Historias de terror que tienen lugar en un apartamento abandonado

Capítulo 9

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Ren Bao packed his tools and supplies and headed straight for the mass grave. Although it had been a long time since he'd been there, his intuition told him he'd found his way directly to the grave. However, he was disappointed when he arrived. The One-Eared Wolf had already leveled the surrounding graves and erected mounds at the original locations. Only the left-hand tomb passage remained open to allow for ventilation. Ren Bao tried to pry open the stone, only to find it was completely sealed with lime mortar; it was impossible to dig it open by hand without explosives. Ren Bao shook his head. The surroundings were bare; unless he could crawl underground, there was no way to place the blood sample into the grave. He left in frustration.

Because Jinzhong is located on the Loess Plateau, terraced fields have been cultivated on the mountains to maximize the use of the slopes, spreading downwards in layers, leaving only a winding path for people to ascend. Each terrace is about one meter apart. To save time, Ren Bao simply jumped from the terrace where the tomb was located to the next, walked forward, jumped down again, and walked forward again. When he was almost at the edge of the terrace, Ren Bao suddenly felt a weight on his waist, as if something was pulling his satchel downwards. Feeling strange, Ren Bao looked down and saw that his satchel was indeed hanging straight down. He took a few tentative steps and clearly felt the weight on his waist increase. Confused, he walked back, only to be surprised to see several red footprints where he had just stepped.

Ren Bao squatted down, curiously looking at the red in the footprint. He rubbed a little with his finger and was shocked to find that the red was actually blood. He quickly lifted his foot to look at the sole of his shoe, where a drop of blood slowly gathered and fell to the ground. But it didn't seep into the soil; it remained there, fully spread out.

Ren Bao suddenly remembered the blood that had splattered on his feet when he killed a pheasant at the cave entrance yesterday—it must be that. But why was the dried blood re-coagulating? A thought suddenly occurred to Ren Bao, and he abruptly stood up, his eyes searching the ground nearby. When his gaze fell on something not far ahead, he froze. A moment later, he collapsed to the ground, two streams of tears flowing from his eyes.

At first glance, the land appeared normal, just like any other cemetery—an uneven patch of pits with raised mounds caused by field mice. But upon closer inspection, one could see that the mounds resembled human faces remarkably.

---janeadam

Reply [28]: The original meaning of "穴" is a cave. The "Shuowen Jiezi" says: "穴 is an earthen chamber." The "Yijing Xici" says: "In ancient times, people lived in caves and in the wild." The "Zhouli Qiuguan Shu" says: "All beasts hide in caves." Therefore, the cave was the place where ancient humans and all beasts hid to protect their lives. Later, humans adopted slash-and-burn agriculture and learned to build houses, and gradually got rid of the cave dwelling life. However, the cave is still the last hiding place for humans. Being able to bury a person in an auspicious cave means the prosperity of future generations. Therefore, there is the saying of geomancy and burial site selection.

Humans have five senses and seven orifices to facilitate the flow of vital energy. Similarly, mountains and streams contain spiritual energy that overflows when there is nowhere else to go, forming holes in the ground. These are the locations of auspicious burial sites. An ordinary burial site only needs a trace of spiritual energy to form a boundless sea of blessings. However, there are also sites where several streams of spiritual energy converge and eventually converge in one place to form a burial site. The shape of the emerging energy resembles human organs, such as the mouth, ears, nose, eyes, anus, and genitals. This is what Feng Shui refers to as: "Externally sheltered by the eight winds, internally gathering the nine streams, yin and yang in harmony, all five senses complete."

It took Ren Bao a long time to calm down. He stood up, took out a compass, placed it on the forehead (the area between the eyebrows), and then put the compass on top. An unknown force seemed to pull the compass firmly in place, causing the wooden compass in the center to creak and sag, eventually sinking into the soil, leaving marks on its surface. Ren Bao, ignoring his surprise, found his bearings and stood on the nose (the area between the eyebrows), facing south and observing the surrounding terrain.

Facing the Vermilion Bird direction, two mountain gullies resemble human legs. At their confluence lies a lush jujube forest, the very essence of Yin, where the Vermilion Bird soars and dances. To the left, in the Azure Dragon direction, lies the winding riverbed. From here, the sharp bends and alluvial surfaces of the river resemble turtles raising their heads in reverence, acting as pillars guiding the river's curves, a winding Azure Dragon. To the right, in the White Tiger direction, towering mountains stand like a stampede of horses, their scales increasing in size and distance. In breathtaking moments, they gallop like swift horses, while in tranquil places, swallows return to their nests, a docile White Tiger. Looking back at the Black Tortoise direction, terraced fields rise in layers, like dragons coiled and phoenixes crouching, beasts sleeping and birds resting, smooth as drums, their energy stored like clouds, a Black Tortoise bowing its head.

