You made all the streamers on the internet kneel before you when you were asked to make a game.

Brother Long let out a strange cry and pulled Professor Chen and the old driver into the corner of the bamboo basket.

Lancet quickly crouched down, curling his body up to minimize his exposed area.

But the bamboo basket is only so big, there's nowhere to hide!

The ghost bride had no choice but to step forward and stand in front of everyone.

Then, slowly, a paper umbrella, as red as blood, was opened.

There are no complicated patterns on the umbrella surface, only a simple "囍" character embroidered in gold thread.

The moment the red umbrella was opened, a cold and powerful aura of malevolence spread out.

All the acid that dripped into the area covered by the red umbrella condensed in mid-air and then fell to the ground with a "pitter-patter" sound, turning into harmless green crystals.

Hiding behind the ghost bride, Brother Long looked at the red umbrella above his head that sheltered him from the wind and rain, and the stunningly beautiful figure under the umbrella. Suddenly, an indescribable surge of heroic spirit welled up in his heart.

Fuck the esophagus! Fuck the alchemy furnace!

I have a wife!

I'm not afraid of anything!

He was about to shout a few slogans to bolster his courage when he saw the ghost bride's brows furrow slightly.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"This thing... is draining my power." The ghost bride's voice was very solemn.

"My malevolent energy can neutralize its venom."

"But each time I neutralize something, it depletes my very essence."

She can hold on.

But it won't last long.

And this damned "esophagus" seems to have no end.

The bamboo basket remained in the darkness, slowly climbing upwards.

As time passed, the ghost bride's face, which was holding a red umbrella, had become somewhat pale.

The green crystals piled up on the ground beneath her feet had already reached above her ankles.

As time went by, Brother Long's heart sank little by little.

If his wife couldn't hold on any longer, they would all be turned into a pool of blood.

Just when everyone was about to despair.

"Clang!"

The bamboo basket jolted and came to a stop.

A faint light shone through the darkness above.

Arrived!

Everyone's spirits lifted.

The bamboo basket was moored at the edge of a huge platform, which appeared to have been carved directly into the rock wall of the "esophagus".

Ahead was a natural cave that exuded a cold and damp atmosphere.

"Quickly! Get down!"

Brother Long helped the old driver and was the first to jump out of the bamboo basket.

The feeling of being grounded has never been so wonderful.

Professor Chen and the Lancet quickly followed suit.

The ghost bride folded her red umbrella and was the last to leave after confirming that it was safe.

She glanced at the red paper umbrella; the bloodstains on its surface seemed to have faded somewhat.

Without taking a break, the group cautiously surveyed the unfamiliar cave.

The cave is enormous, with a dome so high that the top is invisible, and strangely shaped stalactites everywhere.

The air was filled with a rich aroma, a mixture of earth, decaying plants, and herbs.

What's most unsettling is the cave floor.

It was a "field" made up of countless twisted human bodies.

The entire cave floor was densely packed with people.

Most of them had only their upper bodies exposed, while their lower bodies were deeply rooted in the black soil like tree roots.

Their bodies were no longer human-shaped.

Yes, some are covered with colorful mushrooms that emit an eerie glow.

Some had limbs that transformed into vines, twisting and crawling on the ground.

In other cases, the entire chest cavity was cut open, revealing no internal organs, but instead growing strange plants resembling ginseng that were still slightly pulsating.

They are still alive.

Their eyes can still move.

They could still emit faint, mosquito-like groans from their throats.

"Kill...me..."

A man whose face was covered in moss, who was closest to the group, used all his strength to squeeze out a few words from his throat.

His eyes no longer held pain, only endless numbness and a longing for liberation.

"Please...please...you..."

【vomit……】

I fucking... I never fucking want to eat any mushrooms again...

This is even more disgusting than the kitchen we just saw! Those beasts from the Earth Immortal Temple! They're treating people like flowerpots!

"They are the dregs from failed alchemy attempts," Willow Leaf Blade's voice rang out.

She crouched down and carefully observed the plants growing on those people.

"These are all extremely insidious herbs."

"They can only grow by feeding on the flesh and soul of the living."

"The Earth Immortal Temple throws these people who failed in alchemy but are not completely dead here as a nursery for cultivating evil medicines."

Professor Chen added to this.

"I feel like I've seen these plants in some forbidden ancient books."

"For example, the ginseng-shaped one is called 'Flesh and Blood Tai Sui'."

"And those mushrooms, they're called 'corpse mushrooms'."

"They should all be the main ingredients used to refine that so-called 'Taiyin Refining Pill'."

"So..." Brother Long's face paled, "we're currently in the herb garden of the Earth Immortal Temple?"

A medicinal herb garden that uses living people as flowerpots.

Everyone looked around.

This cave is enormous, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Beneath their feet, there was no other way but to lie these densely packed, lifeless "dregs" of medicine.

To get out of here, you must pass through these twisted bodies.

"Let's go." Suppressing his unease, Lancet said, "We don't have time to waste."

She took the first step, carefully searching for the narrow gaps between the "dregs".

Every step was extremely difficult.

The ground beneath my feet was slippery black mud, and I could hear faint, inaudible groans of pain.

You also need to be careful not to touch those vine-like arms and limbs covered with poisonous fungi that are sticking out of the "dregs".

Brother Long carried the old driver on his back, following behind Liu Yedao, and the goosebumps on his body never went away.

He felt as if he wasn't walking, but wading through a swamp made up of human bodies.

"Everyone be careful!"

The man at the front, Liu Yedao, suddenly stopped and let out a low shout.

"The rules here are probably not as simple as just being 'disgusting'."

Professor Chen nodded solemnly.

"That's right. According to the logic of Chinese-style horror, the more harmless and pitiful something seems, the greater the danger it often hides."

He pointed to a crystal-clear plant, like a lingzhi mushroom, growing from a piece of "medicinal residue".

"For example, this 'Corpse Flesh Fungus' is one of the core materials for refining Corpse Fiend, and it is priceless."

"Since the Earth Immortal Temple planted them here, it's impossible that they weren't prepared at all."

"You mean..." Brother Long swallowed.

"What I mean is, these dregs of medicine are both a nursery and, perhaps... a guardian." Professor Chen's tone was extremely serious.

"Whatever you do, never touch them, and never try to pick anything off them."

"Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Everyone immediately became extremely alert, and the group continued forward.

This living medicine garden is larger than I imagined.

They walked for a good ten minutes, but still saw no sign of an exit.

The surrounding light grew dimmer, and the smell of herbs and decay in the air grew stronger.

Brother Long was carrying the old driver on his back, and he was already under a lot of tension.

He stared intently at his feet, afraid that he might accidentally step on something he shouldn't.

Just then.

He felt as if his toes had kicked something soft and bouncy.

He looked down.

That's a mushroom.

A... a pale white mushroom with a face that looks just like a baby's.

On the mushroom's "face," two dark "eyes" were staring straight at him.

"Wow—holy crap!"

Brother Long was terrified and instinctively reached out to stomp down hard.

This is a human's instinctive reaction when faced with disgusting things.

"Don't move!"

Just as his foot was about to land, a cold hand flashed and grabbed his ankle.

It's a lancet!

She had returned at some point and was now holding onto Brother Long tightly.

"Do you want to die?!"

There was a rare hint of anger in Lancet's voice.