“Ah, ah, ah, ah—"

The White Lotus member felt an unbearable itching sensation on the back of his hand, as if millions of ants were crawling and gnawing at his flesh under his skin.

Screaming, he desperately scratched at his arm, even as his skin broke open, revealing the stark white bone beneath. He seemed oblivious to the pain, his eyes filled with pleading as he stared at the retreating Gongyang Han and the others.

"Young Master, save me..."

Gongyang Han, surrounded by his men, had a glint in his eyes.

In just a few seconds, the White Lotus member's arm was covered in white fuzz. With a light scratch, large amounts of mycelium fell off, drifting wildly.

"Zheng Liu, don't come any closer!"

The others retreated rapidly, shouting at their former comrade with a mixture of fear and anger, their weapons trembling slightly in their hands, ready to strike at any moment.

"Save me..."

The White Lotus disciple named Zheng Liu pleaded humbly. He took a staggering step forward, only to have a crossbow bolt silently pierce his eye socket.

The one who fired the bolt was none other than Gongyang Han.

He raised his arm, his palm tilted up, revealing the miniature arm crossbow hidden beneath his sleeve.

With a slight movement of his ringed finger, crossbow bolts poured out, pinning Zheng Liu firmly to the tunnel wall.

Tss.

The metal crossbow bolts, engraved with inscriptions, burst into flames, the intense heat turning Zheng Liu into a human torch.

Gongyang Han turned his crossbow, expressionless, pointing it at the back of another White Lotus member who had come into contact with the white mycelium.

The member turned stiffly, his bones creaking and grinding with every movement.

He remained with his head tilted, his arms and body otherwise normal.

Only his face was covered in a profusion of mushrooms, reminiscent of a dead tree covered in mushrooms on a rainy day.

What is this thing!

Everyone was terrified, breaking out in cold sweat, their spines tingling.

Only Song Jie swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming as he muttered, "Shiitake, wood ear, porcini, button mushroom, tremella..."

The mushrooms on that face were dense and varied in color, and one could vaguely distinguish the features of the person’s face through the different colors.

Suddenly, the mushroom man opened his mouth, or rather, opened the part that used to be his mouth, and uttered a string of garbled words.

He raised his arms and walked slowly towards them.

Once again, Gongyang Han fired his crossbow, pinning the mushroom man to the wall and setting him ablaze.

The fire blazed brightly, and the mycelium floating in the air was instantly vaporized by the heat, dripping to the ground, losing its activity.

However, even more mycelium, originally floating in the air, was pushed towards the White Lotus members by the heat.

Gongyang Han coldly put away his arm crossbow, lowered his arm, made a hand seal, and whispered, "Wind come!"

A gentle breeze rose from nowhere, whistling from behind them, blowing the clouds of fuzz back down the tunnel, where it was consumed by the two torches.

Gongyang Han's expression softened slightly, but he was helpless against the mycelium that had already seeped into the tunnel walls.

Centered on the insect corpse, the white mycelium burrowed deep into the soil, spreading in all directions, gradually staining the tunnel walls white.

"Let's go, don't touch the walls."

Gongyang Han made a decisive decision, leading his men deeper into the tunnel.

Soon, they came to a fork in the road, where the tunnel split into three different directions.

Above the intersection were a few lines of small characters:

"If you encounter a tiger who has cultivated into a demon in the wild, the correct way to survive is:

Claim to be Wu Song and fight it with a weapon

Turn around and run, trying to run faster than your companions

Kneel down and acknowledge it as your father"

The white-browed old man, holding a torch and walking at the front of the group, narrowed his eyes. This should be the second level of the underground tunnel.

"You have to answer the question correctly to continue down..."

While the white-browed old man was still pondering the answer, Song Jie strode out of the group and walked into the third tunnel.

The white-browed old man hurriedly called out to him, "Chief Song, please stop. If you go the wrong way, it could lead to punishment..."

"It won't,"

Song Jie said without looking back, "The first and second options are wrong. Only kneeling down and acknowledging it as your father will allow the tiger demon to spare your life, because even tigers don't eat their cubs."

——————

On the other side of the tunnel, Yu Qingqiu was also leading soldiers who had just entered the tunnel, standing in front of a fork in the road.

"Chen Xiang splitting the mountain to save his mother is one of the classic ancient myths. In order to rescue his mother as soon as possible and reunite his family, Chen Xiang should:

One: Use gunpowder to blow up the mountain and rescue his mother

Two: Get a haircut in the first month of the lunar year

Three: Find his father another wife to start a new family"

What is all this nonsense?

The soldiers looked at each other, at a loss. Only Yu Qingqiu sighed softly and said calmly, "We'll take the middle one."

The West Factory eunuchs dared not ask more questions. The Wu De Guard *tiqi* exchanged glances and asked with cupped fists, "Lord Yu, what about the other two paths..."

Yu Qingqiu said indifferently, "The second option is the correct one, because getting a haircut in the first month of the lunar year will curse your maternal uncle to death, and can directly counter Erlang Shen."

The soldiers' eyes widened. The *tiqi* with the bushy beard, who had been leading the team, asked in a low voice, "But, wasn't it the Jade Emperor who advocated imprisoning the Holy Mother of the Three Mountains?"

"What's so difficult about that?"

Yu Qingqiu took a deep breath and said calmly, "Chen Xiang can first get a two-toned haircut, cursing Erlang Shen half to death. Then, he can capture Erlang Shen alive and threaten Erlang Shen's uncle, the Jade Emperor, to give Erlang Shen a bald head.

Wouldn't that release the Holy Mother of the Three Mountains?

You people still don't understand this tunnel well enough.

Actually, the third option is also possible, but since the question says to rescue his mother as soon as possible, then finding a stepmother is naturally inappropriate."

The current Yu Qingqiu was garrulous and long-winded, completely different from the cold, aloof, and unruly person he was before entering the tunnel.

He had been tormented so badly by this tunnel, suffering countless losses, that his way of thinking had begun to shift towards the designer of the tunnel.

Congratulations, congratulations.

Under the leadership of Yu Qingqiu, the *tiqi* entered the middle tunnel and successfully opened the stone door.

Just as Yu Qingqiu said, answering the questions correctly in this level would not only allow them to enter the next level, but also allow them to receive a reward from the tunnel from the stone platform behind the door.

For example, a potion that can eliminate all wrinkles after application (with an extra note on the potion that it should not be drunk, otherwise it will paralyze the large and small intestines, and it should not be used on the belly button or lips)

Scented candles that can make people fall madly in love with you after being lit (effective on rats and cockroaches, so be sure to carefully clean the room before use)

Although these treasures were not very strange or powerful, the concubines in the harem would probably like them very much.

Yu Qingqiu had his subordinates collect the treasures, and followed the compass guidance, opening doors all the way until they finally arrived at the location of the prison indicated by the compass.