The story of Rose starts with being a brother

Chapter 542 Heavenly Palace on the Clouds (Part 8) - Descending into the Cave

On the fourth day of their journey into the mountains, the Love Apartment team finally found the entrance to the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top. However, upon seeing Zhang Wei's pink backpack and fragments of his clothes, a shadow fell over everyone's hearts.

Even though everyone was a novice at tomb raiding, after traversing mountains and valleys to get here, they couldn't help but get an initial impression that ancient tombs were dangerous.

Could a mausoleum built in such an auspicious location be anything more than a simple treasure trove?

"No matter what, we need to find him alive or dead. Bring Pao back and do it!" Lu Ziqiao said with great enthusiasm after having a few drinks that night.

……

Early on the fifth day.

The group, fully prepared, began their descent into the tomb, but the guide stayed behind.

He had already done his best to be professional by coming here with them, but he didn't want to accompany them down into the ancient tomb anymore.

As someone who lives at the foot of Changbai Mountain, he naturally has a deep respect for this legendary mountain. Normally, he can manage to guide tourists along the routes, but the current situation has exceeded his psychological capacity. If it weren't for the money, he would have stopped two days ago.

Moreover, although he didn't know there was an ancient tomb here, he had heard of strange things happening in the mountains.

He was worried about hitting a weasel on the way, but thankfully he made it through without any major incidents.

But the centipede murals he had seen by the hot springs earlier still made him uneasy, not to mention the corpses he had seen under the glacier along the way.

And that tomb under the ice cave—it gave him the creeps just from looking at it. These people were going to rescue people; he didn't want to risk his own life.

Moreover, although the group of people he brought all seemed quite kind and were mostly young, he always felt like he was being watched from behind during the past few days. But when he turned around, he only saw the man named Wen Sheng looking at him with a smiling expression.

Just looking at the other party's performance over the past few days, he was a little shocked. Everyone else was panting heavily and looked like they had lost half their lives after climbing up here, but the man surnamed Wen looked normal.

Moreover, when crossing the snowfield yesterday, two horses slipped and fell. He personally saw the man surnamed Wen go back and lift the two horses back up. Although the man reappeared later with the horses in tow, he did not believe that what he saw earlier was a figment of his imagination.

As a guide, I come into contact with so many people every year. If I didn't have good judgment, I would have been eaten by this mountain long ago.

If he were to go down into the tomb with them, he had no doubt that if anything happened inside, that man surnamed Wen would definitely use him as a scout first.

Outside the tomb was the familiar Changbai Mountain, where he felt safe even in the harsh environment. But inside the tomb in Changbai Mountain, even though it offered shelter from the wind and snow, he worried that he might not be able to find his way out.

Wen Sheng didn't insist on the guide's decision and even breathed a sigh of relief. If the other person went in with him, he wouldn't be able to take care of him if something happened inside. After all, the other person wasn't the main character and didn't have any special aura. It would be quite unlucky if he accidentally died inside.

Moreover, if the other party has any ulterior motives, I would have to find an opportunity to strike first. Wouldn't that be a challenge to my own moral standards?
Now that the other party is so pragmatic, it saves me the trouble of knocking them out as soon as I enter the tomb.

As for whether the other person is a good person... does that mean I'm not a good person either?

"I will wait for you outside for four days. If you haven't come out after four days, I will go down the mountain first."

Before everyone descended into the cave, the guide looked at Wen Sheng and said this.

Wen Sheng nodded, also indicating that he would double the final payment when he returned.

……

Entering the main hall from the cave entrance is no easy task. Below the ice dome, countless wooden beams covered with icicles rise from the cliff face, intersecting to form a scaffold-like structure that supports the inverted bowl-shaped ice dome.

However, thanks to the efforts of the previous archaeological team, a rope ladder was found embedded in the cliff face beneath the opening of this ice dome, hanging straight down to the roof of the main hall.

For everyone, the only problem now is to walk along the logs below the cave entrance to the cliff.

In fact, these wooden beams are very thick, with a length of over 100 meters. The thinnest of them requires two adults to hug them. These are definitely not logs from a single tree; there must be wooden wedges connecting several pieces of wood.

Such wooden beams can withstand pressure without any problem, and walking on them is also not a problem. Moreover, the wooden beam leading to the cliff has ropes wrapped around it to increase friction, which is probably the work of the previous archaeological team.

Come to think of it, the guide had mentioned that the archaeological team included not only women but also elderly people. Even if they were in good physical condition, we had to minimize the difficulties for them as much as possible.

The only question now is whether the people in the apartment can overcome their fear of heights.