What a wonderful parental burial site, characterized by "winds advancing and retreating, clouds coming and stopping, mountains imprisoning and waters forbidding, kings and marquises being captured, dragons and tigers embracing and guarding, hosts and guests welcoming each other, as noble as a thousand chariots, as wealthy as ten thousand kingdoms."

Ren Bao's hands trembled with excitement. After a long while, he finally pulled out two silver shuttles, aimed them at the nostrils, and inserted them. As expected, the shuttles were sucked into the ground the moment they entered. At the same time, two wisps of white air rose up, like someone exhaling deeply. A moment later, they shot out again. Simultaneously, the ground where the face stood suddenly collapsed, a phenomenon known in geomancy as "locating the burial site." Because all things possess a spirit, humans rely on the experience and knowledge accumulated by their predecessors to find burial sites, but birds and beasts also have their own spirituality in their search. Just as a cat, when dying, will always return to the place it originally found to die. Regardless of the creature, they will leave a unique mark on the place they choose to prevent others from occupying it.

Ren Bao picked up the silver shuttle, only to find that the tip had turned black. He touched it, puzzled, and some cool, viscous liquid smeared onto his hand, causing a burning sensation from his fingertips. He quickly knelt down and wiped his fingers on the dirt. In that short time, several of his fingers swelled up. Just as he was wondering what had been pierced by the shuttle, two snake heads suddenly emerged from the nostrils of something on the ground, hissing and flicking their tongues at him.

Ren Bao was startled and quickly retreated, but the two snakes didn't chase him, nor did they slither out of the hole. They only stared at him with their four venomous eyes. Ren Bao steadied himself, took out sulfur from his waist pouch. People like them, who spent years traversing the wilderness, often encountered snakes, and sulfur was an essential item. Ren Bao applied some to both hands and then walked towards the snakes. The Parents' Burial Site is the most primordial burial site for humans. Those who can be buried in this site not only have descendants who become generals and ministers, but legend has it that they can even be deified and become immortals. How could such a site be occupied by two snakes?

Seeing the enemy approaching, the two snakes grew even angrier, their red tongues flickering like flames. But upon smelling the sulfur, they shrank back, listlessly drooping their heads. Ren Bao grabbed them by their seven-inch marks and pulled them out of the ground. But what was even more astonishing was that the two snakes only had one body—it was actually a two-headed snake!

Ren Bao was utterly shocked!

Legend has it that the two-headed snake is the spirit guarding the sacred cave. Could it be that a deity is buried here? Ren Bao stared blankly at the limp two-headed snake. The snake writhed in his hand; though its bones were soft and its tendons numb, it was not yet dead. What to do? Ren Bao's mind raced. Should he release it or kill it? Images flashed through his mind: the one-eared wolf's smug expression, the old ghost's miserable state, the resentful eyes of his children, and his woman's round belly. Suddenly, like a madman, he grabbed one snake head in each hand and yanked hard.

Time flies, and more than two months have passed. The Spring Festival is just around the corner. Although their lives are seven parts ghost and three parts human, the approaching New Year brings joy to everyone's faces. With more people visiting graves before the New Year, their daily harvest is plentiful, and everyone is beaming with happiness. The mourners go out to forage for food every day, while Ren Bao stays in the cave to tidy up and do housework. The woman is heavily pregnant and can barely take care of herself, let alone help. However, looking at the woman's protruding belly, Ren Bao is quite happy. Only the annoying child remains distant from him, silently avoiding him whenever he sees him.

---janeadam

Reply [29]: That evening, as usual, Ren Bao was digging a kiln in the cave, preparing to make a sheltered place for the woman who was about to give birth. A mourner stumbled in, his expression flustered and his words incoherent: "Sir, hurry, the one-eared wolf is dead and has been buried alive. Your father is being buried!"

Ren Bao's head suddenly throbbed. Buried alive! Burying his own father alive as a sacrifice! He gripped the hoe tightly and asked the mourner, "Where is the burial site?"

Nasang Cai took a few deep breaths and told Ren Bao the location of the acupoint. Ren Bao immediately knew that it was the Tengyang acupoint that he had set out for One-Eared Wolf. Nasang Cai also said, "I saw with my own eyes that the old ghost was put into the tomb before the grave was filled in. One-Eared Wolf was afraid that the grave would be robbed, so he even used burnt clay bricks to fill the grave and covered it tightly with lime mortar."

