After tying the bandages, Zhang Haike stood up, put away the useless grappling hook, and felt pain all over his body.
...It felt like ever since he met this clan leader, he had been constantly beaten and self-harming. Was something wrong here?
A strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind. Just as Zhang Haike was about to cast a divination to see if he had been unlucky lately, he suddenly heard a voice.
"Thank you."
Zhang Haike:!!
He jolted, instantly becoming alert, and looked up. Zhang Qiling was staring intently at the bandage on his wrist, then slowly shifted his gaze away.
For a moment, Zhang Haike didn't know what to say.
Although he considered himself a modern youth, in the Zhang family, equality simply did not exist, and he had never expected to receive thanks from the clan leader.
Even though Zhang Qiling had only spoken two simple words and his expression hadn't changed much, Zhang Haike could clearly see the sincerity in his eyes.
And it was this sincerity that made him feel unable to bear it.
He froze on the spot, unsure whether to reply "You're welcome" like an ordinary person or to immediately kneel and pledge loyalty like a true Zhang family member. Fortunately, Zhang Qiling didn't let him dwell on it for too long.
"Ghost bear insect, there's something inside."
Zhang Qiling pulled down his hood, his gaze resting on the dead ghost bear insect as if it were a matter of no consequence.
The sensation of the Black Gold Ancient Sword piercing through it felt like a hollow object. In Zhang Qiling's memory, he vaguely recalled it being a box.
He took two steps forward, supporting himself with the sword, and looked inside the bloody hole on the ghost bear insect's back. He saw only a mixture of green, white, and black mucus and minced flesh, making it impossible to discern the shape of the object.
...It seemed he would have to cut it open entirely.
Zhang Qiling's thoughts shifted, and he exerted force to pull out the Black Gold Ancient Sword. However, he suddenly felt a faint hum.
Clearly, the Black Gold Ancient Sword was uncomfortable after noticing the colorful internal organs inside the ghost bear insect's belly and was reluctant to swim in them again.
But it didn't want to disappoint Zhang Qiling, so it only hummed weakly before falling completely silent, as if resigned to its fate.
Zhang Qiling: ...
He paused slightly, staring at the bloody hole, lost in thought.
The Black Gold Ancient Sword reminded him, and he suddenly remembered that he had only paid attention to Zhang Haike's hand and had apparently sheathed the sword without properly wiping it.
...He now felt that the scabbard was unclean.
Just as young Zhang was seriously contemplating whether to discard the scabbard, Zhang Haike, who had been mentally reciting "Report your golden platform intentions, and I will carry the jade dragon to die for you" eight hundred times, finally finished brainwashing himself. He interpreted Zhang Qiling's current pause in his own way.
He thought Zhang Qiling found the insect dirty.
To put it mildly, he was right, but not entirely. Zhang Qiling himself didn't care much about these things, as long as the sword was wiped clean after use.
In any case, Zhang Haike firmly stepped past Zhang Qiling, pulled out the cold sword still stuck in the ghost bear insect's skull, and, with the assistance of his heightened emotions, instantly sliced the poor skull into dozens of evenly thick slices.
The meat slices, along with their juices, fell to the sides, perfectly revealing the hard object in the middle.
If there weren't a lack of exquisite plates here, his maneuver would have truly resembled slicing beef at a banquet.
Zhang Qiling watched blankly, and a figure suddenly flashed in his mind.
The figure was blurry, as if heavily pixelated, or as if seen through frosted glass, making it impossible to discern anything.
Zhang Qiling didn't know who it was, but he suddenly felt that if this person were present, they might want to try the taste of the ghost bear insect.
A strange sense of joy briefly surfaced, but it was quickly submerged by the emptiness brought about by the blankness.
Zhang Qiling suppressed these thoughts and carefully examined the hard object.
It was a box made of a peculiar material, which had not decayed even after prolonged immersion in the ghost bear insect's bodily fluids. Under the light, it even showed a hint of opulence.
The cold sword cleaved down along the hole pierced by the Black Gold Ancient Sword, and the box shattered, revealing a familiar-shaped key.
...A scale shape.
Zhang Haike was startled and blurted out, "Clan leader, when you went down just now, did you already know the location of the key?"
This was simply unbelievable, so unbelievable that Zhang Haike was unwilling to believe it was just a coincidence. However, if Zhang Qiling had figured this out in such a short time, he decided he would enshrine Zhang Qiling at home and pay respects daily after they got out.
But clearly, Zhang Qiling himself was also confused. "No..."
He carefully considered his thoughts when he jumped down earlier and seemed to have discovered something:
"I spotted the ghost bear insect and wanted to see if I could subdue it."
Zhang Haike:?
"...Subdue it?"
Zhang Qiling nodded firmly.
Zhang Haike understood. This ingenious clan leader had discovered the absence of a spiral staircase and wanted to see if he could catch the ghost bear insect and ride it down.
But—
Zhang Haike glanced back at his still-bleeding cold sword, and at the ghost bear insect on the ground, utterly ruined and having died without dignity, and fell silent.
He then turned to look at Zhang Qiling, who had killed the insect without hesitation. Zhang Qiling lowered his eyes slightly, then quickly raised them again, stating righteously,
"Mistake."
The ghost bear insect, now reduced to pulp: ...I request to defend my legal rights.
In any case, Zhang Haike managed to suppress his laughter.
Although he felt that the clan leader wouldn't do anything to him even if he burst out laughing, he felt it was better to maintain the clan leader's dignity a little.
In an eerie silence, the two picked up the key, and then, in an eerie silence, they opened the mechanism.
Then, the mysterious spiral staircase, hidden on the inner side of the stone wall, finally revealed its true form. The stone steps, distributed with stone patterns, slowly emerged from the stone wall with a creaking sound.
...At first listen, it sounded a lot like someone's laughter.
Zhang Haike desperately wished to lose his hearing at that moment; the sound was too cruel for him, who was trying to stifle his laughter.
"Go."
A cold voice fell. Zhang Qiling cast a death glare at the steps and walked down without looking back.