Wen Sheng had considered leaving them outside, but if he went in while they were outside, the danger would probably be no less than that inside the tomb. He hadn't forgotten what Xin Ling had said about a team chasing after them from down the mountain.

After discussing it for a while, the group decided that Hu Yifei would go first, and the others would go down one by one. Wen Sheng would be at the back and would also help them keep an eye on the safety rope.

"We're about to set off, brothers and sisters. Is there anything you want to say?" Hu Yifei asked before they left.

"Have!"

Zeng Xiaoxian quickly raised his hand and said, "My eyelids keep twitching. Is this a bad omen?"

"Left eye twitching means good fortune, right eye twitching means bad luck, you..." Lu Ziqiao stopped mid-sentence because Zeng Xiaoxian's eyelids were twitching.

At first glance, I thought he was performing an eyebrow dance!

“Well…” Hu Yifei thought for a moment and explained, “You might be experiencing altitude sickness.”

"Ouch!"

At this moment, Tang Youyou spat out a small object: "I lost a tooth, is this also altitude sickness?"

"..."

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Just as everyone was feeling uneasy, Wen Sheng spoke up: "How about we kowtow to the Three Saints Snow Mountain next to us first, as a way of worshipping heaven and earth and praying for good fortune?"

"Makes sense."

As soon as Wen Sheng made his suggestion, the group knelt down and began kowtowing to the majestic snow-capped mountain beside them, fearing that if they were late, it would truly be an ominous sign.

"Teacher Zeng, aren't you a staunch materialist? How come you believe in this too?" Lu Ziqiao couldn't help but mock after they finished.

Zeng Xiaoxian wiped the snow off his forehead and chuckled, "I'm just respecting the local traditions."

"..."

People were too tired to even comment on his stubbornness anymore.

Hu Yifei tied a butterfly-shaped rope around her waist, with another rope tied behind her back. She wore a searchlight on her head and carried some light equipment before arriving at the cave entrance.

"Sister Yifei, watch out!"

"Hmm." Hu Yifei nodded, and just as she was about to leave, she suddenly added, "Give me a drink."

"..."

Zeng Xiaoxian's lips twitched as he said, "Are you sure you can stand steadily on the wooden beam after drinking?"

That night in the study, the other person got drunk and wanted to dance.

"Stop talking nonsense, I'm going down now, can't I have a farewell drink?"

Since he had said that, Lu Ziqiao quickly took out a bottle of Bacardi from his backpack and handed it to her.

"Yifei, you can do it!"

After taking a sip of the drink, Hu Yifei seemed much calmer and threw the drink back.

"I jump! You jump!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Hu Yifei took a deep breath and carefully climbed into the cave entrance. Wen Sheng pulled her down with the safety rope into the hollow below the ice dome and then stopped.

Then Hu Yifei took out a grappling hook, swung it around in her hand a few times, and threw it, which landed on the wooden beam that led to the cliff.

Then he pulled himself up to the wooden beam by the grappling hook rope, and climbed up.

Upon seeing Hu Yifei standing steadily on the wooden beam, the people at the cave entrance who were using flashlights to provide light immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But that wasn't all. Hu Yifei then untied the rope from her back and wrapped it around the wooden beam beneath her feet. After doing this, she turned around, gave an "OK" sign, and carefully walked towards the cliff. The rope around her waist was a safety rope, and the rope on her back was specifically for the convenience of others coming down.

When the time comes, just fasten the buckle and slide down the rope to the wooden beam, instead of having to use a hook like she did.

Hu Yifei not only knows martial arts but also dance. She has excellent balance and moves very steadily on the wooden beam towards the cliff.

But the people at the cave entrance didn't dare to make a sound, afraid of startling the other party. Every step Hu Yifei took made their hearts pound.

After she finally reached the top of the cliff, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, Hu Yifei will climb down the rope ladder to the cave 100 meters below, where the main hall is located.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats again, and no one dared to blink.

Only when Hu Yifei landed steadily on the roof of the main hall did everyone finally feel completely relieved.

"Alas!"

Cheers erupted, and the people at the cave entrance high-fived each other in celebration.

"You're amazing! Sister Yifei, you're a goddess in my heart!"

"Unbelievable! Is this what a real ninja is like? No wonder Yifei can use the Flash!"

"..."

Hu Yifei's success greatly boosted everyone's confidence, and the next step was to follow suit.

Moreover, thanks to Hu Yifei's scouting and setup just now, the difficulty has been greatly reduced.

The second was Lü Ziqiao. When he carefully walked across the wooden beam to the edge of the cliff, he attached another rope and fixed it to the cliff face. This way, people behind him could use the rope to cross, making the crossing easier again.

