The entrance of the cave was still bright, but the deeper they went, the darker the light became. After a turn, there was almost no light in the cave. If they wanted to see the road under their feet, they could only use these lit torches. With the illumination of these torches, they could barely see the situation in the cave.
The road in the cave was not flat. Like the stream outside, it was also crooked. Naturally, there were potholes under their feet. It was not easy to walk. Therefore, they had to light up the cave to walk normally. Otherwise, it was easy to fall.
The height of the cave was two people high, and the width had not decreased. It had always been this wide. The stream in the cave was basically in the middle. Occasionally, it would run to the side, but most of the time, it was still in the middle.
"Wow, so beautiful!"
After walking for less than fifty meters, everyone saw a different scenery. The walls of the cave just now were ordinary gray rocks. At this moment, what appeared in front of everyone was no longer ordinary rocks, but a colorful gem warehouse.
There were a large number of beautiful stones, stone grapes, stone corals, stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars everywhere. It was dazzling.
Obviously, this was a typical karst landform. In Jie Mountain, there was actually a karst landform. This made Ang Lee feel very surprised. These stones were all treasures. They could be sold for money or used as medicinal materials. What were their uses?
"Stone grapes, this is a rare treasure! It can be sold for a lot of money. "
"Such a big stone coral, I haven't seen such a big one yet. The stone coral in General Chen's mansion is less than ten percent of this stone coral. "
"The stalagmites here are also very good. And these stalactites, this is simply a treasure cave!"
Everyone was very excited.
Obviously, they all understood the importance of the stones in front of them. They could sell a lot of money casually. Who would say no to money? No one would say no to money.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "You are right. These stones can be sold for a lot of money. However, these are the ancestral property of the Zhan family. Let's not have any ideas about them. We have to be more generous."
After listening to Ang Lee's words, Chen Long and the guards were a little unhappy. These were valuable treasures! They were actually not allowed to take some. Naturally, they would be a little unhappy.
"These purple stone grapes are really beautiful. They are really the best of the best!"
Li An found a large group of Stone Grapes. These purple Stone Grapes weighed at least a few thousand pounds. Because they were a whole, they were very beautiful. If they were to be moved away, for example, they would need to be broken. In this way, they would lose their original value. Some things were most valuable when they were left where they were. Moving them away would only cause unpredictable damage.
Although this large patch of purple Stone Grapes was very beautiful, they could only be left in the cave if they wanted to maintain the brilliance of these Stone Grapes. Any attempt to take them away would cause great damage to these Stone Grapes, turning them into small pieces of Stone Grapes, greatly reducing their value. In other words, these Purple Stone Grapes were only truly valuable if they were left in the cave. If they were broken up and taken away, they would become a luxury item, greatly reducing their value.
"These bunches of purple grapes look really tempting. It's really strange that grapes can grow in this stone!"
Chen Long looked at the purple stone grapes in confusion and said.
Chen Long naturally didn't understand how the stone grapes were formed. But how could Ang Lee not understand? If Ang Lee couldn't even understand this, then he would have wasted his time.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "These stone grapes, stone corals, and stone pillars are all formed by water droplets. Because the stones themselves are slightly different, the way the water droplets are formed is also different. Therefore, these beautiful stones are formed."
Although he had explained, Chen Long and the others were still puzzled. With their intelligence, it was obvious that they would not be able to understand.
In fact, these strangely shaped stones like the stone grapes were also a type of stalactite. They were also formed by water droplets. Ang Lee had told the people accompanying him about the formation of stalactites. But because the guards had changed a lot, there weren't many guards who knew about stalactites.
When talking about stalactites, one must connect the other stalagmites and stone pillars together. These three brothers were all the same thing. They were all formed by limestone and water.
Generally, the caves that could form this kind of karst cave must be made of limestone. In other words, in this border mountain, in addition to tungsten ore, there were also lime mines. This was certain. Without lime mines, it was impossible to form these stalactites. But they didn't know how many lime mines there were. If there weren't many, then there wouldn't be any mining value. Only a large amount of lime mines would be worth mining.
