Liu Dashao suddenly had an idea. The last time Geshuanwa stole the Taiping Jing from here, legend had it that the Taiping Jing was created by Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Could this place possibly be Zhang Jiao’s tomb?
Thinking of this, he felt the likelihood that this was indeed Zhang Jiao’s tomb had increased greatly. But how could the dazed and confused Su Yougui know about this place? Could it be that the plants were transmitting knowledge to him?
Impossible. Although carnivorous plants have some biological characteristics, they couldn’t possibly possess human-like intelligence. How did he know about Zhang Jiao’s connection to this place? He would have to question him about it later.
Not knowing how much time had passed, they heard a jumble of sounds and gradually regained their senses. Looking at Su Yougui, who had already awakened, Liu Dashao asked, “Su Yougui, did you hear any strange sounds just now?”
Liu Dashao thought for a moment and then said, “It was your stomach growling.” He sighed, unsure how many days they had already spent inside the tomb, and how many days had passed without food.
Fan Debiao struggled to get up from the ground, “Never thought we’d be stuck in here for so long, and still haven’t even made it through the corridor. What rotten luck.” Su Yougui wiped the sweat from his head, “This place is unbearably hot and stuffy, with a bloody stench. Honestly, it’s even worse than the hell I used to be in.”
It was only then that Liu Dashao remembered Zhang Jiao and hurriedly asked, “Su Yougui, in your daze you mentioned the Taiping Jing and Zhang Jiao. What were you thinking at that moment?”
Su Yougui looked at Liu Dashao in surprise, thought for a moment, and finally shook his head, “I forgot. Did I really mention Zhang Jiao and the Taiping Jing? I do know who Zhang Jiao is—he’s my cousin—but what’s this Taiping Jing? How come I don’t know about it?”
Liu Dashao then gave up questioning further. Su Yougui had been in a daze and couldn’t possibly remember what he had said, let alone know why he had said it.
Looking at the dense cluster of plants in front of him, Liu Dashao was still thinking about how to get through them completely. How could they find the exit? This question stumped Liu Dashao, who always boasted of his own intelligence. The carnivorous plants here were densely packed, and entering without a plan would result in only one outcome—being devoured. After all, each carnivorous plant didn’t just have one mouth; every part of their bodies could easily consume a human being.
To pass through this dense layer of carnivorous plants without a solid plan was absolutely impossible.
Fan Debiao and Su Yougui also fell into deep thought, unsure how to deal with this emergency. They had no choice but to cross through this cave, otherwise they would be trapped here forever. Without food, they wouldn’t last more than ten or fifteen days before being completely consumed by these carnivorous plants.
“I’ve got an idea,” Fan Debiao said. “What if we kill these plants first, then wrap their dead bodies around ourselves? Maybe we can sneak past them using this disguise.”
“Hmm, well, I guess we don’t have much of a choice,” Liu Dashao thought. Actually, this didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
Without delay, Liu Dashao grabbed a shovel and began cutting down the carnivorous plants near him, pulling them out by the roots. Each plant was about five or six meters long. Wrapping one around his body covered him completely, even leaving a tail.
Thinking of this, Liu Dashao couldn’t help but feel excited. “Hmph, always eating people. Let’s see if I can eat you this time.”
Soon, the ground was littered with a mess of dead plants. Looking at them, some even oozed bright red blood, causing a wave of astonishment.
Looking further ahead, Liu Dashao noticed a bright red glow emanating from a distance. Curious, he walked closer for a better look. Good heavens! The plants ahead were even more horrifying. Human intestines hung from their branches, and pieces of flesh and limbs—body parts from all over—were attached to them.
At this sight, Liu Dashao nearly vomited. “Damn, this is just too crazy!” Fan Debiao and Su Yougui, however, couldn’t hold it in and started vomiting uncontrollably.
At that moment, Liu Dashao noticed a small plant at the very center, surrounded by layers of carnivorous plants. All the blood flowing from the surrounding plants was gushing toward that central point.
Driven by curiosity, Liu Dashao moved closer for a better look. Through the layers of carnivorous plants, he saw that at the very center was a small basin-like container, resembling a giant sunflower. Looking into the basin, his heart nearly stopped—there was a baby’s body inside. The baby was gradually taking on a human form and seemed close to being “born.”
“Good grief! So those dead babies were actually fruits produced by these plants!” Fan Debiao shouted in anger. “What the hell! These plants are just too freaky!”
“Hurry up and wrap the carnivorous plants around yourselves. These plants don’t have eyes—they hunt by detecting the scent of humans. If we mask our human scent with the plants’ smell, they won’t detect us,” Liu Dashao instructed. He then picked up a thick plant nearly twenty centimeters in diameter from the ground, wrapped it around his body, leaving only one eye exposed.
Fan Debiao quickly grabbed a plant and wrapped it around himself as well. Su Yougui, fearing one wouldn’t be enough, wrapped himself in one and then hugged another tightly.
“Alright, follow me closely from behind. Remember, don’t shout or make loud noises, and above all, don’t step on any of those dead babies.”
Liu Dashao warned them.
“Master Liu,” Fan Debiao asked curiously, “how do you think these plants formed these babies?”
“If I’m not mistaken,” Liu Dashao explained, “these plants must have gathered large amounts of negative energy. However, their individual bodies couldn’t contain such energy, so they collectively released it here. The concentrated negative energy gradually formed a physical shape, eventually becoming these babies. Look at the plants on the ground—they’re formed from small amounts of negative energy, allowing them to sustain life. When large amounts of negative energy condense, they form these infant-like creatures.”
Liu Dashao didn’t continue explaining further. He quietly moved forward into the cluster of carnivorous plants to test their reaction.
Sure enough, the plants showed little reaction and didn’t display any urge to attack them.
Liu Dashao finally let out a deep breath of relief. He signaled the others to follow as they moved forward.
When they passed by the baby, Liu Dashao practically flew past it. He used his hands and feet like claws, climbing slowly along the wall using friction to avoid making any noise. He definitely didn’t want to disturb the baby.
After all, this baby was the shared fruit of all the carnivorous plants. If they disturbed their “child,” even their own kind might turn on them and devour them.
After the three of them successfully passed the baby, that part of the ordeal was finally over.
Liu Dashao turned around to continue forward, but to his shock, he suddenly saw a human face smiling at him.
“Aiyaya!” Liu Dashao yelped in fear, squatting down on the ground. But he quickly covered his mouth. The surrounding carnivorous plants only stirred slightly and did not launch an attack. But what was that face just now?
Liu Dashao looked up to see what had happened. To his surprise, he saw a human body wrapped entirely in the roots and stems of carnivorous plants, with only the face exposed. However, blood was flowing from the corners of the person’s mouth, suggesting they might already be dead.
Liu Dashao signaled the other two to stay silent and listened carefully.
Breathing sounds—faint and weak—came from the person’s chest. Liu Dashao cautiously looked at the two behind him, “This person is still breathing. They must be having trouble breathing. Let’s quickly remove the carnivorous plants covering them. There might still be a chance to save them.” Saying that, Liu Dashao hurriedly removed the plant wrapped around the person’s neck.
“Thank you… thank you so much,” the person said weakly.
“Who are you, and why are you here?” Liu Dashao asked.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage