The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Chapter 23

"Summoning spell, patterned leopard."

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before our eyes, and ten patterned cheetahs appeared. We didn't care whether they were ferocious carnivores or not. To save our lives, we pounced on them and clung tightly to the patterned cheetahs. I, Lian, Princess Jenny, and I ran out almost simultaneously, pushing Shanji, Mengnan, and Baishitong onto the cheetahs. I turned around and pounced on Lucy, carrying Jiaoqin on my back and riding the patterned cheetah with her in my arms.

All the movements were executed in one smooth motion, taking only a second or two. Princess Jenny shouted, "Go!"

Ten leopards pounced at once, as fierce as wild beasts. Their running movements were as fast as lightning. The Qin Emperor's protective aura was like a layer of luminous mist, without any obstruction. We ran out and headed into the forest in the dead of night.

Everything was going smoothly, and I was secretly delighted when suddenly Princess Jenny shouted, "Everyone, be careful!"

I looked up sharply and saw countless icicles raining down from the sky, flying straight towards us. Holy crap! Didn't we evade its detection? How could there still be an attack? Before I could finish thinking, a flash of light appeared, and the icicles were torn to shreds. "Good! Qin Di, you've got some skill!" Before I could finish my praise, the icicles rained down like raindrops, making a continuous "crackling" sound. The spotted leopard dodged left and right with astonishing speed; I was dazzled, the wind whistling past my ears. Our lives depend on you, spotted leopard.

The leopard is the fastest animal in the primeval forest. Its agility and sharp eyes are gifts from nature. Even in the dark, it is second to none. Its alertness is so high that other animals of the same size pale in comparison.

Riding the leopard, at that speed and in that danger, there was no time to consider life or death. Everything happened too fast, everything happened in an instant. I pressed Lucy down and held her in my arms, my hands tightly wrapped around the leopard's neck. Instinctively, I looked up to see what was happening in the sky.

In the sky, the Qin Emperor in the night sky did not stop the demonic serpent Black Vein. The Qin Emperor's strings snapped, and the demonic serpent Black Vein raged and lashed out, tearing the Qin Emperor and his zither to shreds. All of this happened in an instant. I suddenly heard a series of "snap" sounds from the zither on my back. I knew that Lucy's strings were also snapping.

This time, without Qin Di's intervention, the Black Serpent was about to pounce. I wanted to reach for the gun on my back, but I simply didn't have a third hand to grab it. I shouted ahead, "Boss, Princess Jenny, Lian, the Black Serpent is coming!"

The eldest brother, Princess Jenny, and Lian also saw it: the Black Serpent swooped down from the sky like a black bomb. Even the fastest leopard on the ground couldn't match the Black Serpent's speed in the air. It swooped down into the forest, the towering trees offering no resistance. A series of violent, powerful cracking sounds shattered the tranquil Devil's Forest.

Turning around, we saw only a gigantic snake's mouth, its blood-red tongue darting out, close behind. The snake's mouth grew larger and larger, drawing ever closer. In this life-or-death moment, Lian ran to Princess Jenny's side and shouted, "Quick! Give me the Blood Sword!"

Princess Jenny had no time to hesitate. She pulled out the Blood Sword from her waist and handed it to Lian. We didn't know what Lian wanted the Blood Sword for. But at this moment, everyone's life and death were at stake, so we didn't have time to think about it. We saw Lian swing the Blood Sword and cut his own left hand. I was shocked. What was he doing?

The blade was incredibly sharp, drawing blood as it sliced through. Lian endured the pain and quickly tried to stop the bleeding, biting the bloody sword into her mouth. The blood seeped through the blade, staining her mouth red. Then, she extended two fingers of her right hand and lightly touched the bloodstains on the wound, drawing in front of her with incredible speed. What... what was that? I was astonished. Although my vision was blurred, Lian's movements were still discernible, especially the moment she drew. The pattern in front of me shone brightly, like a blank sheet of paper suspended in mid-air.

Using blood to paint? I was completely baffled. Lian used two fingers as a brush, and the blood stained it red—it was a sword! I could clearly see a sword hovering in front of me, gleaming and glowing with blood red. Although the sword was only painted with a few strokes, it captured the essence of a sword. Just as I was about to ask, Lian closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and bit the sword in his mouth, so I couldn't hear what he was muttering.

