Something uncanny

Upon hearing this question, Qian You immediately perked up. He coughed a few times to attract the attention of his gang members and said:

"Boss, brothers, I've brought reinforcements for you. Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed and excitedly asked, "Is it the Gongsun Aristocratic Clan of the Xiangzhou martial arts world? Or the Dragon God Fortress on the banks of the Blackwater River?"

"If it's one of these two companies, we'll be saved this time."

"Yes, the head of the Gongsun Aristocratic Clan is a fifth-rank official, with numerous experts under his command, including many skilled in unorthodox techniques. Dragon God Fortress is even stronger. However, neither of these forces is exactly greedy; we probably won't get a share of the tomb's contents and will have to pay an exorbitant fee."

"Are you blinded by greed? What use is money if we're dead? As long as we can get out of here, everything else will be fine."

The sickly gang leader exhaled a breath of stale air and nodded, saying, "Qian You, you did very well."

Qian You remained silent for a long time, then said with a strange expression, "The help I found is neither the Gongsun Aristocratic Clan nor Dragon God Fortress."

"What?"

Everyone was disappointed, and their excitement vanished without a trace.

Among the martial arts forces near Xiangcheng, the Gongsun family and Longshen Fortress are undoubtedly the leaders, maintaining close ties with the Xiangcheng government, and many martial arts masters rely on them.

If anyone in Xiangcheng could save them, it would be one of two forces.

The light of hope in the eyes of the sickly gang leader dimmed instantly.

The vice leader, dressed in white robes, asked, "If it's neither Dragon God Fortress nor the Gongsun Aristocratic Clan, then what rank and status do you have in your helpers? Are they Rogue Cultivator or do they have sect connections?"

The deputy leader is named Gongyang Su, a Warlock. As everyone knows, apart from the Bureau of Astronomy, Rogue Cultivator Warlock the martial arts world are extremely rare.

The Warlock is skilled in observing qi and geomancy, making him practically a born tomb raider. Therefore, Gongyang is a treasure of the Houtu Gang. Although he is the deputy leader, everyone in the gang listens to him.

As soon as Gongyang Su spoke, everyone fell silent and looked at Qian You.

"It's quite a coincidence," Qian You, the leader, said, glancing at the young woman from Southern Frontier. "I ran into those helpers by the roadside, but they seemed to be looking for someone too."

"Lina, they've come to see you."

Everyone then looked at the girl from the Southern Frontier. Lina, who was struggling to finish the pancake, looked up, her mouth covered in crumbs, and her expression was blank.

"This is my first time in Great Feng, and none of my clansmen came with me." Lina shook her head, indicating that she was all alone and had no friends.

Qian You explained, "The one I encountered was a sixth-grade martial artist with the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm. He was extremely handsome and was carrying a disheveled woman on his back."

Before he could finish speaking, Lina quickly shook her head. "I don't know her."

"But they are indeed looking for you. They even asked me if any of the people who went down into the tomb were girls from Southern Frontier. I'm thinking, you're the only girl from Southern Frontier in Xiangcheng recently."

The sick man leader frowned. He didn't think Lina would hide anything or make excuses about this. First of all, the girl was simple and innocent, without any guile.

Secondly, everyone is in dire straits, and this is the time to help each other. Everyone wants to get out as soon as possible, so there's no point in hiding these things at this time.

Finally, if this girl had a sixth-rank martial artist friend in Great Feng, why would she have to go hungry for three days and three nights? If I hadn't treated her to a meal, she would have been ready to rob and plunder.

Thinking of this, the Sick Man Gang Leader pondered and said, "Didn't you say there were several people? Describe the characteristics of the others in detail."

Qian You nodded and said, "Besides the man and woman, there was also a burly, fierce-looking monk; and a swordsman in a blue robe who could fly on his sword—truly divine skill."

"Flying on a sword?" The sickly gang leader was taken aback; he had never heard of a martial artist being able to fly on a sword.

"Do you know her?" Gongyang Su asked, looking at Lina.

The young woman from Southern Frontier shook her head. "I don't know her."

"You really don't recognize her? This... how is that possible? The hero and his companions are looking for Miss Lina." Qian You continued, still puzzled:

"There was another Daoist priest, whom I heard others call Daoist Priest Jinlian."

"Master Jinlian?!"

Lina suddenly screamed, her face lighting up with joy, and exclaimed repeatedly, "I know her! I know her! Master Jinlian is a senior I trust very much! Waaah, Master Jinlian came to find me! Master Jinlian is truly a wonderful person!"

