"Stop touching it if I told you not to, why all the nonsense!" Finally, a middle-aged man grew angry and roared at the young man who insisted on touching the statue.

However, the young man seemed immune to both persuasion and threats; not only was he unfazed, but he also declared, "I'm touching it today, so what!"

I figured the young man must have touched it, because the forty-something man only managed to say, "You!" before falling silent.

We walked over, filled with curiosity, and saw a group of people standing by the cliff edge, just across the width of our vehicle.

The group was clustered around a young man wearing a baseball cap and hip-hop pants, whose features were decidedly uneven.

This was the so-called hip-hop style, clearly someone from a big city, probably out for a "raw" tourism experience.

At that moment, the young man had his hand placed firmly on the head of a black statue nestled in a hole in the corner of the wall.

The statue was unprotected by any shrine, carved from the natural stone within a naturally formed, eroded cave.

What set this statue apart from local mountain gods or earth deities was its bizarre carving.

Aside from being entirely black and unclothed, its wrinkled face was split by a huge mouth, its eyes slanted upward, and a rooster's comb sprouted from its head.

The entire body looked less like a deity and more akin to a serpentine humanoid, which would be a more accurate description.

However, any statue built into the side of a mountain is generally referred to as a Mountain God; what this thing actually was, no one could clearly say.

The young man kept his hand on the statue's comb and refused to move it. Everyone else had completely given up trying to persuade him. Some walked away in anger, while others simply stood there, watching him with grim faces.

The young man looked utterly smug, his gaze suggesting he had just accomplished something monumentally great, a look of disdain for everyone else.

Seeing that the arguing had stopped, the three of us slowly approached.

But the leader, Number 2, didn't seem interested in mediating; he walked directly up to the statue.

Ignoring the strange look the young man shot him, he carefully examined the grotto where the statue was situated, then stroked the stubble under his chin and asked me, "10, how old do you think this grotto is?"

I looked at the rough rock surrounding the cave, noticing some faint rock crystals and shorter stalactites that were hard to spot unless examined closely. "This cave must be at least a hundred thousand years old, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have these crystals."

Number 2 nodded, then pointed at the statue and asked, "And this carving—when do you think it was made?"

I scrutinized the statue closely. It was seamlessly integrated with the stone beneath the grotto. In terms of material, age, and the traces of time upon it, they were essentially identical. Even the most skilled craftsman could not replicate the marks of such long ages.

It was like the forgeries in antique markets—they might look convincing at first glance, but any deeper investigation reveals subtle differences.

But if this statue were also a hundred thousand years old, it simply wouldn't make sense. That was a time when humanity was still in an incomplete stage of evolution, incapable of such intricate carving. Even considering the presence of the Yuanmou Man, early human ancestors in Yunnan, they wouldn't possess this level of technology.

So, when Number 2 asked me about the statue's age, I hesitated and replied, "Uh... however you look at it, the stone is one with the cave. Could they be from the same era?"

Number 2 nodded. "Indeed, they should be from the same period."

At this point, the nearby hip-hop youth seemed interested and sneered, "Do you really think others haven't read books? There were no humans a hundred thousand years ago! Even if there were, they wouldn't have such superb carving skills."

Number 2 showed no intention of acknowledging him and continued speaking to me, "Do you know about the Stone Immortal, 10?"

Before I could answer, the hip-hop youth burst out laughing. "Baldy, what did you call him? Shi? Is someone's name actually 'Shi' [which sounds like 'shit' in Mandarin]?"

Number 2's Mandarin was impeccable. His pronunciation of "10" and "Shi" were definitely distinct sounds. This kid was clearly being provocative on purpose. So, the hip-hop youth was merely inciting trouble, but I wasn't angry. If I engaged with his pointless remarks, I would truly sink to his intellectual level.

So I ignored him and just answered Number 2, "Are you referring to the kind of stone-turned-specter mentioned in Zhi Guai novels?"

Number 2 shook his head. "While Zhi Guai novels do mention such spirits, the Stone Immortal isn't actually a ghost or monster; it's a naturally occurring, stone formation resembling a human shape."

I nodded. "Oh, I see. Nature's creations are truly marvelous. But since it's not a ghost, it probably isn't harmful, right?"

Number 2 pondered for a moment. "Have you ever been to Lugu Lake? It's also in Yunnan."

I racked my memory and recalled visiting with my grandparents when I was little. "I have been, but I was too young then; I don't remember anything."

Number 12, not wanting to be left out, chimed in, "I've been too, but also when I was very young."