Youyou, Guangu, and Meijia had a relatively safe journey until Zeng Xiaoxian stood on the wooden beam, when his legs went weak and he almost fell over.

Although Wen Sheng was holding onto the safety rope, if she fell, she would be dangling in the air.

"Zeng Xiaoxian, can't you be a man?! We three girls aren't afraid, can't you, a grown man, stop being such a coward?!"

Seeing this, Hu Yifei was worried, but she couldn't help but curse.

That's why people say Zeng Xiaoxian is a masochist. His legs were so weak just now, but after being scolded by Hu Yifei, he was able to stand up shakily.

Although he stood there, Zeng Xiaoxian moved across the wooden beam at a snail's pace. He couldn't be said to have walked across; it was more like he shuffled across. But in any case, he still managed to land safely on the roof.

"Teacher Zeng, your pants look wet?"

"..."

While Zeng Xiaoxian was still panting heavily, Tang Youyou's words instantly made his face turn bright red.

"I...I got this from melted snow!"

Beside the cave entrance, Wen Sheng looked at Dali and Xinling beside him and said, "Next, it's your turn, Xinling."

“Okay…” Xinling glanced down at the cave entrance and nodded nervously.

Seeing this, Wen Sheng asked, "Your heart..."

"No... no problem."

After Xinling finished speaking, she suddenly grabbed Wensheng's hand and placed it on her left chest.

Wen Sheng raised an eyebrow. Even through the thick clothing, he could feel the other person's heart rate drop.

A minute later, Xinling let out a breath and said, "I feel much better now, I can go down now."

"..."

Wen Sheng was unsure whether he or the other party had gotten the better deal.

Seeing Zhuge Dali looking at him with a strange expression, Wen Sheng coughed lightly and said, "What are you looking at? You should be prepared too."

Then he helped Cyndi secure her safety rope and watched her slowly slide toward the wooden beams and pillars.

I don't know if it was because touching her chest for a while earlier gave her some kind of buff, but Xinling was very steady when crossing the corridor pillars. Before going down the rope ladder, she looked back at the entrance and landed on the roof tile smoothly.

"Uncle, I'm ready. Can you help me tie the rope?"

In comparison, Dali was probably the least afraid among them, and his eyes were full of excitement.

Last night, while we were in the tent, Wensheng heard her say that this was much more interesting than camping in Sheshan.

A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger!

"wait."

After saying this, Wen Sheng used a nail to push one end of the sliding rope in his hand into the solid ice. After testing that it was secure enough, he carried the remaining supplies and backpack on his back, and then walked up to Dali and tied the other person's safety rope to himself.

"Uncle, will you come with me?"

Dali exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the rope connecting their waists.

"Okay." Wen Sheng nodded, fastening the buckle on the rope to himself as he said, "I'm worried about you going down alone, so hold on tight to me later."

Although the previous people had already gone down smoothly, Dali was still a child and so excited. What if something happened to him halfway down? How would he explain it to Attorney Zhuge?

I wasn't kidding when I said I wouldn't let Dali out of my sight. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance of something going wrong if Dali goes down alone, it's better for him to go down with me.

Even if an avalanche or the rope breaks along the way, he can still protect her and ensure her safe landing.

"Ok."

Hearing this, Dali did not object. Seeing that Wensheng was ready, she stepped forward and hugged him like an octopus.

"Get ready, we're going down."

"Ah."

So the people on the roof below saw Wen Sheng carrying Dali in front and a large bag on his back slide down from the hole onto the pillar.

"Brother Sheng is truly a god!"

Lu Ziqiao, watching this scene through binoculars, couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

After standing firmly on the wooden beam, Wen Sheng held the rope with one hand and carried Dali with the other, walking up the cliff.

"Uncle, doesn't this look like Zhao Zilong carrying A Dou at Changban Slope?" Dali said, hugging Wen Sheng tightly.

"Hmm, a little, but A Dou is lighter than you and doesn't cause as much trouble," Wen Sheng chuckled.

"Hmph, anyway, looking at it this way, I've always been one step ahead of you when we're going down into the tomb."

"..."

Wen Sheng didn't want to answer her anymore. After walking all the way to the cliff, he didn't climb the rope ladder, since it wasn't convenient to carry someone in front of him.

They tied a rope directly to the wooden beam and lowered it down, holding onto the rope with one hand as they descended. Since they were wearing gloves, they weren't worried about friction.

After saying those words as they passed the pillar, Dali hadn't spoken again until now, as she was being lowered in his arms, feeling Wen Sheng's steady breathing beside her ear, and then she softly said:

"Uncle, do you like my mom?"

(End of this chapter)