Chapter 54

Niu Shen Cave is located at the end of the village, right at the main tomb position of the true dragon's lair in the feng shui layout of the Chen family village.

Although Su Jiu's inheritance comes from the Su family, compared to the past, most of the feng shui knowledge in Su Jiu's mind now comes from the content recorded in the golden compass in his mind. The inheritance from the Su family only occupies a small part.

As he gradually cultivates, the content revealed in his mind becomes more and more.

After a thorough investigation, Su Jiu had already determined the location of Niu Shen Cave in his heart.

Indeed, after the funeral of Chen Jie's grandparents, Su Jiu and Uncle San started heading towards the end of the village.

To Niu Shen Cave.

"Master Su, if we go a little further, we will reach Niu Shen Cave. This place is a forbidden area in the village. Generally, no one comes here, so the path is not easy to walk," Uncle San said, holding a sickle to clear the way ahead.

Niu Shen Cave is located on the hillside. This mountain is not very high, less than two hundred meters.

Such a hill-like mountain range is very common in this area, visible everywhere.

"No problem, Uncle San. This Niu Shen Cave hasn't been visited by anyone for many years, right?" Su Jiu asked Uncle San.

"Indeed, the true location of Niu Shen Cave hasn't been visited by anyone for many years. Even the annual coffin ceremony is held at the foot of the hill, not truly entering Niu Shen Cave."

As they walked, Uncle San explained to Su Jiu.

"According to my father and the elders, only the geomancers of the village were allowed to enter Niu Shen Cave in the past. I have been there a few times with my father, but since I took over from him, I haven't been here."

Su Jiu listened to Uncle San's narration and secretly observed the surroundings.

Although this mountain is less than two hundred meters high, the forest is dense, like a primeval forest, and it's impossible to see the path up the mountain.

If it weren't for Uncle San leading the way, they wouldn't be able to find the direction.

The two continued to advance. Soon, they passed through the dense forest and arrived at their destination.

What appeared before Su Jiu's eyes was not a mysterious stone cave as seen on TV.

Instead, in a small clearing in the dense forest, there was a hole about one and a half meters in diameter, like a deep well, pitch black and bottomless.

"Is this Niu Shen Cave?" Su Jiu was taken aback and asked Uncle San.

"Indeed, Master Su, this is the Niu Shen Cave that has been passed down in the village. This cave is bottomless and cannot be explored." Uncle San said, then took a fist-sized stone from the side and threw it down, but they didn't hear the sound of the stone hitting the ground for a long time.

"This..." Su Jiu looked at everything before him and was stunned.

This was not what he had imagined.

The situation before him was somewhat unexpected.

"Master Su, the Chen family village is entrusted to you. According to the ancestral rules of the Chen family, the descendants of the Chen family are not allowed to enter Niu Shen Cave. Master Su, I'm sorry, I can't accompany you down there," Uncle San said apologetically, not noticing Su Jiu's awkward expression.

"No problem, Uncle San. I'll take care of the rest," Su Jiu said calmly, composing himself.

If it weren't for the past few days of understanding Uncle San's character, Su Jiu would have thought that Uncle San had some sinister intentions.

This is a good place to dispose of a body and cover up the evidence.

Su Jiu rubbed his head, shaking off these random thoughts.

No matter what, he had already promised to do it.

Moreover, the current situation of the Chen family village was clear to both of them. The feng shui layout had already started to change slowly, and the source of this change was Niu Shen Cave.

Su Jiu knew, and Uncle San also knew, that the changes in the feng shui layout of a place could have serious consequences for that place, which ordinary people could not understand.

Therefore, it was impossible for Uncle San to have any harmful intentions.

After saying this, Su Jiu put down his backpack and took out a roll of rope.

At the same time, he took out a rooster from a woven bag.

He tied the rope to the rooster, then walked to the front of the cave and lowered the rooster.

In feng shui, this is called "Golden Rooster Probing the Way," which is used to drive away unknown spirits or wandering ghosts.

In feng shui, a rooster represents the utmost yang energy and can suppress yin energy.

Actually, this method is also scientifically sound.

If the cave contains toxic gases or is oxygen-deficient, the rooster will die. If the rooster is still alive when it is pulled up, it indicates that the cave is temporarily safe.

This method is often used in rural areas and even on construction sites.

For example, when digging wells or other projects, this method is utilized.

Su Jiu slowly lowered the rope.

