Behind the pool, there was a passage. I didn't know if I could find Guan Zhenwan and the others by continuing forward.
To be honest, I was already a little inclined to turn back.
After all, Fatty and I came down in a hurry this time. Although we brought some essential tools, we didn't pack much food or water.
Furthermore, with so many monsters in this place, who knew what else we might encounter?
Another thought that made me want to return was that I wasn't sure if Guan Zhenwan and the others were heading this way.
If not, then continuing on would be completely meaningless.
The passage was long, and we walked for over ten minutes without reaching the end, with several turns along the way.
"I can't do it anymore, Xiang Ye. I need to rest," Fatty said.
I glanced at Wang Yue and saw that her forehead was also covered in sweat. So, I said, "Then let's rest here for a while."
We sat down on the ground. Fatty took out two bread rolls from his backpack. He told me that this was their last food. We each shared one, and the other was given to Wang Yue.
After eating the bread and drinking a few sips of water, the luminous stone lamp was also starting to falter, appearing to be nearing its end.
Wang Yue took out two spare batteries from her backpack and gave them to me. I put them into the flashlight.
I said, "The three of us only need one flashlight. We'll keep one as a backup. If any emergencies arise, we'll have something for it."
Wang Yue nodded.
Looking at her, she seemed a bit sleepy. I checked my watch and saw that it was already past one in the morning.
I thought for a moment and said, "Teacher Wang, why don't you try to get some sleep?"
She mustered her spirits and said, "It's alright... I'm not sleepy."
I smiled and said, "How about this? Since we're resting anyway, let's take turns sleeping. You go first, sleep for an hour, and then it'll be my and Fatty's turn."
Upon hearing this, she reluctantly agreed. However, within five minutes, she had leaned against the stone wall and fallen asleep.
"Xiang Ye, how long are we going to stay in here? What if we can't find anyone?" Fatty asked in a low voice.
I said, "We'll try walking further ahead for a while. Before three o'clock, if we don't find anyone, we'll go back the way we came."
Fatty said, "I think that Guan Zhenwan won't have an accident that easily."
"Oh?"
He said, "Did you forget? Song Bing said that those snakes would detour when they saw her. That means she's no ordinary person. So, I think you coming down to find her is completely unnecessary worrying."
I retorted, "Do you think I'm really here to find her?"
Upon hearing this, Fatty's eyes darted around. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh! You're here to find Miss Bai? I knew it. I was wondering why you were so eager. I thought that Guan Zhenwan had given you some benefits!"
I couldn't be bothered to argue with Fatty.
While it was true that I was worried about Bai Hanyan, I had another purpose for coming down here, which was the Su Hou Bead.
Frankly, the bead that Fatty was carrying now, I suspected it might be the Su Hou Bead.
As for whether it was or not, I wasn't sure, as I had never seen the Su Hou Bead before.
However, I still felt it was unlikely.
According to the records on the encrypted map, the Su Hou Bead wouldn't be carelessly hidden in a monster's body like this.
Moreover, even my father couldn't find it, so this bead was no simple matter.
But throughout our journey, all we found were things related to Mahayana Buddhism, with no sign of the Su Hou Bead at all.
When Wu Tingxiu left, she told me there were clues about the Su Hou Bead down here, which likely meant it was within the Kwantung Army's treasure.
So, going in circles, it all came back to the same point: we had to find the Kwantung Army's treasure.
But to find the Kwantung Army's treasure, we couldn't do without one person: Guan Zhenwan.
She definitely knew more information than I did.
As I was pondering, I saw that Fatty was starting to doze off, and I couldn't help but yawn. Just as I finished yawning, I heard a sound of whispering.
The voice was very faint but extremely clear, as if someone was leaning close to my ear and speaking to me.
I jolted awake, all sleepiness vanishing. I shone the flashlight around, but found nothing unusual.
At that moment, Fatty also woke up and looked at me, "Xiang Ye, what were you just saying to me?"
"What was I saying?"
"Just now, you leaned into my ear and said something. I didn't hear clearly."
Hearing Fatty's words, I realized that I hadn't misheard at all. Fatty had heard it too!
I quickly explained the situation. After hearing it, Fatty immediately grabbed the entrenching tool in his hand, "Xiang Ye! I'm not afraid of these monsters, but if there are ghosts, that would be trouble. Ghosts are invisible and elusive. I'm not Zhong Kui, so it might be difficult for us to deal with them then!"
I told him to shut up and talk less.
The atmosphere was already tense, and with him saying that, I couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved.
Soon, I calmed myself down, woke Wang Yue, and decided to continue forward. If we couldn't find anyone, we would return the way we came.
Wang Yue's spirits had clearly improved after sleeping for a while.
Fatty still wanted to tell her about what had just happened, but I quickly stopped him, "Fatty, scaring me is one thing, but don't scare Teacher Wang."
"What is it?" Wang Yue asked.
I smiled and said, "Nothing much. This fatty was telling me a ghost story just now, trying to scare me."
Wang Yue's face twitched, seemingly speechless at the two of us. Telling ghost stories here?
I quickened my pace and hurried forward.
But who knew, just then, that whispering sound from my ear echoed again. This time it was even clearer, but I couldn't understand what they were saying.
I suddenly looked back. Wang Yue looked confused, "Did you guys hear a sound just now?"
It seemed she had heard it too.
Fatty swallowed and his face turned a bit pale, "Xiang Ye... should we go back?"
Seeing our expressions, Wang Yue seemed to realize something and asked, "Did you hear that sound before?"
I nodded and briefly explained.
Besides the stone walls, there was nothing else around but the three of us. Who could be whispering in our ears?
Everyone started to feel a bit scared. I quickly said, "What's there to be afraid of? We probably just misheard..."
Although I said that, in my heart, I knew very well that there was no such thing as mishearing.
"Fatty, don't you like to sing? Sing a song!" I said.
Fatty heard this and replied, "Xiang Ye, what time is it? Still singing?"
"Just sing, quickly!"
"What should I sing?"
"Don't you like to sing 'Ice Rain' by Hua Tsai?"
"Really sing it?"
"Yes!"
Fatty hesitated for a moment before starting to sing at the top of his lungs. But after just two lines, Wang Yue made a "shushing" gesture, as if she had discovered something.