Ren Bao turned to leave, but he didn't expect his woman to have overheard their conversation and had just moved to stand behind him. Ren Bao was moving too fast and couldn't stop in time, crashing straight into the woman's stomach. The woman was knocked off her feet and fell to the ground with a scream, clutching her stomach in pain, her face contorted in agony, and blood immediately soaked between her legs.

Ren Bao rushed forward and lifted the woman's body. She had already fainted, her protruding belly rising and falling, as if the fetus inside was also wriggling. Ren Bao frantically called the woman's name, while Sang Cai beside him was equally flustered. Neither of them knew what to do. Just then, amniotic fluid began to leak from the woman's lower body, her high belly gradually lowered, and suddenly something appeared in her crotch. Ren Bao quickly unzipped the woman's pants, and a blood-soaked infant appeared before him, its umbilical cord wrapped around its body, its eyes closed, and its face bluish-purple. The tremendous impact had caused the woman to go into premature labor.

Ren Bao hurriedly grabbed a knife, sterilized it by heating it over the fire a few times, then cut the umbilical cord and picked up the baby. The baby was ice-cold. Only when Ren Bao lifted him did he realize it was a boy. He turned the baby over and patted the baby's buttocks hard—once, twice, three times—until the baby coughed up a mouthful of phlegm and cried out, his limbs flailing. Ren Bao finally breathed a sigh of relief, handed the child to the mourner to take him to a warm place, and then knelt down to call for the woman again.

Perhaps it was truly a matter of blood ties, but upon hearing the child's cries, the woman miraculously opened her eyes, looking yearningly in the direction from which the cries were coming. Ren Bao rushed over; the child had already been tightly wrapped up. Ren Bao presented the swaddling clothes to the woman, showing her the child. The child continued to cry.

The woman gazed at her child with joy, her eyes growing increasingly tender. She reached out to touch the baby's face, but a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. She was drenched in cold sweat, and her vision began to blur. Ren Bao quickly handed the baby back to Na Sangcai and picked up the woman. Despite having given birth, the woman's body was still heavy. Ren Bao walked step by step to the bedside and laid her flat. After a while, the woman slowly woke up again. This time, she was fully conscious, gripping Ren Bao's arm tightly and saying:

“Dad, I’m a daughter from a good family. I was forcibly taken into the One-Eared Wolf’s house and made into a maid. After being bullied by him, I married you. I know that child isn’t yours, and you’ve been raising him all these years, which has been hard for you. I’ve been suffering too! Ever since I entered your family, I’ve been thinking about giving you a son or daughter to atone for my sins.”

The woman coughed violently, blood seeping from her lips. And blood began to gush from her lower body again. Ren Bao held her tightly, comforting her, "Don't say anything more, just rest. The baby's already been born. Once you've recovered, our good days will begin."

"Dad, stop talking. I know I can't go on. It's pitiful that I, as a mother, have to leave before I can even breastfeed my child. You'll have to raise him alone from now on. Just don't let him do what you do. Our whole family has been ruined by this industry."

Ren Bao couldn't speak, he just kept nodding, tears streaming down his face.

"I feel much more at ease now that I've raised a child for you. I only have one request now, and you must promise me that."

Ren Bao quickly asked, "Tell me, I'll agree to whatever you ask."

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it across Ren Bao's face. She gasped for breath and said, "Didn't you keep talking about that 'parents' acupoint'? Saying how good it was. I don't understand these things, but I know you're right. Isn't that acupoint better than the One-Eared Wolf's?"

Ren Bao nodded, choking back tears, and said, "Yes, it's much better than his. As long as the couple is buried together in their parents' graves, their descendants may not be able to ascend to heaven in broad daylight, but they are certain to be wealthy and noble for generations to come."

The woman smiled with relief: "Then bury me in that grave after I die. And when you die, bury me in that grave too. We are destined to suffer and be poor in this life, and I don't want our children to live like this in the future. Since we, as parents, cannot bring happiness to our children in this world, let us bless them to prosper in the afterlife."

The woman's voice grew weaker and weaker, her lips began to open and close, but she could no longer speak. Her whole body was convulsing uncontrollably. Ren Bao frantically held her, calling her name, but to no avail. The woman suddenly convulsed violently and then died. Ren Bao checked her nose with his hand; there was no breath.