The main component of limestone was calcium carbonate. When it encountered water with carbon dioxide dissolved in it, it would react to form more soluble calcium bicarbonate. When the water with calcium bicarbonate dissolved in it was heated or when the pressure suddenly decreased, the calcium bicarbonate dissolved in the water would decompose and form calcium carbonate again. At the same time, carbon dioxide would be released.
There were many cracks on the top of the cave. Water droplets constantly seeped out from each crack. Every time the water evaporated, some lime deposits would be left. One drop, two drops, three drops … The water kept appearing and evaporating. The lime on the top of the cave accumulated more and more, and finally formed a sharp corner. This was the childhood of the stalactites. Later on, the sharp corner of the stalactite was covered with layers of lime, so that it grew longer and longer. Some stalactites could reach a length of several meters or even more than ten meters.
Stalagmites were the close companions of the stalactites. When the water droplets on the top of the cave, the lime deposits also accumulated on the ground. In this way, the stalagmites grew up facing the stalactites. It could be said that the stalactites were born first, and the stalagmites were born later. However, the stalagmites had a large base and were relatively stable. They weren't easy to break, so they often grew faster than the stalactites. The maximum height of the stalagmites could reach 30 meters, like a stone tower that grew out of the ground.
Sometimes, the stalactites that grew downwards would connect with the stalagmites that grew upwards, forming a stone pillar that was thick at both ends and thin in the middle. People who didn't know the details would think that someone had carved it out. In many limestone caves, most of the stalactites and stalagmites weren't connected. That was because the stalactites were broken, or too much lime blocked the path of the water droplets. The water droplets were forced to change their path and move to another place, growing a new stalactite. In this way, the stalactites and stalagmites wouldn't meet.
Underground water played a decisive role in the formation of the stalactites and stalagmites. Wherever it flowed, it would leave a trace, or a ditch, or a hole, or a stalactite, or a stalagmite, or a stone pillar. When they were combined together, they would form a forest, a bead curtain, and other beautiful scenes. This phenomenon was often encountered in daily life. For example, the bottom of the kettle used to boil water would often be covered with a layer of dirt. When it was taken out and some vinegar was added, a large number of bubbles would be produced. This was because the tap water contained calcium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate, and so on. Some of the components of the dirt were the products of their decomposition during heating, such as calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide.
Because the temperature in nature wasn't as high as boiling water, the formation of stalactites and stalagmites wasn't as fast. They were formed after tens of thousands of years of long-term deposition and constant changes.
Ang Lee didn't want to explain these principles to the guards. After all, these fellows' standards were too low. He was afraid that it would be useless even if he explained. These fellows wouldn't understand at all. Rather than wasting time, it was better not to say anything.
"Aiya! Assistant Minister Li, I didn't do it on purpose. "
Chen Long gently stroked a bunch of Stone Grapes, but unexpectedly, because he used too much strength, the top of the Stone Grape broke off. A large piece of Stone Grape fell into Chen Long's hands.
Ang Lee glanced at it and said, "Since you can break it with a light touch, this means that this bunch of Stone Grapes is no longer sturdy. Even if you don't touch it, it will fall after a while. Forget it, you can keep it!"
Stone Grapes were also a type of stalactite. Because these purple Stone Grapes were hanging on the walls and ceiling of the cave, it was normal for them to fall from time to time. Stalactites were very easy to fall. As long as they grew too big, the roots wouldn't be able to bear the weight of the main body and would fall from above. In this case, Chen Long really couldn't be blamed.
"Hehe, since that's the case, I'll break a few more. Anyway, those that aren't sturdy will fall sooner or later."
Chen Long said with a smile.
Ang Lee smiled indifferently and didn't say anything. As long as these Stone Grapes were sturdy, Chen Long definitely wouldn't be able to break them with his bare hands. If he could break them with his bare hands, it meant that they weren't sturdy enough and would fall sooner or later.
