Records of Strange People and Strange Events in the Old Mansion

Chapter 147 Cave

Uncle Liu and Lu Bo were arguing at the edge of the cave, and Zhu Huan heard it all clearly at the bottom of the cave. When Lu Bo said that he was the one who dug the cave and he wanted to take Zhu Huan's life, Zhu Huan felt completely relieved. The huge stone that had been suffocating her heart suddenly shattered without a trace, and without even a speck of dust or dirt.

The old craftsman stood next to Zhu Hao. He heard Rube's words clearly and saw the changes in Zhu Hao's facial expressions clearly.

Looking at the cave from above, it was pitch black. But below the cave, it was very bright. This brightness came from a window, a window built in the water.

"Old sir, are you sure you can break all the traps and ambushes in the cave?" Zhu Hu asked the old craftsman.

The old craftsman replied easily: "It's a piece of cake. With his limited skills, he wants to pretend to be me and destroy the old house."

"Old man, what did you say?" Zhu Hu was startled and subconsciously grabbed the old craftsman's arm tightly.

The old craftsman let the red badger grab his arm and said to him calmly, "Fairy, I will tell you in detail after I have discovered the trap in the cave, okay?"

"Okay, you must be careful." Zhu Hu let go of the old craftsman's arm.

The old craftsman went to the window and pressed a few buttons, then turned back and called to Zhu Hao: "Fairy, come over here and stand here."

"Okay." For some reason, Zhu Huan had great trust in the old craftsman.

While the old craftsman was breaking the trap in the cave, he asked Zhu Hu: "Fairy, you jumped into this cave so recklessly, aren't you afraid of hurting yourself?"

"My mother pushed me, and I didn't stand firmly, so I fell down." Zhu Hu replied.

The old craftsman asked with a smile: "Do you still need to be so secretive in front of me?"

"The old gentleman is indeed an extraordinary person. I hope you will forgive me for any offense I have caused you." Zhu Huan felt even happier.

Zhu Hu was indeed not pushed into the cave by Ma Yasha, but jumped into the cave by herself. She did not jump into the cave blindly, but jumped into the cave with confidence. This confidence came from Ma Yasha, from Lu Bo, and even more from the old craftsman.

The old craftsman said so much to Zhu Hu behind the doorpost of Zhu Hu's house, but he didn't say that the cave was dangerous and that he must not go down, which meant that jumping down the cave directly would be fine. When Ma Yasha arrived at the scene, he didn't care whether the cave was dangerous or not, but wanted to push Zhu Hu down. More importantly, Lu Bo was out of character, and didn't have the calmness of the past. Instead, he acted very panicked and asked Zhu Hu to make a decision, whether to send someone down to take a look or to directly transport soil to fill it up?

Send someone down to check? Isn't this a case of trying to cover up one's own guilt? If we simply go down, nothing will happen.

Just bring soil to fill it up? Aren't you trying to provoke me to go down the cave? Knowing that I am curious, would I just let someone bring soil to fill up a cave like this when the front yard of the old house suddenly collapsed?

Since it would be OK to simply go down, I will fulfill your wish and go down to have a look. But I can't let you get too proud, I have to pretend that I am not the one who jumped down to find out what's going on like I did in the past, but that I was afraid to go down, and I didn't dare to go down, and it was my own mother who pushed me, and I lost my balance and fell into the cave.

Zhu Hu believed that after she fell into the cave, the old craftsman would definitely jump down. But she didn't expect the old craftsman to act so naturally, jump so naturally, and not only act timid and cowardly, but also cry so timidly. The posture of jumping down in this timid state is no less than that of a roc falling from the sky, light but powerful.

“Don’t worry, fairy. I have already solved all the traps and ambushes in this newly built cave. But you should not go into the old cave below Taiping Pond for the time being. I believe he has not discovered it, and even if he has, he will not be able to enter.” The old craftsman walked to the window of the cave.

Zhu Hu looked at the water reflected in the window and asked the old craftsman: "This water should be the water of Taiping Pond, right? And the old cave that the old gentleman mentioned should contain the treasure of blue jade, right?"