So we knew each other. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

From this perspective, the one who truly knew Lina was the Daoist priest Jinlian, and the others were just helpers he found.

The burly, bald man must be the martial monk Hengyuan, number six. The swordsman in green robes flying on his sword is number four. Hmm, with the battle between Celestial Person and man imminent, who is the handsome sixth-rank martial artist in the capital? Could our Heaven and Earth Society have such a figure? Lina's not-so-bright mind raced, matching the "friend" Qian You mentioned to the figures in the story.

But I can't figure out who the "man and woman" are.

"Miss Lina."

A gang member looked at her excitedly, his eyes shining, "What are the cultivation levels of your friends?"

Lina, with her simple and honest personality, answered every question, "Master Jinlian is a master of the Earth Sect. I don't know his exact rank, but he's definitely much, much stronger than me."

Images of her tearing zombies apart and wrestling with man-eating monsters flashed through everyone's minds. The Golden Lotus Daoist was even stronger than her, and their hearts were filled with fervor and hope.

"The bald monk is Buddhist School martial monk, and his cultivation is quite formidable."

Lina didn't know much about Hengyuan, so she skipped over it and continued, "As for the swordsman in green, his name is Chu Yuanzhen. He's one of the main characters in the battle between Celestial Person and Man, representing the Human Sect in his fight against the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Sect."

"What?!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, and even the sickly gang leader was dumbfounded.

Xiangzhou is not far from the capital, only a three- or four-day journey by horseback. The conflict between Celestial Person and Man has already spread throughout the capital region and the surrounding prefectures.

As a result, many martial arts figures from Xiangcheng went to the capital to witness the grand event of the battle between Celestial Person and Man, even though it was just a life-or-death struggle between the juniors of the Human Sect and the Heaven Sect.

Now, out of the blue, they hear that one of the main characters in the "battle between the Celestial Person and the human" has descended into the tomb to save them.

The feelings of the people in Houtu's group were like those of an old farmer in a field who heard that the emperor was coming to help him plant rice seedlings.

It's so fantastical that it makes you doubt its reality.

But these words were spoken by Lina. They all knew Lina's personality: an innocent and kind girl, without any guile, warm-hearted, and incapable of lying.

However, this doesn't mean she's stupid. The Hou Tu Gang members once witnessed a martial arts practitioner they had recruited to explore the tomb attempting to defile her at night.

As a result, Lina swung her hand and slapped him, and his head exploded like a watermelon.

Anyone who dares to travel thousands of miles from the Southern Frontier to the capital must have some real skills to even make it to Xiangcheng.

"Masters of the Earth Sect, martial monks of Buddhist School, disciples of the Human Sect in the struggle between Celestial Person and Man." A member of the Houtu Gang swallowed hard, his expression excited:

"Then, who are those man and woman? Who are they? To be traveling with these people, they must be very famous figures, Miss Lina?"

Excited gazes turned toward her, eager to hear a dazzling name from her lips.

Lina tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I don't know her."

This answer was disappointing, as everyone thought.

At this moment, Qian You coughed and asked, "Chief, you just said that a monster is hunting you. What kind of monster is it?"

"Its appearance is very similar to a giant lizard, but it has a human face, a mouth full of fangs, and moves extremely fast, yet silently." The sickly gang leader's eyes flashed with fear as he whispered:

"It likes to eat internal organs, and anyone it kills will have their limbs intact, but their internal organs will be empty."

This isn't right. The corpse I saw had its lower half bitten off. Qian You's heart sank, and he asked again, "What about the body shape?"

"It's about seven feet long, not too big."

Just then, Lina's ears twitched; she caught an unusual sound in the silent darkness. Instinctively, she stood up and shouted, "Watch out, it's coming again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow darted out of the darkness, flicked its tongue, grabbed the nearest Houtu Gang member, and was about to sweep him away.

Bang!

Amidst the cracking sound of the floor tiles, Lina shot out like a cannonball, crashing violently into the dark figure.

The moment the genitals were knocked away, a whip lashed out, striking Lina's back with a crisp sound. Her clothes tore open, revealing her delicate skin, from which tiny beads of blood oozed.

After the evil entity was knocked away, it suddenly fell silent, as if it had simply disappeared.

But Lina remained vigilant, listening intently to catch any clues in her surroundings.

"Everyone be careful, this evil creature is very cunning, be careful not to let it ambush us."

The sickly gang leader drew his weapon and stood ready with his men.

