Chapter 067 Entering the Cave
"My grandpa?" Chen Meiyu was very surprised. "What does my grandpa have to do with this?"
I told her what I saw and heard in the bardo. Chen Meiyu was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth. She had never expected such a thing to happen.
"So, the real difficulty has not yet begun?" she asked.
"I estimate that the test will begin when we enter the cave tomorrow." I said, "So I have to go back quickly. If I come back after this trip, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen again."
"Okay." Chen Meiyu said, "I'll tell you everything I know, and you can use it as a reference." She thought for a moment and said, "My grandfather is indeed an intellectual, an elite of that era. As for whether he is a professor, to be honest, I don't know. Because." She paused, "I have never met my grandfather and grandmother."
"You haven't seen it?" I was a little surprised.
"I've only seen a photo of my grandfather," she said. "It was taken at the Beijing Railway Station when he was young. He was in his early twenties, wearing a white shirt and looking very energetic. I've never seen him in person."
"Why?" I asked, "Grandpa and grandma died young?"
Chen Meiyu shook her head: "I don't know the details. After I was old enough to understand, I haven't seen grandpa and grandma. My father said that grandma died of illness, but he didn't say much about the details. Grandpa went abroad after my father went to college. There was no news from him after he left. I heard that he went to Austria, which is not a big country. However, he sometimes sent postcards to China. When they came, my father would burn them without even reading them. He said that it was better not to have a father who abandoned his wife and children, and it was better to sever ties with him. Later, there were fewer postcards from grandpa. Whenever he talked about this, my father said that it would be better for that person to die in a foreign land and never come back."
I felt uncomfortable after hearing this: "Meiyu, please don't be offended by what I have to say. These two seem to be at odds with each other, as if they have a grudge against each other."
Chen Meiyu bit her lower lip and said, "Actually, I can understand my father. When he was growing up , he needed his father's care and guidance the most. But this father betrayed his family and even left his homeland without a trace. He is heartless and ungrateful. Let's just break off the relationship with such a person."
Chen Meiyu talked about her grandfather, but I didn't get much useful information out of him. It was the same as if he hadn't said anything. But one thing was certain, Chen Jian and his father had a bad relationship. But in the bardo, it was completely the opposite. Chen Jian there worshipped his father, Professor Chen, with a warm look in his eyes, just like looking at an idol.
This huge contradiction is very strange, and I can’t figure out the reason for it for a while.
Chen Meiyu told me some scattered impressions, but there was nothing valuable. It was inconvenient for me to stay any longer, so I said goodbye to her and quickly visualized the psychic bracelet. I once again entered Chen Jian’s bardo state.
After coming in, he found that it was bright outside. The ten people in front of the tent had already gathered. Li Daming was standing at the end of the team, his eyes drifting, looking left and right, and muttering to himself.
Professor Chen in the front shouted: "The comrade at the back, please be more alert!"
Li Daming was looking for me. Seeing that I was not there, he was a little at a loss. When the leader called his name, he just reluctantly replied, "Yes!"
Professor Chen and the bespectacled leader walked in the front with their equipment. Each of the ten people was carrying a considerable weight. The team started off and headed towards the deepest part of the valley.
I quickly came to Li Daming and said softly, Daming.
Li Daming was suddenly excited, then furious. However, he couldn't get angry, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Where did you run to?"
"I went out for a while." I said, "I went to see Chen Meiyu."
"Are you going to ask about the relationship between Chen Jian and his father?" Li Daming asked.
I took a breath and said, "You are really good, smart boy."
"Isn't this obvious? If it were me, I would definitely ask about this if I had the chance to go out and ask." Li Daming said, "Do you suspect that the last test is related to the relationship between father and son?"
"That's what I mean." I said, "But there are still many things I haven't figured out. Why is the background of the last level about finding a dragon? It's definitely impossible in reality. I don't understand what the deep meaning is."
"Let's not talk about this for now. What exactly is going on between Chen Jian and his father?" Li Daming asked.
I told Chen Meiyu what I knew, and Li Daming seemed to be thinking about something. I asked him if he had any ideas.
Li Daming shook his head. "I have some ideas, but most of them are not very reliable. Just like you said, the last level is full of unspeakable metaphors. This world exists to test Chen Jian. This involves his original family. It's impossible to guess what's going on."
