West Night Lament

Chapter 11

Qin Wen didn't pick up on the sarcasm in his words and continued to act cool: "I'll say it again, a defeated general has no right to speak of bravery. Since I can hurt you once, I can hurt you a thousand times over. You'd better behave, or else..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a gasp from the crowd. Sensing something was wrong, she quickly turned around, her face instantly changing, and she stood there dumbfounded.

Suddenly, several vines sprouted from beneath the hard, rocky floor. They grew extremely fast, reaching several meters in length in no time. Bright red buds appeared on them, their color as vivid as blood, so dazzling it hurt the eyes of everyone present.

"Safflower!" Qin Wen screamed in alarm. "Quick! Everyone, turn back! Hold your breath, whatever you do, don't inhale the scent of safflower! Hurry!"

The scene was so bizarre that they didn't have time to think and immediately turned and ran. The tenacious vines chased after them like snakes, scraping against the rocky ground with unimaginable sounds. Wherever they passed, everything was charred black!

"Ah—" Zhang Yuanyuan screamed in agony. Her body went limp, and in a dizzying spin, she was off the ground. Her entire body was upside down, a vine tightly wrapped around her, distorting her once slender figure into bulges of fat. Her face turned pale, and she cried out in a hoarse voice, "Help me! Help me! Professor! Sister Bai! Help me!"

"Yuanyuan!" Bai Yun Ning's face turned deathly pale. Before everyone's eyes, several vines had sprouted, each bearing bright red buds. Each bud was full and plump, as if it were about to burst open and bloom into a beautiful flower.

Qin Wen was horrified and cried out, "Quick! Save her! If the Abyssal Red Flower absorbs human blood, it will bloom and emit sulfuric acid-like vapor. Once it blooms, none of us will be able to get out!"

The moment the words were spoken, everyone's expression changed. Jack drew a foot-long machete from behind him, his eyes narrowed, and he leaped forward. With a flick of his wrist, the machete flashed, and the vine binding Zhang Yuanyuan was instantly severed in two, falling to the ground. Zhang Yuanyuan also fell, but Guo Tong rushed forward, grabbed her, and pulled her back.

More and more Avici Red Flowers sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, their long vines crisscrossing and intertwining, like a sudden thicket of thorns. The blood-red buds in the forest exuded an eerie charm.

A thought struck everyone: the flowers that bloom from such beautiful buds must be absolutely stunning, a beauty that surpasses all other flowers in the world combined, a color found only in the Buddha's paradise, a beauty that could topple kingdoms.

If I could make such beautiful flowers bloom, I would gladly give my life.

The crowd's gazes began to wander, especially Professor Li, who was already walking towards the red buds. Qin Wen felt her mind go blank, as if a box of watercolors had been spilled, the various colors mixing together, gradually twisting and turning into an indescribable hue.

No! No! I can't lose consciousness!

She bit down hard, drawing blood from her lower lip, a metallic taste filling her mouth. The pain acted like a hangover cure, jolting her awake and clearing her vision.

She looked up and saw Professor Li standing in front of the vines, a peaceful and content expression on his face. Startled, she cried out, "Professor! Come back quickly! Otherwise, you'll be drained of your blood!"

Professor Li did not react at all, staring blankly at the vine covered with red buds in front of him, and slowly reached out his hand.

"Stop!" Qin Wen shouted, a hint of despair flashing in her eyes, and she almost lunged forward. Jack grabbed her arm, and with a flick of his other hand, a razor blade sliced into Professor Li's hand, and bright red blood gushed out.

Professor Li cried out in pain, finally waking from his sleep. He clutched the back of his hand, looked up, and suddenly saw the menacing Abi Honghua before him. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

Before he could even scream, Jack had already rushed over, grabbed his arm, lifted him off the ground, and quickly retreated. A vine struck him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He groaned, pulling Professor Li backward. They crashed heavily to the ground, coughed twice, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Qin Wen quickly helped him up, her brows furrowed, and asked, "Are you alright?"

“Don’t misunderstand me.” Jack roughly pushed her hand away. “I just don’t want to die here, not that I want to save you.”

