Two-Headed Red Snake 3

By the time we reached the Guanyin Temple, it was completely dark. Occasionally, crows would caw in the sky, adding to the desolation through the chilly autumn wind.

"After the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), all the Gu (poisonous insects) mourn." Xie Mowen stared at the door of the Guanyin Temple, silently pulled out a long knife from his boots, assembled it with a clatter, and said coldly, "Gu and poisonous insects are active at night and should come during the day. However, unfortunately, the king of all Gu, the two-headed red snake, is active during the day and goes to sleep after the hour of Xu."

Xiao Congzhi took out a black iron folding fan from his bosom, held it in his hand, and unconsciously rubbed it with his fingers, replying, "I, Xiao, have accompanied you to the place of death. Do not forget this kindness."

Xie Mowen smiled, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Liao Fei gripped her long whip, hesitatingly saying, "You two don't need to risk your lives for me. Bringing me here is already a great favor. I..."

Xie Mowen interrupted, "Miss Liao, everyone has selfish motives, there's no need for thanks."

Liao Fei couldn't figure out Xie Mowen's ulterior motives for a moment, so she could only silently follow Xie Xiao and the other into the Guanyin Temple.

This place has always been desolate, but now it exudes an eerie feeling, as if a stagnant air is lingering in the sky, isolating this place from the outside world, like a living place separated from a dead place.

Xie Mowen held up his long sword, parted the weeds on the ground, and groped forward. After a moment, he whispered, "Something's not right with the grass here."

Xiao Congzhi nodded: "In late autumn, the weeds should be sparse and dry, but these are fresh and dense, yet they show no signs of life."

Liao Fei slowed her pace and walked forward more carefully.

"With the Gu King here, the number of poisonous insects has increased, probably because they have been contaminated by the venom," Xie Mowen analyzed.

"Hiss—hiss—"

Suddenly, a strange sound came from the soil. Xiao Congzhi quickly lowered his voice and shouted, "Concentrate your inner strength in your feet!"

The next moment, a golden, loach-like worm burst out of the ground, followed by one after another, with sharp mouthparts on its head and transparent wings on its back, rushing straight at the three people's faces.

Xie Mowen swiftly swung his knife down, then turned to see Xiao Congzhi using his fan to slice through three long snakes.

A long whip is not suitable for killing insects, so Liao Fei drew a dagger from her waist and, without hesitation, cleaved the long insect in two.

"What's this?!"

Xie Mowen squinted, brandishing his knife as he introduced, "Golden-edged Hidden Wings, slightly poisonous but with sharp mouthparts, known for its man-eating nature."

Xiao Congzhi disdainfully tossed the golden-edged, winged corpse off the fan, frowning as he asked, "Is there any other way? I think there are endless options."

"Yes, I do, but I'm not an expert in this field and I've forgotten."

Xiao Congzhi paused for two seconds, then shouted loudly, "Get inside!"

The three of them immediately found their direction and ran into the temple while swatting insects.

In the blink of an eye, they were startled to see something else spring out of the ground.

"What is this again?!" Liao Fei exclaimed.

"Uh..." Xie Mowen stared at it for a moment, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Golden-edged Red Ant, often found alongside Golden-edged Roach, extremely poisonous!!"

Xiao Congzhi quickly closed his fan, turned his head, and let a golden-edged red ant fly behind him, brushing against his hair. The next moment, Xie Mowen pulled his arm, and he dodged another one.

Xie Mowen pursed his lips, his eyes sharp, his movements swift. Without uttering a word, he grabbed Xiao Congzhi and ran. In the process, his knife flashed so fast that afterimages could be seen.

Xiao Congzhi was not as serious, but his eyes were still fixed on his surroundings. He used his fan to flick away and send all the poisonous insects that had fallen into Xie Mowen's hands flying.

Liao Fei followed closely behind Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen, sometimes sweeping with her long whip, sometimes parrying with her dagger, and neither of the two treacherous insects could get close to her.

After a period of chaos, the three finally entered the Guanyin Temple.

The golden-edged red ant and the golden-edged hidden wing seemed to be blocked outside the door by some invisible force. The three of them slowly breathed a sigh of relief and began to observe the interior of the Guanyin Temple.

A life-size Guanyin statue stands on a stone platform, covered in dust. Or rather, the whole place is covered in thick dust, making a swishing sound with every step.

