The Ladder was not hard to find. The Nitre Cave resembled a dustpan in shape, and the Sky Ladder was located right at its mouth.

The four humans and one dog climbed over several mounds, some tall, some short, making their way toward the destination. The further they walked, the moister the air became, and the yellow sand on the ground grew unusually slick and sticky. The mounds were riddled with deep pits formed by years of dripping and impacting magma water.

Finally reaching the Sky Ladder, we discovered it was tethered to two naturally formed colossal stone pillars. Few of the coffin-lid-like wooden planks of the ladder remained; the few surviving pieces hung precariously over the pitch-black, eerie abyss of the sinkhole. We saw that the thick ropes securing the planks were actually twisted from raw hemp twine, but they were utterly decayed. Perhaps due to the long absence of external interference, the thick ropes had barely maintained their original appearance.

Holding the flashlight, I began to closely examine the knotting techniques used for the web-like hemp ropes and the methods employed to bind the wooden planks.

I quickly understood the principle of the Sky Ladder—it was simple, much like modern Venetian blinds: when unfurled, it formed steps; when retracted, it became a slide.

I could easily imagine the Tujia ancestors descending into the Nitre Cave, carrying their baskets and back carriers, inching across the Sky Ladder in fear and trepidation. After completing the nitre processing, they would certainly slide their hard-earned harvest down the ladder. While I marveled at the ingenuity of our ancestors with shock and pride, I was also deeply moved by their fearless and unyielding spirit in such harsh survival conditions.

I shared my conjecture with the other three, and they tacitly agreed with my analysis.

We soon found several massive wooden winches in another spot, equally dilapidated and rotted. This location was the storeroom cave that Jiye had mentioned, separated from the Nitre Cave by only a single wall. A narrow passageway, artificially carved, connected the two caves.

The grain cave was indeed vast. Like the Nitre Cave, its floor was littered with countless utensils of daily life whose shapes were now unrecognizable, covered in dust or damp soil. Beneath the rock wall adjacent to the Nitre Cave was a row of hearths built from long stone slabs, many sections of which had already collapsed. The long stones lay askew, seemingly recounting tales of bygone eras.

Opposite the hearths, against the rock wall, was a rectangular "storage structure" for grain, enclosed by planks of pitch-sealed wood several fingers thick. Inside the granary were piles of pitch-black fragments, likely unconsumed grain that had rotted, emitting a pungent, musty odor. The pitch-sealed planks were also thoroughly decayed; a mere touch could yield a handful of wood splinters.

The shape and size of the grain cave were almost identical to the Nitre Cave, like two dustpans set into the rock face.

After circling the grain cave a few times, our hearts grew colder and more desperate—besides the bottomless sinkholes at the front of both caves, there was absolutely no way out.

Tired out, the four humans and one dog collapsed onto the edge of the sinkhole, gazing silently at the unfathomable depths.

The repeated cycle of hope followed by disappointment, however, ignited a surge of boldness within me. I could accept any tragic end—being crushed by rocks, poisoned by pitch, or whatever—but I could not accept being trapped here to slowly die. Seeing my three companions dispirited, and Hua'er no longer as lively as before, I suppressed my sorrow and forced a smile to comfort them. "Cheer up, how can a living person die of a blocked bladder, right?"

The three glanced at me, then turned their gazes elsewhere, clearly unimpressed by my comfort.

"Think about it. If our ancestors could devise a method for building the Sky Ladder, they surely wouldn't be stupid enough to leave no alternative exit, would they? If this ladder broke, wouldn't the Nitre Cave and the grain cave become their natural tombs?"

"You mean..." Jiye's eyes lit up, "There's a path above the sinkhole?"

I didn't answer Jiye. I sprang up and loudly commanded Man Niao'niao, "Light an oil-pine torch and toss it into the sinkhole! See if there’s a small path on the rock face like the one at Dragon Bridge!"

Hearing my resolute tone, Man Niao'niao stood up and gave the winch a fierce kick. Suddenly jolted by the external force, the winch instantly shattered into pieces, causing the thick rope to shake violently. In an instant, it snapped completely. The few remaining wooden planks clattered down into the sinkhole, and a muffled echo was heard only after a long while.

Man Niao'niao stood there dumbfounded, looking sheepishly at the other three, who were equally stunned.

I glared fiercely at Man Niao'niao and roared in annoyance, "You ruin more than you accomplish! Hand it over!" I snatched the torch and carefully examined the rim of the sinkhole, finding no trace of a path. I felt dejected and disappointed but not defeated. With a wave of my hand, I threw the torch into the sinkhole, hoping to see farther. Unfortunately, the light was too weak, and the torch descended too quickly; I couldn't make out the situation on the rock face at all.

