As we spoke, the pine branch torches we lit gradually dimmed, about to burn out. We quickly replaced them with two Pine Candles. These Pine Candles were a simple, local type of candle made in the mountains. Their drawback was that they burned very quickly, not lasting as long as regular candles. They were adequate for navigating the dark roads at night, better than having no Brightness at all.
I told Fatty and Yanzi that since this place was just a Yellow Weasel Temple, there was nothing surprising about it. We should press our advantage and pursue the enemy to the Rear Hall to capture that "Yellow Immortal Aunt," and then hurry back to the Forest Farm before it got dark.
Fatty had stuffed the "Yellow Immortal Aunt's" mouth with Muggles and sealed its anus with yellow wax. Its hind legs were also tied up with iron wire. Now it couldn't make a sound, couldn't release any foul gas, and couldn't crawl very fast. It barely had half its life left, so we weren't worried about it flying away. The three of us slowly and steadily searched deeper into the Stone Hall.
The Stone Hall of the Yellow Great Immortal Temple had limited depth. The back mountain wall was built flush against the mountain cliff, perfectly sealed. The only Door and Gate to the entire Stone Hall was the Stone Door we entered through; there was no Backdoor. The ceiling, made of Stone Beams and Blue Bricks, had several damaged spots, through which cold wind whistled down. Above might be places like a Tree hollow on the slope or some kind of Hole in the ground, but those Crevices were less than a hand's width wide, and the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" couldn't possibly squeeze through them.
Inside the hall stood a half-toppled clay statue, which was the shrine for the Yellow Great Immortal. The clay figure wore long robes, was the same height as a normal person, and was depicted in a more humanized form, but it had a shrew's head and rat's eyes, with a few small whiskers around its mouth, closely resembling the face of a Weasel. Behind the Yellow Great Immortal clay statue was a Cellar, with Stone steps leading down to a deeper underground area. It seemed the "Yellow Immortal Aunt" must have fled down here to seek the protection of its Ancestors.
I found this Cellar quite peculiar. The opening of the Cellar should originally have been paved with Blue Bricks, but those Blue Bricks had been pried open and thrown aside. This was clearly the Entrance to an extremely hidden Tunnel. It seemed this pried-open Cellar might have been the work of the group who dug up the ancient underground temple. They clearly had a purpose for being here. What exactly were they trying to find? Could it be the Bronze Box where the local Legend says the Yellow Great Immortal stored its treasures?
Yanzi and I held the Pine Candles, one in front and one behind, while Fatty walked in the middle holding his weapon. The three of us descended the steps one by one. These Stone steps were steep and narrow, and the Cellar was chilling to the bone. As I walked, I briefly explained my question from earlier to Fatty and Yanzi. Fatty said, "Old Hu, you are truly smart most of the time but foolish at this moment. Didn't you see how thick the soil was over the Tunnel entrance when we came down? That was all Mud and Rocks washed down from the mountain by rainwater that buried it again. Even if someone came to dig for treasure in the mountains decades or a century ago, they would have taken anything good long ago. How could it still be here for us? Anything left now would be cold—even Huáng Guā Cài would be cold by now. I'd be satisfied just catching a few Little Yellow Weasels every now and then to trade for a few pounds of Fruit Candy. Don't be ungrateful; don't we still have that Bear paw and the golden yellow beans? We've really struck it rich lately, finding unexpected windfalls. Our travel expenses to visit relatives during the Spring Festival and our future tobacco and alcohol money are all settled."
As I talked with Fatty and Yanzi while walking down, I realized this Cellar was much deeper than expected, which made my heart pound. I couldn't guess where exactly this led. The further down we went, the worse the air quality became, though it was still breathable. The most unbearable thing was that the flame of the Pine Candle turned from blue to green, its Brightness flickering weakly and strongly, casting a layer of blue light over our faces. I have never seen a ghost, but I estimate that if ghosts truly exist, their complexions probably aren't much different from ours right now.
Not only did the Pine Candle sting our eyes, but the flame was also small. Even without wind, it would sometimes extinguish on its own. I held one Pine Candle in one hand and cupped the flame slightly with the other to prevent the Airflow generated by my own breathing and movement from blowing it out. However, these local candles were inherently low in craftsmanship, and despite my caution, one suddenly went out.
When the Pine Candle in my hand went out, it was instantly pitch black before my eyes. I stopped, intending to relight it before moving on, but Fatty was following too closely behind me, and the Staircase was narrow, so I couldn't stop my momentum. When he bumped me, I lost my balance. Yanzi, who was walking last, saw the two of us about to tumble down the steps, so she quickly reached out to grab Fatty's arm. But she couldn't hold onto Fatty, and she fell down with us, tumbling and crashing.
Fortunately, the Stone steps were almost at the bottom, and we were wearing relatively thick clothes, so we weren't seriously injured. It was just that the Pine Candle in Yanzi's hand also went out. It was so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I rubbed my elbow, which was throbbing painfully, and tried to reach into my satchel for a Pine Candle to light, to see where we had fallen.
But as soon as I sat up, I felt my hat-covered head bump into something. Something was dangling and swaying beside my face. Higher up, a rope was rubbing against wood, constantly making a dry, creaking sound of "squeak-nui, squeak-nui." I wondered what was hanging there. I reached out and touched it. Judging by the feel, it was like the thick-soled, ox-kicking cotton shoes common in the Northeast. Touching further inside, I felt something hard and rigid—a person's foot! Further up were the calves wearing cotton trousers, the trouser legs still tied. I was instantly startled. The sole of the shoe was exactly level with my head and face. Who was hanging there with their feet suspended in the air? That had to be a Hanged Ghost. In the pitch black Darkness, I had actually touched a dead person who had hanged themselves. In the mountainous regions of the Northeast, Hanged Ghosts are called "Old Hanging Grandpa," and all the Legends about the "Old Hanging Grandpa" are extremely terrifying. Although I never believed them, facing it head-on, it would be strange not to be scared. I couldn't help but let out a loud "Ah!"
My shout startled both Yanzi and Fatty, who had fallen beside me. Fatty had fallen the hardest, his tailbone landing right on the edge of a Stone step, causing him to suck in cold air from the pain. He was still lying on the ground, unable to get up. Hearing my startled cry, he became very worried and quickly asked me, "Old Hu, what's wrong with you? Why... why are you yelling? Hurry up and give us some Brightness."
I was indeed a bit stunned from the fright. I was still holding onto the suspended feet of the dead person and had forgotten to let go. Hearing Fatty ask, I didn't know how to explain and blurted out, "I... I... these feet... they scared me to death."
Yanzi must have been confused by my fright. In the Darkness, I heard her say frantically, "Ah? You died? You absolutely cannot die! When the Village Party Branch Secretary scolds me later, I was counting on you to take the blame for me. If you die, what will I do?"
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