The shadow lunged forward aggressively, emitting a foul stench, its form completely obscured during its movement.
Yet, those observing showed no reaction, not even a hint of a warning cry.
If Wu Tianzhen were in that position now, everyone would likely spring into action. But it was Hei Yanjing instead—
...It would be more convenient to simply offer him as a meal to the shadow.
As expected, the moment the shadow emerged, Hei Yanjing pinned it to the ground with a dagger. The dark creature attempted to struggle in its death throes but was suddenly pinned down by a leather boot.
Only after it was completely crushed into the soil did Hei Yanjing bend over, leaning on his long legs, and feign surprise with a dispassionate "Wow."
The creature let out a hiss, splashing a few drops of purplish-blue liquid.
It turned out to be a long, wriggling worm. Its supposedly soft body was covered in tough, rough skin, making it resemble a rubber band.
Its dark color was not particularly striking, but when startled, countless tiny eyes suddenly emerged all over its body, rolling their whites to meet your gaze, appearing like circular spots on its black skin.
Wu Tianzhen examined it closely and felt that these eyes possessed eyelashes and eyelids, their curved appearance resembling those of a charming woman, giving off an air of affectionate glances.
"Damn it, I've been single for too long. Now I even find worms cute and pretty!" Fatty felt the same way. He blurted it out carelessly, causing Hua Er to subtly step away from him.
Hei Yanjing, however, did not move. He applauded on the spot and exclaimed "Good," appearing as if moved by Fatty's spirit that transcended worldly conventions and species.
But Wu Tianzhen glanced at his fingers frantically tapping the button to record on his optical computer and deeply understood the man's malicious intent.
He imagined that once they exited the Forbidden Land, photos of Fatty and the worm sharing "affectionate glances" would be spread everywhere, captioned with phrases like "Happy Wedding."
"If these drum surfaces are all filled with worms, it will be quite troublesome," Xie Yuchen did not want to continue discussing whether Fatty was more suited for monkeys or worms. He steered the conversation back on track, contemplating, "Although these worms are not lethal, the paths within the drums are too narrow, which will severely restrict our counter-attack speed."
Wu Tianzhen: ...Not lethal?
He lowered his head and glanced again at the worm's mouth full of fangs. With self-awareness, he did not voice any objection.
Fatty, without much thought, had already pulled out his magical treasure chest: "Why worry about all that? If you ask me, let's invite them to watch fireworks, send them all to the sky to play chess with God!"
"That's also an option," Xie Yuchen made a gesture of "Please, go ahead." "However, I hope Fatty pays attention to the quantity when he detonates, so as not to collapse this place that's only a little over three meters high. Otherwise, we might have to go play chess with God together."
Fatty: ...
He pondered the power of the remaining bombs in his hand and dejectedly abandoned this wonderful idea.
Then he took a step back and complained to Wu Tianzhen with a pained tone: "Look, look, Tianzhen, have you also corrupted Hua Er Ye into a sesame filling without my knowledge? Where is my gentle, kind, and pure Hua Er Ye?!"
"No, what does it have to do with me!?" Wu Tianzhen refused to take the blame. He lowered his voice, "Besides, when has Xiao Hua ever been pure? Isn't he always like this? Don't add weird filters just because of money, ahhhh!"
There was no difference between their voices being lowered or not. Xie Yuchen listened with a smile, appearing as calm as the moment before a storm.
He sighed, "Forget it, I'll do it."
"Ah? What did you say, Xiao Hua?" Wu Tianzhen immediately extricated himself from the argument with Fatty, "Have you thought of a solution?"
"It's not exactly a solution, just a clumsy way of solving it." Xie Yuchen loosened his cuffs and collar, spinning the dragon-patterned staff between his fingers before gripping it tightly again.
Wu Tianzhen had not yet understood when Xie Yuchen exchanged a glance with Hei Yanjing and leaped up like a soaring white bird!
He lightly touched the top of a human-skin drum, bending slightly due to the height restriction. Then, a white blur flashed past, and with an impossible backward arch, he flipped over. His toes hooked onto the drum's edge, and the dragon-patterned staff in his hand struck the human-skin drum surface!
A muffled thudding sound immediately followed. In that split second, Xie Yuchen, using the drum as a springboard, streaked across the top of the drum like a meteor and landed lightly on another large drum. xxs12
The surface of the previous drum bulged, and a larger worm poked its head out with a hiss, only to have its head blown off by Hei Yanjing's shot.
Xie Yuchen glanced back at Hei Yanjing and did not pause.
The sounds of drumming and gunshots intertwined, like a symphony.
In the dense gathering of human-skin drums, with undulating terrain and a low ceiling, it was difficult for ordinary people to walk normally. However, Xie Yuchen moved as if unhindered, darting freely with the leverage of the dragon-patterned staff. In a few minutes, he had struck a path of drums.
His direction was clear, towards the front left of the initial position.
In fact, Xie Yuchen had not seen a clear exit during his leaps, but in that direction, there was a very distinct object—
A not very large, green drum.
"Holy crap, as expected of Hua Er Ye, that skill, it's too damn awesome!" Fatty wanted to imitate Wu Tianzhen's usual scholarly way of speaking classical Chinese, but he racked his brain and couldn't come up with a single phrase. So, he decisively chose his most proficient method of praise: "Holy crap!"
"Your compliment has truly shocked me," Wu Tianzhen came back to his senses and pulled Fatty along, "We should hurry and follow, chop down the drums where those worms died, and clear a more convenient path."
"Got it!" Fatty raised his gun and fired at the support, but he didn't expect that the support, which looked like wood, was actually metal. The bullet only managed to make a shallow pit.
"Damn it, why do I feel like my bullets are becoming less effective since entering the Forbidden Land?"
He cursed and began to smash the drums above, trying to at least clear a path to walk on from above.
"...Heh heh, I actually think bullets work quite well in Hei Yanjing's hands," Wu Tianzhen pushed drums alongside him, glancing at Hei Yanjing's潇洒 (xiāosǎ - dashing/graceful) movements and showy poses, his tone tinged with envy and sourness.
...Little Brother, where on earth are you...
Wu Tianzhen began to miss Zhang Qiling again, but this time, the reason for his longing was—
He hoped that Xiao Zhang would return soon and outshine Xiao Hei in showing off.
Xiao Zhang, who never showed off: ...?