Chapter 156
The rocky surface was jagged and uneven, and in some places, a gentle tap would peel off a layer of weathered rock. Rare plants grew on top, and lizards and scorpions could be seen crawling about. The towering mountains on either side cast a shadow, and walking along the narrow stone path wasn't particularly hot.
Not long after the three teams entered the stone path, other teams also came in and hurried over to catch up with Chu Huaiqin and his team.
"Brother, it would be great if we could walk all the way to the end here." said the little monk. It was so cool and comfortable to be sandwiched between the mountains.
"Oh, you won't say that at night." Chu Huaiqin reminded the little monk.
The young monk immediately thought of the noise last night, and then thought about what Chu Huaiqin said about the reason for the noise, and nodded hurriedly. Yes, what if they camped here at night, and the rocks above their heads happened to expand and contract due to heat and cold and collapsed, wouldn't that crush him to death?
The cooler temperature made walking easier, saving water and making the pace lighter. The path gradually widened, and the vegetation on the rock walls and ground became increasingly lush, creating a pleasant sight. Around noon, everyone entered a sky cave with a diameter of about ten meters. Looking up, they could see the vast sky. The most surprising thing was the stairs that led up from the bottom of the rock wall. Above the stairs were caves, one after another, all dark and gloomy.
"Brother, there is a house." Lin Zhinan approached Chu Huaiqin and looked at this thing, feeling scared.
"There's water flowing here, so it's not surprising that people once lived here," Chu Huaiqin said, "Let's take a rest before we go!"
The little monk's face turned green when he heard Chu Huaiqin's words. It wasn't food time yet, and their only food was cactus. He lowered his head and looked at the hens in the cage, swallowing his saliva.
The other teams also stopped at this time. Not only was the timing perfect, but the location was also good, perfect for a break. Everyone was busy, and it looked very lively, but in fact they were all cooking cactus.
After a difficult lunch, everyone only rested for a short while before setting off. The stone path at the back was wider than the front, about two meters, allowing people to walk side by side. This made the journey chaotic, and Chu Huaiqin finally breathed a sigh of relief. Previously, being "attacked from both sides" hadn't been easy.
The environment also looks much better, with abundant vegetation.
"Brother, what kind of grass is this? I find most of them look the same." The little monk was puzzled. The long branches and leaves stretched out, and it looked very much like a ball.
"Resurrection grass." Chu Huaiqin was surprised to see so many of them growing here.
"What is resurrection grass? Ah, it dies and comes back to life." Lin Zhinan asked.
Chu Huaiqin nodded. "Yes, this kind of grass will die in drought and turn into hay. As long as there is a little water, it will quickly come back to life. It also has a historical name called 'Rose of Jericho', which has..."
Everyone walked along, listening to Chu Huaiqin's introduction, the young monk Lin Zhinan occasionally asking a question. The other teams were also intrigued by Chu Huaiqin's words, so they asked about everything from the resurrection grass to the cave, the formation of this place, and the reason for the sudden interruption of the stream. Chu Huaiqin answered almost every question one by one, and both those present and those in the live broadcast room exclaimed in amazement, "Chu Huaiqin is amazing! How did he know all this?"
For a moment, Chu Huaiqin became the center of everyone's attention.
Xia En walked beside Chu Huaiqin, his eyes turning to Chen. Even through his sunglasses, he could sense Chen's burning jealousy. Xia En was instantly enraged. This man, who was always trying to steal his beloved's things, was as dark as a venomous snake.
After walking a long distance, the contestants arrived at the first turning point. The experienced member of the Maozi team in the front stopped immediately, stretched out his sunglasses to take a look, and then led everyone to turn.
The little monk asked in confusion, "Brother, what is he doing?"
"Deserts are home to the most poisonous creatures, especially narrow areas like this one with vegetation and water. Venomous snakes love them, as do horned vipers. I'm afraid they'll get out and coil around the road." Chu Huaiqin thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you heard of the legend of horned vipers blocking the road?"
The little monk shook his head.
"There's a legend called 'Tao Feng Zou Jiao,' which means that before a Jiao becomes a dragon, it will transform into a human and come to the human world. It will ask the first human it encounters: 'To become a dragon or a Jiao?' If the human says 'To become a dragon,' it will transform into a dragon and fly away. If the human says 'To become a Jiao,' it will be beaten back to its original form and begin training again. Legend has it that the horned viper was originally a Jiao. When it was about to transform into a dragon, it asked the first human it encountered: 'To become a dragon or a Jiao?' The human didn't understand, so he replied: 'Dragon Jiao?' The Jiao was neither a dragon nor a Jiao, so it turned into a horned viper, unable to become a dragon ever again. The horned viper hates humans, so it grew fangs and coiled around on the road to take revenge on them."
"Really? So pitiful, Amitabha." The little monk looked heartbroken.
Chu Huaiqin: ...
The people in the live broadcast room were also amused by the little monk and laughed out loud.
The rocky path twisted and turned, with no end in sight, making it difficult to gauge when they would finally be able to escape. As the group walked, the resurrection grass on the rock face turned from green to gray, and the surrounding vegetation dwindled. The temperature began to rise, and the previously energetic teams began to tire from the ups and downs of the rocky path. Their vigilance gradually waned, and they focused solely on their journey, losing all awareness of their surroundings.