I looked back at the Black Serpent, a phantom flash? A thought flashed through my mind, reminding me of Ghost Mist's move. We had all witnessed the destructive power and range of that move before. If we hadn't run fast, we probably wouldn't even be ashes left. It seems the Black Serpent isn't planning to play around anymore and is trying to eliminate us quickly.

Black energy was gathering continuously from the mouth of the demonic serpent's black veins. The speed was astonishing, half as fast as the ghostly mist. In the blink of an eye, the black sphere had turned red. It...it was about to launch. I kept shouting in my heart. If I couldn't stop it in time, I would really be reduced to ashes.

How could I possibly dodge at such close range? Cero is coming! Its speed is astonishing. At the same time, I saw Renhua's sword spinning, its speed increasing, and then it became a vortex rushing towards Cero.

"Boom—"

The sound was exhilarating. I could no longer hear anything else; I could only feel that I was still alive. A powerful force propelled us forward like lightning. There was no undulation as we ran; we just kept flying forward.

I don't know how much time passed, but I gradually heard the sound of dripping water, and my vision gradually cleared. I saw a gorge not far ahead, and the leopard was running towards it like lightning. I was holding it tightly by the neck, and I could feel its heart pounding and its breathing rapid. It seemed that the leopard was also nearing the end of its life.

Regaining consciousness, I instinctively turned around and gasped in shock. The demonic black serpent was still hot on my heels. Had my attack only slowed it down a little? This was insane! How could such a monster exist? A chill ran down my spine. Suddenly, a burst of momentum sent me flying, and I crashed heavily to the ground. The impact of the falling rubble caused me excruciating pain.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Four: A Narrow Escape

Chapter word count: 2264 Update time: 08-03-19 17:50

I quickly helped Lucy up and looked around. Everyone had fallen to the ground. The swift-moving leopard was nowhere to be seen. This was the mouth of a canyon, with towering peaks on both sides. It was pitch black inside the canyon, and we couldn't see the terrain at all. Since we were here, we had no choice but to run into the canyon on foot.

The pheasant snapped out of its daze, jumped up, and shouted, "What happened? Damn it! This feels like a dream!"

Before the know-it-all could say anything more, he was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud, his face pale, and he kept pointing at the sky and shouting, "Demon...demon snake!"

It was the Black Vein Demon Serpent, which was now coiled above us. Judging from its height, it was no more than fifty meters away. At its speed, it could swallow us all whole in less than a second.

We were already drenched in sweat, and it seemed there was no escape this time. I still clung to a sliver of hope: if we could run into this dark canyon, perhaps we could be saved. People always hope for a miracle when they're in despair, but this serpent was too close to us. Even if the boss, Princess Jenny, Lian, and Lucy recovered, the combined strength of all of us wouldn't be enough to defeat it. What's more, Lian was currently unable to move, Lucy was unconscious, and the boss and Princess Jenny, apart from being able to walk and talk, probably didn't even have the strength to exert any force.

The current situation is very unfavorable for us. Magic and combat are useless. Relying on me, Meng Nan, Bai Shi Tong, Shan Ji, and a few broken guns is simply a joke.

The demonic serpent, Black Vein, chuckled sinisterly, "Hahaha... I'm not playing hide-and-seek with you anymore. The game is over. Die! You pitiful humans."

The final moment was approaching. I held Lucy tightly, hoping to shield her before I died. All I could see in my eyes was the dark shadow of the black serpent swooping down. Facing death, my mind went blank, and all my muscles stiffened, unable to move. Perhaps this was the symptom of a dying person.

My nerves went numb, and I could only vaguely sense the sound of wind. I had thought that we would all be on our way to the gates of hell in less than a second, but when I came to my senses, I found that I was still alive. I heard the leader shout, "Look! The Black Vein of the Demon Serpent!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see the ugly face of the demonic serpent Black Vein, like a kite with a broken string, struggling incessantly in the sky. Judging from the height, it was about a hundred meters away. The clear moonlight made everything look real.

What on earth happened? Was it really because Buddha appeared to us, or because Heaven has a benevolent heart and spared our lives? A miracle! What a miracle!

Before we could figure it out, Princess Jenny said, "I know what's going on."

"?" Our eyes all turned to Princess Jenny at the same time. What exactly was going on?

