Shao Xuan sat on the modified bus and looked out the window at the rolling mountains. The summer solstice had just passed, and the mountains were full of vitality. After living in the city for a long time and seeing such scenery, his gloomy mood due to his career not going well was much better. Originally, Shao Xuan planned to call a few friends to go on a long trip to relax, but he didn't expect to meet Shi Qi, his old classmate from the same hometown who studied archaeology, and was dragged to go with him.
This trip was to a relatively remote mountain village. It was said that something from the Stone Age had been discovered there. A group of people had already gone there, and this was the second group.
Shao Xuan listened to his old classmate talk about primitive skulls, stone tools, and rock murals. He even took out a few pictures to explain in detail. Researchers were like this. Once they got in, it was difficult to pull them out. Although Shao Xuan didn't understand, he still listened to him respectfully.
The paper was filled with rock paintings that had been discovered during archaeological research. Shao Xuan looked at them and felt that they weren't as good as his nieces and nephews who were in kindergarten.
The lines on the drawings were relatively simple. He could roughly see that some people were holding tools to hunt. There were also some drawings of various animals, but he didn't know what the rest were.
"This is a drawing of a sheep? But this goat is way too big, "said Shao Xuan as he pointed at a picture.
The picture depicted a sheep with long and huge curved horns. There was also a person holding a bow and arrow beside it, but the proportions didn't seem normal. The person's head only reached the sheep's back. The next few pictures were the same. The rabbit's body proportions were similar to a lion's. There was also the picture of a horse on the left. The horse's tail was drawn too short.
Of course, not every picture had the same proportions. The rock murals of different periods found in different provinces and regions had different styles. There were some at the back that were drawn close to reality. In the picture, a group of people hunting with dogs could be seen.
Flipping further back, there were a few color prints that could be seen even more clearly.
"Heh, this picture is even more exaggerated. The antlers are too big. And this person, the person in the picture just now only reached the sheep's back, but the person in this picture is actually only a little taller than the deer's legs … And what's that at the bottom right corner? An eight-legged crocodile?" Shao Xuan really couldn't appreciate the style of primitive people.
"Primitive humans might not have paid much attention to this aspect." Shi Qi explained.
"So what you're saying is that the primitive humans didn't use 'realistic' proportions when they painted, but instead used exaggerated techniques?" Shao Xuan asked.
"Probably." Shi Qi scratched his head. "After all, the humans of that time period didn't pay much attention to aesthetics. It might have been purely a symbolic meaning. Just like how a researcher once speculated when he was researching a certain rock painting, the humans of that time drew these paintings of hunting on the cave walls or rocks. It might have been for the sake of letting the hunting warriors take a look before the tribe hunted so that they could have a plan in mind. Or perhaps there were some rituals that we don't know about. Especially those paintings drawn by 'witches'. "
"A witch …" Shao Xuan imagined an old faker dressed in an unusual way.
"Hey, what's with that expression of yours? Let me tell you, witchcraft might not have a low status in the human community at that time. On the contrary, it might be quite high."
"I know, a faker." Shao Xuan nodded.
Shi Qi waved his finger and brought over a folder. There were some scanned copies of drawings inside. He pointed at some of the drawings and words and said to Shao Xuan, "If the totem consciousness is a manifestation of a person's personification of nature and their collective unity, then witchcraft is a manifestation of a person's impersonation of nature. The profession of 'witchcraft' actually appeared as early as the Stone Age …"
Shi Qi talked to himself about the research progress of the profession of 'witchcraft' from ancient times to the present. He used professional terms and even quoted classics, making Shao Xuan's head hurt.
Shao Xuan didn't know much about this aspect, nor was he interested. If it weren't for this old classmate from his hometown who studied archaeology, Shao Xuan wouldn't have known about this at all. In the past, when he heard people talk about archaeology, he would immediately think of those expensive antiques. However, Shi Qi's research direction was even more antique than antiques. It was so ancient that not many people were interested in it. A few days ago, he heard the radio discussing whether 'Darwin's Theory of Evolution' was correct or the 'Hypothesis of Extraterrestrial Creation' was correct. Shao Xuan had nothing better to do, so he listened to it. After listening to it, he put it aside and didn't think about it anymore.
