Chapter 59: Snake Shedding
Rumble... the sound of huge rocks falling could be heard from behind. Even here, the ripples of the river could be felt, and the ground was shaking wildly.
Now they are more than 600 meters away from the center of the fight between the two king beasts. A small wooden boat is floating on the water. Jiang Xian and Ling Xiaozi each paddle the boat, using their remaining strength to push the boat into the deep water.
The boat was made of golden nanmu wood, which was mostly used by ancient people to make coffins because it could last for thousands of years. This boat was the backup left by Liu Xuanzi. Two thousand years later, it became the only means of escape for the two.
No one spoke. It was like living in a nightmare when they thought about the journey. Nineteen members of the exploration team, Chu Ziyi, Hong Si Niang, and the Eight-armed Arhat... No one had expected that with the help of experts and the huge investment from Shenzhou, only three of them would survive.
The oars gently cut through the water. They had rowed more than 600 meters and could see a sun-like light about 200 to 300 meters ahead. The light shone to the left and right, and they could clearly see the endless stone wall.
They were at the end... They were both a little emotional, almost reaching the exit... However, they did not feel too excited. Ling Xiaozi stared at the front in a trance and asked , "Why are there snakes?"
Jiang Xian lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and said with a sad smile: "One of the major mechanisms in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is the giant python."
"He moved the mausoleum from the ground to the underground, and finally floated it across the ocean. It was no problem to release the giant python." He exhaled a puff of smoke and said hoarsely: "In fact... there are hints in many places... the tail under the Great Wall, the strangeness of the ape crane... and so on."
Ling Xiaozi nodded, his voice seemed very calm: "Then...what about Yuanhe?"
"Empress Dowager Xia's pets. I'm afraid she presented more than just one, but a whole group." Jiang Xian flicked the ash from his cigarette and said slowly, "They are the perfect choice for keeping the tomb."
silence.
After a few seconds, Ling Xiaozi asked, "Did you get the stuff?"
Jiang Xian finally smiled and gently stroked his heart: "Of course, otherwise... wouldn't the others have died in vain?"
"What are you going to do after you get out?"
"First, I have to go to Foping County to settle this matter. Such a large underground palace will surely shock the world. It can also be regarded as my repayment for Director Ma's favor."
"Next, I have to go find the son of Hong Si Niang and the Eight-Armed Arhat."
"Did you find it?"
"…Raise him. This is my instruction to them."
"And after that?"
"After that... we just need to figure out the secret... and after the Academy of Social Sciences gets involved, I'm afraid I'll have to come down again. But, that will be much easier."
"Mr. Jiang, did you bring out anything good from here? Shenzhou is eagerly waiting for it."
Jiang Xian smiled mysteriously but did not speak. Ling Xiaozi looked around and took out a seal from his pocket like he was offering a treasure. Even though Jiang Xian only took a glance, he could not help but gasp.
Most of the seal, which was as big as a thumb, was white without a single flaw, while the lower part was a blood-red rouge color. It turned out to be a rare piece of blood jade!
The top of the seal is in the shape of a dragon, and the lower part is square. At the bottom, the two characters "Ying Zheng" are engraved.
The seal of the First Emperor! And it may be a private seal!
"Guess how much it's worth?" Ling Xiaozi's voice was a little hoarse: "If it's less than 50 million, I will definitely not sell it!"
"More than that." Jiang Xian only glanced at it and then looked away: "Don't sell it for less than 80 million. If you give this thing to Shenzhou, they will go crazy."
Ling Xiaozi was not excited, but blinked and squinted at Jiang Xian: "Little brother, something is wrong with you!"
Jiang Xian: ???
"Tens of millions of dollars worth of stuff... after tax, we... no, I have more than 400 million, and you didn't even take a look? You must have something better! Take it out! Quick! Or I'll strip you!"
"Go ahead, it's not like I haven't done that before... you're awesome if you can find it."
"Hmm? Are you hiding in the dry road? Tsk tsk tsk... Dirty!"
"Fuck... do you believe that Daddy will sweep you down to feed the fish with one paddle?!"
Dong... At this moment, the sound of the boat approaching the shore came, and the two finally stopped talking. They looked up and looked around. However, after just one look, they both stood up.
"This is..." Jiang Xian looked around solemnly. This was the end of the canal. In front of them was a huge stone wall, tens of meters high and a thousand meters wide. They stopped at the stairs below the stone wall. Looking up the stairs, there were rows of majestic terracotta warriors.
These terracotta warriors are completely different from those outside. Their armor is more exquisite and all covered with Han purple. There is a passage several tens of meters wide in the middle. On both sides are bronze chariots and horses, and in the back are bronze staffs. Walking up the stairs, it feels like the emperor is offering sacrifices to the gods.
This wall was covered with relief carvings. The two looked at it carefully, and the more they looked, the tighter their brows furrowed.
"This is the Qin Shihuang Langya Immortal Searching Map." Jiang Xian looked up at the stone wall and murmured, "But... what is this?"
On the left, Qin Shi Huang is traveling to Langya in search of immortals, accompanied by hundreds of officials. On the right, countless ships are arranged in battle formations, arrows are flying across the sky, and among all the ships, a huge monster rises into the sky.
That's a snake.
"Is it that big black one?" Ling Xiaozi asked doubtfully, but as soon as he finished speaking, he shook his head: "No... That black snake doesn't need such a big show. So what on earth is this thing?"
