Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Just as he was about to ask Ruoxie to quickly catch another one,
He felt the white silk around his wrist suddenly loosen. He cursed inwardly.
This sudden feeling was not because Ruoxie's other end had been released, but because something even more terrifying had happened.
Sure enough, the red shadow on the ground suddenly got a lot closer to him. Not long after.
It was within his reach.
San Lang had also been drawn into the storm!
Xie Lian shouted at him, "Don't panic!" As soon as he opened his mouth, he ate another mouthful of sand.
But now,
As he ate, he got used to it. Although he shouted for San Lang not to panic, in reality,
He also didn't think San Lang would panic. As expected.
After the youth was sucked into the air, Ruo Xie quickly put him away.
The distance between the two of them narrowed.
Xie Lian could clearly see that there wasn't the slightest bit of panic on his face.
If he was given a book, he would immediately be able to read in the sand and dust. Xie Lian even suspected that he had been swept up on purpose.
Ruo Xie circled their waists a few times.
After tying them together, Xie Lian hugged San Lang.
He added, "Go again! Don't arrest anyone this time! "
And so, Ruo Xie flew out once more. This time,
The ones he grabbed … were Nan Feng and Fu Yao!
Xie Lian was both physically and mentally exhausted. He turned to Ruo Xie and said, "I told you not to capture people. This' people 'I'm talking about doesn't refer to people in the narrow sense of the word … Fine." He shouted towards the people below, "Nanfeng Fuyao! Hold on! You must hold on! "
On the ground, Nan Feng and Fu Yao naturally wanted to hold on.
The two of them stood in place, but the sandstorm was too fierce and too violent. Not long after, two more black shadows were also swept into the tornado.
This time, the four of them spun rapidly in the air. In the dark yellow sky, the tornado was like a crooked pillar of sand that supported the sky, and the white silk and the four silhouettes spun ceaselessly in this sand pillar, spinning faster and faster, rising higher and higher. Xie Lian crazily ate the sand as he roared, "Why are you guys up here too!"
All they could see was sand, and all they could hear was wind. They had no choice but to shout at each other as loudly as they could. Fu Yao spat as he ate the sand, "Then I'll have to ask you, silly white silk! What's wrong with it? "
Xie Lian grabbed the 'silly white silk' with both hands and said helplessly, "Ruoxie, oh Ruoxie, the four of us are relying on you now. This time, you must not grab the wrong one. Go!"
With a solemn and stirring mood, he let go again. Nanfeng roared, "Don't count on this thing! Think of something else! " At this moment, Xie Lian felt his hand tighten again, and his spirits rose as he said, "Wait, give it another chance! We caught him again! "
Fu Yao also roared, "Don't trap another passerby! Let me go! "
Needless to say, Xie Lian was also extremely worried about this. He tugged at Ruoxie, but the other end didn't budge at all. Only then did he relax and said, "No! That head is very heavy and very stable! "He then said," Withdraw! "
Against the frenzied tornado, Ruo Xie quickly pulled back. The four figures quickly distanced themselves from the wind pillar. Gradually, Xie Lian could clearly see a semi-circular black silhouette in the middle of the yellow sand.
The silhouette was huge, about the size of a small temple. The other end of Ruo Xie's hooked was precisely this thing. When they got closer to the ground, he finally saw it clearly. It was an enormous rock.
In this degree of sandstorm, this sandstone was like a solid and silent fortress. It was undoubtedly an excellent shelter from the wind.
On their way here, they clearly hadn't seen this kind of rock. They really didn't know how far that strange tornado had brought them. As soon as the four of them landed, they immediately circled around to the leeward side of the rock. As soon as they circled around, Xie Lian's heart brightened and he said, "This really is a blessing from the heavens."
It turned out that on the leeward side of this rock, there was a hole. This hole was two doors wide, and its height was slightly shorter than the first door. However, if an adult were to bend their waist and lower their head, it would be enough for them to enter. The hole's entrance wasn't regular and was crooked. However, it also didn't seem like it was naturally formed. It might have been carelessly dug by someone.
As soon as Xie Lian entered, he discovered that this rock was practically hollowed out. The space inside the hole wasn't small, but it was relatively dark inside. He didn't explore the inside and only sat down in a place where the light could reach. Then, he patted off the sand on Ruo Xie's body and wrapped it around his wrist.
