Volume 1 Chapter 037: Waves in the Sea of Insects
The cave was pitch black, the ground was uneven and rocky, and the ground was shaking violently. I fell several times after taking a few steps. I vaguely felt Qingzi was in front of me, so I went up and hugged her waist.
"What are you doing?" Qingzi shouted in the darkness.
"I... I can't see!" I screamed, clinging to the hand and refusing to let go. It was pitch dark in the crack, and if I let go, I would be lost in a few seconds.
"Let go, hold my hand!" Qingzi's voice was a little cold.
I grabbed her hand and held it tightly, then let go of her waist. Her hand felt soft and delicate, but very cold.
As we walked, the ground shook and the mountains seemed to be shaking. I couldn't see anything, so I could only hold her hand tightly and stumble behind her. I didn't know how long we walked, but finally I saw a ray of light ahead. After walking for about half an hour, the two of us squeezed out of a very hidden cave.
I squinted my eyes. Having stayed in the dark for too long, I was not used to the bright light outside.
"Can you let go now?" Qingzi gave me a cold look.
I quickly let go of his hand and looked back. I saw that we were standing in a valley. Not far ahead there was a small pond about eight or nine meters square, with a faint vapor rising.
I was already very thirsty, so I ran over when I saw it, leaned over to the edge of the pond, scooped up some water and poured it into my mouth. I drank several big gulps in a row, and finally lay down on the shore contentedly. I stood up and waved to Qingzi: "This water is quite sweet, don't you want to have some?"
Qingzi said coldly: "No need." He turned around and looked around.
I drank a few more big mouthfuls and felt my stomach was bloated. I stopped and washed my face. Just as I was about to get up, I heard a loud bang . I was almost thrown into the pond by the sound wave. I looked back in horror and saw that the cave we came out of was completely buried by rocks, and a large area of the mountain range extending out had collapsed. Judging from the direction, it should be the area of Gouya Valley. If we were still in the tomb at this time, we would probably have been buried by the rocks.
"Let's go." Qingzi turned and walked towards the forest ahead. At this time, the sky was bright, and the sun leaked through the shade of the trees in the valley, falling on her body and face, and she felt very warm. Qingzi's originally snow-white face was dyed by the afterglow, and it was reflected with a little more blood color. She was wearing a top and a skirt, with long hair draped over her shoulders. The mountain breeze blew, her hair fluttered, and her skirt fluttered, like a fairy.
I was stunned and dazed for a moment. When I heard her urging me again, I said "Oh" and chased after her.
"Where are you going?" I rushed to her side and walked shoulder to shoulder with her.
Qingzi looked indifferent and said, "I don't know."
I was speechless for a moment, and said, "Then let's go to Gouya Valley and have a look?" I didn't give up and I had to look for him again. I didn't believe that my third uncle had really gone there like that.
Qingzi didn't say anything. I identified the direction and said, "Go this way!" I took the lead and walked towards the direction of Gouya Valley. Qingzi followed.
The big crack we escaped from the mountain actually stretched to the west of Gouya Valley. It was a straight line when we came out, but if we wanted to go back now, we had to go around an arc, so it took us more time. When we really arrived at Gouya Valley, we found that it was completely unrecognizable. The whole mountain had collapsed. Not to mention Uncle San, even the body of Dead Face was buried under the collapsed rocks, and there was no trace of him.
I shouted with all my might: "Uncle San, where are you?" But my throat was already hoarse from crying, like a broken gong, dry and astringent, and my sound couldn't be heard at all.
Qingzi stood there, watching me toss and turn, but didn't try to stop me. When I finally had enough, she turned around and left, saying, "Can we go now?"
I followed her in despair for a long time, then asked feebly, "Where are we going?"
Qingzi said: "Think while walking."
I looked at the sky and said, "Let's go to Maobizi Village and have something to eat."
Qingzi didn't say anything, so I took it as her agreement and limped ahead to lead the way. Although I drank a lot of water at the pond, water alone was not enough. I hadn't eaten a grain of rice in the past few days and was already dizzy with hunger.
When I arrived at the entrance of Gouya Valley, I saw the cloth tied to the tree was still there. I couldn't help but feel sad and turned to walk towards Maobizi Village. As soon as we got out of the dense jungle, we saw a strange scene. I saw a dark mass floating in the distant sky.
At first glance, it looks like black clouds, but if you look closely, you will know that it is not. Look at the direction, it seems to be the location of Maobizi Village.
I was stunned for a moment and said, "What is that?"
