Ignoring Galawa's attempts to stop him, the monkey glared and pulled out his machete: "To hell with it! I can barely get home myself! Who cares about this or that?"

As I watched the swarming snakes approach, I drew my Two Realms Blade from my waist.

Although our ancestral teachings instruct us to respect local traditions, snakes are cold-blooded animals, and I can't just wait to be bitten.

When Galawa saw us, he ran to the front of the crowd and lifted the woven basket at his waist.

The swarm of snakes, which had been advancing aggressively, suddenly stopped and coiled up in place.

Countless snakes were intertwined together, it almost triggered my trypophobia.

Galawa lifted the basket on his back, then took out a punt from inside his clothes and began to play the instrument.

As the music started, a small black snake, about the thickness of a thumb and only a dozen centimeters long, with white spots on its forehead, poked its head out and crawled down Galawa's leg to the ground.

The chaotic swarm of snakes suddenly quieted down after the small snake appeared, straightening their bodies and flicking their tongues as if welcoming a king.

Galawa continued playing his flute, and the little snake began to wriggle on the ground, moving ahead of our group.

As we passed by, the snakes on both sides dispersed, and their hissing sounds faded into the distance.

Seeing this, Wei Shengnan stepped forward and followed: "Everyone, stay alert and keep following!"

Led by Galawa, our group began to walk deeper into the woods.

As I listened to Galawa's flute, I kept thinking about one thing.

Snake charmers are an ancient profession in India, but the flutes they play are not for the snakes to hear, but for the onlookers.

Snakes have very poor hearing; they can only hear very low-frequency sounds, but they can clearly feel the snake charmer tapping their feet or lightly kicking the basket containing the snakes.

Snakes are creatures with low intelligence. Once they sense a threat, they will seek out a target to attack, which looks like they are dancing.

But the sound of Galawa's flute could control the small snake in front of him to move forward and also make the surrounding snakes retreat. I have never figured out the principle behind this.

The forest in front of us was very large, and by the time we reached the other side, it was already dusk.

Hengji Mountain runs north-south, and we are located on the sunny eastern slope.

Emerging from the woods, there was no sense of sudden enlightenment; the setting sun was blocked by the mountain peaks, and the valley was shrouded in darkness.

I stood at the edge of the woods and roughly surveyed the terrain. I noticed a gap in the ridge and my heart sank: "Oh no!"

Hearing me mutter, the monkey came closer and asked, "Young Master Duan, what's so slutty?"

At this moment, Qu Ruilin's expression also changed drastically. Pointing at Galawa, he said to the translator, "Ask him! What's the deal with the gap in this mountain?"

Seeing Qu Ruilin's solemn expression, the translator chatted with Galawa for a few minutes and explained, "The Bihar mine was frequently targeted by illegal miners in the past. Many locals, seeing that outside investors had made their fortunes, would search everywhere. But instead of exploring the veins, these people would just set off blasts all over the mountain to try their luck. This place should have been blasted out by the illegal miners back then."

Old Song knew there must be a reason for Qu Ruilin's nervousness, so he asked me, "Is there any significance to this gap?"

"If Qu Ruilin's statement is correct, there really is an artificially constructed river here, which, together with the mountains, forms a horizontal table shape. This is a treasure land that gathers yin energy. Although this kind of terrain is not good for future generations, it is extremely good for the deceased."

I pointed to the gap in the mountain range: "Whether it is a feng shui treasure land or an extremely yin place, it is important to have a place where the wind is contained and energy is gathered, and where mountains surround and water is embraced! But the horizontal beam here has been cut off, which has ruined the feng shui and allowed the yin energy inside to dissipate."

The monkey interjected, "Since yin energy is bad for the living, shouldn't this be a good thing?"

"The reason why the Demon Monk's Tomb was chosen to be in this place is because it is the eye of the earth's energy, which can continuously generate yin energy. Previously, this place was a place where wind and energy were gathered, and all the yin energy was used to nourish the tomb. If this place was a closed space before, it has now become a funnel, causing a large amount of vital energy to leak out."

I paused for a moment: "If this place was a place where no living person could enter before, it has now become a place that is neither good for the living nor for the dead. Moreover, the yin energy here will attract evil spirits. According to legend, this kind of place is most likely to cause corpses to turn into zombies."

Old Man Song asked in a deep voice, "When we entered this forest before, it felt bitterly cold. Could it be related to this gap?"

What I just said was all recorded on the Judge's Road. This trip was my first time going to such a place. I shook my head uncertainly.

Wei Shengnan chatted with Qu Ruilin for a few minutes, then spoke with Galawa through a translator. Turning to the others, she said, "It's getting dark soon, and we don't know what wild animals might be out at night. Let's rest for five minutes, then climb to the main peak as quickly as possible and try to find a place to camp before sunset!"

After a brief rest, the group continued to venture deeper into the mountains. Song Laosan pulled out a pistol and handed it to me: "There are so many snakes in this forest, it's really dangerous. Take this gun, it's already loaded. Just pull the safety on the left to fire. If you encounter any danger, remember to stay close to me."

I looked at Song Laosan with disdain: "Can you be relied on in a critical moment?"

Song Laosan gave me the same look: "You really look down on people. Back in the army, I was a sharpshooter! The day you fought with Qu Ruilin, I just didn't lift a finger, otherwise I could have taken him down in a few punches and kicks!"

Now it was my turn to be surprised: "You served in the military?"

Song Laosan replied proudly, "Border guards! We're here to guard the Sino-Indian border. Otherwise, how do you think I could adapt to this place so quickly!"

As we were talking, a quarrel suddenly broke out in the distance.

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw Galawa talking to the translator in a very emotional manner, holding the snake in his hand.

The black snake that had previously instilled fear in the entire forest was now limp as a noodle and completely dead.

The monkey listened intently for a long time but couldn't make heads or tails of it. He then asked Song Laosan, "Third Master, what are they saying?"

“Galavarna just went ahead to scout, but his snake died. He said that the snake was the reincarnation of Shiva, the lord of all snakes! Its death here means that the area ahead has lost the protection of the Nagas and has been possessed by demons. He must leave!”

Listening to the conversation, Song Laosan continued, "Wei Shengnan offered him three times the price, but he refused to go in no matter what, and told us not to go either. I'm increasingly convinced you're right; this guy might really be the guardian of the Demon Monk's Tomb. Maybe those snakes were just something he put out to scare us!"

After failing to reach an agreement with Galawa, Wei Shengnan said to the translator, "Tell him he can leave, but our people cannot escort him back! Since we've already arrived, we don't need him to lead the way; we'll climb the mountain ourselves!"