"The ice serpent, the incarnation of the ghost mist, had already been absorbed by the black veins of the demon serpent. The ghost mist is a gas produced by heaven and earth, which roams between heaven and earth. Unexpectedly, it encountered our interception. When its form broke, it triggered a black vortex in the earth veins. The black veins of the demon serpent took advantage of this and devoured the ghost mist's power. Although the power of darkness is of the same origin, it never expected that the power of consciousness and soul need time to be refined."

"So what?" We looked at each other and asked in unison.

"When it swallows the ghost mist and merges with it, it will possess the ghost mist's weakness. We all know that the fog in the forest and at dawn can move entirely by the propulsion of the wind. The white gas we encountered before was propelled towards us entirely by the wind. In other words, the ghost mist is afraid of the wind. As long as the wind direction changes, it can do nothing to us. This is why it is only recorded once in the Demon Scripture. If I am not mistaken, the person who was saved that time was also able to escape because he encountered the wind in the opposite direction."

"At this moment, the Black Vein of the Demon Serpent swallowed the ghost mist and gained half of its levitation ability. If I am not mistaken, the Black Vein of the Demon Serpent could not fly in the air. It was just a serpent of the earth veins, which could only move on the ground or bury itself deep underground, moving in the form of veins, and then hunting for food by sudden close combat."

After Princess Jenny explained it, we all seemed to understand. The Black Serpent was currently afraid of the wind, and the gorge where we were standing was a windy spot. The wind was howling out of the gorge, and it was so strong that we hadn't felt it before. Princess Jenny was right. The survival instincts and desires of animals in the primeval forest are incomparable to those of humans. No wonder the spotted leopard came here.

But how did the leopard disappear after it got here?

Everyone found it strange, but the leader said from the side, "The patterned leopard is just a symbol of power. Although it has a real existence, its life instincts and power will resonate with the person who summons it. If the person who summons it can no longer keep the passage running, then the summoned magical pet will disappear accordingly."

We glanced at Princess Jenny, who nodded in agreement with the eldest brother.

If that's the case, then isn't Lucy in great danger? The sound of the string snapping reminded me of this. I quickly lifted Lucy up, only to find her eyes still tightly closed. The eldest brother bent down to examine her, took her pulse, and said, "She's alright! She's just exhausted her magic power, which is why she's in such a deep sleep. She should be fine in a few days."

My heart finally jumped back to my chest. The tension I felt earlier had been noticed by Chicken, Manly Man, and Know-It-All, who then teased me about it.

"Damn it! Chicken, Manly Man, Know-It-All, I thought you were dead. How are you? How are your wounds?" I cursed at them for a while, then turned around and asked about their injuries.

Actually, seeing them jumping around already told me they were alright, but I couldn't believe that the Qin Emperor was so powerful. The three of them, Shanji, Mengnan, and Baishitong, had their abdomens completely intact, a stark contrast to the large holes and flowing blood they had before. They were practically unrecognizable. However, their tattered clothes did indeed have large holes in their abdomens, revealing their white bellies.

Thinking about the feeling of surviving such a disaster still leaves one feeling unsettled for a long time.

The wind howled, and we didn't know when it would stop. We watched as the black serpent struggled incessantly in the sky, clearly unwilling to let us slip away from its jaws.

We dared not go back. We had already experienced the terror and monstrous nature of the Black Serpent. Since we were already here, we had no choice but to enter the canyon and find another way out to avoid the Black Serpent's pursuit. Besides, we didn't know when the storm would stop. If it came suddenly and stopped suddenly, it would really make matters worse.

Princess Jenny packed her things and then said to everyone, "Prepare to enter the canyon!" She then looked up at the Black Serpent struggling in the sky like a kite, and walked in without looking back.

I wondered what kind of ferocious beasts or monsters might lurk in there? Looking at the dark canyon before me, I felt a sense of relief at surviving such a disaster. I shook my head, picked up Lucy, and followed the others into the dark canyon.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Five: The Black Mirror

Chapter word count: 2464 Update time: 08-03-19 17:51

The wind howled, and everything was pitch black. I had no idea where I was. It was so dark.

Even in the dead of night, in the pitch-black forest, one can at least see an object a meter ahead. Besides, there is the bright moonlight at night, and there is no grass or towering trees at the mouth of the canyon. How could one not see what is in front of them?