Nan Feng and Fu Yao were both spitting out sand. Sand had entered their mouths, noses, eyes, and ears, not to mention the sand in the folds of their clothes. When they took them off and shook them, they found that they were all filled with fine sand and stones. Among the four of them, the one who looked the most safe and sound was San Lang. After he stooped down and entered, he casually brushed off the sand and dust on his red clothes. Aside from his slightly messy black hair, which was tied askew, his contented appearance wasn't affected in the slightest. However, his black hair was originally tied askew for Xie Lian. If it was a little more askew, it wouldn't matter.
Nan Feng rubbed his face twice and cursed out loud. Xie Lian shook off the sand in his bamboo hat and said, "Ah, I really didn't expect that you guys would also be praised to the heavens. Why didn't you guys use Thousand Jin Peng? "
Nan Feng spat out sand as he said, "I did! It's useless. "
Fu Yao fiercely shook his outer robe as he fiercely said, "What do you think this place is? This is the extreme northwest desert. It's not like it's my family's General's home ground. To the north is the Pei family's Second Generals' territory, while to the west is Quan Yizhen's territory. Within a radius of several hundred li, there's not a single Xuan Zhen temple. "
One must know that there was a common saying in the human world — — a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Therefore, as the deputy generals of the Martial God of the Southeast and Martial God of the Southwest, it was inevitable that their powers would be limited when they used magic in a territory that didn't belong to them. Xie Lian looked at their appearances and saw that they were both extremely sullen and angry. It was probably the first time that they had been blown into the sky by a gust of wind and couldn't land back on the ground. He said, "It's really been hard on you guys."
San Lang sat on the ground next to him. With one hand supporting his cheek, he said, "Are we just going to wait here for the sandstorm to pass?"
Xie Lian turned to him and said, "It looks like we can only do this now. No matter how powerful that tornado is, it shouldn't be able to sweep such a large rock into the sky. "
San Lang said, "It's just as you said before. This sandstorm is indeed very strange."
Xie Lian suddenly thought of something and said, "San Lang, I have a question."
San Lang said, "Go ahead and ask."
Xie Lian said, "That Teacher of the State, was it a man or a woman?"
San Lang said, "Didn't I say it before? Female. "
Xie Lian thought that was indeed the case. He said, "Before, when we were resting in that abandoned building, didn't we see two people walking in front of that building? Their footwork was graceful and strange. They definitely weren't ordinary people. Among them, the person in white was a white-clothed female Taoist priest. "
Fu Yao said doubtfully, "Looking at that person's robe, it's hard to tell if they were male or female. Their stature was also taller than the average woman. Did you really see them clearly?"
Xie Lian said, "I saw them clearly. I can't be wrong. That's why I'm thinking, could that person be the Teacher of the State? "
Nan Feng said, "It's possible. However, there was also a black-clothed person traveling with her. Who could it be? "
Xie Lian said, "It's hard to say. However, that person walked faster than her. Their abilities are definitely not below hers."
Fu Yao said, "Could it be the other one of the Dual Demonic Masters, Teacher of the State, Fang Xin?"
Xie Lian said, "About that. I think the reason why the Dual Demonic Masters are called together is because it's easy to remember. Just like the Four Pests of the Ghost Realm, even if there aren't four, they still have to make it four."
Hearing this, San Lang laughed out loud again. Xie Lian looked at him and said, "It's nothing. I just feel that what you said makes a lot of sense. Among the Four Pests, one is indeed just there to make up the numbers. Continue."
Xie Lian then continued, "In reality, they shouldn't have any relationship. I've heard of this Teacher of the State, Fang Xin. She's the State Teacher of Yong An Country. The time she appeared was at least a hundred years apart from this Teacher of the State. "
Fu Yao felt that this was unreasonable. He said, "You don't know about the Four Pests of the Ghost Realm, but you know about the State Teacher of the State of Yong An Country?"
Xie Lian said, "Sometimes when I pass by to collect trash, I'll understand a little. I don't go to the Ghost Realm to collect trash, so of course I wouldn't understand them. "
At this time, the sound of the wind outside the cave weakened a little. Nan Feng stood a little further away and patted the rock to examine its material. After a moment of concentration, he lowered his head and said, "How did such a hole get dug out of this rock?"
He probably felt that it was extremely suspicious for such a rock to appear here. Xie Lian didn't find this strange. He said, "There are quite a few rocks that dig holes like this. In the past, the people of the Half Moon Country would occasionally dig holes like this in the rocks in order to avoid the sandstorms when they were out grazing and couldn't make it back home in time. Some of these holes aren't dug, they're blasted open. "
Nan Feng doubtfully asked, "How do you graze in the desert?"
