At that moment, Qingyi and the others heard the noise and rushed over. Seeing me sitting on the ground, they hurried over to ask what had happened.
So I recounted what I had seen. After listening, Qingyi nodded and said, "It's normal for you to see those underworld soldiers wearing ancient military uniforms, because most of the underworld soldiers wandering in the world of the living are soldiers who died in battle and formed under fortuitous circumstances. Naturally, they wear the military uniforms they died in, so don't worry about it!"
I asked, "So you mean... the clothes they are wearing actually existed in history?"
Qingyi nodded.
Actually existed...
Something vaguely clicked in my mind, and I started to ponder deeply. After a long while, I finally remembered why the attire of those underworld soldiers looked so familiar to me. It was because I had seen a book called "History of Chinese Weapons and Armor" at home, which detailed the military equipment and attire of the Chinese armies throughout different periods, complete with detailed illustrations. The attire of those underworld soldiers was in that book!!
If I remember correctly, then these underworld soldiers must have been... the Rouran people!!
The Rouran, once a very powerful nomadic tribe, were active from the late 4th century to the mid-6th century AD. They were the dominant force on the steppes after the Xiongnu and the Xianbei, their iron hooves had descended southward countless times, clashing fiercely with the Northern Wei who occupied the Central Plains at that time. Later, this tribe perished and completely disappeared from the annals of history!
Right then, I shared my discovery.
"You mean... the underworld soldiers outside were Rouran people when they were alive?"
Qingyi showed a hint of surprise on her face, then fell into thought: "It's unlikely. The Rouran mainly roamed north and south of the great desert, while we are now in the Qinling Mountains, which are tens of thousands of miles apart. The Rouran cavalry had never reached this place before, let alone died here. How could their underworld soldiers appear here?"
I thought about it carefully and said seriously, "Absolutely right, if their attire is the clothes they wore when they died, then they were definitely Rouran people!"
"That's interesting, the underworld soldiers of the Rouran people guarding the tombs in the Qinling Mountains!"
Zhang Jinya smiled and nodded, exhaling a long breath: "It seems that there are many secrets in the tombs of these Qinling Mountains!"
Clang clang clang!!
At this moment, the doors and windows of the ancient temple that we had just sealed with the Upper Clear Exorcism Talisman suddenly started to shake violently, making loud noises from time to time, as if someone was frantically pounding on them from the outside!
"Not good!"
Qingyi's face changed: "I thought the Upper Clear Exorcism Talisman could hold on for a while, but it seems I was too optimistic. The underworld soldiers we've encountered are too ferocious, and it won't be long before they break in."
After saying that, Qingyi hurried to the main hall.
After hearing Qingyi's words, we didn't have the mood to continue discussing why the Rouran underworld soldiers appeared in the Qinling Mountains. Even if we figured out the connection between the Ten Deadly Tombs and these underworld soldiers, it would be pointless if we couldn't get out!
So, we quickly followed out, and at that moment, Qingyi was standing at the window looking out. I didn't know what he was looking at, but he was so engrossed that it took more than ten minutes before he finally turned around and gritted his teeth: "Let's break out!"
"What? Are you kidding? Break out?"
Wu Fatty screamed at that moment: "The outside is covered with underworld soldiers. If we go out, aren't we just asking for trouble?"
"Indeed, going out is a dead end, no, worse than death!!"
Zhang Jinya grinned: "Being killed by underworld soldiers is no joke. They will wipe out your three souls and seven spirits all together. By then, we won't even have a place to cry, let alone the chance to become ghosts!"
I couldn't help shivering at the thought.
Underworld soldiers kill people and even destroy their three souls and seven spirits?
What the hell is there to play with!!!
I finally understood why Zhang Jinya and Rosa showed such a shitty expression when they learned that the things outside were underworld soldiers. I was already regretting coming to this damned place. If I hadn't come here, at worst I would have died young, and I might have had the chance to taste Meng Po's soup in the underworld and become a strong man again after eighteen years. But now, coming here, I might end up with my soul scattered? As the saying goes, when a person dies they become a ghost, and when a ghost dies they become nothing. With a "puff," everything is gone, thinking about the two farts that Fatty let out makes me feel even more blocked inside.
"Fifteen minutes!"
Qingyi sighed softly: "In at most fifteen minutes, those underworld soldiers will break in, and by then our fate will be even worse. Waiting here for dawn is no longer possible."
After a pause, Qingyi continued: "Breaking out might still give us a chance to live. I've just checked, the reason why these underworld soldiers could break my Upper Clear Exorcism Talisman so quickly is because there's something commanding them. These are not ordinary underworld soldiers, there's an Underworld General outside! Once we break out, if we find and kill that Underworld General, the remaining underworld soldiers will surely be thrown into chaos, and our chances of survival will be much greater!"
Hearing Qingyi say this, our spirits were visibly lifted!
Zhang Jinya asked, "Can you determine the location of that Underworld General now?"
"It's on the hillside opposite!"
Qingyi said: "It's two miles away from us, so it's still very dangerous. Moreover, I need someone to go out and attract the attention of the underworld soldiers outside, so that I can rush to the Underworld General as quickly as possible. I've calculated that it will take me at most ten minutes to deal with that Underworld General. By then, our crisis will naturally be resolved!"
As soon as Qingyi finished speaking, everyone in the ancient temple looked at me.
"Are you asking me to go out?"
