The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

"Three...three people, this...this isn't a monkey at all, it's clearly a human face!"

Liang Shiye was so frightened that he began to stammer.

The mummified corpse's eyes had shrunk to such an extent that only two dark eye sockets could be seen, which was truly terrifying to look at. Its mouth was open and closed in an unimaginable way, revealing its broken teeth. Its face was extremely deformed due to dehydration, presenting a very ferocious expression that made people afraid to look directly at it.

The teeth in the mummy's mouth indicate that it was not a monkey, but a human.

"What on earth is going on? Old Wu, didn't you just swear that these were monkeys? But, but these are clearly people!"

Old Yang asked in surprise.

"I...I don't know either. I was sure I saw a monkey just now, and I'm certain it was a big, blond monkey. Could it be that I was mistaken, that I misjudged it? Or...々..."

As Wu Xie spoke, he tried to move closer to the corpse to see if he had really misjudged it.

Fang Yun grabbed Wu Xie and said, "Are you bewitched? Go watch from the side. Some things are not to be touched casually."

Fang Yun turned around and grabbed the other mask, easily removing it intact. This action stunned Liang Shiye, who knew that he had only used a little force and the mask had already shattered. Removing the mask completely intact was no easy task.

Fang Yun turned the mask over, and Wu Xie saw a fist-sized, snail-shell-like spiral protrusion on the back of the mask, roughly where the mouth should be. It drew everyone's attention, and there was also a small hole in it.

Fang Yun glanced at it and pondered for a moment.

"It seems that you can only put on this mask if you open your mouth."

Fang Yun said calmly.

"With your mouth open? That's like having a respirator on! That must be so uncomfortable!"

Old Yang felt extremely distressed just looking at it.

"Fang Yun, I have a feeling that this snail-shell-like thing might be suspicious. Why don't you take a closer look? Think about it, if this mask grows into the flesh, then the eyes and mouth are completely covered by the mask. There must be other special ways to eat and see."

Wu Xie quickly replied.

"You've finally used your brain a little, kid. That's really something. Shine the light over here. No matter what you see, don't panic. Losing your composure in a place like this can be a real problem."

Fang Yun said calmly.

Fang Yun then touched his shirt pocket and took out the fountain pen he had previously obtained from Master Liang.

With a little effort, it pierced the small hole. With a gentle pry, the snail-shell-like thing cracked open, revealing what was inside, which looked like crab legs.

Fang Yun pulled it out; it was an insect he had never seen before, which had become fossilized along with the mummified corpse.

"This mask is very problematic. No living being would willingly wear such a thing. Moreover, this mask is man-made. The patterns inside the mask are strikingly similar to those on the bronze tree. I estimate that the creature behind this mask is closely related to the person who cast this bronze tree."

Fang Yun frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

Old Yang was incredibly bold. While Fang Yun was still thinking, he leaned over, picked up the mask, and began to examine it, seemingly very interested in it.

"Could this worm be from the Western Zhou Dynasty? Perhaps this kind of worm is now extinct, which is why we don't recognize it. However, this worm looks a bit strange, as if only half of it remains."

Old Yang found it very strange.

Where did the other half go?

Old Yang looked at everyone, his eyes filled with doubt.

The worm was curled up in the protrusion of the mouth area of ​​the mask. Logically speaking, the other half of the worm could only be in one place. Wu Xie suddenly thought of this and quickly looked at the mouth of the mummified corpse. Sure enough, there was another half of the worm attached to the mummified corpse's tongue in the dried mouth.

The dried worm was inserted deep into the mummified corpse's throat, and it was impossible to determine which organ it had entered. Because the mummified corpse's withered body and the worm looked very similar, one might mistake the worm for the mummified corpse's dried tongue if one did not observe it carefully.

"Throw it away! Throw it away! Hurry! This mask is probably made by someone who's alive!"

Master Liang's expression changed, and he slapped Old Yang's hand, knocking the mask out of Old Yang's hand. The mask disappeared into the darkness, and there was a loud cracking sound, as if it had hit a bronze branch and was probably completely shattered.

