Chapter 34: The Blood-Stained Chamber

Big-Headed Yu must have been terrified out of his wits. He stumbled along, glancing back every few steps as if being pursued by something.

Cheng Xiangru and Leng Ying waited silently in the shadows. Yet, even after a long while, and even after Big-Headed Yu had already staggered past them, nothing emerged from any of the arched doorways.

Recalling their previous encounters, a sense of foreboding rose from the depths of Cheng Xiangru’s heart. There had been four people in Gao Zhuang’s group when they first entered; now, only Big-Headed Yu had returned. It was highly probable that the others, including Chen Shangke, had already met their end.

Leng Ying whispered, "We should grab that 'Big-Headed Son' and ask him what on earth they ran into."

Cheng Xiangru was stunned for a moment, taking a few seconds to realize that the "Big-Headed Son" Leng Ying referred to was Big-Headed Yu.

"He has a gun," Cheng Xiangru replied, speechless. He truly admired Leng Ying’s imagination; she gave everyone a nickname. First, there was the Goat-Bearded Man and the Cackling Pervert, and now, the Big-Headed Son. He suddenly wondered what kind of nickname she had for him in her mind.

Of course, this was no time to dwell on such things. If they let Big-Headed Yu run off, they would lose their best chance at obtaining useful information.

Cheng Xiangru heard a faint rustling sound. He turned to look at Leng Ying, but because the light was so dim, he could only barely make out her crouching form.

"What are you doing?" Cheng Xiangru asked, puzzled.

Leng Ying did not answer. He saw her raise something in front of her, followed immediately by a sharp "swish" of air.

The next second, Big-Headed Yu let out a cry of alarm, collapsed to one side, and his pistol flew from his hand, sliding far away.

"No more gun now." As soon as Leng Ying finished speaking, she had already dashed out. In a few quick movements, she was in front of Big-Headed Yu, thrusting her red-tasseled spear forward until the tip rested precisely against his Adam's apple.

Cheng Xiangru had not expected Leng Ying to be so fierce. He stood stunned for a long moment before snapping out of it and hurrying after her.

Big-Headed Yu was deeply traumatized. His face and chest were covered in blood, and a foul-smelling yellow liquid was seeping from his pant leg. His eyes were wide with terror, his mouth opening and closing as he wheezed, "Papa... Papa..."

Leng Ying frowned in disgust. She nudged the newly arrived Cheng Xiangru with her elbow and intentionally deepened her voice to a raspy, guttural tone: "Blue Fatty, he’s calling you 'Little-Headed Papa'."

Ignoring her teasing, Cheng Xiangru furrowed his brows and also lowered his voice to reply: "Something doesn't seem right. I remember, he isn't a mute, is he?"

Reminded by Cheng Xiangru, Leng Ying noticed the problem too. She signaled for "Blue Fatty" to shine the flashlight over while she carefully lifted the spear tip to pry open Big-Headed Yu’s mouth.

Looking into Big-Headed Yu’s mouth in the bright light, both of them gasped. His mouth was a bloody mess; several teeth were missing, and his tongue was reduced to a mere stump.

Leng Ying shuddered with revulsion and quickly pulled back the spear tip, wiping the blood off onto Big-Headed Yu’s clothes.

Big-Headed Yu continued to make "Papa" sounds, though it was impossible to tell what he was trying to express. It was clear that once he realized this pair of "Blue and Red Fatties" wearing couple’s burial clothes were living humans, he was significantly less terrified than before.

"Blue Fatty, go pick up the gun and keep it safe. You, Big-Headed Son, stand up!"

Big-Headed Yu raised his hands above his head, his face full of desperate pleading, snot and tears streaming down his face—a sight that only made Leng Ying feel disgusted.

Leng Ying did not coddle him. With a flick of her wrist, she thrust the spear tip forward. With a "puff," she pierced a bleeding hole in his shoulder, causing him to wail in agony.

Having tasted pain, Big-Headed Yu dared not disobey. He scrambled to his feet, shivering, clutching his bleeding shoulder, and letting the yellow liquid soak his crotch, completely panicked and at a loss.

Leng Ying urged him fiercely, "Take me to the others. I’m telling you, don't try any tricks..."

Before she could finish her threat, Big-Headed Yu collapsed to his knees with a thud, begging with cries of "Papa" and banging his big head against the ground. It made Cheng Xiangru’s own head ache just watching.

Neither Cheng Xiangru nor Leng Ying had imagined that someone who could speak quite well before would lose their tongue after just one lap through this suspected tomb, and be scared into such a state. It was hard to imagine what Gao Zhuang and the others had gone through, or if the remaining four were even still alive.

"What now?" Cheng Xiangru asked, feeling a pang of sympathy at the sight of the wretch.

Leng Ying snorted coldly, "What else? Use their own tactics—make him lead the way."

Thinking of how these people had treated Chen Shangke, Cheng Xiangru’s pity vanished. He stepped forward, kicked Big-Headed Yu to the ground, and hissed through gritted teeth: "You bastard, just lead the way honestly! If you stall again, see if I don't finish you off!"

With that, he delivered a loud slap to Big-Headed Yu’s face, which immediately made the man behave.

Big-Headed Yu dared not delay any further. He stood up with difficulty, trembling, and began to lead the way.

Cheng Xiangru was about to follow when he noticed Leng Ying looking at him with a very strange expression.

"What?"

"I didn't expect that one second you’d be as merciful as a Bodhisattva, and the next, you’d be more ruthless than a demon. His mouth is already mangled, and you still slapped his face."

Cheng Xiangru rolled his eyes at her: "I just gave him a slap; that’s nothing compared to poking holes in him."

Leng Ying waved her hand, "That’s not what I meant. I was praising you for not being overly soft-hearted."

"Uh... thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Big-Headed Yu walked on, shivering, but realized the two behind him were whispering and had stopped following. He couldn't help but glance back, only to see the Red and Blue Fatties both glaring at him. Frightened, he quickly looked away and continued to lead the way.

In truth, Cheng Xiangru realized that even without Big-Headed Yu leading, they could have found the tunnel entrance just by following the drops of blood and the puddles of yellow liquid. However, compared to charging in recklessly, it was much safer to have someone who had already been through the tunnel open the path.

With Big-Headed Yu in the lead, the three of them entered the doorway and proceeded along the tunnel into the depths.

The passage was no different from the ones they had traversed before. At first, Cheng Xiangru worried about traps like crossbows, but seeing Big-Headed Yu’s panicked focus on what lay ahead, without any concern for the ground beneath his feet, he finally relaxed.

They walked for several dozen meters until they reached a spacious secret chamber.

The room was covered in blood. In one half of the area, the ground was littered with white, thumb-sized spheres, and in the center, surrounded by these spheres, stood a stone coffin.

Suddenly, Big-Headed Yu acted as if he had gone mad. He let out a shriek, shoved Cheng Xiangru aside, and scrambled back toward the tunnel, fleeing toward the exit.

Cheng Xiangru was about to chase after him when Leng Ying grabbed his arm.

She seemed to have been triggered by something; her arm trembled as she pointed toward the side wall, her voice shaking as well: "Blue Fatty, look over there!"