Xie Lian said, "Two hundred years ago, this place wasn't completely a desert. There was also an oasis."
At this time, San Lang said, "Gege."
Xie Lian turned his head and asked, "What is it?"
San Lang pointed and said, "The rock you're sitting on seems to have some words written on it."
"What?" Xie Lian first lowered his head, then stood up. Only then did he realize that the place he was sitting on was a stone slab.
Wiping away the dust, he found that there were indeed words on the stone slab. It was just that the carvings were rather shallow, so the writing wasn't very obvious. Half of the stone slab was still buried in the sand, and the writing extended upwards, disappearing into the darkness.
Since there were words, he definitely had to take a look. Xie Lian said, "I don't have much power left. Can any of you use a palm flame to help me illuminate this place? Many thanks."
Nan Feng snapped his fingers, and in a split second, a ball of flame appeared in his palm. Xie Lian inadvertently glanced at San Lang, but he wasn't surprised. After all, he had even seen the Thousand Li Shrinking technique. Xie Lian felt that no matter what the two of them showed each other in the future, there wouldn't be any surprises. Nan Feng moved his palm to where Xie Lian was pointing, and the flame illuminated the words carved on the stone slab. The words were extremely strange, as if they were randomly scribbled by a child. Nan Feng asked, "What's written here?"
San Lang said, "Naturally, it's the language of the Half Moon Country."
Xie Lian said, "Nan Feng is probably asking what it means. Let me take a look. "
As he walked, he cleared away the sand and stones on the stone slab and arrived at the top row. These words were especially large, and seemed to be a question. And these words repeatedly appeared on the stone slab. Beside him, Fu Yao also held up a palm flame and said, "You know how to read the Half Moon Literature?"
Xie Lian said, "To tell you the truth, before the Half Moon Country's demonic daoist came out, I used to collect trash in the Half Moon Country."
"… …"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just curious how many other places you've collected trash."
Xie Lian smiled and lowered his head to continue reading. In a flash, he suddenly said two words:
"General."
Nan Feng and Fu Yao asked at the same time, "What?"
Xie Lian raised his head and said, "I said, the words written at the top of this stone slab are 'General'." After a pause, he continued, "However, there's another character after 'General'. However, I'm not too sure about the meaning of the last character. "
Nan Feng heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Then take another look."
Xie Lian nodded. Nan Feng held onto the ball of flames in his palm and moved his hand forward a little more. When he moved, Xie Lian suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right. At the edge of his vision, there seemed to be something extra.
He pressed his hands on the stone slab full of words and slowly raised his head.
Above the stone slab, the faint flame illuminated a face with stiff muscles in the darkness. This face had two eyeballs looking down, staring at him.
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
The one who screamed wasn't them, but the face with stiff muscles.
Nan Feng's other hand also held up the palm flame. The flames on his hands suddenly soared high and finally illuminated the entire interior of the cave.
The person who was illuminated by the flames just now was a person who had been hiding in the darkness. At this moment, he was frantically retreating to the side, shrinking to the edge of the depths of the cave. At the edge of the cave, there were already seven or eight people huddled together, shivering.
Nan Feng shouted, "Who are you people?!"
This shout filled the entire cave with a buzzing sound. Xie Lian's ears were already hurting from the screams just now. At this moment, he had no choice but to cover his ears. The sandstorm was too strong and the noise was too loud. They spoke so softly that they couldn't hear each other at all. After entering the cave, they first began to discuss the Half Moon Imperial Tutor. Later on, they concentrated on deciphering the stone slab. Unexpectedly, they didn't notice that there were still people hiding in the cave without making a sound.
The seven or eight people trembled. After a while, an old man about fifty years old finally said, "We are a passing caravan, ordinary merchants. The sandstorm is too strong and we can't walk, so we're taking shelter here. "
He was the calmest person in the group and seemed to be the leader. Nan Feng said again, "Since you're ordinary passing merchants, why are you hiding here so sneakily?"
Just as the old man was about to speak, a seventeen or eighteen year old youth beside him said loudly, "We weren't sneaky in the first place. You suddenly rushed in, who knows if you're good or bad? Later on, we vaguely heard you talking about something about the Half Moon Imperial Tutor and the Ghost Realm. You even know how to set fire out of thin air. We thought you were the Half Moon Empire's soldiers patrolling to catch people and eat them. How would we dare to make a sound? "
The old man seemed to be afraid that his words would offend the other party and said, "Tiansheng, don't talk nonsense."