Qin Wen frowned, thinking to herself, "He's really stubborn as a mule."

"Xiao Qin, what should we do now?" Of all the archaeological team members, only Bai Yun Ning remained calm, her expression still serene: "Do these flowers have any weaknesses?"

"The Avici Red Flower is the favorite flower of the priests of the Kshatriya religion, said to be formed from the blood of the evil god of the Kshatriya religion. Its original name is unknown, but later generations refer to it as Avici in epics using Buddhist allusions. Because Avici Hell is the most terrible hell below the eighteen levels of hell, the ancient people of the Western Regions believed that this flower came from that place. It can grow and bloom by sucking human blood, causing all those who offend the gods to die in great pain. However, this flower has very high requirements for the soil, temperature, and environment for its growth, and the cultivation method is only known to the priests and leaders of the Kshatriya religion. After the Kshatriya religion perished, they also perished. Now, more than two thousand years have passed, how could it appear in this tomb?" Qin Wen became more and more convinced of the impossibility as she spoke, and finally exclaimed, "Its growth cycle is only fifteen days, and its flowering time is no more than thirty minutes. The seeds must be fed with fresh blood, and even then, it cannot last more than half a year. How could these flowers survive in the tomb for more than two thousand years? This is impossible! Impossible!"

“Nothing is impossible in this world.” Jack struggled to his feet, gripping his machete tightly. “You’ll understand when you’ve raided a lot of tombs. There are too many strange things underground that can’t be explained by common sense!”

"Enough with the nonsense!" Shanhu sneered, picked up his gun, and fired at the nearest vines. Almost every shot hit its mark; several vines snapped in half and fell to the ground. The red buds turned to charcoal the moment they touched the ground, their former splendor completely obliterated.

“It’s no use, this won’t eliminate the Abi Red Flower.” Qin Wen said thoughtfully, then looked up at the flames burning in the braziers on both sides. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she exclaimed with delight, “I have a way!”

After saying that, she took out a small woolen vest that she always carried with her from her bag, pulled a machete from behind Shan Hu, and rushed into the dense thorn forest.

"Xiao Qin, what are you going to do?" Professor Li's face turned pale. If something happened to Qin Wen, how would he explain it to Professor Mai?

It was too late to stop them; the Abyssal Red Flower was already within reach. Qin Wen flicked her wrist, and with a swift movement, she cut a path through the fallen vines. She rushed to the wall, threw her woolen vest into the brazier, then dragged it out, as if a crimson flame had ignited in her hand.

"Jack, Mountain Tiger!" Qin Wen called out, "You brought gasoline, right? If not, alcohol will do. Quickly pour it on the vines!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood. Shanhu took out a bottle of clear liquid in a flat wine bottle from his backpack and sprinkled it on the red flowers in front of him.

The fourth brother was dumbfounded and said, "Shanhu, that's your treasured 20-year-old Shaoxing wine!"

"Damn it, so much nonsense! What's the point of drinking if you're already dead!" Shanhu roared.

Qin Wen tore the vest in her hand in half and threw the two halves in opposite directions. The alcohol ignited instantly, and flames roared up in the tomb passage. Everyone was surrounded by the fire, trying their best to shield their faces with their arms. Waves of scorching heat rolled over them, making it impossible for them to open their eyes.

Qin Wen waited confidently for all the safflowers to turn to charcoal, but when all the wine had burned out and the flames went out, she opened her eyes and was struck dumb.

"How could this be?" she asked in disbelief. "Why would this happen?"

Countless vines and red flower buds swayed wildly before the crowd, as if mocking their ignorance and arrogance. With each twist, the allure of the red flower buds increased, making them almost too dazzling to look at.

"Xiao Qin, how come these flowers aren't afraid of fire?" Professor Li's hair was quite singed, and he looked at the red flowers with trepidation, involuntarily shrinking back.

"Impossible! The legendary Avici Red Flower fears nothing except fire!" Qin Wen's brows furrowed deeply. "Buddha destroyed it with the karmic fire of hell!"

Jack sneered and said, "That's the fire of karma, while what you set off is just human fire. It's not surprising that it didn't burn anyone."

