Chapter 41 The Scorpion King Spraying Black Water
Ah Jiu was coaxed into lying down again by the housekeeper, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't help but feel that those colorful little snakes were still swaying before her eyes, and... there seemed to be an especially large, shiny black scorpion king hiding in the shadows, waiting to bite someone.
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her small body curled up into a ball in the quilt.
"No... My Lord and Brother Xiong Xiong will be in danger..."
She suddenly jumped out of bed and ran out barefoot.
"Miss Jiu! Where are you going?" The maid guarding the door was startled and quickly stopped her.
"I'm going to find an adult! The big scorpion king is coming out! It...it can also spray black water! Such a smelly black water!" Ajiu's face turned red with anxiety, and he struggled as he spoke.
The maid didn't dare to let her go, so she could only hold her tightly and send someone to report to the housekeeper.
The housekeeper was also overwhelmed when he heard this. This little ancestor really can't calm down for a moment!
"The big scorpion king... can also spray black water..." The butler muttered to himself, and suddenly remembered the solemn expression on Chu Xuanyi's face before he left, and his heart tightened.
Could it be that... Lord Chu and the prince are really in big trouble?
Inside the deep tunnel, the air was extremely foul, filled with rotten soil, rust, and a faint fishy and sweet smell.
The light from the torches cast swaying shadows on the walls of the narrow passage, making everyone's figures look crooked and ghostly.
Xiao Yu led the way, sword in hand, alert. The Eagle Guard and the elite soldiers from the palace followed closely behind, taking every step carefully. Chu Xuanyi brought up the rear, armed not only with his sword but also with a packet of realgar powder and several specially prepared detoxification pills, just in case.
“Hiss—”
The first to attack was indeed the snake.
Dozens of colorful poisonous snakes suddenly jumped out from the cracks in the rocks on both sides of the passage, spitting out their tongues and attacking the team at an alarming speed!
"Be careful!" Xiao Yu shouted softly, and his long sword was like a rainbow, instantly cutting down the few that were rushing in the front.
The Yingyang Guards were also well prepared and drew their swords to block. At the same time, someone quickly extended a sulphur-soaked torch forward. The pungent smell slowed down the snakes' attack.
Chu Xuanyi quickly sprinkled realgar powder on the poisonous snakes that fell from the gaps above his head, chanting rapidly: "Five Elements Command, immune to all poisons... Hurry and obey the command! Bah, bah, bah, I read it wrong, this is for exorcising ghosts..."
He was in a panic and almost recited all the Taoist talismans he had kept in his heart.
Fortunately, although these poisonous snakes were numerous, they were just wild beasts after all. With the response of well-trained soldiers and two masters, they were quickly wiped out, leaving only the smelly snake corpses on the ground.
"It seems that Ah Jiu's 'colorful little snakes' refer to these," Chu Xuanyi said with lingering fear, wiping the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. He would rather believe Ah Jiu's "prophecy" than not believe it.
Xiao Yu's expression was solemn. "This is just an appetizer. Since the 'Owl Lord' is using this place as an escape route, it will definitely not be so simple."
As the team continued to advance, the passage became increasingly narrow, with some places only wide enough for one person to bend over. Traces of man-made excavations, crude arrow slits, and traps began to appear on the walls.
Fortunately, Xiao Yu was experienced, and the Yingyang Guards were the elite among the elite. They safely eliminated several tripwires and poisoned bamboo stick traps along the way.
Just as they were about to pass the narrowest bend, a palace guard stumbled up from behind, calling out breathlessly, "Prince! Master Chu! Someone from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion...someone's coming from the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion!"
Chu Xuanyi's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "Oh no!" Could something have happened in the Imperial Master's Mansion?
"What are you panicking about?" Xiao Yu asked in a deep voice.
The guard took a deep breath and said hurriedly, "The steward of the Imperial Master's Mansion sent a fast horse to tell you...that Miss Jiu had another nightmare...something about 'The Great Scorpion King is coming out! It will also spray black water! Such a stinking black water!' The steward said that Miss Jiu was crying and making a fuss, and she insisted that someone tell Master Chu to be careful!"