The youth had thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was born with a tiger's head and a tiger's brain. After being scolded by the elder, he immediately shut up. Xie Lian's ears finally stopped hurting. He put down his hand and said amiably, "It's a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding. Everyone, don't be nervous. Relax a little. "
After a pause, he continued, "Of course we're not the Half Moon Empire's soldiers. I'm the master of a Daoist temple. These people are all … people of my temple. They all learn the art of Qimen Dun Jia. You're just ordinary merchants, and we're just ordinary Daoists. We don't have any ill intentions. It's just that we're all people seeking shelter from the storm and coincidentally entered the same cave. "
His voice was gentle. Speaking so slowly, it was quite good at soothing people's emotions. After repeated explanations and assurances, the expressions of the merchants finally eased up.
Unexpectedly, San Lang suddenly laughed and said, "Not at all. I can see that these merchants aren't ordinary. They're too modest."
Everyone looked at him in confusion. San Lang said, "Isn't it said that 'every time you pass through the Half Moon Pass, more than half will disappear'? Knowing that there's such a rumor, you still dare to pass through here. You can be considered very courageous. How can you say they're ordinary? "
Hearing this, the old man said, "Young man, that's not necessarily the case. In fact, most of the rumors are exaggerated. Many caravans have passed through here and left safely. "
San Lang said, "Oh?"
The old man said, "As long as we find the right person to lead the way, we'll be fine as long as we don't stray into the Half Moon Empire's former territory. That's why we specifically found a local to lead the way for us this time. "
The youth, Tiansheng, said, "That's right! It still depends on the guide. It's all thanks to Brother Ah Zhao along the way. He led us to avoid a lot of quicksand. As soon as we saw the wind, he quickly led us to a place to hide. Otherwise, we might have been buried alive by the sand. "
Xie Lian glanced at Ah Zhao, who was leading the way. He was very young, about twenty years old. He had a handsome, wooden face and didn't express anything even after being praised. He only lowered his head and said, "It's nothing. It's all part of my duty. I hope that everyone's camels and goods are fine after the wind passes. "
"It'll definitely be fine!"
The attitude of the merchants was very optimistic, but Xie Lian had a feeling that things weren't as simple as they thought.
If there wouldn't be a problem if they didn't mistakenly enter the remnant of the Half Moon Kingdom, then could it be that those 'more than half' of the caravans that had disappeared in the past were all suicidal?
He thought for a moment and said to Nanfeng Fuyao in a low voice, "Everything happened too suddenly. After this sandstorm passes, we'll first ensure that these people leave safely before going to the remnant of the Half Moon Kingdom to investigate."
He then lowered his head and continued to read the words on the stone slab. He had just recognized the word 'general', but that was because this word was used a lot, and it had already been two hundred years since he came to the Half Moon Kingdom. Even if he had learned it well at that time, he would have forgotten everything after two hundred years. Now that he had suddenly regained it, he really needed a bit of time and patience. At this moment, San Lang said, "General's tomb."
As soon as he said that, Xie Lian remembered. Didn't the last word mean 'tomb', 'tomb', and 'cave'?
He turned around and asked curiously, "San Lang, could it be that you also know the Half Moon Kingdom?"
San Lang smiled and said, "Not much. It's just out of interest, so I know a few. "
Xie Lian was already used to him saying this. The Half Moon Kingdom itself was rare, and understanding it was already rare. The word 'tomb' was also not a common word. If he really only 'knew a few', how could he just happen to know this one? When he said 'not much', it was probably the same as' don't be afraid to ask anything '. He immediately smiled and said, "Great. Maybe the ones you know are the ones I don't know. Come over, let's take a look together. "
He lightly waved his hand and San Lang went over. Nan Feng and Fu Yao stood to the side, holding a palm flame to illuminate the two of them. Xie Lian's finger slowly brushed over the words on the tombstone. He and San Lang discussed in low voices, quietly reading it. As they read, their gazes became more and more curious, and finally, they gradually settled down.
The youth in the caravan was, after all, young, and curious. In addition, the two of them had casually exchanged a few words just now, so he had become familiar with them. He asked, "Brothers, what exactly is written on this stone tablet?"
