"Oh? Some things are off-limits? What things? Aren't these all just plants and trees?" I asked.

Chen Jiansheng shook his head, "Let's walk and talk."

After about ten minutes, he stopped in front of a large tree. The tree was over a dozen meters tall, and its appearance was peculiar, with limbs and a trunk, but not a single leaf on it; completely bare.

Pointing at the tree, he turned to us and said, "You see, I used this tree as a landmark because it's easy to recognize. I've even named it the 'Bare Stick Tree.' It's directly opposite the cave's fissure exit. As long as you can see it, you won't get lost inside."

"Hmm, Chen the Carpenter, that's indeed a clever method," I complimented.

A Mole looked up at the tree, staring blankly for several minutes before he spoke in a grave tone, "I took a course in botany in college out of interest. I've heard the Old Professor mention this tree; it's not called the 'Bare Stick Tree.' It has a name—it's called the 'Yunyang Tree.'"

"Whoa, I didn't expect you, Chen the Logistician, to be a college graduate," Chen Jiansheng laughed, "I don't know about any Yunyang Tree. It doesn't have a single hair; I think 'Bare Stick Tree' is more fitting."

"Don't talk nonsense if you're uneducated!" Red Sister glared at him, "Yunyang is the name given by ancient people. This tree was actually a serendipitous graft by the ancients. The tree was discovered by a scholar named Yunyang, so it was referred to as the 'Yunyang Tree' in the 'Records of Strange Objects and Creatures.' But all this is because the ancients didn't quite understand grafting techniques."

"So, are you suggesting this 'Bare Stick Tree'—no, this Yunyang Tree—is artificially planted?"

"That can't be right. I've been here several times, and I've never seen a soul, let alone a ghost. You must be mistaken," Chen Jiansheng vigorously shook his head upon hearing that the large tree might have been grafted by humans.

"Alright, Chen the Earthworker, whether this tree is wild or grafted, it's not important. Let's hurry on to the place you wanted to show us."

"Okay, let's go. Take the left path and watch out for the weeds underfoot; some of them have thorny hooks."

He led us on, and along the way, I saw many plants I had never encountered before.

Red Sister would occasionally explain to me, "This, this flower is called monkshood. Don't touch it; it'll make your skin itch."

"This is called nicker seed, that's the red cockscomb flower. These are all quite uncommon plants."

Suddenly, I spotted a dark yellow insect lying on a red cockscomb flower, resembling the cicada bugs from the fields in the countryside.

I reached out and caught it with one try.

Holding the insect, I looked closely and wondered, "What... what is this? It's not a cicada. Why doesn't it have legs?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

That's why I caught it so easily; the creature didn't have legs and couldn't crawl away.

"Chen the Earthworker, do you know what kind of insect this is?" I asked curiously.

He glanced at it and scratched his head, "No idea. Don't ask me; I haven't seen everything. There are plenty of strange little bugs around here."

The insect seemed unable to make noise, and it had a pair of black sesame seed-like eyes on its head, looking very odd.

Chen Jiansheng didn't know and had never seen it before; Red Sister also shook her head, not recognizing it. Red Sister admitted she was more knowledgeable about plants than insects.

I didn't pay it much attention and casually slipped the insect into my pocket since it didn't bite, and without legs, it wouldn't crawl away. My interest was purely due to its odd and unfamiliar nature.

"By the way, are you guys hungry now?" Chen Jiansheng suddenly turned around and asked.

"I'm okay, I can keep going. Not very hungry," I replied truthfully.

He rolled his eyes, "Of course you're not hungry! You ate the whole fish I caught!"

I rubbed my hands awkwardly, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Well..."

"Alright, alright, since we're here, let's have a little something."

He pointed to a small tree on the right: "You can eat those red fruits on the tree. I've tried them before, no harm done. There's not much else to eat around here. I'll go pick some to stave off the hunger." With that, he walked over to the fruit tree.

In a few minutes, he returned, his shirt bulging with the gathered fruits.

"Here you go," he handed one to A Mole.

"How do we know it's edible? I'm not eating it," Red Sister refused to take it.

"Heh, then you, Chen the Logistician, can just stay hungry," he wiped a fruit on his clothes and then bit into it, juice spilling out, looking very sweet and tempting.

I swallowed reflexively.

Noticing my eagerness, he shook his head and tossed me two of the fruits.

After hesitating, I cautiously took a bite.

It had a crunch like an apple, but it was sweeter and juicier.

"It's fine, Red Sister. Have one. They're actually quite good. You hardly ate anything earlier, and we still have a walk ahead of us. It'll be good to get some sugar in you," I said, offering her a fruit.

This time, she accepted and ate it.

"Hey..." the man chuckled, "How is it, Chen the Logistician? Sweet, isn't it? Tasty?"

She didn't respond, her face still cold.

After eating the fruits, our throats felt a lot fresher and less dry.

Chen Jiansheng found a clearing and suggested we sit for a while, to rest, as there was no rush.

I asked in confusion, "Chen the Earthworker, we haven't walked that far since we entered, have we?"

"Hey," he waved his hand dismissively, "Kid, there are things you don't know. Just sit for a while and you'll see. I'll show you something interesting soon." His words were cryptic and full of mystery.

With no choice but to follow the lead of our guide, we sat down. We all sat in silence, with Chen Jiansheng occasionally glancing up at the sky, seemingly looking for something.

After about an hour, I grew restless.

I stood up abruptly and demanded to know how much longer we would rest and whether we were going to get back to business. Red Sister also turned to look at him.

Chen Jiansheng was now reclining backward, propped up by his arms, a piece of grass hanging from his mouth.

"Ptooey," he spat out the grass, "That scene, once I saw it, I could never forget. Don't rush. It's about to get dark soon, very soon..."

"Dark? Inside here?" I looked around.

The light was dim, like dusk, but it was enough to see.

"Ha ha, here it comes, look!" Chen Jiansheng suddenly pointed to the area we had just walked through.

The place we had passed was gradually being enveloped in darkness, like an eclipse, transitioning from twilight to night.

And this cloud-like darkness was spreading towards us.

In less than three minutes, our surroundings were completely darkened, turning pitch-black, to the point where we couldn't see our own hands in front of us.

"Now it's so dark, I can't even see my own fingers," I exclaimed.

"Chen the Earthworker!" Unable to see anyone in the darkness, I shouted.

"What is it that you want us to see!" (To be continued)

*******

I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/7b136c