Enamorarse del diablo

Capítulo 24

I don't know how much time passed after lying there. When I woke up, apart from feeling exhausted all over, I didn't have any pain. I couldn't help but stretch and smelled a roasting aroma. "Suckling pig?" Damn it! My stomach churned with hunger; I hadn't eaten anything for ages.

Following the scent, we saw the boss roasting a large suckling pig, its whole body glowing red, sitting on the bonfire. Good heavens, it weighed at least several dozen kilograms. We're in for a treat!

In the dark valley, with no stars or moon in sight, I walked over, grabbed a suckling pig leg, and began to devour it. Besides the eldest, Princess Jenny, Xin, Sally, Lian, and Lucy were also gathered around the campfire. I didn't know when they had woken up, but I didn't care at that moment; I just needed to fill my stomach. I wolfed down my food, which made Lucy chuckle to herself. Only when I heard Lucy's laughter did I realize my lapse in behavior. I couldn't help it; I was just too hungry.

"Huh? Where are Pheasant, Macho Man, and Know-It-All?"

When I asked, the boss pointed behind him, and by the firelight, I saw that the three of them were still lying on the grass, fast asleep. Damn! They were sleeping even more soundly than I was, snoring loudly. It seemed they were dreaming about having sex with beautiful women again.

After drinking a few sips of water, I finally filled my stomach. As I rested, everyone started talking. The leader added fuel to the fire and said, "We've been in this canyon for a week."

"A week?" I was a little dumbfounded. A week is seven days. Did I sleep for seven days? How is that possible? I looked at Lucy.

Lucy covered her mouth and laughed, "You idiot, you can really sleep, you've been sleeping for seven days."

Lucy spoke with a smile, but she wasn't joking.

Seven days? I can't believe I can actually sleep like that. Wouldn't that make me a vegetable? Luckily, I woke up. I turned to look at Chicken, Macho, and Know-It-All and asked, "Boss, are they alright?"

The eldest brother laughed and said, "Don't worry! They're fine. The three of them are mostly recovered, but judging from the situation, they might need to sleep for a few more days before waking up."

"What...what's going on?" I asked, puzzled. It's a miracle that someone can sleep for seven days without eating or drinking and still survive.

Princess Jenny rubbed her hands together and said, "It's not quite clear why this happened. Perhaps it's because the three of them were severely injured by the Black Vein of the Demon Serpent. Although they were later healed by the Qin Emperor, their bodies couldn't withstand the excessive strain of fighting to the limit along the way, so they need time to sleep and repair themselves."

"Body repair?"

"Body repair refers to the process by which the body's mechanisms are regenerated or modified using magical energy when it is damaged, thus forming a new organism." Lian, who rarely spoke, finally spoke, but his eyes never left Yanxin in the campfire.

I didn't understand at all; the technical jargon was giving me a headache. I consider myself incredibly intelligent, the wisest in the world, but at this moment I could only scratch the back of my head. I remembered the leader once telling us, "Tenglong, I picked you all up and raised you from scratch. It's a pity! It's a pity that none of the four of you have magical energy, so you can't learn any skills..."

"Aren't we just ordinary people?" Thinking of this, the eldest glared at me and said in a low voice, "It's absolutely true that none of the four of you have magical power. Without magical power, you're just an ordinary person. That's why Princess Jenny used the word 'maybe' in her explanation earlier."

My initial joy was suddenly plunged into despair. I looked at Lucy and thought of the battle against the Black Serpent. No one could protect me. I... I really want power.

After a moment of silence, the boss patted me on the shoulder and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with being an ordinary person. At least you don't have to think about fighting and killing."

Just as I was trying to hide my embarrassment, Sally sneezed, rubbing her body with both hands, and said strangely, "Huh? Why is the weather getting colder?"

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Seven: Bonfire

Chapter word count: 2476 Update time: 08-03-23 12:00

As soon as Sally finished speaking, she leaned closer to the fire. Strange? Isn't it spring or summer? Why does she feel cold? I was also puzzled. I had wondered if Sally had caught a cold, but now I couldn't help but sneeze.

I looked up at the sky, and it was completely dark. There were no stars or moon. Why did it get cold?

Not only did I find it strange, but Lucy, Princess Jenny, and Lian also looked puzzled. The eldest brother adjusted the fire, and it burned brighter and brighter, finally making it feel much warmer. Then he pointed to a large pile of dry firewood behind him and said, "This firewood is enough for us to get through several nights. Once Chicken, Manly Man, and Know-It-All wake up, we'll leave this godforsaken place."

Lucy frowned and said, "It's not winter, so why has this canyon suddenly become so cold?"

The eldest brother smiled and replied, "If you had woken up a few days earlier, there would probably have been even stranger things."

"Something even stranger?" they all asked in unison. Could there be a ferocious beast here? Or an even more terrifying monster?

The leader took a deep breath and said, "You might not believe it, but the weather in this canyon changes very strangely. It's as hot as the summer heat during the day, but as cold as the winter at night."

