Chapter 95: My Mom, a Snake Demon!

The first thread of dawn broke through the darkness's shackles, falling upon the mountains; amid the smoky cyan, a hint of gold suffused, and the bright color was thus layered and rendered.

However, more than half of the sky at this moment remained black, not fully awakened from sleep; silver light fell upon the trees, carrying a unique stillness.

The alternation of day and night is when the qi of heaven and earth is most abundant; Ye Qin exhaled and inhaled, and every movement was filled with an indescribable charm.

With each rise and fall of his breath, it seemed as if the entire mountains and rivers trembled along with it.

A thin white gas surrounded the surroundings; these could not be absorbed and were automatically expelled from the body, having no effect for Ye Qin.

But for the surrounding plants, it was greatly beneficial, causing growth to become ever more vigorous, and even the leaves turned greener.

"The realm has been completely consolidated, and the qi mass within the body has also become considerably more solid; however, to condense it into a qi pill, we still need to speed up a bit."

After returning from the Daoist temple, Ye Qin did not stop alchemy; now his body had only formed a qi mass, and there was still a long way to go before forming a pill, so he did not relax because of that.

However, this left Ye Qin somewhat puzzled; after this meditation, aside from the energy fed back by the Daoist temple, there seemed to be no specific change to the body, nor any manifestation of divine ability.

"Why is there no observable feedback this time?"

"Could it be that the meditation subject is too special, so it cannot give concrete feedback?"

Ye Qin pondered several times but found no clue; studying for half a day yielded no effect, so for now he could only put it aside, fortunately this time was not completely without gain.

The urgent task is to quickly absorb postnatal qi, strengthen the body's qi mass, and thus finally be able to condense it into a pill.

Life on the mountain remained peaceful; it was merely Ye Qin directing animals to gather herbs for alchemy, while the surrounding villagers tried to avoid going up the mountain so as not to disturb the Mountain God.

As the heat of summer passed and the autumn equinox approached, the mountain's tranquility on this day was broken.

On the winding mountain road, a car was traveling.

"Wuye, how much money did that side give this time, even having you personally participate in this operation?"

The one called Wuye was a middle-aged man in his forties, with an ordinary appearance; lost in a crowd, you could never pick him out, looking quite ordinary.

Yet the others held him in high regard, even implicitly taking him as their leader; it was clear he occupied a dominant position in the team.

Wuye gestured a number with his hand; although the others said nothing, the surprise in their eyes revealed that the number was not trivial.

"Holy cow, such a big deal—once we finish this, we'll have food and clothing for the rest of our lives."

Wuye nodded calmly.

"So this time we must work well; the employer is generous, we cannot lose face, and I've received news that the archaeological team has already noticed this—before they arrive, we'll strike first."

"When we finish this job, we can also rest for a while."

The others nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Wuye, we'll handle things reliably; besides, this time you personally came down from the mountain, so we definitely won't fail."

"But speaking of which, what exactly is this tomb?"

"Do more, ask less—you've been around the trade this long, how do you not know this rule? You'll find out when you get there."

The person scolded by Wuye wasn't angry; instead, he showed a placating expression, saying, "Wuye, I'm just asking—this isn't just curiosity, is it?"

Wuye glanced at him sideways, saying, "You haven't heard enough of 'curiosity killed the cat'; in any case, after we finish this job, we won't shortchange you."

It turned out this gang were tomb robbers, colloquially known as grave robbers, and they were quite notorious in the trade.

Take Wuye for example: when young he was a skilled tomb robber, having looted many large tombs; later he washed his hands of the trade, but he still kept many followers.

This group specialized in tomb robbing and selling the loot, having dedicated channels; many precious artifacts were sold by them, thus they made huge illicit profits.

The state strictly forbids tomb robbing and the illicit sale of artifacts, yet this practice persists despite bans; some people flout the law, treating it as nothing.

This group is cunning; each operation is clean and neat, leaving no traces, and they indeed have some skill, which is why they have become renowned in the trade.

This time they were hired by someone; unknown how they got the news, they knew there was a large tomb here and arrived ahead of the archaeological team.

