Chapter 51 Yunling Tomb: The Gu Master
Ah! How terrifying!
Although it was already broad daylight, the chill of the night still lingered in Yunling Mountain.
Even though the sunlight shines through the branches and leaves overhead, scattering onto the dew clinging to them and refracting a crystalline brilliance, it still fails to bring a trace of warmth.
In the thin mist, Tang Yu and the others approached the grave. Wang Shanyue parted the soil covering the coffin, lifted the lid, and revealed the scene inside.
The mountains are damp, and even though the soil was specially backfilled a few days ago, water still seeped in through the cracks, giving off a musty and fishy smell.
Looking out over the mountain, he frowned and said, "This cave entrance... is too small."
The hole was no more than half an adult's arm's width; an ordinary person certainly couldn't squeeze through it. Even those who practiced the art of bone shrinking in the martial arts world would frown upon seeing it.
Tang Yu nodded and said calmly, "It's not only small, but also very new. The rough edges at the bottom of the coffin haven't even been softened by the moisture in the soil. It must have been stolen only two or three months ago."
"Could it be a child?" Wang Shanyue stroked his chin, analyzing with an air of seriousness: "Like the 'human-faced dog' before, were they controlled by bells or drugs and used as tools for digging holes?"
Xiao Fangliang lightly shook his folding fan and chuckled, "He's got a bit of a brain, but not much."
He pointed to the bottomless tunnel: "First of all, the tunnel is only big enough to fit a small, thin child. Secondly, look at the depth of the soil; it's at least two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) deep. And Tang Yu checked the surrounding area and found no connecting exit, which means it was dug for an extremely long distance."
“Relying on the child is really difficult. If we encounter rocks and tree roots on the mountainside, digging through them will be both time-consuming and laborious.” Xiao Fangliang paused, looking around as he added, “And in recent months, the Tang Clan has increased patrols due to the Southern Frontier people. If the child makes any noise, wouldn’t that expose their whereabouts?”
Tang Yu nodded and used a branch to poke at the mud wall at the cave entrance: "That's right. And this cave was definitely not made by human hands."
"How did you figure that out?" Wang Shanyue squatted down and examined the mountain carefully for a long time, but he didn't find anything wrong with it.
Tang Yu explained: "When people dig tunnels, they use their hands or tools and only know how to dig forward, so the traces left behind are bound to be uneven and somewhat messy."
She pointed to the almost smooth inner wall, "But the inside of this cave is extremely flat, and the opening in the coffin doesn't seem to have been caused by a sharp weapon, otherwise there wouldn't be this ring of inward-pointing wood chips and spikes."
“That makes sense.” Wang Shanyue nodded, then asked, “How did you dig it?”
Tang Yu stood up, brushed the mud off her palms, and said with eyes as cold as stars, "I think they must have used a small animal like a mole. These animals are good at digging holes, and they can avoid rocks and grow around roots underground. They are also quick to hide and will not attract the attention of others."
Xiao Fangliang pondered for a moment: "Should we go and find out where it came from?"
Tang Yu's lips curled up slightly, but her eyes darkened instantly: "If the mountain won't come to us, we'll go to see it ourselves."
"But this cave is so small, how can we find our way through?" Wang Shanyue scratched his head, puzzled.
Tang Yu did not answer.
Instead, he listened intently to the soft rustling of branches and leaves and the crisp clinking of silver ornaments coming from the distant woods, and a smile crept onto his brow.
"Help has arrived."
A moment later, everyone turned around and saw Tang Yiqing holding a silver umbrella, slowly walking out of the forest mist.
Wang Shanyue's face immediately lit up with joy. He was about to go forward to greet them when a glance out of the corner of his eye startled him: "There's a snake!"
Before he finished speaking, he had already drawn his sword and was about to rush forward.
Tang Yu, quick-witted and agile, stopped them: "Wait!"
Tang Yiqing was also startled and took a half step back, not because she was afraid of snakes, but because she was afraid that if the other party really rushed up, it would hurt the two snakes wrapped around her shoulder.
Tang Yu quickly explained, "That's Sister Yiqing's pet. I specially invited it to help out."