"Fairy, how do you know that Lan Yu has hidden treasures in the old house?" The old craftsman's clear eyes shone with surprise.

Zhu Huan smiled and replied: "Grandma Taizu told me in a dream."

“Fairy, please accept my great respect.” The old craftsman said as he was about to kneel down.

Zhu Hu hurriedly supported the old craftsman and said, "The reason why I told you the truth is because you didn't treat me as an outsider. You should be my relative."

"Fairy, you are honest, so there is no need for me to hide anything. Fairy, I am the real Rubeus, and the Rubeus on the ground is a fake." The old craftsman was afraid that Zhu Huan would not believe him, so he rolled up his sleeves to show Zhu Huan a birthmark on his arm.

The birthmark on the old craftsman's arm was vermilion in color and not large, about the size of a thumb plate, but its shape was very strange. Most people would not be able to see anything at a glance, but when Zhu Hu took a closer look, he saw a traditional Chinese character "魯".

Zhu Hu rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arm, which also had a birthmark, but it was smaller than the old craftsman's, only as big as a fingernail. The color was also vermilion, just slightly lighter than the old craftsman's. Upon closer inspection, the shape was also a traditional Chinese character "魯".

"Uncle, please forgive me for any offense I have caused you." Zhu Huan bowed to Zhen Lu Bo.

Zhen Lu Bo supported Zhu Hao and said to her: "Ignorance is not a crime, and you have been helping me all the time."

Zhu Hao asked the real Ruber: "What happened to the fake Ruber? When did he take your place? How come you look so different?"

"Child, it was that day when I found the evil spirit at the mortise and tenon joints under the eaves of the living room in Dan'er's house. You scolded me for being too obsessed, but I had resentment in my heart, and the fake Lu Bo took advantage of the opportunity to swoop in." The real Lu Bo told Zhu Huan that when Zhu Huan scolded him for being obsessed with "Lu Ban Book", it was not a good thing, but he did not take it seriously. Instead, he thought that Zhu Huan was too self-righteous at such a young age. Although he did not show it on the spot, he felt more and more uncomfortable after returning to the ancestral hall.

He had been trying to comprehend the "Lu Ban Book" for decades, but he had never succeeded. Zhu Hu pointed out the mystery in just a few words, which made Lu Bo ashamed and angry. He walked out of the ancestral hall alone and came to the top of the East Mountain. In the thunder and lightning, wind and rain, he asked the heaven why he was treated like this? Widowhood, orphanage, loneliness, disability, which one is not the most painful in the world? In this life, he, Lu Bo, endured and suffered, but in the end, this is the result. Can he easily accept it?

Ruburt fainted in grief, and when he woke up it was already noon the next day. He returned to the old house and found another Ruburt, and he himself became an ordinary old man.

Fortunately, that day Zhu Hu fought with the relatives of his slanted-eyed mother-in-law, and many people from the county came, so no one noticed that Zhen Lu Bo had become an ordinary old man.

When the real Lu Bo saw that Uncle Liu, Ma Yasha and Zhu Huan failed to recognize the fake Lu Bo, he had to return to the provincial capital temporarily and go to sign up when Uncle Liu and the fake Lu Bo were recruiting a team to renovate the old house.

"Uncle, do you think my grandfather and mother have identified the fake Rubeur?" Zhu Hu asked.

Zhen Lu Bo pondered for a while and replied to Zhu Hao: "From the performance of your grandfather and your mother, they should have noticed something, but they are not completely sure."

"Uncle, could this fake Ruber be impersonating you using nightmare magic?" Zhu Hu asked.

True Luber replied: "That should be it. He used the Nightmare Technique to hypnotize me, confuse my mind, and then disguised himself as me."

"Uncle, I have a bold idea, I wonder if I can say it out loud?" Although Zhu Hu had already determined that the ordinary old craftsman in front of him was the real Ruber, he still had some concerns.

Zhen Lu Bo looked at Zhu Hao with expectation and said, "Child, now only you can help uncle get rid of the nightmare spell, so just say it boldly and do it boldly. After this incident, uncle has completely let go of his obsession, please believe in uncle."

