Первая книга из серии «Мастер озорства» Кто я

Глава 16

We'll just watch.

We remained silent.

We were all stunned.

The rain intensified, the intermittent downpour suddenly turning into a torrential downpour, like a raging flood! Just over an hour ago, the sky was clear and the night was filled with stars; now, rain clouds blotted out the moon. The thunder, no longer occasional, began to rumble and roar continuously overhead!

Section 137: The Gate of Change (8)

Heaven's wrath?!

It didn't matter; we were already terrified by the strange insects on the giant trees in the open space, and didn't have time to worry about the weather. But these strange insects seemed to be quite frightened by the incessant thunder, and after a moment, they finally scurried away on the ground, screeching!

The strange insects crawled very fast, and because of their large numbers, they quickly formed many scattered, irregular streams, like the Chicago mad bull herd, rampaging everywhere. The only difference was that what made the mad bull herd terrifying was their sharp horns and huge hooves, while what terrified us now was the appearance of these strange insects.

As the strange insects fled, their meter-long bodies, resembling giant pythons, arched their backs, a third of their antennae waving in the air, their soft-tissue mouthparts and densely packed compound eyes flashing upwards as they charged straight forward. My stomach convulsed violently along with the frenzied swarm. We weren't far from them, making us undoubtedly their primary target. The four of us were completely disoriented; there was no time to consider dodging, avoiding, or escaping. In our stunned silence, we were all swept away by the overwhelming tide of insects.

The rain was pouring down.

A thousand miles away, under the same sky, thunder and lightning raged, turning a house on the eastern outskirts of Jingcheng a stark white. In the intermittent light, an old man sat quietly on the edge of the bed, holding a yellowed old photograph in his hand, silently examining it. He looked at it so carefully and solemnly, so engrossed that even the continuous thunder could not disturb his mind, which was immersed in memories.

Under the influence of lightning, the smiles in the yellowed old photo are clearly discernible: a man, a woman, and two children.

It's easy to see that it's a family photo.

In the antique-style hall depicted in the photograph, a middle-aged man with a side-parted hairstyle stands out. Beneath his thick, sword-like eyebrows are eagle-like eyes, a piercing gaze forever captured in the photograph. The man wears a dark green Zhongshan suit, his imposing figure and stern, unsmiling demeanor both handsome and solemn. Leaning beside him is a woman of dignified bearing, a gentle smile playing on her lips. Her arched eyebrows are captivating, and her long eyelashes and slender hands reveal the countless hearts that have been drawn to her. Her luxurious fuchsia cheongsam perfectly embodies restraint and elegance, her long hair cascading down to the space between the two adults.

Section 138: Deeper into the Heartland (1)

It was placed on the shoulders of the two children.

The children in the photo look quite young. Unlike their mother, who is wearing a cheongsam, both girls have short, ear-length hair, which makes them look fresh and energetic. Their tops and skirts, adorned with small floral patterns, are quite ordinary. Perhaps for this reason, the two little girls in the photo seem unhappy, and the resentful looks in their eyes are unusually sharp.

They must have had another argument that morning, as usual... Another rumble of thunder echoed across the sky. The old man tucked the photograph back into his thick book and fell into a daze. A faint melancholy, like the wrinkles etched by the years, was deeply etched on his face.

Chapter Seventeen: Deeper into the Heartland

Behind me stood a lone tree, in front of which stretched a thicket of grass; behind me were strange insects, and in front… a snake? I was terrified by my own speculation. It wasn't entirely impossible; grass and snakes were like water and fish—it all made sense. But what if I guessed right again? Wouldn't we all end up in the snake's belly? Those things on the tree in front could grow to that size; goodness, wouldn't the snakes in this thicket grow into dragons?

1 Damage

2X array

Chapter Seventeen: Deeper into the Heartland

1 Damage

"Cough! Cough!"

The pain coursing through my body and the icy rain brought me back to life. I struggled to sit up, vomiting everywhere. As soon as I regained consciousness, I frantically groped around, and thankfully, my arms and legs were all intact. I was covered in mud, and the giant tree in front of me swayed in the wind and rain, still rustling incessantly.

The strange insect has vanished, and the rain continues to fall.

