Ancient tomb excavation traces

As I devised the escape route, I glanced at the Gu-feeding sorcerers and thought: With so many Gu worms scrambling for food, it's as if a swarm of bloodthirsty leeches is crawling all over them. No wonder their skin is like the walls of a cave.

But we didn't have time to worry about that, because just as the three of us were ready, a stag with a menacing aura suddenly appeared from the shadows with a few thuds. Its antlers were like tree branches, and if we were gored, we would all be dead.

"Run!" We backed away until the deer was almost upon us. Bao Cai nimbly darted through the tree on the left, while the little Taoist priest and I chose the right. At that moment, I could feel the festering sores on my arm spreading rapidly.

I gritted my teeth and endured it; the wound felt like an undeveloped pimple, making my head inexplicably tighten.

The elk was chasing Bao Cai, because the urgent sound didn't come from behind us. I heard Bao Cai's cries; he was already injured and couldn't run fast, so I guessed he would be caught up soon.

Without much thought, I drew the gun from my waist with my left hand and circled around the trees. The young Taoist priest followed. The place was filled with ancient trees with intertwined roots, and one could easily trip over them. I figured I shouldn't save electricity on the bicycle light, so I took it out and let the young Taoist priest provide illumination.

When we finally saw the elk, the air was still. Bao Cai was already pressed against the tree trunk, staring at the elk whose antlers were pointing downwards and which was making whimpering noises. His face was filled with despair and fear!

It's going to attack! With no other choice, I raised my gun and shouted at Bao Cai, "Get out of the way!"

Upon hearing my call, Bao Cai's eyes lit up with hope. He quickly scrambled to his feet, backed away, and excitedly cried out, "Young Master, if you don't come soon, Brother Bao will die!"

I told him not to be too happy yet and to hurry up and leave. He agreed and quickly disappeared behind the giant tree.

Seeing that Bao Cai had run away, the elk became a little angry and started running wildly. I noticed that it was acting strangely and was about to shoot when suddenly a sharp pain shot through the back of my hand. I lost control and the gun clattered to the ground.

"What's wrong?" the young Taoist priest asked me worriedly. I squatted down, bared my teeth, and tremblingly stretched out my left hand. At that moment, I discovered that there was a silver needle on the back of my hand.

The young Taoist priest, seeing this, quickly shone his bicycle light towards the dim left side. He saw a figure suddenly dart away, like a ghost. I thought to myself: It's true what they say, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.

However, there was no time to chase after the people in the darkness. The most important thing now was to save Bao Cai, because he and the deer had disappeared from our sight again. I pulled out the silver needle, struggled to pick up the gun on the ground, ignoring the pain in my hands, and went to where I heard the sound.

Before I even saw them, I heard Bao Cai's screams. I rushed over anxiously and saw Bao Cai lying helplessly on the ground, clutching his waist, crawling forward. The ferocious deer arched its long antlers, as if it was about to launch a second attack on him.

In a fit of anger, I rushed over, yelling, "Go to hell!" My first shot hit the deer in the belly. It cried out in pain, reared up on its hind legs, and looked extremely furious. Then, with its captivating red eyes, it suddenly turned around and came towards me and the young Taoist priest.

The distance was so close, I frantically aimed, and the third bullet in my gun went missing. I thought to myself, "Damn it!"

My hands trembled as I hastily prepared to fire again, but it was too late. The deer appeared before me, a shadow of death looming over me. My heart clenched; I knew it was over. In that moment of blankness, the young Taoist priest suddenly rushed forward, shoving me aside, while he himself was gored in the chest by the deer's antlers. I watched as he was sent flying before my eyes, crashing heavily to the ground. For a moment, I was stunned. When I came to my senses, I saw the young Taoist priest, blood trickling from his mouth, struggling to hold onto the deer's antlers, urging me to leave. At that moment, my eyes welled up with tears. I thought: What have I, Feng Liu, done to deserve such a person in this era who would risk his life for me!

By this time, the deer was clearly getting impatient. It kept shaking its head, and I saw the young Taoist priest holding it with both hands, its body being tossed around. In the end, he was so exhausted that he spat out two mouthfuls of blood. His hands slowly loosened, loosened... His eyes were half-open and half-closed, and the deer took the opportunity to raise its front hooves.

In a flash, I don't know where the courage came from, I yelled, raised my gun with both hands, and pulled the trigger. With a thin puff of smoke, the deer screamed in agony, its ear smashed by the bullet, and began to scatter wildly. I cursed my poor marksmanship, but perhaps because I had a good impression of deer, I unconsciously held back when I fired.

At that moment, taking advantage of its unbearable pain and indifference to us, I dodged it and quickly ran to the little Taoist priest, pulling him behind a tree. Bao Cai was also there, wailing and looking very distressed.

Seeing that he could still call out, I breathed a sigh of relief and teased, "Brother Bao, you're doing well! Even with your kidneys stabbed, can you still run away?"

Bao Cai lay on the ground, spat, and shouted, "Even though my butt has a hole, I'm still holding on!" After saying that, he struggled to get up by holding onto the tree trunk. I looked at his skinny body and saw that he couldn't straighten up no matter what, so I couldn't help but laugh.

He rolled his eyes at me and said I was kicking him when he was down. I told him to stop pretending and go to the stream first, and the young Taoist priest and I would follow. He initially disagreed, but when I said he was slow and would slow us down, he reluctantly went ahead of us.