---janeadam

Reply [30]: Ren Bao stared blankly at the dead woman in his hands, unaware that it had already gotten dark. Na Sangcai, who was holding the baby, saw his distraught appearance and couldn't help but remind him: "Sir, the woman is dead. You should hurry and save Gui Ke. He's still in the One-Eared Wolf's den!"

Ren Bao's head jerked, and he suddenly remembered. He jumped up, covered the woman's face with the blanket, took some dry rations, and pulled the white porcelain bottle from the hole in the wall, putting it in his pocket. Picking up a shovel, he instructed the old mourner, "You watch over the child and woman for me. If the old mourner comes back, help him carry my woman to the place where he rescued me. The yin energy in the cave is too heavy; the dead shouldn't stay here overnight, or it might cause them to turn into zombies. I'm going to rescue my father now." He hurriedly ran out of the cave and headed straight for the One-Eared Wolf's grave.

The north wind howled across the fields, snow danced wildly in the sky, owls howled mournfully, and the moonlight blanketed the earth. Ren Bao's thin figure moved with difficulty across the white expanse, his footprints being gradually obscured behind him.

Ren Bao prayed incessantly. After all, he was the one who had ventured into the burial site. He knew that the One-Eared Wolf's burial site had a passageway for air exchange to ensure ventilation. So, if the old ghost was only buried alive, he wouldn't suffocate like he had before. However, he quickened his pace, his legs losing their rhythm several times and tripping over each other. He was drenched in sweat from walking too fast, and the wind chilled him to the bone. Lately, his body seemed to be failing him. During the day, even a little strong sunlight made him dizzy and his whole body felt uncomfortable; at night, he sweated profusely, and after each bout of heavy sweating, he felt as if his energy had diminished. "Sigh, could it be that the warming of the burial site also drained my yang energy?" he wondered, unknowingly arriving at the location of the burial site.

There, a round, brick-built mound stood, with a tombstone in front of it, on which one could vaguely make out the words "Tian *** X of X". Ren Bao tried to touch the mound with his hand; indeed, it was perfectly sealed, the hard, fired clay bricks and solid lime mortar tightly bonded together, unyielding. Ren Bao tentatively shoveled at it, but only a few sparks flew out. It seemed that One-Eared Wolf had really gone to great lengths this time. Ren Bao went around to the northwest side of the tomb, where a few bricks formed a house-like structure. Ren Bao kicked the bricks aside, revealing a small opening. Ren Bao lay down on the ground, shouted a few words into the opening, and then immediately leaned closer to listen.

Someone inside was banging on the coffin, the sound muffled but continuous.

The man was still alive! Ren Bao leaped up, pulled out some dry rations from his pocket, and sent them down. The ground, hardened by a winter's cold, was completely frozen solid, and the one-eared wolf had reinforced the grave mound, making digging from top to bottom impossible. The tomb passages were all made of stone; they could only be dug upwards to create a new passage. Ren Bao hurriedly jumped to the next terrace and began digging into the soil on the terrace wall. After only a few digs, he suddenly remembered that digging from here could indeed lead to the tomb, but the entrance was in the tomb wall. To rescue the man, he would have to lower a rope down, and the old ghost was crippled; he probably couldn't rescue him alone. The next terrace was the burial site he had carved for the woman's parents. Why not start digging from there, and then dig deeper after reaching the tomb? With this thought, he jumped down another terrace, carefully measured the location, and then began digging with all his might.

The soil surface was incredibly hard; after a long time, only a shallow layer had been formed. Ren Bao dug laboriously, his body moving mechanically, but his mind wandering. Suddenly, he saw several dark figures moving overhead. He immediately stopped what he was doing and lay down to examine them closely.

A hoarse voice called Ren Bao's name. Ren Bao looked closer and realized it was Lao Sangcai. He answered and climbed up the terraced field, only to find that Lao Sangcai and his son were also there. The two men had just put down the stretcher carrying the woman's body and were looking around for Ren Bao. When Ren Bao saw that there were only the two of them, he asked in surprise, "Why are only the two of you here?"

"Oh, none of those other grave robbers wanted to come, and I couldn't handle your woman by myself. In the end, this kid volunteered to help me. So, have you chosen a burial site for your woman yet?" The old grave robber looked around at the one-eared wolf's grave and said, "I heard you chose this burial site for him? Hmph, I wonder if he's lucky enough to enjoy it?"

---janeadam

Reply [31]: Ren Bao led the two men to the lower two terraces. They also carried tools with them, and the three of them started digging at the same time. The speed was obviously much faster. The ground gradually sunken down, and the soil became looser the deeper they dug. It was not cold and hard like the surface. Instead, waves of heat came out. Ren Bao felt strange and stopped digging. The old man kept digging and turned to ask him, "Why did you stop digging? The dead cannot be brought back to life. It is better to bury them in the ground..."