I was so glad I hadn't been eaten. Turns out, those hideous, grotesque soft-mouthed worms were all part of a monk's feast—a vegetarian meal. What incredible luck! I lay back down on the floor, chuckling to myself, but then the rainwater that had filled my mouth and nose made me sit up. As I coughed, it suddenly dawned on me…

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

Ye Min fainted a few steps away from me, while Ma Lian and Lü Fang were a little further away. To the naked eye, they didn't seem to be missing any limbs; they were just knocked unconscious by the impact or fright. I endured the intense pain and staggered to Ye Min's side, picking her up in my arms.

Ye Min was pale, her face ashen, her white upper teeth clenched tightly around her bluish lower lip. She was clearly both frightened and chilled. I quickly patted her ashen face, calling out, "Xiao Min! Wake up! Xiao Min!"

Section 139: Deeper into the Heartland (2)

She struggled to open her eyes, looking at me wearily. It took her a while to open her mouth, mumbling something unintelligible. I thought she was still in shock and hadn't fully woken up, so I comforted her, "Don't talk, it's okay, it's okay, I'm here, don't say anything, it's alright, it's all over..." Without waiting for a reply, I buried her face in my wet chest and hugged her tightly.

After a while, Ye Min, who had regained consciousness, burst into tears in my arms. She was probably too frightened; she cried very hard. I didn't say anything, and didn't know what else to say, so I just let her be. "Cry, it'll make you feel better. You're okay, that's good enough."

She cried for most of the day before she finally stopped. The first thing she asked me when she looked up was, "Then... what about those things?"

"They ran away." That's my guess.

After hearing this, Ye Min looked around nervously, and then asked me again with lingering fear, "Will...will e back again?"

"That would be terrible!" I hurriedly said, "No, no. Come on, can you stand up?" If they come back again, we'll all be scared to death. But there's an old saying that birds don't leave their nests, and this tree is their habitat. Based on their natural habits, they'll definitely come back. We'd better leave this place as quickly as possible.

Ye Min nodded, and we helped each other to our feet.

Seeing that she could barely stand, I helped her and tried to walk towards where the other two had fainted. But after only a few steps, Ye Min collapsed again, and I had to stop. I couldn't stop, and I couldn't move... With no other option, I simply shouted at the top of my lungs at the two people lying in the distance.

Horse Face woke up first. He groaned and got up, ignoring me and rubbing his thighs and arms. It took him a while to come to his senses. I called him several times before he heard me. I told him to quickly check on that kid Lü Fang.

Horse Face scrambled over to Lü Fang's side. Seeing that he'd been fiddling with Lü Fang for a while without getting him to sit up, I grew anxious: "What are you doing?! Hurry up!" Horse Face turned to me and shouted back, "I can't wake him!"

What? My heart skipped a beat when I heard him say that. I put Ye Min down, whom I was supporting, and said, "I...I'll go take a look. Don't move around." After telling Ye Min, I stumbled and ran towards Lü Fang's location.

Section 140: Deeper into the Heartland (3)

"How is he?" I asked anxiously as soon as I got to Horse Face. Horse Face shook his head. I didn't even bother to ask what it meant. I looked down at Lü Fang. He was still alive, but his condition was not optimistic, even... a bit bad.

Lu Fang lay on the ground, disheveled, covered in mud, and looking extremely pale. I called out to him several times but he didn't respond. I checked his pulse; though weak, he was still breathing. He had probably been thrown around many times on the way, worried about Su Yan's safety, and then frightened by the strange insect and soaked in the rain. All his old and new injuries had combined to exhaust him, causing him to collapse.

I touched Lü Fang's forehead; it was burning hot. If this continued, he would be in danger. I swallowed hard and said to Ma Lian in a conciliatory tone, "I'll have to trouble you to take care of him. I have another one to take care of." After saying that, I glanced at Ye Min, thinking to myself, "This job can only be left to you, Mr. Ma. Who told you to bring people out to improve the relationship between new and old employees? You can't blame anyone else, and don't expect me to help. I'm badly injured myself, and besides, my girlfriend is weak right now."

Horse Face had no choice; saving lives was of utmost urgency. After helping the unconscious Lü Fang up, I returned to Ye Min's side. When I helped Ye Min up again, she seemed somewhat powerless, and her expression was one of great pain.

"What's wrong?" I thought she was like Lü Fang, which would be really troublesome.

