Ancient tomb excavation traces

The presence of these snakes reminded me of a foreign movie I watched when I was a child. I can't remember the name, but I vaguely remember some scenes: a snake lived in a dark pool, faithfully guarding a treasure trove. After intruders entered its territory, it killed many of them who were eyeing the treasure.

When I was little, I only felt terrified. Later, when I watched the movie again as an adult, I found the snake quite intelligent. Now, I never imagined I'd encounter a venomous snake and a tomb myself. They were gathered together, forming a large swarm, and as far as I know, apart from cobras, few snakes actively attack humans. However, these snakes frequently entered the water, which didn't seem like a simple act of playing. Therefore, I suspect their presence, like the snake in the movie, was to guard this tomb.

The pool was deeper than the mountain stream, and poisonous snakes lurked inside. This situation was like being in a minefield. The whole process was nerve-wracking because you never knew when you would step on those deadly things.

To get a better view of the snakes in the pool, we submerged our heads and swam cautiously forward. As we took a breath, Bao Cai gave us a pained look and said, "Do we really have to go in this way? These snake spirits are guarding the tomb entrance; going in is practically suicide!"

What he said was what I was thinking too, but backing down at this point would affect morale, so I comforted him, saying, "Don't think about it anymore. They're going straight into the water; they must have a plan. Otherwise, who would be so brain-dead as to want to wade through a vat of boiling oil for such a thrill!"

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai wiped the water from his face, looking like he was about to cry, and said, "What kind of idea can we have? It's just swimming around aimlessly in the water. Young master, look at those snakes, every single one of them is highly venomous. That hole is a snake den. If we go in, we'll just become someone's meal."

The moment Bao Cai uttered the words "main meal," I conjured up an image of snakes slowly slithering across my body, coiling around me, their mouths wide open at a 130-degree angle, revealing their venomous fangs, ready to bite me hard. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I glanced at the troubled Bao Cai and feigned nonchalance, saying, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Besides, you said it's Crimson Flame Alchemy. If it bites you, cutting off its tail and eating it will cure the poison..."

Upon hearing the word "treasure," Bao Cai's eyes lit up instantly. To get a money-grubber to do something, you have to cater to his desires. Now that he had the motivation, he took a deep breath and submerged his head in the water again. He looked anything but afraid; he was like a little white dragon in the water, disappearing in a flash!

Seeing him appear beside Lao Tiao, revealing an exquisite face, I sighed and continued swimming forward. As I approached the waterfall, the water in the pool became rapid, and my vision began to blur.

This is very bad, because snakes are reptiles that can sense heat sources, which gives us absolutely no advantage.

At that moment, my ancestor in front of me sensed the commotion below and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, get ready, let's have a good fight!"

When he said this, Chu Ba and Liang Jiu cheered excitedly, and Lao Tiao also shouted for a while, as if he was very excited. But Bao Cai and I looked at them with a depressed expression, thinking to ourselves: These are big-hearted snakes, they are venomous snakes that can move freely in the water, how are we going to kill them happily?

Just as I was worrying, I spotted a huge cave behind the waterfall. At the cave entrance swarmed with venomous snakes, coiled together like a writhing mass of intestines—a truly nauseating sight. Sensing our approach, several of them suddenly reared up, their slit-like red eyes coldly fixed on us.

It was a feeling of death. It was the first time I had ever seen so many venomous snakes raise their bodies, and some of them couldn't resist and darted into the water with the first tier of the waterfall.

A sense of panic spread through my body; I could imagine the scene that would spiral out of control. Just as I was thinking this, something suddenly brushed past my calf. My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately floated to the surface, looking down. In this turbulent water, the blood-red figure moved like a ribbon in a gymnast's hand, swaying its body as it hurtled towards me.

Damn it! It's huge! I hastily pulled out my Mongolian knife from my waist. Actually, this method was clumsy; there was resistance in the water, and trying to cut a nimble snake with a knife was completely ineffective. And what was worse was that there was more than one snake coming towards me. I cursed inwardly: Damn, this is impossible! With that thought, I quickly put the knife back at my waist, preparing to make a safe retreat.