I was stunned at the time, and then shook my head vigorously: "Whoever loves to go, go, but I won't. Damn, in a room full of people who deal with ghosts and gods all day long, in the end, you let me, a mere mortal, go out. Are you using me as cannon fodder?"
I'm not stupid, this is not something I can do!
There were countless underworld soldiers outside, whoever went out to attract fire was bound to be unlucky!!
"Besides you, it's useless for us to go out!"
Zhang Jinya chuckled with a sly grin, "In our line of work, who isn't born with a tough fate that could overpower their own parents? If we go out, sure, those underworld soldiers will focus on us, but we can't attract all of them. In my opinion, you're the perfect candidate. You have the weakest life force, and filthy things like you the most. Once you step out, all the underworld soldiers will definitely swarm towards you, making the effect much better than if it were us."
"Yeah, that's called making the best use of people!"
Wu Fatty was grinning from ear to ear as he patted my shoulder, "If you pull this off, I'll give you two treasures when we get back. You could easily sell them for a million or two, how about that?"
Although Rosa didn't put it as bluntly, after hesitating for a moment, she still said, "Indeed, you are the best choice right now. Because your life force is weak, once you go out, those underworld soldiers will surely target you, which will make things much easier for Qingyi."
At this point, the woman seemed to feel a bit guilty for what they were proposing, so she unusually added a few more words to me, "If you're really in danger, don't worry, I'll come to help you."
Help my ass!
If it really came to that moment, who knows if they would think of me first or their own lives?
Wu Fatty, that bastard, was even more ridiculous. If I really went out, whether I could survive today was still a question. Let alone the antiques worth a million or two he promised me, even if he gave me a billion, I wouldn't do it!
I was cursing non-stop in my heart, hesitating whether to agree or not, refusing to take a stance.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that moment, the doors and windows around us started shaking more violently, especially the main door. The Qingming Exorcism Talisman pasted on it even started to burn with green flames, slowly charring the talisman. Judging by the speed of the burning, it would probably be completely consumed in about five minutes.
"Not good, we're out of time."
Qingyi frowned and said, "I'll make a break for it first!"
After saying this, Qingyi hesitated for a moment, then finally pointed at me, "You follow me out later, there's no time to hesitate, otherwise we'll all die here!"
With that, Qingyi drew the Exorcism Sword he had been carrying on his back and flung open the door, charging out.
The moment the door opened, a piercing scream immediately came from outside. I clearly saw the face of an underworld soldier right at the crack of the door, pale and ghastly, staring straight at me with its eyes, giving me goosebumps all over!
"What are you dawdling for, kid!"
Zhang Jinya urged, "If you don't go out now, you're betraying Qingyi!!!"
His shout threw my mind into even more chaos. In a panic and not knowing what I was thinking at the time, I suddenly grabbed Zhou Jing who was beside me and asked urgently, "Quickly tell me, is tonight my end?"
"The black aura is swirling in your House of Life and House of Sickness, it's unclear."
Zhou Jing hesitated for a moment, then finally clenched his teeth and said, "This is a sign of life and death being uncertain, which means tonight is a major calamity for you. If you survive, it's like being reborn from fire; if you die... there will be nothing left!"
Zhou Jing's words made my heart sink. After hesitating for a moment, I finally decided to go out. Qingyi had saved me several times by treating my corpse poison and wounds. Now that he was pointing at me to distract those underworld soldiers, I couldn't betray him!
That's the basic principle of my life!
Having made up my mind, I stood up, glanced at Zhou Jing, and said, "Don't let Heizi rush out tonight. If I happen to die, take Heizi back to Taiyuan. The antique shop my dad left me will be yours. With Uncle Li's help, you can make a living. This is what I owe to Old Master Zhou, and now I'm paying it back to you."
Zhou Jing was stunned and didn't say anything.
At that moment, I couldn't afford to say anything more to him, so I turned around and prepared to open the door and go out!
"Wait!"
Zhang Jinya grabbed me and took out a "Red Dragon" from his pocket, slapping it on my chest; "This is my treasured possession, brand new, very effective. These days, it's hard to find, even in middle schools!"
I was speechless...
"Alright, save your gratitude for later!"
Zhang Jinya waved his hand, "You don't have Qingyi's speed. I'm afraid that after you open the door, you won't be able to close it in time to prevent the things outside from rushing in, so let me help you."
Before I could speak, Zhang Jinya opened the door with one hand, and without a second word, he pulled me over and kicked me out with a swift kick to my backside, then slammed the door shut with a bang!
...
Outside, the chilly wind howled, and underworld soldiers were everywhere, as far as the eye could see.
As soon as I came out, I was dumbfounded, my scalp tingling. The "Red Dragon" on my chest immediately started burning up, disappearing by more than half in the blink of an eye!
However, with the "Red Dragon," the surrounding underworld soldiers didn't pounce on me all at once. They maintained a distance of about ten meters from me. But I knew that once the "Red Dragon" on my chest was completely burned out, those things would definitely jump on me!
This was simply a trap!
I was filled with resentment and couldn't help but shout, "Zhang Jinya! I curse your ancestors!!! If I have to specify a number, I hope it's... ten thousand times!"
After saying that, I drew the Hundred Spirits Knife from behind me, bit the tip of my tongue and spat a mouthful of blood on it, then immediately got into a fighting stance.
No choice...
I had to fight for my life!