Ancient tomb excavation traces

(Today is Singles' Day, time to go on a shopping spree! Let's go!)

Also, to echo a novel title: There are only two kinds of women: those who spend their own money on Taobao, and those whose husbands spend theirs on Taobao. Regardless of which type, you absolutely must go on a shopping spree the day after tomorrow!

My mind went blank, and my ears were ringing. Was this gunpowder, one of the four great weapons of ancient my country? It shouldn't have been used for military purposes by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but I never expected it to have already taken root in the hands of tomb raiders. I touched my burning hot ear, which was covered in warm liquid, with blood on my fingers.

The female corpse in front of me had been mostly destroyed, while the other half seemed to have been frightened by the sudden explosion. They were on all fours, crawling like insects, staring venomously at me, who sat blankly on the ground. I turned around blankly, looking at Qiuyue's innocent face, and gave her a look that said, "Are you kidding me?"

To everyone's surprise, Qiu Yue shrugged and said to herself, "Sigh, I didn't expect Kong Yao's 'Fire Spirit Particle' to be so powerful! Also, don't glare at me, didn't I just tell you to dodge?"

I looked puzzled and said, "Get away? With so many corpses surrounding me, do you think I'm a gopher with the ability to dig?"

Having fallen to the ground, Bao Cai, who had avoided the living dead by the light of the fire monkey, also joined the chorus of condemnation, saying, "Miss Qiu, you have such powerful hidden weapons, why didn't you take them out sooner? You've caused so much trouble!"

Qiu Yue's face turned ashen after what we said. She kicked away a female corpse that lunged at her and said coldly, "First time using it, who would have thought it would be so powerful!" Then, she turned her bright eyes to Bao Cai and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense! A grown man cowering in a corner, relying on a monkey for protection, how shameful!"

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai and I almost spat out blood. This Qiu Yue looks cold, but she's incredibly cunning. Is this her first time using it? Doesn't she know its power yet? If I get blown up, wouldn't that be a very unjust death?

They say the most venomous heart is a woman's, and it's true! Just as I was filled with resentment, the female corpses that had surrounded me began to stir again. When there are many women, it inevitably leads to conflict. I gripped my battle scythe tightly. Although the fire spirit had scared me half to death, that loud noise pulled me back to my will to live.

Just as I was preparing to fight desperately, something gently bumped against my back. My heart skipped a beat, and I was about to turn around when I heard the young Taoist priest say, "Hold on!"

My heart warmed, and I nodded. Just then, Bao Cai shouted, "I almost forgot! Ba Jian! Ba Jian is going to hang himself! What are we going to do?!"

Bao Cai's reminder made me slap my forehead. Looking up again, I saw Ba Jian looking like a bound pig's trotter, thankfully both his hands were free. At that moment, he was using one hand to pry open the thin vines that were tightening around his neck, while the other hand was actually grabbing the neck of the withered corpse. The neck was making a "crackling" sound as if it was about to break, and the evil corpse was angrily biting at Ba Jian, trying to bite his hand, make him fall, and finally hang him to death.

It really is an evil formation! The corpses here have thoughts and intelligence, and they're incredibly dedicated, determined to torment people to death. To put it bluntly, it's fortunate that Ba Jian was the one caught; anyone with slower reflexes would definitely have missed that withered corpse! But the situation is critical now; we must save that dried-up corpse before Ba Jian breaks his neck. But how? Climbing the vines is definitely too late! Just as I was thinking this, several more female corpses descended from the vines. I was overwhelmed by their numbers, so I could only curse and dodge left and right.

Although the young Taoist priest was skilled, he was currently surrounded by a large number of corpses, and even a fierce general is no match for a pack of dogs. My mind was in turmoil, and I kept checking on Bajian's condition. Baocai, an outsider, kept shouting anxiously from the sidelines, reminding us that Bajian was about to die.

Frustrated and annoyed, I shouted to Qiuyue, "Miss Qiu, do you still have any Fire Spirit Seeds?" The war scythe pierced the head of a female corpse retching nearby.