I was puzzled. While carrying Lucy, I bumped into someone. I heard the person shout loudly, "Tenglong, are you in a hurry to be reincarnated? Don't watch where you're going, or you'll fall and die!"

I recognized the voice of the pheasant. Damn it! This guy's words are too harsh! We're brothers, after all. I cursed, "Pheasant, you're just standing there and not moving. Have you run into a ghost? Be careful it takes your soul and burns it to light a lantern!"

"The Soul-Snatching Ghost? Where is it?" The voice trembled and cried out in alarm.

Damn! I only meant to scare the pheasant, but I forgot that Know-It-All was right behind me. He's afraid of ghosts and monsters, especially in this pitch-black environment. Talking about ghosts could get him killed. I quickly changed my tune and said, "Know-It-All, come on, help me carry my gear bag and gun. Damn it! It's hard for me to move around with someone in my arms. If we really encounter any danger, our brotherhood might have to wait until the next life."

"Come on! Tenglong, you're a lucky star. With you around, we won't die." This time, Shanji didn't curse me; instead, he praised me. But if you had any education, you'd know he was being sarcastic. Ugh, what can we do when neither of us has any education?

Upon hearing this, Baishitong chuckled and reached behind me to place his equipment bag, leaning against me as he said, "Shanji is right. Didn't the boss say that Tenglong is the savior of our 'Rob the Rich and Help the Poor' gang? Without Tenglong, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Speaking of "robbing the rich to help the poor," it reminds me of those dark and treacherous things I did back in the days in Kazakhstan. Thinking about it now, heh heh... it's pitch black now too. Is this some kind of karma? I didn't think any further. These past few days have been unlucky enough; this ordeal would drive any normal person crazy. I quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Come on! After tonight, let's calm down and get a good night's sleep. Oh! Hey, Chicken, why aren't you leaving?"

"Where are you going? You're blocking the way." Chicken complained from the front, shouting repeatedly, "Hunky, what's wrong with you? You didn't even say anything before moving forward. I'll stab you in the butt with a gun."

Upon hearing that Chicken was about to make a move, the tough guy hurriedly said, "It's not that I don't want to leave, but the boss is discussing something with Princess Jenny, and it seems like something's going on."

"Something's wrong?" We were startled. Could we have encountered some monster again? We looked around. The place was as dark as night, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Just thinking about ghosts and monsters gave us goosebumps. What kind of place was this? It felt eerie and terrifying.

In unusual environments, people can be frightening, even terrifying – that's absolutely true.

I remember that I could still see the moonlight before entering this dark canyon. Could it be that the huge mountains on both sides of the canyon blocked the moonlight? I was walking on stones, small pebbles. The uneven feeling on my feet told me that this passage must be a riverbed. Only in such a wide riverbed would there be no vegetation and such strong winds. I believe there are no trees nearby. Since it is a riverbed and there is no vegetation, wouldn't this place be very dangerous?

I shouted ahead, "Boss, Princess Jenny, this is a riverbed." The wind blew in my face, and I didn't know if the boss and Princess Jenny at the front could hear me, so I shouted a few more times.

The leader seemed to have heard, and his voice came from ahead, carried by the wind: "Understood. Everyone tie the rope around your waists, then hold onto each other and slowly move forward. It's pitch black here, so don't get lost."

After saying that, the pheasant handed me a piece of rope, and then handed the rope to the know-it-all behind him. He repeated this process, tying the multiple pieces of rope around himself, and then moved step by step in the direction in front of him.

It was pitch black here, and even with the best eyesight, we couldn't see anything. We had to rely entirely on our senses to move around. We didn't know the terrain or whether there were any wild beasts, so we were moving very slowly. I felt anxious. Putting aside the possibility of wild beasts or monsters, just walking in the riverbed was extremely dangerous. Just from the fact that the pebbles under our feet were barren, we knew that tsunamis often occurred here, which was why the stones here had been eroded so perfectly.

The undercurrents in these mountains are terrifying. We've been raiding tombs in the deep mountains of Kachaer for many years and have encountered such nighttime attacks. I remember the last time was when the ground cracked open and then a tidal wave rushed in from the front. The power was immense. If we hadn't reacted quickly and climbed a giant tree, we probably would have been dead by now.

The undercurrent came quickly and went quickly, returning to normal in a short time, as if nothing had happened. Seeing the scene before me, I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I remember the mountain people often saying that if you spend the night in the mountains, you will find that the person is gone the next morning. Now that I think about it, it must be the work of the mountain undercurrent.