The three remained silent, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere. Liao Fei took the initiative to speak: "Young Master Mo, do you understand these poisonous insects or not?"

Xie Mowen paused in his forward motion, touched his ear, and said, "Someone in my family likes it, so I've been exposed to it from a young age, but I'm not good at it."

"I see." Liao Fei nodded. "Although I knew this trip would be difficult, I didn't expect things to get so complicated before we even entered the door."

Xiao Congzhi carefully looked around and casually said, "I once read in a book that the appearance of the Gu King will change the surrounding environment at an extremely fast speed. Its changes are unpredictable and irregular, but they are all full of dangers."

Liao Fei nodded heavily, her eyes calm.

"The footprints on the ground are very messy," Xie Mowen said.

Xiao Congzhi: "People used to come to this Guanyin Temple, so it's not surprising."

"Hmm." Xie Mowen responded, then turned and walked to the Guanyin statue, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I will."

"Hmm?" Xiao Congzhi walked over.

“The stone platform has been moved,” Xie Mowen said, pointing to the ground.

Because of the thick layer of dust on the ground, the marks of the stone platform sliding were very obvious. There was no need to say more about what needed to be done. Liao Fei didn't let Xiao and Xie do anything. Instead, she held onto the edge of the stone platform and pushed it aside without thinking, revealing the entrance to the air-raid shelter.

Liao Fei wanted to take the lead, but Xie Mowen stopped her. Time was limited, so Liao Fei didn't hesitate and followed behind Xie Mowen, letting Xiao Congzhi cover the rear.

The entrance is long, consisting of a downward staircase made of piled stones. Due to its age, it is steep and broken, and it is easy to slip and fall if you are not careful.

Although the three possessed light-footed skills, they dared not be careless and carefully moved their feet.

After a bend, the moonlight filtering through the cave disappeared completely, making it pitch black. Xie Mowen silently took out a candle, and the three of them continued forward by the light of the small flame.

"Rustle—rustle—"

"Did you hear anything?" Liao Fei asked in a low voice.

Xie Mowen and Xiao Congzhi naturally heard this; they frowned, tensed up, and slowed their pace...

The sound grew louder and louder... Suddenly, a dark object pounced on the candle. Xie Mowen reacted swiftly, using his hand as a blade and his inner force to create a gust of wind, and flung the object away.

Xiao Congzhi said urgently, "Put out the candles."

The next second, Xie Mowen blew out the candle and flashed away. Hearing the noise, he realized that something had fallen where he had just been standing.

The space was plunged into complete darkness, but the rustling sounds didn't stop; instead, they grew louder and louder…

Liao Fei's breathing became rapid, and she asked quickly, "Do you know what it is?"

Xiao Congzhi's tone was extremely deep: "Seven-star cricket."

Xie Mowen helped explain: "It resembles a cricket, has seven spots on its back, likes light, is non-poisonous, carnivorous, and lives in groups."

Liao Fei was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard that there was no poison, but then Xiao Congzhi continued, "Tens of thousands of Seven Star Crickets will attack together, and their speed of devouring is no less than that of a tiger."

Liao Fei asked in a trembling voice, "So they haven't attacked yet because..."

"The quantity hasn't arrived yet," Xie Mowen said.

The next second, he and Xiao Congzhi pulled Liao Fei along without hesitation, and in the darkness, they moved forward quickly by instinct, the rustling sounds in their ears growing stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, Xie Mowen and Xiao Congzhi stopped in their tracks. Before Liao Fei could say anything, the thunderous sound around her abruptly stopped, and Liao Fei's heart stopped for a moment.

The next instant, a strange, otherworldly sound assaulted the three of them.

Xie Mowen raised his longsword and swung it around a few times, his inner force gathering into a hurricane that howled as it rushed away. In the darkness, it collided with the thousands of crickets. With a loud "bang," the strong wind scattered, and sand and stones flew everywhere.

Xiao Congzhi closed his fan like a stick and slashed it a hundred times in all directions in an instant. The energy he gathered was like an airtight cage. With extremely fast speed and overwhelming force, it spread outward from the center, pushing the insect swarm that Xie Mowen had scattered further away.

Liao Fei listened intently to the sounds coming from nearby. With nimble movements, she swiftly struck down the nearby crickets with her knife, knocking them to the ground one by one.

