After watching Xu Wenyan and the others leave, Song Weizhi gave the disciples of the Song family the long knives for self-defense. However, they were still somewhat hesitant. This place was mysterious, and having something in their hands did make them feel more secure.
Just as they were hesitating, Song Chaoyun spoke, "Let me see who wants to betray the family. It's best to think carefully about your position before making a decision. Those who choose to follow me will be rewarded handsomely when we get out. As for those following Song Weizhi, I don't need to say much."
Song Weizhi didn't even bother glancing at him. She said to Zhao Xunkun in front of her, "Let's go, Brother Zhao."
"Okay." With the addition of two more people to the group, Zhao Xunkun felt slightly more at ease.
Originally, Song Weizhi was supposed to be at the rear, but under the persuasion of Xu Wenyan and Liang Qin, she reluctantly let them take the rear positions.
Once they left, the passage plunged back into darkness. Some disciples of the Song family, lacking courage, suggested, "Senior Brother, should we follow behind Song Weizhi and the others? We don't have a light source, and following them might allow us to escape danger earlier."
After some consideration, Song Chaoyun thought it made sense. He immediately assigned the remaining disciples to follow Song Weizhi's group. Song Yueling, on the other hand, diligently wiped the sweat from Song Chaoyun's side, anticipating gaining some benefits when they got out.
Xu Wenyan's group was at the rear of the procession, and they soon felt the presence of those following them. Xu Wenyan said to Song Weizhi, "Senior Sister, Song Chaoyun and the others are coming up."
"Ignore them. It's fine if they follow behind. If there's danger from behind, they'll be the first to suffer." Saying this, she continued to move forward. They walked for a long time until the seemingly endless passage finally gave way to a massive cave. In the middle of the cave was a huge lake, calm and without a ripple. Surprisingly, numerous trees were growing around, creating a vibrant scene. Unfortunately, all of this was situated in a dark cave. Song Weizhi and the others dared not move further and stayed at the entrance.
After a while, Song Chaoyun and his group caught up. Feeling at ease with the newly lit fire, a few brave disciples suggested going to the lakeside to see if there were any edible things, such as fish. Song Chaoyun allowed six disciples to go with torches while the remaining ten stayed behind for warmth and protection. He was still in pain from the wound on his knee. In case of an accident, someone had to carry him for him to leave smoothly.
Song Weizhi and her group quietly observed Song Chaoyun's actions. In the distance, the disciples of the Song family seemed to have found something near the lakeside. They became excited as if they had caught something. However, when they saw the appearance of the things, they couldn't find words to describe it. They had to carry the things wrapped in clothes back.
Feeling uneasy, they unfolded the clothes, and Song Yueling screamed, "What kind of ghostly thing is this? How come there are human faces."
Everyone looked closely and saw that these strange creatures, resembling fish, had miniature human faces on their heads. Moreover, dense hair was growing on the faces.
The eyes of these creatures were moving, staring fixedly at the disciples of the Song family. Song Chaoyun was also somewhat frightened and quickly ordered, "Quick, take them away. Don't bring them back without checking what they are."
Several disciples could only grit their teeth and return to the lakeside to throw those disgusting human-faced fish back into the lake. They moved to another location and caught some fish that looked normal after several attempts. They finally managed to catch a few fish with a regular appearance and wrapped them in clothes to bring them back.
"Senior Brother, this time it's fish. However, these fish live together with those human-faced monsters. I think it's better not to eat them." The disciple who caught the fish felt somewhat disgusted.
Some of the Song family disciples started teasing him:
"Don't eat fish? Should we eat you instead? We're all tired and hungry. Don't spread baseless rumors here."
"Yeah, if you're scared, just say so. If you don't want to eat, just watch us enjoy."
"Senior Brother, you have broad experience, let Senior Brother take a look."
With the disciples' words, everyone's attention turned back to Song Chaoyun. Where did he gain such broad experience? This situation was new to him too, but Song Chaoyun was currently the leader of the group. He had an injury, and he needed the support of these Junior Brothers and sisters. Even if he didn't know, he had to provide the team with a definite answer.