To raid tombs in this primeval forest, hehe... if you don't have any knowledge of nature, you probably won't survive more than three days. Thinking about it, this pitch-black place makes people feel uncomfortable. I shouted to the pheasant in front of me, "Pheasant, it's so dark in here that you can't see your hand in front of your face. Quickly fire a flare. You should at least check the surrounding environment. Then everyone should leave this place as soon as possible."

Pheasant then realized what was happening and quickly loaded the flare. With a "whoosh," it shot out, illuminating the scene with a beautiful arc. We were stunned. Why did the flare go behind us?

Turning around, watching the flare gradually disappear in the dim light, how... how is this possible? I clearly saw that the light from the pheasant was in front of me, how did it end up behind me? Could it be that the wind was too strong and blew the flare behind me?

Pheasant was also stunned. Everyone stopped in their tracks after what had just happened. With a "bang," another flare was fired. Having learned from the previous experience, Pheasant was smarter this time. He fired the flare less than a meter away from us. The bright light made it clear to us, but we all looked up at the sky.

The pheasant cried out in alarm, "This...how is this possible? I clearly shot it on the ground, how did it end up in the sky?"

Everyone heard the pheasant's somewhat distorted, terrifying cry. In such eerie darkness, the light offered no hope. The flare didn't fall from the sky; until its light went out, it lay motionless, like it hadn't moved at all. Aside from the glimmer, there was only darkness; nothing else existed. It was as if the entire space was a black hole. How could this be? The sensation beneath our feet told us that there should be something here!

"Is this Black Mirror?"

“Black Mirror…” Princess Jenny hadn’t finished speaking when suddenly a violent tsunami or typhoon struck, accompanied by a deafening roar that shook the earth and made us stagger. Before we could even react, our feet slipped and we fell with a “Ah—”.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Six: Body Restoration

Chapter word count: 2212 Update time: 08-03-23 11:59

My foot slipped and I plummeted into the air. I was terrified; there was a trap in the pitch-black night. I was carrying Lucy on my back, and to make things easier, I had tied a rope around both of us. This time, my cleverness had backfired. It was impossible for me to free my hands to push Lucy away. This time, I could only close my eyes and wait to die.

I couldn't see anything, I just felt a downward force, and the feeling of falling made me feel terrible. I kept falling like that. I was tied with a rope and carrying Lucy on my back. With the weight of the two of us combined, I was sure I would be smashed to pieces.

Strangely, I couldn't hear anyone's voice. It was so sudden that there should have been some screams and shouts. I'm usually a know-it-all and I'm most afraid of the dark, but now... I stopped thinking and couldn't help but shout, "Boss, think of something!"

I kept shouting, hoping to dispel the fear of falling, but to my surprise, I couldn't hear anything. I stopped and shouted twice more, but I really couldn't hear anything. I realized that it wasn't that we weren't shouting, but that our voices had been blocked. Where...where am I?

The speed of the fall increased, and suddenly, as if my body had been freed from something, a tingling sensation ran through my whole body, as if I had been struck by lightning. My head spun, and I passed out.

I don't know how much time passed, but when I moved my fingers, a sharp pain shot through my entire body. I slightly opened my eyes, and blinding beams of light assaulted me, making me dizzy. I closed my eyes again, and after a long... long time... the scene before me gradually became clear: a meadow? I tried to turn my head to see what was around me, but the pain in my neck made me cry out.

"Tenglong, you're awake?"

I watched as the boss squatted down in front of me. Only then did I realize that we were leaning against a tree, with a large grassy field in front of us. The boss asked with concern, "Tenglong, how are you? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

I smiled, surprised that we were still alive. I asked, "Boss, where is this place?"

"Here?" The leader looked around in confusion and said, "This should be a canyon."

The boss patted me on the shoulder and said, "Get a good night's sleep. You'll be fine when you wake up."

"Boss, is everyone alright?" The boss and I have finally survived. I wonder how Chicken, Know-It-All, Mighty Man, and Princess Jenny are doing.

The eldest brother had only taken a few steps when he turned back and laughed, "Don't worry! Everyone's fine, they're all lying behind you."

My heart finally settled down, and I felt a wave of exhaustion. I closed my eyes again and drifted off to sleep.