Number 2 nodded. "Lugu Lake has the magnificent Gemu Goddess Mountain. On the mountain, there's the Goddess Cave, and at the entrance, there's a stalactite placed on a stone pedestal beside the opening. This stone is known as the Gemu Cave Divine Stone. And this stone has quite an incredible story."

We both grew curious. While we weren't entirely sure if divine stones truly existed in the world, we were certainly willing to hear Number 2's tale.

So we both said simultaneously, "Tell us!"

Just then, I noticed the nearby hip-hop youth craning his neck, ready to listen to the story of the divine stone.

Number 2 glanced at him deliberately, either noticing or not, and began, "They say sometime in the 90s, a tourist from a coastal province visited the Goddess Cave. Upon learning how efficacious the local Gemu Goddess was, he secretly stole a stalactite from the cave and took it home."

"But not long after taking the stone home, his family didn't prosper; instead, his business suffered a huge loss, and family members kept falling ill, everything went wrong."

"This man was deeply troubled until one day he suddenly dreamed that the Goddess in Lugu Lake's Goddess Cave spoke to him, telling him the divine stone belonged to Lugu Lake. If he didn't return the stone, even greater disaster would befall him. If he returned the stone promptly, he would not only avert disaster but also receive blessings for good fortune."

"Since the Goddess sent a dream, the man had no reason not to return the stone. He bought a ticket overnight, handed the stone back to the scenic area staff, and then kowtowed respectfully before the Goddess Cave."

"Now, anyone visiting Lugu Lake can see this stone in front of the Goddess Cave, along with the story carved onto the wall behind the stone recording this event."

After hearing it, we all found it quite magical; we never realized such things actually happened in the world.

But after thinking it over, I asked, "What does this have to do with the Stone Immortal? Is that divine stone the Stone Immortal?"

Number 2 shook his head. "Do you know why the Gemu Goddess is so efficacious? Because deep inside the Goddess Cave, there is a naturally formed, exquisitely beautiful stone figure of a woman. This strange stone, formed over millions of years of geological change, has clearly defined facial features and a stunning appearance, all naturally formed with no trace of carving. I believe that is what is meant by the Stone Immortal."

At this, Number 12 interjected, "Oh, I get it. You mean the Stone Immortal isn't necessarily a ghost, but it must be very efficacious, right?"

Number 2 looked at the stone statue in the grotto and replied, "I don't know about that."

At that moment, the nearby hip-hop youth snorted and said, "Fine, you charlatans and frauds! You've said so much just to imply that touching this stone statue will bring retribution, right? I... I don't believe any of you! Also, it was you, you dead baldy, who made the vehicle stop, wasn't it? It doesn't matter that you wasted my time, but if we don't encounter a mudslide later, I'll call the police and have you arrested!"

Although he spoke harshly, Number 2’s account was too vivid, and the young man had nervously withdrawn his hand from the stone statue.

As he spoke, he turned and walked back toward the vehicle, wiping his palm with his shirt.

Seeing him constantly rubbing his palm with his shirt, we knew the guy was actually very unnerved, and a wave of amusement washed over us.

Just then, the guy heard us laughing behind him, turned his head to glare at us, and added one last jab: "You guys enjoy yourselves now, just wait until I see you crying!"

We couldn't be bothered to deal with him and remained silent.

Once he boarded his vehicle, we found a quiet corner to resume smoking.

After chatting about everything under the sun for a while, I asked Number 2, "By the way, why haven't we seen your wicker basket all this way?"

Number 2 made an 'oh' sound. "You mean my Master? Oh, he can't handle the bumps of long-distance travel, so I had the organization arrange for him to be shipped directly."

I was momentarily speechless, wondering what kind of thing his "Master" was that could be sent via freight.

Number 2 seemed to read my mind and clarified, "It's not the kind of shipping you're thinking of; it's specialized pet transport."

This made me even more curious. Was there an animal in that basket? What kind of creature would this guy call his Master? I was truly intrigued.

I checked my watch; it was already one in the morning, and most people had gone to bed.

So I said to the other two, "Let's head back to sleep too. Once tonight passes, we can drive tomorrow."

Just as I finished speaking, we saw several grim-faced passengers getting out of the vehicle ahead of us.

Those people seemed to be heading straight for us, walking directly to where we stood.

The leader was none other than the hip-hop youth, and he asked with a hint of fury, "What time is it? The rain has eased, so why haven't we seen any mudslide? You liars!"