“Creak, creak…”
The strange sound of the swaying rope did not stop.
The thick living cocoon hanging beneath the rope also squirmed repeatedly without pause.
The ant swarm surging around the lower half of the cocoon was dyed bright red, with blood dripping and filtering out from the ants, the smell of blood thick.
The ants were not blind either. Large numbers surged toward Yu Qing with overwhelming force.
Yu Qing had already grasped some countermeasures. He dodged and retreated, backing into the strange fragrance.
Just as before, the ant swarm rushed to the outer edge of the fragrance and stopped, blocked by an invisible force within the boundary.
Yu Qing closed his fire starter and took out a fluorite stone from his bundle to provide light.
Before long, the ant swarm retreated like a tide, including those on the hanging rope, withdrawing the same way they had come.
They came suddenly, and left suddenly too.
The creaking sound continued, but what hung beneath the rope was now a skeleton wearing clothes.
Yu Qing dodged and landed on the steps. The fluorite light shone over it. Almost no bloodstains could be seen on the skeleton. It was that fresh white colour. Even the fresh periosteum had been completely gnawed away by the ants, and the bones were covered with fine bite marks.
When a person drew close, they could seemingly still feel the residual warmth on the skeleton.
A big man with a full beard had in the blink of an eye become a fresh skeleton. The speed at which that swarm of ants devoured him gave Yu Qing a horrified feeling.
He had still wanted to silence him earlier. This had actually saved him the trouble.
He suddenly turned back, dashed away, and raced through the tunnel, going directly to the exit leading to the kitchen stove.
First he felt the high temperature beneath the stone slab, listening carefully. He could sense that the servants had already risen early and were already lighting fires to prepare to attend to their master.
Turning back, he went down the steps to the intersection, held the fluorite stone and looked down carefully. He saw it, saw again that faint layer of mist that only gathered below knee level.
So far, he had not seen this in any other part of the tunnel.
He maintained his initial judgment. This place, perhaps because of the interweaving of cold and heat, had caused something to become visible.
The reason he had rushed back to look at this mist was because Big Head had chirped a warning when touching this mist earlier.
At the time he had not known what was happening, and later had not discovered any problem either. It was not until just now, seeing the bearded man turn into a skeleton, that he realised something, realised what that foolish, silly smile of the bearded man was about.
He walked back and forth in the mist, and saw the mist immediately churn and surge.
He understood. As long as someone intruded into this tunnel, whether intentionally or unintentionally, almost no one could escape disaster.
From the clothing on the skeletons in the pit, one could see the dead included Wen family servants and Qinglian Mountain disciples. Heaven knows who else was among those piles of bones in life. It looked like regardless of who came, unauthorised intruders were all killed without exception.
Only now did he understand that this crisscrossing tunnel, seemingly quiet and undisturbed, actually concealed enormous invisible killing intent.
Kill without pardon, and kill without a visible trace. This was true terror.
As for why he was fine, in Feng Qingyang’s ancient tomb he had had a similar encounter, so he had some guesses.
As for who that bearded man was, he had no heart to investigate. He turned and left quickly.
He hurried back to the entrance, crawled back into the utility room, and re-covered the entrance.
In the darkness he silently listened for a good while, then hid the bundle and sword he had brought with him deep in the pile of clutter.
He exited the storeroom, went to the door, removed the dead branch from beneath the door, re-bolted the door, and then returned to his bedroom.
After closing the door, he put things down on the table, lit the oil lamp in the bedroom, then dragged out the iron cage from under the bed, grabbed the bound puppy, untied the ropes on its mouth and limbs, and threw it back onto the floor.
“Ow, ow…”
The puppy let out low whimpers, swaying as it stood up and then tumbling over, climbing up and then toppling over drunkenly.
Yu Qing ignored it. Presumably it had been bound too long, its legs were numb, and it would be fine. He bent his head to unwrap the roast chicken packaging.
The puppy, having moved about slightly, could finally stand up. It turned like a cripple, and however difficult it was, walked to the door and began to scratch at the door with its paws.
It wanted to open the door, wanted to leave. It would not even look at Yu Qing again. It seemed to have completely lost all feeling for Yu Qing.
It had never suffered so much in its life. Even being a dog, it understood Yu Qing’s malice, and would never wag its tail at Yu Qing again.
Yu Qing tore off a chicken leg and took two bites, nodding repeatedly. He found the taste truly not bad, so he leaned against the chair back to enjoy the delicious food. Finally he had eaten something to his taste, his expression rather satisfied.
Seeing the puppy scratching at the door, he threw the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand over. It landed with a slap by the door.
The puppy, occasionally whimpering, only turned its head to glance at the chicken leg, then continued scratching at the door. Later its nostrils flared a few times, its paws slowly dropped from the door, and it slowly approached the chicken leg, sniffed it, then tentatively licked it. With just one lick it let out whining sounds, knowing what deliciousness was, and began to bite madly on the ground, still occasionally looking up at Yu Qing who was also eating.
Yu Qing twisted off the chicken neck and head and threw them over. The puppy sniffed them and immediately wagged its tail happily at him. Its eyes instantly gained brightness. Where could one see the slightest grievance?
Perhaps sensitive to the sound of gnawing bones, Big Head also flew out, landing on the table edge, staring down at the puppy gnawing bones.
The puppy also sensed it, looked up and stared at Big Head, a chicken leg bone in its mouth as they faced off for a while.
Yu Qing, tearing off a chicken wing to gnaw, looked at the two creatures’ reactions, finding they were confronting each other again. Without any grievance or enmity, he did not know why the two always acted like enemies.
