Chapter 21 Shrinking Earth Technique and Wandering in the Sandstorm 2

Xie Lian was both amused and frustrated. He was about to instruct the Ruoye ribbon to catch someone else when he felt the ribbon on his wrist suddenly loosen. His heart sank.

This sudden feeling wasn't because the other end of the Ruoye had been released, but because something more alarming had happened.

Sure enough, the red figure on the ground suddenly got much closer to him, and before long, it was within his reach.

San Lang had also been swept into the storm!

Xie Lian shouted to him, "Don't panic!" As soon as he opened his mouth, he swallowed a mouthful of sand, but by now, he was used to it. Although he was telling San Lang not to panic, he actually felt that San Lang wouldn't panic at all.

As expected, when the young man was swept into the air, the Ruoye quickly retracted, pulling them closer together. Xie Lian could clearly see that San Lang's face showed no sign of panic. It seemed like he could just read a book calmly in the middle of the sandstorm.

Xie Lian even suspected that San Lang might have gotten swept up on purpose.

The Ruoye wrapped around their waists a few times, tying them together. Xie Lian hugged San Lang and said, "Try again! This time, don't catch people!"

So the Ruoye flew out again. This time, it caught... Nan Feng and Fu Yao!

Xie Lian was exhausted in both body and mind. He said to the Ruoye, "I told you not to catch people. By 'people,' I didn't mean just humans... okay." He shouted down below, "Nan Feng, Fu Yao! Hold on! Please hold on!"

Nan Feng and Fu Yao on the ground naturally wanted to hold on. They each stood their ground, but the wind and sand were too fierce. Before long, unsurprisingly, two more shadows were swept into the tornado.

Now, all four of them were spinning rapidly in the air. In the dark yellow world, the tornado looked like a crooked pillar of sand reaching the sky, with a white ribbon connecting four figures spinning endlessly within it, spinning faster and rising higher. Xie Lian was eating sand like crazy and shouting like crazy, "How did you guys get up here too?"

All they could see was sand, and all they could hear was wind. They had to shout at the top of their lungs to hear each other. Fu Yao spat out sand and said, "You should ask your stupid white ribbon! What's wrong with it?"

Xie Lian held onto the "stupid white ribbon" and said helplessly, "Ruoye, Ruoye, now all four of us are counting on you. This time, don't catch the wrong thing, go!"

With a feeling of tragic determination, he let go again. Nan Feng shouted, "Don't count on that thing! Think of something else!" Just then, Xie Lian felt a tug on his hand, and his spirits lifted. "Wait, give it one more chance! It caught something again!"

Fu Yao also shouted, "I hope it's not another passerby! Let them go!"

To be honest, Xie Lian was also very worried about this. He tugged on the Ruoye, and the other end didn't budge. Only then did he relax and say, "No, it's heavy and steady!" He added, "Retract!"

Against the wild tornado, the Ruoye quickly shortened. The four figures rapidly moved away from the wind pillar. Gradually, amidst the endless yellow sand, Xie Lian saw a semicircular black outline below.

The outline was huge, about the size of a small temple. The other end of the Ruoye had caught onto this thing. As they got closer to the ground, he finally saw it clearly—it was a massive rock.

In this level of wind and sand, this sandstone seemed like a solid and silent fortress, undoubtedly a great place to shelter from the wind.

They hadn't seen such a rock on their way here, so who knows how far that strange tornado had carried them. As soon as they landed, they immediately moved to the leeward side of the rock. Once they got around it, Xie Lian's heart brightened, and he said, "This is truly a blessing from the heavens."

It turned out that on the leeward side of the rock, there was a cave. The cave was about two doors wide and slightly shorter than a door in height, but an adult could still enter by bending down. The entrance was irregular and crooked, but it didn't seem naturally formed. It might have been artificially carved out.

