Ye Mu pondered, and brought a palm to strike down the tree beside her. Then, she tossed a torch upward. Sure enough, the next second, those worms abandoned them as "heat sources", and instead crawled toward the huge tree that was burning and set ablaze.
Seeing the lot of worms throwing themselves into the fire, and the air filled with the smell of burning meat, everyone had lingering fear in their heart. Luckily, Ye Mu-xiaojie quickly warned them, otherwise, they would have died!
After all, taking a close look at these centipedes, all of them had red hair and green bodies, so they were definitely extremely poisonous!
Ye Mu sighed. "Looks like they also crawled up from underground, but I don't know what's actually happening down there, why is it that we haven't gone down, but the treasure has started attacking us?"
But the others were more worried about where they would sleep tonight, after all, they had exhausted themselves these few days. If they could not rest well tonight, what would they do the next day?
Until most of the worms had died, Ye Mu said, "Fortunately, these worms didn't rush to the wounded, so it seems the powder spread around them still has some effect. Let's do this, we'll stay with the wounded. The powder is already finished, so we can only squeeze in with them."
The others had no complaint. Finally, no other troubles emerged, they had passed a daunting yet uninjurious night.
Because they were worried there was something frightful below, and their number now was very small, Mo Linyuan and the others took no action for several days in a row, merely waiting for the large troop to come and discuss a strategy together.
It was another night. Many people were on night duty these two days, afraid that something would be sent out from the underground. When it was late at night, Ye Mu, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly gave out a blood-curdling scream.
"What happened?!"
As soon as the voice sounded, everyone awakened, these few days they did not sleep genuinely. Then, the group on patrol immediately came, only to find a lot of wolves.
Ye Mu sat up. If it was only a wolf pack, she would not be worried. With their kung fu, even if these wild wolves were powerful, it was only a matter of time to kill them.
But she soon could not hold that wishful thinking because, suddenly around them, a lot of green eyes faintly glinted into appearance. Seeing this number, was it only a wolf pack? Could it be that all the wolves from the entire forest came?!
Wolves are clever animals, it seemed they had eyed the group of people for several days, but only today did they realize the onslaught.
And these wolves were much larger than those Ye Mu and the others had seen before, so they were obviously harder to deal with!
Everyone formed a circle, surrounding Ye Mu and Mo Linyuan, but Ye Mu said, "His Majesty has my protection, the dozen of you, go protect our unconscious companions!"
Those people did not dare move, and only stared at Mo Linyuan.
Mo Linyuan also nodded, saying, "Do as she says."
So the group shifted again. There were still a few remaining with Ye Mu and Mo Linyuan.
When the wolves saw Ye Mu and the rest, they thought the two stood out, and from their keen animal instincts, they felt both of them were most threatening. So, once they attacked, most of them charged toward Ye Mu's direction!
"Watch out!" Mo Linyuan held Ye Mu back behind him, a hand unsheathing his sword. Despite the many wild beasts around them, he wasn't in the least fearful. This calm composure also made the others calm.
Ye Mu stuck to his back, smiling lightly. "It's time to see the result of your training all these years, I've never seen you go all out."
Mo Linyuan slightly curled his lips in a smile. "They are probably not qualified!"
Saying this, both shot out at the same time. The sharp claws of those beasts and the stench that hit directly in their faces were especially vexatious in the dim light of the night.
Once the wolves started attacking, it was a group attack! From all directions, they pounced toward Ye Mu's group. Ye Mu barely beheaded one when another came pouncing. The beastly instinct that was not scared of death made the smell of blood in the air thicker and thicker.
Suddenly, Ye Mu noticed a wolf charging toward someone beside her through his opening and would snap his neck in a second. So Ye Mu shot out a hand without thinking, poured internal energy into her arm and used it to help him block.
"Careful!" Mo Linyuan went to stab the sneaky wolf with his sword, but he was still a step late, and their attack became unanimous all of a sudden. When there was an opening to squeeze through, they came rushing at them one after another.
But just in this life and death situation! A wolf whistle suddenly rang out among the forest!
It was very resonant, like the roar of the king of the forest, directly piercing through the forest.
The originally violent beasts, after hearing this cry, seemed to freeze, crawling down to their forelegs one after another.
And the wolf that had its mouth open to bite Ye Mu, realized it couldn't, and quickly jumped down, running toward a direction.
The next second, all around the forest emitted the glows of torches. A person in the very front bent over, half kneeling down. The wolf had run and crawled to the side of his feet.
The person had neat short hair, his eyes were extremely bright in the dark, like a wolf's.
The others behind him quickly rushed over. Before, it was the wolves that surrounded Mo Linyuan, but now that his people had come, it was the wolves' turn to be surrounded.
"Alright alright, don't kill them, okay? I assure they'll be good and listen."
