Alienated Martial Arts

The night wind is picking up.

Another flurry of ice chips began to fall.

Hitting trees and rocks, it made a crackling sound.

Following the marks on the map, the team stopped at an abandoned jade mine.

The settlement built by Jade Factory is still there.

Although they are just some dilapidated stone houses, they are already rare overnight accommodation conditions for people who have traveled long distances.

"Hey, there's something good!"

"Good boy, you are so big."

"Be careful, don't get caught in it!"

Several low shouts came from not far away.

Then there was the sound of Cang Langlang drawing his sword.

Not long after, several young people with happy faces dragged a python out of the hibernating mine.

Wei Xin screamed and subconsciously covered her eyes.

Under the light of the fire, Wei Tao couldn't help but look slightly sideways.

This big snake is thicker than a bucket and must be at least ten meters long from head to tail. It is not known what it eats to grow to such a size.

Unfortunately, its luck was not very good.

It can only be turned into barbecue and eaten by them.

Wei Tao personally took action and skillfully peeled off the skin and picked out the flesh.

Sprinkle with salt seasoning and roast over campfire.

On top of another bonfire was a large iron pot.

Qu Shang took two Qingshan Club disciples, unloaded a box of medicinal materials from the carriage, selected several medicinal materials and added them to the pot.

He also explained to them from time to time, "Snake meat can remove wind and dampness, activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, reduce swelling and relieve pain. It can be made into snake soup with appropriate prescriptions, which is most suitable for consumption in this situation."

Not long after, Wei Xun came over with a soup basin and gave Wei Tao a bowl of meat soup.

Wei Tao drank it slowly.

His body suddenly felt warm, and even his energy and blood began to circulate spontaneously.

"This soup is good."

He exhaled a breath of hot breath and handed the bowl to Wei Xin.

"This is the nourishing qi and blood soup prepared by Sister Qu Shang herself. There are many medicinal materials in it."

Wei Xin smiled and added specifically, "What we drink is mixed with a lot of water. My little brother, this pot is original and has a lot of extra ingredients."

The pot of snake soup was quickly finished by Wei Tao. Just as Wei Xiang was about to get up and clean it up, he was snatched away by Qu Shang who was standing beside him and brought to the side of the carriage to get water for washing.

"Sister Qu Shang is really nice. Not only does she not have any airs, she also understands everything.

Unlike me, I can’t even recognize words, and others can only identify herbs and polish jade..."

Wei Xing looked at that slender figure, and there seemed to be little stars popping out of her eyes.

"But my brother Tao is even more powerful. As long as I have my little brother by my side, even in such a wilderness, I am not afraid at all and I feel very at peace."

"Oh, Sister Qu Shang said just now that the Jade Workshop had been managing this place before.

However, just a year ago, a large number of workers who cut stone and mined jade here disappeared. The Zhou family sent martial artists to find out the reason. In addition, the mineral veins were barren, so they were gradually abandoned. "

"I understand. Sister, go and get some sleep. We will be on our way again soon."

Wei Tao threw a few firewood into the fire, stood up and walked outside.

"Sir." Shang Bian happened to be coming back from outside with a few people.

"Just now, my subordinates led people to patrol the surrounding area and discovered some strange things."

"What's that weird thing?" Wei Tao stopped and looked through the flying ice shards towards the mountains in the distance.

"There were many strange flying insects in the valley just ahead. I didn't dare to get too close, so I hurried back."

"insect?"

Wei Tao frowned slightly, "Is that valley on our route?"

Shang Bian sighed, "If we don't pass through the valley, we have to retrace our steps from here and make a big circle."

"You go eat something first, and then take me to have a look." Wei Tao stood up.

Shang Bian shook his head, "I won't eat anymore. On the way back, my subordinates always felt that there was something strange about that place."

He paused and slowly exhaled a white breath, "If there is danger, we'd better go back and find another path."

"You stay to organize their vigilance and be ready to go at any time."

Wei Tao waved his hand and called the young man who was patrolling with Shang Bian, "Xiao Dongqian and I will go."

The valley is not far from the abandoned mine.

It's only about three to five miles away.

The two of them were very fast and reached the valley in less than half a cup of tea.

"Where are those bugs?"

Wei Tao stopped and his eyes fell on the stone wall not far away.

Large expanses of dark green moss extend out, with large and small black mushrooms growing in the middle.

Moss appears in moist areas.

This is normal.

It’s normal to find wild mushrooms outside.

When he was collecting herbs in the Cangmang Mountains, he would often bring some mushrooms home and boil them in some coarse salt water, which was a rare delicacy.

But now it's a freezing winter, and it's a bit unusual to see mushrooms growing lushly.

Wei Tao slowly stepped forward and squatted down next to the nearest mushroom.

Xiaodong followed behind, wondering, "What about those flying insects that glow? Why can't I see any of them?"

Um! ?

Wei Tao's eyes suddenly condensed.

"Xiaodong."