Because their work cannot see the light of day, they either travel early in the morning or at night; they finally arrived here at sunrise.

"I've received word that the archaeological team previously sent a few people to scout; the main force won't be here for a while, so we still have plenty of time."

"Xiaoliu Lao Tie, you'll later be in charge of watching the surroundings; Datou and Xuanfeng will go scout and dig the tomb entrance, and when it gets dark we'll move!"

"Understood, Wuye!"

Although this place is remote and uninhabited, there are villages nearby; just in case, we still need to leave someone on watch.

It is precisely this caution that has kept Wuye from ever failing over the years.

After finally waiting until nightfall, the group shouldered their equipment and immediately began to act.

These tomb robbers are well‑trained; each possesses superb skills, and the number of tombs they've looted is countless.

They make tomb robbing their profession, having accumulated rich experience; they are adept at disguising themselves to avoid detection, and they have a set of methods for dealing with the tomb's anti‑theft mechanisms.

Moreover, the approximate scope of the tomb can be determined, which to some extent saves them effort; thereafter they only need to pinpoint the exact location and dig a good entrance.

From a certain perspective, archaeologists truly cannot compare to them; after all, they rely mainly on theory, while practical action certainly falls short of those who have looted so many tombs.

Perhaps they know what era the artifacts come from and what cultural significance they hold, but these tomb robbers can dig out an entrance in the shortest possible time.

The tomb's location is not hard to find; it lies on one side of the mountain.

The night in the mountains had no light at all; only the faint beams of everyone's flashlights illuminated the road ahead.

The lush trees that were verdant by day now resembled massive beasts lurking in the darkness, silently watching their advance.

All around, utter silence prevailed; it seemed as if every creature had fallen asleep, with only the sound of their footsteps on fallen leaves audible.

They are all grown men, and having looted so many tombs, they fear no talk of ghosts or gods, for there simply are none—it's pure nonsense.

"This mountain is still quite quiet."

Perhaps it's because autumn has arrived; insect chirps and bird calls have diminished greatly, and the summer's hoarse cicada chorus has also fallen silent here.

After advancing for nearly an hour, everyone finally arrived, quickly taking out tools to begin searching all around.

Wuye looked at the map in his hand, saying, "According to the information we received, the tomb is nearby; we need to find a way down."

Although we have a rough direction, digging a good entrance is not easy; several people took out Luoyang shovels and began repeatedly striking the ground.

Fortunately, these people are veterans, so they soon had a rough idea of the location.

"Wuye, come over and take a look here."

Wuye, hearing the voice, walked over, pinched a handful of earth from the ground, and smelled it at his nose.

The smell here differs from before; it seems mixed with cement and cinnabar, the color also looks a bit off, and there are other colors—this must be the right place inside.

With Wuye's confirmation, everyone quickly set the central point and began working.

Because this place is remote and still some distance from the previous villages, to save time they buried detonators for blasting, making excavation easier for them.

Soon a robber tunnel was formed, just large enough for one person to pass through.

Holding a candle, they probed inside the cave; the candle kept burning, and Wuye then said: "Xuanfeng, you take the candle down first to lead the way; Xiaoliu, you follow behind."

After a moment of action, after waiting a short while, the voices of Xuanfeng and Xiaoliu came from inside the robber tunnel.

"Wuye, you can come down now."

Wuye and the others took their tools and also went down the robber tunnel; after passing through a narrow passage, their view soon gradually opened up.

……

Moonlight shrouded the mountains, silver radiance flowing; watching their figures completely disappear into that small cave.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Ye Qin gazed at the bright moon overhead, feeling something in his heart.

During this period of refinement, he could feel the qi mass in his body growing considerably; with the aid of elixir, it condensed into postnatal qi within his body—although each time it was relatively scarce, it was very stable.

Since there is progress, strike while the iron is hot.

Ye Qin decided to conduct another large-scale alchemy; perhaps it could bring multiple benefits, which would inevitably require many herbs.

But the herbs he had previously gathered have almost been used up; now only a little remains.

"It seems we still need to replenish the herbs."