Qiuyue replied, "Having just witnessed the power of the Fire Spirit Particle, I think it's best to save it for later."

Judging from her displeased tone, I knew she was retaliating against my dissatisfaction with her earlier rescue. My voice softened, and I said urgently, "Grandma, don't go any further! My companion is about to hang himself; we have to split up and rescue him!"

Qiu Yue spun around, avoiding the female corpse, and said, "If you want to save her, there are many ways, but you'll have to carry her on your back!"

"Huh?" Before I could understand what she meant, she jerked her arm, and the plum blossom dart shot out, hitting the main vine that was holding the dried corpse with perfect accuracy.

Bao Cai and I gasped in surprise as a corpse and a person plummeted from a tree branch with a loud thud. My mind went blank; I had no idea what was happening to Ba Jian. I took two steps forward numbly, and Bao Cai and Fire Monkey followed. The little Taoist priest shielded me from the corpse's attack.

I was stunned because Bajian fell without making a sound; Qiuyue's attack was too sudden. But soon, we heard a violent coughing fit. Baocai looked at me and said quietly, "No, he's not coughing up blood, is he? This giant tree is at least three stories high... this..." Baocai started speaking slowly, clearly shocked, but once he realized something was wrong with Bajian, he cried out uncontrollably, "Ah!" and rushed over, shouting in a tearful voice, "Little Ba, don't die!"

I was still clinging to the hope that Xiao Ba was still alive, but influenced by Bao Cai's emotions, I staggered, and the image that flashed through my mind was Xiao Ba spitting blood and on the verge of death.

However, just as we approached, a hand suddenly reached out. I stopped and gasped. Then I saw Xiao Ba prop himself up!

He looked at us with a dejected expression, like a programmer who hadn't slept for several nights and was on the verge of collapse. This time, he was so frightened that it took him a while to reach out and pull off the thin vine around his neck. The vine had really tightened around his neck, leaving a purplish-red mark with faint traces of friction wounds.

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He took a deep breath, looked up at us, and said with a miserable expression, "Oh dear, my life... if they're going to use this method to... to get me down... they should at least have given me a heads-up. Luckily, I was quick-witted and landed on this damn thing, making her my scapegoat, cough... cough..."

Upon hearing this, Bao Cai and I exchanged glances. Bao Cai wiped away his tears and rushed over. Ba Jian, his chest limp and weak, slumped against Bao Cai's chest and said, "Up there... your... your calls gave me a headache... but I never expected you to be so affectionate towards me." As soon as he finished speaking, the two of us who loved to bicker hugged each other tightly, looking like brothers reunited after a great ordeal.

I sighed with relief at the natural brotherly affection between the two, but now was not the time for reunion; we were still facing difficulties. The young Taoist priest and Qiuyue were fighting desperately. I told Baocai to take care of Bajian, who had suffered many hardships but remained undestructed, while I charged towards those damned female corpses.

The people who died here were all hanged. They fall into two categories. One type, which I hadn't noticed before, had slightly protruding bellies, as if their bodies contained something. The other type had flat bellies, were highly aggressive, and very fast. The young Taoist priest and Qiuyue were dealing with these agile female corpses.

Upon closer inspection, the masks of the two types of female corpses are also different. The faster-growing female corpse has a crimson mask, and she wears a dark-colored woolen open-front blouse with a flared skirt adorned with patterns. The female corpse with a swollen abdomen wears a white mask, and her figure is also more swollen than that of the younger female corpse. She wears a simpler, pullover-style woolen garment, which is relatively loose and also adorned with patterns. However, it is clear that these people may have struggled before their deaths, as there are many accumulated dirt marks on their woolen garments, making the patterns illegible.

This puzzled me. What were their identities, and why were they all hanged here? Just as I was thinking this, Bao Cai and Ba Jian called out from the side, "Young master, be careful, more are coming down."

I pulled the scythe from the body of a fat woman. Although she was no longer able to move, her stomach was still heaving, like rolling waves. (To be continued.)

I like tomb raiding.