Ancient tomb excavation traces

In the current situation, if the venomous snake on Bao Cai becomes enraged and raises its scales, even if I act quickly, I won't be able to save him unless he's wearing soft armor. I glanced at the ancestor; he and Chu Ba had already killed the leading male snake. Bao Cai, on the other hand, was groaning weakly, his body pinned to the altar like a wooden statue, clearly terrified.

Just as I was racking my brains about how to proceed, the old ancestor, staring intently at the venomous snake on Bao Cai's body, said to me, "Little rascal, you distract this snake! I'll save him!"

I didn't know what method the ancestor had, but I trusted him completely, so I nodded and tried my best to buy him time.

However, given the current situation, with several snakes on the altar and the risk of being bitten if one is not careful, rescuing someone would be extremely difficult. Yet, the ancestor's group had already developed a strong understanding; when he decided to rescue Bao Cai, Liang Jiu, holding a cleaver, stood guard beside him, providing cover.

I distracted the venomous snake, and my grandfather took the opportunity to pull an arrow from the cloth wrapped around his back. According to my grandfather, his archery skills were so high that he could hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces away, and his accuracy was remarkable. However, he drew the arrow towards the venomous snake on Bao Cai's body. I was unsure of himself because, given his position, if the arrow hit the snake, it would undoubtedly injure Bao Cai's half-supported body. If Bao Cai lay down, it would disturb the snake on his body.

Just as I was filled with worry, the ancestor suddenly moved. He drew his bow and ran quickly toward my position. I saw the snake on Bao Cai's body begin to hiss, like a warning sound. My heart jumped into my throat, thinking that the snake was about to bristle its scales!

But in the instant it flew into a rage, the ancestor's arrow flew out, and with a "snap," the snake was hit in the head by the arrow, and then, with the force of the arrow, it fell into the water.

"That was spot on!" I exclaimed inwardly, utterly impressed. If it had been me, I might have shot right into Bao Cai's stomach. Bao Cai was even more shocked than I was; he stared blankly ahead, taking a long time to recover.

Although the person was saved, this act enraged the snakes in the pool. They writhed and frantically climbed onto the altar, their heads looming menacingly before us like sinister schemers. I swallowed hard; the situation was incredibly awkward, with nowhere to retreat. Bao Cai exhaled, scrambling to my side as if his weight had vanished. I helped him up, but he slumped back down to the ground.

Just then, the venomous snake in front of the young Taoist priest lunged at him. My attention had been focused on Bao Cai, so I hadn't noticed. Fortunately, the ancestor reacted quickly. He drew his red copper scimitar from his waist, spun around, and slashed the snake in two with a swift and decisive stroke.

Although the young Taoist priest wasn't as skilled as my ancestor, his agility, honed through years of cultivation in the deep mountains and forests, had reached its peak. However, because he had previously lost his cherished peach wood sword, and the wooden awl was too short to keep his distance from the thick, venomous snake, he leaned back, kneeling on the ground, and slid forward to dodge as the snake opened its mouth to bite him. After he dodged, the snake headed towards Bao Cai, who had fallen to the ground. Bao Cai, not expecting to be so unlucky, stood frozen in place, mouth agape, looking utterly bewildered.

No sooner said than done, the ancestor, seeing this, pulled out the last arrow from behind him, raised his hand, and planted the flying snake in the ground with pinpoint accuracy, like a fisherman spearing a fish with a fork. Bao Cai, staring at the venomous snake before him, forgot to breathe. The snake didn't die immediately; it writhed on the ground, seemingly determined to fight until its last breath. But soon, its struggles subsided, and it slowly ceased its movements.

After the danger was averted, Bao Cai and I stared blankly at the scene before us. What we had just experienced was something that usually only happened in movies. Once I calmed down a bit, I let out a long sigh of relief and looked at my ancestor, kneeling on the ground with beads of sweat on his forehead. I thought to myself: if we hadn't run into him on this trip, we would have been dead. Looking back now, I'm truly grateful.

There was no time for sentimentality; I sniffed, my nose slightly sore from excitement. Although the number of the male parasitic snakes before us was small, the chances of being entangled and dying were extremely high. A direct confrontation required exceptional skill; without it, we wouldn't gain any advantage, so everyone was being very cautious.

Before we could even catch our breath, the mother snake at the tomb entrance began to stir. From my vantage point, I could see two rotting corpses behind the curtain of water. The corpses, reflecting the cold, clear light of the water in the refracted sunlight, looked rather eerie. But what was most chilling was that several snakes with triangular heads were peeking out from the rotting flesh, wriggling as they emerged from their bodies. Their once glossy scales, now covered in a thick, sticky liquid, looked utterly repulsive.

Within the corpse's mouth, a thin, crimson alchemical stalk seemed to sense the call, poking its head out to survey the surroundings. This scene reminded me of the "Alien" transformation in American movies, where the creature emerges from its host's body during the "Chestbreaker" phase. After the small snake emerged, I saw a patch of crimson writhing within the corpse's mangled, rotting mouth.

Seeing this, my throat tightened, and I felt a little nauseous. The thought that if I were unlucky today, my body might become a parasite for the little snake made my whole body itch.