Ye Qin's mental power slowly spread out; after a moment, the bushes nearby made a rustling sound, and soon a small head popped out.

More and more animals responded to Ye Qin's summon, gathering around him, then quickly dispersed again.

Under the moonlight, countless animals could be seen running through the forest, converging into several black streams that weaved between the broad leaves, as if searching for something.

At this time, most people have already entered into sweet dreams.

Nocturnal animals are not many, but now all the animals on the mountain have become lively.

A black veil shrouded the mountain range; only silver radiance hung from the treetops, shedding a faint light, through which a massive beast tide could be vaguely seen coalescing among the treetops of the forest.

……

Meanwhile, deep in the mountain tomb.

A group headed straight for the main tomb, the target very clear; this also served to save time.

Most of the burial goods were made of gold, silver, jewels, or porcelain and other valuable items; this tomb chamber looks rather large, so the tomb's occupant likely had considerable status.

But his burial goods consisted entirely of bronze ware or porcelain vessels and such, plus some oddly shaped tools; meanwhile, the surrounding calligraphy and books were quite plentiful.

"Pack up all these books and calligraphy; as for the bronze ware and porcelain, pick out the exquisite pieces to take."

"Don't be greedy; travel light—being able to escape is the right way."

Wuye instructed the group, then he himself went to the other side of the main tomb; when he returned, his backpack was bulging, forming a half‑round shape, as if something were inside.

Their backpacks differed from ordinary ones, having a very large capacity and able to hold many items.

But looking at Wuye's situation, it seemed he had taken out all his original tools and used them solely to hold this.

Others couldn't help but ask: "Wuye, what's inside this?"

Wuye patted his backpack, saying: "This is something good, also specifically requested by the employer; other things don't matter, but if we lose this, we won't get paid."

Hearing this, everyone immediately became interested: "What is it? Let us take a look too."

"What's there to look at? When we deliver the goods you'll know; once we have the items we'll hurry out—don't waste time here."

Just as the group was preparing to leave with their belongings, near the robber tunnel they heard a rustling sound, as if someone were approaching the tunnel.

Wuye was startled, quickly made a gesture, and everyone instantly understood, stopping their actions.

"Could it be that someone is up above?"

"Xiaoliu, go check the situation above, be careful."

Xiaoliu from the group nodded, put down his backpack, crept up quietly, poked his head out, and carefully surveyed the surroundings.

Soon he climbed back down, saying: "Wuye, there's nobody up above."

Everyone couldn't help but sigh in relief, thinking it must have been just the wind.

This place is a desolate wilderness, and it's night; logically there should be no one around.

"Alright, let's hurry up."

However, after the group climbed up, the earlier faint rustling sound sounded again, and at once everyone's hearts rang with alarm.

"Could it really be someone?!"

Everyone's gaze fell upon the nearby bushes, whose branches and leaves kept swaying.

There was no wind at the moment; the night was thick, like a black curtain covering everyone, making it hard to breathe.

Wuye gave a look; two people in the group cautiously approached with Luoyang shovels, then suddenly struck hard with a shovel!

With that force, if it struck a person's head, the head would probably burst open on the spot.

However, they struck nothing.

Because a black shadow suddenly lunged out of the bushes, startling the two into stepping back half a step.

That creature was slender all over, with brown‑yellow fur and a long, pointed snout.

"I thought it was something else, but it's just a yellow weasel."

After seeing what animal it was, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; it had been a false alarm.

The yellow weasel seemed to be holding something in its mouth, but it had dashed by too fast for anyone to see clearly.

Now the bushes have been parted, and the scene inside can be clearly seen.

Around the soil mounds there are many claw marks; the dirt has all been turned outward, exposing the roots and stems of many plants.

"It looks like this beast was digging a hole here just now."

Scared to death, I thought someone was here.

The crowd chatted a bit, didn't take it to heart, but the yellow weasel's appearance was like a signal.

Just as they had finished packing up and were ready to leave, someone in the group suddenly spoke.

"Wait, did you hear any other sounds?"

"I'm saying you probably aren't just scared by that yellow weasel earlier, right? It's just seeing bows as snakes."