As I watched his figure disappear into the darkness, a pang of sadness gripped my heart, for the wound from the Gu worm bite was throbbing with pain.

Looking at the seriously injured young Taoist priest, he kept clutching his chest, probably because he had been gored in the heart by a deer antler. I told him to hold on, and he nodded and picked up the bicycle lamp from the ground.

To be honest, I really admire him. If I had been tortured like that, I would have passed out.

At this moment, the person hiding in the darkness finally appeared. It was the Miao witch. She stared at us resentfully, seemingly seeking revenge for the deer.

Seeing that she was just a woman, I didn't want to get entangled with her, but she suddenly pulled out a thin tube from her sleeve. I knew something was wrong; I had just fallen for her trick. With that thought, I helped the young Taoist priest and quickly lowered my body. The silver needle flew out and shot directly into the tree.

I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I'd escaped serious injury, but when my gaze fell on the back of my hand, my heart sank. My left hand had turned purplish-black, and like the wound on my right arm, it was spreading rapidly!

I thought to myself, what a vicious woman. But before I could think any further, the witch suddenly showed a pitying expression, whistled, and the injured, frantically running deer suddenly quieted down and obediently ran to her side.

Seeing her calm and composed demeanor, I thought she must believe we were doomed, hence her lack of haste in killing us. But I was wrong. After she calmed the deer, I heard a "clucking" sound...

Upon hearing this sound, my hair stood on end again. I thought to myself: Oh no! Am I really going to die here today? No! I immediately rejected this pessimistic thought. Even if I die, I, Feng Liu, will die a glorious death. I saw the woman raise her eyes and stare at us with a sinister smile. Without thinking, I stumbled and ran with the little Taoist priest toward the water source.

We were running slowly now, and the venomous insects, having become bloodthirsty, weren't flying as fast as before. Besides them, there was also the elusive witch. Because the young Taoist priest would occasionally check on the pursuers, the light from his bicycle headlights illuminated the witch's eerie face; her features appeared especially deep and terrifying in the white light. A moment later, the woman vanished, leaving only eerie, shadowy tree shadows. This scene reminded me of the scene in the Japanese horror film where Sadako appears on the television. I thought that if the young Taoist priest shone his headlights again, she might be right behind us.

The sound of water was not far away, like a mountain stream with a small waterfall. We were excited amidst our fear, thinking that we could finally get rid of it. But when we turned around, in the cold white light and shadow, besides the witch's face, there were six strange-faced people with insect eyes. I didn't know how these people could be so silent and how they caught up with us. But then I thought, this is a place they are familiar with. If we are here, we will only die!

They were only three or four meters away from us, and the Gu worms swarmed around them like a collection of demons and monsters. I was terrified, and I felt like my skin was being twisted all over.

In despair, I thought: There's no escape… Just as I was utterly exhausted and vulnerable, a sharp blade sliced ​​through the flesh above my cervical spine. I screamed and turned around to see that pale, disgusting face staring at me. The little Taoist priest was also there… He had been tackled. The bicycle light hit the ground with us, and the grave-digging tool behind me dug into my back, causing me to cry out in pain. At that moment, I clearly saw the masked man's eyes; they were murky and cloudy. And from him, I smelled a strange odor, a strange odor that seemed vaguely familiar…

At this moment, it was either death or a desperate fight. When the masked man pointed his gold-inlaid knife at my brow, I carefully felt for the Mongolian knife at my waist. Because the scabbard of the Mongolian knife was made of high-quality leather, it was almost silent when drawn. The masked man didn't kill me immediately; he muttered incantations, as if performing a ritual.

I held my breath, preparing my next move. When those cloudy eyes suddenly turned ferocious, I hardened my heart and pointed the Mongolian knife at his kidney. This exhilarating feeling made me tremble. I watched him scream, clutching his wound, stumbling and falling. I immediately got up and used my body to shove the masked figure off the young Taoist priest.

Suddenly, the plot took a turn. Before they could react, I pounced on the witch. She screamed, and I grabbed her by the throat, holding the Mongolian knife to her neck. She struggled a few times, and I yelled at her not to move, and she fell silent.

After calming the priestess down, I said to the masked man in standard Mandarin, "Get out of my way... or I'll kill her!"

As I said this, I pressed the blade of my Mongolian knife against the witch's throat. In fact, I never thought that one day I would grab a woman to use as my shield, but there was no other way. In this situation, being shameless is better than dying.

I could feel the witch's throat tightening with tension. At that moment, the Gu worms returned to the Gu feeder one by one. But strangely, after the six of them discussed something for a few moments, they didn't retreat. Instead, with unsettling and menacing expressions, they slowly approached us.

Unaware of the situation, I led the priestess backward, warning, "Stop! Do you want her dead?" In truth, I doubted whether they could understand me.

However, I believed in my bet, and I believed in the shaman's status among these Miao people. But for some reason, they didn't stop, and I felt a little uneasy. At that moment, the shaman suddenly said something to these people, her tone somewhat agitated.

I was confused. Was she saying, "Kill me, then kill these people?" My heart tightened. If that were true, then this woman was too fierce.

Just then, I saw those masked men curl into sinister smiles. I wondered: What's going on?