He held his breath and called out softly.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Xiaodong held the handle of the knife tightly and looked around cautiously.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaodong suddenly became nervous and stared at the black mushroom slowly unfolding in front of him.

"Sir, this mushroom is actually moving!"

Wei Tao gently exhaled a breath, stood up and took two steps back, "Don't talk."

The two of them were silent and motionless.

Apart from the howling cold wind, there was no other sound in the valley.

The mushroom blooming like a flower in front of me shrank back silently.

After taking a few breaths, Wei Tao moved his toes slightly and picked up a piece of gravel.

There was a crisp sound that echoed in the valley.

He waited silently, observed carefully for a moment, then coughed lightly, "Xiaodong."

"grown ups……"

Just as Xiaodong spoke, his pupils suddenly shrank, "Sir, these mushrooms are moving again!"

His voice was extremely low and slightly trembling, "The wind does not move, the stone does not move. Only when we speak can these mushrooms stretch and bloom."

Wei Tao said, "Give me your knife."

Taking the long knife, he slowly reached forward.

Just when the scabbard was about to touch the black mushroom, Wei Tao's expression suddenly changed.

boom!

The energy and blood suddenly exploded, and the muscles swelled.

The sand and gravel on the ground exploded. He reached out and grabbed Xiaodong and backed away suddenly.

The hand is cold and slippery, not like a human body.

Wei Tao was horrified and turned his head sharply.

Then he saw that what he grabbed was not Xiaodong, but a green and black shiny snake tail.

There was also a pair of vertical pupils as big as lanterns, rising in the darkness, staring at his body.

"What kind of monster is this!?"

Wei Tao took a deep breath, and his figure skyrocketed again.

From a height of just over two meters, he suddenly rose to a height of 2.34 meters.

He growled low and was about to exert his strength.

At the last moment, he gave up without warning and retreated a few feet away.

"No, no, that shouldn't be a giant python."

Wei Tao suddenly came back to his senses and stared at the vertical pupils in the darkness, his eyes blurred.

In an instant, the giant python turned into Xiaodong.

He had fallen into a coma and lay motionless on the ground.

But at the next moment, Wei Tao narrowed his eyes again.

Xiaodong disappeared, leaving only a group of ferocious ghosts, shaking and twisting there.

"Something's wrong in the valley!"

"Could it be that the smell of these moss and mushrooms can cause hallucinations and coma!?"

Wei Tao held his breath and turned his head to look around.

Strange howling sounds came from all directions.

It sounded like countless people were whispering around him and talking non-stop.

The sound kept entering his ears, making him dizzy and inexplicably irritable.

Even if you close your ears, it won't help.

They even sounded directly in my mind, and my spirit was rapidly collapsing.

Then a large swath of phosphorescence suddenly lit up.

These are flying insects that are swarming out of the slits on both sides of the canyon and shrouding the ground below.

Wei Tao swatted away a large number of flying insects with one palm.

But he was horrified in his heart, and his scalp was numb.

It wasn't just the bite from this thing that made him feel paralyzed.

This is especially because in addition to the sharp mouthparts, the heads of these flying insects are filled with densely packed small eyes.

They blink at the same time, which can drive people with trypophobia crazy.

At the same time, there is a strong rancid smell emanating from these bugs.

It's like the smell of corpses decomposing under high temperatures and turning into water, then piled together.

"What the hell is this!"

"There are so many eyes on the insect. Is this an illusion?"

Wei Tao felt a chill in his heart. He grabbed the twisted ghost on the ground, turned around and ran wildly out of the valley.

There were shrill cries in the night sky at the same time, and large groups of crows with black feathers and blood-eyed eyes were densely packed like black clouds.

They circled, screamed strangely, and rushed into the valley, desperately pecking at the flying insects.

But at the next moment, countless crows screamed and fell, being wrapped up in flying insects and eaten back, becoming blood food in their mouths.

Wei Tao exerted his strength violently, and his hand suddenly felt light.

Looking down, he found that Xiaodong's body had been completely covered by flying insects. In the blink of an eye, many places had been eaten away, leaving only white bones.

It was because of his burst of energy and blood just now, and his skin and flesh were as strong as iron, that he could withstand the bites of flying insects and did not die tragically like Xiaodong.

But even so, the surface of the body was already dripping with blood, and there were many bugs trying to break through the skin and muscle fascia and get into the body to feast.

boom!

Wei Tao pulled out a strong wind and rushed out of the valley.

Wow!

The swarm of insects behind them suddenly dispersed, and not a single one flew out of the valley.

It's as if there is an invisible dividing line there, trapping them tightly inside and not daring to cross it.

Time passed little by little.

The valley soon returned to calm.

It was as if the swarm of insects that covered the void and gnawed on flesh and blood just now was just an illusory dream.

"This road cannot be taken, and the route must be changed immediately, as far away from this valley as possible."

Taking one last look at the cold and dead valley, Wei Tao turned around and walked quickly towards the team's station.