Xie Lian came back to his senses and replied, "This stone tablet is a tombstone. Written on the tombstone is the life of a general."
Tian Sheng said, "A general from the Half Moon Kingdom?"
San Lang said, "No, it was a general from the Central Plains."
Nan Feng asked doubtfully, "A general from the Central Plains? Then why would the people of the Half Moon Kingdom erect a tomb for him? Isn't it said that the two countries were constantly at war? "
San Lang said, "This general was very strange. Although the stone tablet refers to him as a general, he is actually just a lieutenant. "
"Then did he later get promoted to general?"
"He didn't. Furthermore, in the beginning, he commanded a hundred people. Later, he commanded seventy, and then fifty. "
"…"
"In short, he was demoted all the way."
This kind of experience of being demoted again and again until he couldn't be demoted was very familiar. Xie Lian felt two pairs of eyes focused on him, but he pretended not to notice and continued to read the words on the stone tablet. At this moment, Tian Sheng asked in confusion, "How can there be such a thing as an official who gets lower and lower? As long as they don't make any big mistakes, even if they don't get promoted, they won't get demoted either. How many failures do they have to fail to achieve this? "
"…"
Xie Lian clenched his right hand into a fist and placed it in front of his mouth. He coughed lightly and solemnly said, "Little friend, it's common for an official to get lower and lower in rank."
"Ah?"
San Lang laughed and said, "Indeed, it's common."
After a pause, he continued, "The reason this lieutenant got lower and lower wasn't because his martial prowess was lacking and he wasn't worthy of his position, but because the relationship between the two countries wasn't good. However, on the battlefield, not only did he not make any contributions, but he was also a hindrance."
Nan Feng asked, "What do you mean by hindrance?"
San Lang said, "Not only did he stop the other side from killing their own people, he also stopped them from killing the other side's people. Every time he did so, he was demoted by one rank. "
As he spoke unhurriedly, the seven or eight merchants gradually sat down and treated it as if they were listening to his story. They were quite engrossed in it and expressed their opinions as they listened. Tian Sheng said, "I don't think this lieutenant did anything wrong? It's one thing for soldiers to go to war, but it's not a problem to not let them kill civilians as they please, right? "
"Although it's quite out of kindness for a country's soldier to do so and not very appropriate, on the whole, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Yes, after all, he's saving people, not harming people."
Xie Lian listened and smiled slightly.
The group of merchants in front of him were not the people who lived in the border area, nor were they ancient people from 200 years ago. Now that the Half Moon Kingdom had been reduced to ashes, when people mentioned it again, they could naturally play it down, sympathize, and even praise it a little. Even if they didn't agree, they could probably understand. But a hundred years ago, when the two sides were at war and hated each other endlessly, the consequences of this kind of behavior were definitely not just a light "out of kindness" evaluation.
Among the group of people, only Ah Zhao, probably because he was a local, understood a little more. He said, "Today is today, 200 years ago is 200 years ago. This officer is already very lucky to have only been demoted. "
Fu Yao scoffed and said, "Laughable to the extreme."
Xie Lian could more or less guess what he was going to say and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.
Sure enough, under the light of the fire, Fu Yao's gloomy brows and eyes were illuminated. He said, "Since this person has become a soldier, he should always remember to protect his own country and bravely kill the enemy on the front lines. When two countries are at war, casualties are inevitable. Such soft-heartedness will only make his own comrades hate him, and the enemy officers and soldiers will find him comical and ridiculous. No one will thank him. "
His words were also very reasonable, so the cave was silent. Fu Yao then said indifferently, "In the end, this kind of person only has one ending — death. And most likely, he died at the hands of his own people. "
After a moment of silence, Xie Lian broke the silence and said, "Yes. You're quite right. He died. "
Tiansheng was shocked. "Ah! How did he die? Was he really killed by his own people? "
After pondering for a moment, Xie Lian opened his mouth and said, "That's not it … It's said that there was a time when both sides were fighting. While they were fighting, this person didn't tie his boots properly and stepped on it. He fell and …"
Everyone in the cave had originally thought that this general must have died tragically. Hearing this, they were all stunned. They all thought to themselves, what kind of way did he die? Laughter burst out, "Hahahahaha …"
Xie Lian said, "… He was trampled to death and hacked to death by the red-eyed soldiers of both sides."
"Hahahahaha …"
San Lang raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it very funny?"
