Chapter 148 - 146: Gu Worm Cocoon
While Lu Xingye was still searching for an entrance, the two behind him jumped down without a second thought, one right after the other.
Lu Xingye turned to find no one behind him. "..."
’If I don’t jump, will I be the odd one out?’
Lu Xingye had just reached the edge of the pit when Zhou Tiancheng’s voice came from behind him. "Xingye, what’s the situation? Have you found anything?"
He came to his senses and awkwardly pulled his foot back. "Ahem, Captain Zhou, Qin Hao came out from somewhere around here just now. Jiang Li and the others fell in. We need to hurry and find another entrance."
"Alright." Zhou Tiancheng turned to give orders, then glanced at the mouth of the pit. It was pitch-black, its depth impossible to see.
"Get some ropes. We’ll send a few people down first to look for Jiang Li and the others..."
Zhou Tiancheng looked over at Lu Xingye, who already had a rope tied around his waist, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
The rope was secured to a nearby tree, and Lu Xingye immediately jumped. As he descended, his mind went blank.
’It’s so deep. They just jumped without a second thought. Are they really okay?’
Lu Xingye swallowed hard and continued his descent.
Jiang Li’s entire body ached from the fall. The moment she turned her head, she froze in terror. A white, meter-long cocoon was hanging in the pitch-black cave.
"Sister, shh!"
Miao Anji ran over to help her up, his grip too tight in his nervousness.
"Xiao Ji, do you know what this is?" Jiang Li asked Miao Anji in a low voice once she was steady on her feet.
Miao Anji swallowed, a hint of panic on his face. "Let’s go. Now."
He pulled Jiang Li toward the other side, but when he glanced back, he saw Yu Huannian and Wu Ming who had also just fallen.
Miao Anji’s pupils contracted. He lunged forward and quickly covered both their mouths. Wu Ming’s eyes flew wide with fright, and she clamped her own hand over her mouth.
’Oh my God! That hurt like hell!’
Yu Huannian got to his feet and glanced around. His eyes were immediately drawn to the white cocoon above. Something inside it seemed to be squirming.
"There’s something inside."
Everyone’s eyes were drawn to it.
Jiang Li looked up. A bulge was clearly visible on its surface, as if the thing inside was trying to burst out.
Miao Anji’s pupils contracted again. Just as he was about to tell them to leave, a faint sound reached their ears.
A single insect crawled out, followed by a second, then a third. More and more of them began to bore their way out from inside.
"Xiao Ji." Jiang Li turned to look at Miao Anji. Seeing how pale he was, she grabbed his wrist. It was ice-cold.
Miao Anji stared at the scene before him as images from his childhood flashed through his mind, frame by frame: a dark, oppressive cave, with three or four cocoons just like this one hanging from the ceiling. The insects had burst out to suck his blood.
"This is bad. If I’m not mistaken, this looks like one of Miaojiang’s methods for cultivating Gu Worms. Everything inside is a venomous insect."
Wu Ming cried out in alarm.
Lu Xingye had just landed when he saw the group standing frozen in place. He hurried over to them.
"Jiang—"
"Lu Xingye, tell Officer Zhou and the others to leave, now! These insects are venomous," Jiang Li said without looking back.
’A lot of people came up the mountain to find Kong Zhen’s group. It would be a disaster if they all got hurt.’
Lu Xingye pulled out his phone to message Zhou Tiancheng, his eyes fixed on the cocoon in front of them. A chill ran down his spine.
’Venomous insects, and so many of them...’
When Zhou Tiancheng saw Lu Xingye’s message, his grip on his phone tightened. He immediately turned around and ordered an evacuation.
"It’s dangerous! Everyone, get off the mountain first.
Xu Yong, send a message to the team’s group chat and tell everyone to fall back. Move it!"
"If we leave, what about Lu Xingye and his group?"
"We can’t worry about that now. Just get everyone to retreat first." Although Zhou Tiancheng didn’t know what was happening down there, he was sure it was extremely dangerous.
Down in the cave, Lu Xingye scanned his surroundings, looking for an exit.
Miao Anji snapped out of his daze and pulled out a Bone Flute. He glanced back at Jiang Li. "Sister, you guys find an exit. I’ll hold them off."
"Can you handle it by yourself?" Jiang Li asked, looking at Miao Anji with concern.
Miao Anji tightened his grip on the Bone Flute and gave Jiang Li a smile. "This is my specialty. Don’t worry."
"Be careful," Yu Huannian said before pulling Jiang Li away.
Wu Ming followed them, holding her Compass with a trembling hand. "Jiang Li, this way."
Wu Ming moved to the front to lead the way.
Seeing them leave, Miao Anji raised the Bone Flute to his lips and began to play. ’A swarm of mindless insects. They’re just a little troublesome, that’s all.’
Veins bulged on Miao Anji’s pale hands, and the melody he played was slightly halting. A throbbing pain pulsed in his head.
’They’re just insects. It’s not like I haven’t dealt with them before.’
Miao Anji steadied his turbulent emotions and focused on dealing with the insects before him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li looked at Wu Ming. "Wu Ming, will he really be okay?"
"Uh... he should be fine. He’s the Miaojiang Saint Master! The insects are probably terrified of him. He’ll be fine. This way."
Wu Ming led them and quickly found a narrow opening. "This should be it."
Wu Ming happily squeezed inside. The opening was small and tight, and it was easy to get scraped by the jagged rocks.
After crawling for some distance, the tunnel gradually widened. Wu Ming happily scrambled out, but the moment she emerged, she almost dropped the ancestral Compass she’d inherited from her master.
Inside the cave was an iron cage. A motionless person was locked inside, and a foul, metallic stench filled the air.
Lu Xingye came in, took one look, and immediately reacted. He rushed forward, opened the cage, and carried out Kong Zhen, who was so battered she barely looked human.
"Kong Zhen? Kong Zhen?"
Lu Xingye called her name twice. He detected her faint breathing and glanced at a wound on her hand that was still dripping blood. A nauseating stench emanated from nearby, where a dark, sticky mass was swarming with flies and other bugs.
Jiang Li glanced at Kong Zhen. ’She’s still alive. We made it in time.’
"Xiao Nian, Wu Ming, get Kong Zhen to a hospital. The faster the better."
Lu Xingye took off his jacket and wrapped it around Kong Zhen. Yu Huannian then picked her up, glanced at the nearby exit, and left without a moment’s delay.
Wu Ming looked at Jiang Li, her expression full of worry.
"I’ll be fine. Go quickly." Jiang Li gave Wu Ming a gentle push. ’He Ming’s body still hasn’t been found, but it must be close by.’
Lu Xingye got up and began searching for He Ming.
Jiang Li glanced back at the opening they had just emerged from. ’It’s been a while. I wonder how Xiao Ji is doing.’
As Lu Xingye came out, he suddenly noticed another cave opening to the side. He went in to find a scene identical to the one in the drawing: in the center was a chair, and the corpse nailed to it had already begun to rot.
"Jiang Li, I found him."
Lu Xingye came back and called out to Jiang Li. Seeing her staring blankly at the opening they had just come through, he said, "If you’re worried about him, I’ll go back in with you to check."
Jiang Li snapped back to her senses and looked at Lu Xingye. "You found He Ming?"
"Yeah, right next door."
Jiang Li hurried back the way they came, and Lu Xingye quickly followed.
Miao Anji watched as the Gu Worms grew more and more uncontrollable. He took out a dagger and made several cuts on his body. The scent of fresh blood drew the insects to him.
In moments, Miao Anji was swarmed by the insects. His vision began to blur, and his heart filled with regret.
’If only I could have had more time with Sister.’