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Chapter 273: Bottom of the Well
Zhou You, however, remained calm and composed.

If we're talking about strong smells, the smell when Maitreya was giving his sermons was much stronger than this place. If we could endure that, why would we be afraid of this little place?
"But I hope there's no marsh gas or anything like that inside."

Zhou You opened the incantation, sniffed around, and finding nothing unusual, then went inside.

Below the cellar door was a long passageway. There were no torches or anything like that around, but a faint glow, seemingly from nowhere, seeped into it.

It's very weak, but barely enough.

As they went deeper, the stench grew stronger and stronger, eventually bringing a feeling of suffocation, until it reached its peak at the end.

However, the surroundings were empty.

Only a wellhead resembling a dry well stood in the very center of the cave—and it was from this well that the stench emanated.

Looking down, all I could see was darkness. I picked up a pebble and threw it in, and there was a very strange sound of water, but it didn't seem very deep.

"I have a feeling that something is wrong, but Duanxie didn't give any warning. Let's go down and take a look."

Zhou You used all the magic power of the song to enhance his vision, temporarily gaining some night vision. Then he took the rope from his waist, tied it to the edge of the well, and then jumped in.

The wind howled past, but when it hit the ground, it didn't step on clods of earth, but on a soft, fluffy thing.

The sudden change in air pressure created a gap of about two or three breaths between the chanting and the next, but when Zhou You opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was...
That is hell.

Looking around, flesh and pus covered the entire space. The ground, walls, and even the dome were all covered by this flesh and blood. All that could be seen was a pure, bright red.

But this is not the main point.

Zhou You has seen similar bizarre and terrifying scenes many times before, such as Liu Shang's house, the venue where Tai Sui performed, and even the sordid affairs of the Tantric Buddhism in the heart of Buddha.

But this was the only thing that really made him feel uncomfortable.

The reason is simple: within that pile of flesh and blood, something else was growing.

—Those were countless twisted limbs, hands and ankles waving wildly. Numerous faces floated among them, wearing some kind of grotesque smiles and humming some kind of twisted ballad.

The speech was completely indistinguishable, but the moment the voice entered the ear, it gave one a chilling feeling.

It was as if bodily fluids, blood, and even urine were gushing out from the pores, eventually congealing into a thick layer on the skin.

It was extremely unpleasant.

Zhou You raised the Broken Demon, about to unleash its malevolent energy to stop the singing, but suddenly felt his legs being pulled.

Lower your head.

I just saw it.

It was a Taoist boy sprawled on the ground like a lump of mud.

At this moment, this person is wearing an empty smile and humming the same song as those around them.

Zhou You thought for a while before finally remembering who this guy was.

—Isn't this the person who welcomed me in earlier?

He didn't want to
Yes, I understand.

Zhou You crouched down, carefully lifted the body that was as soft as mud, and then probed it.

“Except for the two arms and the skull, all the bones have been removed, and most of the internal organs are gone. No wonder it can fit into a food box—but even in this state, the life force is even stronger, as if it is about to be reborn. That’s strange.”

Zhou You lifted the other's head, wanting to take another look—but just then, the surrounding flesh and blood wriggled and swallowed the body whole.

Soon after, on the wall directly in front of them, another head and several limbs emerged, humming a soft, murmuring song together.

But by this point, some of the meanings were already understandable.

"We are the forefathers, the forefathers of the stars."

"They were killed long ago and have been mired in misery for a thousand years." "This hatred is hard to extinguish and this resentment is hard to quell."

"Born from an egg, awakened once more."

"Flesh and blood grow, immortality is assured!!"

With this intense shout, the flesh and blood throughout the space began to churn and surge, like a stomach contracting, attempting to engulf all intruders—

—Holy crap, is this plot-driven death really that fast?
Zhou You retreated quickly, grabbed the falling rope, and leaped away from the carnage with a few bounds.

Behind them, there was a loud, closing sound.

Then, everything fell completely silent.

Zhou You didn't try to go in again. Instead, he looked down at the well opening and thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

"It seems that Wang Chengen extracted the bones from these people to use for alchemy. Among them were not only the Daoist disciples of their Hou Tu Sect, but also the errand boys who came earlier. He then piled the remaining parts here like garbage."

"But if that's the case, then a problem arises. This life force isn't the legendary innate energy; even if many people are destined to die, they will still die. So how do they maintain that form, and even transform into a mass of flesh and blood that forms its own cycle..."

"Hey you, can you give me an answer?"

The first half of his statement was a normal speculation, but when he came to the last sentence, Zhou You tilted his head back and asked the empty space around him.

Naturally, no one answered.

But Zhou You didn't reveal any other expression; he simply kept his hands together, a slight smile playing on his lips, and waited quietly.

half an hour.

A voice came from the open space.

"How did you find out?"

Zhou You simply smiled.

"Actually, it's nothing. Your stealth skills are strong, and normally I shouldn't be able to find you. But the problem is that the surrounding area is filled with the stench of an outhouse, while there is only one place with the fresh scent of grass and trees. Anyone who isn't stupid should know that they are being followed."

Oh!

In a corner of the cave, the originally murky shadows were torn away as if a curtain had been pulled back, revealing a slender figure dressed in black.

—It was the night traveler I had met before at the alchemy room.

At this moment, however, he showed no signs of nervousness at being exposed. He simply tugged at his sleeve, sniffed it, and then sighed.

"I thought this concealment talisman would be enough, but I didn't expect it to have such a flaw. Next time, I should ask my master for some talismans to conceal my scent."

Looking at the man in black who was shaking his head and sighing, Zhou You suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, so you're not planning to make a move this time?"

There was silence.

After a moment, the man in black asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Hey you, where did you get that Demon Suppression Division badge from?"

"Waist tag?"

"The one in your arms."

At this point, Zhou You finally realized what was going on.

—Because this thing isn't a magical item, it can't be stored in the Cangjie (a magical storage ring). And because it might contain crucial clues to the script, I've always carried it close to my body, and that's how this person discovered it.
Wait a minute, according to the previous attitude
"Are you from the Exorcism Bureau?"

(End of this chapter)