Later, the puppy stopped fussing with Big Head. Enjoy the delicious food first. It spat out the bone in its mouth and picked up the chicken head and neck nearby to gnaw.
Big Head immediately fluttered its wings and flew down, flying toward the chicken leg bone the puppy had abandoned.
The puppy’s eyes flashed. It suddenly pressed both paws on the bone, bared its teeth at Big Head with a “grr,” issuing a stern warning.
Big Head hovered before it, suddenly made two “clack-clack” sounds toward its nose, and two sparks sprayed out.
“Ow… ow…”
The startled puppy, also stimulated, shrieked and bounced around wildly, hiding under the bed with both paws covering its nose and scratching continuously, clearly burned.
Big Head then unhurriedly landed on the chicken leg bone and began to crunch and gnaw.
Yu Qing watched with amusement. A little brat actually dared to act tough with an old hand, asking for trouble.
After calming down under the bed for a while, the puppy still could not resist the temptation of food, and snuck back out again, trying to approach its chicken neck.
Big Head, lying on the chicken bone, immediately looked up and stared at it.
The insect and dog faced off for a short while, then Big Head continued gnawing its own bone.
Only then did the puppy dare to approach and pick up its chicken neck to gnaw.
Three roast chickens. Yu Qing could not finish them. He only tasted them, eating the good parts. The chicken heads, necks, bottoms, and bony parts that were hard to gnaw were all thrown onto the floor, giving the puppy a bargain.
Wen Xin had asked him to help raise a spirit pet. He spent money buying roast chickens for the spirit pet to taste. It ate better than ordinary people. He felt he had not mistreated Wen Xin’s spirit pet.
The puppy looked as if it was going crazy from the deliciousness, frequently looking up to wag its tail at Yu Qing.
It also learned to share. When Big Head came over to gnaw the bone it had left, it immediately moved aside to gnaw meat on other bones.
Yu Qing, having eaten and drunk his fill and satisfied his craving, ignored the two of them, opened the door and went out. Outside, the sky was already faintly bright.
After drawing water from the well to wash his hands clean, he carried a bucket of water into the room.
The door closed. Yu Qing splashed water in the bucket. Big Head, its belly already swollen, immediately flew over at the sound, touching the water lightly like a dragonfly skimming the surface, farting in the water. Dust entered the water, and its own belly grew smaller with each time. It had truly been trained.
After its belly deflated, it flew back to the bones to gnaw.
The sky was truly bright now. The puppy’s belly was round and full again, three solid meals a day. Yu Qing grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, carried it out and threw it by the well, drew well water up, and bucket after bucket of water helped it wash vigorously.
There was no choice. Some leftover food from yesterday when it had eaten from the pot was still stuck on its body. Cleaning it up would make it look better, lest after eating roast chicken, clearly better than what people ate, it was thought he had abused it.
The puppy was not experiencing this for the first time. It understood. After washing, it ran to the side and shook off the water droplets vigorously, then ran under the eaves and fell into a deep sleep, occasionally licking its tongue with eyes closed. This time it had truly eaten well.
Yu Qing, having taken a broom back to the room, shooed Big Head away, swept the room floor a bit, then opened the courtyard door, went out to sweep the outside path, and disposed of some uneaten chicken bones as rubbish.
After finishing the outside cleaning, he went back to get his bowl to eat breakfast.
He did not go directly to the canteen, but after asking around, went directly to Liu Gui who was drinking morning tea in his own room.
“Asking for leave?”
Liu Gui, who had invited him to sit and even personally helped pour tea, was full of astonishment upon hearing the purpose.
Yu Qing, declining with a wave of his hand, nodded and said, “Just this morning will do. I previously arranged with my old mother that she might come to the side gate to find me this morning. Brother Liu, I cannot go home for three months. I must wait at the gate to report my safety to my old mother, and by the way tell her some household matters. Please do me this favour.”
They were already privately calling each other brothers. He estimated Liu Gui could not refuse such a small matter and would definitely help him.
Slap. Liu Gui raised his hand and slapped his thigh, sighing. “Brother Niu, it is not that I will not help you, but why ask for leave at any other time, why must it be today? Today truly will not do.”
Yu Qing did not understand. “Why will today specifically not do?”
Liu Gui pointed outside. “Just now, Steward Feng sent someone to inform me that the Third Miss from Jade Garden sent word that she would come with a distinguished guest to the utility room to visit the spirit pet this morning, and both the spirit pet and you must be present and prepared. I was just about to go find you to inform you, who knew you would come find me first.”
Distinguished guest? Yu Qing guessed who it was with one thought, and immediately became somewhat anxious. “Brother Liu, it is not easy for me to see my old mother. Visiting the spirit pet is such a simple matter. It does not matter whether I am there or not. You can casually switch someone else to keep watch.”
Liu Gui cupped his hands pleadingly. “Brother Niu, please do not joke. It was specifically stated that you and the spirit pet must be present to prepare. A distinguished guest is coming, and Steward Feng especially sent someone to inform me. If you are not present then, and it was I who approved your leave, if by chance something is asked at the scene that only you know and no one can answer, would I not have to find a rope and hang myself alive to appease Steward Feng’s anger? Brother Niu, I treat you as a brother. You cannot harm me.
Your old mother’s matter is easy to handle. I will find a reliable person to keep watch at the side gate. As long as an old lady comes, I will have someone go forward to confirm. As long as your old mother comes, I guarantee she will be well received. After dealing with the Third Miss and the distinguished guest, I will immediately arrange for you to meet your old mother. That should be all right, should it not? Brother, the overall situation is paramount.”