"Oh... I see." Wang Shanyue sheepishly sheathed his sword and said with an embarrassed smile, "I was being presumptuous."
Xiao Fangliang glanced coldly at Wang Shanyue, whose face was flushed, and frowned almost imperceptibly.
Tang Yiqing smiled gently: "I came here immediately after receiving Xiaoyu's letter. I hope I'm not too late."
"The timing is perfect." Tang Yu smiled and led her to the coffin.
Tang Yiqing didn't ask any further questions. She half-squatted down and gently placed her hand on the edge of the coffin. A small, emerald-green snake slid down her arm into the coffin. At first, it flicked its tongue at the entrance, but after probing for a moment, it quickly slithered into the passage and disappeared without a trace.
At this moment, another black snake, as black as ink, was coiled around her body.
She stroked the black snake and whispered, "It's called 'Buqi' (meaning 'Never Give Up'), a male snake, while the one just now was called 'Buli' (meaning 'Never Leave'). They are a male and a female. Wherever Buli goes, Buqi can follow. When Buqi moves in a while, it means that Buli has found the exit."
Sure enough, in no time, the black snake that had been coiled around Tang Yiqing's neck suddenly raised its head, its scales on its neck slightly raised, and then slid off its body and swam to the other side of the mountain.
"Let's go." Tang Yu took the lead and followed.
Following the snake tracks, the group traversed forests and streams, the terrain gradually descending.
Finally, in a place hidden among rocks and vines, the female snake flashed her tail and disappeared into the crevice of the cliff.
The crevice was extremely narrow, allowing only one person to squeeze in sideways. Tang Yu was the first to tentatively crawl in; the cold stone wall was almost pressed against her face, the hem of her clothes rustling softly against the rock, making it difficult to breathe.
Upon passing through, they discovered that the cave was surprisingly large and the terrain was extremely flat.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the cracks overhead, and dust particles floated among the beams of light, like countless tiny, imprisoned sprites.
After finally managing to squeeze in, Wang Shanyue looked around and exclaimed in amazement, "Are these people from the Southern Frontier just groundhogs? Are they digging holes and building a maze of secret passages here again?"
Tang Yiqing stroked the surrounding rock walls and shook her head, saying, "This kind of place isn't man-made."
"Why?" Wang Shanyue asked, puzzled.
As Tang Yu paced and explored, he explained, “The terrain is different from that of Zhongjing. Sichuan is mountainous, and there are occasional landslides. When rocks collapse or mountains shift, cavities are easily formed. Therefore, there are many natural stone caves of various sizes in the mountains, which are usually used by small animals as nests and places to avoid disasters.”
Tang Yiqing nodded: "This kind of naturally formed mountain structure is extremely difficult to excavate or alter. If we are not careful, it will collapse completely, and we will be doomed. Therefore, we also need to be careful not to damage the mountain."
The group nodded in agreement and split up to investigate.
Following the faint breeze, Tang Yu parted the vines that had been hanging down and peered inside. There, at the other end of the cave, lay a clearing surrounded by rocks.
The others followed, but upon seeing this, they paused in their tracks, somewhat surprised and uncertain.
The open space was filled with makeshift graves haphazardly made of rubble, piles of bones lying haphazardly inside. Around them lay many more corpses, their bodies wrapped in black cloth, yet to be placed in their graves.
Tang Yu stepped forward and examined the bones carefully. She found that they were of different sizes, some of which were not even human bones, and some of the bones were black or green in color, indicating that they were not from a normal death.
She walked to a still intact corpse, squatted down, and lifted the black cloth covering its face, revealing a bloodless, withered face that looked as if its flesh and blood had been drained.
He raised his hand, about to examine it more closely—
Suddenly, the corpse, which should have been rotting long ago, opened its eyes and raised its hand to attack her!
Tang Yu, however, was prepared. She grabbed the wrist, which was almost nothing but bone, and kicked it in the chest.
"Crack!"
A chilling cracking sound rang out. The skin and hand bones, which had been on the verge of breaking apart, were torn apart by Tang Yu's force, revealing the white bone at the break point.
But the man seemed to feel no pain at all; his face remained expressionless, and his other, unbroken hand reached out towards her.
