Black Wind Cave was located on Black Wind Mountain, east of Wang Family Village. After a day's long trek, Zhao Rong and his group finally arrived at its base. From a distance, the mountain had looked small, but now that they stood at its foot, they realized just how massive it was.
Zhao Rong led the way, holding a torch aloft. As he walked, he boosted everyone's morale. "We've been quite lucky on this journey. We haven't encountered a single fierce ghost or evil spirit."
The assistant, wearing a headlamp, brought up the rear. "It seems that after we killed the King of Fierce Ghosts, Zhao Bo, all the fierce and evil spirits of Wang Family Village were captured by the Black and White Impermanence."
The three won walked between Zhao Rong and the assistant, each holding a flashlight. Miss Lili swept her beam across the dark surroundings. "That Zhao Bo was truly formidable. When he was alive, all the spirits of Wang Family Village managed to evade the Black and White Impermanence."
Yu Lan, walking behind Miss Lili, kept her flashlight trained on the path ahead. "As the saying goes, 'to catch a thief, first catch the king.' It seems we unwittingly did the right thing by killing Zhao Bo."
Xuelian walked behind Yu Lan, just ahead of the assistant. She switched off her flashlight, content to use the light from the others. "I just hope things go as smoothly when we enter Black Wind Cave and et the Thousand Year Old Demon."
Zhao Rong nodded, continuing to rally them. "Trust , everyone. Once we get inside Black Wind Cave, things will go even more smoothly. We'll be perfectly safe."
However, before the words had fully left his mouth, he spotted a stone opening not far away. Inscribed above it were three large, clear characters: Black Wind Cave.
When his companions saw that they had found their destination so easily, they felt a wave of relief. "Talk about searching high and low for sothing, only to have it appear right before our eyes!"
The assistant casually picked up a stone and tossed it into the cave's maw. "If there are any monsters in there, they'll surely co running out after this."
Miss Lili, anwhile, gathered a bundle of kindling, lit it, and tossed it into the opening. "I'll just set a little fire in this cave. Never mind a Thousand Year Old Demon; even a Ten Thousand Year Old Demon would be smoked out by this!"
But, to the surprise of both the assistant and Miss Lili, their provocations were t with silence. The cave remained still, its quietness unsettling.
Xuelian stepped forward, switched on her flashlight, and aid it inside. "This Black Wind Cave doesn't look much different from an ordinary cave. The structure and layout seem pretty much the sa." With that, she beca the first to step inside.
Seeing that Xuelian intended to be the first to test the waters, Zhao Rong executed a quick front flip, landing in front of her to lead the way and offer protection. "Xuelian, don't be reckless. It's safer if you follow ."
Seeing Zhao Rong and Xuelian enter the cave without a second thought, the assistant, Miss Lili, and Yu Lan hurried in after them. As they ventured deeper, however, they discovered what set this cave apart. The walls on both sides were covered with exquisite murals depicting all sorts of bizarre animals, as well as humans hunting, warring, and going about their lives.
Suddenly, the assistant spotted a particular mural. "Quick, co over here!" he shouted. "Look at this. It will absolutely blow your minds!"
Hearing his urgent tone, the others rushed over. As they shone their flashlights on the wall, they all gasped in astonishnt. The mural depicted none other than themselves: Zhao Rong, the assistant, Miss Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian—the five of them, exploring this very cave.
Zhao Rong touched the image of his own face, his voice filled with disbelief. "What the hell? This is bizarre. How did a portrait of end up on this cave wall? And it's so accurate... it even has the small mole on my nose."
The assistant then pointed out sothing even stranger about his own depiction. "I'm bald, but I usually wear a wig. This mural actually has two portraits of —one bald, and another one wearing the wig. This is seriously spooky."
Miss Lili touched the area behind her ear, her voice tinged with fear. "I had frostbite here as a child. I always wear my hair long, so no one but should know about the scar. Yet this mural clearly shows its exact location."
Yu Lan, on the other hand, was looking at a full-body depiction of herself. She scratched the back of her head, confused. "Why does everyone else get a portrait while I get a full-body painting?" Just then, she noticed that the painting on the wall had even included the hidden mole on her chest.
Xuelian stared at her own image, lost in thought. "Oh my god... Don't tell the Thousand Year Old Demon is an alien." She reasoned that anyone who could live for a thousand years couldn't be ordinary. Furthermore, for their portraits to already exist in this cave ant the demon who lived here had to possess the unnatural ability to see the future.
When they heard Xuelian suggest the demon might be an alien, the others were so shocked they nearly fell over.
Zhao Rong was the first to dismiss the idea. "The Thousand Year Old Demon is most likely a monster that cultivated its way to spiritual power. How could it possibly be an alien?"
The assistant burst out laughing. "If the Thousand Year Old Demon was an alien," he said, struggling to speak through his laughter, "why would it stay in a dark, sunless hole like this for over a thousand years? That's ridiculous!"
Yu Lan chid in, wholeheartedly agreeing with the assistant. "Aliens have superior intelligence, more advanced technology, and better thods of travel than we do. No matter how much they might like a place, they would never stay for a thousand years. If you were an alien, would you want to stay in one spot for that long?"
Although everyone else had shot her theory down, Xuelian remained firm in her belief. After taking pictures of the strange murals, the group continued deeper into the cave. As they reached the middle of the cavern, a mirage materialized before them.
Zhao Rong jumped in surprise. "A mirage? By definition, those should only appear over the sea or in a desert. How can one appear inside a cave? This completely defies scientific common sense!"
As he finished speaking, he realized with a jolt that he was the protagonist of the scene unfolding within the mirage. It showed him as a young man back on Earth, walking out of a classroom with a dejected expression right after finishing his college entrance exams.
Seeing this, Zhao Rong sucked in a sharp breath and turned to Xuelian. "Xuelian, I know I dismissed your theory earlier, but now... I'm starting to have my doubts."
Who in this world could possibly know that I'm an Earthling who crossed over to Xijing City? Perhaps, besides myself, only an alien would.
Just then, the assistant standing beside him let out a scream. He stared at the mirage, his hands trembling. "Those two people... they're my parents! Ever since I can rember, the staff at the orphanage told I was abandoned. They left nothing but a single black-and-white photograph of them together when they were young. I searched for them for years, traveling over mountains and across rivers, putting in more effort than anyone could imagine. Even so, I never found them. But now... this mirage is not only showing my parents, it's also telling where they are!"
Miss Lili pointed at the mirage. "Assistant, isn't that the old couple who sells tofu pudding and fried dough sticks in the urban village next to Xijing University?"
Suddenly, the assistant broke down, sobbing as he wiped away his tears. "I looked for them for so long... I never imagined they were so close to this whole ti."
Miss Lili asked, confused, "If you had a photo of them when they were young, couldn't you imagine what they'd look like older? Didn't you ever see them selling breakfast in the village?"
The assistant replied, his voice full of pain and regret, "I was so lazy. In all my ti at Xijing University, I never once went out for breakfast. So, I never knew that my own parents were selling it in the village right next door. That's it. As soon as we get the antidote and leave this cave, the very first thing I'm going to do is find them. I'm going to ask them... why did they abandon ?"
Before the assistant could finish his sentence, the scene within the mirage shifted, revealing sothing utterly terrifying and bloody.
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