Before the words were finished, a loud bang was heard, and the ground beneath their feet suddenly collapsed, catching all three of them off guard and causing them to fall.

Beneath this land was once an empty cave, but fortunately, it wasn't very deep. Although the three of them stumbled and fell, they weren't injured. Ren Bao regained consciousness, rolled over, and stood up. Old Ghost went to the child's side to check if he was alright. They all looked around. At first, their eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness of the cave, and they couldn't see anything. Slowly, using the faint light filtering through the cave entrance, Ren Bao could see the situation inside, and his heart pounded.

The cave was empty except for a large urn in the very center, as tall as a person. Ren Bao walked to the urn, reached inside, and scooped up a handful of water. Deep underground in this desolate wilderness, this water had not dried up for countless years. Moreover, the water felt warm and smooth like oil, flowing through his fingers like a thousand threads, and falling into the urn with a tinkling sound like pearls clashing together, as if it were not water, but a handful of flowing life.

Ren Bao suddenly remembered the two-headed snake he had found that day. When he looked at the urn again, he suddenly understood something, and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel on the ground. Old Sangcai, unaware of what had happened, also pulled the child down to kneel.

Legend has it that in Qi County there lived a girl named Liu who later married into a distant land. Her mother-in-law mistreated her, making her carry water every day. The water source was far from home, allowing only one trip a day. Her mother-in-law deliberately made things difficult for her, only allowing her to drink from the first bucket she carried, intentionally increasing the difficulty of the journey and forbidding her to switch buckets. One day, halfway through her journey, Liu encountered an old man leading a horse, who asked to use the water she carried to water his horse. The old man, covered in dust, seemed to have traveled a long way, so Liu readily agreed, giving the horse the second bucket of water. However, the horse seemed extremely thirsty, drinking both the second and first buckets of water. This put Liu in a dilemma: if she carried the water again, it would be too late to return; if she didn't, carrying the empty buckets home would surely result in her mother-in-law's insults and beatings. While she hesitated, the old man gave Liu a horsewhip, telling her to take it home. He explained that if she struck the water vat with the whip, the water would naturally overflow, filling the vat to the brim. After saying that, the old man and the horse disappeared.

Liu returned home anxiously and tried the method, which worked. She never carried water again. Her mother-in-law noticed that Liu hadn't carried water for a long time, yet the water jar was always full, which was strange. She asked her sister-in-law to check, and they discovered the secret of the whip. One day, the mother-in-law sent Liu out to work. The sister-in-law whipped the jar wildly, and water gushed out, overflowing. The sister-in-law panicked and immediately ran to find Liu. Liu was combing her hair; before she finished, she hurriedly bit a lock of hair, ran home without a word, and sat down on the jar. From then on, water flowed continuously from beneath Liu, flowing for thousands of years—this is one of the three wonders of Jinci, the "Nanlao Spring."

Liu, having attained enlightenment by sitting in the urn, was bestowed the title of Water Mother of the Undying Spring, thus gaining a place in the celestial realm. Her physical body naturally ascended to the heavens, leaving no trace in the mortal world. Her original family, to express their gratitude, cast an ancient iron urn and buried it in her place. The urn filled automatically on its own the day it was completed, never ceasing even in years of severe drought. It is likely that this place is the burial site of that urn, and this grave is actually the tomb of the Water Mother.

Ren Bao knelt there, trembling all over. When he tore the two-headed snake to pieces, he had already decided that whoever was buried in this grave, he would seize it. But after actually knowing whose grave it was, fear gripped him. After all, mortals and immortals were no match for each other. He looked up and saw the dark urn standing there, unmoving, exuding indescribable majesty and mystery.

What to do? Bury her or not? If we bury her, legend says that in the wrath of the gods, misfortune will befall humanity, but it won't affect our family's future fortune; if we don't bury her, the woman has already been buried, and we absolutely cannot take her back; if we bury her anywhere random, then...!

Ren Bao struggled internally for a long time, torn between two conflicting emotions. He gritted his teeth, deciding that whatever the future held, all he wanted was for his son to never suffer again. He'd already killed the two-headed snake guarding the cave; if he didn't use it, someone else would. He was determined to enter the cave, but of course, rescuing the old ghost guest was his priority. He stood up, called to Old Man Sangcai and the child, and prepared to chisel a hole through the wall to reach the One-Eared Wolf's lair. The three of them, tools in hand, went to the wall, and Ren Bao dug with a powerful shovel.