Ye Min groaned softly, "Legs...legs..."

What happened to her leg? I bent down to look, and my heart clenched when I saw it—Ye Min had a large wound on her right calf at some point.

What... what happened? I was shocked. Ye Min shook her head in pain. I asked her to hold onto my shoulder and stand up, while I squatted down to take a closer look at her right calf.

A long cut snaked along Ye Min's calf. The wound wasn't deep; you could say that not much flesh was damaged. However, the wound, including the skin around it, was a bright, excessively vivid red, like red ink spilled on rice paper, spreading across a large area.

Staring at this strange wound, I was reminded of the raised mouthparts of those insects…

A word suddenly flashed through my mind, and I frowned, my eyes reddening. It was raining, and I was squatting, so Ye Min didn't notice. Taking advantage of her inattention, I quickly rubbed my reddened eyes, stood up with mixed feelings, and helped her. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt?" Her face was as white as paper, and she nodded at me with difficulty. I suddenly felt my eyes welling up again.

Section 141: Deeper into the Heartland (4)

Is it really true that beautiful women have always had tragic fates?

At this moment, Horse Face, supporting Lü Fang, arrived beside us. He looked at Ye Min and me with a puzzled expression. Ye Min also turned her head with difficulty to look at Lü Fang and Horse Face, and asked, "What...what's wrong with him?"

Before Horseface could speak, I quickly comforted her, saying, "No...it's nothing! He just fainted from exhaustion. He'll be fine after a rest."

"Oh..." In my opinion, Ye Min's physical strength was also being used beyond the limit.

"What are you standing there for? Come on, it's still raining." I saw Horse Face staring at Ye Min's legs and urged him on. Horse Face didn't say anything more, and he helped Lü Fang walk forward, with me supporting Ye Min as we followed closely behind.

The rain, like us, showed no sign of stopping, drifting and sprinkling.

2X array

As the rain continued for a while, we gradually got used to it. Besides, there was nowhere to take shelter except for a large tree—and could a person really hide under a tree? Supporting Ye Min and helping Lü Fang along, we wandered aimlessly through this unfamiliar, rain-shrouded area. As we walked, the sparse weeds on the rough soil grew thicker and thicker, until finally, a large expanse of grassy woodland appeared before us.

It couldn't really be called a "forest." In the dark, the vast meadow in front of me appeared to be overgrown with wild grass, the grass reaching waist-high, numerous and covering a wide area. With the help of the lightning, I could see a little more clearly: it was indeed grassland, but not as exaggerated as it looked in the dark—the area was indeed vast, but not too dense.

We should still be in the vast open space behind the giant gate of the fox, because only here could such a wide expanse of grass grow.

Behind me was a lone tree, in front of which lay a thicket of grass; behind me were strange insects, and in front of me... a snake? I was terrified by my own speculation. It wasn't entirely impossible; grass and snakes were like water and fish—it all made sense. But what if I guessed right again? Wouldn't we all end up in the snake's belly? Those things on the tree in front could grow to that size! Goodness, wouldn't the snakes in this thicket grow into dragons?

It seems that crossing this not-so-dense grassy area will be quite difficult.

I've read in some books and magazines that venomous creatures like snakes, centipedes, and scorpions are highly spiritual. The longer they live, the larger they become, and the more ferocious and bloodthirsty they become. Another point is that after a certain number of years, certain creatures undergo significant changes in their physical appearance or shape. Superstition calls these changes "becoming spirits," while science calls it "evolution." There are all sorts of bizarre claims and cases: snakes growing legs, scorpions changing color, centipedes growing wings… But none of that matters. The most important thing is that I've completely forgotten whether these books and magazines I've read are novels or academic documents…

Section 142: Deeper into the Heartland (5)

If it were a novel, I could treat it as mere fantasy. But if it were academic literature, that would be a different story… I stared at the rustling grass, unsure of what to do. Just then, Ye Min, who was leaning against me, started babbling incoherently. Although it was raining and I was feeling cold, I could clearly feel the burning heat emanating from her as she leaned against me.

She has a high fever and is even starting to lose consciousness.

...But I can't worry about that now! I looked at the grass in the thicket; it was plentiful but not very tall. After being ravaged by this storm, swathes of grass were lying flat and bent, not very deep. Even if there were small snakes, there was no need to fear. The rainfall was plentiful, and the flow of water on the ground was far too fast for them to handle. If there really was a snake king that had grown into a dragon...if I were lucky enough to see it, death would be enough!