"Could this be a natural phenomenon caused by abnormal weather? Or is it caused by the difference in altitude?" Princess Jenny said slowly.

The eldest brother shook his head. "No, even natural phenomena wouldn't have such a huge difference. In the world we know, the food chain couldn't possibly survive intact in such an environment. It's as if we're living between extreme heat and extreme cold."

I didn't know how to interject. This kind of thing is extremely scientific and complex, and I don't understand it. I haven't read any books on it either. Anyway, I've never encountered such a situation before, and I couldn't explain it at all. So we could only listen quietly to the conversation between the eldest brother and Princess Jenny.

It seems that Lian, Lucy, Sally, and Xin are all equally curious and are listening attentively, just like me.

The eldest brother sighed and said, "What kind of place is this? There isn't even a sun, stars, or moon here."

"What?" We were shocked. Was it because the mountains were so high that they blocked the direct sunlight? Or perhaps they blocked the moonlight and stars?

We couldn't help but look at the sky. Although we hadn't paid much attention before, now that we looked closely, it really was true.

"Can't we even see the sun during the day?" Xin asked in surprise.

The eldest brother gave a wry smile and muttered to himself, "This is the first time I've encountered such a phenomenon. Sigh... The world is truly full of wonders."

I looked at everyone and said to Lucy, "Didn't you all wake up a long time ago? How could you not know if there are stars, a moon, and a sun here?"

Lucy tapped my head with a twig and said, "Idiot, that was a lie. We just woke up too, only a few hours earlier than you. But when we woke up, it was already dark."

"Oh, I see!" I exclaimed in realization. "So there are quite a few pigs that sleep for a week."

“You’re the pig!” Lucy said, pouting.

I ignored Lucy and asked directly, "Boss, have you found a way out these past few days?"

The question that everyone was concerned about, all eyes were on the leader.

The eldest brother shrugged, paused deliberately, and said, "This road..."

"How is it?" We all pricked up our ears and listened carefully.

"It hasn't been found yet."

Damn! I thought I had found a way out and was just waiting for Baishitong and the others to wake up so I could make a quick getaway. Now that I think about it, since I can't leave, I'll just have to stay here and be buried here for the rest of my life.

I thought to myself: Don't the boss and Princess Jenny know summoning magic? Whatever canyon it is, we can just summon a few pterosaurs and fly out. We just need to make sure we don't run into that monstrous black serpent again. If we do, we might not be so lucky.

So I shared my idea, and everyone thought it was a good solution.

The leader tore off a piece of meat, popped it into his mouth, chewed it, and then chuckled sinisterly, "When dawn breaks, you'll understand what's going on. Don't even mention pterosaurs; even a Triassic eagle trying to fly out of here would be... hehe..."

The eldest brother paused before finishing his sentence. Judging from his tone, the answer was already clear: getting out would be harder than climbing to heaven.

I looked around; it was pitch black. We had just escaped danger, could we have fallen into some monster's lair again? I asked anxiously, "Boss, is it safe here? Are there any monsters or wild beasts?"

The mention of monsters caused everyone's expression to change, and Lian frowned deeply. Ever since they encountered the Black Vein Demon Serpent, everyone had been terrified. Sally glared at me and said, "Tenglong, stop talking about monsters all the time. You're trying to scare people to death!"

Despite saying that, Sally still turned around and asked, "Instructor Henry, are there really monsters here?" After saying that, she looked around and saw that it was pitch black, which added to the mystery.

The leader laughed heartily, then patted his chest and said confidently, "Don't worry, I've scouted the area these past few days. It's absolutely safe here; there isn't even a wild animal."

After hearing what the boss said, I could finally put my mind at ease.

"but……"

"But what?" Before I could catch my breath, there was a sudden turn of events. I thought to myself, "Boss, please be more direct. Even the strongest heart can't withstand this kind of half-hearted talk."

The eldest brother didn't say anything, but just kept staring at the suckling pig on the campfire.

A strange feeling crept into my mind. Didn't the boss just say there wasn't a single wild animal here? How come there's a suckling pig on this fire? And it's huge, though it looks like a young red suckling pig.

Everyone else noticed something, but the leader was deep in thought, and no one spoke.

“Princess Jenny, you called for Black Mirror when we fell. What exactly happened?”

"Black Mirror?" I heard it too. Princess Jenny did call out the name Black Mirror, but the situation was critical at the time, and there was no time to prepare. Why is the boss interested in this? Is he trying to change the subject?

Princess Jenny looked at everyone and fell into deep thought, then said, "The Black Mirror, my grandfather once told me, is something that can change the direction of three-dimensional space, and is a forbidden place leading to death."

"The forbidden zone of death?" We looked at each other in disbelief and couldn't help but exclaim. Lian rubbed his fists and ran his hand along the blade.

"Then...then we, now..." I couldn't say it anymore. It's like one problem after another.

Princess Jenny laughed and said, "Everyone, don't be so nervous. The Black Mirror was only mentioned by my grandfather. It is not recorded in other literary collections or classics."

"Oh." The leader continued, "Is there anything else special about Black Mirror?"