Old Yang was startled by Liang Shiye's slap and almost lost his grip. He turned around angrily and glared at Liang Shiye, cursing, "Liang Shiye, what's wrong with you? What do you mean the mask is alive? I think you're trying to kill me."

"I am truly sorry. I was foolish. I didn't think of it sooner. The method of sacrifice is clearly a Han Chinese practice. Alas, I was stupid."

Master Liang looked ashamed.

Chapter 338 Gu Techniques!

"What nonsense are you spouting again? Can you be even a little normal? Your words are so cryptic that no one can understand what you're saying. Just say what you mean and stop talking nonsense."

Old Yang said impatiently.

Master Liang waved his hand and said, "That's not the case. Please be patient and let me finish. I need to start from the beginning, starting with the blood sacrifice I just mentioned. It will be easier to understand if I start from there."

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, blood sacrifices were mainly used in the sacrificial activities of ethnic minorities. However, the ethnic minorities of that time were completely different from the ethnic minorities we refer to today.

Most of the ethnic minorities from that era have disappeared into the long river of history, or some have been assimilated into the Han Chinese population.

Such large-scale blood sacrifices are not recorded in Han Chinese historical records at all. They have only been found sporadically in some minority sites. Unfortunately, because their languages ​​and writing systems have long been lost, there is no very detailed information to tell these stories.

According to Liang Shiye's own opinion, this bronze tree may not have been created by the rulers of the Western Zhou Dynasty, but rather by a minority ethnic group.

At that time, the Western Zhou Dynasty was surrounded by a large number of ethnic minorities, including the Sushen, Shanrong, Guifang, Qiang, and Puyue.

Most of the ethnic minority tribes were still in a slave society. These ethnic minority groups systematically learned the most advanced metallurgical technology of the Western Zhou Dynasty and also learned a lot of Western Zhou culture.

The most convincing evidence is that the bronze artifacts have very obvious Western Zhou characteristics.

Looking back now, the slave society of that time had an extremely efficient control over labor, which was actually more advantageous and convenient for building something beyond the imagination of the world.

In that era, the sacred sites of ethnic minorities were extremely sacred. Not only were they guarded by special soldiers, but priests would also cast some unknown spells to protect their gods from being disturbed by outsiders.

In their legends, the process of sacrificial rituals and spells was mysterious and unpredictable. This unknown art has been passed down to the present day and has become the well-known Gu magic.

Master Liang then began to explain the power of Gu magic. Gu magic has been divided since the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties. Gu magic before the Qin Dynasty was as terrifying as modern superpowers. The origin of Gu is actually insects. Gu magic was also called blood insect magic at that time. And these monkeys with mysterious masks and mummies are strange and unpredictable. They are probably products of ancient Gu magic.

"Having said so much, most of it is what I've heard and seen. However, I have indeed heard about Gu techniques from some places. There is a type of Gu called Chi Gu, which is a Gu technique that makes people extremely aggressive. The worm that I just saw hidden behind the mask, around the mouth area, deep in the throat, may be the origin of the ancient Chi Gu."

"Based on my speculation, this insect most likely affects the nervous system of animals or humans, causing them to go berserk and attack strangers from the outside. Therefore, when we shattered the mask, the insect lost control over the animal or human and, like that monkey, reverted to its original nature. These things instinctively want to stay away from humans."

"Chi Gu is a major branch of Gu magic. Chi Gu can reproduce in the human body. After the host dies completely, it will attach itself to a certain place and wait for an opportunity to act. When a new host approaches, it will parasitize the new host in some unknown way and begin to control the new host."

"These mummies might be the miners who worked here back then. They were just unlucky enough to encounter dormant dragon-like insects and were killed by this ancient Gu technique. There is no record of such a thing, and we don't know if it's true or not. But it is a fact that there are insects hidden in the masks and that they are deep in the throats. I think we should be more careful."

(bjbd) Master Liang explained.

After hearing Liang Shiye's explanation, Wu Xie couldn't help but get goosebumps all over his body.

"This thing feels so familiar, like something out of an American movie. I never thought that science fiction would have to rely on ancient Chinese technology. I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

Wu Xie muttered to himself.

