Next to the tree root that the Human Bear had knocked over, half a stone statue was buried in the soil. It had a rare tiger head and beast face, with a beast's head and human body. It wore a helmet on its head and held a stone axe decorated with human heads in both hands. It possessed an extraordinary bearing, but its facial features were extremely ferocious. Upon seeing the tiger-headed, human-bodied stone statues, Yanzi immediately recalled an ancient Legend from the mountains. She forgot about tidying up the bear skin and bear meat and exclaimed to us in shock, "Those look like statues of the Mountain Ghost. This forest might be the Ghost Yamen in the mountains; let's flee quickly."
The Legend of the "Ghost Yamen" has circulated for many years in the dense forests at the westernmost end of the Greater Khingan Range. It is said to be a secret Entrance to the Hall of Yama in the mortal world. Hunters who get lost in the mountains, once they mistakenly enter the "Ghost Yamen," will unknowingly walk into the Underworld, becoming lonely, wandering spirits, never to return to the world of the living. However, in the last hundred years or so, very few people have managed to see it again.
The greatest characteristic of that "Ghost Yamen" is the tiger-headed, human-bodied Mountain Ghost guarding the entrance. Of course, no one can verify when this legend in the mountains began, from which dynasty or era. But the tale of ghosts entering the Hall of Yama through the "Ghost Yamen" was enough to strike fear into one's heart. Coupled with the inherent reverence hunters felt for the great mountains, Yanzi panicked and only wanted to urge us to leave quickly.
Fatty and I had both heard that Legend, and I also knew that one should not linger in an inauspicious place. However, I was not so easily frightened by a tiger-headed, human-bodied stone statue. I casually comforted Yanzi a few times, saying things like, "The 'Ghost Yamen'? That's just the dregs of feudal society. How can we be afraid of such things?" But at the same time, I was thinking that we must first clarify the current situation before making any plans.
The bear cave was originally a semi-enclosed natural Cave beneath a Withered tree. It was only because the Human Bear, while chasing and trying to Attack people, uprooted a troublesome red pine that was growing near the Cave. The tree root pulled up and collapsed the surrounding Soil, revealing a half-submerged Stone Beast. As for the nonsense about the tiger-headed Mountain Ghost guarding the "Ghost Yamen," I didn't believe it at all. In my opinion, this warrior stone figurine with a tiger head and human body was very likely a statue used to guard an Ancient Tomb. However, at that time, my knowledge of the Five Elements, Feng Shui, and Mausoleum layouts was shallow, so I dared not make a definitive statement. Curiosity arose; since we had discovered these uniquely shaped Stone Figures and Stone Beasts, what fun would there be if we didn't take the opportunity to fully explore this strangeness?
I persuaded Yanzi not to rush back to the Forest Farm, suggesting we look for the "Ghost Yamen" over there instead. Judging by the direction the tiger-headed stone statue was facing, if there were any structures like ancestral halls or graves in the mountains, they should generally be in the direction of the "Yellow Weasel Grave." The ancient bowls and Gold Beans that the Yellow Weasel had moved might have all come from that so-called "Ghost Yamen." If we could find those treasures, it would be a huge contribution to supporting the World Revolution.
Yanzi stamped her foot and said, "Stop Talking nonsense. If I don't guard the Forest Farm and sneak out to hunt bears with you, I've already made a mistake. When we get back, the Old Branch Secretary will surely criticize me severely. If I get into any more trouble, how will I explain it to the Old Branch Secretary?"
Fatty, thinking about the gold, also helped me persuade Yanzi. We both said to her, "Sister Yanzi, don't be so afraid of the Old Branch Secretary, okay? No matter how high his position, he only has authority in the Village. Besides, we aren't committing any crime here; we are currently supporting the World Revolution! Although guarding the Forest Farm is our duty, don't forget the Supreme directive: production must not suppress revolution. In the torrent of revolutionary struggle, work must be set aside. The Branch Secretary's words don't matter; let him do whatever he wants. Why are you still hesitating? Don't forget this is the final struggle; you have to strike while the iron is hot to succeed. If it's too late, the red flag will cover the whole world, and nothing else will matter."
We were escalating the situation, and Yanzi had no reply. She was confused listening to it, so she hardened her heart—whatever happens, happens. So we immediately got to work, leaving the bear skin and bear meat for the moment, only wrapping up the Bear Paws and Bear Gall to carry with us. Fatty suddenly remembered: where was the wooden cage for the "Yellow Immortal Aunt"? The Human Bear had just fallen from the tree and broken a large section of red pine, which had smashed onto the grassy nest where we were staying. At the time, we were only focused on dodging and escaping, and in the Chaos, we had no memory of where we threw the wooden cage. Although the Yellow Weasel was small, it was still worth something; moreover, the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" had smooth skin and fur, easily worth ten catties of Fruit Candy. Losing it so easily was a bit painful.