On the contrary, Shao Xuan knew that this childhood friend of his was very interested in ancient humans. When he was in middle school, he would often discuss with others about the ancient human remains that had been unearthed but mysteriously disappeared in modern history.
"You won't understand if I talk about the professional stuff, so let's talk about something simpler. Here! " Shi Qi used his finger to point at a picture and pointed at a certain place on the picture. "'Witchcraft' is mentioned in inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, but it's like this."
Shao Xuan looked at the place Shi Qi was pointing at. It was a symbol that looked like the word 'work' crisscrossed.
"In some of the unearthed ancient pottery clam heads, this kind of double work symbol appeared on them. Speaking of which, witchcraft also involved hunting, praying, rescuing, and other aspects. From a certain perspective, 'witchcraft' could be considered scientists of that time. However, these are all speculations. Even if there are some records from ancient times, they might not be true. After all, people at that time loved to exaggerate. Isn't there a saying, 'History will never have the truth.' Archaeology only excavates some corners. As for the real situation, who knows? "
"The cave that was discovered this time is also related to 'witchcraft.' It's the last few pictures you saw. The first batch of people who went there returned with the rock paintings. Double work symbols were also found in that cave, so they speculated that it might be the dwelling of a certain 'witchcraft'. Last month, there was a short earthquake where the village was located. It was probably because of this that the cave was exposed. I've never heard anyone mention it before. "
Speaking up to this point, Shi Qi closed the folder and carefully looked around. Seeing that his mentor and other fellow apprentices weren't paying attention, he lowered his voice and mysteriously said to Shao Xuan, "I heard that the first person who discovered the cave was a child. Moreover, according to the news from a fellow apprentice, the child who discovered the cave saw a strange watermelon-sized bug crawling out from the stones of his courtyard wall. The child was bold, so he followed the bug. In the end, the bug disappeared into the cave, and the child went back to tell the adults. Only then was the cave discovered."
"A watermelon-sized bug?" Shao Xuan felt that this was absurd. Anyone who heard this for the first time would feel that it was too fake. "That child lied?"
Shi Qi shook his head. "What's even stranger is that according to the first batch of people who went there, there were fossils of ancient creatures in the stones used to build the courtyard wall." Speaking up to this point, Shi Qi paused, rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, and continued, "The child who discovered the cave pointed out that there were fossils of ancient creatures in the stones where the watermelon-sized bug emerged. However, it wasn't complete, only a damaged part. However, according to the speculations of professionals, if that creature was still alive, it could indeed be as big as a watermelon. Moreover, its appearance wasn't too far off from what the child described."
"… It sounds quite mysterious. However, only the child saw it. Didn't the others see a bug crawling out from their own walls?" Shao Xuan was a bit interested.
Shi Qi shook his head. "I don't know. I'll ask when we get there. In any case, we're almost there."
When the group arrived at their destination, it was already 11 o 'clock in the afternoon. Shao Xuan followed Shi Qi and the others to eat a simple lunch before returning to the bus.
Shi Qi and the others were already impatient. They didn't rest after eating and planned to start work immediately.
Shi Qi had already told Shao Xuan about the things he needed to pay attention to. What things he couldn't touch, where he couldn't go, who he could look for if he needed help, etc. Shao Xuan already had a plan in mind.
"I'll tell you when we're done today. You can walk around first. The scenery here isn't bad. There are green mountains, blue skies, and clear water. After staying in the smoggy city for so long, you should come out to wash your lungs. "
After saying that, Shi Qi took his tools and followed his instructor. Shao Xuan couldn't follow them, nor did he have much interest in following them.
Shao Xuan was the only one left in the bus. Once the doors and windows were closed, it was rather quiet. These past few days, Shao Xuan hadn't slept well. On the way, he had only listened to Shi Qi's narration. Now that it was quiet, he felt sleepy.
When he woke up again, it was already 2 o 'clock in the afternoon. Shao Xuan was just about to go out for a walk when he saw Shi Qi, who was wearing work clothes, come over. He got on the bus to pick up a document. After that, he still had to rush over to the other side to continue working.
