Chapter 137: Searching for the Corpse in the Snake Nest

I did not gloat, but instead turned to look at Tu’e. Just as Yun Mutian had tripped, I had clearly heard the faint sound of a finger snap.

"What did you do?" I leaned in and whispered.

"I hate that guy," Tu’e answered simply and honestly.

"Don't do it again." Although I also detested Yun Mutian, this was not the way to retaliate. Furthermore, Tu’e’s methods were already somewhat unconventional, and since Old Man Ma was a man of strict moral principles, I did not want him to become the subject of gossip.

I suddenly felt a gaze upon me. Looking up, I saw Guo Sangong turning his head away. Had he noticed?

We had not encountered any two-headed snakes along the way; those snakes had likely retreated to their nests. As we delved deeper into the forest, we found the small trail, and further in, we reached the vast expanse of fast-growing eucalyptus trees.

Passing through the eucalyptus grove, the forest grew increasingly dense.

"Aah!" A cry of alarm suddenly rang out.

A black two-headed snake had emerged from the branches, its forked tongue flickering directly toward one of the henchmen.

"What are you screaming for? With my master’s black medicine, these things won't bite you," Yun Mutian said.

"It... it really has two heads!" the lad stammered, trembling with fear.

"If you're scared, turn back," Yang Guangyu said coldly.

The man fell silent immediately, not daring to say another word.

The deeper we went, the more two-headed snakes appeared—hiding in the grass, clinging to the branches, a dense, writhing mass of them, each pair of heads fixing its gaze upon us. They were especially focused on me; however, because I carried the wooden talisman given to me by Old Man Ma, they dared not approach.

I was filled with wonder. I had not expected their numbers to be so vast. The ones that raided the village last night were but a tiny fraction; this place was a veritable kingdom of two-headed snakes!

The village chief, who was leading the way, stopped and said nervously, "Th-this is the deepest part of the forest. Any further, and the trees start to thin out."

"Is this the place? But how come we haven't seen a single 'living corpse'?" I asked.

We had seen corpses near the edge of the eucalyptus grove, but so far, we hadn't encountered any of those possessed bodies. Where had they gone?

The village chief shook his head and said, "We don't usually come in here, so we don't know."

Old Man Ma frowned, his expression vigilant. "Something is wrong—there must be mischief afoot! The fact that the possessed corpses are nowhere to be seen suggests even greater trouble."

Up ahead, Yun Mutian turned and mocked, "Old Ma, are you scared already? If you're too old for this, don't come out and make a fuss. Being timid just gets in the way!"

"Were you raised on excrement? Being short is one thing, but your mouth is foul! How have you not choked to death on your own stench?" I retorted sharply.

The lad flew into a rage and started to open his mouth, but a voice suddenly interrupted: "Someone is there!"

We immediately looked in the direction of the voice. A figure darted rapidly through the snakes and into the dense thicket. The jerky, puppet-like movement identified it as one of the possessed corpses!

Yun Mutian took the lead, lunging forward and chasing after the "living corpse" with agility.

"Follow him!" Yang Guangyu ordered, and the group rushed after them.

Old Man Ma followed as well. Being physically hampered, I had to lean on my wooden staff and quicken my pace to keep up.

We ducked into the dense woods, only to find everyone standing there, looking around in confusion.

Yun Mutian asked, puzzled, "That's strange. I was chasing him, and he only entered a few seconds before me. How could he have just vanished?"

I surveyed our surroundings. The thickets were extremely dense; it was certainly possible to be hidden from view. But since Yun Mutian had been right on the heels of the "living corpse," it made no sense that he hadn't spotted it if it had hidden.

Faint sounds reached my ears, and an odd sensation prickled my back. I whipped around, but there was nothing—just trees and grass.

I felt a vague sense of unease and leaned on my staff to move forward. I had clearly felt something just a moment ago; how could it have vanished so suddenly? It didn't seem as though it had burrowed into the brush, either.

Reaching the spot where I had sensed the anomaly, I tapped the ground with my staff. It was right here; it felt like something was there.

Suddenly, the ground bulged upward. I was startled!

There was something beneath the surface!

The raised patch of earth began to move—the thing under the soil was active!

It moved directly toward my feet. With my mobility limited, I struck at it with my staff!

The creature burst from the soil, shooting toward my face with a hiss. I gasped and was about to dodge, when a hand shot out from the side and grabbed it mid-air! It was a large two-headed snake! The ones we had seen earlier were only as thick as two fingers, but this one was as thick as a young child's arm!

I was carrying Old Man Ma's wooden talisman; why was this thing attacking me?

Tu’e tossed the snake away and wiped his hand on his jacket, looking thoroughly disgusted.

The large snake hit the ground, motionless. It was dead.

All around us, the ground began to bulge with mounds that moved rapidly, closing in on us from all sides. There were so many of these giant two-headed snakes!

A scream tore through the air. A large snake burst from the ground, coiled around one of the henchmen, and its two hideous heads opened their maws to strike. A blood-curdling shriek echoed through the deep forest!

Neither Old Man Ma’s talisman nor Guo Sangong’s black medicine was working!

Old Man Ma tried to rush over to save the man, but before he could take two steps, the victim stopped screaming and collapsed with a thud. His body bloated, his skin turned black, and he was dead in an instant!

"This is bad! These things are even more sinister than the small ones! Get out of here!" Old Man Ma shouted.

Seeing this, the group tried to flee, but the mounds in the ground were multiplying like rising blisters, surrounding us and cutting off our escape, closing in rapidly. The henchmen began to wail in terror.

"Five elements barred, bone of ice and jade, yin and yang shattered, soul and spirit destroyed!" Yun Mutian leaped up, darting to the front of the group, his hands waving in a blur as he launched something.

Tu’e suddenly reached out to shield me. Before I could process what was happening, I saw a transparent, needle-like icicle stop just before his palm, vanishing into thin air a moment later.

Yun Mutian’s cunning face wore a smirk as he looked at Tu’e. "Not bad. You truly have some skill to have caught my Ice Bone Needle."

Ice Bone Needle! So he was the one who fired it! He had intended to kill me along with the snakes! I stared at him coldly. This guy really wanted me dead!

Ever since I was expelled from school, I had tried to keep my head down and avoid anything illegal or illicit. But if the other party was determined to take my life, then I would have no choice but to ensure he was the one who died!