Spirit Snake

In the pitch-black space, Zhu Qinghe groped along the stone wall beside her and tentatively asked, "Chen Wumei?"

Silence fell, and no one answered.

She nervously bit her lower lip, took a step forward, but missed, and her body lurched forward. An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.

Shen Wumei's familiar voice rang in her ear: "I'm here."

Zhu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. That madman Chen Shangshu locked them up in this godforsaken place; she had no idea what he was planning to do.

"By the way, where are Miaomiao and the others?" They were all brought in blindfolded, so they should be here too.

Shen Wumei was a martial artist with exceptional hearing, and she had already noticed the steady breathing sounds not far away, two of them.

“They just fainted, they’re fine,” Shen Wumei replied.

Zhu Qinghe was relieved. After she recovered, she realized that she and Shen Wumei had been standing too close.

Although they had already expressed their feelings for each other in prison, they were separated by bars and not as close as they are now.

Now their breaths were mingling, she could smell his light and pleasant scent, and feel his hand around her waist.

—This is a bit dangerous.

Shen Wumei naturally sensed it too. He cleared his throat, about to say something.

Someone woke up in the corner.

As soon as Brother Kui woke up, he called out, "Miaomiao, Miaomiao, what's wrong?"

Shen Wumei: "..."

Alright, business is more important. We can talk about some things after we get out.

Miao Miao woke up quickly after being called by Brother Kui, letting out a few weak coughs.

Zhu Qinghe, feeling her way in the dark, asked in the general direction, "Miss Miaomiao, do you know where this place is?"

Since Minister Chen and Miao Miao are from the same clan, they must understand the intention behind his actions.

Miao Miao hasn't been doing well lately; she's having some difficulty speaking and moving.

But upon hearing Zhu Qinghe's question, he still answered, "This is the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes."

Snake? Zhu Qinghe felt goosebumps rise all over her body, and she involuntarily shrank closer to Shen Wumei.

Shen Wumei naturally took her hand and calmly replied, "Are there snakes here? How can we avoid them?"

Miao Miao: "It's not what you think. The snakes here aren't alive."

If they're not alive, then they must be dead. What's the point of sealing a bunch of dead snakes here?

As a descendant of the legendary witch, Miao Miao was specially trained from a young age. Her clansmen instilled in her the clan rules of the Spirit Serpent Clan and entrusted her with the important task of reviving the Spirit Serpent Clan.

Often, she disliked overly radical ideas and those messy witchcraft practices. The old woman who served her, Granny Hu, was a very kind person; unlike others, she didn't force her to practice witchcraft.

When she was unhappy, Grandma Hu would bring her sweet and delicious pastries to cheer her up, and she would secretly take her out to play. Her scent was warm and pleasant, just like a mother's.

It can be said that during that dark and serious time, she was the only gentleness and hope.

But during her sainthood inauguration ceremony, she stood on the altar in a magnificent and heavy dress, looking down at her people below through a long beaded curtain hanging from her head.

And the person who was used as a sacrifice was actually Granny Hu.

Her face was pale, but her gaze remained gentle as she looked at her. With tears in her eyes, she silently called out, "Miss."

Miao Miao's fear and dread at that moment were indescribable. She realized that the world she had always lived in was not a reliable and reassuring story at all, but a swamp full of wolves and tigers.

What kind of saint is she? No matter how talented she is, she can't protect the people she wants to protect.

She was merely a ridiculous puppet, perched on the high platform. She smashed her crown, ran off the altar, and refused the sacrifice.

But her power was too weak. In the end, she was suppressed by her clansmen and could only watch helplessly as Granny Hu's blood slowly flowed into the altar, staining the intricate patterns at the bottom of the altar red.

The spreading crimson lines were her eternal nightmare.

After Granny Hu died, her body was transformed into a poisonous human and fed to spirit snakes. The spirit snakes, having ingested the poison, quickly died and were sealed in the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes.

This is the darkest and most sordid place of the Serpent Clan, filled with sin and stained with blood.

The so-called "infant spirits" also need to be refined in such places.

Zhu Qinghe felt very sorry for Miao Miao's plight. It would be hard for anyone to feel good to see someone they cared about die in such a tragic way in front of them.

Needless to say, Brother Kui was already heartbroken.

He gently placed Miao Miao's head on his shoulder and whispered, "It's all in the past, Miao Miao. We will definitely make them pay the price."

Miao Miao closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks, feeling icy cold.

Minister Chen's most pressing wish now is to refine "infant spirits" to revive Chen Shikun. Since he did not kill them, it means they still have value to him.

Now we'll see what he does next.

Minister Chen didn't keep them waiting for long. After some time, a light suddenly appeared overhead, and the group instinctively covered their eyes. Looking over, they saw several figures standing indistinctly at the cave entrance.

This was indeed a cave, several meters deeper than an ordinary pit. They couldn't see the people standing at the entrance at all from below.

At this height, even someone as skilled in martial arts as Shen Wumei couldn't get out without external help, let alone the likes of Zhu Qinghe and Miao Miao.

A basket was slowly lowered down by a rope. Shen Wumei reached out and caught the basket, and the rope was quickly swung back up.

Zhu Qinghe lifted the white cloth covering the basket with his hand, revealing a few steamed buns and two plates of bland vegetables inside.

Zhu Qinghe looked up and shouted, "Lord Chen, I've already said that humans should eat meat, why don't you change your ways?"

No one paid her any attention, and the stone slab on top was quickly moved back, plunging the surroundings into darkness once more.

Zhu Qinghe: "...Then how about we just have a bite together?"

A soft, fluffy thing was shoved into her hand. Zhu Qinghe was stunned for a moment before realizing it was a steamed bun.

"Shen Wumei," Zhu Qinghe called him softly.

Shen Wumei handed the other half to Brother Kui, letting them divide it themselves, then took a step back and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's so dark here, how can you see anything?" Zhu Qinghe was somewhat shocked. Was he even human?

"I can't see very clearly, I can only barely make out the outline," Shen Wumei said truthfully.

But that's enough.

Zhu Qinghe, holding a steamed bun, leaned closer: "Do you have any beauty secrets? I also want to have eyes that can see clearly even in the dark."

Her eyesight deteriorates when it gets a little dark.

Compared to Shen Wumei's eyes, they were practically worthless and could be gouged out and thrown away.

Shen Wumei remained silent for a while, "There's no secret, it's innate. Actually, sometimes, not being able to see clearly is a kind of happiness."

What's going on? This is weird. How did we suddenly get onto this topic?

Zhu Qinghe pondered as she bit into her steamed bun, wondering if Shen Wumei's appearance suggested she had experienced something in the past.

It seems I'll have to ask Mo Wu when I get the chance.

After about three days of consistent meal deliveries, Minister Chen finally took action.

He completely removed the large stone slab on top, allowing the light to shine through without any obstruction.

"It's about time. You should all say goodbye to this world," Minister Chen said coldly.

A mahogany coffin was lowered down the slope beside the house. Zhu Qinghe frowned; Chen Shikun's body had not yet been buried.

In this weather, it must be stinking by now. It's really unfortunate to have a father like that.

However, the father and son are equally bad, so neither of them should criticize the other.

It would be more meaningful to educate your son while he's alive than to waste time on his corpse after he's dead.

I really can't understand what Minister Chen is thinking.

The coffin was lowered down the slope to the bottom of the pit, scraping against the sand and gravel with a harsh sound.

Minister Chen's sinister voice rang out overhead: "Today, you will be buried with my son. There are also the remains of eighty-one infants. With you, my son will wake up soon."

Eighty-one sets of infant skeletons?

Shen Wumei and Zhu Qinghe both had the same ugly expression. Miao Miao promptly explained to them, "The refining of infant spirits does indeed require the remains of eighty-one infants as a catalyst."

This is utterly absurd!

If killing others could resurrect one's own loved ones, and if such an absurd conclusion were believed and practiced, how many heinous crimes would occur?

As a member of the government office, Shen Wumei could not allow such a thing to happen.

They were already shoveling dirt down on their heads, clearly intending to bury them alive.

Shen Wumei turned around to block Zhu Qinghe, and Kui Ge also protected Miao Miao.

Minister Chen looked smugly at the bottom of the pit, his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly moving. "Ah Kun, your father has avenged you."

Just then, Mo Wu led a squad of soldiers in and surrounded Minister Chen and his men.

After they were brought under control, Mo Wu lay down by the pit and called out, "Boss, are you all alright?"

Shen Wumei's face was extremely ugly. She brushed the dirt off her shoulders and said, "Do we look like we're alright? Why did you take so long to come?"

"Miss, Miss, are you alright?" Ruyi's familiar voice came, and Zhu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Ruyi, I'm fine, don't worry."

Although it was a bit dangerous, they finally made it in time.

It seems that Lord Shen is quite reliable.

Minister Chen shouted frantically, "Ah—impossible! How could you have found this place? It's all a lie!"

None of the rescued people gave him a second glance, except for Miao Miao, who looked at him one last time but said nothing.

Minister Chen suddenly paused. He saw Miao Miao's bare neck, which was completely bare.

"So it was you, Miao Miao—" Minister Chen shouted angrily, "I spared your life out of consideration for our friendship, and yet you betrayed me by helping outsiders."

The Holy Maiden of the Serpent Clan has a unique pet, a serpent, which can be used to deliver messages when necessary.

However, because Miao Miao caused a scene during the sacrificial ceremony, the spirit snake that belonged to her was not hatched and was worn as a necklace around her neck for so many years.

Unexpectedly, this accident caused him to lose everything.

Miao Miao looked at him calmly: "Uncle, from now on, I am no longer the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Serpent Clan. I am going to live my own life."

"From now on, I am just a seedling."

She turned gracefully and walked towards Brother Kui, who had been waiting for her not far away.

Mother-in-law, you see, I'm finally free!

You'll be happy for me, won't you?