In Panjiayuan, the first thing they did was trick Lao Hu into going tomb raiding.

Chapter 132: Arranging a Marriage for Old Hu

Su Mo led the way, followed by Lao Hu and Zhang Yingchuan, with Xiao Cun Ding walking in the middle.

The group cautiously entered the City of Evil Spirits.

There wasn't a soul in the town, but seven out of ten households had lit lamps, and those lamps weren't permanent.

They were all ancient fuels made from the dung of wild beasts mixed with grease, and they all seemed to have been lit recently.

Moreover, although the city caves are ancient, they are not dilapidated like ancient ruins. Some of the artifacts and animal hides in the caves even look new.

There was even a half-polished skull wine glass.

Time seemed to stand still in this city; the moment it froze was the instant the city's inhabitants disappeared!

Those who discovered this were immediately filled with terror.

After all, this was beyond their comprehension.

The unknown is always the most frightening thing!

Old Hu suggested, "It's easy to get lost wandering around the city at night, and the streets of this Evil Luo Hai City, including the main political, religious, and sacrificial buildings, are probably deep inside the Hive!"

"This city has thousands of doors and households, and its structure is completely different from that of ordinary cities. The safest course of action for now is to wait until dawn to go to the outer perimeter and understand the structure of the honeycomb."

"Then find a shortcut to the altar deep inside. Don't recklessly wander around the city. When it's time to be a bastard, you can't be lenient. But when caution is needed, you mustn't act rashly!"

Su Mo nodded, "Okay. Let's find a place to rest first and recharge before we talk again!"

Shirley Yang said, "Why don't we go to the city wall? It's a good location, and we can spot any movement immediately. If there's any danger, we won't be trapped in the city!"

Shirley Yang's suggestion was excellent, and everyone agreed, heading straight for the city wall.

But when we passed through a hole in the wall...

The fat man seemed to have caught a whiff of something. Sniffing, he exclaimed, "What smells so good? Who's stewing beef? This is really tickling my funny bone!"

Hearing what the fat man said, everyone could smell the aroma of stewed beef coming from that house.

The fat man went inside, drawn by the aroma of meat, and the others followed.

Sure enough, inside the stone pot, there was yak meat that was being cooked until very tender, bubbling with steam.

Having not had hot dishes for a long time, everyone immediately found them fragrant, delicious, and perfectly balanced in flavor!

The fat man swallowed hard. "Brother Su, Lao Hu, we've got what we wanted! I think this stewed beef head was prepared for us, right? Is it edible?"

Sherry Yang looked at Ah Xiang and asked, "Take a look, is this pot of beef edible?"

Ah Xiang looked at it carefully, then shook her head. "This is just ordinary yak meat. I can't see anything else..."

Got it!

Upon hearing Ah Xiang's words, Fatty couldn't wait any longer. Ignoring the heat, he grabbed a piece of meat and swallowed it, saying as he chewed, "I'll sacrifice myself for the cause. I'll taste it for my comrades first. If there's poison in the meat, take it out on me first!"

Before he could even finish a sentence, the fat man had already eaten seven or eight pieces of beef, and there was no way to stop him.

After a while, seeing that nothing had happened to the fat man, the others also picked up a few pieces of yak meat and began to chew.

After eating several pieces of beef, Old Hu suddenly remembered something and said to Uncle Ming, "Tomorrow at daybreak, we'll head deeper into that area."

"We don't know what dangers lurk there. It's unlikely to be peaceful. It's safer for you, Ah Xiang, and Han Shuna to stay outside the city. We'll come out to pick you up after we're done..."

Uncle Ming had several pieces of beef stuffed in his mouth and couldn't speak. He simply swallowed the meat whole, choking and rolling his eyes for a long time.

"cough…"

Uncle Ming coughed repeatedly, "It's alright. Since we've decided to follow you, we'll definitely stay with you all the way, never leaving you, and we'll be together through thick and thin!"

Su Mo and Lao Hu rolled their eyes when they heard Uncle Ming's words.

He's a seasoned veteran, he really knows how to talk!

Uncle Ming, however, didn't seem to notice anything amiss. His skin was getting thicker and thicker anyway, and he directly said to Old Hu, "Brother Hu, I've seen it all along. Your character is absolutely impeccable..."

"How about this, I'll arrange a marriage for you. After we get out of here, I'll marry Ah Xiang to you. Brother Hu, you're a good person, and our Ah Xiang is quite nice too. I think you two are a perfect match, and I'll feel at ease entrusting Ah Xiang to you..."

Old Hu was completely dumbfounded when he heard what Uncle Ming said.

"Cough cough..."

The unexpected matchmaking caught Lao Hu off guard.

Zhang Yingchuan, who was standing nearby, quickly patted Lao Hu on the back. After a moment, Lao Hu glanced at A Xiang, then smiled wryly at Uncle Ming, "Don't joke like that. I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, as long as we're alive, we definitely won't abandon you..."

Uncle Ming shook his head, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I genuinely think you're a good person. Besides, you've achieved considerable success following Brother Su and aren't short of money, so what you really need is a devoted wife!"

