Meng Yao cocks his head. Holding the old clan leader's gaze, he challenges, "Clan leader Ming, are doubting my words?"
Getting intimidated, the older man shakes his head and bows respectfully, "Of course not Chief Cultivator."
Meng Yao smiles once again, "You don't have to worry about that villain. Once I... I mean, once we get hold of the weapon, he will be no match for us."
Comforted by Meng Yao's false promises, the clan leader returns to his earlier position, and silence falls over the group.
Just as expected, almost an hour after sunrise, the group finds themselves at the mouth of the cave.
XiChen, as well as most of the others, slow down and clutch their chest, while Jiang Cheng looks around, "Why are we stopping now? Let's do what we came here for." He bites out impatiently.
"Clan leader," The Ming clan leader calls Jiang Cheng, and questions, "Are you not feeling suffocated?"
Jiang Cheng finally looks at the rest of the group, "No, I am feeling fine." He informs, feeling bewildered. "Is everyone feeling this way?" He questions.
The older Lan clan members come forward, and speak simultaneously, "It's very puzzling, but we seem to be unaffected too."
Perceiving that the conversation was turning out to be more than he had was prepared to handle, Meng Yao interrupts, "Gentlemen, need I remind you that time is of the essence here. More time we waste in discussing this matter, the more time Wei Ying has to make our children miserable."
Hearing these words, the men stop the conversation, but not because they agree with the chief cultivator. Many clan leaders were already spotting loopholes in Meng Yao's theory. After all, they all had slept on the problem at hand, and with the help of a certain perpetually irritated clan leader, they had concluded that Meng Yao was certainly hiding something.
The clan leaders and their soldiers hesitantly nod and gesture Meng Yao to continue.
"I need the Lan clan to play the calming music at my cue." Meng Yao orders, looking at the men dressed in white and blue. Then he turns to the others, "If the calming music doesn't work, I need you to form a barrier around us as we enter the cave."
"And who all exactly do you mean by we, Clan leader Jin?" Jiang Cheng questions.
Meng Yao purses his lips, and with a forced smile, answers, "I will take a few of my most capable men." The malicious man pauses and looks at XiChen with soft eyes, "Er ge needs to stay outside in case Wei Wuxian and Hanguang Jun make an appearance. And I can't leave him defenseless, so I would like you to stay with him. After all, Wei Wuxian too would think twice about hurting his Junior brother." Meng Yao reasons.
Jiang Cheng laughs humorlessly and bites out, "Chief cultivator, you have got to be kidding me! I am the one who killed him in his previous life. If there is anyone he hates more than you, it's me!"
Meng Yao finds himself at a loss for words and uncharacteristically barks, "Just cooperate, Clan leader Jiang. I have other, more important things to worry about that Wei Ying!"
Jiang Cheng's eyes widen, and silence falls over the group.
Finally, XiChen questions, "A Yao, isn't it because we want to protect our children from Wei Ying that we are here with you?" The older Lan's words are laced with doubt.
Meng Yao reigns in his temper and calms down, "My apologies Er ge, I am under a lot of stress, and spoke without thinking. I don't mean those words." He looks at the group, most of whom are looking at him suspiciously, "Now, let us proceed with the plan." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "I will need some Lan members to accompany me inside too."
"I will come with you." XiChen volunteers without hesitation.
"Er ge, I already told you that you are needed here." Meng Yao shakes his head and points at a few older members, "If it is alright with you, I would like you to accompany me."
The older members nod after seeking permission from Lan XiChen.
Meng Yao looks around spots one of his men standing guard next to the cave. He motions the guard to approach him.
"Any activity?" The chief cultivator inquires, and the guard shakes his head. After dismissing the guard, Meng Yao gestures some men to move the giant boulder that is blocking the entry to the cave.