Qin Wen ignored the sarcasm in his words, staring intently at the numerous red flowers before her, muttering, "Impossible, there must be some mistake, it must be..."

Suddenly, she was startled, as if a bolt of lightning had struck her head. She shuddered, turned her head, and saw that the vines she had just cut down were nowhere to be seen. The remaining red flowers seemed to have returned to their original state, even more rampant.

So that's how it is?

I understand now, I understand why they are not afraid of fire!

25. Main Tomb Chamber

A sudden gleam of joy appeared in her eyes, and she walked straight toward the red flowers. This time, her movements were very slow, and as she gazed at the red flowers, a faint smile played on her lips.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm. She turned around and saw a face so handsome it was almost effeminate: "I won't stop you if you want to die, but what you're doing will kill everyone, and I don't want to be buried with you, you ugly woman."

Ugly woman?

Qin Wen snorted coldly and said, "My life has just begun and I have a long way to go. I have no interest in going to my death."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I have my reasons." Qin Wen pulled her arm out of his hand, gave him an extremely cool smile, and walked into the red flower bushes with an extremely elegant posture.

"Xiao Qin, come back! Come back! Don't be impulsive!" Professor Li shouted anxiously, but didn't have the courage to stop her. Shan Hu watched her retreating figure, a tremor running through him inexplicably. In his entire life, he had never seen a woman so calm and intelligent in the face of death, exuding an aura of wisdom that was almost unbearable to behold.

Countless red vines gathered in front of her, one of which, as thick as a wrist, tilted back and then lashed out at her. She didn't even flinch, walking forward as if she'd never seen it.

The vine seemed to strike her head with a thunderous roar, then vanished. Everyone was astonished. What kind of magic had Qin Wen used to make these arrogant, ruthless women give her the run for her life?

The vines tangled at her feet, forming a barrier, but she seemed not to see them and made no move to step over them. She simply walked over them lightly, casually, and peacefully.

The moment she stepped out of the encirclement, all the red flowers vanished. Like a projected image, they slowly and silently faded, then disappeared completely.

In that instant, everyone was speechless.

Qin Wen turned around. The moment she turned, a smug smile bloomed on her face, creating an illusion that seemed to surround her with a faint glow, making her appear like a goddess.

Jack suddenly felt suffocated. He quickly looked away, but his heart was beating very fast, like a drum.

Jack, you're insane!

"What... what happened?" A hint of surprise finally appeared in Bai Yun Ning's eyes. "How could these red flowers have suddenly disappeared?"

“It didn’t just disappear suddenly; it never existed at all.” Qin Wen walked back with a smile and said, “Those red flowers were nothing but illusions.”

"An illusion?" everyone exclaimed. "You mean, those vines and red flowers are all fake?"

“That’s right.” Qin Wen nodded. “Does everyone remember the moss we saw earlier? I suddenly remembered that some epic poems from the Western Regions mention a kind of grass that looks like moss, called Lop grass. It’s an herb used by priests in the Kshatriya religion to communicate with the gods and has the effect of causing hallucinations. The Abi safflower we saw was a hallucination caused by the medicinal effects of this grass.”

"That's impossible!" Zhang Yuanyuan exclaimed. "I clearly felt something constricting me and lifting me up. How could I possibly fly?"

"That's just your feeling." Qin Wen rolled her eyes at her; she couldn't possibly have any good feelings towards this person. "Actually, you weren't lifted up at all. Your sense of touch and sight deceived you. If you don't believe me, look at your waist. Are there any bruises there?"

Zhang Yuanyuan subconsciously touched her waist. If it had really been constricted by thick vines, it would have been very painful to press on it. But she felt no pain at all.

"What about me?" Jack placed his hand on his chest; even without pressing it, the wound was throbbing with pain.

"You fell down by yourself," Qin Wen said gleefully. "You weren't hit by anything at the time; you just felt like you were hit, and your body reacted accordingly. That's all."

Jack's eyes widened, desperately suppressing his rage. He really had gone mad just now; how could he have fallen for a woman like that!

