Chapter 18

Xialin thought it made sense; in the third year of high school, the school would send teachers to visit students' homes not only to assess their backgrounds but also to mobilize all the students with good grades and a chance of getting into university to board at the school. Of course, boarding required a fee. Students from rural areas had no choice but to board because of the long distance, but those from the city needed some persuasion!

No matter who came for the home visit, Ding Hao was an orphan and could make his own decisions. Xialin knew that Ding Hao had recently made a small fortune, so the boarding fee shouldn't be a problem. Therefore, she didn't press him further. Moreover, the English teacher who came this time had only started teaching her class during the summer, and wasn't very familiar with Ding Hao.

"Teacher Zeng, we really can't go any further. The villagers say it's very scary inside..." Xialin was accompanying the English teacher, Zeng Ya, who had come from No. 2 High School, as they walked through Liao Family Gorge. Zeng Ya had just graduated from university and was a big fan of hiking.

She had heard from Xialin about a canyon behind their village and was very curious. She volunteered to take on the home visit for a few students from Xialin's village, and set out early in the morning with two friends from No. 2 High School to Hengmu Gorge.

When they heard that a teacher from their daughter's school had come, Xialin's parents were very welcoming. After a lunch, they insisted on accompanying the teachers to play in the mountains. In the end, the teachers insisted that their precious daughter Xialin accompany them throughout the visit. Xialin, being a girl, was naturally skeptical about the various legends of the village and didn't dare to go deep.

But the more hesitant Xialin was, the more excited Zeng Ya and the others became. They were all recent university graduates and didn't believe that there could be ghosts in broad daylight. The trees on the mountain weren't very tall, just some shrubs, and it was so close to the county town. It would be a shame for them, as hikers, to be afraid and not go further.

"Teacher, we really can't go any further."

"Xialin, the elders in your village say that people used to live behind this mountain. If it's just people, what's there to be afraid of?" Zeng Ya asked with a smile. Xialin was a good student and had a good relationship with her teachers. Zeng Ya, who had just started teaching Xialin's class during the summer, paid special attention to her as the class monitor.

Zeng Ya and the other female teachers were young and naturally got along well with Xialin. It was a rare summer with such good weather, and Zeng Ya wouldn't rest until she had explored every corner of the village!

"But..."

"Xialin, if you're afraid, you can go back first," another teacher said.

Xialin couldn't go back; her father had instructed her to take good care of the three teachers. As the local host, she couldn't return just because of some unfounded fear. She had to tough it out. Later, Xialin suddenly remembered that Ding Hao might be on the mountain. If he was there, it shouldn't be too scary. She just hoped she could run into him and get the boarding issue settled with Teacher Zeng.

Unlike Xialin's worries, the three female teachers were constantly exclaiming and praising the environment of the village! They were actually quite naive, as this was a typical rural area where even cows and sheep rarely came, so the natural environment was very good.

"Look, there are marks here."

"It looks like someone filled in this cave entrance. Is there an entrance, Xialin?" Zeng Ya asked, standing next to the cave entrance that Ding Hao had filled in.

Xialin shook her head; she had never been here before and didn't know about the cave.

"Teachers, teachers, stay away from there!" Zhou Fuquan's voice came from a distance.

Zeng Ya shook her head helplessly and smiled at the other two female teachers. The 'enthusiastic' village chief had followed them, but that was fine. As the village chief, he should know more than Xialin, being over fifty years old.

"Village Chief, was it always like this? This soil looks freshly dug," Zeng Ya asked eagerly when Zhou Fuquan arrived.

Zhou Fuquan was also puzzled. He knew there used to be a cave here, but now it looked like the soil around the entrance had been dug up and filled in. It must have been done recently.

"It looks new. The entrance is right there in the middle."

"Since there's human activity, it's not scary!" Zeng Ya knew that someone must have blocked the entrance for everyone's safety, to prevent people from falling in. But now they couldn't get in.

"Village Chief, is there another way in?"

"No, why don't the teachers go to the top of the mountain? There's a canyon on the other side..."

"A canyon? Maybe this cave leads to the canyon. Let's go, hurry up!" Zeng Ya became even more excited when she heard about the canyon.