Xie Lian also said, "Cough. Yes, it's quite tragic. Everyone, be a little more sympathetic. Don't laugh. Since we're in someone else's tomb, let's give him some face. "
Tiansheng hurriedly said, "I don't mean any harm! But, this is too … a little … haha … "
Xie Lian couldn't help it because when he read up to this point, he also wanted to laugh. He could only not bring it up and continue reading. Translating, he said, "In short, although this officer's reputation in the army wasn't good, the people of the Half Moon Kingdom and the people of the Central Plains at the border received his care, so they called him 'General'. They built a simple stone tomb for him and erected a stone tablet to commemorate him."
San Lang said, "Later on, the people of the Half Moon Kingdom also discovered the magic of this stone tablet. As long as you kowtow to this stone tablet three times, you can turn misfortune into fortune in the Gobi Desert."
His tone was so profound that it was very convincing. His expression was also serious. When everyone heard this, several people immediately kowtowed, saying that it was better to believe it than not. Xie Lian was puzzled. "Ah? Is there such a thing? Is it that magical? "
San Lang smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "No. I made it up. Since they just laughed, it's not too much for them to kowtow now, right? "
Xie Lian looked and saw that it was true. There was no one behind the stone tablet. Originally, he was still a bit sad, but now he found it funny. He also said in a low voice, "Why are you so naughty?"
San Lang stuck out his tongue. The two of them were laughing when suddenly, someone cried out in alarm, "What is this!!!"
This cry was extremely shrill in the entire cave, causing everyone's hair to stand on end. Xie Lian looked in the direction of the cry and said, "What's wrong!"
The people who were originally kowtowing to the ancient stone tablet scrambled away and cried out in fear, "Snake!"
Nan Feng and Fu Yao turned their arms in the direction of the direction, and two flames from their palms lit up the ground in that area. Impressively, there was a long, gorgeous snake coiled on the sand!
Everyone panicked. "Why is there a snake?!"
"Why isn't this snake making any noise?! I don't even know when it crawled in here! "
Illuminated by the flames, the snake's body rose up. It seemed to be extremely vigilant, ready to attack at any time. Nan Feng was just about to send a palm flame over when he saw someone leisurely walk over. With a casual grab, the person grabbed the snake's weak point and lifted it up with his left hand. As he observed, he said, "Isn't it normal for there to be snakes in the desert?"
The one who was so unscrupulous was naturally San Lang. As the saying goes, hit the snake's weak point. If the snake's weak point was crushed, no matter how vicious its venomous fangs were, it wouldn't be able to become powerful. The snake's tail softly wrapped around his left arm a few times. Now that it was closer, Xie Lian focused his eyes and saw that the snake's skin seemed to be translucent. He could see the bright purplish-red color inside, mixed with strands of black. It made him think of the color of internal organs and was very uncomfortable. The snake's tail was actually the color of flesh, and it was segmented as if it had grown layers of hard shells. It didn't look like a snake's tail, but more like a scorpion's.
Seeing this clearly, Xie Lian's expression abruptly changed. "Be careful of its tail!"
Before he finished speaking, the snake's entangled tail suddenly loosened its grip on San Lang's arm. The tip of the tail seemed to have become another snake's head as it flicked backwards and fiercely stabbed!
That tail's thrust was extremely fierce, but San Lang's right hand reached out and easily caught the tail. He pinched the tail as if he was holding something fun and showed it to Xie Lian. With a smile, he said, "This tail is quite interesting."
At the tip of the snake's tail, there was actually a flesh-red thorn. Xie Lian let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that it didn't hit. It really is a scorpion tail snake. "
Nan Feng and Fu Yao also came over to look at the snake. "A scorpion tail snake?"
Xie Lian replied, "That's right. It's a type of poison unique to Half Moon Country. It's still considered rare, so I've never seen it before. However, I've heard of it. Its body is like a snake's, and its tail is like a scorpion's. However, its poison is more violent than both of them combined. Whether it's being bitten by its poisonous fangs or being pricked by its poisonous tail, it's all … … "
Speaking up to this point, he saw San Lang toss the snake over and over in his hand. Sometimes he stretched it out, sometimes he pressed it down, and sometimes he twisted it like a towel. The only thing missing was a bow. After a moment of silence, Xie Lian warmly advised, "San Lang, don't play with it anymore. It's very dangerous."
However, San Lang smiled and said, "It's fine. Gege doesn't need to worry. This scorpion tail snake is the totem of the Half Moon Country Preceptor. This is a rare opportunity, so of course I have to look at it carefully. "
Xie Lian was startled. "The totem of the Half Moon Country Preceptor?"
