Chapter 200: Zhu Erniang

That is to say, there were even more fluorescent spores in the cave.

Someone couldn't help but say: "What kind of place is this? What is the thing covering the cave entrance—is it satin?"

The cave seemed to be covered by a whole piece of huge brocade, using gold, red, silver, and black silk threads. The pattern was very abstract, but even under the fluorescent lighting, it was shimmering, like the sunset in the sky.

Liu Tong said hoarsely: "It's not satin; it's a spider web, and there are spiders crawling on it."

One had to look closely to realize that it was actually layers upon layers of spider webs.

The weaver must be well-versed in the art of light.

He Lingchuan felt for the first time that spider webs could look even more noble than silk.

"You can tell just by looking!" The thin man watched intently. "This should be the spider monsters' mother nest, which hasn't been burned by fire."

There were indeed spiders going in and out of this huge cave, in an endless stream.

He Lingchuan asked what he didn't understand: "I remember that bees and ants live in clusters and act in an orderly manner, while spiders seem to be mostly solitary. Why are the spider monsters in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin all in groups?"

From a distance, these spiders really looked like ants, busy and bustling, as if each had its own duties.

"You're talking about the habits of ordinary species, but it's different after they become monsters." The one answering was Liutiao. "We have an old saying: 'When one person attains the Dao, his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.' The saying is a bit exaggerated; even if a person attains the Dao, there's nowhere else to go, and chickens and dogs don't know where to fly. But the principle is sound, and monsters are the same. After they attain the Dao, a large number of their kin will soon gather around them seeking protection, and the offspring of monsters also easily enter the Dao."

He Lingchuan immediately thought of the sand leopards west of Heishuicheng. Leopards were originally loners, but this nest of leopard monsters lived together, hunted together, and defended against enemies together, indeed becoming gregarious.

If leopards were like this, it wasn't strange for spiders.

"But conversely, the number of cave spiders in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin is ridiculously large, which means—" Liutiao's face didn't look good. "There is very likely a big monster inside the mother nest!"

"Of course." The guide stared blankly at the huge pit on the slope, his face turning pale. "This is Zhu Erniang's home! It's over, it's over; we actually walked into Zhu Erniang's nest!"

He Lingchuan looked sideways: "This big monster is actually called Zhu Erniang?" A big monster living in a spider nest—what else could it be but an old spider monster? No wonder the surname was "Zhu."

However, what did "Erniang" mean? He thought this was a title exclusively for village matrons.

A spider monster that could weave brocade, taking an anthropomorphic name...

"Yes, it is the master of the Shi Lin, the mother of ten thousand spiders." The guide trembled. "A long time ago, these spiders would eat people. Practitioners who rushed into the Ghost Needle Shi Lin to eliminate monsters never came out. At that time, Zhu Erniang's name could stop children from crying at night in Puxigou!"

"Let's go quickly!" He was even using a trembling voice. "This place cannot be stayed in for long!"

So their decision to extinguish the torches and rush on their way was a wise one; it was best not to disturb the mother nest's boss.

Everyone lightened their footsteps even more, also intending to soothe the horses and let them make less noise.

The spiders on the shore all gathered around, not hissing and posturing like before, but lying quietly on the ground, as if they didn't dare to make any noise.

The group walked another dozen steps and suddenly discovered that there were several huge rocks lying on the slope above the big cave. The largest and most upright one was also illuminated by the fluorescent light, and there were actually three large characters on it! The thin man asked Menban: "What is written on the stone tablet?"

"How would I know?" Menban glanced at him sideways. "Do you think I look like an old scholar?"

The font was somewhat familiar, but actually, no one could understand it.

The thin man laughed: "Maybe it just says 'Zhu Erniang'."

He Lingchuan was even more surprised than them: he had seen this kind of font in the Immortal Cave at the edge of Xianlinghu! He hadn't found a place to decipher the Immortal's Testament he had rubbed, and now the same font appeared in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin.

Then the question arose: why would there be ancient inscriptions at the entrance of a cave spider's hole?

And He Lingchuan also noticed that the color of the inscriptions was as bright red as blood under the fluorescent lighting. Since this place was rarely visited by humans, who was regularly tracing the vermilion for it? Otherwise, after wind and rain, the handwriting should have faded long ago.

"The Ghost Needle Shi Lin is truly getting more and more evil the longer we stay." Liutiao whispered. "Not suitable for staying long; let's go quickly."

Safety first; she was a woman with little curiosity.

Just as the group was about to turn around, the soft brocade of the cave suddenly moved without wind, and the wave-like, beautiful light patterns almost blinded them.

Immediately after, a huge figure crawled out of the cave.

Its volume was equivalent to a small house, with a brown and white alternating back, eight long legs, and a body covered in stiff bristles...

This was a giant spider, dozens of times larger than the little kin crawling all over the ground.

The common characteristic of giant objects was that they gave people a heavy sense of oppression visually. Even a woman as carefree as Liutiao couldn't help but turn her head.

However, the giant spider flipped its back with agility that didn't match its body size, and the fluorescent light shone on its abdomen, making everyone in the distance widen their eyes.

This spider monster's abdomen was just too beautiful.

