said in unison.
At that moment, Zhou Niannian was leading Daixiaomei out from the middle path.
One side was the clue from the mural, and the other was the direct exploration by Zhou Niannian and Daixiaomei.
The results from both sides combined yielded the most accurate conclusion.
Zhou Niannian was surprised that she and Jiang Fan had spoken at the same time. Her face flushed, and she turned her head away, remaining silent.
"Clever!"
Jiang Fan, without any special thoughts, nodded appreciatively at Zhou Niannian.
Zhou Niannian blushed, not responding to Jiang Fan's words.
In the live stream, the viewers began to tease.
"Is this what they call telepathy?"
"Here come the lovebirds again, feeding us dog food, about to make this single dog die of sweetness."
"I guessed it was the middle path long ago. Who cares what path it is? Just go down the middle one."
"People like you in tomb-raiding dramas, you'd be lucky to survive half an episode."
Jiang Fan gathered everyone and pointed to the middle path, indicating that according to the mural's clue, this was the correct way.
Everyone appeared both nervous and excited, eager to embark on the exploration.
Jiang Fan, meanwhile, collected some small stones from the ground for potential future use.
Entering through the middle path and walking for a while, Jiang Fan felt the path narrowing.
Ahead, a dark opening appeared, looking like a cave entrance.
Jiang Fan tentatively tossed a small stone into it. The echo was long and sustained, indicating that there was more within the cave.
"Should we go into the cave?"
Jiang Fan asked for everyone's opinion.
"Yes! We've come this far, what else is there to fear?"
Zhou Niannian, unusually brave, stepped forward.
"Very good."
Jiang Fan cast an appreciative glance at Zhou Niannian, who blushed again.
He led the way, ducking into the cave, the path ahead growing ever narrower.
By the end, they could only crawl on all fours, and the panda, being too fat, almost got stuck several times.
The cave was very damp, with water vapor constantly hitting them.
With his "Humidity Detection" talent, Jiang Fan realized that the water vapor here was extremely dense, dozens of times more than in a normal cave.
Where there is water, there is life. He smiled slightly, feeling a bit more relaxed.
On the cave walls grew a peculiar kind of flower with extremely thick roots and petals numbering in the dozens. Its color was vibrant, appearing both alluring and dazzling.
Zhou Niannian curiously reached out to touch it, but Jiang Fan suddenly whispered,
"Do you know what this flower is?"
Zhou Niannian shook her head. Jiang Fan then smiled.
"This flower is the legendary Lycoris radiata, have you heard of it? Also called the death flower, it blooms by absorbing the essence of decay."
"Oh my god!" Zhou Niannian, terrified, quickly withdrew her hand.
Jiang Fan chuckled wryly. The scientific name for Lycoris radiata is indeed Lycoris radiata, and it does absorb essence, but it's the nutrients from dead insects.
Because Lycoris radiata is poisonous, insects that get close are killed by the toxin.
Furthermore, its strange appearance, with flowers and leaves blooming at different times – the flowers bloom when the leaves fall, and the leaves bloom when the flowers fall – has led to many legends.
It was good to scare Zhou Niannian a bit, lest her strong curiosity lead her to touch strange plants and get poisoned.
Seeing the Lycoris radiata, Jiang Fan became more confident.
Lycoris radiata only blooms in places with abundant life, indicating a complete ecosystem and vigorous vitality. The path ahead was unlikely to be a dead end.
After crawling a bit further, the narrow passage suddenly widened, and the faint sound of water could be heard.
Jiang Fan tentatively threw a stone, hearing it splash into a pool of water.
It seemed there was a pool not far away.
After crawling for a while longer, seven points of light appeared before them, resembling the shape of the Big Dipper.
It turned out there were seven small holes in the stone ceiling above, leading directly to the outside and letting in light.
The arrangement of the holes perfectly formed the shape of the Big Dipper, which Jiang Fan found remarkable.
"The Big Dipper governs life, and the Southern Dipper governs death. Since we see the Big Dipper, it means we have hope. We will be out soon."
He used this opportunity to encourage his companions, and upon hearing his words, everyone felt a surge of energy.
The viewers in the live stream were also extremely excited, their thoughts wandering with Jiang Fan and the others.
"What do you think is at the end of this cave?"
"I guess it's a mysterious land with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants."
"They've been going down all this time, maybe they'll discover a huge stalactite cave."
"I think the mural depicts the battlefield where ancient Chi You fought the Yellow Emperor. Perhaps the real battlefield is here."
"That makes sense. It might be the ruins of a battlefield ahead."
As they crawled, the path suddenly opened up, and they no longer needed to crawl, able to stand and walk.
The sound of water in the distance grew clearer. Jiang Fan, with his sharpest eyesight, saw a small waterfall ahead.
The waterfall cascaded down onto large rocks, and over time, the dripping water had worn through the stone, forming a small pool.
It seemed that beyond the waterfall lay another hidden paradise.
"It's just like Sun Wukong's Water Curtain Cave."
Jiang Fan marveled.
"I don't think it's like the Water Curtain Cave, but more like the Peach Blossom Spring described by the great poet Tao Yuanming,"
Daixiaomei said, wiping her wet hair with emotion.
The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter.
"You know, it really does look like it, exactly like the Peach Blossom Spring described in textbooks."
"Perhaps after passing through the waterfall, they'll find a group of people living here, far from the mortal world."
"Daixiaomei is cultured! She even knows 'The Peach Blossom Spring,' I haven't reached that unit yet."
"Haven't reached it... Are you perhaps a middle school student?"
"That's right, I am indeed the legendary middle school student."
"......"
Jiang Fan asked everyone to stop for a moment and then took some pebbles to test what lay behind the waterfall.
Whether it was stairs, a cliff, or another paradise, no one knew, hidden by the cascading water.
Watching Jiang Fan step forward, Daixiaomei was filled with poetic inspiration and began to recite from "The Peach Blossom Spring."
"A man of Wuling, who made fishing his living, was going along a stream when he forgot the distance of his journey. Suddenly he came upon a flowering peach forest."
"He abandoned his boat and entered the opening."
"At first, it was very narrow, barely wide enough for a man..."