Slightly out of breath, Xie Mowen put his arm around Xiao Congzhi's, swung his long sword horizontally, and slashed cleanly forward, shouting, "Go!"

Xiao Congzhi and Liao Fei followed closely behind Xie Mowen, speeding forward until the end of the downhill section. The three of them then turned and finally shook off the swarm of insects.

Having exhausted too much internal energy, all three of them were struggling to breathe. Xie Mowen took out another candle and lit it. By the dim candlelight, the three of them leaned against the stone wall and tried their best to regulate their breathing.

"Seven-star crickets are truly rare. This cave is more dangerous than I thought." Xie Mowen tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowed, and his brows furrowed, as if deep in thought.

“The two-headed red snake is different from ordinary Gu Kings. It is only recorded in legends, so it must be extraordinary.” Xiao Congzhi said, while touching Xie Mowen’s palm hanging by his side.

Liao Fei sat on the ground, her internal energy surging erratically, unable to regulate it for a while. With a pained expression, she asked, "What kind of insects are these? I've never heard of them before."

"Strictly speaking, these are all insects that mutated due to the Gu King, and are actually a type of Gu insect."

"Miss Liao, are you still able to walk? We must act quickly. If we delay until the two-headed red snake wakes up at dawn, it will be even more difficult."

Liao Fei pushed herself up and said, "Let's go."

The underground path was not difficult to walk on. Although the soil underfoot was rugged and uneven, it was wide enough for three people to walk side by side and high enough that one could not bend their knees. There were no twists and turns, and the path led straight ahead.

"Miss Liao," Xie Mowen suddenly spoke, "Refining and raising Gu worms are no easy feats. Who could achieve this level? Do you have any guesses?"

Liao Fei paused, staring at Xie Mowen's back. She narrowed her eyes, and even though the person in front couldn't see her, she still shook her head: "No one in Emei is skilled in witchcraft."

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Liao Fei but didn't say anything. Xie Mowen, seeing this, didn't press the matter.

The three of them fell into a quiet yet tense atmosphere once again, moving forward cautiously and warily.

The journey was smooth, and they encountered no further setbacks until they reached the end. The three of them stood at the end of the cave, looking ahead with serious expressions on their faces.

At the end of the cave is a door, not grand, only about the height of a person, and not made of bronze or stone, but of wood. It has stood silently underground for hundreds of years and is already dilapidated. You can push it in with a wave of your hand, but you're afraid it will break if you push too hard.

Xiao Congzhi said, "This cave was probably built by the people during the war years of the previous dynasty to hide in. The back is probably a room used to store food and supplies. The two-headed red snake is probably just ahead."

Liao Fei held her breath and asked in a low voice, "So, do we just go in?"

“We have no other choice,” Xie Mowen replied.

Immediately, Xie Mowen reached out and pushed open the wooden door…

"Crack—"

The wooden door slammed shut, revealing a completely dark interior.

Xie Mowen was about to go inside when Xiao Congzhi hurriedly stopped him, grabbing Xie Mowen's arm and hesitating, "Brother Mo..."

Xie Mowen winked at Xiao Congzhi, then grabbed Xiao Congzhi's hand and calmly said, "We'll meet force with force and water with earth."

Xiao Congzhi frowned, and before he could speak, Liao Fei solemnly said, "Young heroes, I'll go first."

After saying that, Liao Fei walked straight inside without stopping.

Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen exchanged a glance and followed him inside.

Because the room was so large, a single candle was of little use, and the three of them were practically groping in the dark. They moved extremely slowly, careful not to disturb anything.

In the dim light, every inch became a path; following the candlelight, the three of them cautiously made their way forward...

Suddenly, two loud "bangs" were heard, as if a heavy object had fallen to the ground.

Xie Mowen immediately pulled Xiao Congzhi's hand and pushed him behind his back. The two pressed close together, their body heat mingling. Xie Mowen lowered his voice and said, "I shouldn't have let you in, but I will let you out."

Xiao Congzhi immediately knew what Xie Mowen was planning. Their only remaining asset was the Qilin blood; their power was almost depleted, but…

"It was my fault for being willful."

Liao Fei couldn't understand the implication of Xiao and Xie's words, but she knew that this disaster was caused by her. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She couldn't bear any promises, but she was determined to fight to the death.

Xie Mowen chuckled softly: "Follow me, then you can no longer be willful."

