Chapter 107: The Pit of Decapitated Remains

Zhang Qinglin squinted at the pile of large rocks about a meter to his left, holding his breath and bracing himself to charge.

The very next second, the glowing red eyes of the white-browed pit viper in front of him flickered. To his surprise, the snake didn’t strike; instead, it twisted its body and retreated. It wasn't an aggressive movement, but one of nervousness.

Zhang Qinglin was stunned. The fact that the venomous snake didn't attack gave him an opening. In a few strides, he scrambled onto the large rocks and grabbed a withered tree branch to pull himself up.

Passing through the dangling, gruesome severed heads, Zhang Qinglin steadied his footing on a branch and spotted Chi Tan’s position.

He reached up to grab a branch above him to pull himself forward, but a chill instantly seeped through his entire body. His palm didn't feel like a dry, hard branch—could it be the snake?

Zhang Qinglin’s scalp tingled, and he cursed inwardly. If that really was the venomous snake, a single bite would be the end of him.

Just as he was doubting if he had grabbed the serpent's body, a drop of liquid landed on his forehead. He slowly reached up with his other hand and wiped it away; it felt viscous. Looking at his hand, he saw a dark, murky substance that carried a nauseating, fishy stench. In that instant, Zhang Qinglin immediately thought of the toxic blood of a venomous snake.

Chi Tan’s voice rang out again, "Brother Xiaolin, there’s a ghost behind you!"

Chi Tan was swaying, pointing behind Zhang Qinglin with a look of sheer terror.

Zhang Qinglin first looked up. There was no snake on the branch above; instead, a severed human arm was lashed to it, blood dripping from the stump.

Zhang Qinglin quickly turned his head, desperate to know what was behind him that had terrified Chi Tan so much.

However, all Zhang Qinglin saw were the heads swaying in the night; there was nothing else.

With no time to lose, Zhang Qinglin turned back, stepped onto the large branch, and reached Chi Tan. He handed him a withered vine to hold onto and tied another around his waist.

Zhang Qinglin then helped Chi Tan down from the trunk. Just as he was about to let Chi Tan descend first, a pair of bright, cunning round eyes slowly emerged from behind Zhang Qinglin. Before Chi Tan could fully reach the stone base, a pair of hairy hands violently shoved him from behind.

Before Zhang Qinglin could react, he was sent tumbling downward. Unexpectedly, his arm was clamped by something, and he was dragged toward the base of the tree.

Chi Tan clutched the tree, his face pale with terror. "Brother Xiaolin..."

He watched as a creature resembling a long-haired ghost dragged Zhang Qinglin’s body away from the tree and sprinted into the distance.

Chi Tan scanned his surroundings, fearing the appearance of the viper, and followed closely behind.

The creature was grotesque: its entire body was covered in coarse, reddish-brown hair, with two gleaming black eyes peering out from beneath sunken cheeks, hidden behind long, matted fur.

Zhang Qinglin looked up at the monster dragging him. It was a massive ape—a strange specimen he had never seen before. It seemed the bizarre sounds from earlier had come from this beast.

Zhang Qinglin felt his arm being gripped tighter and tighter. His entire limb went numb, throbbing with pain as the blood surged in his veins, and he struggled desperately to break free.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him vanished, and he plummeted into the darkness. He saw the ape crouching above, peering down, its eyes glowing like lightbulbs.

He didn't stop until his body crashed into a pile of bones. Zhang Qinglin felt every muscle in his body ache, as if his skeleton were about to shatter.

He lay on his back, hearing a scream descending rapidly from above as Chi Tan came crashing down toward him.

"Brother Xiaolin, are you okay?" Chi Tan asked anxiously.

"How could I be okay? If you don't get up, you're going to crush me to death."

Chi Tan hurried off Zhang Qinglin and sat down on the cold ground, immediately feeling something sharp beneath him.

"Brother Xiaolin, what is this?"

Chi Tan picked up the object from beneath him, holding it up to examine it in the dim light from above.

Zhang Qinglin, massaging his nearly numb arm, replied flatly, "A bone."

"A bone? What kind of animal? The shape looks a bit unusual!"

Zhang Qinglin slowly stood up and said, "A human pelvis."

Before Zhang Qinglin could finish, Chi Tan’s face drained of color. He tossed the bone aside and scrambled to Zhang Qinglin’s side in a panic. "What kind of hellhole is this?"

They hadn't fallen very deep—perhaps a dozen meters from the opening above. The ground was littered with scattered, bleached bones. Two or three of the bodies were relatively intact, save for the missing heads.

"Stop shouting. You'll attract the viper and that ape. It looks like these bodies were all thrown in by that creature," Zhang Qinglin said, looking down at the white bones at his feet.

"Ape? What ape? Brother Xiaolin, you mean the monster that brought you here? Why would it bring us here? We aren't going to end up trapped here like these people, are we?"

"No, these people were likely decapitated before being tossed in. Look, there isn't a single skull around here. The ones hanging in the trees outside must be theirs," Zhang Qinglin scanned the surroundings with a grim expression.

Within his line of sight, there were only white bones—remains that had likely been here for a month or longer. If that were the case, whose was the fresh, bloody arm tied to the tree branch?

"Brother Xiaolin, look at this! Oh... a flashlight. Let me see if it still works." Chi Tan pointed toward a faint glimmer on the right. He walked over, brushed away the dirt, and found a flashlight.

He clicked the switch repeatedly, and a weak beam of light flickered to life. It wasn't very bright, but it was better than nothing. Chi Tan aimed the beam at Zhang Qinglin.

In Zhang Qinglin's hand was a jade ornament—an archaic, tiger-shaped piece with a raised head, round eyes, bared teeth, and cloud patterns. He recognized it immediately: it was a Shang Dynasty jade tiger.

But he had heard that the only well-preserved jade tigers were found in the tomb of the female general at the Yin Ruins. Seeing that this one was undamaged, it was very likely a replica.

The moment he touched the jade, a wave of dizziness washed over him. He closed his eyes, nearly collapsing, and Chi Tan caught him.

Zhang Qinglin lifted his eyelids and took another look. There were no remains where the jade tiger had been found. That meant someone else had fallen here before and managed to escape.

"Chi Tan, give me the flashlight. We need to find an exit and get out of here as soon as possible." Zhang Qinglin tucked the jade away, took the flashlight, and began scanning the surroundings.

The stone walls were jagged and bone-chillingly damp. With the recent snow, the surfaces were slick, making it impossible to climb out. Stepping over the crunching white bones, Zhang Qinglin and Chi Tan reached a dark corner.

Upon closer inspection, they found a hole about half a meter high. Zhang Qinglin gripped the flashlight and swept the beam inside.