Once inside, Xie Lian found that the rock was almost hollowed out. The inside seemed spacious, but it was dark, so he didn't explore further. He just sat in a spot where there was light, brushed off the yellow sand from the Ruoye, and wrapped it back around his wrist.

Nan Feng and Fu Yao were spitting out sand, with sand in their mouths, noses, eyes, and ears, not to mention the folds of their clothes. When they shook them out, they were heavy with fine sand and stones. Among the four of them, San Lang seemed the most unharmed.

After bending down to enter, he casually brushed off a bit of sand from his red clothes, and that was it. Except for his slightly disheveled black hair, which was tied crookedly, his relaxed demeanor remained unaffected. However, his black hair was originally tied crookedly by Xie Lian, so it didn't matter if it was a bit more crooked.

Nan Feng wiped his face and cursed. Xie Lian emptied the sand from his bamboo hat and said, "Wow, I didn't expect you guys to get blown into the sky too. Why didn't you use the Thousand-Pound Drop technique?"

Nan Feng spat out sand and said, "We did! It didn't work."

Fu Yao shook his outer robe vigorously and said fiercely, "Do you think this place is just anywhere? This is the desolate northwest, not my general's territory. To the north is the Pei family's territory, and to the west is Quan Yizhen's territory. Within hundreds of miles, you can't find a single Profound Truth Temple."

It's important to know there's a saying in the human world—"A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake." So, as deputy generals of the Southern Martial God and the Southwestern Martial God, their spiritual powers were inevitably limited when casting spells outside their own territory. Xie Lian looked at their frustrated and angry expressions, thinking that being blown into the sky by a strong wind and spinning around without being able to land was probably a first for them. He said, "It must have been tough for you."

San Lang sat beside him on the ground, resting his chin on one hand, and said, "Are we just going to wait here for the sandstorm to pass?"

Xie Lian turned to him and said, "It seems that's all we can do for now. No matter how strong the tornado is, it shouldn't be able to lift such a large rock into the sky."

San Lang said, "As you mentioned earlier, this sandstorm is indeed very strange."

Xie Lian suddenly thought of something and asked, "San Lang, can I ask you a question?"

San Lang said, "Go ahead."

Xie Lian asked, "Is the Half Moon National Teacher male or female?"

San Lang said, "Didn't I mention it before? Female."

Xie Lian thought, "I knew it," and said, "Earlier, when we were resting in that abandoned building, we saw two people walking past it. Their steps were light and unusual, definitely not ordinary people. Among them, the person in white was a woman in white robes."

Fu Yao doubted, "Judging by the robe, it's hard to tell if it's a man or a woman, and the figure is taller than an average woman. Are you sure?"

Xie Lian said, "I'm sure. There's no mistake. So I was wondering if that might be the Half Moon National Teacher."

Nan Feng said, "It's possible. But there was also a person in black accompanying her. Who could that be?"

Xie Lian said, "It's hard to say, but that person walked even faster than her, and their skills were no less than hers."

Fu Yao asked, "Could it be the other of the Demon Daoist Duo, the Heartfelt National Teacher?"

Xie Lian said, "Well, I think the Demon Daoist Duo are probably just paired together for convenience, like the Four Calamities of the Ghost Realm. Even if there aren't four, they have to make it four."

Hearing this, San Lang laughed out loud again. Xie Lian looked at him, and he said, "Nothing, I just think you're right. One of the Four Calamities is indeed just there to make up the numbers. Please continue."

Xie Lian continued, "In reality, they probably have no real connection. I've heard a bit about the Heartfelt National Teacher from the Eternal Peace Kingdom. She appeared at least a hundred years after the Half Moon National Teacher."

Fu Yao found it incomprehensible and said, "You don't know about the Four Calamities of the Ghost Realm, but you know about the Heartfelt National Teacher from the human world?"

Xie Lian said, "Sometimes when I'm out collecting junk, I learn a bit. I don't go to the Ghost Realm to collect junk, so I don't know about them."