Ah Xiang was embarrassed when Uncle Ming proposed marriage to her in front of everyone, and she immediately lowered her head.

Old Hu gave a wry smile. "You shouldn't think so much about it. Ah Xiang is still here. What era are we living in? Everyone's in a relationship now, we don't follow the old ways anymore..."

Uncle Ming, however, remained serious. "Brother Hu, I'm not joking. If A-Xiang marries you, she'll have a lifelong commitment, and I can die in peace. I'll have done right by A-Xiang's parents..."

Su Mo chewed on the compressed biscuit, watching this scene with great interest.

According to the original novel, at this time, Lao Hu and Shirley Yang developed feelings for each other. However, it seems that because of her appearance, she overshadowed Lao Hu, which caused Shirley Yang and Lao Hu to still seem to be on the verge of falling apart.

Su Mo glanced at Xue Li Yang, and seeing that Xue Li Yang had no expression, he smiled and said, "Old Hu, I think Ah Xiang is pretty good too!"

Old Hu blushed slightly, "Alright, alright, Brother Su, stop making things worse..."

Just then, the fat man finished eating. He was always eager to stir up trouble, and after hearing the three men's conversation, he immediately joined in the commotion.

"Uncle Ming. My own uncle, you ignore Hu Bayi and find him a wife—it's like a windfall. But he insists the windfall isn't the 'three delicacies' kind..."

"Why don't you just give Ah Xiang to me? My parents passed away early, so how about I marry into your family and become your son-in-law? From now on, I'll treat you like my own father."

"When you pass away, I promise I'll wail for you from Qianmen all the way to Babaoshan Cemetery, swearing to the great man, I won't stop for a single moment, I'll be as heartbroken as can be..."

The fat man was making fun of Uncle Ming. Old Hu almost spat out the beef he was eating.

Just then.

"eye!!!"

A cow moo came from deep within the cave, interrupting the laughter and chatter of the group.

The sound of yaks is not unusual in Tibet, but hearing it in this quiet ancient city, especially with a few simpletons who have just eaten beef, sends chills down your spine!

There's something alive!

There are still living creatures in this evil city of Haicheng!

Chapter 133: The Bottomless Black Hole (Part 1)

"eye!"

The calls of the yaks grew clearer, as if they were right next to us.

"..."

The group exchanged bewildered glances and shivered several times.

Su Mo stood up and said to everyone, "Old Hu and Fatty are going to take a look. You all stay here..."

As he spoke, Su Mo waved to Lao Hu and the other man.

The three of them grabbed their weapons and flashlights and crept into the depths of the cave.

The three of them realized something was wrong as they approached the stone gate.

The stone gate was slippery, with a bloody handprint on it, as if someone had covered their hands in blood and hurriedly closed the gate before leaving.

Su Mo touched it with his hand and found that the bloodstains seemed to be quite fresh.

Now the fat man and Lao Hu became even more nervous.

Su Mo, carrying the Crimson Sky Sword, pushed open the stone door and went inside first.

Old Hu and Fatty raised their guns and followed.

The three of them wandered around for a while, but found no one inside.

The walls were covered in blood, and the stone table and wooden stake in the middle were also bright red.

On top were piles of fresh yak meat, with several bloody raw hides still steaming, as if they had just been peeled off a live animal.

The fat man asked in confusion, "What the heck? Is this a slaughterhouse?"

Su Mo nodded and said directly, "That's right, this is the slaughterhouse in the city!"

Suddenly the three of them noticed something above their heads.

Looking up suddenly, I saw a bull's head, two or three times larger than that of an ordinary yak, hanging upside down.

The cow's head was skinless, its eyes were wide open, and its flesh was dripping with blood.

It was still breathing through its nostrils, and most of its tongue was sticking out. It seemed to be still alive.

"eye!"

The bull-headed creature let out a heavy groan at Su Mo, Old Hu, and the fat man.

"I go!"

The fat man was startled and raised his gun to fire, but Su Mo reacted quickly and stopped him.

Old Hu found this strange creature very odd, but he had no intention of harming them. He said to Fatty, "Let's see what's going on with this 'mouse-headed' creature?"

Su Mo said directly, "This yak had its face skinned off while it was still alive. Then it was castrated. We've seen this practice depicted in the murals of the Temple of Reincarnation."

"That's not surprising. As an ancient tradition, it symbolizes releasing the soul first, so that the body can be consumed without worry!"

Old Hu also said, "It's quite common in the biological world for a head and body to be separated, but for the signs of life to not disappear for several seconds or even minutes. A chicken with its head cut off can still run around for quite a while without a head!"

"In ancient times, when a condemned prisoner was beheaded, if someone called the prisoner's name the moment his head hit the ground, his head would still react because the nerves were not completely dead. However, this only lasted for a moment!"

As he spoke, Old Hu looked around and said in a deep voice, "Time seems to have stopped at a certain moment this year; it's frozen in time forever!"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

"what!"

Outside, the sounds of Xiao Cun Ding and Ah Xiang screaming could be heard.

Su Mo didn't dare to be careless and quickly ran out.