I re-bundled several torches, tying strips of cloth around them, lit the bundle, and threw it down. Because the light this time was much brighter, and I focused all my attention, I finally managed to see the sheer face of the sinkhole clearly—the rock wall was smooth as glass, sheer and unnaturally cut; where could one possibly find a foothold? To pass over the sinkhole, we would need wings.

I instantly slumped to the ground. Our ancestors had not only left no escape route for themselves but also none for their descendants.

"Woof~" Hua'er barked wildly at the sinkhole. The sudden sound startled us all; Man Niao'niao tumbled and quickly hid behind me.

I looked at Hua'er in confusion. Seeing it lower its head and bark muffledly into the pitch-black sinkhole, I cautiously peered down into the abyss, and my eyes immediately widened—in the dark sinkhole, a faint glimmer of firelight appeared. The light moved left and right, growing brighter, as if someone were holding a torch and riding the clouds upwards.

"Could it be... someone has come looking for us?" Jiye asked, clearly nervous, his voice so faint it was barely audible even to himself.

The firelight grew larger and higher. The icy cold airflow rising from the sinkhole grew more intense, and this air was mixed with a refreshing, unique fragrance.

Hua'er continued to bark incessantly. The three men stood dumbfounded, staring intently at the growing firelight, their expressions seven parts shock and three parts curiosity.

"Yingying, look! Isn't that the bundle of torches you threw down? Why is it floating up?" Tan Ping'er was the first to notice something odd. She gripped my arm tightly, her teeth beginning to chatter.

It was true! The intensifying firelight in the sinkhole was the bundle of torches I had thrown down, still burning. The torches drifted left and right in the dark abyss, slowly ascending, like a Kongming lantern floating in the air.

Perhaps this sinkhole, like that Yin River, defied the laws of gravity? That was my first thought. Man Niao'niao clearly thought otherwise; he squeezed my neck again, burying his snout against my back, panting heavily, "Half-Ghoul... Half-Ghoul is coming..."

"Don't panic, there seems to be something beneath the torch!" Jiye hissed, pointing at the flame.

Man Niao'niao nearly choked me; after struggling for a while, I finally made out that the torch wasn't truly "floating" but drifting along, as if bobbing on the surface of the pitch-black water filling the pit. The torch hadn't been extinguished by the black water? I was greatly surprised. The black water was rising faster and faster, interspersed with specks of grayish-white light, like white fertilizer scattered in a foul-smelling latrine. Even stranger, as the black water continued to rise in the sinkhole, the unique fragrance mixed in the chilling air grew stronger, making our limbs feel incredibly comfortable. A profound sleepiness washed over my mind. Hua'er, who had been barking wildly, grew quieter, finally stretched languidly, licked its lips, and slowly closed its eyes on the ground.

"So fragrant..." Tan Ping'er murmured lazily, settling beside Hua'er. "I really want to sleep..."

"Quickly plug your noses and mouths! This scent is very strange!" Jiye roared. Before his shout finished, he fell to the ground with a thud, instantly knocked out.

Jiye's roar pierced my heart like a needle; my spirits lifted. I frantically grabbed a clump of the slick, sticky yellow mud from the ground and quickly stuffed it into my nostrils, leaving only my mouth free to breathe. Fumbling behind me, I found Man Niao'niao already sound asleep on the ground.

I dared not delay a moment longer. Grabbing several more handfuls of mud, I stuffed them into the nostrils of Jiye, Tan Ping'er, Man Niao'niao, and Hua'er. The three humans and the dog, acting purely on instinct, breathed heavily through their mouths in their helpless slumber.

I didn't have time to ponder why I alone hadn't succumbed at that critical moment—perhaps my sense of smell had become exceptionally dull after being constantly exposed to foul odors.

With my nostrils plugged, I couldn't smell the thick fragrance, and the sudden drowsiness receded like the tide. My consciousness cleared quickly. I secretly rejoiced that although Tan Ping'er and the others were still deeply asleep, it seemed that simply plugging their nostrils would prevent them from being seduced by this inexplicable, strange perfume.

I looked again at the black water surging up from the sinkhole and was horrified to see the water level was already close to our position, its rising speed accelerating. It looked as though it was about to overflow the pit's edge. On the water surface seemed to fly countless insects the size of dragonflies, apparently blowing bubbles the size of marbles.

Soon, several insects flew near me, one stopping about two centimeters from the tip of my nose.

Heavens above, those weren't ordinary insects! The creature's body was clearly a stark white skull, its eye sockets black holes. Under the torchlight, I could clearly see extremely fine blood vessels beneath its pale skin. On either side of the skull grew a pair of disproportionately large, black, bat-like wings. With every flap of the wings, a blast of chilling cold fragrance washed over my face.

