"Is this... will-o'-the-wisp?" Wu Tianzhen murmured.
Approaching closer, he heard the faint crackling sound, like popping beans, emanating from the green phosphorescent flames. Wu Tianzhen reached out to touch one of the flames. The will-o'-the-wisp instantly dispersed into countless tiny sparks, which darted away like goldfish in mid-air.
"Where there are will-o'-the-wisps, there are bound to be many corpses." After a moment of curiosity, caution set in. Wu Tianzhen gripped his flashlight tighter and slowly moved forward.
Sensing the somber atmosphere, Zhang Qiling, who was trailing behind, quickened his pace to take the lead and scout for danger, but he was quickly stopped.
"No need to worry, Xiao Ge. You have to let me get some practice in, right?" Wu Tianzhen said without looking back, smiling to reassure him. "You've been leading the way, and it's not good to be so tense all the time."
Zhang Qiling: (Confused)
He didn't feel particularly tired. The moment they entered the forbidden land, his body automatically entered a state of high alert. Under this condition, normal physiological sensations were suppressed to the minimum.
Xiao Zhang thought about it, but no matter how he considered it, he felt that walking at the front was the safest option. At least he could guarantee that he wouldn't die immediately, regardless of any sudden attack.
So, Zhang Qiling opened his mouth, intending to voice his opinion.
Then Fatty popped out again, interrupting him.
"It's alright, it's alright! Isn't the great, immensely wise, heroic, handsome, dashing, and fabulously wealthy Fatty here to escort Young Master Tianzhen?" Fatty flicked his hair, spouting a string of words that had nothing to do with the situation.
He placed a hand on Zhang Qiling's shoulder and settled him at the back of the group. "Alright, little brother. For once, experience what it's like to be at the tail end. This counts as experiencing something new, doesn't it? Hahaha!"
Zhang Qiling: ...
So, he quietly followed behind Fatty, his right hand hovering over his saber, ready to rush forward at any moment.
The will-o'-the-wisps floated eerily, their density increasing, to the point where a flashlight was barely needed. After advancing about ten meters, Wu Tianzhen's foot finally touched something.
The object underfoot was slightly hard and felt buoyant in the water. However, once he stepped on it entirely, it was incredibly brittle, shattering easily.
Wu Tianzhen knew that beneath him must be human bones.
"Be careful, these bones are dangerous on the smooth ground," Wu Tianzhen warned those behind him, raising his flashlight higher.
The beam of the flashlight cast a distant glow. In this pale light, the objects hanging on the stone walls on either side of the waterway instantly caught the group's attention!
On the rough stone walls, they saw numerous small skeletons, belonging to children, hanging there!
Through the center of each skull, a thick, sharp, jet-black nail had pierced through, forcibly pinning them to the wall. Judging by the fine cracks around the nails, these children had clearly been nailed in alive, hammered to death.
Although the countless hanging child skeletons had undergone special treatment, many were still damaged by the erosion of time. The scattered bones floating in the water were likely parts that had fallen off.
"Such vicious and cruel methods, what could it all be for?!" Wu Tianzhen murmured, unable to bear the sight.
In any era, children should be the hope protected by everyone. Therefore, if the remains of a tomb or forbidden land contained rituals that harmed children, those rituals must have been for some extremely terrifying purpose.
Wu Tianzhen stared at the skeletons for a long time, not moving a single step. As he slowly shone his flashlight straight ahead—
An ebony table suddenly appeared in the space that was previously empty?!
The table was not bare; it was neatly set with a seated wooden effigy.
This wooden effigy was carved in the likeness of a child, but it was exceptionally eerie. The child's face was half that of a boy and half that of a girl. The features and makeup on both the boy's and girl's sides were completely different, giving the effigy a sense of fragmentation, as if two entirely different effigies had been forcibly pieced together.
Yet, within this fragmentation, there was an inexplicable harmony. Wu Tianzhen looked at the two halves of its mouth, which were painted differently, and saw that they were joined together with exquisite skill, appearing to be smiling.
The effigy's two hands were raised, covering its ears, one on each side, like an ordinary playing child.
Wu Tianzhen stood directly in front of the effigy. He swallowed, noticing that the wood grain in front of the effigy seemed to be slowly changing.
"...Fifty, one?" Wu Tianzhen slowly read out the numbers formed by the wood grain in front of the effigy, feeling completely bewildered. "What does fifty-one mean?"
"What fifty-one? Let me see, let me see!" Fatty stepped forward, blocking Wu Tianzhen. He looked at the effigy from both sides, feeling that if it weren't so eerie, it might look somewhat normal. The moment he stepped forward, the effigy's grain changed again.
"Good heavens, it's changed to forty-three. Why is it deducting numbers when it comes to Fatty? What is this thing?"
The two of them seemed to have found some amusement, repeatedly jumping back and forth in front of the effigy.
The effigy was forced to frantically change the grain on its front. Before long, the smile on its face visibly drooped. xxs one
The moment the effigy appeared, Zhang Qiling had intended to step forward. But upon seeing its appearance, he understood what this thing truly was.
This was a weakling with no combat ability, even inferior to a common dog. Thus, Zhang Qiling retreated a step and stood at ease.
Meanwhile, Wu Tianzhen, having had his fill of playing, dutifully began his explanation:
"I know, this should be the Zhangliu God mentioned in 'Dianshi Zhai Hua Bao'."
"It is made by cursing children and collecting their souls. By covering or uncovering its ears, it can respond affirmatively or negatively to predictions about a person's past and future."
"Besides that, it can also predict a person's lifespan—"
"Wait," Fatty interrupted Wu Tianzhen's lecture. "Holy cow, doesn't that mean Fatty can still live for forty-three more years?!"
"Damn, this is a huge profit! Most of my life has been spent digging up other people's graves, and I thought I'd definitely have a short lifespan. But now, seeing that I can live to over seventy, I'm ecstatic!"
"You're not doing too well, Tianzhen," Fatty said, and then suddenly realized something. His expression changed drastically, and he abruptly hooked his arm around Wu Tianzhen's neck. "Wait a minute, kid, how come your lifespan is almost the same as Fatty's?"
"What the hell do I know?!" Wu Tianzhen finally managed to break free from Fatty's grasp. Neither of them cared too much about their lifespans, so he quickly thought of something else.
"Since this Zhangliu God can make judgments..."
"Then," Wu Tianzhen slowly stroked his chin, revealing a look of having discovered a blind spot, "then we can completely ask it about the life and death of the Lianhuan puzzle, right?"