In the 1970s, Jilin University published a book titled "World Fungi Popular Science." Due to poor sales, only the first edition was printed. On page 14 of this book, a peculiar fungus was recorded in the form of a rubbing. This organism is known as the Yellow Cypress Old Face. In the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Guangxi, local folklore suggests it is used for summoning spirits.

Such folkloric taboos as spirit summoning are a matter of personal belief. While I am no professional Taoist or sorcerer, I have witnessed some inexplicable events, which I hope to share with you another time.

...

Returning to the matter at hand, as soon as Eldest Elder Sun uttered the words "summoning spirits," a shiver ran down everyone's spine given the context of being in a graveyard. A Mole was no exception.

Taking two steps back, A Mole glared at Eldest Elder Sun and said, "Boss, can't you speak of something more auspicious? Don't you see where we are?"

After that, everyone kept their distance from the fungi on the wood.

At that moment, I felt a tinge of curiosity. The tomb initially exuded the scent of phoebe wood, yet the Wood Mountain, fashioned into the Yellow Intestine Assemblage by Western Zhou craftsmen, was clearly made of cypress. Cypress is known for its millennia-long resistance to decay, partly due to the wood's inherent preservative qualities and partly because of the protective layer applied to it. These two factors could indeed explain the wood's enduring nature.

But... where was the scent of phoebe wood coming from?

Could it be that the tomb owner's coffin and outer coffin were made of nanmu? I was uncertain.

"Let's split up and look for places where the gaps between the wood are wide enough for a person to pass through. Those might be the paths left by the ancient craftsmen," Eldest Elder Sun instructed us, torch in hand.

We parted ways temporarily, each person only about six or seven meters apart, still within sight of one another.

I searched with my torch in the southwest corner of Wood Mountain.

"Huh?" I rubbed my eyes vigorously.

I thought I was seeing things because I had just glimpsed a curled-up shadow between the cracks of the wood.

After rubbing my eyes and looking intently once more, I saw nothing but wood.

Still young and not very brave, I felt a chill in my heart and instinctively stepped back.

"Third Brother, Big Brother," I called out twice.

The torch only illuminated a small area in front of me, and it was very dark around.

I called out twice, but no one answered.

Swallowing hard, I slowly turned around with the torch in hand.

Everyone was gone.

A Mole, Eldest Elder Sun, Third Elder Sun.

Everything had vanished into thin air!

At that moment, a cool breeze blew from nowhere, causing my pupils to dilate in alarm.

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My lips trembled as I shouted, "Third Brother! Big Brother! Red Sister!"

But there was no reply. In this sealed space, there wasn't even an echo.

Darkness enveloped me.

The first thought that flashed through my mind was whether I had encountered a ghost wall.

As a child, I'd heard the elders in the village often speak of this phenomenon. They said it was a trick played by spirits to toy with mortals. If you ran around in panic, you could end up dead, forever going in circles.

Fear gripped me, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Cloud Peak, what are you doing over there?" Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind me.

That familiar voice... I could never forget it.

It was Second Brother.

"Second Brother!" I swung around, torch in hand.

But there was nothing behind me, just an expanse of darkness.

I stepped back, my face ashen, and fumbled for the amulet that Yao Yumen had given me, clutching it tightly in my palm.

The amulet from Little Crow Box still held the warmth of my body heat as I grasped it.

"Cloud Peak! I'm here, come find me," came the voice of Second Elder Sun again.

Crouched on the ground, hands over my ears, I leaned against Wood Mountain, trying not to breathe too loudly.

I cast fearful glances around, desperate to spot the others.

With my back against Wood Mountain, at that moment...

Someone tugged at my clothes from behind.

"Ah!" Startled, I scrambled to my feet and bolted.

"Thump." In my blind rush, I collided with something fleshy.

In the darkness, the face of Third Elder Sun slowly came into view.

"Cloud Peak, have you lost your mind, running about like this! You've hurt me," he gasped, gently rubbing his chest.

The torchlight flickered back to life.

A Mole and Eldest Elder Sun reappeared before me.

Seeing them almost brought me to tears. I wiped the sweat from my brow and stammered, "Where did you all go just now? I couldn't see you at all."

Eldest Elder Sun gave me a skeptical look and said, "We've been right here, Cloud Peak. Don't scare us. We've been searching for the entrance too."

I took a deep breath and said, "Big Brother... just now... I thought I saw Second Brother..."

"What!"

"Impossible!" Third Elder Sun exclaimed in shock, "Cloud Peak, where did you see him? There's no one here but us. Are you seeing things?"

"No, he isn't seeing things..." A Mole's face was pale as she nodded at Third Elder Sun, "I... I think I saw Second Brother too."

Someone might have been seeing things, and now both A Mole and I were saying it, which caused Eldest Elder Sun's brows to furrow.

"Could it be... could it be haunted, Big Brother?" I mustered the courage to ask.

Hearing me mention ghosts, A Mole's face turned even paler.

Eldest Elder Sun surveyed our surroundings carefully, finally fixing his gaze on the Yellow Cypress Old Face Fungi.

He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Don't be scared. It's not a haunting," he pointed at the fungi growing on the wood, "Even if there were ghosts, they'd be because of these things."

He looked at me and then at A Mole.

"Little Red, Cloud Peak, haven't you realized? You two were the first to notice the Yellow Cypress Old Face, and you were the closest to them."

A Mole's mind worked faster than mine. She glanced at the fungi in disbelief, "Boss, are you saying... what Cloud Peak and I saw was an illusion? It wasn't the real Second Brother, and these black mushrooms are to blame?"

"That's right, that's my guess," Eldest Elder Sun nodded.

"After all, there are rumors that these things are used for summoning spirits, so it's probably normal for them to have some hallucinogenic effects."

I blurted out without thinking, "Then, Big Brother, do you think it might really have summoned Second Brother's spirit?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Third Elder Sun slapped the back of my head, "Don't talk nonsense! We don't even know if Second Brother is dead or alive!"

Realizing I might have misspoken, I quickly apologized.

Not holding it against me, Eldest Elder Sun said, "Stop talking about useless things, come with me, I've found something."

He led us to the northwest corner on the left side of Wood Mountain.

I noticed it even without him pointing it out.

Although the outer layer was made of the same wood, looking inside from this angle, the space within the Yellow Intestine Assemblage seemed slightly larger.

Compared to the compactness elsewhere, this spot looked just big enough for a person to squeeze through.

From here, one could worm their way into Wood Mountain, into the Yellow Intestine Assemblage.

Using a sharp dagger, we pried open the outermost cypress logs.

Eldest Elder Sun turned to us.

"Follow me closely, and if you notice anything, speak up immediately."

"I'll go in first and check." (To be continued)

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