Qingzi took a look and said nothing, motioning me to get going. Walking a little further, I could see more clearly that the black mass seemed to have formed a huge circle in the air, and from a distance it looked like a suspended black ring. The more I looked, the more surprised I became. Walking a little further, I found that there were many strange reptiles on the road, including centipedes as thick as thumbs, poisonous snakes covered in red, and even many things that I had never seen before.
The closer I got to Maobizi Village, the more reptiles there were. After climbing over a hill, I could see Maobizi Village. But at this point I stopped and didn't dare to take another step forward.
Originally, the surroundings of Maobizi Village were all fields reclaimed by villagers and planted with green crops , but now, at a glance, it was a dark mass. Looking carefully, I found that it was densely packed with reptiles, all kinds of common and uncommon reptiles in the mountains came out, surging like a tide, surrounding the entire Maobizi Village from all directions.
Now that they were closer, the true appearance of the black ring in the sky could be seen. It turned out to be a large group of huge black birds, crowded together, fluttering and chirping around Maobizi Village.
I couldn't help but think of what the village chief said. Many years ago, the nearby mountains shook, and Cat Nose Village was besieged by countless snakes, insects, and strange birds. Fortunately, the Bai family led the villagers to transport two statues of mythical beasts from the mountains, which kept the village safe until now. Recently, perhaps because of the continuous collapse of this mountain range and the frequent occurrence of strange things, there has been another insect plague.
The reason why these reptiles and strange birds surrounded the village and dared not invade was probably because of the two statues of mythical beasts at the entrance of the village. However, when I left yesterday, the two statues seemed to be damaged for no reason. I don’t know how long they can last.
I was horrified by what I saw, but in the face of this natural disaster, there was no human power to save it. Once the statue collapsed, the entire village would probably be wiped out.
"What are you doing? Let's go." Qingzi started walking forward. I was anxious and quickly chased after her, holding her back and yelling, "Don't you see all these ghosts ahead? Going in is like going to die!"
Qingzi said coldly: "You do whatever I tell you to do!"
I said angrily: "Okay, if you want to die, it's up to you!" Although I said it in a humble manner, I still couldn't help but feel creepy when I saw these poisonous insects surging like a tide. I grabbed her skirt tightly and couldn't help shaking all over, with my hands and feet stiff.
Qingzi reached out and grabbed my collar, lifted me up, and said in a cold tone: "What are you afraid of?" I kicked my hands and feet, asking her to put me down, and shouted: "How can I be afraid! Put me down if you have the guts!"
Qingzi put me down as he said, and then walked forward without even looking at me. I hesitated for a moment, but finally chased after him. Those strange snakes, insects, rats and ants gathered together densely, making all kinds of terrifying noises.
I was determined to die, and secretly held two three-edged needles in my hands, thinking that if I was surrounded by these poisonous creatures and couldn't escape, I would stab her to death with one needle first, and then kill myself with another needle, so as not to be bitten to death by insects. But before I made up my mind, I saw an incredible scene in front of me.
As Qingzi stepped in, the boundless sea of insects suddenly became boiling like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pan! I held on to Qingzi's skirt tightly, and wherever I went, poisonous insects, snakes and ants retreated to the sides like a tide, as if they had encountered something extremely terrifying and were trying to avoid it as much as possible.
The strange birds that were originally floating in the sky were like balloons that had exploded, and they fled in all directions. Strange birds were constantly hit by their own kind, breaking their bones and falling like rain. I was shocked to see this scene. Wherever we went, the black insect tide was like a huge wave, rolling to both sides!
Perhaps this scene left such a deep impression on me that I can still recall it clearly many years later. At that time, all the villagers of Maobizi Village were kneeling at the entrance of the village, burning incense and candles, praying for the divine beast to protect the village. Many women and children were so scared that they cried loudly. Suddenly, Qingzi and I came slowly. The sea of insects and birds dispersed like a tide. The old and young in the village fell to the ground together, and shouted devoutly: "Bless the immortal! Bless the immortal!"
I was at a loss for what to do. Qingzi was as indifferent as ever, oblivious to everything around him. He passed by the villagers who were prostrating themselves and went straight into the village.
I saw my third sister kneeling in the crowd, so I ran over to hold her and asked if she had seen my third uncle. My third sister was pale and trembling. She said she had never seen anyone come back, and asked me how her father was.
I didn't know how to answer, so I mumbled a few words, got up and left. Seeing some offerings for worshiping the mythical beasts on the ground, I picked up a few steamed buns and two fruits.
I ran away, and when I looked back I saw the villagers behind me still kneeling and shouting, "May the immortal bless you."