After playing with the wolf for a while, a young man's voice sounded out. Neat snowy-white teeth showed the moment he smiled. Before anyone could respond, he had walked to Ye Mu's side.
"Long time no see, xiaojie."
Ye Mu was stunned.
Over the years, everyone called her Ye-xiaojie, there was only one person who would call her xiaojie, and that was Ye Xiaolang*!
*Xiaolang's Chinese characters is 小狼, which means little wolf
"It's you!!"
It had been many years. Because Mo Linyuan trusted Ye Xiaolang, after sending him to the army to train, he also let him climb up from the base level step by step. Unexpectedly, this time, Mo Linyuan had sent him over in advance!
Ye Xiaolang also felt sensational seeing Ye Mu. Having not met for many years, he had grown up to be a tall man with a sturdy build. But why is xiaojie still small?
Mo Linyuan cut off his reminiscence and hummed, "Drive away these animals first."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" When Ye Xiaolang faced Mo Linyuan, he was still extremely respectful. Shortly after, a whistle came out from his throat. As soon as the sound came out, the wolves that had wanted to run away after feeling uneasy seeing the huge number of people, as though a ban was lifted, instantly took off at lightning speed, disappearing into the pitch-black forest.
As for the corpses of wolves on the ground, they were cleared away at once. The smell of blood still hovered in the air, but besides forty-five people who were injured, there were no other casualties.
Ye Mu didn't think Ye Xiaolang had this ability. When she was very small, when she rescued him that time, she had felt there was a semblance of wild nature on him, similar to a wolf. Was it possible that he really could communicate with wolves?
As if seeing her bewilderment, Ye Xiaolang laughed heartily. He said, "The reason is simple! When I was young, I was raised by a wolf, hence a wolf child. I understand all the rules of the animal, I naturally know how to make them scared!"
Hearing this, Ye Mu felt Ye Xiaolang was very cool! While the people around pitched the camp and reported to Mo Linyuan, Ye Mu tugged Ye Xiaolang to one side and whispered.
"Have you been well all these years? Did Mo Linyuan bully you?"
Ye Xiaolang touched his nose. "It doesn't count as bullying, he just simply doesn't treat me as a human, always at his immediate disposal. I want to come back and see you, but I don't have much time because of the training."
When Ye Mu listened, an understanding expression instantly dawned on her. "No wonder, every time I bring you up, he always says you're busy. He's bullied you to work too much!"
But Ye Xiaolang did not mind. "It's alright, I'm rather comfortable in the army. I'm already a major general now, and now that I'm called back to the capital, if there's a war in the future, I'm unlikely to be assigned to a post outside."
Ye Mu humphed. "I also won't let him assign you outside the capital again!"
The two talked in whispers on one side, making Mo Linyuan by the bonfire upset. Indeed, he should not have let Ye Xiaolang come back, he was too good at snatching attention. Once he appeared, Xiao Mu-er didn't even glance at him.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?" Wen Feng who had hurried back said, "Do you think this arrangement is proper for tomorrow?"
Depressed, Mo Linyuan nodded. "Alright, go with your plan."
He paused, and pointed to Ye Xiaolang. "Also, call Ye Xiaolang to come and listen, we'll not have him stay above tomorrow, he'll follow us to go down. Wen Feng, you stay up."
"Yes!"
After that, Ye Xiaolang and Ye Mu who were happily chatting were inexplicably brought over.
Ye Mu wanted to join in, but Mo Linyuan coaxed her, "You go rest first."
Ye Mu said, "You all are not sleeping, why do I need to rest?"
Mo Linyuan reasoned, "You're the strongest, you'll definitely be using a lot of strength tomorrow, so tonight you must save your energy."
As Mo Linyuan said this, Ye Mu acted cute, pouting. When she saw that the tent on one side had been set up, she reluctantly said, "Then you should rest early too, when the discussion is done, remember to tell me the plan tomorrow."
"En." Mo Linyuan gently looked at her. "Go ahead and rest."
Sitting among the crowd, Ye Xiaolang saw the way Mo Linyuan treated Ye Mu so affectionately. Although he knew it already, he was still slightly speechless. Who would have thought the slave boy before would actually end up being Mo Country's emperor? Who would have thought, the man who seemed to be very calculating since childhood, would be so gentle toward a woman?
Having thought of something, Ye Xiaolang lightly smiled, it seems Aji will be henpecked!
After Ye Mu went to sleep, the men went to sit and continued discussing. Because Ye Xiaolang brought over two thousand people, their strength now was enough, so somebody suggested.
"What if it's like this, we divide into three directions, one to find the main entrance and go down from there. Another group will directly use a tool to dig a hole and go down to open another path. And the other group will wait outside."