At this moment, the wind outside weakened a bit. Nan Feng moved slightly outside, patting the rock to check its material. After concentrating for a moment, he lowered his head and said, "Why was this rock hollowed out like this?"

He probably found the appearance of such a rock suspicious. Xie Lian, however, wasn't surprised and said, "There are many rocks like this with holes. In the past, the people of the Half Moon Kingdom would occasionally hollow out a rock like this to take shelter from the wind and sand or to spend the night when they couldn't make it back home while herding."

Nan Feng wondered, "How do you herd in a desert?"

Xie Lian said, "Two hundred years ago, this wasn't all desert. There were oases."

At this moment, San Lang said, "Brother."

Xie Lian turned around and asked, "What's up?"

San Lang pointed and said, "It seems there's writing on the stone you're sitting on."

"What?" Xie Lian first looked down and then stood up. He found that he was sitting on a stone slab.

After brushing off the dust, there were indeed words on the stone slab, though they were carved shallowly and not very clear. Half of the slab was buried in sand, and the words extended upward, disappearing into the darkness.

Since there were words, they had to be read. Xie Lian said, "My spiritual power is running low. Can one of you light a palm flame to help me see? Thanks."

Nan Feng snapped his fingers, and instantly, a flame appeared in his palm. Xie Lian glanced at San Lang, who wasn't surprised. After all, he'd seen the Shrinking Earth Technique, so Xie Lian felt that no matter what they showed each other in the future, there wouldn't be any surprises. Nan Feng moved his hand to where Xie Lian pointed, and the flame illuminated the words on the stone slab. The writing was very peculiar, like a child's random scribbles, slightly tilted. Nan Feng asked, "What is this writing?"

San Lang said, "It's the script of the Half Moon Kingdom."

Xie Lian said, "Nan Feng is probably asking what it means. Let me see."

He cleared the sand and stones from the stone slab and reached the top row. These characters were particularly large, seemingly a title. These characters appeared repeatedly on the stone slab. Fu Yao also held up a palm flame and asked, "You can read Half Moon script?"

Xie Lian said, "To be honest, before the Half Moon Demon Daoist appeared, I used to collect junk in the Half Moon Kingdom."

"......"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just curious about how many places you've collected junk in."

Xie Lian chuckled and continued to read. After a while, he suddenly said two words:

"General."

Nan Feng and Fu Yao both asked, "What?"

Xie Lian looked up and said, "I said, the words at the top of this stone slab are 'General.'" After a pause, he added, "But there's another character after 'General.' However, I'm not entirely sure what it means."

Nan Feng seemed relieved and said, "Then take another look."

Xie Lian nodded, and Nan Feng moved his palm flame slightly forward. As he did, Xie Lian suddenly felt something was off. At the edge of his vision, something seemed out of place.

He placed his hands on the stone slab covered in writing and slowly looked up.

In the dim flame, a rigid face appeared in the darkness. The face's eyes were looking down, staring at him.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"

The one screaming wasn't them but the rigid face.

Nan Feng raised his other hand, and the palm flame shot up high, finally illuminating the entire interior of the rock cave.

What the flame revealed was a person who had been hiding in the darkness. Now, they scrambled away, retreating to the edge of the cave, where seven or eight people were already huddled together, shivering.

Nan Feng shouted, "Who are you?!"

The shout echoed in the cave, making Xie Lian's ears, already hurting from the earlier scream, ache even more. They had been discussing the Half Moon National Teacher and then focusing on deciphering the stone slab, so they hadn't noticed others silently hiding in the cave.

Among the seven or eight people, a man around fifty was the calmest, seemingly the leader. After a while, he said, "We're just a passing merchant caravan, ordinary traders. The sandstorm was too strong, so we took shelter here."

He seemed to be the most composed of the group. Nan Feng asked, "If you're just ordinary merchants passing through, why were you hiding here stealthily?"

