Chapter 279: The Person Locked in the Cave
Chapter 279: The Person Locked in the Cave
"Entering the Gate of the Netherworld, is this really a place where people go to die?" Hu Ma stood at the crossroads, watching as a group of people were led away by chains, disappearing into the dark night. He felt a strange sensation wash over him, as if his body was becoming increasingly unreal.
"I remember Fragrant Girl saying that the dead in Ling Shou Prefecture, and even the entire Anzhou region, are all brought to the Ghost Cavern. I didn't think it was true."
"Are these dead people part of that?"
As he thought this, the two young men led Hu Ma forward, avoiding the incense pile in the middle of the road. They walked towards the circular, massive stone cliff that blended seamlessly into the night sky.
Although he knew that the entrance was ahead, he couldn't see it clearly. He could only feel the air growing colder and his fear intensifying as they walked deeper.
The two young men stopped in front of a black cave entrance, lit by the lanterns they carried. The entrance was surrounded by tangled chains, and the inside was pitch black, with only a faint glimmer of light visible.
The two young men handed Hu Ma a lit candle and a thread, saying, "Master Li and Miss are inside. If the candle goes out, you must leave immediately."
"Tie this thread to your arm, and follow it when you return. If the thread breaks, you won't be able to leave."
Hu Ma looked at them and suddenly asked, "How many threads do you have?"
The other party was taken aback, and Hu Ma leaned in to take a closer look. There were three threads.
He smiled and said, "Tie all three threads to my arm."
"Afraid?"
One of the young men asked, "Tying three threads is the same as tying one thread."
Hu Ma smiled and said, "I understand. But if only one thread is tied and it breaks, it might be an accident or something else. If all three threads are tied and they all break, then it's definitely someone trying to harm me."
The two young men were taken aback, and Hu Ma smiled again. He took the specially made candle and had them tie the three red threads to his left arm before walking into the cave.
As he walked, he remained cautious, not daring to relax. But at this point, if he showed any fear, he would lose face in front of these people.
The cave was initially narrow, but it soon opened up, and the light from the candle illuminated the surroundings. Hu Ma saw that the walls were adorned with four or five large chains, connected to a man in the center of the cave.
The man wore a wide robe and a high hat, unlike the farmers he had seen earlier. He looked like a noble from an ancient painting, with an air of refinement and dignity.
When he saw Hu Ma, he looked up and smiled, his eyes warm and gentle.
Fragrant Girl was leaning against him, and she looked up at Hu Ma with a sweet smile.
"Mr. Hu, you've traveled far to bring my daughter back, and for that, I, Li Huai Zhang, am eternally grateful. I will never forget your kindness..."
The man stood up, his chains clanking, and bowed deeply to Hu Ma.
Hu Ma returned the bow and said, "It was nothing. I'm just a simple man from the village. My wife's mother taught me to be kind to others, and that's all I was doing..."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. The Li family was shrouded in mystery, and this man, the master of the house, was now chained up like a prisoner.
"Ah, this is why I couldn't come out to thank you in person," Li Huai Zhang said with a smile, patting the chains on his body. "I had myself locked up, or I fear I wouldn't be able to endure."
"Locked yourself up?" Hu Ma asked, taken aback.
Li Huai Zhang nodded and said, "Yes, it's a necessary measure. As the guardian of the Ghost Cavern, it's a duty imposed upon me by the imperial court, but it's not a pleasant one. Throughout the generations, those who have guarded the cavern have had to suffer this fate, along with the Li clan members."
Hu Ma sat down on a nearby pile of straw, and Li Huai Zhang continued, "As you've seen, our clan has always been isolated from the world. We've lived and farmed here for generations, rarely interacting with outsiders. Even if some of our clan members have left, it's usually in secret."
"..."
Huma didn't need to be told; he had already noticed.
He had just thought that the Li family's hospitality was rather ordinary when they received guests, and wondered if they were being stingy.
But now, it seemed not stinginess, but a lack of resources.
Secluded in the mountains, with outsiders finding it difficult to enter and the Li family rarely leaving, how could they have a diverse diet? As for the Li family patriarch, his situation was even worse, locked away in the cave, unable to step outside.