"The Big Scorpion King...sprays black water?" Chu Xuanyi's face turned green on the spot.
He now seriously suspected that there was a "prophecy fairy" living in Jiu's little head, who was specifically responsible for making things difficult for him!
Just after dealing with the "colorful little snakes," here comes the "giant scorpion king that can spit black water"! Is this "Owl Lord" treating the tunnel as an exhibition hall for the strange beasts from "Classic of Mountains and Seas"?
Xiao Yu's brows furrowed even more upon hearing this. Although he found it absurd, with the accurate prediction of the "black scorpion's crescent claw mark" and the subsequent fulfillment of the "multicolored little snake," he no longer dared to treat Ah Jiu's words as mere childish talk.
"Black water..." he murmured, "Could it be some kind of... corrosive venom, or a mechanism that obstructs vision?"
"No matter what it is," Chu Xuanyi said gritting his teeth, "this 'Owl Lord' must be a rat. He is a first-class hole digger and has endless ways to slander people!" He now hated the "Owl Lord" whom he had never met before.
"Pass the order down!" Xiao Yu made a quick decision. "Everyone, be alert! Watch your head and feet! If you encounter any unknown liquid or smoke, cover your mouth and nose immediately and retreat quickly!"
He looked at Chu Xuanyi and said, "Xuanyi, you follow me and walk in front. If there really is 'Black Water', we two can react accordingly."
What else could Chu Xuanyi say? He could only nod his head, silently praying that Ah Jiu's "prophecy" would be a little "gentle" this time, and not really create some devastating "Black Water Attack".
The team passed the narrow bend carefully.
The front suddenly opened up, revealing a relatively spacious stone chamber. In the center of the chamber, stood a...huge sarcophagus?
No, upon closer inspection, it was not a sarcophagus, but a platform built with huge stones. Above the platform, there seemed to be a carving of some ferocious animal head, with its mouth wide open and pitch black, leading to no one.
And below the beast's mouth, the ground was covered with a sticky black liquid that emitted a pungent stench and was bubbling like boiling asphalt!
"Be careful! It's 'Black Water'!" Chu Xuanyi exclaimed in shock.
This thing makes your scalp tingle just by looking at it! If you get even a little bit of it on you, I'm afraid there won't be any bones left!
That beast-head mechanism is clearly the source of the "black water spray"!
The "Owl Master" is indeed insidious! He actually set such a vicious trap here!
If it weren't for Ajiu's warning, they would have rushed in rashly and been caught off guard, and they would probably have suffered heavy losses!
"Everyone step back! Don't get close to that black liquid!" Xiao Yu shouted sternly, and at the same time pulled Chu Xuanyi back a few steps to keep a safe distance from the "black water".
Chu Xuanyi looked at the bubbling "black water" and the ferocious beast head. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Pointing at the beast head, he said, "Your Highness! Doesn't the shape of the beast head resemble... a scorpion head magnified countless times?"
Xiao Yu took a closer look and found that, indeed! Although the animal head was roughly carved, the outline of its head and the pair of giant claw-like protrusions extending forward clearly had the characteristics of a scorpion!
"The Scorpion King...sprays black water..."
Ajiu's prophecy once again came true in a horrifying way!
"Could this 'Owl Lord' really be the reincarnation of the Scorpion Demon?" Chu Xuanyi felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet.
At this moment, a rustling sound came from the other end of the stone chamber, and then several black shadows flashed out from the shadows, with cold light flashing in their hands. They were the "Night Owl Alliance" assassins holding weapons!
Behind those assassins, a burly man with a bronze demon mask on his face slowly walked out. In his hand, he held a strangely shaped scimitar, the blade of which was pitch black and faintly glowed.
Although they couldn't see his face clearly, from the cold and cruel aura emanating from him, as well as the faint burn scar on the back of his left hand that looked like a waning moon, Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu were almost certain that—
This person is the "Owl Lord"!
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