"If you ask me, in these wild mountains, where would there be so many sounds?"

But soon, another person in the group also noticed something was off.

"No, it really seems like there is some sound."

As soon as those words hit the ground, the ground transmitted a faint tremor, as if many people were coming toward them.

"My goodness!"

At that moment, Xuanfeng in the group, not knowing what he saw, instantly showed an expression of extreme terror, his eyes bulging wide, his eyeballs almost popping out.

"Your expression looks like you've seen a ghost."

Hearing that, Xuanfeng's face suddenly changed, finally regaining his composure: "Quick, quick, look behind."

The crowd hurriedly looked over, but suddenly saw a scene that would be unforgettable for them.

The night stretched boundlessly, mountains and rivers and plants all turned into indistinct ghostly silhouettes; this atmosphere inexplicably felt eerie.

Countless pairs of gloomy green eyes emerged in the darkness, like a sky‑covering ghostly fire; for a moment the tomb raiders and others were shocked, feeling their scalps go numb.

Before the crowd could react, several more black shadows appeared, all small rodents like field mice, rabbits, squirrels; this was only the beginning.

Yellow weasels, hyenas, jackals and other medium‑sized carnivores followed closely behind.

All these animals gathered together, forming a dark, pressing river; the flashlight's beam was limited, so they could only see the dark mass of animals, endlessly streaming out from behind.

Blending completely with the surrounding night, it was impossible to tell just how many animals there were.

The beasts' green eyes glimmered with an inexplicable luster, their sharp fangs and claws making one's heart inexplicably uneasy.

Although there were no large carnivores among them, the sheer number of these medium‑ and small‑sized animals gathered together was not to be underestimated.

Especially in the dark setting, in a daze it gave the illusion that they had already covered the mountains and fields.

One after another, they kept coming endlessly; if one were carelessly swept up, it would be hard to break free.

"Run!"

The timid ones in the group instinctively wanted to run forward, but Wuye grabbed their wrist, speaking sternly: "Running ahead now, you're asking for death!"

At this moment, it was already too late for them to try to escape.

How could two legs outrun four? Moreover, given the speed at which these animals advance, if they really ran forward they'd be overwhelmed in moments.

"Quickly, dodge to the side."

Wuye, the most senior, quickly regained his composure: "Everyone, be careful—don't let these beasts hit you; if you fall in, it's no joke."

The tomb‑raiding team was instantly thrown into disarray, people scrambling in disarray to hide beside and behind large trees to avoid being affected by the animals.

"What's happening? Why did so many animals suddenly come out?"

"I don't know, it's really strange; we've traveled north and south, yet this is the first time we've seen so many animals."

Moreover, these animals aren't even the same species, yet they manage to coexist peacefully, which is truly odd.

One can see both herbivores and carnivores among them; the key is that they seem to ignore each other, which makes the reason truly curious.

After all, some animals are natural enemies, making peaceful coexistence impossible.

Usually, animal migrations we encounter involve a single species; we've never heard of a beast tide before.

The black river formed by the gathering animals stretches out of sight, its exact number unknown, but just looking at its scale shows it's immense.

The tomb raiders' faces turned pale bit by bit.

"With so many animals, could it be that we're going to meet our end here today?"

"It's over, it's over, they're here!"

For a moment everyone's hearts were in their throats, some even ready to fight to the death, but when the beast tide rumbled past, they stood frozen in place.

These animals seemed to have no interest in them, merely rushing past sideways, not even giving them a glance.

"Damn, scared to death."

"What's going on?"

Everyone was still shaken, but luckily it was just a false alarm; otherwise they wouldn't have been able to cope.

At such close range they could clearly smell the foul odor emanating from the animals' fur, and several tomb raiders covered their noses.

"How does it feel like these animals are holding something in their mouths?"

In the darkness, a green light flashed by; because they feared disturbing the beast tide, they didn't dare point their flashlights directly.

"Looks like some kind of plant."

This is strange enough: herbivores carrying plants is understandable, but why are carnivores also carrying plants?

Everyone racked their brains over it, but obviously they had no leisure to worry about it now.