The azure background was like the sky, and the countless white dots that were shining and gradient were like stars, and there were several huge light spots that were yellow with red, very much like the main stars of a constellation.

The starry sky on a summer night was nothing more than this.

However, the giant spider monster immediately landed on its eight feet, hiding the star map on its abdomen, and the hideousness outweighed the beauty.

Countless little spiders gathered around it, as if reporting.

Afterwards, the giant spider monster took steps and headed northeast.

It looked huge, but it made no sound when walking.

The spiders filling the pit and valley surrounded it in the center, like stars arching over the moon.

Not until the giant spider monster's back crossed the long slope and disappeared into the forest did that invisible pressure dissipate.

Eighty percent of the spiders followed it away, leaving only twenty percent of the guards outside the cave.

Only then did the group dare to speak: "Was that Zhu Erniang?"

The guide reached out to wipe his sweat: "It's it, it must be it!" He hadn't seen it personally, but he was convinced from the bottom of his heart. Could there be a second one in the Ghost Needle Shi Lin for such a terrifying monster? The legend was indeed true.

"It went northeast." Menban looked hesitant. "What do we do now?"

"Go around the slope and head north." Liu Tong whispered. "Zhu Erniang is heading for our main force."

The guide looked worried: "Can the Panlongcheng army beat it? It's the overlord here!"

He Lingchuan only said two words: "Of course." Of course, he wasn't sure!

General Nanke's team didn't have the advantage of time, place, or spider harmony. Even if the Panlongcheng army was top-notch in combat power, even if they had Yuan power bonuses, what of it? Seeing that everyone's faces were a bit stiff, He Lingchuan still encouraged them: "We don't have to beat it; we just need to fight and retreat, and leave the Ghost Needle Shi Lin."

That was... very correct. Liu Tong secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "That's the principle! Let's go."

Unfortunately, the horse the merchant was riding was suddenly startled by a forest bird and let out a neigh.

Although the owner immediately pulled the reins, the sound traveled far in the night, and the spiders at the cave entrance heard it, lifting their legs and heading this way.

"Damn it, run!" If these things caught up, it would be a big problem.

￥￥￥￥￥

A subordinate reported: "General, the spiders attacking the gap have become larger and are harder to deal with."

General Nanke rushed over to take a look, and sure enough, the cat-sized spiders had grown a circle larger, comparable to yellow dogs. Although they weren't as agile as before, the spider silk they sprayed was stickier and their strength was greater.

At this time, another soldier reported: "The spiders are moving the fire wall!"

"How is that possible?" General Nanke was greatly surprised. Inspecting the middle section of the fire wall, he discovered that the silk webs sprayed by some spider monsters were not affected by fire and could adhere to the burning giant trees. So other spiders swarmed up to help pull backward.

These spider monsters themselves probably weren't afraid of ordinary fire, but they didn't intend to cross the fire wall for close-quarters combat with the soldiers. They had Yuan power protection, so they would suffer losses no matter how they fought.

The best strategy was still to tear down the fire wall and let the spider army in.

General Nanke saw with his own eyes a giant tree ten zhang long being pulled by tens of thousands of spiders, and he was also startled. He ordered the archers to climb the trees and specifically shoot the spider monsters. After all, there were limited spider monsters that didn't fear fire; shooting one meant one less.

The group hadn't caught their breath yet, and they were busy chopping down new trees to fill the gap.

How did these things suddenly become stronger and smarter?

General Nanke was thoughtful: "It looks like the mastermind has arrived."

He channeled his energy into his dantian, and his loud voice echoed over the fire wall and the entire river valley: "Is Zhu Erniang there? Please come out for a meeting!"

He did some homework before setting off with his troops, of course knowing that the landlord of the Ghost Needle Shi Lin was the spider monster Zhu Erniang.

The spider swarm's offensive indeed slowed down, and a huge figure appeared on a small hill twenty zhang away in the night.

"Are you Zhu Erniang? I am General Chu Xuan of Panlongcheng's Nanke. I was escorting a merchant caravan through the Ghost Needle Shi Lin, but was attacked by a cave spider swarm. May I ask what is the reason for this?"

"Heh." A low voice sounded in everyone's hearts. "You killed my people, burned my cave, and were treacherous first—yet you dare to bite back and say I hurt people? Blood debts must be paid in blood."

It was indeed so. General Nanke said loudly: "The ones who burned your nest were the Baling people, not done by our Panlong army and people. Injustice has its head, and debts have their owners; you should be looking for trouble with them."

As soon as the words fell, two spiders stood at the gap in the fire wall.

The soldiers held their spears and waited, but they just stood still.

Zhu Erniang said again: "I ask you, can you tell these two spiders apart?"

Everyone looked, and these two things were of comparable size, both had twelve shining eyes, both had round bodies, both had furry, black legs, and even the white spots on their legs were in the same position.

General Nanke was silent.

He understood Zhu Erniang's meaning; humans saw all spiders as if they were carved from the same mold, and it was the same the other way around.

This big monster was too lazy to distinguish who was Baling and who was Panlong; anyway, it was humans who hurt the cave spiders, so it was right for her to seek revenge on humans.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 201 =====