I had never seen such an insect; based on its shape, I provisionally named it the "Skeleton Bat."

The Skeleton Bats around me multiplied, seemingly unafraid of the torch in my hand. Within another half a minute, I was completely surrounded by these bizarre creatures. Glancing sideways, I saw that Jiye, Man Niao'niao, Tan Ping'er, and Hua'er were in the same predicament, enveloped by an increasing number of Skeleton Bats.

Sweating profusely from anxiety, I wildly waved the torch, barely managing to drive back the tightly packed bats in front of me. I slapped Jiye and the others, and Hua'er, several times, intending to wake them up.

The move was effective; Jiye, Tan Ping'er, and Man Niao'niao slowly regained consciousness, immediately followed by utter terror upon seeing the Skeleton Bats crawling all over them. They scrambled to roll to my side and huddled together tightly.

"..." Jiye shouted into my ear.

"What did you say?" Even at this close range, I couldn't hear what Jiye was saying.

"..." Tan Ping'er cried out to me while rolling in my embrace.

"What did you say?"

"..."

"..."

Man Niao'niao and Hua'er also seemed to be shouting wildly, but strangely, I couldn't hear a single sound. Thousands upon thousands of Skeleton Bats were still surging toward us, yet I heard no sound of their wings flapping; I seemed to be in a world of absolute silence.

Tan Ping'er painstakingly pointed toward the sinkhole. With a forceful "Splitting Mount Hua" strike of the torch, I managed to cut a gap through the swarm of Skeleton Bats—My dear uncle, that rising black water was not water at all! It was a jostling, crushing mass of Skeleton Bats. I couldn't even find words to describe their sheer number; the vast sinkhole was completely filled with these bizarre bats, and the bundle of torches we saw was struggling and tumbling upon their backs.

"..." Tan Ping'er seemed to shout again, tightly gripping my arm with both hands. In my panic, I glanced over and saw that the black "water" was finally overflowing the pit's edge. The densely packed Skeleton Bats formed a viscous fluid, like silt at the bottom of a river, and they were about to submerge the four humans and one dog.

In the chaos, the yellow mud on our faces was also slipping off due to the frantic scrabbling. Fortunately, the thin mud had deeply settled into our nostrils, forming two mud plugs. Although the sleep-inducing fragrance fought its way into my nostrils, its power was significantly weakened, so my mind remained relatively clear.

I roared, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. Before the swarm of bats could completely engulf me, I laboriously freed one hand, pulled out the remaining half-length of brown rope, and frantically and haphazardly tied my arms, which were covered in bats, together—My intention was simple: if we must die, we would die together.

I dared not open my mouth, fearing those bizarre Skeleton Bats would seize the chance to burrow into my belly. But I couldn't stop breathing; I could only forcefully exhale before inhaling, seizing a moment to catch my breath and temporarily relieve the crushing tightness in my chest. I could no longer see the other three or the dog, but by instinct, I knew they were still beside me, which brought a slight sense of relief.

Throughout this entire process, I hadn't heard even the slightest sound; I existed in a world so silent it drove one to madness.

I couldn't tell how many Skeleton Bats surrounded us; I could only instinctively shift my steps, trying to find a relatively safer spot. After moving a few steps, my foot slipped, and I felt something soft and yielding. I instantly realized that soft spot must be the swarm of bats in the sinkhole.

I was petrified, thinking I was surely done for!

Unexpectedly, the collective weight of the four humans and one dog—several hundred jin—was lifted by the swarm, suspended in the air, swaying and tossing as if struggling in a raging torrent. The brown rope binding our arms had long since come undone; the four humans and one dog were now truly on their own.

Although the swarm possessed great collective strength, it couldn't bear the weight of a hundred-plus jin for long. During the tossing and turning, we gradually began to fall downward, but very slowly. It felt precisely like slowly sinking into quicksand or mud.

During the descent, a hallucination struck me: Perhaps I was already dead, and the Skeleton Bats surrounding me were merely enveloping my soul, while my physical body remained on the edge of the sinkhole. Otherwise, why would my body feel so light and buoyant?

With that thought, I stopped worrying. If I was dead, worrying was useless. I mechanically opened and closed my mouth to breathe. Billions upon billions of Skeleton Bats clung tightly to our bodies, yet they seemed uninterested in our orifices; not a single one attempted to burrow in. I also felt no scratching or burrowing anywhere on my skin, which, amidst the despair, offered a sliver of relief. Imagine if vast numbers of Skeleton Bats burrowed inside, greedily tearing at our internal organs... Ugh! That sent a chill down my spine!