"Uncle, I believe you. How about this? Don't be in a hurry to be yourself again, that is, we should not be in a hurry to expose his true colors. We will wait until he reveals his true colors before we take action. At that time, we will give him a fatal blow, so that we may be able to completely recover the lost treasures of the old house and the treasures hidden by Lan Yu in the old house." Zhu Hu said. Zhen Lu Bo nodded: "Well, kid, you are getting more and more impressive to uncle. It doesn't matter whether I can be myself again, especially the old self. I don't want to be myself again. I want to completely break away from the past and become a brand new self."

"Uncle, you should already know who the fake Rubeur is, right?" Zhu Hu asked.

The real Ruber replied, "It must be him. He is the only one who knows everything about me, so there is no problem for him to pretend to be me. Ordinary people would not be able to detect it. Even your grandfather and your mother would find it difficult to tell the real thing from the fake for a while."

"Actually, I didn't realize he was a fake before I jumped into the cave. I just thought you really changed." Zhu Hu told the truth.

Zhen Luber asked: "Child, do you think that I have become unreasonable because of my obsession? Do you think that I want to destroy you because you have pointed out my obsession?"

"That's right, even my mother thinks so. But we all think that you just want to destroy me, and it won't have any harm to the old house or other things." Zhu Hu felt a little embarrassed.

The real Luber said graciously, "Don't be embarrassed, kid. If I hadn't been replaced, I might have really had such an idea. Of course, although he pretended to be me, it is not that easy to destroy you. He probably just wants to find those treasures, especially the treasures hidden by Lan Yu in the old house."

"Uncle, do you think he will jump down the cave regardless of the consequences?" asked Zhu Hu.

Zhen Luber replied: "Of course he wants to use this as an excuse to destroy us, but your grandfather and your mother won't let him jump."

"Uncle, since he wanted to impersonate you, why didn't he just kill you directly at that time? That way he wouldn't have to worry about you seeking revenge on him." Zhu Hu asked endless questions.

The real Luber smiled and replied, "You ask this because you still want to distinguish me, right? In fact, you already know the nightmare technique very well. He wants to impersonate me, it's not difficult to change his appearance, but it's impossible for him to imitate my voice and psychological activities. Only when I am still alive in this world and not far away from him, can he really confuse me with the real me."

"Well, it seems that my great uncle has really given up his obsession, so I can rest assured. You said he really wants to jump down and kill us, could it be that he has found all the treasures? Including the treasures that Lan Yu hid in the old house?" Zhu Hu asked again.

True Ruber replied: "You should know this better than me. Since he was able to deliberately collapse this cave with my help, it means that he has found all the treasures he wanted and is just looking for an opportunity to confirm it."

"Find a chance to confirm it? What does this mean? I really don't understand." Zhu Hu really didn't understand.

Zhen Luber explained: "He found a clue, but he couldn't be sure, so he wanted to take this opportunity to confirm it."

"He wants to confirm whether Lan Yu's treasures are hidden at the bottom of Taiping Pond?" Zhu Huan asked.

Zhen Lu Bo replied: "That's right, but the treasure that Lan Yu hid at the bottom of Taiping Pond was only a small part, it was completely to conceal it from others."

"Are you saying that Lan Yu hid some treasures at the bottom of Taiping Pond just to divert the attention of those who wanted to steal the treasures? To attract their attention? The real treasures are hidden somewhere else?" Zhu Huan's eyes subconsciously looked towards the pool of water reflected outside the cave window.

Ruber also looked towards the pool of water and answered Zhu Hao: "There is no doubt about that, but where are Lan Yu's treasures really hidden? I guess no one knows, including you and me."

"Well, Grandma Taizu only told me in the dream that Lan Yu had hidden treasures in the old house, but she didn't tell me the specific location. It was only after I came down from the cave and saw this window that I thought that Lan Yu's treasure might be hidden at the bottom of Taiping Pond." Zhu Huan walked to the window.

