Ringing the Bell

Han Sheng patted the big head's thigh and said, "It's okay, just a dislocated ankle. I've already reset it for you. Get up and try."

The big head, with a skeptical expression, lay on the ground. He slightly lifted his elbow-like fat leg, seeming to be truly pain-free. I said, "Come on, take a few steps." He stood up, almost unimpeded, and laughed, "Impressive, Han Sheng, you're quite the experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. This pit almost killed me."

"This isn't a pit, it's a burial well. Look here." Han Sheng moved the flashlight towards the nearby well. "The two copper plates below, and this." As Han Sheng moved the flashlight, the light hit the well wall, revealing several protruding copper nails.

"The lower copper plates have obvious sinking, probably due to the long-term placement of heavy objects. The gaps are quite large, possibly used for hoisting during the lifting and lowering of the coffin. And those two copper nails, with different degrees of deformation, I speculate that something was originally hanging above, and most importantly, this..." Han Sheng said, taking out a few things from his pocket and handing them to us.

"A jade pendant." The big head saw the valuable item, no longer feeling pain or discomfort. He grabbed it, examined it back and forth, and asked in confusion, "This has cloud and thunder patterns, from the Spring and Autumn period, right?"

I took it and examined it carefully, shaking my head, "No, the pattern is indeed cloud and thunder, but look at this shape. It's a coiled dragon with an open mouth and teeth. The dragon's body is adorned with hooked and drawn cloud and thunder patterns, commonly known as 'false yangwen.' It predates the Spring and Autumn period, originating from the Yin and Shang periods. Gold and jade in the nine orifices make the dead immortal. Such small jade pendants are often found in burials, typical of external burial jades."

The big head wondered, "Is this really a burial well? Why the heck is it vertical?"

"Vertical burials exist. Years ago, my father and second uncle dug up vertical burials in South Jiang, where the bodies were wrapped in silver wire. It is said that the local tribes once worshiped the great demon god Xinchi, who lived underground. Therefore, when the locals died, they were buried vertically, so that Xinchi could take away their souls." Xiao He added.

Han Sheng opened the flashlight, sweeping the ground, revealing many such burial wells. Evidently, there had been large-scale burials here.

Looking at the rows of burial wells arranged in a grid pattern, I analyzed, "Xiao He's explanation is plausible. This burial ceremony probably has some connection with those giant statues we saw in the previous hall. There is also an element of religious belief. Looking at it this way, the entire temple is more like a burial temple. However, I can't understand why these ancient people, who usually emphasize returning to their roots, bury their dead here. Could it be that these people are not from the Ba-Shu ghost tribes, or... there's a special reason for burying their people here?"

Xiao He squatted beside a burial well, observing, "Do you feel it? These burial wells seem unusually deep. Regular coffins aren't this long."

The big head said, "Could it be that these people worship Xinchi, a demon with a fish spirit?"

I chuckled, asking him to stop joking. At that moment, a vague memory from the depths of my mind surfaced – an eerie scene witnessed in the Immortal Tomb. Those tall figures in red shirts carrying white paper umbrellas, I still couldn't explain what that was. Now, seeing these deep burial wells, those memories rushed back.

Seeing my uneasy expression, the big head asked what happened. I recounted the scene in the Immortal Tomb, and we all looked at each other in disbelief. The big head licked his lips and whispered, "Are you saying that the original inhabitants buried here are all Yin spirits?"

I shook my head. At that time, I was almost scared witless and didn't remember many details. If not for seeing these burial wells now, I believe my subconscious would have buried those memories deep. I said, "I can't be sure. I still think it was an illusion caused by the spider poison."

"No, no," the big head analyzed, "If what you saw was real, then everything makes sense. Those people sent their tribe members' bodies in here, which is why these burial wells are so deep."

Xiao He added, "But how could we see such scenes here and in the Immortal Tomb? Are these two tombs related?"

I glanced at Han Sheng; only the two of us knew about the peculiarities of that tomb. Even if the Immortal Tomb was special, it couldn't show the burial scenes that happened here years ago. I was now confused, thinking about the mysterious actions of the ancient people from Ba-Shu, making the truth seem elusive.

"And there's another problem we overlooked," the big head pointed to the burial wells, looking at us, "It's said that peace comes from burial, but look, there's no sign of backfilled soil here, and not a single coffin. What does that mean?"