Song Chaoyun spoke in a deep voice, "Everyone, go find some sharp stones or pieces of wood, cut open the stomachs of these fish, and see if they are any different from regular fish. If they're like normal fish, roasting them over a fire should make them edible."
Several nimble disciples immediately went to find what was needed, and they did find them. A few of them held stones and started cutting off the fish heads, then proceeded to clean the fish guts. The fish guts had fresh red blood, and everything seemed normal. They all breathed a sigh of relief.
"In the end, Senior Brother is knowledgeable. I knew we could eat them. I was almost starving."
"Senior Brother, you are the best. Now everyone won't go hungry."
Song Chaoyun also breathed a sigh of relief. He was completely guessing and had not expected that these fish would indeed be edible.
In no time, the disciples processed the fish, placed them on the fire to roast, and the aroma of the fish began to spread. Even Song Weizhi and her group could smell it. Xu Wenyan unconsciously swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva.
The male disciple handed the cooked fish to Song Chaoyun first, and seemingly casually, Song Chaoyun passed the fish to Song Yueling beside him, appearing to take care of the female disciple. However, the truth was he didn't want to be the first to taste this thing.
Seeing Song Chaoyun handing her the fish, Song Yueling immediately smiled and said, "I knew Senior Brother is the best. With fish available, Senior Brother let me eat first."
Song Yueling thought it was fine and took a bite. The fish had a smooth and tender texture, without small bones. Even when eaten without seasoning, it didn't taste bad. She happily took a few more bites.
The other disciples handed Song Chaoyun another fish, and then four or five male disciples also began to eat the fish. However, five disciples still didn't eat, and Song Chaoyun hadn't eaten yet either. The male disciples ate quickly, and in no time, one fish was already in their stomachs. Song Chaoyun was starting to find it hard to resist the tempting aroma when suddenly, Song Yueling, who was still eating, began convulsing on the ground. Greenish mucus overflowed from her mouth, and fish-like scales started growing on her exposed arms, distorting her face.
Something inside her stomach was pushing upwards with great force, seemingly trying to pierce through Song Yueling's neck and rush to her head.
Screaming in pain with green mucus flowing from her mouth, Song Yueling cried, "Senior Brother, ah, save me, save me."
With her scream, the thing in Song Yueling's chest exerted all its force, leaped upward, directly pressing against her neck, and popped out from her mouth. It kept growing larger until it burst out of Song Yueling's head, spraying brain matter all over the place. Now, Song Yueling's clothes had been pushed away by the densely packed scales all over her body. Behind her was a dark green head, but this head was covered in black hair. The dark green head was still sticking to Song Yueling's original head and some tissues from her neck had not yet separated. At this moment, it was mixed with white and red fluids, hanging behind Song Yueling. The scene was bizarre and horrifying.
Song Chaoyun was stunned, unable to utter a word throughout the whole process. The male disciples who ate the fish were also horrified, seeing this scene, they started clawing at their throats, trying to spit out that thing. However, it was too late, and they also began to feel that something was wrong with their bodies.
From a distance, Xu Wenyan whispered, "Damn, I'm lucky I didn't follow them. Scared me to death."
Song Weizhi turned her head, gesturing for him not to make a sound. Xu Wenyan immediately covered his mouth. At this moment, Song Weizhi and her group were hiding in the darkness. She just hoped those things hadn't been noticed.
Seeing the unexpected changes around him, Song Chaoyun panicked, "Quick, someone carries me. Whoever carries me, I'll have my father appoint him as an Elder."
Those disciples who hadn't eaten the fish spat and said, "It was you who said the fish was fine, but it harmed so many fellow disciples. I think none of us will get out of here today. You can be the so-called Elder yourself. Brothers, let's leave quickly."
Unfortunately, the bodies of the male disciples who ate the fish had also completed their transformation. They gradually approached the other disciples, but luckily, these fish-human hybrids seemed to be just adapting to their new bodies, so their movements were still relatively slow.
However, Song Chaoyun wasn't so fortunate. Crawling backward while shouting, "Help, help! Someone save me! After we get out, I'll share the Song family with you! Help!"