802 Close Shave

The creature was long and had a dark-red shell that reflected light like metal. Its sharp legs were like blades.

"Is this an ancient creature?" Zhao Yinghao exclaimed in shock.

"No, there are large centipedes in the subtropical rainforest of southern Yunnan, but this is the first time I have seen such a huge one," Miao Qingfeng replied. "It might be because of the special natural environment here."

"These people are not that simple," Zhao Yinghao said.

"Yes, so be careful," Miao Qingfeng said.

Such a large centipede, which was poisonous, could easily kill them. That meant the two remaining people were masters with great skills.

The sound of gunfire was getting closer, but it was becoming less frequent.

"Snake, you go first! I'll cover from behind!" A voice yelled out.

Rat-a-tat…

The automatic rifle spewed out sparks and flame. Amidst the sounds, a new one was growing stronger.

Buzz! Buzz!

"What is that?"

Miao Qingfeng and Zhao Yinghao did not immediately approach the sound. Instead, they hid and observed the situation.

"Killer bees!"

A large group of black bees appeared in the sky. The two people on the ground were holding on with everything they had. They were beaten down, and one of them was covered with blood.

This kind of thing didn't just appear in movies and novels. People like them, who often dealt with poisonous insects, knew about this kind of terrible poisonous insect. Still, it was their first time seeing such a huge one. Were they bees? Why did they look as big as cicadas? The key problem was that there were hundreds of them. It was a miracle that the two men had survived until now.

"Junior, I think we should leave," Miao Qingfeng whispered.

"Why?" Zhao Yinghao asked.

"Those centipedes are easy to deal with, but these killer bees are very difficult," Miao Qingfeng said. "I have a hunch that there must be something more terrible inside. They're definitely not so easy to deal with."

"Isn't it a pity to go back just like this?" Zhao Yinghao asked.

He thought that since they were already there, they should investigate. They had finally found this place. All the different things they had encountered along the way were amazing. They had never met these creatures before. There had to be something about the place that caused these changes in the creatures.

"It's not a pity," Miao Qingfeng said. "If we don't go soon, our names and bodies might stay here forever. Those two people are obvious examples!"

Suddenly, there was a scream. The gunshots stopped for an instant. It soon rang out again but was not as fierce.

"Another one has died, and now there's only one left," Miao Qingfeng said. "Go!"

As soon as he turned around, footsteps sounded behind them. A man staggered toward them. His facial features were a bloody mess and could not be clearly seen. His one arm was broken. His other hand was holding a gun. He was just pushing on by will. In fact, he was no longer able to escape at all.

At the sight of this man, Miao Qingfeng's face changed greatly. "Go!"

The two men sped quickly through the dense forest of the valley. Behind them, something seemed to be chasing them. Large trees were falling.

Miao Qingfeng threw out the precious wooden standing pot he was carrying. It landed on the ground with a thud. A large number of poisonous insects flew out of it. It was hard to imagine that such a small pot could release so many insects. The insects flew out and rushed directly into the jungle.

The two men arrived at the shore. The python, which had been floating, had disappeared.

"This is bad!" Miao Qingfeng threw another Ecstasy pill into the water.

Whoosh! Trees continued falling behind them.

They couldn't wait any longer. Miao Qingfeng felt as if the danger was just behind him. It was as if there was a knife on his back that could pierce his heart from behind at any time. It had to be something terrifying. It was like how he felt when he faced the king of the five poisonous insects in the valley.

The distance was more than 32 away. The two men began to quickly swim. Miao Qingfeng, who was in front, was suddenly dragged into the water by something.

"Senior!" Zhao Yinghao plunged into the water without hesitation.

In an instant, the water turned red as blood mixed with the water. The two men poked their heads out.

"Leave me alone! Leave by yourself!" Miao Qingfeng yelled.

Zhao Yinghao did not listen. He continued swimming, dragging Miao Qingfeng toward the rocks. "Hold on to me!"

Whoosh! The thing that had been chasing behind them showed itself. It was a black-scaled python. Its body was 3-feet wide. Its length was unclear. What was revealed was more than 30-feet long.

