Chapter 52: Reluctant as a Donkey Turning the Mill

Xiaoyao held three black pills, each about the size of a glass marble.

"The antidote."

I asked, "The antidote?"

Xiaoyao quickly handed two of them to me and popped the third one into her mouth.

"Jiang Sheng'er gave us a poison called Tendon-Relaxing Powder. The moment we exert force, our bodies spasm and become completely paralyzed. Sister Qingguo secretly bought herbs every night on the road when they weren't paying attention, and rushed to make this antidote."

I was extremely astonished.

"Didn't they say Jiang Sheng'er is the only person in the world who can cure the Tendon-Relaxing Powder?"

Xiaoyao explained to me.

"That's both right and wrong. Sister said the Tendon-Relaxing Powder was actually a formula researched jointly by Jiang Sheng'er and her father, Elder Xu, many years ago. Because Elder Xu has been bedridden and unconscious for a long time, Jiang Sheng'er indeed became the only one who could cure it. But Jiang Sheng'er overlooked one thing: Elder Xu has recently regained consciousness thanks to Sister treating him with the Medical Classic of the Ghost Elder, and his physical recovery is progressing very well."

"That night at the old clinic in Chang City, the moment Sister saw us, she knew we had been poisoned with the Tendon-Relaxing Powder. That very night, she secretly called Elder Xu and, under the guise of discussing pharmaceutical formulas, wheedled the antidote recipe out of him. She didn't want anything to happen to us, yet she also wanted to protect Jiang Sheng'er, and she guessed her adoptive father might not let her descend into the tomb, so she handed the medicine over to me in advance."

"I was afraid of blowing our cover before and hadn't found a good opportunity to take the medicine out. But after An Yishou appeared just now, I felt the tomb was simply too dangerous, and we had to resolve the issue with our bodies as soon as possible... Hurry up and eat yours, and give the other pill to Brother Dong."

Xu Qingguo surprised me beyond measure.

At that moment, I felt a lingering pain in my ear—the scar from where Xu Qingguo had bitten me.

Perhaps the heavens were blind. How could such an insidious and vicious old man possess an adoptive daughter of such profound kindness and purity?

At the time, I did not understand the complete truth regarding the secret mausoleum of the Marquess of Guo Wu. Faced with the formidable dilemma Xu Qingguo had handed me, I actually had only one thought: I could not let go of my family's vendetta in my heart, but for saving my life, I would risk my life to repay her when we got out.

Without the slightest hesitation, I swallowed the medicine.

A bodyguard walked over from not far away, flashing his flashlight.

"What are you dawdling for?! Move faster!"

I replied, "Coming!"

The two of us got up and walked back.

Once the medicine went down, a warm sensation blossomed in my stomach, much like drinking a few ounces of high-proof liquor, bringing absolute comfort to my body.

I secretly tested my hand strength, and the previous sensation of cramping had completely vanished.

The situation had undergone a dramatic transformation!

Earlier, Fatty Dong had bought ingredients at the agricultural market and concocted two items: Corpse-Attracting Water and Corpse-Repelling Powder.

As for the exact principles of how they were made, I was not entirely clear.

Yet this fellow had sworn on his life that anyone touched by the Corpse-Attracting Water would face a relentless, life-or-death pursuit from the Corpse Dowager Mother, while the application of the Corpse-Repelling Powder would force the Corpse Dowager Mother to either perish or flee with severe injuries.

Originally, with our bodies poisoned by the Tendon-Relaxing Powder, we had to figure out how to fully utilize these two items to completely neutralize the enemy's combat capability while temporarily sparing Jiang Sheng'er so he could detoxify us first, before finally dealing with the old man's ultimate objectives.

Now, things no longer needed to be this complicated.

We just had to wait for the right moment to arrive.

When I returned to the original spot, Fatty Dong was surprisingly gone.

I asked Mantis Luo.

"Where is Dong Chuan?"

Mantis Luo let out a cold snort.

"A lazy donkey on the millstone makes frequent trips to the latrine!"

Looking back, I saw Fatty Dong holding a flashlight, walking back briskly from behind while redoing his belt.

"What kind of lousy chow have we been eating these days? The crap I dropped was as watery as clear soup!"

Turns out this guy really had gone to take a dump.

I quickly strode forward, grabbed his clothes, and wore an angry expression.

"Running around the tomb by yourself—are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Fatty Dong was momentarily stunned, furrowing his brow as he replied, "A call of nature is urgent; what, was I supposed to shit in my pants?"

I said, "If you can't hold your piss and shit any longer, you damn well catch it with your hands and shove it back into your mouth to eat it clean! Do you understand human speech?!"

Fatty Dong: "......"

Under the cover of darkness, I had already slipped the pill into his hand. I heavily emphasized the words "shove it back into your mouth to eat it clean," and it was obvious he had understood completely.