Another person suggested, "At that time, each of our group brings along a rope and a bell. For every some distance, hammer a wooden peg, tie the bell on the rope so we don’t lose our tracks, so we won’t get lost!"
"That's right, if something wrong happens then, we still can pull the rope, request help from the people outside."
Everyone drew on suggestions together, preparing for the next underground treasure.
In the end, they only went to rest after they finished discussing their strategy. The next morning, everyone woke up very early, and started their operation.
They first found the main entrance halfway up the mountain, and then sent a group of people to go in.
Meanwhile, Ye Mu and Mo Linyuan planned to open a way in by themselves.
They walked to the place where the poisonous gas emitted before and dug. Indeed, not long after digging, a secret path appeared. Ye Mu first threw a pheasant down. Seeing that it was still alive when it was brought back up, she guessed that it was no longer poisonous below.
Then, she also threw a fire down to distinguish the air speed according to the direction of the fire. After finding that there was no problem, they went down.
Now that the treasure was right before their eyes, everyone was excited. But there was the lesson learned from the Bright King Map, Ye Mu felt the City Boundary Map's treasure was also not easy.
Before going down, Mo Linyuan tied a red rope between him and Ye Mu.
"No matter what happens, we will not leave each other, understand?"
Ye Mu smiled, nodding. "I know. It's only some ancient mechanism. That Bright King Map's imperial tomb did not make me stranded, much less here?"
Only then did Mo Linyuan nod. Currently, he wore black clothes, his hair simply tied up high. He first jumped down before carrying Ye Mu down.
With Ye Mu's skill, why would she need someone to carry her? So imperceptibly, it was a moment's show of affection to abuse single dogs*.
*CN slang for single people
Their group of people was not many, only ten. The group led by Ye Xiaolang, on the other hand, had even more people, reaching over a hundred. This was Ye Mu's decision after much consideration. The underground was cramped, so more people were not necessarily better, hence they decided to travel in simple clothings.
After going down, the two people resolutely walked downward.
This corridor was built extremely simple, it looked the same as an air vent, short and small.
After passing through this corridor, Ye Mu noticed they had arrived in the first stone room.
This stone room had many piled up bones, looking like the emperor's tomb. The craftsmen here were also killed being witnesses.
Because there was no map, no path to follow, they decisively kept walking downward. After walking toward another section, they could see a mural, the ground below them was also paved with slabstone.
At this moment, Mo Linyuan was looking at the mural, and the people that followed them were busy hammering a wooden peg and tying the red thread, hanging a golden bell above.
It was easy to get lost underground, doing this may ensure this kind of situation to not happen. Ye Mu saw that Mo Linyuan had been looking at the mural for a long time, so she moved closer and asked, "What's the matter?"
She raised her head to look at the mural. "Is there something interesting in this mural?"
Mo Linyuan said in a deep voice, "Murals in general are a message the workers here want to relay to the outside. For instance, the place where Mo Country's ancestor was buried. On that tomb's mural, the drawing showed him killing everywhere, pacifying the rebellion, establishing Mo Country's image. There is also his wedding, congratulated from all sides. His major birthdays*, and other major events."
*大寿 – birthdays for an older person on the tenth/marking a new decade, typically over 50yo, e.g. 60th birthday, 70th, 80th, etc.
"But it's the treasure here, nothing should be drawn right?" Ye Mu asked, feeling odd.
Mo Linyuan said, "That's why I feel strange because this mural which obviously paints this place buried a woman."
"Woman?"
Mo Linyuan nodded. "If I'm not wrong, the one buried here is most likely the favored concubine of the last dynasty's emperor. They say, the empire perished because of her, and she was known by people as a femme fatale, an evil spirit that causes world chaos."
Ye Mu felt this matter was getting more and more interesting. They obviously were searching for the treasure, but now it seemed they were robbing a grave.
"But this really is not good news." Ye Mu said in an almost joking manner, "If the favored concubine is really buried here, then there will certainly be more mechanisms. Now we can only hope that there is also more treasure!"
Mo Linyuan nodded. "There will be, let's follow the mural."
He tugged Ye Mu's hand walking downward, and the ten or so people behind them were busy tying bells.
In the darkness, there were the occasional jingles of the bells. Listening to it was rather strange. Usually, the deeper they went, they should be feeling colder, but it was different here. The deeper they went, it actually became hotter.
Ye Mu said, "Seems like there is a hot spring down here, the air here is really humid."
The more they walked downward, the humidity and heat became stronger. Suddenly, someone said behind them, "What's going on? My body feels itchy."
As soon as he spoke, the others followed. Ye Mu listened and hurriedly pulled her sleeve up. She saw that her body was covered with specks of red!
"Not good, this water vapor is poisonous, we should stop going forward!"
"Then—then what do we do?" someone asked.