The beast tide came suddenly, without any omen, yet it seemed organized and orderly as it headed in the same direction.

For these tomb raiders, every second felt agonizing; after finally waiting for the beast tide to pass, the stone weighing on their hearts could finally settle completely.

Wuye and the others carefully stepped out from the side.

"These beasts have finally left; I was scared I'd become today's meal for these wild animals."

"So what should we do now?"

Wuye pondered a moment, then said: "This place couldn't just spontaneously produce a beast tide; they came from the northwest, so there must be some change and danger there—let's head down the mountain from the southeast."

The southeast direction is exactly where the beast tide departed.

"If that's the case, wouldn't our route overlap with the beast tide's path? What if danger arises again—what then?"

Fifth Master shook his head; he, well-traveled and knowledgeable, said, "No, this road has already been traveled; unless under special circumstances, one wouldn't turn back, and besides, beasts know how to avoid harm and seek benefit better than humans, so the direction they left is definitely safer."

Moreover, there's another point: once our actions are exposed, even with a beast tide providing cover, we would easily be found by the Police.

After hearing Fifth Master's analysis, the others also found it reasonable: "We'll just follow Fifth Master."

The group readied themselves and continued forward, descending the mountain along the path the animals had taken.

All along the way were twigs and leaves trampled by those animals; looking at it was still quite shocking.

"Where did all these animals come from in the middle of the night? Probably half the mountain's animals are here!"

The animals moved quickly; they were still a considerable distance away, so even if something unexpected occurred—such as a sudden change of direction—they would have time to handle it.

As the group pressed on, a faint light glimmered on the dark road ahead, like fireflies crawling in the darkness, quite noticeable.

This moment aroused the tomb raiders' vigilance.

"What is that? How come there's light?"

"Looks like firelight?"

"How could there be fire on the mountain in the middle of the night? Could something have caught fire?"

"Or could it be that someone is here?"

For a moment, the tomb raiders exchanged glances, some uncertain and doubtful.

In the deep night, a sudden light appeared deep in the mountain; if not for not fearing ghosts, one would really suspect a supernatural event.

However, even so, it's really strange; logically it couldn't be those villagers at the Mountain Foot, since they'd already rested at this hour, and besides, this place is remote—who would be idle enough to light a fire in the mountain at this time?

"Could it be that the news leaked, and others on the road also learned about the tomb here? So others might have followed as well?"

This should be the most reliable guess at the moment; for a moment, Fifth Master's expression turned somewhat unsightly.

If another group of tomb raiders really appeared, it would undoubtedly be a potential threat to them.

"Let's go over and take a look first; remember, don't startle the snake by beating the grass."

The group nodded, they cautiously approached, and the firelight became increasingly obvious.

Fifth Master carefully parted the bushes ahead.

Only see not far away on the grassland, there is a large vat, just like the kind commonly seen in rural villages; aside from that, there's nothing particularly special, and the firelight comes from beneath the vat.

Upon closer look, it turns out that beneath the vat were placed plenty of firewood and dry twigs and leaves, appearing as if someone had deliberately lit a fire to burn the vat here.

The key is there's nobody around here either!

And who would, in the middle of the night, haul a large vat up here to add firewood and light a fire? Surely not just to cook a meal? A midnight snack?

Is it man-made? But it doesn't seem like...

The scene before us looks bizarre, everything filled with strangeness, making one involuntarily think of some ghostly tales, scalp tingling.

"Let's see if there's anyone; maybe they're hiding, hard to say."

Just as the tomb raiders were scanning their surroundings, looking for traces of others, suddenly a low cry came.

"Fifth Master, quickly look, there's also a snake over there!"

Only then did the crowd notice, in the light and shadow not far from the vat, there is also a snake; the snake is entirely dark green, occasionally flashing a black hue, almost blending with the surroundings.

If not examined carefully, it's indeed easy to overlook.

If it were just a snake, it wouldn't be enough to shock the crowd, but what followed soon surpassed everyone's expectations, causing those secretly watching to instantly feel a chill down their spine, their expressions like they'd seen a ghost, terrified!

"My goodness, a demon has appeared!"

(End of chapter)