The group walked along the water, Ke Xun carrying Cao Youning, who had fainted from blood loss, on his back, with Wei Dong helping to support him from behind.
They had divided the tasks: some observed the water, some the surrounding rock walls, some the cave ceiling, some kept a close eye on their phone screens, and Mu Yiran and Fang Fei were responsible for overseeing the overall situation…
The surrounding environment was slowly changing; the temperature seemed to be gradually warming, the ice and snow were almost completely melting, the fish in the water were decreasing, and the light in the cave was becoming increasingly dim. Suddenly, Shao Ling stopped.
"What? Did you find something?" Qin Ci, walking behind him, asked.
"No, nothing," Shao Ling's voice was hesitant.
Mu Yiran's sharp gaze shot over: "Shao Ling, what's wrong?"
Shao Ling's expression was extremely grim. He took a few deep breaths: "It seems my time is almost up."
All the team members were shocked, unable to believe that Shao Ling's turn was approaching so soon.
"Don't think about anything, hurry up and find the autograph!" Ke Xun, carrying Cao Youning, quickened his pace. "There's no path ahead, we have to wade through the water!"
Mu Yiran walked to Shao Ling's side: "Don't be distracted by the illusion, we're almost there."
Shao Ling snapped out of his daze: "What? Where's the autograph?"
"It's at the end of this stretch of water." Mu Yiran was surprised that he could make something out of nothing sound so plausible.
Hearing Mu Yiran's words, although they didn't know the basis for his claim, they trusted him completely. So, they perked up again and waded through the knee-deep water.
Ahead was a low stone cave entrance, and all the members had to bend over to pass through. Ke Xun, carrying Cao Youning, bent over extremely low and barely made it across.
After Ke Xun passed through the stone cave entrance, he suddenly felt a lightness on his back. He turned around and saw Mu Yiran, who, with Wei Dong's help, had taken the "burden" off his back.
Ke Xun looked at Mu Yiran. He had previously thought he was slowly changing during the process of entering the painting, but he never expected that the other person was also undergoing subtle changes.
Mu Yiran carried Cao Youning on his back, seemingly quite easily. Although he didn't speak, his eyes seemed to say: Ke Xun, don't look at me like that. If this person wasn't still alive, I wouldn't bother with him.
Ke Xun flashed a perfect corgi smile, then immediately turned back to continue looking for autographs.
"The phone has a time! We're out!" Luo Yiran waved his phone.
Everyone felt a little relieved, but more than that, they were anxious.
Since passing through the stone cave entrance, the environment here had changed drastically. First, the water was almost dry, and the surrounding stone walls were severely eroded.
"There's something in the cracks!" Wei Dong shouted. Sure enough,
there were things in the cracks. At first glance, they appeared to be some smooth white stone slabs, each one inserted sideways into the crack.
Ke Xun pulled out a stone fragment: "Is it a white fish? A white fish made of stone?"
"This is so strange, could it be a fossil of a white fish?" Wei Dong was very puzzled.
Shao Ling said, "Fish fossils don't form like this. This white fish made of stone looks like—those white fish hardened into stone."
"Shao Ling, you're so strong, that's great." Wei Dong swayed slightly.
Shao Ling couldn't force a smile, busy pulling the stone fish out of the cracks in the rocks: "Now we can be sure that the fish in those photos are these stone fish, which is why they're so stiff. But why are those stone fish in the water? There's nothing in the water here, and it's almost dried up."
Zhu Haowen: "That must be a hint from 'them,' telling us to follow the water to find these white fish. And that photo of the white fish in profile should be the effect on these walls, so I think the answer should be on the white fish on the walls."
Ke Xun looked at the groups of white fish stones on the wall: "Have you noticed that these white fish seem to form something like arrows?"
The way the white fish stones were pieced together did indeed seem to form arrows, guiding everyone forward.
"This is the information they gave us, let's quickly follow these arrows!" Luo Yu hurried forward.
The cave grew darker and darker, and gradually everyone realized that this was a dead end, with a completely sealed stone wall at the end of the mountain path.
The arrows formed by the white fish stones disappeared here.
Shao Ling's steps became increasingly unsteady, and he had to hold onto the stone wall for support: "I can't hold on much longer... I chose to die very quickly back then, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on like Cao Youning..."
"The last white fish at the end," Ke Xun looked at the white fish stone high up in the stone wall, and then at the stacked stones at his feet. The way it was placed and the height it was at really looked like his own handiwork. "I'll climb up and take a look."
When Ke Xun touched the white fish stone and easily took it down, he already knew.
This was it.
His fingers touched the sides of the white fish and could clearly feel the marks of words carved on it.
This was it.
Everyone gathered around Ke Xun, and under the light of the cell phone and the fluorite, several words could be clearly seen on the white fish: Spring 1995.
Turning the white fish over, the other side revealed the two most anticipated words: Bi Di.
The white fish stone gradually disappeared from Ke Xun's hand.
Suddenly, light emanated from the end of the cave, with faint traces of a picture frame around the light.
