"Master above, it's dangerous, get away from the cave entrance!" Monk Xingyao's voice was getting closer. From his position below, he couldn't see the stone door. Hearing my chainsaw, he probably thought we were trying to break the bronze lock.
But if we went out and climbed up, he would definitely see us. I didn't know the martial arts skills of Xingyao and Xingchen, or if they could stop us from climbing away. We had come this far, so we had to push forward.
"Don't just stand there, help me! Forget the ladder and saw, you go up first and use the pulley to hoist people to the mountaintop!" I commanded.
Zheng Bingbing's eyes widened, she didn't dare to disobey. She dropped the saw and stumbled out of the cave. By the time I carried the "paper coffin" out, Bingbing had already climbed to the mountaintop. I hung the paper coffin on the hook. Just as Zheng Bing was about to pull, Xingyao and Xingchen, using some unknown method, climbed up from below. Xingyao was carrying a cleaver, and Xingchen had a rolling pin.
"It's you!" Xingyao looked at me, then at the slowly ascending paper coffin, and then at the pried-open stone cave. He instantly understood what was happening. He threw down the cleaver and rushed forward to untie the rope. Xingchen stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
I took the opportunity to pick up the cleaver and used its back to hold it against Xingyao's neck. "Hey! Let go! Otherwise, I'll chop off your winter melon head!"
"How did you know we were eating winter melon for lunch?" Xingchen asked foolishly.
Xingyao couldn't see the cleaver but could feel the cold touch. He had no choice but to obediently let go. I looked up at Bingbing and gave her a look. She hesitated, then nodded and continued to crank the handle, pulling the paper coffin up.
"Master Wu, this is not the right way!" Xingyao said indignantly, his back to me, expressing strong condemnation.
"Do you know what's inside? Do you know the whole story?" I asked in a low voice.
Xingyao opened his mouth, but was speechless.
"If you don't know, don't judge arbitrarily. I can tell you that there is a living person inside, yes, she's still alive! I am saving her! And what are you doing? Guarding a prison! You, who should be compassionate monks, are acting as accomplices to the jailer. Aren't you ashamed?"
Xingyao's face turned red, he tried to argue, but again couldn't speak.
At that moment, my phone vibrated. I checked the time, 12:20. Without guessing, I knew who was calling.
"Master, you have a call," Xingchen reminded me from the side.
"That's none of your business! Go down the mountain and continue cooking!" I cut off the call and said angrily.
"Okay." Xingchen obediently ran off.
Without his helper, Xingyao became even more dejected. At this time, Zheng Bingbing had already pulled the paper coffin to the mountaintop and let down the rope to help me up.
"Go inside!" I pointed to the cave.
"I... this humble monk dares not..." Xingyao said softly.
"Go inside! I'm here to save someone, don't force me to kill!" I pushed Xingyao towards the entrance and forced him into the cave.
"Ah!" Xingyao screamed, "There's a demon inside!"
"What demon are you talking about!"
Risking being cut by me, Xingyao squeezed out of the cave. He didn't even care about the cleaver I was threatening him with. He directly jumped onto the small platform below the cave entrance, held up the hem of his monk's robe, and ran into the sea buckthorn path without looking back.
Did he really see a demon?
"Uncle! Come up quickly!" Zheng Bingbing called from above.
"Wait a moment." I was still relatively calm. If I were attacked by a demon while ascending and the rope broke, falling from such a height, even if I didn't die, I would break my legs. It wouldn't be worth it.
So, I had to confirm if there was any danger first. If there was indeed a demon in the cave, I wouldn't take the dangerous path upwards. I'd have Zheng Bingbing take the paper coffin and run first, and I'd run in Xingyao's direction. After all, jumping from here would only be about four meters, and landing would at most result in a sprained ankle.
Taking a deep breath, cleaver in hand, I re-entered the cave. The ladder, saw, and the coffin boards I had cut were all there, along with wood shavings scattered on the ground. Nothing else. Where was the demon? Did Xingyao mistake the ladder or the chainsaw on the ground for a demon?
Coward!
I chuckled and was about to exit the cave when my peripheral vision caught a movement above. I suddenly looked up at the coffin. Damn it, there really was a demon!
I saw a woman's body emerge from the rectangular opening I had sawed on the side of the coffin. Her back was to me, her upper body inside the coffin, and a leg was extended, probing with her toes for the ladder. She was wearing a pair of black boots, fluffy, and a similar furry garment, like that of a primitive person, on her body.
My ability to describe this kind of fur clothing is limited, and the description may not be precise, but I think anyone who knows the background of Jiuxian Cave, upon seeing her furry attire, could immediately guess who she was.
It was the bear demon from upstairs!
It seemed she had already transformed into human form, but I was not afraid. It was noon, the yang energy was at its peak, and the demonic energy was greatly reduced. Seeing her timid appearance, her current attack power was not strong. Therefore, I made a bold decision: to take the initiative!
The bear demon seemed not to have noticed me yet and was still diligently searching for the ladder with her foot. After fumbling for a long time, one foot finally landed on it. Just as she shifted her weight onto the ladder, I kicked the bottom of the ladder, overturning it.
*Plop!*
The bear demon bent backward, spun halfway in the air, landed heavily face down on the ground, and lay there. Her legs twitched twice, and she stopped moving...