The older man was about to speak when a young man of about seventeen or eighteen loudly said, "We weren't sneaking around. You guys suddenly barged in. How were we supposed to know if you were good or bad? Then we heard you talking about the Half Moon National Teacher and the Ghost Realm, and you can conjure fire out of thin air. We thought you might be Half Moon soldiers, out to catch people and eat them. How could we dare make a sound?"

The older man seemed worried that his words might offend them and said, "Tian Sheng, don't speak carelessly."

The young man, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked sturdy and stopped speaking when his elder spoke. Xie Lian's ears finally stopped hurting. He put down his hands and said gently, "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Everyone, please relax and take it easy."

After a pause, he continued, "Of course, we're not Half Moon soldiers. I'm the head of a small Taoist temple, and these people are from my temple... learning the Mysterious Gate Escaping Technique. You're ordinary merchants, and we're just ordinary Taoists. We mean no harm. We're just taking shelter from the wind, and it just so happens we're in the same cave."

His gentle voice slowly reassured the merchants, and after repeated explanations and assurances, their expressions finally relaxed.

Unexpectedly, San Lang suddenly laughed and said, "No, I think these merchants are not ordinary at all. They're being modest."

Everyone was puzzled and looked at him. San Lang said, "Isn't it said that 'half disappear when passing through the Half Moon Pass'? Knowing this rumor and still daring to pass through here takes a lot of courage. How can they be ordinary?"

Hearing this, the older man said, "Young man, that's not necessarily true. Many rumors are exaggerated, and many caravans pass through here safely."

San Lang said, "Oh?"

The older man said, "As long as you find the right guide and don't accidentally enter the former territory of the Half Moon Kingdom, it's fine. So, this time, we specifically hired a local guide."

The young man Tian Sheng said, "Yes! It's all about the guide. Thanks to Brother A-Zhao, he helped us avoid many quicksands. When he saw the wind picking up, he quickly found us a place to hide. Otherwise, we might have been buried alive by the sand."

Xie Lian glanced at the guide, A-Zhao, who was very young, about twenty, with a handsome but reserved face. He showed no reaction to the praise, only said, "It's nothing, just doing my duty. I hope the wind passes and everyone's camels and goods are safe."

"They'll be fine!"

The merchants were optimistic, but Xie Lian felt things weren't that simple.

If avoiding the former territory of the Half Moon Kingdom meant safety, then did all those caravans that "half disappeared" just refuse to believe in danger and insist on going to their deaths?

He thought for a moment and quietly said to Nan Feng and Fu Yao, "When the sandstorm passes, let's make sure these people leave safely before we explore the Half Moon Kingdom's ruins."

He then continued to read the writing on the stone slab. He had recognized the characters for "General" because the term was used frequently. But it had been two hundred years since he had been to the Half Moon Kingdom. Even if he had learned it well back then, after two hundred years, anyone would forget most of it. Now, suddenly picking it up again required some time and patience. At this moment, San Lang said, "General's Tomb."

When he said that, Xie Lian remembered. The last character indeed meant "tomb" or "grave."

He turned around, surprised, and asked, "San Lang, do you know the Half Moon script too?"

San Lang smiled and said, "Not much. Just a few out of interest."

Xie Lian was used to him saying that. The Half Moon script itself was rare, and knowing it was already impressive. The character for "tomb" wasn't common. If he really only knew "a few," how could he happen to know this one? When he said "not much," he probably meant "ask anything without fear." Xie Lian smiled and said, "Great. Maybe the ones you know are the ones I don't. Come over, let's read it together."

He gestured lightly, and San Lang came over. Nan Feng and Fu Yao held up palm flames to illuminate the text for them. Xie Lian's fingers slowly moved over the stone slab's writing as he and San Lang quietly discussed and read it. As they read, their expressions grew more curious and then gradually serious.

The young man Tian Sheng, being young, was naturally curious. After a few casual exchanges, he felt familiar and asked, "Brothers, what does this stone slab say?"