Xialin became more subdued with Zhou Fuquan's appearance. But it was broad daylight, and with three teachers around, she didn't have to worry. After hearing Zhou Fuquan, Xialin even thought that Ding Hao might have filled the cave, which meant he was nearby! With Ding Hao around, Zhou Fuquan couldn't do anything.

The female teachers were also more confident. They had been a bit worried, but now with Zhou Fuquan, they were even bolder. The group quickly reached the top of the mountain.

"Wow, so beautiful! A canyon! I didn't expect there to be a canyon here!" Zeng Ya and the others were overjoyed.

"Village Chief, is there a way down?"

"No, no. Teacher Zeng, the cliff is too steep. No one has ever gone down!"

"Really? No one has ever gone down? Look at this beautiful scenery! And the opposite mountain is so steep, how could no one have gone down?" Zeng Ya said as she put down her backpack and took out a rope.

"Ah?" Zhou Fuquan and Xialin were surprised to see the three female teachers. They quickly put down their backpacks and pulled out ropes.

"Village Chief, come help us, secure the rope!" Zeng Ya said with a bright smile.

"Teacher Zeng, this... this is too dangerous!" Zhou Fuquan was surprised by the boldness of the city girls.

"It's fine, we have experience!" Zeng Ya directed her companions to lower the rope while taking out her things. "I'll go down first and check. If it's safe, I'll call you down!"

Zhou Fuquan and Xialin stood by the big rock where the rope was tied, while the other two female teachers slowly lowered Zeng Ya down the cliff. The cliff was steep but not too high. Zeng Ya reached the bottom with about seven or eight meters of rope left.

Zeng Ya was thrilled when she reached the bottom. She quickly found a small stream, drank some water, and waved to the people above. Then she discovered a cave. She took out her phone and started taking pictures, slowly approaching the cave entrance.

The next moment, she froze! It wasn't because of a ghost or a monster, but because there was a person inside! A naked man lying on his back! Was he dead or a wild man? Zeng Ya's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively reached for a small stone. She threw it, and there was no reaction!

Another stone, still no reaction! Was he dead? Zeng Ya mustered her courage and approached the 'corpse.' It was embarrassing! It was a man, and he was naked. As she got closer, she could see clearly. She was sure it wasn't a wild man but a 'corpse.'

If this were anywhere else, Zeng Ya would have called the police immediately. But this cave was so remote, and the appearance of the corpse was so strange. Zeng Ya cautiously approached, taking pictures with her phone.

Her focus was on the 'corpse's' lower body. So young, so handsome! When Zeng Ya got close enough to see the face, her first thought was how young and handsome this dead man was! What a pity to be left in the wilderness at such a young age! Perhaps Zeng Ya was too careless, but she didn't notice the clothes Ding Hao had just taken off a few meters away.

So big! This was Zeng Ya's second reaction. How could someone so young have such a large...? If Zeng Ya had planned to stay at No. 2 High School or if Ding Hao had been more active in class, she would have recognized the body on the ground as her student.

The problem was that Zeng Ya had only started teaching this class during the summer and was planning to return to the provincial capital. Ding Hao had mostly taken leave during the summer, first to work and earn money for the summer classes, and later to avoid someone... Of course, Ding Hao's strength wasn't in English!

Even though it was just a corpse, Zeng Ya's heart was racing, not out of fear but because of the handsome man's... "What a pity, if you were alive, this could be a museum specimen!"

Zeng Ya muttered to herself. She knew the cave was dangerous but couldn't bring herself to leave. She reminded herself repeatedly, "Zeng Ya, you're a teacher, a young woman, and this is just a dead man!"

Zeng Ya didn't know why she suddenly felt so lustful. Was it just because she didn't need to pretend in front of a dead man? But in her life, she had accidentally seen men's... a few times, and none were as big as this one! Several times, she couldn't resist reaching out to touch!

Every girl dreams of love, and in university, she could have romantic relationships, but in Yun Gang, a small town, it was hard to find a man she liked. She thought about how she spent her nights in the dormitory, using sausages and cucumbers...

Sigh, if this man hadn't died, she would have been willing to be raped by him! No, Zeng Ya, how could you be so lustful? Have you sunk so low that you can't even leave a corpse alone? Zeng Ya's heart was in turmoil, her face flushed, and her hand involuntarily reached out to the male corpse!