Chapter 63 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part XVII)

The stone gate creaked open. Chen Shaoxian quickly pulled Thomas behind him, then swiftly took up his weapon, aiming his gun at the open stone gate.

Inside the gate, it was as dark as the abyss.

After waiting for a while, apart from the eerie darkness inside the gate, nothing else happened. It was then that Howard stammered, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He pointed to the spot he had just touched.

Chen Shaoxian glanced at Howard with irritation and asked, “What did you do just now?”

Howard, somewhat nervously and timidly, looked at Chen Shaoxian and said, “While you were talking to Thomas, I went to the other side and found an engraved statue on the wall. The statue was holding a bird-shaped staff. I thought the bird was so lifelike, so I touched it. I didn’t expect it to move, and when I turned it, the stone gate opened.” After speaking, Howard lowered his head, not daring to meet Chen Shaoxian’s eyes.

Chen Shaoxian sighed, then walked over to the wall Howard had pointed at, muttering “Hmm?” The wall was bare, nothing on it. He turned to give Howard a glance.

Howard, seeing the bare wall, was so shocked his eyes nearly bulged out. He hurried over, feeling the wall with his hands, a sob in his voice, “It was really here. I swear to God.” He kept muttering oaths and curses, looking somewhat deranged.

Seeing Howard on the verge of tears, Chen Shaoxian shook his head. Before he could speak, a girl named Elena stepped up to him, glaring, “He’s already apologized. What more do you want?” She then went over to the now crying Howard, patting his head to comfort him.

Chen Shaoxian scratched his head, thinking to himself, “What did I do to deserve this?”

Xiao Zhuang walked over to Chen Shaoxian, patted him on the shoulder, and gave an understanding smile.

Thomas, having listened to Howard’s words, seemed to recall something. He walked over to the still crying Howard and softly asked, “George, can you clearly describe the statue you just saw?”

Howard sniffled, childlike, and hesitantly described the appearance of the statue.

Thomas’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. He comforted Howard a bit and then approached Chen Shaoxian and Xiao Zhuang, saying, “Chen Shaoxian, our earlier hypothesis was correct. The statue should be a Bimo of the ancient Yi Ethnic Group, conducting sacrificial rites to the heavenly deity.” Pointing excitedly into the pitch-black entrance, he added, “There must be an earth-shattering secret hidden inside.” He seemed eager to be the first to venture in.

Chen Shaoxian and Xiao Zhuang exchanged a helpless glance, both wondering if these three were out of their minds. One was a frenzied scientist on the brink of madness, another was a timid and delicate person, and the third was a bold and brash woman. This trio was indeed a classic combination.

Ignoring the near-hysterical Thomas, Chen Shaoxian turned to Xiao Zhuang and said, “Xiao Zhuang, we don’t know what’s inside, but a place that could make an entire Japanese army disappear is definitely not simple. Check the weapons thoroughly, we can’t afford any mishaps.” Then, addressing Thomas and the others loudly, he added, “Keep a close watch on these three, we don’t care if they live or die, just don’t let them cause trouble for us.”

Thomas, hearing Chen Shaoxian’s words, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, his previously straightened posture quickly slumping. Elena shot Chen Shaoxian a fierce glare. Howard began to cry again after hearing Chen Shaoxian, prompting Elena to comfort him once more.

Xiao Zhuang observed their behavior and nodded firmly. He then called over Song Yumu, Zhang Zeshan, and Yang Xiao’ang, instructing them to keep a one-on-one watch and to resort to force if necessary. After all, there wouldn’t be any international disputes here-the strongest fist wins.

Chen Shaoxian opened his bag, pulled out a small wooden box, and took out a little bell. He then opened the wooden box and took out a short piece of Road-Borrowing Incense. Placing the wooden box flat on the ground, he lit the incense, gently shook the bell, and the small ding produced a crisp ringing sound that echoed through the cave for a long time.

After placing the bell down, Chen Shaoxian softly chanted, “Path-Clearing Bell, Road-Borrowing Incense, enter the path, avoid ghost roads, just borrowing the way, untouched by spirits, undisturbed by ghosts.” He then stood the incense upright on the wooden box, and surprisingly, it stood firm. As Chen Shaoxian watched the smoke rise straight up, it suddenly drifted towards the pitch-black entrance. Everyone could clearly see the smoke stretching inside like a white thread, but suddenly a strong wind emerged from the dark entrance, sweeping the incense along with the wooden box off the ground. The incense fell to the ground, and with a sizzle, it was extinguished by the damp surface. As soon as the incense went out, the wind stopped too.

Except for Xiao Zhuang, everyone else was stunned by this display, standing still with mouths agape. Thomas, in particular, seemed as if he’d discovered a new world; he rushed over, picked up the now damp incense from the ground, and examined it in his hand. Elena, on the other hand, stared at Chen Shaoxian for a long time.

Xiao Zhuang crouched down and asked, “Shaoxian, what just happened?”

With a somber expression, Chen Shaoxian replied, “This might be a big problem. I was trying to borrow the way; if there’s nothing inside, the incense would float straight up, which would be the best outcome.”

“But if there’s something inside, there are two possible outcomes: one, the incense continues to float inward, meaning as long as we don’t interfere with each other, everything will be fine, and we should be okay with caution.”

“The second is if the incense drifts outwards, indicating that whatever is inside doesn’t want us to enter. But this time, a strong wind blew, suggesting that if we go in, it might be a fight to the death with whatever’s inside.”