Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

Sensing something, the beasts gathered together at the mountain and water cave.

They stared at the red serpent raising its head from the Luo River, speechless for a moment. The black bear and the golden ape king, who were almost at war, were also dumbfounded and retreated repeatedly.

Over the course of two years, the giant serpent has been nourished by the spiritual energy of the sun, moon, water, mountains, and rivers. Now, even its head alone is enough to rival any living being present.

"Candle." The mountain lord stepped forward, enduring all gazes as intense as the sun and moon. "What are your orders?"

"Only you have broken free of your shackles?" The serpent's voice boomed like thunder, shaking the heavens and earth, causing the water to tremble and the rocks to shake.

"It's almost here! I've sensed the shackles and they're gathering strength!" A glance swept over, and the black bear was startled and stood up, its two heavy front paws pawing at its chest.

Bloodhound, Prison Wolf, and Golden Ape King set aside all their hostility and nodded repeatedly in agreement with Black Bear.

Even fearing that the large snake couldn't see them, they even imitated the black bears by standing up and exposing their chests.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed as they said: all that was needed was some accumulation to break through to the next level.

The giant serpent withdrew its piercing gaze and scanned the creatures present once more.

The little black crow has grown up; its jet-black feathers shimmer with iridescent colors under the sunlight.

In a fleeting moment of eye contact, it revealed its third leg, which had grown to resemble its two claws, and breathed fire.

They have already broken free from the shackles of physical strength and blood.

"Not bad." The giant snake nodded.

"Croak." The frog flapped its snout on the giant clam. "Candle, you're finally awake. I'm going to sleep now. The snake god wants me to go to it."

"Well, you can go sleep with your mother then," the giant snake replied.

I never imagined that two years would pass in the blink of an eye.

His gaze swept over the beasts present once more, but he still couldn't find that figure.

"Where's the fox? I can't see it."

"She was painting a landscape painting the day before yesterday when she suddenly felt dizzy, so she took a day off. Now she's working with the raccoon dog, the gray rat, and the earthworm demon to catch up on the progress." Shan Jun, who was also painting a landscape painting, replied immediately after learning about the situation.

"Dizzy..." the giant snake murmured.

By current reckoning, the fox is now eighteen years old, exceeding the lifespan limit of an ordinary fox.

It's unknown whether, with the help of that Mirage Dragon Pearl, it was able to break free from the shackles of physical blood.

"I am going down the mountain to the human city. As for Zhongshan, Lord Mountain, I entrust its affairs to you while I am away."

"candle……"

"It concerns the drought, I must go, and only I can go." Before the mountain lord could speak, the giant serpent immediately interrupted.

During the spring flood season, the water level of the Luo River should rise several times, at least enough to submerge both banks.

But now, the water level hasn't risen at all.

In spring, autumn, and winter, these three cities must have encountered problems.

The giant snake turned around, disappeared into the water, and swam northward against the current, its size getting smaller and smaller.

*

*

*

As the sun began to set, dusk fell, and the sky grew dark.

It had just rained during the day, and the soil was full of moisture, making the road a bit muddy.

As the carts and horses passed over it, a series of bubbles were squeezed out until it was completely submerged in the mud, and it could not be pulled out no matter how hard it was pulled.

"Damn it, the city doesn't even bother to fix it. A perfectly good official road has now turned into a muddy mess!" The bodyguards cursed as they got off the carriages and helped the caravan push the wagons out of the mud.

"Stop complaining, hurry up and push! If we can't find a place to camp soon, we won't be able to sleep tonight."

The caravan workers who were helping to push the carts were panting heavily, their trouser legs covered in mud, clearly indicating that this was not the first time the caravan had gotten stuck.

With everyone's combined efforts, the vehicle frame, stuck in the mud, was pushed out and allowed to get back on the road.

"I heard that Xia'an City has regained its faith in the snake god, and the people there have not encountered any demonic attacks since."

The man quickly wiped his legs, jumped into the car, and started chatting with the bodyguard.

"Chief镖师 Chen, you've traveled all over the country and seen a lot. Is this really true?"

"I did go to Xia'an City last year. I don't know if I encountered any demonic attacks, but their city lord is a man of action; at least the roads are much better than the mud we're wading through now!"

Chief镖师 Chen carried a dagger, dressed in gray clothes with leg and arm bindings, looking every bit the part of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who travels the martial arts world).

Night was approaching, and his eyes shone with a cat-like light. His temples bulged high, and sitting next to him, one could even clearly feel the burning heat surging forth with each heartbeat.

Clearly, this is a second-stage martial artist who has already established their foundation.

After hearing this, the man sighed, envying the people in the two cities of spring and summer. He turned back to look ahead and said nothing more.

Taking advantage of the last rays of the sun, the caravan continued onward for a while.

into the night.

The road beneath our feet was shrouded in black, and gazing into the distance, it gave us the feeling that we would never finish walking it.

Chief镖师 Chen's heart tightened, and he stood up, shouting, "Stop! Stop! Stop immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the caravan crew and the镖局 (security escort agency) warriors quickly lit torches, drew their swords, and gathered around the central carriage, united against the enemy.