Let's try our luck! I made up my mind and shouted to Horse Face, "Let's go!"

As we ventured deeper into the grassland, we tried to walk faster, but the rain-soaked meadow was difficult to traverse, with each step sinking deep into the mud. Every time I stepped into the deepest part, my heart would leap into my throat. God help me, please don't let me step into a snake pit... Because the grassland was difficult to walk on, I simply carried Ye Min on my back, as it would be more convenient to carry her.

The other group, with Horse Face supporting Lü Fang, was also having a particularly difficult time. I was afraid that Horse Face wouldn't be able to keep going, so I told him, "We should be grateful that this grassland isn't like the swampy terrain the Red Army encountered during their Long March. They managed to get through that kind of terrain, so what's this? If that kid Lü Fang dies on your shoulder here, he'll be clinging to you for the rest of his life. Hurry up!"

The words didn't frighten the horse, but they did bolster his strength, and his pace gradually quickened. We walked for about half a mile through the grassy woods, and apart from the difficulty of our steps, we didn't encounter anything I had imagined. It seemed that although this grassland was desolate, it was also quite safe.

What we will encounter is something we could never have imagined.

The rain intensified, and the sky above the open space behind the door resembled a burst dam. As we entered the heart of the grassy area, the downpour reached its peak, pouring down so hard we could barely open our eyes. I was annoyed. What a beautiful scene in March! Why this sudden downpour? I wasn't bothered; the rain was fine, I was covered in mud, a good wash would do. But I worried about Ye Min and Lü Fang getting soaked. There was nothing for miles around except grass, fog, and rain; there was nowhere to hide. Besides, the rain seemed to be pouring down without any sign of letting up. I was even more worried—what if it hailed in this open space…?

Section 143: Deeper into the Heartland (6)

Boom! Another bolt of lightning struck, instantly illuminating the surroundings. In that brief moment of light, I saw something.

I hurriedly called to Horse Face to stop: "There's something in the grassy woods ahead!" Horse Face had just stepped into a half-ditch with his right foot when he heard me call out. He almost fell when he heard me say there was something, and it took him a while to regain his balance. He hurriedly asked what kind of weird thing it was.

I stammered that I hadn't seen it clearly. That's not my fault, after all, the flash of lightning is very brief, and I could only make out the general shape. "It looked like something like a rockery, there were many of them, stuck upright in the grass and woodland in front of me."

"An...an shan zi? What's that?" I couldn't see his expression clearly, but I could sense the tension in his voice. He gets scared sometimes, huh? I told him that an shan zi is a Japanese folk term for something, while in our folk tradition, such things are called scarecrows.

As soon as I finished speaking, I realized something was wrong. These aren't crops, so why are we putting up scarecrows? And so many of them? Unsure of what lay ahead, we left ourselves in the grass, thinking we'd wait for a few more flashes of lightning to get a clearer view.

In no time, the surroundings turned deathly white again, the dark night sky torn to shreds by the lightning. Seeing our chance, Horse Face and I strained our eyes to see. There were indeed many things standing in the grass ahead, but they weren't the so-called "anshanzi" I'd described. Although we didn't know what they were, their shapes resembled the ritual implements described in the *Great Treatise on Esoteric Buddhism*, made of various materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, stone, crystal, sandalwood, and even human bone. What were they called again? Oh, right—a vajra.

However, these are the extended versions.

These things, illuminated by the lightning, looked exactly like the sharp end of a vajra, pointing upwards, haphazardly arranged, as if they had been pierced directly from the ground, standing upright in the meadow in front of us, forming a large patch.

I was puzzled. Could it be that there are many mechanical camel-hump stone bridges under this land?

Did you see it clearly?

"Yes, I see it clearly."

What does it look like to you?

"A small spire. What's it for?"

"I'm not sure either... Do you see anything lying or attached to it?"

"It seems not... What did you see?"

Section 144: Deeper into the Heartland (7)

"I didn't see anything on it, so it should be fine, right?"

"What's next?"

"I don't think so. With this heavy rain, unless there's a trap, it'll just wash away whatever's in it."

"trap?"