003, Shiben Wuming, taken by those with fate

Accompanied by Liu Shujun, Cheng Tianle meandered for more than seven miles, walking from Changmen all the way to the main entrance of the Tiger Hill Scenic Area. This place was bustling with people, and he turned his head to ask, "Where do all these people come from? There are many foreigners as well. Where is that over there?"

Cheng Tianle laughed heartily and said, "This cat has such a big head, has its body buried in the ground? ... ... It seems there aren't many people around here, let's move forward and look for the last cat."

However, Cheng Tianle shook his head and said: "No rush, no rush. Since we are here, let's take a good stroll! ... ... Xiao Liu, are you tired? Come, come, I will support you as we walk! ... ... Oh, there is another strange statue here. I have already seen several along the way... ... There is a bridge ahead, and it seems there are statues at the bridgehead. Let's go and take a look!"

"These statues are quite interesting, aren't they? Where do they come from?"

Liu Shujun quickly nodded and said: "The dormitory has long been prepared, and there is a place for you to sleep. Let's hurry and go eat! ... The company dormitory is right next to Shantang Street; we will reach it after walking back for a while"

The weather was very hot, and after walking nearly 8 miles, she was certainly tired. Looking back at Yu Fei, who was carrying the backpack, he was already drenched in sweat. Cheng Tianle was deceived by Yu Fei; throughout the journey, Yu Fei was preoccupied with how to keep Cheng Tianle with them and recruit him into their line of work as his subordinate. He had no interest in enjoying the scenery, especially since he had already visited this Shantang Street many times before.

Liu Shujun shook his head and said, "What Suzhou specialty farmhouse dishes! At the entrance of the Tiger Hill Scenic Area, they are just trying to fool outsiders, both expensive and not tasty... Since a handsome guy like Manager Cheng is here, we must try the authentic century-old brand of Suzhou. There is one on Shantang Street ahead, and we will pass by anyway. Let me treat you to Rongyang Tower." Without further ado, he took Cheng Tianle and left the restaurant, crossing in front of the main entrance of the Tiger Hill Scenic Area and returning to Shantang Street.

It is not worth visiting Tiger Hill; Liu Shujun does not take Cheng Tianle in because entering Tiger Hill requires purchasing a ticket, which costs 60 yuan each. If one can save, then save.

Yu Fei panted from behind, saying: "Cheng Tian Le, stop moving forward, let's go eat. There really isn't anything ahead, you must have missed it!"

Upon reaching Wangshan Bridge, the timing was just about right. Liu Shujun, with a charming demeanor, tightened her grip on Cheng Tianle's arm and said, "Handsome, are you tired? We have been strolling for the entire afternoon, and it's getting late. Let's go eat."

Shantang Street is sufficiently long, stretching nearly four kilometers from Changmen to Wangshan Bridge west of Huxi. The entire journey is on stone slabs, making it impossible to walk too quickly, requiring at least an afternoon. By the time one finishes exploring, they will inevitably feel tired and hungry. After having a meal, it will be dark, and at that point, it is only natural to take the person back to "rest"

Continuing forward, one has already left Shantang Street. Along the riverside is a narrow alley, mostly lined with small shops selling various tourist souvenirs. Further ahead, near Wangshan Bridge, there are several so-called water town farmhouse restaurants, primarily catering to out-of-town visitors, as people tend to feel tired and hungry upon reaching this point. Looking ahead from Wangshan Bridge, there is an ordinary stone-paved alley by the river, which is an old residential area featuring somewhat disordered old houses, lacking any attractions or tourists. It is time for Le and the others to turn back.

The pyramid scheme group "Welcoming New Friends" allows early arrivals to stroll from one end of Shangtang Street to the other without spending any money. In addition to this benefit, it serves another purpose: to retain individuals.

