When we saw that stone tablet, not only I, but Jiang Yue as well, were stunned.
I walked up to the stone tablet and examined it closely, confirming that the inscription on it matched my rubbings, and couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"A Mu, is the divine altar inside here?" I asked, pointing to the opening.
He nodded.
"Have you been inside?"
He shook his head, "No. Only the High Priest can enter here."
Fatty pursed his lips and leaned closer to me, whispering, "Mr. Xiang, we've found the right place this time. Shall I go in and scout ahead?"
"Don't rush," I told him. "Let's ask for clarification first."
I pointed to the stone tablet and asked A Mu, "Do you know what's written on here?"
He shook his head, "I'm not sure. The High Priest said it's writing left by our ancestors."
"Ancestors?"
"Mm," A Mu nodded.
If that High Priest wasn't lying, then weren't they descendants of the inscription?
In ancient times, many large families would migrate, most of them exiled by the emperor.
Back then, a family would have at least a hundred people. Many villages of the same surname in remote areas might have ancestors who migrated from elsewhere.
However, judging by the content of the inscription, they probably weren't exiled by the emperor.
Then what was their purpose in migrating to this place as such a large family?
As I was thinking, Fatty had already reached the cave entrance. Just as I was about to call him back, he dropped a sentence, "Mr. Xiang, I'll go in and take a look first…"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guy drilled in.
Seeing Fatty go in, A Mu couldn't help but exclaim, "You can't go in there…"
Unfortunately, it was no use; Fatty was already inside.
Jiang Yue walked to the stone tablet and examined it before taking out her camera to snap photos.
I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wanted to follow Fatty inside, but seeing A Mu's nervous expression, if I went in again, he might not be able to handle it. 138 Reading Net
Before long, Fatty crawled out, "Damn it, there's a door inside, and it's locked."
"Locked?" I was stunned.
Fatty nodded, "There's an iron door with a lock. I tried to pick it, but it's impossible."
Fatty going in was already enough to make A Mu anxious, and now hearing that he also tried to pick the lock, A Mu's eyes were filled with guilt.
I quickly pulled Fatty over, gave him a look, and started scolding him, "You damn fatty! Who told you to go in? Didn't you hear A Mu say that's a divine altar?"
Seeing my look, Fatty understood what I meant and quickly cooperated, saying to A Mu, "Brother A Mu, I'm truly sorry. I'm a very curious person, and I promise I won't go in again."
Hearing this, A Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief, "We should go back quickly. It'll be troublesome if someone comes later."
I nodded and was about to leave when I noticed Jiang Yue was gone.
"Huh? Where's Miss Jiang?"
A Mu looked around, "She was just over there…"
We circled out from the stone statue pile, and Jiang Yue wasn't outside either. How did this woman disappear into thin air?
Fatty was about to call out, but I quickly stopped him, "Don't shout, or we'll attract the High Priest."
Fatty pursed his lips and asked, "When I went in just now, was she still here?"
I nodded, "Yes, how did she vanish in the blink of an eye?"
Just then, a voice came from inside a stone statue, "I'm here."
This voice startled me. I couldn't see Jiang Yue at all, only a stone statue not far away.
Soon, Jiang Yue emerged from behind the stone statue, "There's something here."
We leaned in to take a look and found a pile of white bones behind the stone statue. Fatty and I were already accustomed to such remains, but Jiang Yue's face was a little pale, clearly frightened.
"These are human bones," Fatty said. "They must have been dead for a long time."
Something suddenly occurred to me, "Could these be the remains of the previous sacrificial girls?"
Hearing me say that, Jiang Yue's face turned even paler, and she quickly retreated.
To confirm my statement, I asked A Mu. He nodded, "After the Holy Maidens become servants of the gods, their bodies are placed among the stone statues."
I then went to the nearby stone statues and found bones behind many of them. I roughly counted them, and there were at least twenty-something.
These were the ones not covered by soil. Several statues had their bones covered by soil.
I secretly gasped, how many maidens had they sacrificed?
Back in the bamboo forest, Fatty asked me, "Mr. Xiang, if they sacrifice like this, there shouldn't be any women left in this village, right?"
I was thinking the same thing, but after asking A Mu, I learned that their village had a lot of incestuous marriages, and also the situation of one woman having multiple husbands.
After learning this, Fatty and I were both filled with sighs. How backward was this village?
After Jiang Yue returned, she began organizing her photos and writing furiously in a notebook.
I asked her what she was writing. She said she wanted to report all of this, "I can't believe there are still such primitive villages now. If this becomes a report, it will definitely attract national attention!"
I didn't know if all reporters were like this; I felt a bit helpless.
After dinner, Fatty and I pretended to go out for a smoke and went outside the house, finding a quiet spot.
Lighting a cigarette, I glanced at Fatty, "What are you thinking about?"
He grinned and raised his eyebrows at me, "Mr. Xiang, what are you thinking about?"
We both couldn't help but smile at each other. This fatty seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.
"What time will we go?" Fatty asked.
"After they fall asleep tonight."
"Should we bring that woman along?"
I shook my head, "Let's skip her. Bringing her along will definitely be a burden."
"I was thinking the same thing," Fatty pursed his lips. "I'll go back and prepare the tools later."
I nodded.
During the day, Fatty was too impatient. When I saw that cave, I also wanted to go in and take a look, but after all, it was their divine altar, and A Mu was present, so it was not appropriate to be too forward.
I planned to explore it at night.
My purpose for coming out this time was to find the stone tablet. Now that the stone tablet has been found, and there's a cave, how could I not go in and take a look?
If I found any important clues inside, then this trip would have been worthwhile.
Before it got dark, Fatty lay down on the bed saying he would sleep for a bit. I sat aside, took out my personal notebook, and started doodling.
Jiang Yue was still writing her reports, while A Mu and his sister were sorting out bamboo shoots by the door.