"Wake up and cheer up." Chu Huaiqin patted the little monk and asked Lin Zhinan to drink some water to sober up.
"Brother, how long will it take before we can get out?" The little monk drank some water. The place that was cool before gradually became scorching hot, especially the rock walls on both sides. The little monk felt that except for the top of his head, there was heat everywhere.
Chu Huaiqin wiped the sweat off his face and said, "It's going to be another section, be alert..."
"ah!"
The member of the Russian team walking in front screamed and took several steps back when he turned the corner.
"What's wrong?"
The people behind asked repeatedly.
"Yes, there are snakes, rattlesnakes, three of them, about one and a half meters long." The Russian team members' faces turned pale. While retreating, they stared at the corner on the left, afraid that they would suddenly come out from the corner.
The panic of the Russian team also frightened the others, and they retreated five or six meters.
"Three?" Chu Huaiqin instantly had a bad feeling. If it was one or two, he could say it was an accidental encounter, but three?
Chu Huaiqin was a little nervous for a moment and looked around. Xia Entang quickly walked to Chu Huaiqin's side and was on guard. The little monk also held the chicken in one hand and Lin Zhinan in the other, ready to run away if there was any problem.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"What should we do? There's only one way," asked Fili from Sam Country, "Should we go?"
"You can go first!" Agata retorted.
Everyone is taking this path, and no one is willing to take the risk of being the first.
Chu Huaiqin and his men certainly didn't want to be cannon fodder, but staying put would put them in even greater danger. So they walked forward, and at that moment, Liman came up from behind, heading for the corner. Then came the Mali team and the Double Eagles team.
Chu Huaiqin was in the lead, followed by Xia Entropy. Sam's Liman and Mali's captain, Abadi, were almost shoulder to shoulder with Chu Huaiqin. The curve was a bit wide, so the three raised their wrists, ready to shoot at any moment, and then walked close to the right. Slowly, they poised their heads.
Three rattlesnakes of varying sizes were indeed coiled there, like a mountain without a path. As the king of venomous snakes, rattlesnakes are incredibly formidable, capable of killing a human with a single bite. Fortunately, they're not particularly aggressive, so if you don't provoke them, they won't chase you. Unlike some snakes, even non-venomous ones, they'll charge at you, leaving you with nowhere to run. Together with Yixi.
These three snakes are two large and one small, and they are most likely a family of three.
"One for each person?" Abadi asked.
"I'm not very good at using anesthetic needles." Liman said with a straight face.
Andre from the Maozi team said, "Then let Xia Entropy..."
"I can do it." Liman suddenly interrupted Andre.
Others: ...
"Chu, the small one is difficult and hard to aim, but you can do it, right?" Abadi saw that Chu Huaiqin had used a bow/crossbow, and thought that the anesthetic needle would not be bad either.
"No problem." Chu Huaiqin replied.
"The rest will be on my left, and Riman on your right." Abadi glanced at Riman and saw that sweat was flowing from the forehead of this domineering man since the game, and he smiled secretly.
"Of course." Liman responded very powerfully, successfully alarming the three snakes in the distance.
Three pairs of cold eyes looked over, which was very creepy.
"Get ready," Chu Huaiqin said, "Walk over slowly and fire according to the situation."
The anesthetic needle had a range of five meters, so they were still a bit far from the snake and needed to get closer. Chu Huaiqin was worried that something might happen to Liman, so he signaled Xia Entang to support him with his eyes.
The three of them pressed their fingers on the anesthetic needle and slowly walked over.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss!”
The three snakes didn't seem ready to give way, and they issued warnings to the three people approaching. Noticing that the three people showed no intention of stopping, the two large snakes suddenly swam towards them at a very fast speed. Li Man, who was next to Chu Huaiqin, became nervous and pressed the tranquilizer button before the snakes entered range. The silver light flashed in the sunlight, and it disappeared in a flash.
Missed the target.
When Liman realized this, he frantically tried to fire a second shot, but the rattlesnake was incredibly fast, swooshing right up to him. The people in the live studio and those following behind screamed in fear, only to see Xia Entang, who had been following Chu Huaiqin, suddenly step forward. The three of them simultaneously fired their anesthetic needles, hitting him squarely.
The three snakes struggled and twisted on the ground, and it took a while before they fainted.
"yeah!"
Everyone cheered, but unexpectedly, something unexpected happened. Those in the livestream had the clearest view: a full-grown rattlesnake appeared beneath the drone's lens, just above Chu Huaiqin and his team's heads. The other teams, concerned about the three people trying to tranquilize the snake, also followed closely, well within the snake's range.
Death seems to be coming.
The "hissing" sound was like a death warrant. It shook its snake head and looked at the people below with its cold snake eyes, as if choosing who to bite. At this moment, an unexpected person did something unexpected.
Chen suddenly raised his hand and threw out gravel from nowhere. At this time, the snake's head was facing Chu Huaiqin.
The rattlesnake was startled, and it let out a long hiss, arched its body, and flew out amid the screams of everyone...
The author has something to say: Happy Qixi Festival everyone.
There are many versions of Taofengzoujiao, and I'm talking about the version we have.
Have you ever seen a grass snake? It's not venomous. I saw one a few times as a kid, and it always chased me. It was terrifying. It's small, slithery, and can crawl a long way. It's very fast. Fortunately, there were always people around to help me shoo it away in time.
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