*This thing wasn’t just feeding; it was preparing to parasitize!*
*Perhaps this was why those four corpse retrievers of the Qing Dynasty ended up as bearers.*
Run Sheng reached behind him and grabbed it.
"Brother Run Sheng, don’t..."
Before the warning could be finished, Run Sheng yanked the creature from his back.
The mandibles didn’t stay in, for a chunk of at the size of a mahjong tile was torn out.
"Ugh..."
Run Sheng shivered, remarkably feeling a slight comfort.
*This was probably a numbing effect produced by so substance secreted by the gecko serpent during parasitization, like scratching a mosquito bite with one’s fingernail.*
Xue Liangliang anxiously glanced around. Everyone’s clothes were soaked again and again, making it impossible to find suitable disinfectants or blood-staunching supplies.
Run Sheng calmly took out a tin box labeled "cigar" from his pocket. Upon opening it, the coarse incense inside was surprisingly dry, thanks to the waterproof tin box made personally by Aunt Liu.
He pulled out a stick, placed it in his mouth, chewed it, and then spat it into his palm, thodically applying it to the wounds.
Xue Liangliang hurriedly reached out to grab a handful, helping Run Sheng apply it to the largest wound on his back.
"Does it work?"
Run Sheng shook his head, "I don’t know."
After observing for a mont, Xue Liangliang exclaid in surprise, "Hey, it really works, the bleeding has stopped."
Run Sheng leaned against the wall of the passage, sitting down and panting.
But soon, he propped himself up and stood, "Xiao Yuan, I’m good now."
"Brother Run Sheng, you should rest a bit longer."
"No, it’s okay, just a bit dizzy, like being drunk, but not tired."
*This should be the residual effect of the numbing.*
Seeing this, Li Zhiyuan didn’t insist, "Then let’s keep moving. We can rest properly once we get out of here."
Continuing forward, the four of them marched on, with Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang taking the lead this ti, leaving Run Sheng at the back.
Xue Liangliang said, "Xiao Yuan, about that gate earlier, it seed to target those things. Did we co down too late?"
"Actually, not too late. The overhead gate only opened simultaneously with the small gate under the pond when the pond’s water started draining; the contents were only revealed after the corpse water was gone, by which ti the main gate was wide open, and those creatures had already sprung out.
The only ti advantage we could gain was to dive into the corpse water just as the pond began draining and enter through the small gate as soon as it was open enough for people to get through.
But this was our first ti here, our first ti witnessing this situation, so a quick reaction was impossible.
Moreover, this gate wasn’t ant for outsiders like us."
"Hmm?"
Li Zhiyuan shone his flashlight upward, revealing murals on the ceiling of the passage:
"This place is intended for her personally."
Xue Liangliang also looked up at the murals, nodding, "It seems this is the living area designed for herself."
Tan Wenbin questioned, "Isn’t a tomb, then, supposed to be decorated like this?"
Li Zhiyuan replied, "This is not a tomb. The original intention was not for the tomb’s owner to rest here permanently. In fact, when she ’moved in,’ she might not even have been dead."
Tan Wenbin asked, "Buried without dying, is there anyone like that in this world?"
"Yes, different pursuits," Li Zhiyuan paused, "that’s the way it is in the Bai family town."
Without changing her expression, Xue Liangliang continued observing the murals above as she spoke, "The scenes depicted in these murals likely represent the ancient Yong Country, don’t they?"
Li Zhiyuan agreed, "Yes, the woman in bed might be a ruler of the ancient Yong Country, possibly a secular authority or a religious figure."
The paintings depicted a noble woman revered by all, embarking on the journey to challenge her utmost faith.
She is the one who directed the construction here, chose the fiercest beasts and strongest warriors, and then ascended the supre ladder to the clouds above, where a giant serpent resides.
It actually resembles a dragon, but lacks the iconic dragon horns, and it sticks out a long forked tongue.
Atop the serpent’s head was the sun, and its tail, the moon, symbolizing that in her world of faith, the serpent governed the alternation of day and night.
The final painting depicted the woman leading her loyal warriors and beasts, climbing the ladder into the clouds to face the giant serpent, which was her vision of paradise.
"Wait!"
Li Zhiyuan halted, calling the group to a stop as well. Then, he began to step back, focusing the flashlight behind the positions of the woman in each mural.
"Look, in the earlier murals, whether the woman was receiving worship or directing the construction of the underground palace, this slender, darker figure was always standing behind her, but in the final mural where the woman ascended, he was no longer there."
The way this figure was painted was indistinct from the background characters, just deeper in color and more slender. If it were in just one mural, it might be an error by the painter. However, this unique ’him’ was present in every mural except the last, indicating it wasn’t accidental but rather intentional.
Xue Liangliang nodded, "Indeed, it seems he was deliberately highlighted to prove that this person held a significant position at the ti or was highly valued by the woman.
Besides, I don’t know about the ancient tis, but nowadays, often in specific projects, the primary role is just nominal, while the actual duty of managing the underlying operations—the project’s actual leader—falls on the assistant.
The woman’s status in the murals is undoubtedly prominent, likely a reflection of the political correctness of that era. However, the character behind her should be the true hand guiding the woman to ascend to the high rank in Yong Country, build the underground palace, and lead her to ascend."
User Comments
0 comments from readers