Chapter 170: Plum Blossoms Three Times
Lao Yang tilted his head, carefully pondering Master Liang’s words. That glimmer of inspiration was right beside him; what was missing was just a trigger to spark it. His intuition told him that this Banajiemu might not be something Li Pipa’s ancestor had made up. There should be some real evidence behind it.
Wu Xie paced back and forth beside him for two steps, irritably scratching his hair: “But that thing in the corpse cocoon isn’t Banajiemu either. Isn’t the legend about a pregnant woman? Although we couldn’t see very clearly inside the corpse cocoon, it didn’t look like a woman at all!”
Lao Yang nodded, agreeing with his thought: “Right, the one inside really doesn’t seem like Banajiemu, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t thinking of it! Also, before you, no one had thought there was a coffin well here either. So what place did they reach before?”
Wu Xie shivered, looking around this nearly sealed stone chamber: “You mean, the place they reached before was here? This empty coffin chamber?”
His mouth opened and closed a few times, nearly driven mad by his own imagination: “You, you’re not fooling me, are you? Where’s there such a huge corpse?”
Lao Yang was unwilling to believe this outcome either, but he still nodded bitterly with a smile: “What we’re thinking is probably the same. I’m afraid it’s real. Otherwise, why would there be such a huge coffin here?”
Lin Yan, adhering to the idea that truths like this still needed to be discovered by the protagonist, had been slacking off beside them before. Now he finally couldn’t hold back and interjected: “You mean, the Banajiemu corpse they saw was here before? Then what is that thing down below?”
Lao Yang pointed to the root system covering the walls around the coffin chamber and stated this conclusion that no normal person would believe: “Should be right. Look, the root system here all spreads downward beside. If this coffin chamber itself was empty…”
Wu Xie picked up the thread, his face full of shock: “If this coffin chamber itself was empty, then the banyan tree’s root system would fill this place up, instead of being squeezed to the side like this!”
He looked at the stone walls around him, somewhat dazed, muttering to himself: “Could it really be true? Is there really such a huge corpse? But how can a person grow that big?”
Lin Yan thought it was fine. This world itself was strange, and with a certain “Third Uncle” who often liked to add things in, a corpse that could fill a small container was basic operation, far less outrageous than that thousand-year-old pit bronze gate. Speaking of which, what exactly was that thing inside the bronze gate? Did Third Uncle ever say in the end?
Lao Yang shook his head too: “There are already three- or four-meter corpses down below; one a bit bigger is normal too.” He patted Wu Xie’s shoulder, signaling him not to dwell on such minor things. He had traveled far and wide and seen much, knowing well that the world was full of wonders. Not to mention distant things—Lin Yan’s little white zombie wasn’t even more outrageous? Yet Wu Xie hadn’t been this hard to accept it.
Wu Xie: Mine isn’t hard to accept? I’ve just gotten used to it, okay? Who asked the little white zombie to have an even more outrageous master!
Master Liang beside them listened in complete confusion, but seeing Wu Xie and the others’ expressions, he still slowly stood up, dragging his trembling legs to psych himself up, ready to run at any moment. Although he didn’t know what Wu Xie and the others were talking about, three- or four-meter, ten-meter-plus huge corpses—thinking about it, they couldn’t be anything good, right! People have to plan for themselves.
Master Liang sighed heavily in his heart, regretting for the thousand eight hundredth time taking this job, but he seemed to have no way to refuse either. Uncle Tai was the one who took the job. Although he was gone now, having died twice… What a sad story! Compared to Uncle Tai, his current situation of still being alive was already pretty good!
“No!” Wu Xie suddenly shivered back to his senses. “We’ve been thinking about that Banajiemu all this time. What if in a bit…”
He stopped short of speaking, his implication making Lao Yang pale, wishing he could slap himself: Damn it, there was still a chance it wasn’t, but now that all three of them had subconsciously thought about it for so long, it wasn’t uncertain anymore—it was going to become true!