Even if one visits Tiger Hill first, most people, upon leaving, if they still have the desire to explore, will typically turn towards Shantang Street, rarely heading in the opposite direction, and thus will not see the last two stone raccoon statues

Cheng Tianle widened his eyes: "There are seven raccoon cats, right? How come I've only seen five so far? I've been paying attention on the way, I shouldn't have missed any. There must be two more ahead! Let's go and look for them. Since it's Qili Mountain Tang Street, and I've come all this way, I must find all seven raccoons!"

Even if the individuals who have been deceived harbor doubts in their hearts, when night falls and they are tired, after a round of warm hospitality and invitations, there is an 80 to 90 percent chance that they will follow them back. The pyramid scheme groups engage in "business development"; not only do they need to lure people in, but they must also successfully take them back to their base to consider the first step completed. They cannot allow the "new friends" to sense something amiss as soon as they get off the vehicle, giving them the opportunity to turn around and leave.

A few people turned back and, as they passed by Wangshan Bridge, they noticed several restaurants nearby. Cheng Tianle suggested, "There happens to be Suzhou-style farmhouse cuisine; let’s eat here."

Typically, visitors to Shantang Street can see at most five stone狸 statues, as the last two statues are located beyond the traditional area of Shantang Street, specifically at the heads of Wangshan Bridge and Xishan Temple Bridge, both to the west of Tiger Hill. Shantang Street is quite long, extending over seven li from Changmen, and reaches its end at Tiger Hill. At this point, visitors either turn right to explore the famous Tiger Hill Sword Pool or take a boat back; few continue walking forward.

Since this is the last statue, Cheng Tianle stopped to observe it carefully. He reached out and touched the statue's round forehead, saying: "Raccoon? Are you really a cat? You don't look like one at all. Who carved you so poorly? You have a pig's nose and such a big mouth? What is your name..."

Cheng Tianle shook his head and said, "No, isn't there a bridge with a picture book ahead? It seems there is a large stone next to the bridge, which should be the raccoon statue. The distance isn't far, since we are already here, let's go take a look."

Liu Shujun and Yu Fei had no choice but to follow Cheng Tianle to the Xishan Temple Bridge. Compared to the scenic area they had passed in the afternoon, this place appeared much more desolate and cold, with hardly anyone around. At the bridgehead, there was indeed a stone raccoon statue, the craftsmanship of which was quite rough, and its form was very abstract and simple. If it were not identified as a stone raccoon, it would be difficult to recognize it as a raccoon statue.

The setting sun cast its glow upon the Shantang River, with the shimmering waves reflecting the charm of both banks, creating a truly beautiful scene. However, Cheng Tianle had no desire to appreciate it. He was genuinely feeling dizzy, as if stars were dancing before his eyes, and his head was buzzing. Just a moment ago, when he touched the stone raccoon statue, he suddenly felt a void before him, as if all images had vanished, leaving only a swirling chaos. There seemed to be a voice speaking to him, but he could not make out what it was saying. Just a moment ago, when he touched the stone raccoon statue, he suddenly felt a void before him, as if all images had vanished, leaving only a swirling chaos. There seemed to be a voice speaking to him, but he could not make out what it was saying.

Yu Fei and Liu Shujun exchanged a glance, both revealing expressions of helplessness. This person, who was always cheerful, was truly different from the others that the gang had previously deceived. Having wandered around for such a long time after getting out of the car, they must be feeling impatient at this moment, continuously pressing for answers: "Where exactly is your company? ... It's getting late, we should hurry up! ... I came here on leave, and if the position isn't suitable, I need to get back soon ... "

Liu Shujun replied nonchalantly, "Over there is Tiger Hill, which is just a mountain with an ancient pagoda. It's not open to visitors, and it's quite crowded, so there's not much to see... Let's move on and continue shopping."

However, Cheng Tianle was not anxious at all; instead, he was having a great time. After walking such a long distance, he noticed that the sky was about to darken, yet he still took great interest in talking to the statue, even reaching out to touch it randomly. Yu Fei was just about to advise Cheng Tianle to return early when he suddenly heard Cheng Tianle let out a cry of surprise, losing his balance and collapsing against the statue. He hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "Cheng Tianle, what is wrong with you?"