He glanced at the others and saw that they were not paying attention, then said softly, "Lao Lin, once we enter the cave, it is very likely that we will start the final test. Don't wander around aimlessly. Let's get through it together."
"I know." I said, "I'm not that kind of person."
We stopped talking. Li Daming walked and thought at the same time. I was also trying to connect the current clues, but it was all a mess and I couldn't find the direction.
We thought the cave wouldn't be too far from the tent camp, but we walked from early morning to afternoon, arriving at dusk. These people were all trained professionals , but they were exhausted. This road was extremely difficult to walk on, in the primeval forest, with fallen leaves and branches everywhere. It was a path that few people had walked on, and we needed to open a new path.
When we got there, the ten team members were all shocked. In front of them was a huge vertical hole. How could we describe it? It looked like a huge black eye on the rock, as if the mountain god had split his eyelids. We stood at the entrance of the cave, as small as ants, and were extremely shocked.
It doesn't look like a huge hole, but it is too dark inside, like a horizontal abyss, which makes people feel like kneeling down for some unknown reason.
The glasses leader told everyone to set up camp on site. There would be no activities tonight. Everyone should have a good rest and go into the cave early tomorrow morning. He would discuss the specific action plan with Professor Chen.
We stayed here to rest at night. Li Daming and Chen Jian shared a tent, and I didn't dare leave without permission.
Chen Jian knew nothing and was very excited. He tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, so he went to chat with Li Daming. Li Daming looked tired and didn't respond. After talking for a while, they both fell asleep.
I was not sleepy, so I sat in the tent and meditated with my eyes closed.
With my eyes closed, I suddenly thought of visualizing the psychic bracelet. I entered the bardo realm through it, and I have never tried to continue visualizing here, so I don’t know what it feels like.
I gathered all my attention and thoughts and focused them on the bracelet. It wasn't long before I started to feel something. My body was getting hot and I could feel something on my skin. I suddenly opened my eyes and looked down. I was shocked.
My body actually had some vague outlines, although it was not quite clear. I knew what was going on. If I visualized the psychic bracelet a second time in the bardo state, I could make my consciousness materialize.
Is that so? Could it be that it is not my consciousness but my soul that has come in now?
I came out of the bardo state with a thought and sat back in the living room. Chen Meiyu didn't know I was back, so I squinted my eyes and saw her sitting on a chair not far away, resting her chin in thought.
I didn't disturb her and visualized that the bracelet had returned to the bardo realm again, still sitting in the tent.
I adjusted my physical condition and discovered the magical use of the psychic bracelet. Now I can control the form of my consciousness, making myself invisible or visible.
Here, I am in a different situation from everyone else.
Chen Jian and Li Daming were souls that had left their bodies, and the others were born in the bardo realm to meet Chen Jian's test, similar to non-player characters in a game. My state was even more bizarre, I was consciousness, invisible and incorporeal, and nothing here had any effect on me.
After revealing, my skin can feel some touch and temperature. It is not yet certain whether it will have any effect on the interaction with other things. You have to be cautious and try it slowly. There is no rush.
The bracelet is the most useful and the most magical thing. It allows me to travel freely to the bardo realm. I can come in when I want to and leave when I want to. This is the most refreshing thing. The return is just a matter of a thought.
When I figured it out, it was already bright outside. I suppressed my excitement, took a deep breath, and turned myself invisible.
Li Daming and Chen Jian got up to pack up their things. Li Daming told him that after entering the cave, he must not follow anyone else and must stay by his side.
Chen Jian said: "Brother Damin, I know, we two should take care of each other."
I greeted Li Daming, Li Daming relaxed, and we left the tent together.
The temperature dropped again this morning, and everyone's faces were red from the cold. Everyone lined up neatly, and the wind blew through the forest, making the surroundings rustle, which was extremely solemn. The weather was not very good, with dark clouds, and a huge darkness enveloped the top of the mountain, which made everyone feel heavy in their hearts.
"Dear teammates." The bespectacled leader said, "In order to ensure the smooth progress of this mission, Professor Chen and I have discussed and decided to divide into groups to enter the cave. The ten of us are divided into three groups. Wang Di, Li Changjiang, Zhang Jianguo and Professor Chen are the first group. The second group is..."
In the final arrangement, Li Daming, Chen Jian and a man named Wang Yuantong formed a team, and we were the last group to enter the cave.
