Qin Moya nodded seriously. She took out her police gun, loaded it, and removed the safety.
Then, they both put on gas masks. With that done, Chen Yang led the way, and Qin Moya followed closely behind. Chen Yang carried all the equipment, including climbing ropes and military knives, which Qin Moya had arranged to be shipped through her connections.
Chen Yang and Qin Moya quickly bypassed the artificial lake and reached the edge of the bamboo forest. The bamboo forest was lush and green, surrounded by mist, with wild grass and heavy dew on the ground. Their shoes and pants were soaked.
At that moment, Qin Moya was horrified. Despite her mental preparation, seeing the countless poisonous snakes coiled together at her feet still made her skin crawl.
Fortunately, the gas mask muffled her scream. Chen Yang remained incredibly calm and began to hum a tune, following the snake-repelling technique taught by Bai Yunshuang.
The tune resembled a tranquil, moonlit lullaby, exuding a soothing and harmonious allure.
These snakes were all spirit snakes, possessing a certain level of intelligence. The founder of the Xuan Yi Sect had trained them with this lullaby.
Sure enough, as Chen Yang hummed the lullaby, the numerous poisonous snakes in the bamboo forest parted like a tide, moving to either side.
Seeing the effect of the tune, both Chen Yang and Qin Moya breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately walked forward.
The bamboo forest, a favorite place for snakes, was a paradise for them. They walked without any lights, relying on the moonlight to see the writhing snakes around them, a sight both eerie and chilling.
The sound of the snakes slithering by was unsettling.
Halfway through, Chen Yang sensed something amiss and stopped.
"What's wrong?" Qin Moya immediately asked softly. Despite wearing the gas mask, they could still speak in low voices.
Chen Yang said solemnly, "Something's not right!"
Qin Moya asked, "What's wrong?"
Chen Yang said, "The path the snakes are creating is winding, like a detour. But we intend to go straight. If they're following my snake-repelling technique, why is the path crooked?"
Qin Moya was momentarily stunned, then thought Chen Yang was overreacting. She whispered, "After all, these snakes are just animals, not humans. Can you blame them for not making a straight path?"
Chen Yang's ears twitched; his senses were sharp. He suddenly realized that when Qin Moya called the snakes animals, a wave of anger spread among them.
Chen Yang felt a chill. These snakes were intelligent enough to understand human speech.
"It's not that simple," Chen Yang said gravely. "Moya, I think these snakes are leading us somewhere, possibly into a trap or danger."
Qin Moya said, "What could be more dangerous than these snakes? And how could anyone predict our movements? Even if they could, wouldn't it be easier to command the snakes to kill us?"
Chen Yang said, "Don't forget, the people of the Xuan Yi Sect are adept at divination. If Cheng Jianhua predicted this, he could have prepared in advance. It wouldn't be hard for him to foresee our arrival."
Qin Moya gasped and asked, "But I don't understand. If Cheng Jianhua knew we were coming, why not just have the snakes kill us?"
She shivered, looking at the countless snakes around them.
With so many snakes, if they attacked, Chen Yang and Qin Moya would meet a gruesome end.
Qin Moya recalled a scene from "The Investiture of the Gods," where people were thrown into a pit of snakes, a punishment called "Snake Pit."
Watching that as a child had terrified her. Facing such a scene now, how could she not be terrified?
Chen Yang remained calm as ever. The more dangerous the situation, the more composed he became.
"You're right, Moya. If they wanted us dead, they wouldn't go through so much trouble," Chen Yang said.
Qin Moya relaxed a bit and said, "So, you're just overthinking, right? They haven't discovered us."
Chen Yang said, "No, they definitely know we're here. They're not trying to kill us yet, maybe because something worse is waiting. Let's move forward cautiously and be ready for anything. Nothing can be worse than this."
Chen Yang stopped humming the lullaby, but the snakes still parted, forming a winding path.
This further confirmed Chen Yang's suspicion.
Even Qin Moya now realized the snakes were behaving oddly.
Following the snakes' guidance, they walked for five minutes and exited the bamboo forest.
In front of the bamboo forest was a thatched hut, unlit and seemingly uninhabited.
However, the snake tide continued, surrounding the hut.
The snakes parted to create a path leading to the hut.
It was clear the hidden figure wanted them to enter the hut.
Chen Yang sensed danger from the hut.
"What do we do?" Qin Moya asked Chen Yang.
Chen Yang quickly pulled out a windproof lighter from his bag and threw it at the thatched hut.
Qin Moya's eyes lit up at Chen Yang's action.
She thought it was clever. No matter how many traps the enemy set, they could just burn the hut down.
The dry thatch caught fire instantly.
First, it was a small fire, then it grew rapidly.
"No!" Chen Yang's face changed, and he rushed into the hut.
Qin Moya was confused, not knowing what was wrong or why Chen Yang's expression changed so suddenly.
As soon as Chen Yang entered the hut, he saw an old man sleeping peacefully in the center.
The old man had kind features, eyes closed, looking serene.
Chen Yang quickly realized the old man was dead.
Worse, he smelled gasoline on the old man. Before he could react, a spark ignited the old man's body.
In an instant, the old man was engulfed in flames.
Chen Yang wanted to save him, but it was too late.
"Chen Yang, the snakes are retreating. We need to go," Qin Moya shouted, noticing the snakes leaving.
Chen Yang felt a heavy heart but quickly returned to Qin Moya. The snakes were gone, and the hut was ablaze.
At that moment, they heard footsteps and someone shouting from the east, "Fire in the Ancestor's Temple! Everyone, come put it out!"
"Let's go!" Chen Yang grabbed Qin Moya's hand and ran west.
To the west was a natural lake and a reed marsh.
The mirage effect was created by sunlight and the numerous lakes reflecting light.
Chen Yang and Qin Moya hid in the reeds. Despite the dew soaking them, they didn't care.
Their clothes were already wet from the dew.
The hut couldn't be saved. Soon, they heard someone crying, saying the ancestor had passed away.
"Let's go," Chen Yang said, pulling Qin Moya further west.
To the west was a verdant mountain.
The moonlight illuminated the mountain, adding to its mystery. Chen Yang and Qin Moya reached a quiet spot halfway up.
They sat down in a mountain hollow, looking down at a place full of lights.
Surprisingly, the place below was as bright as a bustling small town. Qin Moya pointed east and said, "Is that an airport?"
Chen Yang looked and saw what seemed like a plane on an open field.
Though not clear, they had just flown in and could recognize an airport.
The Xuan Yi Sect's town seemed modern, not as backward as expected.
This wasn't surprising. The Xuan Yi Sect members were experts in feng shui and fortune-telling. Making money was easy for them. Bai Yunshuang had left with enough money to open a bar.
Clearly, the Xuan Yi Sect was wealthy.
But now, Chen Yang felt heavy-hearted, unable to think of anything else.
"Ancestor passed away, the Ancestor's Temple… Damn it!"
Qin Moya removed her gas mask and asked, "What happened? Did I hear 'Ancestor passed away'? Did we burn the ancestor? Is Cheng Jianhua framing us?"
Chen Yang's face was serious. "This involves Cheng Jianhua. He's the most formidable person I've encountered. He trapped us before we even met him."
"What?" Qin Moya said, "Is it that serious?"
Chen Yang said, "We came here to catch Cheng Jianhua by reporting to the ancestor. Now the ancestor is dead because of us. The Xuan Yi Sect will hate us."
Qin Moya said, "But how could the ancestor, such a powerful person, die so easily?"