Jiang Xian pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Do you remember... Xu Fu's third voyage?"
Ling Xiaozi blinked his eyes, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Xu Fu told Qin Shi Huang that there was a giant dragon in the sea, causing storms, so he couldn't find the fairy mountain. So Qin Shi Huang ordered his troops to go and shoot it, and he went there himself. Finally, he shot and killed the giant dragon... Are you saying, this is the giant dragon?"
"It looks like... maybe it's a sea snake." Ling Xiaozi shook his head and looked towards the center of the relief. The sculpture there was even more confusing.
The sculpture still depicted Qin Shi Huang, but this time he was holding up a fruit core, which was radiant with light. However, Qin Shi Huang did not look at the fruit core, but at his surroundings.
There were countless immortals around him, and these immortals were both male and female, but their positions were very strange. Behind them was a huge map of the Qin Dynasty.
"Nine Palaces Flying Stars?" Ling Xiaozi looked at the picture in confusion: "Nine immortals, nine palaces in total, and three boys beside them, corresponding to... corresponding to the 'Nine Palaces and Twelve Cities'?"
"What's the point of this? Hasn't this underground palace been unlocked?"
Jiang Xian rubbed his chin, looked at the wall solemnly, and shook his head after a long while: "I don't know, but maybe... there are some things that even Liu Xuanzi can't touch."
He breathed a sigh of relief: "Now is not the time to talk about this, you see."
Following the direction of Jiang Xian's finger, Ling Xiaozi suddenly saw that a stone door had quietly opened at the corner of the wall.
That... should be the passage left by Liu Xuanzi.
Finally, we can go out... The two looked at each other, and a sincere smile appeared on their faces. Then, they rushed into the stone gate together.
"It's so dark..." Ling Xiaozi spat as soon as he entered. At the same time, the stone door behind him slammed shut. The next second, lights lit up one by one.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a piece of white... However, when they saw the white, the hairs on their heads stood up and their bodies suddenly pressed against the wall, taking a defensive stance.
Those white things... are scales!
Each one was as big as a human face, stretching as far as the eye could see! As more and more lights came on, the visibility in the cave became brighter and brighter, and they finally saw... the full appearance of the White Death!
"Oh my... God..." Ling Xiaozi's legs softened and he sat on the ground. Jiang Xian stared blankly ahead, and the Dragon Slayer in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. The two seemed to lose consciousness in an instant, and were completely shocked by the scene before them.
This is a cave.
It was huge, almost as big as a canal, more than a kilometer long. Lamps were carved on the walls everywhere.
There was no decoration at all, just... a huge monster lying in the cave!
That's a snake.
A snow-white snake!
It was so huge, so huge that it was unbelievable! It was thirty meters thick and several hundred meters long, curled up into a ball, lying on the stone platform, like a candle dragon in the underworld that opened its eyes at dawn and closed its eyes at dusk.
A black line started from the snake's head and spread all the way to its tail. It was clear that there were two obvious protrusions on its head, like dragon horns. And among the body, one could even see a few bird-like claws!
This white snake and that black snake are not at the same level at all!
"Dao, Daozu is above..." Ling Xiaozi tried to stand up, but he had no strength at all. In front of this monster, both the ape crane and the black snake were just younger brothers. Not to mention two humans who were as small as ants.
Jiang Xian's heart instantly rose to his throat. However, at the same time as he was terrified, doubts spread wildly: Such a huge snake... No, this should be a dragon, right? Can that stone wall trap it?
And... he walked in front of it, but it didn't react ? They were only about 20 meters away from the snake.
Suppressing his pounding heart, he looked carefully for more than ten seconds, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He patted Ling Xiaozi's shoulder with his sweaty hands: "Don't be afraid. It's just a snake slough."
Snake shedding?
Ling Xiaozi swallowed his saliva and took two steps forward. After watching carefully for dozens of seconds, he finally wiped the cold sweat off his forehead: "Fuck... I'm scared to death..."
It was indeed a snake slough, and the whole snake was translucent. Jiang Xian walked up to the snake slough and touched it gently: "The existence of a snake slough proves that this snake once existed... No! Snake sloughs can't last that long! At most a hundred years!"
Swish... the wind blew from somewhere, causing the candle flame to flicker. The two men's eyes met, and there was only fear in their eyes.
In other words, there was indeed a giant snake here a hundred years ago!
So… where did it go?
Gulp... Ling Xiaozi's Adam's apple moved fiercely: "This thing...could it be the one painted on the mural outside?"
"A giant snake that is more than two thousand years old? The ancestor of the black snake?" Even Jiang Xian couldn't believe this answer, but... when he thought about it carefully, this was actually the best explanation at the moment?
"This is not something we can control." Ling Xiaozi pulled Jiang Xian's camouflage uniform and said, "This kind of thing must be reported to the country. I always feel like there is something watching us here. Let's go! I don't want to stay here any longer!"
Jiang Xian nodded. He thought the underground palace was over, but something so bizarre appeared in the end. Staying here any longer would be tantamount to seeking death.
Why is this giant snake here?
Where has it gone now? Why can it still grow bigger and shed its skin?
"Let's go." He looked to the side, where a stone door had been completely opened. "We'll talk about these things after we go upstairs."
"There are still many things waiting for us."