With a soft "thud," Ren Bao felt that the shovel hadn't hit any loose soil, and the entire tomb shook. At the same time, two red lights suddenly appeared in the tomb.

What is that? Ren Bao and the other two were so frightened that they took two steps back and stared at it closely.

---janeadam

Reply [32]: A fishy smell made people want to vomit, and there was a rapid and eerie "whooshing" sound. The entire tomb shook more violently, and the three of them swayed unsteadily. In that darkness, something was slowly moving, making a "rustling" sound as it rubbed against the ground. When Ren Bao looked at the old man and the child, he could still see that their faces had changed even in such a dark environment.

"Quick, climb out using the urn!" Ren Bao shouted at the two of them.

The two men snapped out of their daze and shakily climbed to the edge of the urn, then climbed out one by one, widening the opening in their haste. Ren Bao waited until they were out of sight before leaping onto the urn and hurriedly climbing out through the opening. The three men looked at each other, their hearts pounding beneath their feet even after they were outside, their eyes fixed anxiously on the opening.

A colossal snake head emerged from the cave entrance, its eyes fixed on the three of them with malevolent intent. Its entire body slowly slithered out. It was over four meters long and as thick as a small bowl, its entire body covered in dark brown scales! Its forequarters stood taller than a person, its neck bulging with rage like a football, its forked tongue flicking wildly like a raging fire.

Ren Bao's heart sank. The Loess Plateau's terrain and climate were unsuitable for venomous snakes, yet this king cobra, commonly known as the "mountain wind," was one of the most formidable of the few venomous snakes that survived. Not only was its venom potent, but it was also remarkably large, typically around 3 meters long, but a 4-meter specimen like this was not only unprecedented, but unheard of. What was particularly terrifying was that mountain wind snakes were said to be hermaphroditic, but only one was present; the other's whereabouts were unknown. Mountains follow tigers, water follows dragons; he should have realized that the one guarding the jellyfish's lair wasn't the two-headed snake. It must have been hibernating, awakened by his shovel.

As Ren Bao pondered, he gestured for Old Man Sangcai and the child to step back. He then pulled out his only weapon—two silver shuttles—from his robes. The mountain snake, however, was an animal that dared to attack. Now fully awake, it hissed, exhaled a puff of white mist, and pounced like lightning, shaking its head and tail. Before Ren Bao could even move, the snake's entire body was coiled around him. Its mouth was wide open, revealing its esophagus and blood-red inner palate. Especially striking were its two venomous fangs, each a full three centimeters long, gleaming like steel needles.

Ren Bao was terrified and collapsed to the ground, unable to bear the weight. The snake was tightly constricting his chest, making it hard to breathe, and it kept tightening its grip. He couldn't even tell whose knuckles were cracking; if he didn't react soon, he would be a pile of mud in seconds. Ren Bao took a deep breath, tilted his head back to avoid the snake's head, and suddenly reached out and grabbed Shan Feng's neck tightly. It was the snake's weakest point, but also its most muscular. The moment his hand touched it, a tremendous force rebounded, making Ren Bao's hand go weak. He tightened his grip, and the two silver needles slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. The snake's neck throbbed with incredible resilience, its mouth wide open to its limit, and its round, sinister eyes gleamed with a venomous light.

The man and the snake were locked in a stalemate. After all, the snake was strong and powerful, its strength boundless and frantic.

Ren Bao was too weak to continue. He could only use the strength of his shoulders to push the snake's head away from his face. He wanted to call for Lao Sangcai's help, but he couldn't speak. His arms were already starting to ache and go numb from the excessive force, and it seemed he was about to die in the snake's mouth.

Suddenly, the child rushed forward, picked up the silver shuttle from the ground, and plunged it downwards, piercing Shanfeng's left eye through its right. The immense pain spurred Shanfeng to unleash even greater power; it quickly released its grip on Renbao's body, its tail whipping across the hard ground, carving furrows. Renbao, fearing a further attack, still clung tightly to its neck, rolling around as it did so, shouting at the child, "Pierce its head!"

The child aimed again and forcefully plunged the silver shuttle into Shanfeng's head, pulling it out and then plunging it in again. Shanfeng's central nervous system was damaged, his consciousness gradually faded, and his strength waned until he finally stopped struggling.