Ye Mu immediately used the idea from her direct experience in the emperor's tomb, and immediately knocked about the precipice. In the end, she realized there was air current, so she directly brought her palm down, smashing the precipice!
Everyone saw Ye Mu's expression suddenly change. The very thick stone wall couldn't be penetrated with ordinary internal energy. Ye-xiaojie truly was powerful!
Ye Mu glanced at them. "Why are you just staring? Divert!"
She wanted to leave after saying this, but her hand was grabbed by Mo Linyuan. Carefully looking at her hand, he noticed that her hand was all red, and immediately wanted to sigh!
Before, he thought Ye Mu wanted to look for a secret passage, he didn't expect she would directly—
"Let me do this kind of thing next time," he gravely said as he rubbed her hand, his heart aching.
Ye Mu could not restrain smiling. "Can you break through it?"
Mo Linyuan pinched her cheeks. "Don't underestimate your husband."
Ye Mu's face immediately turned red. This—they have not married yet!
After diverting, they continued onward. There was no mural on this path, but they still kept going down. After diverting, they were more careful. Ye Mu was better, what she was afraid of were those mechanisms, while the others the ancestors, which naturally were the mystery of mysteries.
Finally, they arrived in the second stone room.
This stone room lay many skeletons. Each of them were reclined, both hands serenely placed in front of their bodies, looking like they were willing to be buried alive with the dead, lying there.
Because they were walking in puzzlement all the way, at this moment they also didn't understand where this section of the underground palace was.
"These people are not interesting to look at, let's continue." Ye Mu's voice was unusually calm. She was never scared of these, so right now she could still keep her head. Those behind her were also elites who killed people; naturally, they weren't scared, but they didn't expect Ye Mu to be brave despite being a girl.
In the third stone room, it was the burial objects, but the burial objects here were all textile material. These things were placed very long ago and had decayed. A person behind Ye Mu scrutinized the decorative pattern, and regrettably said.
"What a waste, these materials are flawless, it must be the empire's most famous cloud brocade."
Some examples~ https://www.newhanfu.com/14140.html
"Cloud brocade? This many? Isn't it only produced a few tens in a year?"
Ye Mu intercepted, "This also explains, the one buried here is really the favored concubine! Let's go, these things are now useless, nothing good to look at."
The people behind nodded, and then started hanging a bell and hammered a wooden peg. Their speed advancing forward was not fast as they prioritized safety.
But it was at this moment that the person who was currently threading a needle froze. He pulled and pulled, and found that the thread worn on his hand had unexpectedly snapped off somewhere, the bell had also dropped.
"What's the matter?" Ye Mu asked.
He rubbed the back of his head and replied, "The rope we've been using to come here broke. It's really strange, these ropes are clearly strong and firm. What about letting this subordinate go back and check?"
Ye Mu knew in her heart that it was harmful to act alone in this kind of situation. She shook her head. "If it broke then it broke. You keep piling here, continue tying the rope. Even if those ropes broke, it would have broken in the same place and won't make a turn. We won't get lost."
"You have a point." Ye Mu saying this, they continued tying the red rope, but Mo Linyuan's expression was not relaxed.
Of course, Ye Mu's calmness was also a pretense.
It broke, their tying of the rope was not even tight, how did it break?
Mo Linyuan was worried about Ye Mu's safety. "What if we go back and send other people to come down?"
Ye Mu shook her head. "We've walked this far. Now that a strange thing has occurred, turning back might not mean it's safer. Let's continue walking around."
"Okay."
Mo Linyuan clutched Ye Mu's hand tightly. "Whatever happens, don't leave my side."
Ye Mu nodded, her expression grave.
They arrived in the fourth stone room. The objects in this stone room were a little more feminine. Since they were boxes of women's adornments, it seemed that a woman buried here was not wrong.
Ye Mu took a look at a hair clasp as she picked it up in passing, being knowledgeable about the quality. "These are all valuable things, the pearls on top can't be exchanged even for gold. But even if all of you brought gloves, don't arbitrarily touch so as to avoid activating the trap."
These words from Ye Mu refrained those who previously wanted to touch.
And at this moment, with the wooden peg fixed, the rope on the person's hand who was preparing to tie the rope loosened, and also broke?
At this moment, everyone became nervous. This situation recurred one after another. And in this kind of confined surroundings, it made them panic.
If it were the troops that Ye Xiaolang brought, they would definitely not do this kind of thing to their own people. But if it wasn't them, how did this rope break by itself? These were all excellent ropes, and crucially, the sound of bells was not heard when it broke. It really was strange.
"What about this," one of the soldiers said, "I'll turn back and check. Don't worry, I'm not afraid of anything."
Ye Mu firmly refused, "No one is allowed to turn back. Since we're now inside, we should walk together, and retreat together. This underground path is complicated, once you separate and get lost, it will be a tricky matter."
