CHAPTER 327: CHAPTER 236: UNDERGROUND ALTAR

Wan Chu’er observed the surroundings in the dim light before reaching out to touch the wood on the very top.

Wood fuels fire, fire creates earth, earth births metal, metal yields water, water nourishes wood.

The Yin-Yang and Five Elements are ancient Eastern wisdom, profound in their variations and broad in application, beyond what words can express.

In such a desolate mountainous area, the appearance of a mechanism based on the changes of the Five Elements excited Wan Chu’er immensely.

She fiddled with it for a while before managing to pull all five stones out, revealing a small hole under each. Feeling inside, each contained a metal button, and she could even feel graphical shapes on the metal, corresponding to the shapes of the respective Five Elements.

Quietly, Wan Chu’er pressed the five buttons in sequence, then held her breath and assumed a defensive posture ready to attack, just in case the three kidnappers outside awoke to any noise.

Unfortunately, after waiting for more than ten seconds, she saw nothing happen; the stone chamber remained the same, without a hint of change.

...

Could it be that this was just set up to scare people? Wan Chu’er thought, tilting her head.

The next second, a section of the ground the size of a wellhead began to sink silently, without making any sound at all. She quickly glanced at the three kidnappers and Yan Hui at the cave entrance and saw no movement from them.

Roughly ten seconds later, a dark abyss was revealed, then silence again. Wan Chu’er did not act rashly but maintained her original position.

After waiting for a while, seeing no abnormalities, she cautiously approached the edge and could faintly make out steps leading downward.

Wan Chu’er pondered for a moment before silently moving to the entrance, picking up a flashlight next to one of the burly men, and after some thought, carefully took a dagger from his waist.

Her heart pounded with the thought that if this man awoke, she would stab him with the dagger.

Fortunately, the man did not wake up, and she didn’t have to stab anyone, which was for the best since she had never killed anyone before, and preferred it stayed that way.

With the flashlight and the dagger back in hand, Wan Chu’er returned to the opening and crouched down, slowly entering and descending the steps step by step.

With each step, she counted in her heart, and it wasn’t until she reached forty that she finally stepped onto solid ground.

It seemed the pit extended at least six meters underground; shining her flashlight downwards, she could clearly see the bottom.

A vast and empty space was revealed, at least three times the size of the cave above. When the flashlight beam reached the center of the ground, Wan Chu’er startled, almost jumping.

In the center was a massive ritual altar with five colored flags planted, the flags were tattered, and in the middle of the altar was a large wooden plaque with writing that was not very clear. It looked like someone’s spirit tablet, surrounded by five small altars about a foot in height.

It all seemed like some ancient Eastern ritual was taking place, unsettlingly creepy and difficult to bear.

Having previously researched related information due to Zhuo Yao’s mention of "rituals," Wan Chu’er had some understanding of the Five Elements rituals.

She slowly approached the altar, nearing the small altars, and indeed, as she got close, she smelled a whiff of blood. Aiming the flashlight inside, she saw it was indeed blood.

Aside from a small amount of wet blood at the bottom, the inside of the altars was lined with dried bloodstains, indicating that they once must have been filled with blood.

An aged book had recorded such blood sacrifices, utilizing the blood of people with different Five Element attributes, following the principles of mutual generation and restraint, placing them in the Five Elements positions for ritual purposes, to pray for eternal souls, for descendants to avoid calamity and seek fortune, and for the cycle of destiny and the balance of life and restraint to go on endlessly.

Filling one altar required the blood of at least two people, the thought of which filled her with disgust.

Wan Chu’er endured the discomfort in her chest and checked the surroundings once more, finding nothing else.

She returned to the surface again; the kidnappers at the entrance were still asleep. She quietly approached Yan Hui and carefully woke him up.

"Shh! It’s me."

Yan Hui was startled by Wan Chu’er’s voice at his ear, then swiftly sat up.

Wan Chu’er cut the ropes binding him and pulled the black cloth from his eyes.

Once Yan Hui was free and could see, he looked around cautiously; he was stunned when he saw the dark hole.

Wan Chu’er gestured with her eyes and led the way to the cave entrance; Yan Hui, puzzled, followed her to the entrance nonetheless.

"I’ve checked below; there’s no problem. Let’s hide here for now," Wan Chu’er whispered into Yan Hui’s ear.

Yan Hui felt a warmth in his ear and his body stiffened even further. Wan Chu’er nudged him, and he woodenly led the way down the steps inside the entrance.

Wan Chu’er went back to the spot where she had been lying and reinserted the five stones just as they were. She returned to the entrance, grabbed the kidnappers’ backpack, and swiftly descended the steps.

A few seconds after she went down, the steps began to move.

Both of them looked up quickly, seeing the previous hole slowly being covered until it vanished from sight.

After a moment, Yan Hui came to his senses and asked, "Where is this?"

Wan Chu’er smiled: "Some underground altar."

Yan Hui took the flashlight from Wan Chu’er’s hand and shone it downwards. His expression was just as shocked as Wan Chu’er’s had been before.

It was the modern era, and this was the first time they had encountered something so ancient.

Moreover, it was in such a grim and eerie place, sending chills down their spine upon the first glance.

Yan Hui thought about how Wan Chu’er had come down here alone before, and couldn’t help but admire the girl’s courage. He chuckled and said,

"Let’s see what’s in the bag. We’ll hide here for a few hours. When it gets light, those people will definitely leave to look for us elsewhere. Then we can take the chance to escape.

When you were captured, I had already called Li Shan. The old man and the others will surely realize something has happened to us in no time. Maybe someone is already on their way here through the mountains."

Wan Chu’er raised an eyebrow, as it seemed she had indeed brought trouble to Yan Hui.

"Mr. Yan, I’m sorry."

Yan Hui was taken aback for a moment, then realizing what Wan Chu’er meant, he shook his head with a smile, "Two people are always better than one. It’s better to have someone to discuss with and look out for each other. Don’t feel guilty."

Neither wanted to approach the altar in the center. So, they sat on the steps, using the light from the flashlight to rummage through the bag.

Six bottles of mineral water, five pieces of bread, ten ham sausages, several pieces of chocolate, a bundle of rope, two small knives, two flashlights, a basic first-aid kit, two lighters, and one folding military shovel.

In the end, Wan Chu’er also pulled out a mobile phone. She hurriedly turned it on to see, the phone had a charge, but unfortunately, there was no signal at all.

Yan Hui looked through the items, his expression growing solemn, "I’m afraid we’ve fallen into the hands of the Japanese."