millipede swarm

Mo Yongxin's eyes darted around as she stared at Qin Yu and said, "Mr. Qin must have deduced it based on the bones of that old geomancer!"

"Yes, now it's certain that this river is artificially designed. These inscriptions and patterns confirm it. It would have taken considerable time and effort to construct this river and dig the riverbed. If it were you, would you be willing to have a corpse lying nearby while excavating this river?"

Everyone shook their heads upon hearing this. No one would willingly have a corpse next to them, and it would be quite unsettling. Putting themselves in Qin Yu's shoes, his explanation made sense.

"But who could have done this? To design the flow of Yellow Springs water is incredibly unbelievable," exclaimed He Ping.

The Yellow Springs water is said to corrode everything, causing immediate dissolution upon contact. The fact that these inscriptions and patterns can control the corrosiveness of the Yellow Springs water indicates that the person responsible shouldn't be an ordinary individual.

Qin Yu carefully examined the inscriptions and patterns on the riverbed but couldn't find any clues. Although he graduated with a degree in Chinese literature, his knowledge of ancient Chinese characters was limited to commonly encountered ones. He didn't recognize any of the inscriptions here.

As for the carved patterns, Qin Yu compared them to the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) but found no hints. These patterns were extremely ancient and somewhat resembled the mantras used in Buddhism, indicating a special symbolic meaning.

"Master He, Mr. Qin, should we go to the other side and see if there's any Dragon Crystal Liquid?" Mo Yongxin suddenly spoke up, interrupting Qin Yu and He Ping. The two exchanged glances, and captivated by the inscriptions and patterns, they momentarily forgot the main purpose of their expedition.

With the Yellow Springs water completely drained, one of the bodyguards took out a foldable stainless steel ladder and placed it across the river. One by one, they stepped onto it.

From across the river, Qin Yu could vaguely see a stone platform. Now that they were on this side, looking around, they saw a one-yard-high circular stone platform standing tall. The platform was constructed from bluish-gray rocks, and a stone staircase spiraled up to the top.

"Is this... an altar?" Even Mo Yongxing recognized the purpose of this stone platform. In many movies and TV shows, ancient ancestors would pray and make offerings on such stone platforms, right?

Yellow Springs water, a stone platform for rituals—everything indicated that this cave wasn't naturally formed. It had undergone deliberate human design to attain its current state.

However, Mo Yongxin furrowed her brows. This altar suggested that there had been human activity here in the past. It was uncertain whether the Dragon Crystal Liquid still existed since anyone who knew its significance would have taken it away.

For now, they could only climb up the stone platform to investigate. Mo Yongxin couldn't contain her curiosity and was the first to ascend the stone staircase, with Qin Yu following closely behind. Qin Yu could sense a sense of urgency and unease in Mo Yongxin's footsteps, which contrasted with her usual cold and composed demeanor.

"Anxiety and worry are common to everyone," Qin Yu sighed.

Despite the stone staircase spiraling up, it only took a moment for Mo Yongxin to reach the top of the stone platform. She looked toward the hollow space in the middle, and Qin Yu, standing behind her, could see clearly. Mo Yongxin's delicate face turned pale, her body swayed, and she seemed on the verge of collapsing.

Seeing that something was wrong with Mo Yongxin, Qin Yu quickly rushed forward, grabbed her, and took a few steps back. However, she didn't react at all, her almond-shaped eyes devoid of any vitality, appearing vacant and pitiful.

"Miss Mo, are you alright?" Qin Yu called out softly.

"I... I'm fine." Mo Yongxin's gaze shifted from vacant to bewildered and eventually returned to normal. Qin Yu heaved a sigh of relief and took a few steps forward to look into the hollow space in the middle of the stone platform.

There was a deep pit, about one yard deep, filled with animal bones. Several intersecting chains hung in mid-air. There was no trace of Dragon Crystal Liquid to be found. It was no wonder Mo Yongxin had suddenly lost composure. The higher the hopes, the greater the disappointment.

Qin Yu wasn't the only one who noticed Mo Yongxin's distress. He Ping and Mo Yongxing quickly arrived at the edge of the pit and looked down. He Ping shook his head with a hint of regret, while Mo Yongxing's expression became agitated. He saw his older sister in a state of despair and exclaimed:

"Damn it! Are they playing with us?"

Still feeling dissatisfied, Mo Yongxing fiercely threw the flashlight in his hand towards the pit. Before Qin Yu could stop him, he heard a "crack" as the flashlight shattered. A flash of electricity surged, causing a short circuit in the flashlight's wire, plunging them into darkness.

"Young man, what are you doing?" Mo Yongxin reprimanded her younger brother.

"Sis, we've been searching for so many years, and we finally found a clue and arrived here, but the result..." Mo Yongxing didn't continue his sentence, his eyes turning red as he turned his head away.

Over the years, he had accompanied his sister in traversing various parts of their homeland, searching for a way to save their mother. They had humbled themselves and begged others, especially the eccentric individuals who often had volatile tempers and would angrily drive them away at the slightest misstep. His sister had to put on a forced smile in such situations, and he witnessed it all. While others only saw the glory of being the Mo family's children, few understood the bitterness they endured behind the scenes.