After saying that, Xie Mowen flicked the candle in his hand and lit the wax placed on top of it. Instantly, the room was brightly lit, and they could see clearly what the heavy object was.

A giant spider, its body as large as seven or eight people stacked on top of each other; a giant bat, its wingspan fifteen or sixteen feet.

Liao Fei gasped, gripped the whip tightly, and slowed her breathing.

Xie Mowen and Xiao Congzhi managed to maintain their composure, though cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. They had indeed overestimated themselves; they had thought there were only a few poisonous insects and gu worms that they could simply kill, but they hadn't expected them to be such troublesome and rare creatures, gradually draining their inner strength.

"Beast-eating spider, don't get entangled in its silk, it has nerve-paralyzing venom on it, and its legs are sharp at the tips, which can easily rip open its belly." Xie Mowen spoke quickly, "Nether bat, sharp mouthparts, highly aggressive, saliva is highly poisonous, be careful not to get bitten."

Xiao Congzhi replied, "They must be protecting the two-headed red snake here. I'll go find the two-headed red snake."

Liao Fei hurriedly said, "Young Master Xiao, there's no need. I have no regrets in this life if I can send you two out. There's no need to seek out the two-headed red snake to cure my poison."

Xie Mowen walked up to Liao Fei, gesturing for Xiao Congzhi to hurry up and search, while explaining, "The two-headed red snake is the Gu King. If we can control the two-headed red snake, all the Gu worms in this cave will cease their activity. Congzhi and I have exhausted too much internal energy. If we can't find the Gu King, we won't be able to get out."

Liao Fei looked at Xie Mowen with a pale face.

Xie Mowen stared directly at the two giant creatures in front of him and said bluntly, "After the Seven Star Cricket, we're not looking for the Two-Headed Red Serpent for you, but to get out of here."

Liao Fei's breath hitched. After understanding the situation, the light in her eyes became even more resolute: "I was wondering how to get the two young heroes out, but now I will fight until Young Hero Xiao finds the two-headed red snake, until the very end!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Beast-Eating Spider launched the first attack, its white silk rushing towards Xie Mowen at lightning speed. Xie Mowen dodged to the side, and the next moment, the Netherworld Bat flapped its wings and came with a fierce wind. Xie Mowen raised his sword and slashed horizontally, barely leaving a shallow mark on the Netherworld Bat's wing. He then used the momentum to jump back, widening the distance between himself and Xiao Congzhi.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liao Fei swung her whip forward. The long whip, wrapped in a gale, struck the legs of the beast-eating spider. Sure enough, the beast-eating spider was attracted and chased Liao Fei to another corner.

At this point, Xiao Congzhi searched every corner for the two-headed red snake, Xie Mowen and the Netherworld Bat were fighting, and Liao Fei managed to hold off the Beast-Eating Spider.

After another lunge with its blood-red maw wide open, Xie Mowen threw a dagger imbued with internal force into the mouthparts of the Netherworld Bat. Taking advantage of the bat's pained thrashing, Xie Mowen swung his longsword and leaped onto the bat's body. In the blink of an eye, a hundred or so blades mixed with internal force slashed down, the blade light dazzling and dense, a flash of white light.

The Nether Bat's body was not indestructible by swords and blades; this heavy blow, imbued with immense internal force, instantly caused blood to splatter everywhere. The Nether Bat let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream, thrashed wildly a few times without any order, and then collapsed to the ground.

Without hesitation, Xie Mowen nimbly jumped off the bat and ran towards the Beast-Eating Spider.

The Beast-Eating Spider initially focused its attack on Liao Fei, but after Liao Fei repeatedly dodged it, it didn't linger and turned to crawl towards Xiao Congzhi. Liao Fei had no choice but to keep lashing the Beast-Eating Spider with her long whip to slow it down, but all eight of the spider's legs seemed to be wrapped in iron, so Liao Fei's attacks couldn't cause any damage at all, making it extremely difficult for her to deal with it.

When Xie Mowen arrived, he crouched down and slid under the body of the Beast-Eating Spider. He then slashed with his long sword, but the spider's body was as hard as steel and difficult to break. Instead, Xie Mowen was pushed back by his own internal force and rolled out from under the spider.

The Beast-Eating Spider paused, raised its leg high towards Xie Mowen, and brought it down with a "whoosh." Liao Fei hurriedly ran from the side, swung her long whip, and blocked the Beast-Eating Spider's fatal blow.