She also said to the person binding the rope, "From now on, you don't have to tie and pile anymore, just lay the rope aside. What we want is only markings. Besides, I've also made other marks along the way, so you don't have to worry."
Hearing Ye Mu say this, they immediately became at ease. "Alright, all of us believe in you! Let's continue!"
Despite such words, everyone was even more tense. Then, the forks in front of them multiplied, and the underground path became more complicated. The moss on the ground also kept getting thicker, to the extent that it would make someone slip from time to time.
At this particular moment, they noticed the smell of blood.
Until now, the team with Ye Mu made sure that nothing happened to anyone by their side. This smell of blood definitely didn't come from among them.
Everyone was silent for a moment. It was Mo Linyuan who said, "Looks like another team faced danger."
"But how is that possible?" someone said, feeling odd. "The other team has over a hundred people, this underground actually still can threaten them?"
Mo Linyuan said, "Don't be too anxious, the problem shouldn't be big. Ye Xiaolang is not an ordinary person, once he discovers a trap, he'll carry out the most appropriate action."
He spoke these words to let others hear, but even more for Ye Mu to listen. Ye Mu frowned before nodding. "True, he's a wolf child! Let's continue, maybe we'll run into them soon."
But after a while, they saw dead bodies collapsed in a disorderly manner on the ground. There were as many as seven or eight people, that many!
"It's our people!" The people behind Ye Mu rushed over. Regrettably, they found that they were all dead.
"What caused this?" Ye Mu felt unwell. It was only to take a treasure, she never thought people would die.
A few people bent over to check, and found these people had marks of being stabbed. This showed that they had had a chaotic fight, and the other party had a knife!
"Could it be besides us, there is another force here?"
Mo Linyuan and Ye Mu inspected them together for a while. In the end, he and Ye Mu glanced at each other: each of them reached a conclusion.
"They were not killed by an outside force." Ye Mu stood up with difficulty. "They killed each other!"
"Killed each other? How?" The soldiers next to Ye Mu either revealed a scared or doubtful expression.
Mo Linyuan said, "There's a reason for what she said. I've read from a book before, there is a kind of plant that can create hallucinations. They most likely fell into a similar trap."
Ye Mu nodded. "I have the same thought. Didn't everyone prepare a gauze mask and wear it? If there is an unusual smell or someone feels strange, everyone has to report!"
As for these bodies—
Ye Mu said with a heavy heart, "Let's search this mountain first. After we're familiar with this place, send people to come take them and bury them outside."
Everyone was downcast. Someone said under their breath, "We don't know where the other team's remaining people went. It would be good if we met them, so we know what happened."
Ye Mu looked at the moss on the ground layered with chaotic footprints, and was even more perturbed. "We'll meet them, I feel that many of them have wandered off to our position, let's continue forward!"
"En." No one objected to this, since the way back might not necessarily be safe. Finding out what this treasure exactly was would be the most reassuring move.
When they continued on, before they could reach a stone room, someone suddenly came running toward them!
"Who's there?!"
In that instant, everyone pulled out their knives. And seeing that it was Ye Mu and the rest, the person who came running madly was immediately overjoyed!
"Your Majesty! Ye-xiaojie! Save me!!"
"What's going on?" Ye Mu saw that this person was with Ye Xiaolang. Seeing that it turned out to be their own comrade, they put down their guard. But Ye Mu still felt unsettled, so she stepped forward and stopped him.
"What about Ye Xiaoling? What did you encounter?"
The person looked flustered, but he appeared not to have sustained a severe wound. At the moment, he was stuttering as he flurriedly explained.
"We didn't come down for long and immediately encountered yesterday's centipedes! Because it's dark down here, it was too late when we found out. Those who were bitten by those centipedes went unconscious and started killing each other. General Ye found it strange and brought the remaining people to run, but there were too many centipedes then. Even if General Ye's voice was loud, there were still many people who ran wildly toward me, so I also ran! Luckily I met you!"
He was nearly crying tears of joy as he said this! Heaven knows, seeing his own people in this underground made him feel so relieved. Just now in the dark, he ran by himself and was almost compelled by madness!
Ye Mu didn't expect there were still many of those poisonous insects down here. She frowned and said, "Okay, everyone extinguish the flames, use luminous pearls! Those worms like fire, sprinkle some powder on ourselves, and then put out the torches!"
"Yes!" Everyone complied, and the torches were out. After that, someone among them who was holding the luminous pearl suddenly screamed!
"What happened?!" Some jumped out of their skin and quickly looked at him, but he pointed at that person who just joined them!
"All of you look, look at his face!!"
Everyone looked over. The person himself didn't know what was on his face, and stretched out his hand out to feel it, while everyone who saw was stunned. Under the cold light of the luminous pearls, his face was swelling. Under the shine of the pearls, those worms slightly glowed, and then slowly moved under his skin. It made the scalps of those who were watching tingle!