Xie Lian returned to his senses and replied, "This stone slab is a monument, and it tells the life story of a general."

Tian Sheng asked, "A general from the Half Moon Kingdom?"

San Lang said, "No, a general from the Central Plains."

Nan Feng asked, "A general from the Central Plains? Then why would the people of the Half Moon Kingdom build a tomb for him? Weren't the two countries constantly at war?"

San Lang said, "This general was quite unusual. Although the stone slab calls him a general throughout, he was actually just a captain."

"Did he get promoted to general later?"

"No, and initially, he commanded a hundred men, then seventy, and later fifty."

"......"

"In short, he was repeatedly demoted."

Such a series of demotions, leaving no room for further demotion, was very familiar. Xie Lian felt two gazes on him but pretended not to notice and continued reading the stone slab's text. At this point, Tian Sheng asked in confusion, "How can someone keep getting demoted? As long as they don't make a big mistake, even if they don't get promoted, they shouldn't be demoted, right? How much of a failure do you have to be to end up like that?"

"......"

Xie Lian made a fist with his right hand and coughed lightly, saying seriously, "Young man, it's not uncommon for someone to get demoted."

"Ah?"

San Lang chuckled and said, "Indeed, it's quite common."

After a pause, he continued, "This captain was demoted not because he was unskilled or unfit for his position, but because the two countries were hostile. Yet, on the battlefield, not only did he achieve nothing, but he also repeatedly got in the way."

Nan Feng asked, "What do you mean by 'got in the way'?"

San Lang said, "He not only prevented the enemy from killing his own people but also stopped his own side from killing the enemy's civilians. Each time he intervened, he was demoted."

As he spoke, the seven or eight merchants gradually gathered around, listening as if he were telling a story, quite engaged, and offering their thoughts. Tian Sheng said, "I don't think this captain was wrong. Soldiers fighting is one thing, but not letting them kill civilians seems reasonable, right?"

"Although it's a bit naive for a soldier to act like this, it's not entirely wrong."

"Yeah, after all, he was saving people, not harming them."

Xie Lian listened and smiled slightly.

These merchants weren't border residents or ancient people from two hundred years ago. Now that the Half Moon Kingdom had vanished, people could lightly sympathize, sigh, and even praise such actions. Even if they didn't agree, they could probably understand. But in the midst of ongoing wars and hatred a hundred years ago, the consequences of such actions wouldn't be met with a lighthearted "naive kindness."

Among the group, only A-Zhao, perhaps because he was a local and knew more, said, "The present is the present, and two hundred years ago was two hundred years ago. This captain was lucky to only be demoted."

Fu Yao snorted and said, "Ridiculous."

Xie Lian could almost guess what he was going to say, rubbing his forehead.

Sure enough, in the firelight, Fu Yao's brooding expression was revealed, and he said, "If you're in a position, you should fulfill your duties. Since this person became a soldier, he should always remember to protect his country and fight bravely on the front lines. In war, casualties are inevitable. Such naive kindness will only make his comrades resent him and the enemy soldiers find him laughable. No one will thank him."

His words were quite reasonable, so the cave fell silent. Fu Yao added calmly, "In the end, such a person has only one fate—death. And it's likely to be at the hands of his own people."

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian broke it, saying, "Yes, you're quite right. He died."

Tian Sheng exclaimed, "Ah! How did he die? Was he really killed by his own people?"

After some thought, Xie Lian still spoke, "Actually, no... It says here that during a battle, he tripped over his own loose bootlaces and fell..."

Everyone in the cave had expected this general to die heroically, and they were momentarily stunned, wondering what kind of death this was. Laughter erupted, "Hahahahahahaha..."

Xie Lian: "......and was trampled and hacked to death by soldiers from both sides who were in a frenzy."

"Hahahahahahaha..."

San Lang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is it funny?"

Xie Lian also said, "Ahem. Yes, it's quite tragic. Let's be a bit more sympathetic and not laugh. After all, we're in his tomb, let's give him some respect."