This roll of rope was purchased in the county town, measuring five hundred meters long and taking up most of the backpack. It is a special climbing rope with a load capacity of one thousand kilograms, costing Su Jiu a significant amount of money.

Su Jiu didn't know how deep Niu Shen Cave was, but five hundred meters of rope should be enough.

According to Uncle San's description, Niu Shen Cave is not a straight drop.

After a certain depth, there are various winding paths inside.

In the past, some people from the Chen family village explored it, but they didn't find any significant results.

Su Jiu slowly lowered the rope.

The dark cave seemed bottomless, and the rope kept being pulled down, as if Niu Shen Cave was a devouring beast, slowly swallowing the rope.

Su Jiu felt the movement of the rope in his hand, indicating that the rooster was still alive.

However, as the rope was lowered, the movement Su Jiu felt became weaker.

Su Jiu knew this didn't mean the rooster was in danger or dead, but rather that the rope was too long, and the rooster's struggling force was not strong enough to transmit through such a long rope to reach Su Jiu.

No one in the Chen family village had calculated how deep Niu Shen Cave was, and Su Jiu had never been down there.

One hundred meters, two hundred meters...

Niu Shen Cave is on the hillside, about one hundred meters from the foot of the mountain. Now, with two hundred meters of rope already lowered, it still hadn't reached the bottom. Su Jiu kept an eye on the rope, which remained taut, indicating that the rooster was still hanging in mid-air and hadn't landed.

"From the position of the Chen family village, we should now be about one hundred meters underground. This cave is really deep," Su Jiu muttered to himself, surprised by the depth.

Uncle San, standing nearby, also paid attention to Su Jiu's actions.

Three hundred meters, four hundred meters.

"It's at the bottom, Master Su. The rope is bending," Uncle San exclaimed.

Hearing Uncle San's shout, Su Jiu checked the markings on the rope. This climbing rope has a small mark every ten meters.

"Four hundred and twenty meters. This cave is really deep," Su Jiu said with a bitter smile.

Next, he had to pull the rope back up to see if the rooster was still alive.

If the rooster was unharmed, everything would be fine, indicating that the bottom of the cave was temporarily safe. If the rooster was dead, Su Jiu would have to bring an oxygen tank, which would be very troublesome.

The oxygen tank doesn't store much oxygen and can't support long-term activity underground.

Moreover, such a deep cave could be dangerous if there were any hazardous creatures.

The rope was quickly pulled back up. When the rooster was pulled up, it was still alive and kicking, completely unharmed.

Seeing this, both Su Jiu and Uncle San breathed a sigh of relief.

The next step was simple: Su Jiu would go down the cave to investigate.

Feng shui, like Buddhism and Taoism, emphasizes cause and effect.

Feng shui encompasses the content of ancient Chinese witchcraft, Buddhism, Taoism, and various schools of thought.

It can be said to be all-encompassing, involving various aspects.

Su Jiu was clear that by going down, he would be entangled in the cause and effect of the Chen family village.

Su Jiu didn't hesitate.

He tied one end of the rope to a large branch of a nearby tree.

He told Uncle San that he would be down there for four to five hours or even longer, and not to worry.

Su Jiu picked up his backpack, organized his items, and held some things in his hands.

A flashlight, talismans, a dagger, etc.

After preparing everything, Su Jiu began to climb down the rope.

Niu Shen Cave is a forbidden area in the Chen family village, and the villagers have a special fear of it, but Su Jiu didn't. He descended alone in the dark cave, following the rope.

At first, he could see the traces on the cave walls by the light from the cave entrance, but after a few dozen meters, it became pitch black.

Su Jiu turned on the flashlight on his head, and only then could he see clearly.

The entire cave wall was made of stone, with nothing else, not even a single blade of grass.

The diameter of the cave entrance wasn't large, but as he descended, Su Jiu felt that the cave was getting larger.

If the diameter of the cave entrance was only one and a half meters, by the time he reached one hundred meters, the diameter had already expanded to twenty meters.

It was like a cone or, in three-dimensional terms, a triangle, with a small top and a larger bottom.

As time passed, Su Jiu finally reached the bottom of the cave.

It was a vast, spacious cave.

Like a spacious stone room, but the space was incredibly large.

Using the flashlight, Su Jiu observed that the area where he had descended was about several hundred square meters.

At this moment, Su Jiu encountered the first problem after entering the cave.

PS: Starting from this chapter, each chapter will be three thousand words.

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