At this moment, the entire cave was shaking, as if an earthquake had struck.
"Hurry up! Shao Ling and Cao Youning, go first!" Qin Ci pushed Shao Ling, who quickly disappeared into the picture frame.
Mu Yiran also quickly pushed Cao Youning, whom he was carrying on his back, out of the picture frame.
Following that, Luo Yiran, Xin Chun, Zhu Haowen, and Qin Ci all went out one after another.
Just as Wei Dong was about to go out, he suddenly stopped, sensing that something was wrong.
Mu Yiran didn't seem to have any intention of leaving, and was staring at Fang Fei, who was standing not far away.
Fang Fei stood still, wearing a white mask and looking at everyone.
"Go, Fang Fei! Hurry up! That white fish stone seems to be suppressing this place; taking it down might cause trouble!" Wei Dong anxiously called out to his companions.
Mu Yiran looked at Fang Fei: "Can't you leave?"
Fang Fei didn't speak, but took out a knife from her cotton robe: "In this world, a witch's mask can only be removed once; once it's put on again, it can't be removed. I've already worn the other mask once; this is my second time."
Wei Dong's voice became hoarse with anxiety: "Then leave wearing the mask!" He said, pulling Fang Fei towards the cave entrance, but Fang Fei was immediately repelled as soon as she touched the light at the cave entrance.
"I can't leave. I'm already outside of reincarnation. To leave, I can only leave behind one of the witch's tokens." Fang Fei pointed to the mask on her face and the bracelet on her wrist.
"How can you leave?" Ke Xun looked at Fang Fei, thinking that he would tear down this cave to get her out.
"I'll forcibly remove it," Fang Fei said, looking at Ke Xun. "The mask is too close to my brain; I'm afraid it'll be dangerous. The bracelet is practically etched onto my wrist; I can't get it off. I'll have to cut it off. Ke Xun, please help me."
"Wh-what…" Ke Xun thought he had misheard and was about to ask again when he suddenly heard a scream.
The scream came from Wei Dong.
Fang Fei swung the knife in her right hand and chopped off her left hand; blood gushed out instantly.
Fang Fei gasped twice, her trembling voice incredibly resolute: "We don't owe them anything anymore, let's go!"
The three men, including Mu Yiran, were all stunned by Fang Fei's courage and followed her out...
Everyone appeared in the familiar exhibition hall. Wei Dong went to check on Fang Fei first: "Are you alright? Are you alright?!"
Fang Fei touched her face; it was fine: "The mask is gone."
"I'm talking about your hand!" Fang Fei
looked at her purplish left hand: "It seems I can't move it."
Wei Dong grabbed Fang Fei's left hand: "What do we do? Let's go to the hospital quickly. I feel this hand is still warm, it should be alright... Ouch ouch ouch ouch..."
Wei Dong felt Fang Fei's left hand suddenly exert force, turning him around like an arm wrestler: "What kind of time is this? I know you're fierce..."
"I was just testing if this hand could still be used."
Cao Youning also gradually woke up, but was very dizzy and had some symptoms of low blood sugar, requiring immediate hospitalization.
Shao Ling was in relatively good condition, except for his pale complexion.
"Are you alright?" Luo Tan asked.
"Where?"
"Well... where did you kill yourself... where is that?" Luo Tan looked Shao Ling over, unable to discern where the other was most vulnerable.
"I won't tell you." Shao Ling stretched his shoulders. "By the way, where's Xin Chun?"
Luo Tan slowly picked up his snow-white motion-sensing vehicle: "Here, my divine beast is here... I'll just hug it from now on and never step on it again..."
Although everyone felt fortunate to have survived, the thought of their four companions left in the painting left them with a particularly bitter feeling.
Mu Yiran and Ke Xun stood in front of the painting, gazing at the subtly altered scene—it was still the same house, but now windows were painted, with silhouettes of two boys and two girls on the windows.
One girl was reading a book, another was sniffing a small bottle, and two boys were taking pictures, one of the girls reading and the other pointing the camera at the window, as if trying to capture the scene outside the painting.
"They're all doing their own thing," Ke Xun heard Mu Yiran say.
Ke Xun didn't speak, but took out his phone and took a picture of the painting.
"Is your companion alright? He seemed to be having some kind of illness," the museum curator asked as he walked in.
"He's fine, just a case of low blood sugar," Wei Dong said.
"I think it might be because the exhibition hall was just renovated, the smell hasn't dissipated yet. Maybe it's formaldehyde poisoning. I suggest everyone go back, this exhibition hall is temporarily closed," the curator said.
Everyone didn't say anything more, there was nothing to miss in this exhibition hall, so they left together.
"Brother Qin and Haowen took Xiao Cao to the hospital, let's go to the hospital too," Wei Dong said, looking at the message Zhu Haowen had sent him.
"I need to go to the hospital to get my hand checked too." Fang Fei looked at her purple left hand.
"You don't need to see it, you're practically turning into Astro Boy with an iron arm..." Wei Dong hugged his arm and tilted his head to look at Fang Fei.