We searched around the broken red pine and found that the wooden cage had long since been smashed apart by the Pine branches. The cage was empty; the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" had long since slipped away. Fatty cursed loudly in anger.
I remembered that the "Yellow Immortal Aunt's" hind legs were tightly bound by wire. Even if the cage broke, it couldn't escape the wire's restraint. At most, it could only crawl out using its front paws to escape. A weasel relies on its powerful hind limbs for running and leaping, so it couldn't have gotten too far. Thinking of this, I quickly looked up to survey the surroundings. On the snow, besides the messy footprints from our fight with the Human Bear, there was indeed a thick drag mark. The "Yellow Immortal Aunt" must have fled along this path. Following this trace, I immediately spotted a furry thing struggling to crawl near the tiger-headed stone statue; it was the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" that had escaped from the squirrel cage.
Seeing that it hadn't fled far, we immediately became energized and chased after it like a gust of wind. We saw the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" struggling to crawl with its two front paws in the direction of the Yellow Weasel Grave. Sensing someone chasing from behind, it dove headfirst into a Hole near the stone statue and vanished without a trace.
We rushed over and saw that there was a Tunnel beneath the feet of the tiger-headed Mountain Ghost statue. Due to the passage of Time and changes in the soil over the ages, it had been covered by Soil and Pine branches. When the ancient pine fell, it exposed a small opening to the Tunnel. It was pitch black inside, and we couldn't see anything clearly. The "Yellow Immortal Aunt" had escaped into this small opening.
Fatty furiously kicked the Mud wall beside the Hole. After just a few kicks, the soil of the Tunnel wall collapsed, and in the depression left by the uprooted ancient tree roots, a large Hole was revealed. A gust of Yin Wind emerged from inside, chilling our faces. It seemed the Airflow was good, meaning there must be another Exit at the far end.
Even Fatty hadn't expected the mud wall to be so fragile. I quickly stopped him. It seemed this deep hole at the opening wasn't a Tunnel but merely a working passage dug through the Mud and Rocks, which wasn't stable and could collapse at any moment. We didn't know where it led, so we quickly found some Pine branches and lit a few Torches for illumination before crawling into the dark hole behind the opening to investigate.
The Cave was very narrow; we might have to crawl to advance, but none of us wanted to ruin our sleeves. We could only hold the Torches slanted forward for light, then crouch and inch forward bit by bit. Shining the light, we found traces of excavation by Sharp weapons on the four walls inside. I took the lead, with Fatty closely following, holding the long-handled Kai Shan Axe. Yanzi held the other Torch and dragged the Hunting Rifle behind us.
None of us knew where this damp, cold Underground Cave led, and we were extremely puzzled. My grandfather was a Feng Shui Master; because he understood the secret art of Xun Long and was quite renowned in the province, he associated with many fellow Yin-Yang Feng Shui Sorcerers. Among them were Tomb Robbers who made a living through Tomb Raiding. From him, I learned that the most skilled Tomb Robbers were the Mojin. The "Mojin" could observe the mountain shape, discern the Earth Vein underground, use Fen Jin Ding Xue to aim straight for the Yellow Dragon—what is called "Straight to the Yellow Dragon" means digging a hidden, precise Tunnel, bypassing the copper walls and iron coffins, and penetrating directly through the Golden Well into the Tomb Chamber containing the Secret Weapon. Perhaps this Underground Cave we were crawling through was a treasure-hunting tunnel dug by Tomb Robbers.
However, I soon dismissed this possibility myself. The mud tunnel was both narrow and short, starting from beneath the tiger-headed stone statue. After crawling about ten meters, it reached an end. But it was not a Tomb Chamber containing an Ancient Corpse or secret treasures; instead, it was a very old Blue stone Door buried in the Soil. It seemed to have eaves and dougong brackets, but the Tunnel only exposed a partial view of the Stone Door, making detailed identification impossible for the moment. The Stone Door was split into two leaves, half-open and half-closed, revealing a large gap between them. On either side stood stone pillars, bearing ancient, weathered dragon patterns and images of the Sun and Moon, which were heavily eroded. This at least indicated that the stone structure inside the Cave had once existed above ground and had been transformed into its current state through years of erosion from natural factors like wind, rain, and sun exposure.