He looked in terror at the coffin well that still had no movement, deeply afraid that in the next second something would burst out. He hurriedly grabbed Wu Xie and climbed upward on the coffin chamber, scaring Master Liang into a shiver: “Hey, w-wait, wait for me!”
Lin Yan, relying on his good hearing, leisurely fell behind: “Don’t rush. There’s no movement yet. Why run so fast? Besides, even if it comes out, isn’t it just a corpse? It’s not like it’s alive!”
Speaking casually halfway, he then realized he had subconsciously said something, wishing he could slap himself: Making you talk too much! But what had happened couldn’t be undone. This subconsciousness wasn’t something he could casually change either. Even if he changed it on the surface, the inner thought would still be the same. Unfortunately, self-deception didn’t work here at the bronze tree.
Lao Yang and the others ahead heard his words, their bodies stiffening.
Wu Xie looked back at him resentfully, climbing the wall even faster. Lao Yang’s mouth twitched helplessly twice, wanting to say something but stopping. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to curse; it just wasn’t suitable to waste energy cursing in this situation. Besides, even if he cursed, he couldn’t beat him!
What a sad story!
By the time the few climbed out in a panic, the movement below had already grown large. The entire bronze tree was trembling, the root system and bronze entangled, emitting a teeth-grinding “creak.”
“This place isn’t going to collapse, is it?” Master Liang nearly tripped as soon as he came out, but luckily Wu Xie pulled him just in time. Now he clung to a thick root system, refusing to let go, trembling on the altar.
Hearing him say that, the three who knew the bronze tree’s abilities all drew in a cold breath, shouting at him in unison: “Shut up!”
What did I do? Can’t I even worry? Master Liang’s gaze was weak, pitiful, and helpless, but it couldn’t change the three’s iron-blue faces of frustration. If Master Liang hadn’t said it, they wouldn’t have thought that way, but since he did, their first reaction was to think about this problem, right? Awkwardly, with this much commotion continuing, it was very likely really happening!
Fuck, weren’t they done for?
What to do? The three exchanged glances, even having thoughts of killing Master Liang and running.
Wu Xie took a deep breath, recalling the escape route he had seen before: “We can’t stay here. While it’s still relatively stable, let’s climb up.”
Looking up at the massive root system cluster of the banyan tree, Lao Yang nodded: “Looks pretty stable. Should be able to go straight up.” With that, he quickly took out a rope from his bag, drew a dagger from his waist, and tilted his head at them: “Let’s go?”
Having made the decision, the few sighed inwardly. The only way out now was upward. But who could tell them why they had been climbing up these past few days? They had expended so much effort to go down below, just to climb back up? And they hadn’t gotten anything?
Thinking about the money spent on this trip, Wu Xie felt heartbroken: Damn, finances in the red again. He’d have to raise money again! Speaking of which, once they got out, would they have the energy to find a small tomb nearby and do one more job? At least get something back so they wouldn’t lose out! The jade in Lin Yan’s hand wouldn’t last much longer. If they didn’t restock, how would they suppress that thing in his mind? It was all money!
Before, he didn’t know what it felt like for a penny to stump a hero. Now he did! Since his first time going underground, the financial deficit had basically never been cleared! To think he was the Wu Family Third Master Xiao—though it was just a little face on the streets—when had he ever had such worries? Outrageous!
Just as they started climbing up, with a loud and prolonged creak, the platform under their feet began tilting to one side. Wu Xie looked down and saw in horror the bronze tree branches below tilting to the side, the parts hitting the stone wall easily snapping off, leaving sharp cut surfaces exposed there.
“It’s really collapsing!” Master Liang cried out, erupting with his body’s potential again, instantly surpassing the three and climbing ahead, leaving the three speechless. Afraid of death to this extent—truly rare!
But they hadn’t thought of one problem—could the banyan tree’s root system bear the weight of the entire bronze tree? When the bronze tree completely broke, what would happen to the banyan tree root system connected above?
Sure enough, as the plane under their feet tilted more and more, the root system above also emitted overburdened creaks. The woody fibers between the roots kept stretching, as if they would snap in the next moment.
The few naturally noticed this situation too. Right now, no one dared think about whether it would break; they just frantically climbed upward.