Xie Mowen rolled on the spot again, took the opportunity to get up, held his long sword horizontally, and focused his gaze.

The carnivorous spider's vital points are hard to find.

Liao Fei released the spider's legs, ran to Xie Mowen's side, and asked breathlessly, "Is there any way?"

Xie Mowen closed his eyes slightly and shook his head: "Insufficient internal energy."

Liao Fei also closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, there was no hesitation in her eyes. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and headed towards the beast-eating spider. The heroine Liao Fei was quite famous among the younger generation of martial arts practitioners, mainly because of her long whip, which carried a fierce and invincible wind.

Now, the black iron whip, with its overwhelming force, repeatedly charged towards the beast-eating spider. Liao Fei swung the whip without stopping, her inner strength running at full power, her blood surging, and blood flowing from her eyes.

Xie Mowen frowned in thought, then suddenly moved, weaving through the white silk of the whip, leaping to the side, flipping his wrist, pointing the tip of his long sword forward, and forcefully stabbing it against the eye of the beast-eating spider, then desperately pushing it in with his internal energy.

The long sword was instantly driven in halfway, green slime gushed out, the beast-eating spider hissed silently, and its eight legs flailing wildly as if slipping.

Not far away, Xiao Congzhi looked up and suddenly saw a red, living thing in the corner of the wall. It was only as long as an index finger and thinner than a little finger, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to have two heads.

Xiao Congzhi was about to reach out and touch it…

"Follow me!!!" Xie Mo heard a shrill cry that grew louder as it approached.

Xiao Congzhi turned around abruptly. Behind him was a dying Netherworld Bat, its bloody mouth wide open, lunging at him with no way to avoid it.

In another instant, Xiao Congzhi saw Xie Mowen appear before him at an incredible speed, and the next moment, the unavoidable bloody bite landed on Xie Mowen's shoulder.

Xiao Congzhi's pupils dilated slightly, his mind went blank for a moment, and he instinctively unfolded the fan and slashed it hard across his palm. Just as he regained his senses, Xiao Congzhi spun around, grabbed the red creature, and pinched it at its seven-inch mark.

The ghostly bat immediately stopped moving, even folding its wings, and stood frozen in place. The carnivorous spider, which had been struggling frantically, collapsed to the ground with a thud and fell silent.

Xiao Congzhi didn't even glance at him, frantically supporting Xie Mowen's swaying body, and cried out in a panic, "Xie Mowen..."

Xie Mowen was trembling all over, his legs were shaking so badly that he could not stand up, black blood was gushing out of his wounds, his face was pale as a ghost, cold sweat covered his face, veins were bulging, and his eyes were about to close.

"From...to...happy".

Xiao Congzhi was taken aback. He stuffed the two-headed red snake into Liao Fei's arms, who had struggled to walk to his side. He immediately reached into Xie Mowen's arms, his face was sweating with anxiety, his hands were trembling violently, his breathing was getting heavier and heavier, and his eyes were almost filled with tears.

Fortunately, Xie Mowen hadn't stuffed too much stuff in his arms, so Xiao Congzhi quickly found a small bottle, and without stopping, opened the cap and brought it to Xie Mowen's mouth, pouring it down his throat.

It's unclear what's in the small bottle, but by the time Xiao Congzhi threw it away, the blood gushing from Xie Mowen's wound had already turned red.

After a while, or about a few breaths, Xie Mowen gradually stopped trembling. Although his face was still very pale, he had the strength to speak: "Congzhi, hurry up and get out of here. This is not the antidote for the Netherworld Bats."

The next moment, Xiao Congzhi scooped Xie Mowen up in his arms and turned to Liao Fei, coldly ordering, "Follow behind."

Liao Fei dared not say anything more. She carefully gripped the two-headed red snake, gathered her inner strength, and followed behind Xiao Congzhi.

The three passed by the Netherworld Bats, then the Beast-Eating Spiders, then through the empty cave, climbed the stone steps, passed the place where the Seven-Star Cricket had appeared, crawled out of the cave, passed through the outer courtyard of the Guanyin Temple, and finally left the Guanyin Temple.

The journey was so smooth it seemed unreal.

When Liao Fei saw Jing Nuan guarding the entrance of the Guanyin Temple, her last bit of internal energy dissipated, and she lost consciousness.