Over the past few days, members of the Houtu Gang have died one after another, allowing the survivors to figure out the monster's temperament.

The evil creature dared not confront Lina directly, and often hid in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to ambush them.

They struck successfully and then immediately fled.

Lina slowly backed away, snatched the torch from Qian You's hand, her pretty face now serious. She held the torch and listened for a moment, then suddenly threw it away.

In the flickering firelight, the group saw a huge lizard-like monster clinging to the wall, its two grayish-brown eyes on either side, looking somewhat vacant and seemingly insensitive to light.

Qian You saw the monster's appearance for the first time. It was less than ten feet long, with a tail the same length as its body, and its entire body was covered with thick keratin.

The moment the firelight touched the monster, Lina, who had just finished eating, unleashed a powerful burst of energy. She silently bent her knees, suddenly sprang up, and disappeared before the sound of the blue bricks beneath her feet shattered could be heard.

The monster attached to the wall sensed something was wrong, its body flickered, and it vanished.

Lina, with her rich hunting experience in Southern Frontier, pursued relentlessly. The two fought for control of the tomb chamber, and soon, the sounds of fighting and the roars of monsters were heard, along with Lina's sharp rebukes.

Finally, everything calmed down.

"Li, Lina, is she?"

The sickly gang leader forced himself to keep his voice from trembling.

In the deathly silence, Lina's groan broke the silence. "It hurts so much!"

Then, she emerged from the darkness, dragging the monster's corpse in her hands.

Cheers erupted, and the members of the Houtu Gang were overjoyed and burst into tears, shouting to vent their pent-up frustration.

The crisis that had plagued them for days was finally resolved.

Lina threw the corpse of the evil creature in front of everyone and asked gleefully, "Can we eat it?"

The members of the Houtu Gang shook their heads repeatedly, saying, "We dare not eat this! We dare not eat this!"

"Miss Lina, this creature grows in tombs, feeding on poisonous creatures and rotting flesh, absorbing foul and yin energy. It is extremely poisonous to us," the Warlock Gongyang Su warned.

"Huff, huff."

The sound of wind, carrying a foul stench, filled the passageway ahead, extinguishing the torches.

The sound of the wind was like breathing, rising and falling rhythmically.

No, that's just the sound of breathing.

Gongyang Su's face suddenly turned pale, and he said in a hoarse voice, "There's an evil aura ahead; something's coming."

The crowd, who had just survived a close call and were overjoyed, felt a deep gloom settling in their hearts.

"Go and light the torches," the sickly gang leader ordered, then looked at Lina with a grave expression. "Can you still fight?"

Qian You ran nervously to the torch, took out a flint, and tried to strike it with a series of clicks, his hands trembling uncontrollably, unable to get a flame out no matter what he did.

The breathing grew closer, and the stench became increasingly strong. But there was no sound of footsteps.

"Hurry, hurry up, hurry up!"

Qian You was almost bursting with anxiety. Click, click, the flint ignited a weak flame, which lit the grease on the torch.

"Call!"

Flames rose, dispelling the darkness.

Qian You grabbed the torch and, without saying a word, threw it into the distance.

The torch was thrown to the ground, bursting into blinding sparks. In the instant of the flash, everyone saw the scene inside the tunnel.

Inside the passageway, a gigantic, sinister creature crouched and strained, poised to pounce during a hunt.

This creature was three times the size of the previous one, and belonged to the same species. Its grayish-brown eyes were slightly dull, its lips were closed, but its upper fangs protruded.

Besides?!

The torch's burst of light lasted only a moment; the next instant, it was gone.

The sickly gang leader felt a gust of cold wind sweep past him, as if something moving at extremely high speed had grazed him. Then, he realized that Lina was gone.

"Lina!!"

The sickly gang leader shouted and turned around abruptly; everyone else followed suit.

Behind them, the monster had seized the young barbarian girl from Southern Frontier, shaking its head violently.

The sickly gang leader, his eyes bloodshot, roared, "Save people! Save people! Kill this beast!"

From the darkness came Lina's painful roar.

Just then, a shout came from the other side of the passageway, "Back off!"

A man in a blue robe carrying a torch rushed out of the passageway, raised his sword finger and thrust it into the torch. The flames seemed to come alive and suddenly burst forth.

The man in the blue robe flicked a small flame from his fingertips.

The flame shot through the air, leaving a straight, bright line in the darkness, and pierced the monster's back.

Bang!

Flesh and blood exploded, filling the air with a burnt, pungent smell.