When Meng Yao had first been told that Wei Ying had suffered a great deal which had lead to the YYiling patriarch's death, he had presumed that Wei Ying must have tried to get his hands on whatever was inside the cave. Meng Yao, however, had not been able to understand who and from where had the Yiling patriarch got the information about the location of this place. The fact was that even he did not know the existence of the place until recently.
Meng Yao watches as the mouth of the cave opens, and loud screeches fill the air. Meng Yao signals the Lan members to start playing the calming music. Though the screams become almost tolerable, the black glue-like substance starts exiting the cave and attacking the clan leaders one by one.
"Shields!" Jiang Cheng exclaims and starts attacking the slimy substance with Zidian. "It's not getting destroyed!" The clan leader yells, observing that Zidian is doing nothing but slowing the thing down.
Meng Yao watches as panic spreads, and everyone starts using their weapons to save themselves.
The only weapon that seems to hold some power over the slimy substance is Liebing, XiChen's flute, which seems to repel the slime.
As the older Jade gets busy trying to protect as many people as he can, Meng Yao, with a withering look at the group walks into the cave with a handful of his trusted men. 'If I take any of the Lan members, Er ge will have trouble defending himself.' The chief cultivator reasons.
As expected, the screams become louder once again, and the slimy substance starts attacking the small group that had dared to enter the cave.
Meng Yao unsheathes his sword, Hensheng, and starts slashing at the slime. By the time the group has reached the innermost chamber, Meng Yao has already lost two men to dementia.
Meng Yao rushes towards the marble box and slides the top open. He peers inside the casket like box and finds a misshapen iron piece lying inside it defenselessly. He smiles triumphantly and picks it up.
The cave starts to shake as if hit by an earthquake, and the men lose footing and fall to the floor.
"Clan leader!" One of the men exclaims, pointing at the walls which seem to ooze the black slimy substance with revived vigor.
The men panic and start slashing at it.
'Damn it! I have no choice but to use the demonic cultivation technique.' Meng Yao decides and takes out a flute almost identical to Chenqing and starts playing it.
The slimy substance sways but continues to move towards the men who all look at their clan leader with a shocked expression on their faces.
Without bothering to save his people, who are unsuccessfully trying to slash at the grotesque-looking substance relentlessly, Meng Yao starts running towards the cave's exit.
Meng Yao's men beg and scream.
"Clan leader, please help us."
"Please stop, Clan leader!"
"We will die if you don't help!"
Meng Yao ignores all their pleas and concentrates on saving himself.
When he feels his flute failing him,
he takes out a few paper talismans and draws symbols on it before throwing it towards the gooey substance. The places where the talisman makes contact with the black substance, the gooey slime stops moving.
'Only the talismans work effectively.' Meng Yao concludes before putting away his flute and taking out a handful of paper strips. Once again, he scribbles symbols on it and starts throwing them around haphazardly before once again rushing towards the exit.
He loses way and enters wrong passages a couple of times because of panic clouding his mind and his judgment.
Finally, he finds the right tunnel and exits the cave with the slimy substance close at his heels. Due to his confused state of mind, and his already almost drained spiritual power, he doesn't realize that he is already outside. Meng Yao stops playing and yells, "Don't touch me you filthy things!"
With his eyes fixed on the slimy substance that is trying to lap at his ankles, he takes out a paper and draws the now-familiar symbol on it and throws it at the disgusting looking things. The talisman hits the substance, and it stops moving.
Meng Yao pants heavily, before removing the object from the front of his robes and a deranged laughter leaves his chest. "I am unstoppable now." He gushes.
{Note :- Hope you guys enjoyed this update. Writing action sequences is not really my strong point but, I hope it came out okay.
Please let me know how you liked it. I am still contemplating whether or not to add one special (at the most two) before ending the story, I am really confused ☹️.
Also I have updated The Fine Print chapter 8 in case you guys missed it. (lol, not that you guys are reading it 🤷♀)
Please Vote to show your support for this update if you have enjoyed it.
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day.}