The group quickened their pace, advancing toward the main burial chamber.

After walking a few dozen meters, the scar-faced bodyguard sniffed the air a few times.

"Why does it smell so foul? Did the two of you not wipe your asses properly?"

Xiaoyao's face flushed slightly.

"Nonsense!"

Fatty Dong chuckled.

"Or should the Daoist priest pull down his underwear and let you come over for a sniff?"

Actually, I smelled it too, but this was not the stench of feces; it was the reek of a corpse.

Glancing sideways at Old Ou, I noticed his expression was thoroughly unnatural, and he quickly averted his gaze.

It was already past eleven o'clock; the Corpse Dowager Mother could no longer hold back!

Another ten minutes passed, and everyone arrived at a secret chamber measuring about a hundred square meters.

It was constructed entirely of stone, housing quite a few half-man-high stone sculptures depicting the postures of minor shamans. However, they were scattered haphazardly in complete chaos, and numerous large cracks marred the walls and the dome.

Upon seeing the ferocious cracks all around, Old Ou wore a delighted expression and reported to Jiang Sheng'er.

"Second... Second Master, not far ahead is the main burial chamber! These wall cracks were all caused by the accidental triggering of mechanisms during their last visit, leading to a collapse. Let's hurry over!"

Jiang Sheng'er's aged eyes lit up with excitement, and he nodded.

"Good!"

I lit a cigarette.

"You're going the wrong way!"

Hearing this, they froze instantly and all turned to stare at me.

The corners of Old Ou's mouth twitched violently, his pupils turning blood-red, overflowing with venomous malice.

"How are we going the wrong way? In Western Zhou tombs, only those of vassal king rank have alcoves set beside the main burial chamber specifically for ritual vessels. These stone sculptures are all burial objects, and the shamanic soldiers are consistent with the status of the Marquess of Guo Wu. Furthermore, the walls bear the marks of the previous collapse—in what way is this... wrong?"

None of it was wrong.

However, the time had reached midnight.

Judging by Old Ou's bizarre state, the optimal moment for the Corpse Dowager Mother to erupt had arrived. Moreover, our side had fully recovered its strength, while the enemy was at their most vulnerable.

Before descending into the tomb, apart from Mantis Luo, Jiang Sheng'er had gathered six experts to wait for them down the mountain in advance.

Among them, three bodyguards remained above ground to protect Xu Qingguo and Wu Ping, as well as to guard Old Man White Lao Kui; one bodyguard was severely injured while breaking the green-sealed gate and was left outside; and another bodyguard breathed his last while dealing with the silk-faced man An Yishou.

Currently, the old man had only Mantis Luo and the scar-faced bodyguard left by his side.

How could I possibly allow them to enter the main burial chamber?

Our prearranged signal for action was tossing away a cigarette butt.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Fatty Dong had already taken out the Corpse-Attracting Water, which was bottled in a Runtian mineral water bottle inside his pack, and was pretending to twist open the cap to take a drink.

Meanwhile, Xiaoyao took a slight step forward, adopting a posture of readiness.

I exhaled a thick cloud of cigarette smoke.

"I'll say it again: you're going the wrong way!"

Just as I was about to extinguish the flashlight and toss the cigarette butt onto the ground, the unexpected happened!

"Screeech!!"

Old Ou suddenly let out a shrill, piercing scream, his body darting toward Fatty Dong with the speed of lightning. He grabbed Fatty Dong by the neck and shoved him back madly.

"Bang!"

Fatty Dong's back slammed hard against the wall!

"Rumble..."

The alcove chamber was already riddled with large cracks, and such ferocious impact force caused it to shake violently. Stones rained down like drops of rain, and dust billowed all around.

Meanwhile, the Corpse Dowager Mother clinging to Old Ou's back had already burst through its clothing, its eight wide tentacles rapidly extending and unfurling. A face resembling Old Ou's, hidden within the fine hair, flickered in and out of view, looking extremely ferocious and terrifying.

Man and corpse, their shadows overlapping, seemed determined to crush Fatty Dong straight into the wall.

Fatty Dong hadn't even unscrewed the bottle cap, and not a single drop of the Corpse-Attracting Water had splashed onto him—why on earth was the Corpse Dowager Mother attacking him?!

Mantis Luo and the others clearly saw Old Ou's horrifying and disgusting appearance as well.

With a look of extreme terror, Mantis Luo reacted swiftly, letting out a sharp whistle.

"Protect the Second Master!!!"

Mantis Luo and the scar-faced bodyguard shielded Jiang Sheng'er side by side, dragging the old man as they retreated frantically toward the exit of the alcove chamber.

I no longer had time to worry about them. Braving the storm-like falling rocks and the dust-filled air, I charged straight toward Fatty Dong!