"It's said we should 'reason before resorting to force'..."
"Hey Fatty, do you really need to keep that gun in your hand all the time?"
Wu Tianzhen cautiously glanced at Fatty.
Fatty had completely abandoned any pretense of composure. Grinning, he held the Black Gold Ancient Sword with both hands. The gun, feeling oppressed, could only shrink into a corner, positioned as if it could blow a hole in Fatty's skull at any moment.
"Isn't this... for dealing with unexpected situations?" Fatty panted.
"Mm-hmm, dealing with unexpected situations..." Wu Tianzhen shifted Zhang Qiling up a bit, vaguely feeling he was becoming more adept at carrying the Little Brother. "I understand what you mean. You plan to shoot yourself in the head with that gun the instant an evil thing tries to climb up, thereby blocking their path."
"Too heroic, too noble! I am truly ashamed of myself!"
Fatty choked, only then realizing the muzzle had somehow pointed at his own face. "Holy crap!" he exclaimed, hastily adjusting it and taking the opportunity to put down the Black Gold and rest for a moment.
"It's not that, Tianzhen, your mouth is really getting more venomous," Fatty muttered, reminiscing about the less evolved, timid Wu from their first meeting who had scared him into a panicked retreat. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Stop talking. I'm not the same person I was back then," Wu Tianzhen gently leaned Zhang Qiling against the wall, propping a soft cushion behind him. He stood up, stretched, and replied ruthlessly to Fatty, "I'm now the Wu 'Sea King' Tianzhen, Plus Version."
"Holy cow!" Fatty's jaw dropped. He could only close his mouth and clap softly.
The two weren't just goofing around. In fact, they had been on the run since entering, and now that they had a moment of respite, their stomachs were rumbling like empty cities.
Fatty was fine, a man and his sword, living freely.
But Wu Tianzhen was still carrying Zhang Qiling. This experience of carrying the Little Brother was truly a once-in-a-millennium event. Wu Tianzhen was almost entirely focused, afraid of jostling or dropping this immortal being. Now, with his stomach growling, he was afraid that too loud a digestive rumble might awaken the precious head resting on his shoulder.
Seeing that the dark passage had gone on for ten minutes without an end, they decided to sit down for a quick meal.
"Whoa, is that really necessary?" Fatty asked, taking compressed biscuits and water from his bag, as he watched Wu Tianzhen perform a full set of calisthenics, unable to resist a chuckle.
"Anyone who didn't know would think you just finished a triathlon. How much weight can that skinny stick of a Little Brother have?"
Fatty's words hit a nerve, and Wu Tianzhen froze in place, his "eagle taking flight" pose stuck, unable to proceed or retract.
Fortunately, Fatty didn't dwell on it. He seemed to have suddenly become interested in the quietly resting Zhang Qiling by the wall. He quickly finished his compressed biscuit, propped his chin, and began to scrutinize him.
With a long sigh, Wu Tianzhen stealthily retracted his outstretched wings. "What's up, Fatty? Are you mesmerized by his beauty?"
He had intended this remark as retaliation for Fatty's earlier comment about his preferences. To his surprise, after a moment of steady observation, Fatty actually nodded.
"Don't tell me, Tianzhen," Fatty eagerly raised his hand, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. "I just realized, our Little Brother actually has quite a bit of flesh on his cheeks, doesn't he?"
Before Wu Tianzhen could react, Fatty, daringly, reached out his sinful hand and pinched Zhang Qiling's cheek hard!
Wu Tianzhen: !!!
Zhang Qiling showed no reaction. His eyes were closed in a deep slumber, and his seemingly ice-cold face did indeed reveal a good amount of soft flesh when pinched.
Wu Tianzhen felt his own hands itching, as if bold ideas were gradually surfacing...
---
In short, when the two resumed their journey a while later, Little Zhang's face, carried on Wu Tianzhen's back, had a faint blush. It looked utterly out of place with his cool, aloof demeanor, causing Wu Tianzhen and Fatty to stare at the blush and burst into laughter from time to time.
"What a shame, we didn't bring a camera," Fatty lamented, thumping his chest in mock regret.
Wu Tianzhen didn't dare to respond. He feared that if he joined in, he would burst into laughter, and if he laughed too wildly and knocked the Little Zhang on his back to the ground, that would be truly hilarious.
So, he just choked and stifled his laughter, looking like someone holding back a torrent of mischief.
And as the cheerful atmosphere gradually filled the entire dark passage—
Fatty, who had been chattering incessantly and walking backward facing Wu Tianzhen, suddenly felt the back of his head bump against something hard.
Upon impact, this object swayed lightly backward, stirring the air.
"Holy crap!" In his shock, Fatty completely forgot about the gun that had been ready to fire.
He spun around abruptly and swung his large, fan-like hand. Just then, the object, acting as a pendulum, slowly swung back and was precisely hit by Fatty, sent flying away without even a struggle!
The sound of tearing ropes and something hard hitting the ground followed. Fatty pursued the sound with his flashlight, only then seeing the nature of the thing.
"...Holy crap, what is this? A pig's elbow?"
On the ground lay a withered arm, completely uncovered by any fabric, with two unusually long fingers being particularly conspicuous.
"Can you stop saying 'pig's elbow'? I'm starting to feel like you want to eat it..." Wu Tianzhen hissed, feeling a bit nauseous.
"I wish it were a pig's elbow hanging here!" Fatty suddenly blurted out.
He stared fixedly ahead. In the dim depths, countless densely hanging arms blocked their path.
"If all of these were pig's elbows, we'd have pork trotters for life, wouldn't that be amazing?!"
"My god..." Wu Tianzhen was stunned by the sight. He carefully swept his flashlight around and noticed some inconspicuous small black coffins hidden on the ground by the roadside, revealing this to be the second burial area.
"Why are the Zhang family's burial methods so flamboyant? Not only are the places not together, but they're also disguised as sausages here?"
"Didn't you just say pork trotters, and now it's sausages?" Wu Tianzhen instinctively retorted, but quickly returned to the matter at hand. "Never mind what part of the pig it is, Fatty, look—"
The white beam of the flashlight shone directly into the innermost part. In the faint shadows, a solid wall slowly emerged behind them.
There was no more road.