Suddenly attacked, the malevolent creature released its prey, regained its senses, let out a deep roar, and transformed into a phantom as it pounced on the man in the blue robe.

A figure flashed out from behind the man in the blue robe, heading towards the evil entity. During the process, a spot of gold paint lit up from between his eyebrows and spread throughout his body.

He let out a deep, low growl and charged headlong into the enemy.

Duang!

The evil entity seemed to have hit a metal plate; its entire head trembled, and its forward-moving body stalled. The golden figure, on the other hand, was sent flying backward, like a piece of divine iron, embedding itself in the wall with a thud.

In that brief moment, another figure leaped into the air, taking advantage of the creature's dizziness, and landed steadily on its head.

He chanted Amitabha Buddha's name and raised his fist, which was as big as a clay pot.

Bang bang bang.

Under a barrage of punches, the groin struggled violently, then convulsed, and finally died as its brains were splattered out.

Master Jinlian, holding a torch, was the last to appear and said gently, "Don't be afraid, we're here to save you."

Qian You excitedly shouted, "They are Lina's friends, the reinforcements I invited!"

The Houtu Gang members stared intently at Daoist Jinlian, feeling that his gentle demeanor and unfathomable depth perfectly matched the image of a peerless master in their hearts.

"Thank you so much, Daoist priest, for saving my life! Thank you so much, Daoist priest, for saving my life!"

The members of Houtu's gang cheered.

The Daoist priest Jinlian, holding a torch, nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping around before spotting Lina lying in a pool of blood in the distance.

Master Jinlian stepped forward to check the situation. Half of her body was torn and mangled, with organs vaguely visible. Fine silver threads emerged from the wounds, quickly covering the horrific wounds, stopping the bleeding, and repairing the injuries.

If the Gu natal Gu is not injured, the Gu clan member will not die.

Master Jinlian breathed a sigh of relief.

On the other side, Zhong Li grabbed Xu Qi'an's ankle, leaned back at a 45-degree angle, and pulled him out of the wall.

Xu Qi'an dispelled his Vajra Invincible power and asked loudly, "Daoist Master, how is your young friend?"

"He suffered some injuries, but his life is not in danger." Daoist Jinlian beckoned to Zhong Li and said:

"Does Miss Zhong have any healing pills with her?"

Zhong Li hummed in agreement, then took out a porcelain bottle from her linen robe and obediently handed it to Daoist Jinlian: "One pill a day, and you'll be fully healed in three days."

Master Jinlian pulled out the cork, sniffed it, and confirmed that it was a healing pill of excellent quality.

"The Bureau of Astronomy is truly wealthy. I haven't had the money to refine elixirs for many years," thought the Golden Lotus Daoist with envy. She bent down, pried open Lina's mouth, and fed her a pill.

Holding a torch, Xu Qi'an eagerly approached, scrutinizing the legendary Number Five. Her hair was black with brown streaks and slightly curled at the ends, and the girl's figure resembled that of a lithe female leopard.

Her features were quite delicate, with thin lips, a straight nose, and healthy wheat-colored skin, which perfectly matched the image of a wild girl from Southern Frontier.

She's pretty, with slightly more defined features than the women of Great Feng. She's a beautiful online friend! Xu Qi'an nodded, quite satisfied.

After confirming that Number Five was unharmed, Xu Qi'an, Chu Yuanzhen, and the others waved torches and examined the corpse of the evil creature.

What kind of monster is this?

Xu Qi'an wasn't very cultured, thought to himself: Holy crap.

It should be a tomb guardian beast.

The learned Chu Yuanzhen explained, "I have read relevant records. In ancient times, after people died, they would put strange beasts in their tombs to serve as guards for the tombs."

"The number of these strange beasts will initially be enormous. To survive, they can only rely on devouring their own kind or feeding on rotting corpses until they slowly die out."

Master Jinlian added, "Generation after generation, nourished by Yin Qi and devouring the poisonous creatures of rotting corpses and tombs, they have long since become unrecognizable, completely different from their ancestors."

"What value does a corpse have?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Master Jinlian shook her head.

"Zhong Li, she's in your care now. Keep her on your back." Xu Qi'an realistically looked away, no longer paying attention to the evil corpse, and said:

Don't stray too far from me, or I won't be able to take care of you.

If we're too far apart, my invisible wings can't protect you!

Master Jinlian was somewhat uneasy about this arrangement. After all, Number Five was already injured, and it would be too cruel to let her follow the prophets from the Bureau of Astronomy Observatory.