"I'm not quite sure either. I only heard my grandfather mention it, but I didn't pay attention at the time. Later, I searched through the Demon Scripture, but there was no record of it. It was only when the direction of the flare that the pheasant shot off deviated that I suddenly remembered the Black Mirror."

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang (Side Story): The Dragon's Treasure - Chapter Thirty-Eight: Blood Sacrifice

Chapter word count: 2185 Update time: 08-03-23 12:00

"Why is it called Black Mirror?" Princess Jenny clearly didn't want to say much, but I was curious, so I asked anyway.

No one spoke; it seemed everyone wanted to know what was coming next. Even the boss knew nothing about Black Mirror.

Princess Jenny looked up at me and asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid of monsters? Why do you suddenly want to know about this?"

Monsters? Good heavens, how come everything is being associated with monsters these days? My heart is pounding. I immediately shut up when monsters are mentioned. To be honest, it's not that I'm afraid of monsters, but ordinary people like us not only can't protect those around us in dangerous situations, but we also become a burden and a liability to others. Thinking about it, being a person like that is quite a failure.

Seeing that no one spoke, Princess Jenny continued, "The Black Mirror is a device that uses darkness as its power to alter three-dimensional space in a purely two-dimensional way, creating an independent channel to send souls to the forbidden lands of death for blood sacrifice..."

"Blood sacrifice? What is that?"

"Tenglong, if you don't understand, don't interrupt. Just listen carefully," Xin said, glaring at me.

“Blood sacrifice is a ritual in ancient legends, which in modern terms means the destruction and slaughter of life,” Princess Jenny interrupted Xin.

I thought to myself: So that's how it is. It seems that the person who cast this spell is not a good person either. They are so cruel as to use life to destroy and slaughter. If they fall into my hands, hehe... I'll definitely tear them to pieces.

"As for the era in which the blood sacrifice background of Black Mirror appears, it is unknown. My grandfather once told a story that many years ago, a team of archaeologists were searching for ancient sites in the desolate desert. On the way, they encountered a sandstorm, which was a very rare sandstorm that stretched for thousands of miles and the sand waves were dozens of feet high. It surged and rushed towards the archaeologists. Among the archaeologists was a local man named Desert, who was the guide for this archaeological team."

Everyone listened intently. Princess Jenny paused for a moment and continued, "The desert led the archaeologists to the mouth of a valley. Suddenly, a sandstorm swept in from behind. Faced with such a disaster, they thought they were doomed. But then, a black line appeared before their eyes."

"Black line?"

"Yes, it's a black line. The black line is expanding at an imperceptible speed, covering the entire sandstorm."

"No way! This story is way too exaggerated." I protested from the side, how could this be true?

The eldest brother just smiled and didn't say anything, but Lucy asked with great interest, "Princess, what happened to the archaeologists and that guide in the desert?"

I reached out and patted Lucy on the shoulder, then said loudly, "Is that even a question? Of course, the archaeologists and the guide escaped into the valley from the desert, avoided the sandstorm, and were miraculously rescued."

Why?

Hearing Lucy's idiotic question, I couldn't help but chuckle. Before Princess Jenny could speak, I blurted out, "Stories always have miracles; that's what makes them legendary, isn't it, Princess Jenny?"

Princess Jenny covered her mouth and chuckled, then said to me, "Tenglong, you talk too much. If you don't understand, don't make things up. If you're going to make something up, at least make it believable."

The eldest brother couldn't stop smiling, and the atmosphere immediately became relaxed and lively, with everyone chatting and laughing.

Princess Jenny coughed twice, and everyone quieted down. She continued, "The dark space caused the archaeologists and guides to lose their way in the desert, just like we were in the dark. The light emitted traveled in the opposite direction, like a mirror reflecting us. After falling asleep, we woke up to find ourselves dead."

"What? Dead?" Sally couldn't help but ask in surprise and fear. She never expected the outcome to be like this; it was too unexpected.

The eldest brother added some firewood to the fire and said, "If I'm not mistaken, those must be the souls of the dead."

Souls? When the dead leave this world, they should go to heaven or hell, so how could they still see their own corpses? I was filled with doubt, but because of my admiration for my boss, I couldn't disbelieve what he said. I asked curiously, "Boss, do people really have souls after they die?"

"Souls? To be honest, I've lived for decades and have never seen one. But since there are monsters in this world, there must be souls. The Magic and Martial Arts Academy once offered a class on soul studies, which you students should be familiar with!"

Lucy and Rei both nodded. It seemed that what the boss said was true. No wonder Lucy and Rei could remain calm after hearing such a story. It turned out that they had received such education.

Princess Jenny continued, "The awakened souls were driven by an invisible force to the forbidden land of Death, where Death judged their souls and their bodies were sacrificed in blood."

"Judgment? Isn't that hell?" Although I had heard that after people die, they go to hell and are judged by judges. In the end, they are sent to the eighteenth level of hell based on the cause and effect of their good and evil deeds in life, and suffer the torment of a sleepless world. There is no time in hell, and the misery is unimaginable.