"These bodies were intended to be taken out from the beginning."

"Yes!" The big head said, "Congratulations, you got it right. Now the question is, who took away these mysterious bodies, and what was the purpose of burying and exhuming them?"

I sighed; it seemed someone took away all the bodies here back then. If it wasn't my father and the others, then who...

Suddenly, I remembered the "leader" who used Yushan to open the Zhenling Terrace, seemingly also for the bodies inside. The common point between them was... the bodies. Yes, they were both involved in exhumation.

I suddenly understood this point, feeling a sudden clarity. I excitedly said to them, "The key to all these problems is those mysterious bodies."

I shared my speculation. The big head and Xiao He found it reasonable, but Han Sheng's expression wasn't as relaxed. He said he always felt something was off in this temple but couldn't quite grasp it. At this moment, the big head shone the flashlight towards the back of the hall and exclaimed, "What's going on? There's no door. Is it over here?"

We hadn't noticed it before, but now, after his remark, we found that this large hall had reached its end, and there was no exit behind. With this discovery, we all felt a bit lost. We thought we would see the "reincarnation" of those ancestors when we reached the end, but it turned out to be this conclusion. For a while, we all found it hard to accept.

This feeling was like a sudden blow to the head, leaving us dazed. After thinking for a while, I said, "Anyway, let's look around. There might be an exit elsewhere."

We walked towards the depths of the hall, and suddenly, Xiao He stopped us, "Wait, let me provide some illumination." Saying this, he went to a pillar, and the big head turned to shine the light on him. We all took a cold breath when we saw

 a clear palm print on the pillar. We approached, and Han Sheng compared it with his hand, confirming it belonged to an adult.

Han Sheng sniffed it and showed a surprised expression, saying, "It's blood, and judging by the oxidation, it doesn't seem old."

I was also surprised. If it wasn't old blood, then the last batch of people who might have come here had to be my father's team. It seemed someone from their team had also reached this point. I raised my head and saw Han Sheng looking at me. He must have guessed it too.

The big head suddenly covered his stomach, supported the pillar with one hand, and looked at the front in pain, saying, "It's over there."

We were stunned for a moment, and then the big head returned to normal, saying, "This guy was obviously injured. He leaned on this, took a breath, and then walked in that direction. If this was a dead end, he would have turned back. But he didn't, which proves there's something strange about that clock."

I asked him curiously, "Why are you covering your stomach?"

He proudly said, "Criminal psychology, you know? Understand the hidden side profiles."

"Criminal psychology? You, a rough guy like you, understand that?"

He gave me a disdainful look, "Haven't you heard of criminal psychology?"

Although his "hidden side profiles" sounded low, the argument about the clock was convincing. We walked over, and the big head asked Han Sheng to check for mechanisms. Han Sheng carefully inspected around the bronze clock and shook his head, indicating no clues.

The big head, still unwilling, asked me to look at the characters on the clock again. I sighed and said, "I just looked; they are all cast with bell and cauldron characters, that is, bronze inscriptions. This is my blind spot. I only recognize a few. Moreover, although there are 3005 characters in bronze inscriptions, only 1804 are known. Even if I transcribe the content, it will take a long time to interpret it."

"So, did this guy with wings fly away?" The big head was a bit annoyed, and as he unintentionally pushed the clock, the round clock slightly shook. We all focused our gaze on it, and when the big head saw us, he spat in his hand and muttered, "Damn it," then swung his arm, lifting the clock and smashing it towards the bronze bell.

"Dang..."

The deep sound of the bell, like a strong wind passing through, echoed in the temple for a long time. Suddenly, I realized that we were probably the first in a thousand years to ring this bronze bell.

The ancient and solemn bell echoed in this millennium-old temple, creating a special solemnity. We, alert, looked around to see if anything had changed. Unfortunately, apart from the gradually fading bell sound, there was no other alteration.

Just as the big head was about to strike the bronze bell again, I saw a sudden change in Han Sheng's expression. He raised one hand, indicating silence. In this extremely quiet surroundings, I suddenly heard a low sound. Initially faint and indistinct, it became clearer and more obvious until the final "rumbling" sounds were quite distinct, coming from all directions.

"What's that sound?"

Xiao He's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he squeezed out two words from between his teeth, "Mountain flood."