The section west of the Shantang Street Railway Bridge has not undergone large-scale commercial development; it remains an old residential area, preserving the appearance of the traditional streets and alleys of Suzhou. The restaurants here are much cheaper than those on the other side of the Wangshan Bridge, so Liu Shujun and Yu Fei plan to bring Chengtianle here for meals

Yu Fei quickly caught up and said: "There’s nothing ahead, really nothing worth seeing! ... ... Look, over there are the alleys of the residential area!"

Cheng Tianle's hand was originally resting on the head of the statue, and before him seemed to be an emptiness. He could not control his balance and leaned onto the statue, feeling as if an electric current had invaded his body. It seemed that his stomach had bumped against the tip of the raccoon statue's nose, accompanied by an indescribable sensation that seemed to penetrate into his mind

Cheng Tianle nodded and said, "Oh, so this is the last one. It seems I really missed one!" Yu Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief; if Cheng Tianle insisted on searching further, they would not have found it even if it got dark.

Yu Fei was almost wearing a bitter melon face when, at that moment, an elderly woman crossing the bridge inadvertently lent him a hand. The elderly woman was likely a local resident; upon seeing several outsiders gathered around the statue discussing, she spoke in a heavily accented Suzhou Mandarin, saying: "There are none ahead; this is the last statue. Counting from here, there are a total of seven."

Cheng Tianle was talking while wrapping his arm around Liu Shujun's slender waist, heading straight towards the distant Xishan Temple Bridge. This action seemed somewhat suspicious, as if he were deliberately taking advantage of the girl. However, today, as soon as Liu Shujun saw him, she wrapped her arm around his, making it unclear who was taking advantage of whom. Instead, it was Liu Shujun who was taken aback, as she was half-embraced and had no choice but to move forward

Cheng Tianle rubbed his temples and said: "I feel quite dizzy, my head is buzzing! We have been wandering for quite a while, you must be hungry too, right? Let's go eat! After we finish eating, we can go back and have a good sleep. Does your company have any available dormitories?"

Liu Shujun explained: "It is said that beneath the Shantang River lies the dragon vein of Zhang Shicheng. Have you heard of Zhang Shicheng? Later, Zhu Yuanzhang sent Liu Bowen to Suzhou, where he erected seven cat statues along the Shantang River to subdue the dragon vein. Shantang Street is also known as Qili Shantang Street... In fact, these are all folk tales, and there is no truth to them. Now, these cat statues are all newly constructed and are not particularly impressive."

Yufei, who was carrying a backpack, almost sat down on the ground. Although the plan for Cheng Tianle to wander around Shantang Street was prearranged by the pyramid scheme group to successfully lure people back to their base, Cheng Tianle seemed to be too playful. He had already walked nearly 4 kilometers; wasn't he tired? He still wanted to continue wandering, even though there was nothing lively or interesting ahead.

Just now, the tip of the statue's nose bumped into Cheng Tianle's stomach, causing him pain. He rubbed his belly and stood up straight, saying: "This statue seems to be electrified; I felt a shock, and it felt like a current surged into my head. I'm so dizzy that I just collapsed! ... No, no, it's not an electric shock; it's just dizziness. I think I heard the statue speaking. Didn't you all hear it?"

The Sword Pool and Tiger Hill, renowned as the foremost scenic spot in Wu Zhong, were dismissed as unremarkable by Liu Shujun with just a few casual remarks. One wonders if Su Dongpo, who once wrote, "To arrive in Suzhou without visiting Tiger Hill is indeed a regret," would be infuriated upon hearing this. Meanwhile, those who pass by daily without entering still wear silly smiles, appearing quite content.

Liu Shujun hurriedly supported his arm and said: "Handsome, you must be tired after wandering for such a long time without eating. It's normal to feel dizzy! ... Look, you're even seeing illusions, right? Let's quickly find a place to eat and then return to the office to rest"