Chapter Ninety: The Trap

No matter what became of Chen Dongfang, I had always had a good impression of Li Qing. He struck me as the kind of man who lived with a wild, effortless freedom, and the fact that he could even imitate a character from a game he liked only made him seem all the more charming. Since we had decided to go into the mountains at night, the earlier we set out, the better.

I had been to the outer reaches of Funiu Mountain quite a few times. I would not dare to say I could walk it blindfolded, but at least I knew the trails well enough, so at first the going was easy. But as we walked on, guided by the one-eyed Old Four, we gradually drifted off course. This was not the path toward the cliff leading into the deep mountains. At first I felt uncertain, but then I remembered what Chen Qingshan had said about how he had followed Chen Shitou: he too had taken some strange little path. That eased me somewhat.

At that moment, I was not really afraid of Li Qing turning on me. In my eyes, he still seemed upright and open. What I was truly afraid of was that this one-eyed, corpse-like Old Four would lead us into a dead end. Or worse, that we would come to some empty, open place where, at a single command, countless fox spirits would swarm out, each one stinking so foully that one fart would be enough to choke Li Qing and me to death.

I was tense, but Li Qing remained calm. I suddenly wished Xiao Wang were here. At least he and Li Qing would have something to talk about. As for Li Qing, unless you were discussing games with him, he did not seem inclined to say much at all. I could only keep my flashlight on and hurry after Old Four. After about an hour, I began to feel my strength failing. After all, this was mountain terrain, and by now we were walking through waist-high wild grass everywhere, making progress difficult. But both of them were different: one was an old hand in the mountains, the other a skilled fighter. They did not slow down, and I could only grit my teeth and keep up.

We continued like that for another hour or so. To be honest, if Old Four had truly abandoned me here at this point, I would not even have known where I was, let alone found my way out of the mountains alone. Looking around, all I could see were layer upon layer of ridges, and the night mountains were terrifyingly silent. The only sound was the rustle of their steps crushing through the grass.

That feeling, combined with my exhaustion, left me in a very bad state. But I was a proud sort of person; I could not simply say I was tired and ask us to rest. Just when it felt as though my whole body had become too heavy to lift, Old Four suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.

"The cave is up there," he said.

At the word cave, and thinking of Chen Qingshan's description, I felt sure this must be the so-called fox spirit lair. Even if I had to grit my teeth, I walked on. I shone my flashlight ahead. This powerful beam was certainly not comparable to the miner's lamp we had taken from Chen Qingshan's house. It reached far and shone bright. On the opposite mountain, I indeed saw a cave. It was a strange feeling. Did monsters have to live in caves? It was rather like the stories in Journey to the West, except there was no plaque above this cave reading, "The Cave of the Fox Fairy on Funiu Mountain."

"You two go in. I'll wait here," Old Four said.

"No way. What if you lead us into a dead end and then disappear? How are we supposed to find you?" I said.

"Look. The fox fairy is already waiting for you," Old Four said, pointing toward the cave entrance.

I followed his finger and swept the beam of my flashlight over there. Sure enough, I saw several foxes lined up at the mouth of the cave, like human security guards. The sight was eerie beyond words.

"If you're scared now, you can still go back," Old Four said with a cold laugh.

Li Qing turned back then, looking at me with a smile. "Have you ever seen a fox spirit before?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Neither have I. Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

With that, he actually walked toward the cave entrance. Seeing that, I had no choice but to follow. I clutched my dagger tightly and went after him, while Old Four remained where he was, watching us go.

When we reached the entrance, Li Qing gave a startled sound and crouched down. "These aren't foxes?"

I thought he meant something else. "Have you ever seen a fox? If these aren't foxes, what else could they be?"

"No," Li Qing said. "I mean they're not alive."

Only then did I lower my head and sweep the light across the ground. I realized the two rows of foxes standing there really were different. Their fur had dried out, and especially their eyes, which were nothing like a fox's round, bright stare. They were even sunken in. Those eight foxes in two rows were, in fact, mummified carcasses.

I wanted to question Old Four about what this meant, but when I turned around and swept the flashlight back, the spot where he had been standing was already empty. An ominous feeling surged through me at once.

"Old Four is tricking us," I said to Li Qing. "Let's get out of here now."

The words had barely left my mouth when my foot suddenly slipped. Then I felt as if I had stepped on empty air and was dropping straight down. After that, my body slammed against the walls again and again as I fell, before finally crashing heavily to the ground. The impact nearly rattled me apart. My whole body ached, but I could not spare a thought for that now. I quickly swung the flashlight back and shouted, "Li Qing?!"

I shone the light upward and saw that above me was the cave entrance. I had fallen straight down. Li Qing, relying on his skill, used his hands and feet to spring and pivot along the rock wall several times before landing lightly on the ground. His movements were agile, almost showy. In his hand, he held a fox carcass.

"What is going on here?" I asked.

Li Qing lifted the thing in his hand and looked at me innocently. "I just picked one of them up. Who knew it was a mechanism?"

Even now, he still looked utterly relaxed. I looked up and realized we were several meters below the entrance. Clearly, we had fallen into a trap.

"I told you that one-eyed bastard was trying to kill us. Why were you still messing with things?" I snapped.

Li Qing said calmly, "How was I supposed to know? Besides, you shouted too late."

"Can you get back up there? Find some vines or grass and braid a rope to pull me up," I said to him. We were already deep in the mountains, and now that I had ended up in a cave, I felt even more stifled and miserable.

"No need for all that. I don't know what you're panicking about." Li Qing reached down and grabbed my arm. I had already seen how he moved before, especially when he fought Big Brother. He was extraordinarily nimble and graceful. To borrow Chen Dongfang's words, Li Qing's skills were simply brilliant.

Just like that, he lifted me up. One toe touched the ground, then he pushed off a rock for leverage and touched down again. I felt as though my whole body were being carried and flung upward in his grip. He borrowed force several times in midair, and just when it seemed we were about to reach the entrance and escape this trap, everything suddenly went black before my eyes.

When I looked up again, the moonlit entrance had been sealed shut.

But Li Qing did not stop. He kept charging upward against the rock wall. At last he pressed his palm against the huge stone blocking the opening, then continued holding me as he slowly descended to the ground.

Li Qing shook his head. "The stone is too big. I can't push it open. We're trapped in here for good."

Even now, he still showed no sign of panic. I truly had to admire that kind of composure. Squatting on the ground, I looked up at the sealed entrance and, for the first time, I really believed the fat man's words: there truly was not a single good person to be found. Earlier, I had even pitied that one-eyed Old Four after the beating he got from the fat man.

Still, though I was a little flustered, I was not truly panicking. I knew my big brother was right behind us, and with his abilities, he would certainly take care of me.

Thinking of that, I took my flashlight and swept it around, wanting to see what was inside this trap. Then I saw that there was a hole in the pit. It was not large and seemed to lead somewhere. I stood up and walked over, lowering my head to shine the light inside.

Inside, I found a shoe. It had an Oxford leather sole, somewhat similar to the soles of the hiking boots Old Four had been selling.

I reached out, meaning to pull the shoe out and take a look. But when I tugged on it, it felt a little heavy. I pulled harder, and the shoe did come out, but in that instant, my scalp went numb.

Because I had not only pulled out a shoe.

I had also pulled out a leg bone.