The fatty, with his rear end sticking out, rummaged through the snow for a long time before finally finding a stone.
He flicked his hair, held the stone, and affected a high-pitched voice, saying, "Come, let Fatty show Young Master Tianzhen a trick~"
With that, he tossed the stone into the hole.
Wu Tianzhen let out a cold laugh from the side.
It was just throwing a stone into the hole and judging its depth by the echo.
As if anyone couldn't do that.
Hmph!
The fatty lay on the ground, listening carefully. After a moment, he hissed and scrambled up, picking up another stone and throwing it down again, as if disbelieving.
This time, he was sure.
His expression turned grave. "This is serious. Does this thing connect to the underworld?"
He had thrown two stones down, and neither made a sound.
"There's no other way. We have to go check it out."
The fatty pulled out a coil of climbing rope from his bag. This one looked like it was at least a hundred meters long.
He tied one end of the rope to a large rock nearby and tossed the rest into the hole.
The rope slid down with a swish, disappearing into the depths in no time. The thick darkness swallowed everything, obscuring any details.
This smooth operation somewhat changed Wu Tianzhen's opinion of the fatty. However, the fatty then acted as if his job was done, taking a step back and bending into a bow. But his large belly made the gesture look awkward and out of place.
"After you, Young Master Tianzhen~"
"What? Me?" Wu Tianzhen pointed at himself incredulously. "Why me? Why aren't you going in?"
"It must be you, it must be you~"
"No way, you go first!"
The two clowns were locked in a fierce argument. Zhang Qiling, watching from the side, felt like he was awkwardly out of place between them.
If they waited until one of them won, it would probably be dark.
With that thought, he bent down, picked up the rope, and wound it around his hand.
Wu Tianzhen, with his sharp eyes, saw his movement and suddenly recalled his earlier reckless jump off the cliff. A curse escaped his lips.
"Don't—"
Zhang Qiling heard him but pretended not to.
He simply jumped, not bothering with the rope properly, and went into a freefall.
The whistling wind roared in his ears, and soon Wu Tianzhen's voice faded away.
Zhang Qiling (expressionless): Hooray.
[Detected host successfully embodying the rebellious, spontaneous image of the Little Brother. Image deeply ingrained. Role-playing degree +5]
[Current Role-playing Degree: 35%]
[Unlocked Body Trait: Qilin Blood]
[Qilin Blood: Immune to all poisons, suppresses evil and expels demons]
...
Qilin Blood, very good.
But as for rebellion, Zhang Qiling felt he was being wronged.
This was clearly a spirit of action, an excellent tradition.
Stupid system.
The system didn't reply, likely an artificial intelligence with a mental disability.
The rope he held loosely in his hand quickly reached its end, but the hole still seemed bottomless.
Zhang Qiling drew his saber with one hand, holding it ready. After a while longer, a faint light appeared below. His right arm muscles bulged as he forcefully inserted the Black Gold Ancient Saber into the cave wall.
The Black Gold Ancient Saber, incomparably sharp, sliced through the hard earth wall with destructive force. Zhang Qiling timed it perfectly, then abruptly rotated the saber, stopping it just at the very bottom of the cave.
The depths of the cave were not the ground.
He looked down. In the dark earth, there was a pool of water emitting a faint white light.
The pool seemed to contain stars that flickered and shimmered, appearing dreamlike and ethereal against the dark background.
But upon closer inspection, these were clearly wriggling, luminous insects.
Something flashed in his mind.
Moonworms.
Then nothing else, just the name.
The name was pleasant, but both his intellect and his subconscious told him these creatures were not docile.
The pool was large. Even the Qilin tattoo wouldn't be able to exert its effect so persistently and broadly.
That skill was more like an instantaneous ability.
After some thought, he decided to go back up first.
Just then, Wu Tianzhen and the fatty were squatting by the cave entrance, muttering prayers to various deities. Suddenly, a Zhang Qiling, as large as he was, shot out.
He sheathed his saber with a resonant hum, looking incredibly cool.