Ren Bao tentatively loosened his grip, but his hands, still cramped from excessive force, remained in that position, unable to straighten. Confirming that Shanfeng was dead, Ren Bao quickly jumped up, picked up a shovel, severed the snake's head, and kicked it far away. It was said that Shanfeng's head could be reattached! Only then did Ren Bao let out a long breath, feeling utterly exhausted. He collapsed to the ground, completely drained. Sang Cai rushed over to check if he was injured, but the boy had picked up the shovel and was frantically chopping at the snake's carcass.

After resting for a while, Ren Bao gradually recovered. In that life-or-death moment, he suddenly realized how narrow-minded he had been! From as far back as he could remember, he had only thought of revenge, of destroying the One-Eared Wolf's family, only to nearly die at the hands of that beast himself. He hadn't considered that after his death, what meaning would revenge have? Now that he was alive by chance, those thoughts seemed laughable. Life, oh life, the only thing to do is survive first, then figure out how to live! Ren Bao suddenly understood. He stood up, looked at the snake's carcass, now hacked to pieces, and raised his voice to stop the child's madness. Then he remembered the woman's body was still lying there. Perhaps he should quickly take her down and bury her, then dig the tomb passage to rescue the Old Ghost Guest. Otherwise, when the other mountain wind awoke, everyone would be dead without a burial place. He picked up the silver shuttle and the old mourner and climbed back up the mountain ridge. Upon reaching the corpse, Ren Bao lifted the upper body, while Lao Sangcai lifted the lower body. After taking only a few steps, they heard the woman groan softly.

---janeadam

Reply [33]: Both of them were startled. The old man's hands went limp and his legs hit the ground hard. The woman screamed even louder. When Ren Bao calmed down and looked closely at the woman's face, she saw that her eyes were indeed open. She looked at him and asked, "Dad, where am I? Am I not dead yet?"

Ren Bao was overjoyed. He gently placed the woman's body on the ground and felt her pulse. Sure enough, it was throbbing, and the strength was increasing, as if her energy was gradually returning. Ren Bao wondered: How could she come back to life when she was already dead? He thought about it carefully and suddenly realized why.

The woman had only been in a state of suspended animation due to pain, and in his haste to save her, he hadn't had a chance to observe her properly. When the old man brought her over, he placed her on the Tengyang acupoint. The vital energy emanating from the acupoint not only restored her consciousness but also significantly replenished her strength. Ren Bao couldn't help but smile; he hadn't expected that the acupoint he had stepped on would save the woman's life.

The three immediately went downstairs, intending to rescue the old ghost and leave. The woman, perhaps still in pain from her abdominal injury, clutched her stomach as she walked. Ren Bao asked her with concern, "Does it still hurt?" The woman nodded, wanting to say something but remaining silent. The sky was already turning blue; dawn was approaching.

Ren Bao and the old man dug ahead, while the woman and child shoveled the excavated soil outwards from behind. After a long time, Ren Bao dug down with a shovel, and with a whoosh, the tomb passage was cleared. They dug the entrance a little bigger, and all four of them squeezed inside. Ren Bao lit the candle he had brought. Because of the lack of air, the candlelight was very weak, but it was still enough to see the situation inside the tomb chamber.

A large, black lacquered coffin sat in the tomb. The old ghost leaned against it, his ears listening for sounds, and turned his head toward them. Ren Bao handed the candle to the child, rushed forward, and helped the old ghost up, saying, "Father, I'm here. Let's go home now." He turned and carried the old ghost on his back, walking toward the cave entrance. The three people made way for him.

Something unexpected happened!

---janeadam

Reply [34]: The coffin lid suddenly jumped open, and a person sat up inside. When several people turned to look at the sound, five gunshots rang out. Ren Bao felt the old ghost on his back suddenly stiffen and then fall down. His leg was pushed by something, and his body involuntarily fell forward, followed by his woman and Sang Cai. The woman didn't know where she had been shot, but she was clutching her stomach and howling in pain, while Sang Cai was lying there convulsing with blood all over his face, blood flowing all over the ground. Ren Bao tried to stand up, but a huge pain came from his thigh. He looked back at the person in the coffin.

The one-eared wolf sat in the coffin with an evil look on his face, holding two guns in his hands, and grinning sinisterly at him.

"You...you're already dead, aren't you?" Ren Bao asked, enduring the pain.

"Hahahaha, how could I die so easily? You think you can get away with crippling my legs?" One-Eared Wolf glared at Ren Bao and asked, "If I don't use this trick, how can I lure you to my side? You know the location of my burial site. Once I'm really dead, you'll sneak up and dig up my grave to ruin my family's fortune? I can't die in peace until you're dead!"