"Chief Escort Chen, what's wrong?" A middle-aged man dressed in emerald green silk stepped out of the carriage.

"Master Lin, the road ahead doesn't look right to me." Chen, the head镖师 (bodyguard), stood on a high place, looking around as he jumped onto the top of the middle-aged man's carriage.

He didn't say anything that would demoralize him, like being trapped in a maze.

Anyway, once it gets light and the sun shines, everyone's yang energy will gather, and this thing will naturally dissipate.

Chief镖师 Chen suggested, "The brothers have been pushing the cart all day, and the horses are tired too. I've seen the road ahead, and it's even more winding than this one. Let's wait until the sun comes out tomorrow and warm up before we continue."

"this……"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, looked at the dark road ahead, his heart suddenly clenched, and his body trembled with fear.

"Then let's rest for the night."

"Wagons, make a circle, leave one exit, and light a bonfire!" After receiving approval, Chief Escort Chen immediately shouted the order.

The group moved very quickly, and within a quarter of an hour they had surrounded everyone with carriages and horses.

The bodyguards, carrying torches, stood guard atop the carriage.

Two or three men lit a campfire at the gap, roasting dry rations and fruit they had gathered along the way to fill their stomachs.

In early spring, the dampness at night is chilly, like tiny needles piercing through clothes and sticking straight into the flesh and bones.

The merchant surnamed Lin huddled close to the fire and next to Chief Escort Chen, barely managing to dispel the chill in his heart.

"The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort)..."

"Don't worry, Master Lin. Among the six of us from Chengxin Escort Agency, two are second-realm martial artists, and the rest are all martial artists who have entered the Dao. Bandits and thieves can't get close to you."

Chief镖师 Chen's eyes were piercing, his face resolute, and he spoke with a strong voice.

Lin Xin, the businessman, breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could even offer a word of praise, he was relieved.

"Snake! Snake! Snake!"

The bodyguard from the escort agency, who was standing guard on the roof of the carriage, suddenly shouted.

"Captain, there's a snake! It's coming straight at us!"

"A snake?" Chief镖头 Chen frowned, about to get up, but then suddenly sat down again.

He was to protect the person who entrusted the goods and was not allowed to leave without permission.

"Don't cause any unnecessary trouble. As long as the snake doesn't harm anyone, let it pass."

After saying that, he lay down on the ground and looked through the gap in the carriage in the direction his companion was pointing.

What a magnificent red snake!

Its scales seemed to be cast from fresh blood, and when the moonlight fell on it, they reflected a reddish hue.

As if sensing his gaze, the red snake turned its head and swam towards the gap in the circle formed by the carriage, stopping in front of the campfire.

The group drew their swords and blocked the gap to confront the red serpent.

Lin Fulin was surprised and turned to look at the head镖师 (镖师 is a term for a镖师 who is skilled in镖师), "Head镖师 Chen, shouldn't we...?"

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Lin."

Chen Shuping offered quiet words of comfort, then stood up and exchanged a fleeting glance with the red snake outside the circle.

That glance felt like meeting the midday sun at its most intense; my eyes stung and tears streamed down my face.

"The head镖师!"

"Make way, let Master Si in!" Chen Shuping shouted, rubbing his eyes.

Upon hearing this, the workers looked at Lin Fulin, and only stepped aside when he nodded.

The red snake swam into the carriage circle and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, coiled itself into a ball around the central campfire.

The evening breeze blew, and the night grew deeper.

In spring, fog usually rises at night, especially after rain.

The fog has risen rather suddenly and is quite thick now.

Although the sky was dark, it wasn't completely devoid of light; the dark outlines of distant mountains could be faintly seen.

The firelight illuminated the carriage enclosure and the companions patrolling around it.

But now, in a daze, the whole world seems to be filled with a thick fog.

Even the flames of the campfire were compressed to their limit, and all around was quiet.

Chen Shuping immediately gathered his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs to the caravan crew and his companions from the escort agency, asking them to come to him.

Following the sound, people gathered around Chen the镖头 (bodyguard/escort), holding torches.

one two three four……

Twenty-two...

Twenty-two?

Cold sweat suddenly dripped down Chen Biao's forehead.

He remembered everyone here, but why was there one extra person when he counted them?

The deeper I thought about it, the more frightened I became; with each breath, mist seeped into my nostrils.

My heart felt as if it were being gripped by an icy hand.

Chen Shuping took a deep breath, but no cool air entered his throat.

"Ho—"

The martial artist's eyes bulged, his hand clutching his heart; he nearly died suddenly.

Suddenly, the campfire burst into flames, casting a crimson light, like fresh blood, into his eyes.

The icy hand that gripped his heart crumbled instantly, as if it had encountered its nemesis.

The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) suddenly knelt down, his mouth agape, drooling, as he gasped for breath.

"Head镖师! What's wrong with you!" The镖师 and the caravan crew exclaimed in surprise when they noticed his unusual behavior.

"It's alright, everyone stay where you are, don't move!"

Chen Shuping tried to calm himself down, stood up, widened his eyes, and scanned his surroundings intently.

twenty……

Twenty-four?!

Two more?!