Tang Yiqing threw her silver umbrella through the air, its cold light flashing as it instantly pierced the opponent's right shoulder and pinned him firmly to the ground.
Xie Xingzheng reacted quickly, stepping forward to pull Tang Yu behind him to protect her.
Unexpectedly, a glint flashed in her eyes, and although her face showed no fear, she cried out in panic, "Ah! How terrifying!"
Then, she dropped her severed arm and threw herself into Xie Xingzheng's arms.
Xie Xingzheng instinctively put his arm around her, his arms tightening unconsciously.
But then she quickly realized that the pose was a bit too suggestive.
A rustling sound came from the surroundings, as if more "corpses" were coming back to life. He was about to let go to fight when he suddenly realized that Tang Yu's arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, and he couldn't move her at all unless he pushed her away forcefully.
Despite the crisis, Tang Yu didn't hesitate to snuggle closer to him, and the two were practically glued together.
Xie Xingzheng felt his ears burning, and the events of last night flashed through his mind at an inopportune moment, causing his heart to beat even more erratically.
I could only silently remind myself that at such a critical moment, I must remain calm and composed.
Don't panic.
But in this world, what you fear most often comes to pass.
But then Tang Yu whispered in his ear, "General Xie, you must protect me."
The warm breath touched the soft flesh of his ear and neck, making his throat tighten, and he let out an ambiguous "hmm".
He completely forgot that there were three other people beside him.
It is best to maintain a proper distance from unmarried women to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.
Wang Shanyue, lacking any sense of propriety, stepped forward and loudly reassured them, "Don't worry, with me and your senior brother here, there's nothing to be afraid of!"
Xiao Fangliang remained silent, raising his hand expressionlessly to cover his face with his folding fan, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Tang Yiqing was the only one present, diligently carrying her silver umbrella and dealing with the "corpses" who were swaying as they got up.
Seeing this, Wang Shanyue's attention was diverted again, and he rushed forward with his sword drawn, shouting, "I'll help!"
Tang Yu felt her head throbbing and quickly spoke up to stop them: "Don't kill them! Control them first!"
With Wang Shanyue's help, Tang Yiqing quickly subdued the still-moving corpses around her, tied them up with ropes, and then took out silver needles and cleanly and neatly pierced their skin.
A moment later, the Gu people fell silent.
Wang Shanyue stared at the black-clad corpse for a long time, then asked in surprise, "These... don't they look a bit like the Gu people who chased us when we entered Shu? But why aren't they as powerful as before?"
"You guessed right, these are Gu people."
Tang Yu smiled and finally let go of Xie Xingzheng's arm.
The latter visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Tang Yu coughed lightly and explained, "Last time, we brought back some remains for research and found that they were already dead, which is why they felt no pain or sensation. But to keep someone in this 'living corpse' state, a Gu worm must be planted before they are alive. The Gu worm feeds on the host's flesh and blood, constantly sucking blood through killing to maintain the corpse's form and thereby control its actions."
Tang Yiqing nodded and added, "If the person controlling the Gu worms leaves without instructions, in the desolate mountains, the Gu worms will not know to go out and find living creatures to suck blood. They can only keep sucking the blood remaining in the corpses or cannibalizing their own kind to obtain nutrients. Over time, they will either turn into bones completely or be half-dead, which will cause their skin and bones to become brittle and break easily."
Wang Shanyue felt a chill run down his spine, but still couldn't help asking, "Then why don't we just cut their necks like we did before?"
Tang Yu's expression darkened slightly: "Because Gu worms will not open a host body unless absolutely necessary, unless the blood supply is completely cut off, such as by severing the head."
Wang Shanyue finally understood and murmured, "So that's how it is... No wonder so many insects flew out after my head was cut off last time."
However, the more you understand this method, the more chilling it becomes.
Just as everyone quieted down and prepared to continue their investigation...
Tang Yu suddenly sniffed and frowned, saying, "Wait, where's that burning smell coming from?"
[Author's Note]
Tang Yu rushed over: "Waaah, I'm so scared!"
Xie Xingzheng (blushing): I'm so scared too...
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