Ren Bao lowered his head in remorse, his heart burning like fire. He hadn't expected the one-eared wolf to be so ruthless, going so far as to fake his death and bury himself in the pit just to lure him out. He never imagined he would still die at his hands. His legs were already broken; there was no way he could leave the pit. It seemed his only option was to find a way to take them both down with him. He quietly took out the porcelain bottle, unscrewed the stopper, and, feigning pain, hurriedly scooped up some blood-stained dirt from the ground and put it into the bottle. The one-eared wolf continued speaking:

"You wanted to use bloodlust to ruin my family's fortune. You didn't collect enough blood from three generations before setting up an aura array to harm me. It's a pity I'm lucky. Although I lost both my legs, I still survived. It's a pity you're going to die first, sir! This is the girl I gave you, right? Your whole family, three generations, is going to die here. When dawn breaks, my men will rescue me and throw your corpses outside to feed the dogs. Let's see what you can do to me then, sir!"

Ren Bao ignored him and turned his gaze to the child standing beside him, his eyes filled with longing. The child hesitated as he walked to his side and reached out to help him up, but Ren Bao gripped the child's arm tightly, so tightly that his nails dug deep into the child's muscle, creating several wounds from which blood gushed out. The one-eared wolf, oblivious to all this, stared at the child and said, "This must be my little bastard, haha. Look how much his face resembles mine!" Ren Bao brought his mouth to the child's wound and sucked desperately, his mouth full of crimson blood. He suddenly pushed the child away, turned to the one-eared wolf, and said, "Don't be so happy. Do you know who that dead Sang Cai is? He's your biological father, Tian Shusheng. This child is also your flesh and blood. Do you think I can't collect the blood of three generations of your family? Let me tell you, I could have used magic to destroy you long ago, but I hesitated because my father is still in town! Since things have come to this, let's all perish together! Once the blood demon is formed, everyone in your family will die, and although I won't be able to climb out, dying in the Tengyang Cave is a blessing from my ancestors! In the future, my son will be ennobled and become a high-ranking official, while your family's lineage will be cut off!" He suddenly brought his mouth to the mouth of the porcelain bottle, trying to spit the blood in his mouth into it.

One-Eared Wolf's expression changed. He raised his hand, aimed at the porcelain bottle in Ren Bao's hand, and fired a shot. Suddenly, the woman beside him stood up desperately, shielding Ren Bao. One-Eared Wolf fired several more shots, all hitting her. Blood flowed continuously from her chest and abdomen until she finally collapsed. At this moment, Ren Bao had already spat the blood into the bottle. The final shot struck the bottle, shattering it into pieces, and a cloud of blood mist dispersed and fell to the ground.

One-Eared Wolf felt a surge of heat in his heart, and a thick liquid rushed from his chest to his throat. He couldn't help but open his mouth and gushed out streams of blood. His body slumped down, his hands hanging limply by the coffin, the gun falling from his hands. The light in his eyes, which had been fixed on Ren Bao, disappeared. Finally, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

Ren Bao struggled to drag himself to the old ghost's side. The old ghost had been shot in the back, bleeding profusely, and had been dead for some time. Ren Bao crawled from the pool of blood to the woman's side. The woman was still breathing, her eyes wide open, looking at Ren Bao and saying, "Dad, this time I really can't go on. It's a pity we can't go out to support our child."

"Don't say that. Even if we all die, we'll crawl to our parents' graves outside. As long as we die there, our children will surely succeed even if they have no parents," Ren Bao said with a bitter smile.

---janeadam

Reply [35]: “But I really can’t move anymore. Why don’t you drag me out after I die? It’s pitiful that I, as a mother, can’t even help my child with this little bit of help.” The woman said with a similarly miserable smile.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. The One-Eared Wolf's family fortune has been cut off. Even if we die here, it's still a Tengyang acupoint. Although it can't compare to the Parents' acupoint, it's still a rare auspicious acupoint that only appears once in a hundred years!" Ren Bao comforted the woman, reaching out to stroke her body. When his blood-stained hand covered the woman's stomach, he suddenly felt a surge of heat in his heart, as if hot lava was churning inside his chest like a volcanic eruption. He couldn't help but open his mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood.

"What's going on?" Ren Bao was shocked. He kept choking on blood as he looked at his hands, which were covered with the blood of the one-eared wolf in the porcelain bottle, his own blood, the old ghost guest's blood, the woman's blood, and...? Could it be...? He looked at the woman in confusion and asked, "Are you pregnant with Chuang Sisi?"