Tian Sheng quickly said, "I didn't mean any harm! But it's just... a bit... haha..."

Xie Lian couldn't help it, as he also felt like laughing when he read that part. He decided not to mention it and continued reading, translating, "In short, although this captain didn't have a good reputation in the army, some people on the border of the Half Moon Kingdom and the Central Plains had been helped by him. They called him 'General' and built a simple stone tomb for him here, with a stone slab to commemorate him."

San Lang added, "Later, the people of the Half Moon Kingdom discovered something magical about this stone slab: if you kneel and bow to it three times, you'll be safe from harm in the Gobi Desert."

His tone was so mysterious and convincing, and his expression was so serious that several people immediately started bowing, saying it was better to believe than not. Xie Lian was puzzled, "Huh? Is that really written here? That's amazing."

San Lang smiled slightly and whispered, "No, I made it up. Since they laughed earlier, bowing now isn't too much."

Xie Lian looked and saw that the stone slab indeed ended there. He had been feeling a bit sentimental, but now he found it amusing and whispered, "You're so mischievous."

San Lang stuck out his tongue. As they were laughing, someone suddenly screamed, "What is that!!!"

The scream was sharp and echoed in the cave, making it eerie. Xie Lian looked towards the source of the scream and asked, "What's wrong?"

The people who had been bowing to the ancient stone slab scrambled away in fear, exclaiming, "Snake!"

Nan Feng and Fu Yao turned their arms, and their palm flames illuminated the ground. On the sand lay a brightly colored long snake!

Everyone panicked, "How is there a snake?!"

"How did this snake get in without making a sound?! We didn't even know when it crawled in!"

The snake, illuminated by the firelight, raised its body, appearing very alert and ready to strike at any moment. Nan Feng was about to strike it with a palm flame when someone leisurely walked over, casually grabbed the snake by its seven-inch point, lifted it with his left hand, and examined it while saying, "A snake in the desert is quite common, isn't it?"

Naturally, this was San Lang. The saying goes, "Strike a snake at its seven-inch point." If the snake's seven-inch point was pinched, no matter how venomous its fangs were, it couldn't do much harm. The snake's tail wrapped softly around his left arm several times. Now that they were closer, Xie Lian saw that the snake's skin seemed almost transparent, revealing a bright purple-red color inside, with threads of black, reminiscent of internal organs, which was unsettling. The snake's tail was flesh-colored, segmented, and looked more like a scorpion's tail than a snake's tail.

Seeing this, Xie Lian's expression changed, and he said, "Watch out for its tail!"

Before he finished speaking, the snake's coiled tail suddenly released from San Lang's arm, and the tip seemed to turn into another snake head, striking backward with a fierce stab!

The tail struck with great force, but San Lang's right hand swiftly reached out, casually catching the tail with ease. He held the tail as if it were an interesting toy, showing it to Xie Lian with a smile, "This tail is quite interesting."

The tip of the snake's tail had a flesh-red barb. Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good thing it didn't pierce you. It's indeed a Scorpion-Tailed Snake."

Nan Feng and Fu Yao also came over to look at the snake and asked, "Scorpion-Tailed Snake?"

Xie Lian said, "Yes, it's a unique venomous creature from the Half Moon Kingdom. They're relatively rare. I've never seen one, but I've heard of them. They have the body of a snake and the tail of a scorpion, and their venom is more potent than both combined. Whether bitten by its fangs or stung by its tail, it's..."

At this point, he saw San Lang twisting and turning the snake in his hand, sometimes stretching it, sometimes compressing it, sometimes twisting it like a towel, almost tying it into a bow. After a moment of silence, he gently advised, "San Lang, don't play with it. It's very dangerous."

San Lang laughed and said, "It's fine. Brother doesn't need to worry. The Scorpion-Tailed Snake is the Half Moon National Teacher's totem. It's a rare opportunity to examine it closely."