San Lang replied, "Exactly. It's said that the Half Moon Country Preceptor was able to control this type of scorpion tail snake. That's why the Half Moon Country Preceptor believed that her powers were boundless and worshipped her as their Preceptor. "
As soon as he heard the word 'control', Xie Lian felt something was wrong. He thought to himself, whenever someone mentioned 'control', it would always be in large groups. He immediately said, "Everyone, hurry and get out first. I'm afraid this scorpion tail snake isn't just one … …"
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a blood-curdling scream. "Ah!!!"
One after another, several people cried out in alarm, "Snakes!" "So many snakes!" "There's one here too!"
Within the darkness, seven or eight purplish-red scorpion tail snakes had actually crawled out without a sound. They had appeared extremely suddenly, so it was impossible to tell which cave they had crawled out from. They didn't attack either, instead quietly staring at this group of people, as if they were examining something. The snakes crawled and attacked without a sound. They didn't even make the hissing sound that a poisonous snake would make when spitting out its tongue. It was truly dangerous to the extreme. Nan Feng and Fu Yao struck out with their palms, causing a large ball of raging fire to explode within the cave. Xie Lian shouted, "Get out!"
How could anyone dare to stay in the cave? They hastily fled out. Fortunately, the sky had already turned dusk. That tornado had long since gone far away, and the sandstorm outside had also lessened by quite a bit. The group of people retreated towards an open area. As they ran, someone said, "This stone tablet is too scary! How could we still encounter this kind of thing after kowtowing three times?! "
Xie Lian thought to himself that it was fortunate that they didn't know that the last sentence was made up by San Lang. However, he heard someone else say, "That's right! The effect is more or less the same as kowtowing to that lousy immortal! The more we kowtow, the more unlucky we get! "
"… …"
Xie Lian was left speechless as he was struck by an arrow in such a remote place. Suddenly, Tian Sheng cried out in alarm, "Uncle Zheng!" The old man he was supporting collapsed. Xie Lian rushed forward and asked, "What's wrong?"
That Uncle Zheng's face was filled with pain as he shakily raised his hand. Xie Lian caught his hand and looked at it. His heart sank when he saw that the area between his thumb and forefinger was purplish-red and swollen. He could barely make out an extremely small hole in the swollen area. With such a small wound, he feared that even if he had been stabbed, he wouldn't be able to feel it for a while. Xie Lian immediately said, "Everyone, quickly check if you have any wounds on your body. If you do, quickly tie it up with a rope!" He then turned over his wrist to look at his meridians. There was a purplish-red color visible to the naked eye that was currently climbing up his meridians. Xie Lian thought that this snake venom was very powerful. Just as he was about to untie Ruoxie, he saw Ah Zhao tear off a strip of cloth and tie it tightly around the center of the old man's forearm, preventing the poisonous blood from flowing back to his heart. His actions were incomparably fast, causing Xie Lian to inwardly praise him. When he raised his head, Nan Feng had already taken out a medicine bottle and poured out a pill. Xie Lian gave it to the old man. Tian Sheng panicked and shouted, "Uncle, are you alright?! Brother Ah Zhao, Uncle won't die, right?! "
Ah Zhao shook his head and said, "After being bitten by a Scorpion Tail Snake, death is certain within four hours."
Tian Sheng was startled and said, "Then … … then what should we do?"
Uncle Zheng was the leader of the caravan. The other merchants also anxiously said, "Didn't you give this little brother medicine?"
Nan Feng said, "I didn't give him an antidote. It's just a temporary lifespan extension. At most, I can help him delay the four hours to twenty-four hours. "
The crowd of merchants became flustered. "There's only twenty-four hours?" "If that's the case, doesn't that mean we can only wait for death like this?" "Is this poison incurable?"
At this time, San Lang slowly walked over and said, "There's hope."
Everyone looked towards him. Tian Sheng was overjoyed. Turning his head, he said, "Brother Zhao, why didn't you say so earlier that there was hope? You scared me to death!"
Ah Zhao didn't say anything and just silently shook his head. San Lang said, "Of course it's hard for him to say. If the poisoned person can be saved, but the others can't, what do you say? "
Xie Lian said, "San Lang, what do you say?"
San Lang said, "Brother, do you know the origin of the legend of this Scorpion Tail Snake?"