Seeing Wu Tianzhen rushing towards him, likely about to start his nagging, Zhang Qiling took the initiative, saying, "Can't go down. There's a pool of water."
The fatty, unreliable as ever, chuckled upon hearing about the water. "Hey, that's perfect! No need for ropes anymore. The three of us can just jump in!"
"There are moonworms in the water."
Zhang Qiling thought for a moment. "It's very dangerous."
"Moonworms..." Wu Tianzhen mused. "I think I've learned about them. They're insects that live in water. Their appearance is dreamy, but they're extremely poisonous. Ordinary people die upon contact."
After saying that, he slumped down again with a worried expression. He was, after all, an ordinary person. Wouldn't going in be like offering himself up as food?
Zhang Qiling, however, rummaged through his bag and found another coil of rope, not as long, but sufficient.
"I'll go down first," he said calmly, looping the rope around his hand.
Just as he was about to jump, he seemed to remember something and drew his saber.
Wu Tianzhen curiously leaned in to look at the saber. To his surprise, Zhang Qiling's blade flashed, and he drew a rather deep cut on his own hand.
Blood immediately gushed out, a shocking sight. Yet, Zhang Qiling remained as placid as ever.
"What are you doing?!" Wu Tianzhen exclaimed, startled. Did this person not only like to act recklessly but also liked to self-harm?
The fatty also came closer, tutting and sighing. "A ruthless man, truly a ruthless man! To be so harsh on himself!"
Zhang Qiling ignored them. He proceeded to press his blood-covered hand onto both of them, holding it there for a long time to ensure the blood fully seeped in.
Then, before they could ask, he said, "It can ward off insects."
As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped back into the hole.
The two by the snow cave fell silent. The fatty looked at the bloody handprints on his body and couldn't even manage a smile. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"This Little Brother, he's truly a good person."
Wu Tianzhen's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't say anything and bent down to pick up the rope.
"Stop the nonsense and hurry up and follow."
[Wuwuwu, Little Brother, he really did it, I'm crying so hard!!!]
[Can this blood really ward off insects? So magical? Does he like drinking Six Gods?]
[If Little Brother says it can, then it can!]
[Good heavens, how much blood did he lose? Did he go down without bandaging it? Can he handle it?]
[Wuwuwu, from now on, Little Brother is the white moonlight in my heart! Hubby, come here!]
[Don't you have your own husband? Why are you snatching mine?]
...
Wu Tianzhen, who had been feeling down, was actually amused by the comments on his optical brain.
As he was still struggling to climb the hole, he suddenly let out a laugh. The fatty above him was startled.
"Hey Tianzhen, are you possessed?"
"You're possessed! Your whole family is possessed!" Wu Tianzhen retorted. He looked up and saw the fatty's large buttocks above him, wiggling as he moved. A shiver ran down his spine.
"I'm warning you, Fatty, if you dare to fart, I'll take you down with me right now!"
"Hoh, that's impossible!" The fatty's smug voice came back. "Fatty's backside is made of iron! It doesn't leak any air!"
"Mmm-hmm, okay."
Wu Tianzhen replied perfunctorily and finally reached the end of the rope. He braced his feet against the sides, carefully let go of the rope, and almost fell, but managed to catch himself just in time.
He glanced down into the pitch-black darkness, swallowed, and slowly began to descend.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qiling had already reached the bottom of the cave. He firmly inserted the Black Gold Ancient Saber horizontally into the side wall, wedging it against a rock. He then tightly tied the coil of rope he was holding to the saber's hilt.
Holding the other end in his hand, he estimated the position and jumped directly into the lake.
The unbandaged wound on his hand, rubbed by the climbing, was suddenly exposed to water, causing a large amount of blood to flow out instantly. The luminous moonworms that attempted to approach scattered in an instant, leaving his surroundings dark.
He remained expressionless and swam directly towards the shore.
The shore was adorned with bronze pillars. He tied the rope to one of them before tearing off a piece of his clothing to wrap his wound.
He had lost quite a bit of blood and felt a wave of dizziness, but he quickly stabilized himself.
Everything was ready.