Xie Lian was taken aback, "The Half Moon National Teacher's totem?"

San Lang said, "Yes. They say the Half Moon National Teacher was revered as a national teacher because she could control these Scorpion-Tailed Snakes."

Upon hearing the word "control," Xie Lian felt uneasy, thinking that whenever "control" was mentioned, it was always in large numbers. He immediately said, "Everyone, let's get out of here quickly. There are probably more than just one Scorpion-Tailed Snake..."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a scream, "Ah!!!"

Several people exclaimed, "Snakes!" "So many snakes!" "There's one here too!"

In the darkness, seven or eight more purple-red Scorpion-Tailed Snakes silently emerged. They came so suddenly that it was impossible to tell which hole they crawled out of. They didn't attack, just silently watched the group as if assessing something. The snakes moved and attacked without a sound, not even making the usual hissing sound of venomous snakes. It was extremely dangerous. Nan Feng and Fu Yao sent their palm flames towards them, creating a large burst of fire in the cave. Xie Lian said, "Get out!"

Nobody dared to stay in the cave any longer, and they hurriedly fled. Fortunately, the sky was dim, and the tornado had long since passed. The wind and sand outside had also lessened. The group retreated to open ground, and as they ran, someone said, "That stone slab is terrifying! How come we bowed three times and ended up encountering this?"

Xie Lian thought it was fortunate they didn't know the last sentence was made up by San Lang. Then he heard someone say, "Yeah! It's as bad as praying to that junk god! The more you pray, the worse it gets!"

"......"

Even in such a remote place, he got hit by an arrow. Xie Lian was speechless. Suddenly, Tian Sheng cried out, "Uncle Zheng!" The older man he was supporting had collapsed. Xie Lian rushed over and asked, "What's wrong?"

The old man, Uncle Zheng, was in great pain, trembling as he raised his hand. Xie Lian grabbed his hand and felt a sinking feeling. He saw that his palm was swollen and purple-red, with a small puncture wound barely visible.

Such a tiny wound might not be noticed immediately if it were stung. He quickly said, "Everyone, check yourselves for wounds, and if you find any, tie them off with a rope!" Then he turned over the man's wrist and saw a visible purple-red line creeping up his vein.

Xie Lian thought the snake venom was quite potent and was about to untie the Ruoye when A-Zhao tore off a strip of cloth and tied it tightly around the old man's forearm, cutting off the flow of venom to his heart. His actions were swift, and Xie Lian silently praised him.

He looked up, and without needing to say more, Nan Feng had already taken out a bottle of medicine and poured out a pill. Xie Lian gave it to the old man, and Tian Sheng panicked, "Uncle, are you okay?! Brother A-Zhao, Uncle won't die, right?!"

A-Zhao shook his head and said, "If bitten by a Scorpion-Tailed Snake, you'll die within two hours."

Tian Sheng was stunned, "Then... what should we do?"

Uncle Zheng was the leader of the caravan, and the merchants were anxious, "Didn't this young man give him medicine?"

Nan Feng said, "What I gave him isn't an antidote, just something to temporarily extend his life. It can delay the two-hour deadline to twelve hours at most."

The merchants were in a frenzy, "Only twelve hours?" "Does that mean he's just waiting to die?" "Is there no cure for this poison?"

At this point, San Lang slowly walked up and said, "There is a cure."

Everyone turned to him. Tian Sheng was overjoyed and said, "Brother A-Zhao, why didn't you say so earlier? You scared me!"

A-Zhao remained silent, shaking his head. San Lang said, "Of course, he couldn't say it. If the poisoned person can be saved, others might not be. How could he explain that?"

Xie Lian asked, "San Lang, what do you mean?"

San Lang said, "Brother, do you know the legend of the Scorpion-Tailed Snake?"

Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the ruler of the Half Moon Kingdom went hunting in the deep mountains and accidentally captured two venomous creatures that had become spirits—a snake spirit and a scorpion spirit.