Originally, according to the legend, several hundred years ago, a king of the Half Moon Country went hunting deep in the mountains and accidentally caught two poisonous creatures that had transformed into demons. One was a poisonous snake spirit, and the other was a scorpion spirit.
These two poisonous creatures cultivated deep in the mountains and didn't care about worldly affairs. They had never harmed anyone, but the king of the Half Moon Country used the excuse that they were poisonous creatures and would sooner or later harm people. Thus, he wanted to kill them. The two demons bitterly begged the king to let them live. However, the king's natural disposition was cruel. He forced the two demons to copulate in front of him and a group of ministers, allowing them to drink and amuse themselves at the banquet. After the banquet ended, the king still killed the two poisonous creatures. Only the Queen couldn't bear to do this, but she also didn't dare to disobey the king. Thus, she plucked a fragrant leaf and threw it over to cover the bodies of the two poisonous creatures.
The poisonous snake and scorpion had transformed into evil creatures and were extremely resentful. They cursed the offsprings born from copulation to stay here forever and kill the people of the Half Moon Country. Because of this, the Scorpion Tail Snake only appeared in the Half Moon Country. Once bitten or stabbed by them, the poison would spread rapidly and the person would die a miserable death. However, because of the Queen's kindness, the fragrant leaf that the Queen had thrown over to cover them that day was able to cure this poison.
After saying this, San Lang said, "That kind of fragrant grass is called Good Moon Grass. It also only grows within the borders of the Half Moon Country."
When the merchants heard this, they all said, "This … … this kind of myth and legend, can it really be believed?"
"This little brother, human lives are at stake. Don't joke with us!"
San Lang only smiled but didn't say anything. After he finished explaining, he didn't say anything more. Tian Sheng then asked Ah Zhao for confirmation, "Brother Zhao, is what this brother in red said true?"
After muttering to himself for a moment, Ah Zhao said, "I don't know if the myth and legend are true or false. However, within the borders of the Half Moon Country, Good Moon Grass does indeed grow. And Good Moon Grass can indeed cure the Scorpion Tail Snake's poison. "
Xie Lian said, "In other words, the person bitten by the Scorpion Tail Snake only has a slim chance of survival. And this slim chance of survival can only be obtained by going to the Half Moon Country? "
It was no wonder that many caravans and travelers who passed by would still enter the Half Moon Country despite knowing that 'every time they crossed the border, more than half of them would disappear'. It wasn't because they wanted to die, but because they might die if they didn't go in!
The Scorpion Tail Snake was the totem of the Half Moon Demonic Dao, and it could be controlled by her, so the appearance of the Scorpion Tail Snake was definitely not a coincidence. With just a few Heavenly Officials, there was no way they could guarantee that these people would come out unscathed. They also didn't know whether or not more Scorpion-Tailed Snakes would appear. Xie Lian put two fingers together and pressed them against his temples, operating the spirit communication array. He wanted to see if he could thicken his face and borrow a few more little Heavenly Officials. Who knew that it wouldn't work and there would be no news. He put down his hand, feeling strange, and thought to himself, My magic power can't be used up so quickly, right? I counted this morning, and there's clearly a little left. "Then, he turned to Nan Feng and Fu Yao." Which one of you will try to enter the spirit communication array? I can't go in here. "
After a while, the two of them wore grave expressions. Nan Feng said, "I can't go in either."
In some places where evil energy soared to the heavens, the magic power of some of the Divine Officials would be affected and temporarily weakened or blocked. It was likely that they were currently encountering such a situation.
Xie Lian paced back and forth in the same place for a while, then he raised his head and said, "Maybe it's because this place is too close to the Half Moon Ancient Kingdom, so the spirit communication technique is blocked …" At this time, he suddenly saw an abnormally dazzling red color from the corner of his eye.
While Nan Feng and Fu Yao were trying to enter the spirit communication array, the other merchants were busily checking their bodies for small wounds. Only that youth, who was naturally born with a purple red scorpion's tail, was preoccupied with anxiously holding onto Old Uncle Zheng. He was completely unaware that a purplish-red scorpion's tail was silently climbing up his back.
It was coiled on Tian Sheng's shoulder, but its fangs weren't aimed at the youth's neck, but at San Lang's arm, who was indifferently standing to the side.
The snake raised its back and protruded!
Just as the fangs were about to pierce San Lang, Xie Lian stretched out his hand and accurately pinched the snake's weak spot.