"Whathappenedwhyareyoualllookingatmelikethat, what's on my face?"
His hand touched his own face a few times. It was Ye Mu who turned and walked over to the other party. But before she took several steps, she was pulled by Mo Linyuan. "Don't go, that thing looks very dangerous."
Ye Mu shook her head. "It's all right, I have qi protecting my body, I'm safer than all of you."
Only those who possessed a sixty-year internal energy could form essential qi to protect the body. It could strengthen the skin, bones and muscles for a short period of time to avoid sustaining an injury.
That person was already terrified from looking at Ye Mu and the others' expressions; he didn't dare to move as he stood there.
Ye Mu said, "You, relax a little. Better yet, close your eyes."
Out of his trust in Ye Mu, he closed his eyes.
And then, Ye Mu's pocket knife slipped out of her hand in a flash. He nearly didn't feel any pain as his face was cut open, and two worms were immediately dug out by Ye Mu's dagger. That person covered his face as he cried out in alarm. He was clueless as to why Ye Mu did that, but when he saw the blood red, distorted worms on the ground, his face instantly went pale!
"These—these were from my face—"
"That's right." Ye Mu looked at him with sympathy, and then lowered her head to look at those worms. "Looks like these worms have neurogenic toxins in their body, so you didn't realize when they got into your body. Once they reach your face, I reckon you will be the same as those people before, starting to massacre each other."
Ye Mu's words made everyone shudder with fear. These things were actually this terrifying!
Ye Mu said, "If we meet this kind of thing in a while, turn back to the same way we came from. But everyone must remember: stay calm. If you get lost underground, you'll die.”
Everyone nodded repeatedly, and then continued their trek.
Mo Linyuan walked in front of Ye Mu, as if indistinctly wanting to protect her. Ye Mu's heart felt content, and the party continued forward.
The long and narrow corridor seemed to have no end, they kept encountering a fork. Ye Mu walked the path that had air current, and gradually, the path started to have a mural, but the painting seemed to become dangerous.
Mo Linyuan watched along the way, and his expression also became odd, especially that one of them, the countless poisonous snakes and worms on the resplendent hall were encircling a woman. That woman wore a phoenix coronet, her face enchanting. But after careful observation, it was not decorative patterns lying on her body, but rather, were poisonous worms.
Ye Mu was confused. She whispered, “What happened to this woman? Isn’t she the calamitous woman of the country? Why does she actually look like Miao Yu over there, a wicked woman who is very good at witchcraft?"
Mo Linyuan recalled the past. “I just remembered, I previously read an ancient book. The book said, the reason why the empire perished so quickly, is because this favored concubine had always liked to torment people all her life. The punishment she left behind that time is now gone, but according to the records, her favorite was to see a living person swallowed by snakes and other worms, and the emperor really indulged her. He didn't bat an eye at the cries of the common people, and so the country perished."
Ye Mu inferred, "So when this favored concubine was still alive, she really liked to fiddle with these things. That said, the many worms down here must have been left behind by the favored concubine, right? Generation after generation, since it's in the mountains, it's easy for them to find something to eat."
Mo Linyuan shook his head. "It's not clear, but probably by not getting rid of this, if it's all poisonous creatures by this woman's side, the following journey will definitely be more dangerous."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard someone yell, "Snake! There's a snake!"
Everyone followed the direction his finger pointed to, but didn't see any snake. Someone asked, "Are you blind? Where's the snake?"
That person said with certainty, "I saw, it was a gigantic snake, and it moved really fast!
Their words made Ye Mu's expression frigid. "I believe them—I encountered a black python before! I fought with it."
But that soldier's complexion lost color as he said, "The snake that I just saw was red."
His words made everyone quiet. So, there was more than one?
But Ye Mu smiled. "Nothing to be very worried about, I've recovered my internal energy now. If it dares to come, we'll eat snake meat tonight."
Everyone listened, and slightly relaxed and laughed. But it wasn't possible to eat snake meat; they didn't know how much human meat the snakes here had eaten.
Just when they were relaxing, suddenly, small sounds came out, and the speed was very, very fast. Ye Mu was the first to hear it and stopped everyone at once.
Very soon, they saw what the things that were coming were. They were rats, so many jet-black, red-eyed rats!
"Careful!" The moment Ye Mu finished speaking, she blocked them first. Those rats, however, were not scared of them, and they could bite people. Once those piercing teeth bit onto something, that bitten place would be rendered numb.
Seeing the troops panic-stricken in an instant, Ye Mu said in a low voice, "Don't panic! Everyone get behind me!"
Everyone did as instructed, and then from the qi below her navel*, she brought the invisible internal energy out. That internal energy was like a knife, and immediately pressured those rats that they didn't dare to come anymore. They started to turn and run away in a mass of darkness, just like a tide. Soon, they disappeared.