However, the snake came very quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was in front of me. In a flash, I held my breath and quickly used a cloth bag containing grave-digging tools that I was carrying on my back to block it in front of me. As soon as I blocked it, the fangs of the Crimson Flame Alchemy got stuck in the cloth bag. It twisted its body and struggled to get free. Seeing that it was my chance, I quickly stabbed its head hard.

Dark red blood spread like ink. The snake's head was wrapped in the cloth I was holding, and one red eye stared at me with venomous intent, exuding a sinister aura. My heart sank, and I hurriedly let go.

The nightmare didn't end there. After seeing their companion die, the other snakes arched their bodies in the water, looking grotesque, as if preparing for their ultimate revenge against me.

They stood coldly upright in the water, somewhat like seahorses, but more like cobras ready to attack. This standoff was terrifying; it was slowly gnawing at my heart. Finally, they moved, all three darting towards me simultaneously. I panicked, and the more anxious I became, the more chaotic my mind became. In my haste, I choked on several mouthfuls of water. There was no time to catch my breath. I controlled my tension, using my hind legs to splash the waves, dodging quickly in a freestyle style.

By this time, the ancestors had already begun their battle. However, I was barely able to protect myself, let alone help them. In this situation, without any experience in catching snakes, I was doomed. Thinking this, I searched my memory for countless methods of dealing with snakes I'd seen on television, but when you're nervous, all memories seem to freeze. I was incredibly anxious and poked my head above water. Just then, the ancestor suddenly tossed me a short-sleeved shirt. I was thinking, "Why would he throw this at me?" Then he shouted at me, "Little rascal, wave this in the water, it'll definitely work!"

Hearing this, I eagerly grasped at this lifeline, but as soon as I touched it, a foul odor assaulted my nostrils. And the smell was somewhat familiar, like—urine! I was startled and stared at him in astonishment. He smiled at me, holding a venomous snake in his hand, and swiftly snapped it at its vital point.

Urine! The word swirled in my mind. I, Feng Liu, am not exactly a Virgo, but I've always been a germaphobe. How could I survive if I encountered urine? I threw my shirt away as if I'd been electrocuted. Just then, Chu Ba suddenly sprang up from the water and shouted at me, "Liu Zi, I've cut two snakes for you. For the next one, use our boss's shirt! Quick!"

Hearing this, I chuckled dryly, but I had no other choice. To save my life, I lunged forward, grabbed my ancestor's urine-stained shirt, and then held my breath and submerged into the water.

Just as Chu Ba had said, the two snakes chasing me had been hacked to pieces and were now sinking down with a pile of scattered flesh. The remaining snake swam very fast, its scales gleaming with a dazzling yet chilling light in the sunlight. I held my ancestor's clothes in my hand, thinking: Is this thing even useful? Are you kidding me?

There was no time to doubt. As the venomous snake lunged towards my hand, I frantically shook my short-sleeved shirt, hoping it would immediately release its venom. After a while, the snake showed no fear whatsoever. Seeing this, my heart sank. Just as I was about to drop it and retreat, the snake suddenly curled up into a ball, seemingly in great discomfort. I was astonished, thinking: This… the urine of our ancestors has this effect?

Without a second thought, I surfaced, coughed a few times, and assessed the situation. Bao Cai, protected by Chen Yu and Liang Jiu, was unharmed, though his face was deathly pale. Chu Ba was nearby; the Ancestor, seeing me safe, smiled and said, "How was it? Worked out, right?"

I looked up blankly and said, "Urine...is urine poisonous?" I thought to myself: I've never heard Grandpa say that our ancestors' urine had such special properties.

Upon hearing this, the ancestor laughed and said, "I've seen this kind of snake before. I dislike the smell of its urine, but its effectiveness is reduced in water. If you want to enter the ancient tomb, you'll have to rely on your true abilities!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Yu shouted from not far away, "Damn it, more and more people are getting into the water!"