"What do we do now?" Guo Tong asked. "This place is too eerie; we'd better get out of here immediately."

"You think you can leave without even seeing the main burial chamber?" Jack sneered, reverting to his cruel and ruthless demeanor. "I never do things halfway."

"Do you really want to force me to clear a path for you?" Shanhu brandished the gun in his hand. "Are you tired of living?"

Jack smiled strangely: "Brother Mountain Tiger, I advise you to check if there are any bullets in your gun."

Startled, Shanhu immediately pulled the trigger. The gun, as expected, remained silent. Enraged, he threw the gun to the ground, drew another machete from his back, and pointed it at Jack, saying, "It's not just guns that can kill you; I'll kill you with a knife too!"

Qin Wen stared blankly at the gleaming knife. Just how many machetes did he bring? How could he pull out so many things from that seemingly small backpack?

"If you have the ability, you might as well give it a try." Jack sneered, raised his leg with lightning speed, pulled another gun from his boot, and pointed it at Mountain Tiger.

The mountain tiger was greatly alarmed, and so were the others.

Qin Wen looked at him in disbelief. It was actually a Luger P-85 9mm pistol with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds. The silver-white and jet-black gun body exuded a domineering aura.

“I never carry more than one gun,” Jack said slowly. “If you doubt whether there are bullets in the gun, I don’t mind trying.”

Qin Wen became angry and said through gritted teeth, "I really shouldn't have helped you set your bones back then."

“I told you you’d regret it.” Jack waved the gun towards the depths of the tomb, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “Please, Miss Qin.”

Qin Wen glared at her fiercely, stomped her foot angrily, and turned to walk deeper into the ancient tomb.

"No, I don't want to go in anymore!" Zhang Yuanyuan suddenly burst into tears, hugging Bai Yunning and sobbing, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I'll give you money, as much as you want. Please, I don't want to go any further!"

Before she could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out. Zhang Yuanyuan immediately fell silent. On the rock at her feet, a bullet hole was clearly visible, stinging her eyes.

She felt completely weak and couldn't even make a sound.

“Don’t push me, miss.” Jack dropped his nonchalant demeanor, his eyes chillingly cold. A terrifying glint flashed in his dark pupils. For a moment, everyone hallucinated: they seemed to see him covered in blood, standing atop a pile of bones, his entire body a crimson red. Only his eyes were visible, flashing with a ferocious, icy light, like a wild beast.

“I’ve been killing people since I was twelve.” His tone was devoid of any emotion. “To date, countless people have died at my hands, and I don’t want you to be next.”

Qin Wen listened to his words without turning around. The anger in her heart vanished in an instant, leaving only sorrow. He started killing at twelve; one can only imagine the kind of environment he lived in and the kind of education he received from childhood. He was nothing more than someone else's tool. Why be angry at such a pitiful person?

She gave a wry smile: If Xiao Li were here, she would probably lament that children living under fluorescent lights and sunlight know so little about the true nature of this world.

The journey to death continued, and the group walked with increasing trepidation, constantly watching their surroundings with vigilance, any movement causing them to tremble with fear.

But this journey seemed unusually peaceful, even more peaceful than before. The ancient tomb monster with its gaping maw seemed to have died in an instant, its silence as if all the terror and disaster it had just experienced were a dream.

The flames on both sides flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a door suddenly appeared before them.

Everyone was taken aback. The door had appeared so abruptly, as if it had suddenly sprung from the ground, standing majestically before them. It was covered in colorful paintings depicting all kinds of creatures—fish, birds, insects, and beasts—using bold, vibrant colors that were dazzling to the eye. It was inlaid with various gemstones and jade, even gold and silver. It was far more magnificent and beautiful than the Gate of Lagmoro.

"Could this be a tomb?" Professor Li exclaimed excitedly, forgetting his fear. He stepped forward to touch the patterns on the door, but Qin Wen grabbed his arm.

"Professor, have you forgotten how that guy called Monkey died?"

Professor Li was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, taking two steps back. He said timidly, "Then, then let's not open it. This may not be the main burial chamber."

"Whether it is or not, let's open it first," Jack said in a deep voice.