These two creatures had been cultivating in the mountains, never harming anyone, but the ruler of the Half Moon Kingdom, claiming they were venomous and would harm people eventually, decided to kill them. The two spirits begged the ruler for mercy, but he was cruel and forced them to mate in front of him and his ministers for entertainment during a banquet. After the banquet, he still killed them. Only the queen, feeling compassion, dared not defy the ruler and threw a fragrant leaf to cover the creatures' bodies.

The snake and scorpion became vengeful spirits, cursing that their offspring would remain in the area, killing the people of the Half Moon Kingdom. Thus, the Scorpion-Tailed Snake only appeared in the Half Moon Kingdom, and anyone bitten or stung by them would die a horrible death. However, due to the queen's compassionate act, the fragrant leaf she used to cover them could cure the poison.

After telling the story, San Lang said, "That herb is called Benevolent Moon Grass, and it only grows within the former borders of the Half Moon Kingdom."

The merchants were skeptical, "Can we really trust this legend?"

"Young man, this is a matter of life and death. Please don't joke with us!"

San Lang just smiled and didn't say more after explaining to Xie Lian. Tian Sheng turned to A-Zhao for confirmation, "Brother A-Zhao, is what the red-clothed brother said true?"

After a moment of contemplation, A-Zhao said, "The truth of the legend is unknown. However, Benevolent Moon Grass does grow within the Half Moon Kingdom, and it can indeed cure Scorpion-Tailed Snake venom."

Xie Lian said, "So, someone bitten by a Scorpion-Tailed Snake has only a slim chance of survival. And that slim chance can only be found in the ruins of the Half Moon Kingdom?"

No wonder many caravans and travelers, knowing the saying "half disappear when passing through the Half Moon Pass," still ventured into the Half Moon Kingdom's ruins. It wasn't because they were reckless, but because they might die if they didn't go in!

The Scorpion-Tailed Snake was the Half Moon Demon Daoist's totem and could be controlled by her, so its appearance was no coincidence. They couldn't guarantee everyone's safety with just a few officials, and they didn't know if more Scorpion-Tailed Snakes would appear.

Xie Lian pressed two fingers to his temple, trying to activate the Spirit Communication Array to see if he could shamelessly borrow a few more small officials. However, there was no response. He lowered his hand, puzzled, thinking, "I shouldn't have run out of spiritual power so quickly.

I calculated this morning and still had some left." He then turned to Nan Feng and Fu Yao, "Can either of you try entering the Spirit Communication Array? I can't get in."

After a moment, both of them looked serious. Nan Feng said, "I can't get in either."

In some places with strong evil energy, the spiritual power of certain officials could be affected, temporarily weakened or blocked. It seemed they were in such a place now.

Xie Lian paced back and forth for a while, then looked up and said, "Maybe we're too close to the Half Moon Kingdom's ruins, and the communication is blocked..." Just then, he caught a glimpse of something unusually red out of the corner of his eye.

Nan Feng and Fu Yao were trying to enter the Spirit Communication Array, while the other merchants were busy checking themselves for small wounds. Only the young man Tian Sheng, worried about Uncle Zheng, didn't notice a purple-red Scorpion-Tailed Snake silently crawling up his back.

The snake coiled on Tian Sheng's shoulder, its fangs aimed not at the young man's neck but at San Lang's arm, who was standing casually nearby.

The snake's body rose, ready to strike!

Just before the fangs could pierce San Lang, Xie Lian reached out and precisely pinched the snake's seven-inch point.

With his strength, he could have crushed the snake's seven-inch point, but he didn't know if the snake's blood and flesh were also poisonous, so he didn't dare act recklessly. He immediately tried to grab its tail. However, the snake's body was slippery and difficult to catch. Xie Lian squeezed, feeling a cold, round, and soft thing slip through his fingers. The next moment, a sharp pain like a needle piercing his hand spread across his hand.