"Hurry up!" Zhao Yinghao used both hands and feet to scramble toward a hole.

The python coiled up. As soon as it shot forward, it crossed the 32-foot distance in an instant. It rushed toward the two people and opened its gaping mouth.

At that critical moment, Miao Qingfeng sprayed out a handful of poison, hoping to hold the python back for a moment. It did not affect it at all.

Boom! A loud noise sounded.

The two men rolled into the hole. They were able to escape the fatal blow.

Crash! The stones in the hole began to fall, piece by piece.

"This is bad," Miao Qingfeng said. "This cave is going to collapse."

"Come on, I'll carry you on my back," Zhao Yinghao said.

"Be careful, there are landmines," Miao Qingfeng said.

Zhao Yinghao ran as fast as possible with Miao Qingfeng on his back.

Boom! A landmine detonated because of the falling stones. The huge explosion aggravated the speed of the cave collapsing.

"Damn it!"

Boom! Boom!

Successive explosions followed. Flames sprayed out from the entrance of the cave. The two men rushed out of the cave and fell heavily onto the ground from 16 feet up. There were rocks and weeds on the ground. They were both injured, but they were still alive.

"Senior?" Zhao Yinghao asked.

"I'm fine," Miao Qingfeng said. "I won't die from this."

Miao Qingfeng's wound seemed to be serious. The flesh on his legs was a mess. In some places, bone was peeking out. In the pool, he had been bitten by something.

"What kind of fish can do something so impressive?" Zhao Yinghao asked as he propped up Miao Qingfeng's body.

He took a small bag with special ointment from his pocket. He endured the pain and applied the ointment to Miao Qingfeng's severely injured legs.

"Report to Guli?" Zhao Yinghao asked.

"Definitely, I don't want to be disabled," Miao Qingfeng said with an attempted laugh.

They called Guli and found a place to rest. In their present state, they couldn't get out of the jungle by themselves.

"Senior, how could there be such a big python in that valley?" Zhao Yinghao asked.

"How would I know? Miao Qingfeng replied. "There must be something wonderful inside. When we've recovered and prepared, we'll come back in and have a look."

"You want to come back? Don't you cherish your life?" Zhao Yinghao was shocked.

"Next time, it won't be just the two of us," Miao Qingfeng said. "Master will go as well."

He was certain that his master would come out of the mountain to explore after hearing their story.

"Can he deal with that python?" Zhang Yinghao asked.

"It would be no problem. Master is almost a land god," Miao Qingfeng said.

…

In the mountain village, thousands of miles away…

"Since you're always staying on this mountain, does that mean you want to become an immortal?" Wang Mingbao asked Wang Yao with a smile.

"What is an immortal?" Wang Yao poured him a cup of tea.

The question stunned Wang Mingbao. He took a sip from his teacup. "Mmm, this tea is good!" He raised his thumb. "What tea is it?"

"Da Hong Pao, Wu Yi Mountain's," Wang Yao replied.

"It can't be those few plants, can it?" Wang Mingbao asked.

"They're from those few plants," Wang Yao said.

Wang Mingbao smacked his lips together and poured himself a cup. "Is there any left?"

"There isn't much left," Wang Yao said. "It was just a small box. It was stolen by Su Xiaoxue's eldest brother."

"What? Stolen? From Minister Su?" Wang Mingbao was surprised.

"Yes," Wang Yao replied.

Wang Mingbao raised his eyebrows. "Tsk. Why? Giving a gift to his future brother-in-law… Isn't it the other way round?"

"He was injured. I saved his life, as well as his comrades." Wang Yao took a gentle sip.

"Isn't saving a future wife's brother a given?" Wang Mingbao asked.

"Where do so many of your misconceptions come from?" Wang Yao laughed. "What about Teacher Han? Is she still working in that mountain village?"

"She's pregnant, so it's inconvenient it is for her to be there alone," Wang Mingbao said. "I've tried persuading her in every possible way. She has finally agreed to come to work in our county."