However, before getting off the bus, Shi Qi took out a stone the size of an egg from his pocket and tossed it to Shao Xuan. "I picked it up in the cave. I saw that no one paid much attention to it, so I took it. It shouldn't be anything important. I can't give it to you as an 'antique'. In any case, this stone is from the cave, and it looks quite glossy. Someone probably threw it there.
I'll give it to you as a keepsake. "This stone was near the entrance of the cave, but it was still some distance away from the core of the cave. The stone's quality was clearly different from the other excavated items, and it didn't have any markings. Therefore, the first batch of people who came over had placed their focus on the 'antiques' and rock paintings from the Stone Age. No one paid attention to this stone near the entrance of the cave.
Shao Xuan caught the stone that was tossed over and carefully examined it in his hand. It didn't feel any different from other stones. It was dark green in color and shaped like an egg. Its surface was quite glossy, as if it had been deliberately polished. It didn't look very ancient. Even if it wasn't an 'antique', it wasn't bad to play with or use as an ornament.
Shao Xuan didn't pay it any mind and played with it in his hand for a while. For some reason, he felt that this stone wasn't warm enough. He held it in his hand for more than ten minutes, but it was still cold. After thinking about it, Shao Xuan took out a lighter and used it to burn the stone. Logically speaking, the place that came into contact with the flame should have burned his hand, but the truth was that after burning it, it was still as cool as before.
After looking around, Shao Xuan took a fruit knife from the table and placed a piece of paper on top of it. He planned to use the knife to scrape off some of the stone's fragments and take it to the archeological vehicle to help examine it. However, Shao Xuan used the knife to scrape the stone, but there wasn't a single mark on it. He couldn't even drill a single mark with the knife.
Fire couldn't heat it up, and a knife couldn't cut it … It really was a strange stone.
Shao Xuan took the stone and got off the bus, planning to let Shi Qi take a closer look at it later.
The place where the car was parked was already very close to the village. It was just that the road ahead wasn't easy to walk on.
Some of the villagers in the village went to work, while the more idle ones went to the newly discovered cave to watch the excitement. Thus, when Shao Xuan entered the village, he only saw two or three people walking around.
Outside the village, there was a two-meter-tall stone wall. It was said that it was built a few decades ago to guard against wild beasts. The stone came from the mountains, but in recent years, there weren't any large wild beasts around, so no one paid attention to these stone walls.
At a glance, he could see large chunks of stone on the stone wall. They were very old and had a sense of desolation.
Shao Xuan played with the stone in his hand and stared at it. Shao Xuan heard that the stone on the stone wall had fossils of ancient creatures. He recalled the "watermelon-sized bug" that Shi Qi had mentioned.
Just as he was about to shift his gaze away, Shao Xuan suddenly discovered that a snake-like thing had appeared on the stone wall. It was still wriggling. It was as thick as a water tank, and its scaly patterns were suffused with a cold light. Even though it was a few meters away, Shao Xuan felt a bone-chilling chill. It shocked Shao Xuan so much that he almost jumped up. However, when Shao Xuan blinked and looked again, he discovered that there was nothing. The stone wall was still that dilapidated stone wall that had been exposed to wind, sun, and rain for a long time.
Was it an illusion?
Shao Xuan looked at the other parts of the stone wall. Then, his gaze fell on a gap in the stone wall. There was a large rock that had been left behind after the stone wall collapsed. The smaller one had been picked up by the villagers to build their own walls, while the larger one had been left here. At that moment, Shao Xuan saw a small green sprout emerge from the rock. The sprout rapidly sprouted leaves and grew taller. At the same time, several vines extended in all directions. The gap that was originally more than three meters long was covered by the vines and branches in the blink of an eye. His nose seemed to be filled with the fragrance of plants.
Shao Xuan took a few steps back and took a deep breath. When he focused again, he discovered that the vines and branches had all disappeared. The stone wall was still there, and the large, bare rock was on the ground.
Sensing something strange in his hand, Shao Xuan looked down at his hand that was holding the rock.
The rock that couldn't be burned by fire and cut by knives instantly turned into sand and fell through the gaps between Shao Xuan's fingers.
When the last grain of sand fell, Shao Xuan's vision turned dark.
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