With this kid's luck, he shouldn't have any major problems. Master Jinlian then looked at the survivors of the Houtu Gang, offered a few words of comfort, and said, "Stay close to us, we'll take you out."

After saying that, he gestured for Xu Qi'an to lead the way.

The group, holding torches, continued on their way.

The sickly gang leader gazed at the retreating figures of the experts, recalling the battle just now. The man in the blue robe carrying a sword must be one of the protagonists of the "Battle of Celestial Person and Man".

The Buddhist School monks were incredibly powerful; they killed the evil creature with their bare hands. Lina didn't elaborate on her identity; I initially thought she was just an accomplice, but it turns out she was so strong.

"That young martial artist of the sixth rank looks quite ordinary," the sickly gang leader thought to himself.

In his view, it was only natural for a sixth-rank martial artist with copper skin and iron bones to be able to withstand beatings, which is why Xu Qi'an's performance was mediocre and he didn't have any particularly outstanding moves.

As for the disheveled woman, she was strange; she didn't make a move, so it was impossible to judge her.

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, the sickly gang leader heard his subordinate exclaim with delight, "We've escaped the maze!"

At the end of the passageway was a huge burial chamber, in the center of which sat a bronze coffin. In addition, there were some burial objects: gold and silver, utensils, ceramics, books, and so on.

Over the long years, the silver has oxidized severely, turning into a waxy, tear-like substance, while the gold has been preserved relatively well. As for the books and cloth, they crumble at the slightest touch.

This tomb isn't completely oxygen-free. Xu Qi'an glanced around and asked, "Is this the main tomb?"

"No, it's a side room."

The sickly gang leader said, "It should be one of the many side chambers guarding the main tomb."

The Houtu gang excitedly collected gold, silver, and other valuables, ignoring books and other valuables. This was not because they were crude or only valued gold; on the contrary, the Houtu gang was professional.

Therefore, it is even clearer that books could not have been taken out of such an ancient tomb, as they had long since decayed.

Chu Yuanzhen had an instinctive passion for books. He casually flipped through a few, but the pages were as brittle as ash, crumbling at the slightest pressure.

However, he didn't come away empty-handed; at least he learned who was buried in the coffin.

"This tomb is no ordinary one; it belongs to an emperor, and his concubine was buried with him," Chu Yuanzhen said.

"What do we do now? Going to the main tomb might be dangerous. Going back the way we came means re-entering the maze."

As he spoke, he glanced at Xu Qi'an and said, "I think the latter is a safer bet."

Although he was eager to know the identity of the tomb's owner, safety first, safety first. Xu Qi'an nodded, agreeing with Scholar Chu's suggestion.

Except for the unconscious Lina and the indecisive Zhong Li, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society unanimously agreed that returning the way they came was the right choice.

Immediately, he led the rabble of the Houtu Gang back into the maze.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, Xu Qi'an led the group out of the passageway and into a side room.

"Why are you back again?" The sickly gang leader frowned.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society remained silent in thought.

"Let's go one more time." Xu Qi'an looked at Daoist Jinlian and the others.

"Okay," Chu Yuanzhen nodded solemnly.

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Qi'an led the group out of the passageway and into a side room.

"Why, why are you back again?" The sick man leader's voice trembled.

The other members of the Houtu Gang turned pale and their eyes were filled with fear.

"One more time?" Xu Qi'an swallowed hard.

"Okay," Chu Yuanzhen said in a hoarse voice.

The third time, they came to this side room again.

The tomb raiding team was deathly silent. Xu Qi'an stiffly twisted his neck and looked at Zhong Li.

Zhong Li shook her head.

After a long silence, Master Jinlian sighed and said, "Let's go in. If we don't, we'll probably never leave this tomb."

Xu Qi'an, Chu Yuanzhen, and Heng Yuan exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and said, "Okay."

Then, he looked at the members of the Houtu Gang and warned them, "After entering the main tomb, do not touch anything or say anything carelessly. Understand?"

Although the tomb raiders were greedy, they also knew that their lives were the most important thing, and they nodded repeatedly.

At this moment, Gongyang Su, dressed in a dirty white robe, looked at Zhong Li and said, "Whatever you do, don't use your Qi-Watching Technique here."

Xu Qi'an observed the old man calmly.

Zhong Li lowered her head and pecked at it. "Mmm."

P. S.: Finished working and going to sleep. Will fix typos tomorrow. Please vote with monthly tickets!