Ancient tomb excavation traces

While Bao Cai and I were anxiously watching the Miao witch, we were attacked on the back of the head by someone under the suspension bridge. After we lost consciousness, he bound our hands and feet, preventing us from escaping. Fortunately, Bao Cai was a thief; he secretly untied the ropes for me with his hands behind his back.

There was only one strange man present. Upon closer inspection, his body was somewhat deformed, with long arms and short legs, and his skin was bloodless, looking as if it had been coated with white wax. Most chillingly, his eye sockets were deep-set, giving off a cloudy appearance. He saw that we were awake, but showed no reaction. Instead, he calmly grabbed the Miao witch's hair, wrapped it around his bluish-gray hand, and dragged her into the cave. The witch's face was ashen; she neither resisted nor screamed, as if she knew this would happen sooner or later.

The scene before me filled me with dread.

Bao Cai turned his head and asked me, "What should we do, young master?"

I lowered my voice and said, "Quickly untie it."

In truth, lacking any fighting ability, my mind was a complete mess. I wished I had a gun, could pull the trigger, and sweep the monster away, solving everything. However, the reality was that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, I didn't even have the bronze sword I had left.

I inwardly groaned. Although the strange man was unremarkable in appearance, he was calm and collected, like Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, giving off a sense of mental instability. He ignored Bao Cai and me, as if we were his prey, with no way to escape.

Bao Cai looked at the man, swallowed hard, and whispered to me, "Judging from this man's skin color and appearance, he reminds me of some kind of creature."

"What?" I answered absentmindedly. At that moment, my attention was not on the strange man at all, but on the safety of the Miao witch, because I had just witnessed the strange man's abilities under the suspension bridge.

Seeing that I wasn't very interested, Bao Cai continued, "I think they're like cave creatures who have lived here for many years, and their bodies have started to change in order to adapt to life in this cave."

Hearing Bao Cai's words, I snapped out of my daze and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Bao Cai leaned closer to me and said exaggeratedly, "It's obvious. These people aren't even human. How boring it must be for them to live in a cave. They're not dealing with us right now because they want to keep us alive to torture us slowly."

His words sent a chill down my spine, and I suddenly thought of a scene from the movie "The Hills Have Eyes." This thought made me feel a little uneasy.

Seeing that I was listening, Bao Cai continued seriously, "Living in a place like this, their eyesight must have deteriorated, but their other senses are definitely beyond those of ordinary people. If we fight head-on, we'll definitely end up dead." As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said, "Why don't we wait until she's about to attack that barbarian girl, then we can be quick and drag that girl into the water. If she doesn't die, we can go find Old Chen. We need to see him alive or dead. That bastard is at least righteous; I can't just watch him fall into that stagnant ditch." Bao Cai's voice choked up a little when he mentioned Chen Chen.

However, his words surprised me. I had always thought that Bao Cai was greedy for life and loved money more than anything, but I never expected that he was so loyal and righteous at heart. Moreover, at such a critical moment, his thinking was clearer and more insightful than mine.

I immediately agreed to his suggestion. In the den of two weirdos, we had no Plan B, only one option: to go into the water and risk our lives!

By this time, the witch had been dragged to the cave entrance. Her eyes were vacant, and she looked utterly despondent. Her expression reminded me of her earlier words: "My fate will be the same as yours—no, it will be even worse!"

This made me worry about her safety, because, as Bao Cai said, we would be tortured. This torture might involve turning us into new cocoons, imprisoning our spirits in the bronze chambers to guard the Chu tomb. That's already a rather cruel method; what could be worse?

I turned my gaze to the Miao witch. Although I didn’t know the real reason for her betrayal, we had gotten her into trouble and she had saved us several times. How could I let something happen to her?

So I made a "poof" sound to get her attention. She looked at me, and I mouthed to her, "Don't be afraid, I'll come to save you!"

After understanding what I meant, the Miao shaman paused for a moment, and her originally dim eyes gradually came to life. She stared at me blankly, as if she had made a decision, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face. This smile amazed me and made my heart flutter.

While I was still in a daze, she mouthed something to me, which I silently repeated: "Thank you... I won't let anything happen to you!"

I stared at her in astonishment, not understanding what she meant, when she suddenly smiled, pulled out a dagger, and cut off her own hair. This action was completely unexpected, and my heart tightened.

Seeing her long hair scattered on the ground, a strange feeling welled up in my heart. It is said that women in ancient times cherished their hair as if it were their life, so why was she wasting it like this?

My mind was in turmoil. Before I could even come to my senses, the Miao witch swiftly stood up and pulled a silver needle from a bamboo tube at her waist. I had suffered from this silver needle before and knew how powerful it was. I was thinking that I had an advantage this time when the strange man who had fallen suddenly turned around, grabbed the Miao witch's hand, and squeezed it hard. The Miao witch cried out in pain, her fingers opened, and the silver needle fell to the ground.

Worryingly, I noticed her hands gradually turning dark red. Bao Cai exclaimed in shock, "Ah...it's over...that...that's a blood curse! The barbarian girl has been cursed with a blood curse..."

From Bao Cai's tone, I knew something was wrong, so I quickly asked, "What is a blood curse?"

Bao Cai explained, "I read about this in an ancient book. It's called the Blood Silkworm, which is extremely difficult to refine. If someone is poisoned by its blood curse, their whole body will feel like it's on fire. This...this girl, even in that state, why didn't she even scream?"

His words sent a shiver down my spine. I then noticed a blood-red worm on the Miao witch's hand. The worm was peculiar; its tail resembled a silkworm, but the part that burrowed into her wrist looked like a fine horsehair worm.

As it continued to burrow deeper, I watched as a layer of red slowly crept up the Miao witch's neck. The veins on her face were clearly visible, and her skin looked as if it had been scorched by fire, making her appear quite terrifying.

My heart clenched instantly, but the Miao witch's eyes were resolute, as if she were ready to die.

Looking at her like this, my mind went blank, and I felt an overwhelming pity. From her unsteady breathing, I could tell that she was struggling to endure the discomfort in her body. She gave me a stubborn look, and after seeing the rope in my hand gradually loosening, she smiled calmly and said, "Go... They are descendants of shamans, the kings of Gu worms. Go, go quickly!" As she spoke, her chest heaved.

Upon hearing the words "King of Gu Insects," Bao Cai's face turned pale, and he said tremblingly, "Young Master, let's cancel our rescue plan. This person is more powerful than we imagined... and... and he's a descendant of some kind of sorcerer. What if he unleashes a powerful attack? We won't even know how we died."

I quickly freed myself from the ropes and replied, "Damn it, we have to save her! We can't just stand by and watch that bastard bully a woman in front of us!" As I spoke, I got up to help Bao Cai untie the ropes. After we were both freed, I prepared to go forward to save the witch, but as soon as I took a step, Bao Cai grabbed me and said, "It's too late, young master. She's been cursed with a blood curse. Even a great immortal couldn't save her!"