After leaving the caves on the stone wall, we each adjusted our moods and continued deeper into the canyon. Influenced by the stone carvings in the caves, we walked very cautiously, paying attention to every sound in the jungle, afraid of encountering the ambush set by the Queen Mother of the West a thousand years ago. However, as we ventured further, nothing strange happened; we encountered no other relics from the Queen Mother’s kingdom. The rainforest grew denser, with twisted roots and vines spreading everywhere, as if we were moving away from the Queen Mother’s palace rather than approaching it. Eventually, our eyes grew weary, and all we could see were the green, entangled vines, as if we were traversing a bowl of dragon whisker noodles covered in green mold.

It was then that I truly understood the concept of “jungle.” The woods I had passed through in Shandong and the Qinling Mountains were like a leisurely stroll compared to this; walking a kilometer there felt like a breeze, while here, even a hundred meters felt like a monumental challenge, making progress incredibly difficult. Looking at Panzi’s determined face, drenched in sweat, I couldn’t help but wonder how they managed to endure during their battles back then.

We trudged forward in silence until the forest grew dark, and the canyon walls turned into silhouettes. We hadn’t covered much distance. No one in the group spoke anymore; only the sounds of heavy breathing and swatting mosquitoes filled the air.

The fat guy was in a daze, succumbing to his own delusions. He started humming a mountain song to lift his spirits, singing “Why Are the Flowers So Red?”
“Why are the flowers so red? Why are they so red? Oh, they’re as red as, as red as burning fire.” He was at the front of the line, singing to keep us alert, something you couldn’t expect from the quiet guy.

However, the fat guy’s singing was truly off-key, and since he wasn’t singing properly, it sounded more like a ghost summoning than anything else. Panzi eventually couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “Damn it, it’s so hot here, can’t you sing something cooler?”

The fat guy replied, “What do you know? This is a song from the guests of the iceberg. When I sing it, I think of the glaciers of Changbai Mountain; it’s bound to cool me down a bit.”

Panzi retorted, “Then why not sing ‘The White-Haired Girl’? It’s more straightforward and saves us from having to make associations.”

The fat guy shot back, “What the hell, are you requesting a song now? Do you really think I’m a radio? I’m singing for you out of kindness. Stop giving me so many opinions.”

Just as he was cursing, thunder rumbled in the sky, lightning flashed in the clouds, and the wind began to pick up, with raindrops starting to fall.

We all quieted down and looked up at the sky. Through the treetops, the dark clouds lit up, as if lightning was swirling within them, pressing down on the top of the canyon. Aning sighed and said, “Traveling at night and encountering wind and rain, it seems the Queen Mother doesn’t welcome us. We’re in for a tough night.”

The fat guy said, “Let it rain, let it rain! The best thing would be for it to pour; that would cool things down. It’s so stuffy that I, Fat Master, feel like the eggs in my pants are about to hatch into little chicks.”

We couldn’t help but laugh at this, and Panzi scolded, “Then keep an eye on your little chicks; don’t let them get struck by lightning!”

Before the words were finished, the rain really came pouring down. At first, a few drops hit our faces, and before we could react, a torrential downpour began. It was as if the entire forest had fallen silent, with all the trees standing still. Then, with a loud “boom,” the whole canyon erupted with a roar. The rainwater lashed down like whips through the gaps in the treetops, almost knocking us over.

We didn’t expect the rain to be so fierce; it caught us completely off guard, and we all scrambled to cover our heads. Fortunately, we were at the bottom of a dense forest, surrounded by large trees with thick canopies. One tree had a tangle of vines forming a makeshift shelter, and at Aning’s shout, we climbed up to take cover from the rain.

Everyone huddled together, looking as if we had just been fished out of a soup. The fat guy exclaimed, “Damn, this isn’t just rain; it’s like the Dragon King is pissing on us from above!”

At that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire canyon. By the light of the flash, we could see that on one side of the cliff, the rainwater had gathered into a massive waterfall cascading down. In the darkness, the rainforest roiled, with enormous curtains of water crashing down on both sides, reminiscent of Moses parting the sea—an extraordinarily magnificent sight.