Fatty and I guessed this was probably an ancient shrine buried by geological activity. The pine tree above it had grown so thick; we didn't know what Year or what Time that was. It must have been many Years ago. Since we were at the entrance, there was no reason not to go in and take a look? If there were any good things inside, we'd take them out. If there was nothing, we'd just paint two slogans on it and destroy it as one of the Four Olds.
Yanzi said this was definitely the "Ghost Yamen," and behind the door was most likely the Underworld Hall of Yama. We should go back the way we came; let's not enter, no matter what's inside. I told Yanzi, "This Underground Cave is so short, and there's no other Exit. The Yellow Immortal Aunt must have crawled into this Stone Door. We'll go in, catch it, and come right back. If we can't catch it, last night's effort will be wasted, and we won't get any Fruit Candy. Don't you want candy?"
Yanzi swallowed hard. "How could I not want candy? Actually, Fruit Candy isn't as good as the milk candy the Educated Youth brought from the city..." Fatty was eager to capture the "Yellow Immortal Aunt." Without waiting for me to complete the Ideological work with Yanzi, he squeezed past us and rushed into the Stone Door first. I was afraid of any unexpected danger inside and worried about Fatty being alone, so I urged Yanzi to follow us quickly.
The Torch light flickered between Brightness and darkness due to our rapid movement. In the shifting light, I clearly saw there was no Soil behind the door, but rather a rather spacious stone hall. Inside the hall were stone pillars and stone tables. Clay statues lay scattered on both sides, overturned. Corners and crevices were draped with thick Spider Webs and Collapsed ash. Everywhere I looked was Messy and chaotic. The Torch light was also very limited, so for a moment, we couldn't see where the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" was hiding.
The three of us entering at once created quite a stir. Someone must have brushed off some Collapsed ash, causing us to cough incessantly. Once the dust settled, we looked at each other; everyone was covered in dust and looked extremely disheveled.
When Fatty crawled through that several-meter-long Tunnel, his legs and feet went numb because the Underground Cave was low and narrow. Now that he was in the stone hall, he could at least stretch his limbs. He quickly stretched his arms and legs, noticing a large patch of Collapsed ash on his Dog fur hat. Near the Entrance, there happened to be a round wooden stump resembling a tree stump. He took off his hat, dusted it off twice on the wooden stump, and then sat down heavily on it. He said to me, "I'll just stay here and block the entrance like a single guard. I doubt that Little Yellow Weasel can grow wings and fly away. Old Hu, you go search everywhere to see where it's hiding and drive it out so I can skin it alive. But I think this large room seems to have a Backdoor. If it escapes through the Backdoor, it'll be troublesome. Yanzi, quickly go guard the Backdoor..."
Ever since entering this strange stone hall, I had been filled with curiosity about everything inside, completely forgetting about catching the "Yellow Immortal Aunt." It was only when Fatty reminded me that I remembered. Just as I was about to look for it, I saw Yanzi hurriedly pulling Fatty off the tree stump. Yanzi told us, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but this is the Ghost Yamen. Everyone in the mountains knows that you cannot sit on the tree stumps in the forest because they are the dining tables of the Tiger God. Mortals who sit on them will invite disaster. Why did you just sit down?"
Fatty stepped onto the wooden stump and laughed, "Satellites are already in space now, and Atomic Bombs have exploded. The poor have risen up and been liberated. Who cares about the dining tables or altars of any god or king? Those are all relics of the old society. Now, we working people consider it an honor to use it as a cushion for our butts. If I were happy enough, I might even urinate on it."
I pushed Fatty away and joked with him, "Stop fucking Talking nonsense. Even the working people can't relieve themselves anywhere! Besides, take a look in a Mirror. When did the ranks of the working people ever include a fat thief as bloated as you? Just looking at your belly exposes you. No need to ask; you must be a bad element infiltrated among our working people."
What puzzled me most was what this stone hall was used for, especially why there was such a tree stump at the entrance. To uncover its Secret, I needed to examine it closely. So, I pushed the bothersome Fatty aside, squatted down, and shone the Torch on it. Upon looking, I discovered that this tree stump-like wooden block indeed held a great secret. It had ancient patterns and many strange symbols I couldn't understand. The strangest thing was that carved right in the center of the wooden block was a human figure wearing ancient women's clothing. However, that human figure had no head; instead, it had the face of a Weasel. That Yellow Weasel face wore a cunning, evil smile, utterly detestable and causing an indescribable sense of disgust. That bizarre expression seemed to possess an invisible force field that gripped the heart, making one instantly feel a chilling cold emanating from every Body Hair pore. I thought, this is bad; we've probably entered the Yellow Weasel's lair this time.