The eerie mummies still hung on the bronze branches, their masks giving off a half-smiling, half-smiling feeling, as if waiting for people to approach.

"Master Liang, isn't what you're saying a bit too frightening? If there really is a Chi Gu, then it shouldn't be a big problem to just pull it off as soon as it attaches to you, right? Could it be that there's a hidden danger if the Chi Gu sticks to you?"

Old Yang became somewhat uneasy, and his expression turned grim.

"I really can't say for sure. I've only heard about these things. Gu techniques are inherently mysterious, like Qimen Dunjia, the Five Elements, and the Eight Trigrams. I can only say to be careful and cautious, especially with these mummified corpses. My advice is to stay away from them. You know, Old Tai is a seasoned veteran who hasn't made a mistake in all these years. There must be a reason why he fell here. It's better to be careful."

"Master Liang said quickly."

“Master Liang is right. Gu magic is very mysterious. If we really encounter it, I’m afraid I won’t have a good solution for the time being. It’s better to be careful.”

Fang Yun said thoughtfully.

Old Yang frowned, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"Old Yang, let me give you a heads-up. At our current pace, how long will it take to get up there? If the higher up there are still these dense bronze branches, it will be difficult to reach the top even if we work ourselves to death."

Wu Xie sighed.

"Don't worry, this dense situation will soon pass. It will become sparser as you climb higher. There's no need to worry too much. When I climbed it back then, I only had a small flashlight and didn't see any of these so-called mummies. There's only this one bronze tree here. No matter how high you climb, you're only going upwards, so you won't get the location wrong."

Old Yang quickly replied.

"Let's leave here first. After all, there are so many people here. If something goes wrong, it will be difficult to handle. Besides, we don't know where that fat boss is. What if he's waiting for us up there and we walk right into his trap? We should check the surroundings first and get up there as soon as possible."

Wu Xie addressed the crowd.

“I think what you said makes a lot of sense. How about this, I’ll fire a signal flare first to check the situation. If there’s an ambush up there, we can think of a countermeasure sooner.”

As he spoke, Old Yang pulled out a flare gun and fired a shot straight at Shangfen.

The length of Chapter 339 is a major flaw!

The signal flare flew straight upwards, continuing until it ran out of power without reaching its destination.

"Damn it, Old Yang is lying to me again. This kind of signal gun has a range of at least 200 meters, which means there's at least another 200 meters of height waiting for me to climb. If I climb that far, I'll be dead. What is Old Yang hiding?"

Wu Xie felt both angry and confused.

While Wu Xie was still thinking, the signal flare had already started burning. Looking up, just as Lao Yang had said, after climbing a little further, the bronze branches began to thin out. Wu Xie didn't understand why the bronze tree was designed this way. Looking up from below, it wasn't impossible to reach, and he could still see some things.

Even as the signal flare fell, Old Yang kept his eyes glued to that stretch of road.

"It seems that the fat boss wasn't lying in ambush up there. Maybe only Old Tai came to the Bronze Tree. You know, the coffin formation outside is quite difficult to get through. What... what is this thing?"

Old Yang's expression became tense.

When the signal flare landed about 60 or 70 meters away from the group, they saw that there seemed to be many protrusions on the surface of the bronze tree. Upon closer inspection, they found that within a distance of about 10 meters, there were faces, or rather, masks!

If what Master Liang said is true, those things should be the prototype of the Chi Gu. Ancient people raised these insects in these extremely special masks, and that's how they really multiplied. Wu Xie didn't really believe in the existence of Gu magic just now, since there are no records of it in history. It's usually only in novels or anime that such ethereal things are used.

I never expected to see them in such a short time, and in such a large group at that; just looking at them gave me goosebumps.

The mask adhered to the bronze tree, and under the illumination of the signal flare, it displayed an expression that sent chills down one's spine—whether it was pain, worry, or ferocity!

"Third... Third lords, these things seem to be alive. All those dragon-like insects are attached to the masks. What should we do? How can we get through this?"

Liang Shiye seemed to be terrified, his voice was trembling, and his hands were shaking so badly that he could barely hold onto the bronze branch.