Seeing Chen Long use his bare hands to break the Stone Grapes, many guards and Zhan tribe members began to imitate him. However, because most of the Stone Grapes were very tall, they couldn't reach them without a ladder. Therefore, they could only break the Stone Grapes that could be reached. And these Stone Grapes that could be reached were only a few that could be broken with their bare hands. Most of them were very sturdy and wouldn't budge at all.
"The ceiling of the cave is too high. If only there were a ladder. There are so many Stone Grapes that look easy to break off."
Chen Long looked at the Stone Grapes that were as tall as two people and said helplessly.
"Be content! You've already broken off two of them. How much can they be worth? "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Other than Chen Long who had broken off two Stone Grapes, the rest of the soldiers and Zhan tribe members had also broken off a few. The total number didn't exceed ten. It could be seen that most of the Stone Grapes were very sturdy. Of course, they couldn't reach the Stone Grapes that were too tall.
After walking for some distance, Ang Lee and the crowd saw a very spectacular waterfall. However, it was a still waterfall and really didn't move at all. The location of the waterfall was on the side of the cave and was considered to be close to the cave wall. This waterfall was actually a stone waterfall, which was also a precious stone. The principle of its formation was the same as stalactites and Stone Grapes. There wasn't any essential difference.
To be able to see such a large stone waterfall in the cave, Ang Lee's mood could only be described as ecstatic. This kind of scene was rare.
"This stone is interesting! From afar, I thought it was an ice cube. "
Chen Long said.
"This is a stone waterfall and is also very precious. Let's just look at it. Don't destroy it!"
Li An wanted to protect this natural wonder very much, so he said.
The appearance of this stone waterfall was very similar to a frozen waterfall. If one suddenly saw this in the wild, they might really think that it was an ice cube.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is strange. There are actually Stone Grapes on the ground."
Chen Long suddenly shouted excitedly.
That's right. On the ground not far ahead, there was a large patch of Stone Grapes. The appearance of these Stone Grapes was a little different from the hanging Stone Grapes they saw before. They looked more beautiful.
Because they grew on the ground, these Stone Grapes were very sturdy. Chen Long used force to break them a few times but they didn't move at all. At the very least, they would need to use tools to break them down.
"They are indeed high-quality Stone Grapes. These Stone Grapes didn't grow easily. They only grew to this size after thousands of years of growth. Don't destroy these Stone Grapes. Let these Stone Grapes lie here quietly!"
Ang Lee said.
The formation of these Stone Grapes on the ground was similar to the formation of stalagmites. They were formed after a long time of accumulation. It would be a pity if they were destroyed. It was better not to destroy them.
The further they went in, the lower the temperature was, so everyone could feel the cold air on their bodies. Fortunately, they were all strong young men, so they were able to overcome this difficulty.
After walking for a few dozen meters, everyone saw an even more magnificent scene. The stones here were more delicate and had more special shapes.
"Winter gourd, cucumber, grape."
"There are also lychees, dates, sweet pears."
"Luffa, watermelon, sweet potatoes. They are all here?"
"Oh my god! What kind of cave is this? There are so many fruits. "
Everyone saw more than ten types of fruits in one breath. They were suddenly shocked speechless. They were all amazed by the magic of nature.
Some of these stone fruits grew on the ceiling of the cave, while others grew on the walls. There were even many fruit-shaped stones on the ground beneath their feet. This forced Li An and the others to step on these fruits in order to move forward normally. Otherwise, they could only walk in the water. However, it was definitely unrealistic to walk in the stream. They were already cold enough. If they walked in the bone-chilling stream, they would feel even colder. It was also not easy to walk in the water. How could they walk with their shoes wet?
Although it was somewhat unbearable, it was worth it for everyone to step on these strange stones. Occasionally, there would be cracking sounds under their feet. Some of the stones that were stepped on would be picked up. These were all expensive gems. Of course, they couldn't be wasted. They could be sold for a lot of money.
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