*where qi resides
Everyone released their breaths. Someone leaned against their back on the wall, and suddenly felt a force. He turned his head, and saw the sharp fangs of a black snake!
"Watch out!" Mo Linyuan swung a sword over. That snake's head was chopped off, but its tail seemed to still be alive, firmly winding around the person's neck. It was Ye Mu who finished it off with a knife, and the snake finally released its grip.
Everyone was badly shaken, and then was filled with reverence and fear toward this place.
"The person buried here definitely doesn't want to be disturbed. What if we just leave?"
"Yeah! These poisonous creatures are certainly attacking us for the sake of that favored concubine!"
A good number of people had this kind of thought, but seeing Mo Linyuan's sudden overcast complexion, no one continued speaking.
A manly man, at this critical moment, how could they be in chaos?
Ye Mu said, "Actually, you don't have to be too scared." She looked at the depths of the cave and said to the point, "To guard against theft, every tomb occupant will think of the best way to complicate matters. There are so many treacherous creatures here, so they must have been attracted by something inside, and then we disturbed their territory, so they attacked. It's actually not because of the control of a remarkable person."
Hearing this explanation from Ye Mu, they immediately felt so relieved.
"Then what do we do if there are still many of those creatures inside? The place where the rats had just bitten me is aching and itchy. Could it be poisonous?"
Ye Mu frowned. She compromised, "Let's do this, we'll walk on for a bit. If there are many of those creatures, we'll retreat out. If there are none, we'll continue. How's this?"
Mo Linyuan was the first to nod. "We'll do as you say. I am the chosen one*, I don't believe any evil will block my way!"
*真命天子 - means an emperor who inherits the fate of the world/ordained son of Heaven (though now it's also used as a metaphor for destined lover/true love.)
With this said, he was the first to walk in front. Mo Linyuan and Ye Mu were the same, they completely didn't believe these, so they were fine in the dark, they were also fine with the hidden danger; they weren't problems that couldn't be solved.
Seeing His Majesty was this calm, the others felt ashamed and calmed down. After eating an antidote, they felt so much better and regained their confidence.
And finally, they walked out of the tunnel and arrived in a very vast area. It looked like an enormous cave that naturally took form, there were side paths all around.
At this time, a surprised voice came out, "Your Majesty! You're here too?"
Mo Linyuan saw it was someone from Ye Xiaolang's side. He quickly inquired, "Where is General Ye?"
That person's expression dulled. "General Ye is a little wounded, he's resting over there. Please follow me."
When Ye Mu heard that Ye Xiaolang was injured, she hurriedly followed, and then in one of the cave tunnels, she saw Ye Xiaolang and the rest.
At this moment, they only had about sixty people. The others, if they didn't die, they were lost.
Seeing Ye Xiaolang firmly shutting his eyes, Ye Mu asked, "What happened to him?"
A soldier next to Ye Xiaolang said in a low voice, "General Ye got bitten by the snake to save me! That snake was red, it might be extremely poisonous!"
As soon as Ye Mu heard, she hurriedly sat down and helped force the poison out of Ye Xiaolang.
And after Mo Linyuan watched, he asked a deputy general about what had happened.
That deputy general said, "Just as we came down, we were ambushed by a mass of poisonous worms. It wasn't easy to run away, and we also encountered poisonous snakes and rats! Fortunately, General Ye is sharp. He brought us to a detour, so we don't have many losses in the end.
"And then we ran all the way here. General Ye said, he has a feeling that the treasure is not far from here, but we can't pass."
"Why can't you pass?" Mo Linyuan asked, frowning.
He sighed. "Your Majesty, please come with me."
Mo Linyuan followed, and walked into the vast cave.
This place was like an underground world that had no boundary. Of course, it was also because the luminous pearls in their hands could only illuminate a limited range. How big this place was was utterly unknown.
Then, Mo Linyuan saw there was a large pit straight ahead. If he wanted to reach the opposite, he had to get past this large pit. This pit seemed to be neither deep nor shallow, roughly a few meters, but its length couldn't be seen.
"What's in here?" Mo Linyuan wanted to advance, but was pulled to a stop by the deputy general!
"Your Majesty, don't go on." With this said, he lighted a flame stick* and threw it ahead!
*like this one here:
https://wuxiawanderings.com/flame-stick/
From the brief flame, once Mo Linyuan saw the sight in front, his pupils immediately shrinked! After that, the flame was enveloped by the black worm shadows.
The deputy general said, "There was someone who didn't see before and jumped down intending to pass. It's precisely how General Xiaolang was bitten to save him. Underneath does not only have worms, there are all the five poisonous creatures*. Surprisingly, they don't attack each other despite being in the same place. General Xiaolang said it's because something they're fond of is buried here. It must be the powder the doctors concocted at the time, enabling them to multiply."