No wonder his daughter had been deceived and abducted.
The patriarch of the Ghost Cavern Li Clan, while speaking, glanced at the Fragrant Girl beside him and smiled, "So, when the young master brought news from Mingzhou, I learned that she was alive and well-cared for. My heart, which had been hanging by a thread, finally found peace."
"Since she has encountered good people, it's better for her to stay away and live a life of washing clothes and cooking, rather than returning."
"..."
"What?"
Huma, who had been marveling at this in his heart, was suddenly startled and looked at him in disbelief.
This meant that the letter he had sent back with the mule and horse caravan had indeed reached its destination. If that was the case, then he...
The Li family patriarch, noticing Huma's astonished expression, smiled faintly and said, "I know they plotted to have Yu'er abducted."
"They gambled that once Yu'er was taken away, in this world, a weak girl like her would surely not survive. At the very least, her Yin Ledger would be defiled, preventing her from returning to take my place as the Gatekeeper."
"But my hope is that Yu'er, once outside, will have a chance to live like a human being."
"..."
Huma was even more astonished as he listened to these words.
It seemed that not only had the Li family patriarch received the letter, but he also knew about Yu'er's abduction.
Then he wasn't afraid...
"Once she's out there, she'll face hardships and sufferings, that's for sure."
The Li family patriarch seemed to understand Huma's thoughts and sighed softly, "Perhaps she'll encounter life-threatening situations a few times."
"I don't know what Fragrant Jade will encounter, but I know she's protected by her Yin Virtue. She won't meet an early death; even if she encounters danger, she'll turn bad luck into good."
"Although I may not see things as clearly, my hopes aren't high either. As long as she survives, that's enough."
"She has always been gentle and kind-hearted. As long as she can survive out there, even if it means a hard life, eating simple meals and farming for survival, it's still a decent outcome."
"..."
Before bringing Fragrant Girl back, Huma had considered countless possibilities, but he never expected to hear such words.
Looking at the Li family patriarch, he saw a gloomy expression and deep resignation in his eyes, which Huma couldn't quite understand.
Zhou Manager and the others didn't want to get entangled in cause and effect, yet they wanted to defile the Yin Ledger, so they chose to throw Fragrant Girl out, gambling that a lone girl like her, in the hands of abductors, would surely face a grim fate.
But the Li family patriarch was betting on her survival, believing that as long as she lived, even if she suffered and endured hardships outside, it was an acceptable outcome.
She said Fragrant Jade wouldn't meet an early death, but who could predict that for sure? What if she really died? Like on the boat, when he didn't reach out to help?
Was he really willing to take such a gamble? Or was he prepared to accept the possibility of Fragrant Jade dying outside? Huma's heart trembled as he looked at Fragrant Girl.
She had slightly red eyes, indicating that she and her father had already discussed these matters.
But surprisingly, she didn't seem resentful; instead, she appeared touched.
"Imperial orders are hard to defy, and even ghost deities can't be deceived..."
After revealing the truth, the Li family patriarch sighed softly and said to Huma, "The Li family ancestors were originally destined to die, but they received an imperial order to guard the Ghost Cave, allowing them to survive. And surviving here is to repay a debt."
"After seven generations, my generation wasn't supposed to have offspring, but unexpectedly, this girl was born."
"She is the eighth generation, innocent. Who would've thought she'd be born with the Yin Ledger?"
"As the seventh-generation Gatekeeper, I was supposed to be the last to repay the debt, but now that she's entered the Ghost Cave, she'll suffer this hardship for generations to come."
"I... I can't bear it..."
"..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Fragrant Girl, and his eyes also showed a hint of sorrow.
Huma, listening to these words, began to understand the situation. The entire Li family, from top to bottom, seemed to be gambling with fate.
Struggling to process this, the Li family patriarch turned to him and said, "But no matter what, this girl's destiny is even greater than I imagined. She's come full circle and returned. Now that it's come to this..."
He paused briefly, then lowered his voice, "Young master, are you willing to marry this girl and take her back to your village to live a leisurely life?"
"..."
Huma was truly shocked, "Ah?"
(End of Chapter)
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