"It doesn't necessarily mean there's no Dragon Crystal Liquid. Perhaps we missed something or overlooked a certain place. Let's search carefully again," Qin Yu reassured, though he knew deep down that their hope had become extremely slim.

"Is there really still a possibility?" Mo Yongxin stared intently at Qin Yu, hoping to see a glimmer of hope on his face.

"Leaving aside other places, we haven't seen what's inside that hidden stone door mechanism. Maybe there are more mechanisms and secret passages here too!"

Qin Yu nodded and affirmed, "Yes, even if nothing else, there might be something inside that hidden stone door mechanism! We haven't explored it yet."

No one noticed that after Mo Yongxing threw the flashlight into the pit, small creatures started wriggling out from beneath the animal bones at the bottom. They were centipede-like crawling insects with countless legs. They were not large in size, but their numbers were terrifying. In no time, the entire bottom of the pit was covered with them, and more continued to emerge from underground.

If Qin Yu had turned around for a moment, he would have recognized these insects as millipedes, locally known as "grass shoe soles," or "money jumpers" in the northern regions.

Millipedes are communal creatures that thrive in cool and damp places, usually found in piles of dried leaves or under old bricks and tiles. They primarily feed on fallen leaves and decaying matter. In rural areas, if one flips over bricks and tiles, millipedes can often be found.

"Did you hear any sound?" Qin Yu vaguely heard a rustling sound, as if something was crawling. The Mo siblings, lost in their sorrow, failed to notice, but the black-clad bodyguards sensed that something was amiss. One of them picked up a flashlight and shone it into the pit. As the light hit, the faces of everyone turned pale.

Countless millipedes were crawling up from the depths of the pit, covering the ground densely. The sight made everyone's scalp tingle. As the flashlight illuminated the pit, the swarm of insects became restless and surged upward like a tidal wave.

"Oh my god, what are these bugs? Why are there so many?" one of the bodyguards exclaimed, quickly taking out a bottle of alcohol from his backpack and a lighter, intending to burn the insects.

"Don't use fire! These are millipedes, and they release toxic gas. If we burn them, we'll all get poisoned. Quickly, leave this place and go back to the other side of the river," Qin Yu stopped the bodyguard's actions and took the lead, pulling the pale-faced Mo Yongxin and running towards the lower part of the stone platform. The others followed suit, turning around and fleeing, while the bodyguards guarded the rear.

"The movement speed of millipedes is extremely slow, so why are these creatures so fast?" Qin Yu glanced back and could see that many of the insects had already crawled up to the entrance of the stone platform. Some of the trailing bodyguards had been overtaken by the millipedes. Qin Yu could clearly see that one of the bodyguards' feet were covered with millipedes, seemingly endless in number. In no time, the bodyguard fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the overwhelming swarm of insects.

"If necessary, we'll set fire to them and immediately run towards the river."

Realizing that they wouldn't be able to escape if things continued like this, Qin Yu had no choice but to shout to the bodyguards behind him.

Hearing Qin Yu's words, the black-clad bodyguards took out bottles of alcohol from their pockets and poured them onto the approaching millipedes. They then lit their lighters and threw them into the swarm.

"Boom!"

Instantly, flames erupted, accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning. The millipedes closest to the alcohol were immediately set ablaze, crackling and popping.

The bodyguards collectively ignited the flames, quickly forming a wall of fire. However, the millipedes behind them continued to crawl forward, undeterred. A pungent smell began to permeate the air.

"Cover your noses and run! The gas is toxic."

Qin Yu shouted to the people behind him, and he continued running towards the riverbank. In a short time, he had descended from the stone platform, still tightly holding Mo Yongxin's hand. Even he hadn't realized why he was holding her hand.

Mo Yongxin, on the other hand, had regained her senses. She glanced at Qin Yu, her expression complex, but she didn't let go of his hand. She followed closely behind his footsteps.

"Qin Yu, there... there are more ahead."

Qin Yu scanned the surroundings and saw batches of insects crawling up from the riverbed onto the riverbank. The black mass of wriggling creatures was terrifying to behold. The ladder that was originally placed on the riverbank was now completely covered by millipedes.

"Damn, this is a nest!"

From behind, an increasing number of millipedes crawled out of the deep pit on the stone platform. Surrounded from both sides, the group of people was encircled by the swarm of insects.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Yu took off his jacket. Amidst Mo Yongxin's perplexed gaze, he twisted the jacket into a rope-like form. He took out a lighter and instructed the people behind him, "When I ignite the jacket, cover your noses and quickly follow behind me, rushing through the ladder to activate the mechanism and release the Styx water."

If they didn't rush past now, they wouldn't be able to escape once the swarm of insects grew larger. The bodyguards were burning things behind to disperse the millipedes, but it had little effect. There was no time to waste. Qin Yu ignited his jacket, waving it as he ran toward the ladder erected on the riverbank.