What interrupted their path to survival was the movement from the coffin chamber.
Just as they had climbed less than ten meters up, the tilting platform suddenly stopped, and all movement ceased together. The few tacitly halted their actions, not even daring to breathe, like the calm before a storm.
This calm was soon broken.
A dull thudding sound came from the center of the altar. The few felt in terror that the entire root system coiling the platform was expanding outward, as if… something was about to drill out!
In the end, Lao Yang broke the silence. His voice was hoarse, nearly cracking as he shouted: “Go! Hurry! What the hell are you standing around for!” With that, he kicked the dazed Wu Xie beside him and glared fiercely, signaling him not to think random thoughts.
Hearing Lao Yang’s changed-tone voice, the already pale-faced few tacitly sped up their upward climb. But Wu Xie was somewhat dazed. In that instant, some images flashed in his mind, like… memories?
Why were these memories so familiar? The dazed Wu Xie instinctively felt like he had experienced this scene before, and not long ago! But the situation was urgent now; he could only note this feeling and think slowly after getting out! Get out first!
Lin Yan silently sensed the situation below, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes: Although he didn’t know if they would make it in time, but… better climb first. Maybe they would make it!
Looking up, the fastest climber wasn’t Master Liang—it was that rat king! This rough surface was perfect for burrowing animals. In just dozens of seconds, the rat king was almost out! It still had some conscience, waiting for them at the exit. Of course, it might also be that the little white zombie’s intimidation was too strong, not daring to stray too far from Lin Yan and the others.
“Bang!”
A huge bang suddenly came from below. Lin Yan’s worry deepened. Now he couldn’t deceive himself anymore. If he wasn’t wrong, he looked up at the few climbing frantically upward and stopped moving: “Stop climbing. Won’t make it! Tie all the ropes on and prepare to drop down!”
As soon as Lin Yan said this, the faces above paled a few degrees. Wu Xie knew Lin Yan wouldn’t say meaningless things. Since he said it, there must be reason. Plus, Lin Yan understood the bronze tree’s abilities the most, so Wu Xie also stopped, silently stepping down a few steps, tying himself and Lin Yan tightly together with the rope.
Lao Yang’s face was ashen. Seeing Lin Yan’s expression, realizing he wasn’t joking, he also stopped: “Really can’t?”
He unwillingly looked up at the exit less than twenty meters away, hesitating: Maybe try harder? Master Liang heard Lin Yan but, seeing the rat king at the exit, resumed moving: Just this little distance left. Besides, even if the banyan tree roots broke, it wouldn’t necessarily break right here for him, right? If it did, then he deserved not to get out!
Lao Yang glanced at Master Liang, his eyes flickering, but ultimately couldn’t let go of Wu Xie and turned back, looking worriedly at Lin Yan: “You’d better be right!”
Lin Yan nodded, pursed his lips, and shone the flashlight to the side. Because of the platform’s tilt, even after climbing these ten meters or so, they were only a few meters higher than the previous boardwalk. Plus the altar’s incline, jumping over from above would be more than enough. Lin Yan tilted his head there, estimating they could easily jump over: “Jump?”
Wu Xie looked at the sharp bronze tree branches below, feeling the increasingly tilting and violently trembling altar platform, his eyes full of despair: “Can we not jump?”
Lao Yang looked at him, then at Master Liang still climbing up, gritted his teeth: “No time! Jump!”
Without giving Wu Xie time to react, he grabbed him and jumped down, scaring Wu Xie into yelling on the spot. Lin Yan, tied to Wu Xie by the rope, was also dragged down in a daze: “Can you fucking say something first!”
“Splash!”
Wu Xie nearly face-planted, but luckily they landed in roughly the same spot. Lao Yang didn’t let go, and on the boardwalk they nearly stacked into a human pyramid. If Lao Yang hadn’t quickly adjusted his position, Wu Xie’s face would have smashed into the stone wall, probably getting a free facelift when he got back.
Not yet recovered from the shock, he only felt a weight sink onto his waist: “…Ouch!”