Lu Bo approached Zhu Hao and asked in a low voice, "Did Grandma Taizu say anything else to you in the dream, such as the wine in the cellar under the millstone?"

"Grandma asked me to take out the old wine from the cellar under the millstone and let you and my grandfather drink it. Then you will be able to help me protect the old house better." Zhu Hu thought for a while and asked Zhen Lu Bo: "Did you know that there was old wine hidden under the millstone?"

"How could I know? I saw everything you did when you moved the millstone into the cellar. Fortunately, that impostor doesn't drink and doesn't dare to drink. Otherwise, if all that good wine went into his stomach, not only would I be completely finished, but you, your grandfather, your mother, and the old house would all be finished." Zhen Lu Bo breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhu Hu sighed: "Did you see us moving the millstone into the cellar? It seems that your skills have improved a lot. Even my grandfather didn't notice it."

"It's not that he didn't notice, he just pretended not to notice because he was suspicious of the impostor. After all, we have been inseparable all the time, and he has spent more time with me than he has with my sister." Zhen Lu Bo smiled playfully at Zhu Hao.

Zhu Hu was even more certain that the old craftsman in front of him was the real Ruber, and asked, "What did you mean when you said that the fake guy couldn't drink and didn't dare to drink?"

"Because he used the nightmare technique to impersonate me, he had to stay highly focused, including when sleeping, so he didn't dare drink. Once he got drunk, his true colors would be revealed." The real Ruber explained.

Zhu Hu was puzzled and asked, "Didn't he still toast with my grandfather when he had dinner these days?"

"That was acting. He didn't drink a single drop of the wine. It all spilled on his sleeves. Alas, what a pity. So much good wine was wasted." Zhen Luber swallowed unconsciously.

Zhu Hu wanted to laugh, but he didn't. After all, the occasion and situation were different. He just said jokingly, "What a pity! The good wines in the cellar under the millstone are the real good wines. They are all reserved for you. Just don't drink so much that you get cursed by others."

"That's right, those wines are the real good wines. The wine we usually drink can only be called water with a little bit of alcohol. It's a pity that I don't have the blessing to drink it." Zhen Luber's face was full of regret.

Zhu Hu was puzzled and asked, "How come you don't have the blessing to drink it?"

"I have been cast into a nightmare. It is extremely difficult for me to return to my original state. If I drink, there will be no hope at all." Zhen Luber's face was filled with sorrow.

Zhu Hao felt distressed and asked, "Does it mean that from now on you can only completely drive away the evil spirit that is attached to you if you cut off all desires and eat vegetarian food?"

"That's right. If I didn't have some skills, I would probably be just a walking corpse now and wouldn't be able to help you at all." Zhen Luber looked at the pool of water at the window of the cave, and his eyes became moist.

Zhu Hu laughed and said, "Have you forgotten what I said to you?"

"You've scolded me? When have you ever scolded me?" Zhen Luber's eyes widened, and two tears rolled down to his chest.

Zhu Hu deliberately laughed loudly, and said as he laughed: "It seems that you are my real uncle. I will forget the words I scolded you and don't bear grudges. You are just like my mother."

"Tell me, what did you say to scold me? Or scold me again." Zhen Lu Bo grabbed Zhu Hao's arm like a child.

Zhu Hu smiled and said, "Forget it. Someone should be coming down from above. It's probably my mother. You and I should pretend to be dead."

"Pretending to be dead? Pretending to die what? Why are you pretending to be dead?" Zhen Lu Bo wanted to ask more, but when he saw that Zhu Hao was already lying on the ground with his face rubbed with mud beyond recognition, he quickly lay down as well, reached out and grabbed a handful of mud and rubbed it on his face.

"Oh my, my daughter, how could you really die?" Ma Yasha jumped into the cave and hugged Zhu Huan, crying loudly. After crying for a while, he whispered in Zhu Huan's ear: "Lan Yuliu has already reached the village where donkeys cannot reach."

"You've come at the right time. I was just afraid she wouldn't dare to come again." Zhu Hu smiled at Ma Yasha.