The hissing sounds from all around were like cicadas chirping in the trees in summer, disturbing the peace of mind. I had been observing the rotting corpse in the tomb, so I hadn't noticed that the water's surface had now turned crimson, and a large group of venomous snakes were swimming in the water, like a school of bright red koi in a pond.

"A full-scale attack..." The young Taoist priest said in a heavy voice as he looked at the scene before him.

We unconsciously huddled together, back to back, as if only in this way could we gain a little sense of security.

In this situation, even ten of my ancestors wouldn't be able to escape safely, because the snakes have almost swarmed out in droves, and a strong, sweet, fishy smell lingers in our nostrils. Bao Cai cried out in despair, "We're going to die!"

Even Chen Yi, who had been relatively calm, was at a loss. He gripped a machete in his hand and said, "What do we do? We can't fight them. There are at least a hundred of these poisonous snakes. If just a few come, we're finished."

His words sent a chill down my spine: indeed, with so many snakes, it seemed impossible to fight our way through. Thinking this, I glanced at the ancestor, who held a bronze scimitar in his hand, and said to us without a trace of panic, "We are the ones who descend to the underworld to snatch funerary objects from ghosts. How can a few venomous snakes stop us at the entrance to this tomb?"

At this moment, words of positive energy are undoubtedly a powerful stimulant for those of us who are still alive.

"During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, we all survived the blades of the rebels and officials. Every time, it was a near-death experience. In these chaotic times, only by racking our brains to survive can we accomplish something great!"

In the short time I spent with my ancestor, this was the most serious thing he ever said. It brought tears to my eyes. Yes, he lived to be eighty-seven. If he had lost his life at this time, it would have affected Cao Cao's campaign against Dong Zhuo and his recruitment of soldiers.

The wheels of history will not easily turn, I am certain of that...

"We've finally made it this far, let's give it our all!" Chen Yu shouted.

"Let's give it our all!" Everyone present echoed, their fighting spirit gradually ignited.

"There aren't many male snakes, so let's focus on eliminating them first. Once the middleman is bitten by the female snake, he must quickly consume her tail. This task will be handled by Bao Cai and Liang Jiu. Chu Ba, Tiao Zi, and I will deal with the male snakes. Tian Shi and Xiao Liu Zi, the female snakes are your responsibility. Remember to be careful!" The ancestor assigned us the most appropriate positions based on our different abilities and characteristics.

Finally, he instructed the priestess who had been playing her flute on the stone pier to go to land and stay away from the water. However, the priestess did not leave. She stopped playing, and a faint smile appeared on her usually icy face.

In this situation, it would be extremely eerie for anyone to laugh. Just as I was feeling puzzled and a little uneasy, I heard a rustling sound coming from the woods. The sound was so dense that it sent chills down my spine.

I inwardly groaned, thinking: "We're already surrounded by wolves; if a tiger comes from behind, we'll be attacked from both sides and won't be able to play anymore." Just as I was thinking this, the serpent on the altar suddenly raised its head and warily looked at the bushes.

My heart pounded wildly, filled with unease and confusion. But what was shocking was that after the sound came from the bushes, all the snakes seemed to be stimulated by something, thrashing about in the water like dolphins stranded in shallow water.

What could it be? We all held our breath, but the priestess remained calm as she looked at the pool.

Bao Cai said in a panic, "Could it be that the poisonous snake has left and an even bigger monster has arrived? There seem to be quite a few of them making noise!"

As soon as he said that, I stared intently at the trembling bushes, as if a few man-eating little dinosaurs might suddenly leap out from them.

Just as I was completely focused, Chen Yu exclaimed incredulously, "What happened? They've all run away!"

The water churned, and I turned around. The snakes headed towards the waterfall, only to dart into the deeper water, as if fleeing. We were still holding our knives, staring at the scene before us, feeling like we'd just woken from a nightmare. That red expanse had vanished from our world, as if it had never existed. Soon, even the venomous snakes behind the waterfall disappeared, leaving only small snakes wriggling inside two decaying corpses.

It was so sudden. I chuckled twice, confused, and when I looked at the bushes again, God appeared.

"Holy crap!" Bao Cai exclaimed in surprise, "It's a mongoose! No wonder the snake ran away; it must have encountered its nemesis!"

I stared in disbelief at the mongooses standing in the bushes before me. There were many of them, and they looked somewhat like weasels, quite intelligent. Just as Bao Cai had said, they were the natural enemies of snakes. Even the most venomous snake would tremble with fear when faced with these swift and venom-resistant predators. The group of venomous snakes from before had probably smelled the mongooses and disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, they stood upright by the pool, their little heads looking around like innocent children. Among them was a small mongoose, which looked at us with a look of joy in its eyes and made a sound like a baby's cry.

Just then, the shrine maiden on the stone pier suddenly crouched down and said gently, "Little meerkat, come here!"

Her call left even my ancestor speechless with shock. Upon receiving the summons, the little creature darted towards us like a streak of yellow lightning. The witch looked at it with obvious delight, reaching out her hand. The little creature followed her arm and quickly climbed onto her shoulder, displaying a tender affection.

I stared blankly at the scene, and when I came to my senses, I suddenly realized: these things were summoned by the witch to deal with the poisonous snakes; she saved us! Why?