*five poisonous creatures may include: scorpion, snake, centipede, house lizard, and toad
Mo Linyuan furrowed his brows. He raised his head to look toward the opposite. There, there was a tunnel lit by luminous pearls. What they were looking for might be inside, but in this situation, how could they pass?
Use qing gong? There was no leverage, for such a far distance, it might not work.
At this moment, Ye Mu came over and said, "I've suppressed Xiaolang's condition, and also understood the situation. It looks like the creatures here are many because of the powder, but I don't know what kind of powder is so impressive. It's been many years, yet it's still effective."
Mo Linyuan said, "It might not be the powder at all. I've read from a book, to make the favored concubine happy, the last emperor nurtured a very strange flower on the mountains behind the imperial palace. That flower attracts snakes and other insects. Provided that it's dried under the sun and pulverized, its effects won't disappear no matter how many years have passed. But those flowers in the end were burned by the rebels who charged into the palace's gates. Henceforth, it's gone extinct."
Ye Mu didn't expect there would be such a thing. "Truly a world full of bizarre things. What do we do now? Go back, or find a way to go over and look?"
Mo Linyuan was rather hesitant. "There is so much pollen underneath, it's uncertain how widespread and thick it is. This place also goes deep under. Even if we go out, this problem still has to be solved next time."
Ye Mu said with a smile, "This is easy, splash some oil and set it on fire. It doesn't matter whether these things are afraid of fire or not, it'll work out."
"But—" Her gaze settled on the tunnel illuminated by the luminous pearls on the opposite side. The entrance had been embedded with twelve luminous pearls. What a huge spending!
"How about I go there first? It's possible with my strength."
Mo Linyuan shook his head. "Too dangerous, let's go according to your idea. After we're out, we'll bring oil and fire in."
Ye Mu was rather eager. "Just once glance, I'll just have a glance. If it's really the treasure, I'll come back right away."
Mo Linyuan asked, "How are you going there? From here to there, the distance is too far."
Ye Mu said with a smile, "Hang on!"
And then, she bare-handedly broke a stalactite column on the side. "To pass through here, I just need one leverage. Watch me!"
Saying this, without waiting for Mo Linyuan to say anything, she already flew up. When she was about to drop, she threw down the stone pillar in her hands. The stone pillar was thrusted into the piles of insects. Before those poisonous creatures could react, Ye Mu had already stepped on the pillar, and flew up once more. In the end, she steadily landed on the opposite side!
Seeing her waving her hand at him from the entrance of pearls, Mo Linyuan couldn't help but say, "A glance, then come back."
Ye Mu gave a response. About this, she knew her limits. Although she was very powerful, when she must be careful, she would be extremely careful.
So, she stepped into the corridor. As soon as she entered, she immediately felt the previous tunnels couldn't be called tunnels. They were unlike the one before her, the surroundings all painted with elegant murals. Moreover, every section had one luminous pearl, illuminating the place very brightly!
Such a spectacle, the treasure was definitely here, no doubt!
Very soon, as though confirming her words, the treasures next to her gradually increased. After passing through the tunnel, what welcomed her was not darkness, but instead an almost-blinding ball of light!
Ye Mu had thought about what the treasure looked like. She had thought it should be around fifty chests of gold, silver and jewelries? Or something.
But what was before her completely subverted her initial thoughts. First of all, in front of her was a rockery of gold and agates. And below the rockery was a river of pearls and jewels.
The mural above was an ancient deity, and the big and small luminous pearls were used to mark the starry sky. Even the surroundings were not murals; instead, pure gold and silver were used to create small people, developing into various scenes that were so lifelike.
An arrangement might be needed to count this many treasures! No wonder, in the biography, Mo Linyuan could conquer the world. With these, Mo Country's financial resources definitely could compare with the other countries' combined.
She was awed to a stop, and continued onward, hoping to see what was behind the rockery, if there were other treasures.
Who would have thought, when she walked behind the rockery, she found a woman sleeping there.
That's right, it was a woman!
For a moment, Ye Mu couldn't tell whether it was a real person or a dummy. Anyway, from the looks of it, it was like she was sitting there asleep, her head resting on the gold mound, both feet stuck in the piles of pearls that turned into a "river", as if she was merely resting for a bit.
Ye Mu was nervous for a moment. Although the woman in front of her wasn't wearing a formal outfit, the Chinese dress still looked very stunning. The texture on it wasn't in the least rotten; under the candlelight, it delicately glistened with golden light. And her face that was slightly drooping was shrouded in the shadows. With this look, it really seemed as though she fell asleep.
It must be a dummy, right? Ye Mu surmised as such. After all, counting the time, no one had entered this place for at least two hundred years.