novelTele Chapter 59 You went to Hangzhou to find your mother?
Chapter 59 You went to Hangzhou to find your mother?
"Hey, Mr. Blackie, does this 'safety path' mean one that specifically avoids all known human routes?" Qin Yuan adjusted his sunglasses, which had almost been blown off by a gust of wind, and stepped over a soft, shifting sand.
"Hey, common stuff won't show off our skills!" Black Bear led the way. "Don't worry, this path may be a bit off-center and steep, and you might have to climb a cliff or squeeze through a crevice occasionally, but there are absolutely no traps or zombies, it's all natural..."
Before he could finish speaking, a piece of weathered sandstone fell down beside him with a crash, nearly hitting him on the head.
Xie Yuchen gracefully stepped aside to avoid the dust that was kicked up, and dusted off non-existent ash from his pure white coat: "Hmm, all-natural, pristine, with an occasional surprise."
Qin Yuan, too lazy to complain, pulled up the terrain map scanned by the system in his mind and, combined with the direction Hei Xiazi had led, quickly corrected his course. He could see the energy radiation of the meteorite jade, like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding him towards the true entrance to the Western Queen Mother's Kingdom. All those winding, circuitous routes and detours that led him astray into a fake underground palace in the original story were now completely avoided.
"Turn left, go around that rock wall ahead, then go down to the bottom of the deepest dry riverbed, and proceed in a straight line." Qin Yuan walked directly to the front to lead the way.
Hei Xiazi paused, his flashlight beam sweeping in the direction Qin Yuan pointed. He squinted and looked: "Little brother, how did you know to go that way? That place doesn't look like there's a road."
"Intuition," Qin Yuan said without changing his expression. "Also, the wind erosion patterns over there indicate that it's the lowest point of the ancient riverbed, with a relatively stable geological structure and the lowest risk of being buried by quicksand." He paused, "Furthermore, the airflow direction is a bit unusual, and the humidity is slightly higher."
Hei Xiazi and Xie Yuchen exchanged a glance, disbelieving yet finding it irrefutable. Considering their journey together, Qin Yuan's judgments had never been wrong, so they didn't ask further questions and followed him.
This new route was indeed much faster. Although the terrain was still rugged, it saved a lot of time spent exploring and turning back. It was just too quiet; apart from the sound of the wind and footsteps, there was nothing else. The group quickened their pace and arrived at the bottom of the rainforest before dawn.
"I say, isn't this place a bit too clean?" Black Bear, bored out of his mind, started making conversation. "We can't even see a lizard, and with the mute gone, there's no one to argue with."
Qin Yuan rolled his eyes: It was as if the young man was paying any attention to him.
The black bear, ignored by everyone, still wouldn't stop. He glanced at Xie Yuchen and said, "Master Xie, it's so quiet here. Why don't you sing a bit of opera to liven things up?"
Xie Yuchen smiled: "Brother Hei, which play would you like to hear? Farewell My Concubine or The Drunken Beauty? But before you go, have you decided how to pay for the ticket?"
"Well, it seems I won't have the pleasure of hearing this. How about I sing a song for you to cheer you up? I'll give you a discount on the ticket. How about this price?" Black Bear turned his head and held up five fingers to look at Xie Yuchen.
Qin Yuan: "..." He suddenly missed Zhang Qiling's quietness.
Just as Hei Xiazi was pondering whether he should perform a Shaanxi folk song, a very faint rustling sound came from the bend in the riverbed ahead, unlike the sound of wind blowing sand.
The three of them stopped at the same time, and their flashlights shone in unison.
From the canopy of a large tree ahead, a triangular head, as thick as a water bucket and covered with dark brown, net-like patterns, slowly emerged. A pair of cold, vertical pupils reflected a fierce light in the flashlight beam, and its scarlet tongue flickered in and out.
A massive tree python was coiled up there, blocking their path. Judging from its thick trunk and poised stance, it clearly regarded them as takeout food delivered to its door.
"Hey! What a surprise!" Black Bear exclaimed with delight. "This one's huge! Enough to stew several pots!"
The giant python seemed to be enraged by the flashlight beam and the black bear's words. It let out a hiss, and its massive body suddenly shot out, opening its huge mouth to bite at the black bear in front of it. Its speed was astonishing!
Black Bear let out a strange cry, nimbly leaning back while simultaneously kicking the python's body to use the momentum to flip backward. Xie Yuchen had already drawn a slender, retractable stick, stepped forward, and thrust it straight at the python's vital spot!
Qin Yuan moved faster than them. The instant the giant python sprang up, he had already shifted to the side, attempting to attack its eyes from the side. However, the python swung its head and tail, creating a powerful gust of wind that swept past him.
"Snapped!"
His sunglasses, which he wore to conceal the unusual sight in his eyes, were swept away and spun as they landed in the nearby bushes.
Qin Yuan: "..."
His vision suddenly cleared, and although the light was dim, his enhanced eyesight didn't affect him at all. He just subconsciously squinted a little before attacking again.
The giant python seemed to realize that the human with his eyes exposed posed a greater threat, so it abandoned Hei Xiazi and Xie Yuchen, and its thick tail, like a steel whip, swept fiercely towards Qin Yuan's waist and abdomen.
A nameless anger rose in Qin Yuan's heart. Were they targeting him? And they even ruined his sunglasses, which he was used to wearing and quite liked.
As the python's tail swept towards him, he not only didn't retreat, but instead stepped forward into the strong wind. Since his sunglasses had already fallen off, it didn't matter whether he hid the other one or not. He ripped off the glove he had been wearing on his right hand and tossed it aside! With his fingers spread, the fingernails that had been hidden were revealed to be jet black, sharp, and gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen.
Without using any weapons, he turned his right hand into a claw, neither dodging nor avoiding, and directly grabbed and stabbed at the thick python tail that was sweeping towards him, before flipping over and lying on top of the giant python!
"Pfft!"
A tooth-grinding sound rang out, as if a sharp blade had cut into tough leather and pierced through flesh.
Qin Yuan's five fingers easily pierced through the giant python's tough scales and muscles, embedding themselves deeply! Dark red snake blood gushed out instantly, flowing down his wrist.
"Hiss—!!!" The giant python let out a piercing hiss of extreme pain, its entire body twisting wildly in an attempt to break free. But Qin Yuan's hands were like cast iron, and his body remained firmly planted, motionless. Instead, he twisted his wrist!
The giant python, in pain, dared not linger any longer. It suddenly exerted its strength, flung Qin Yuan away, and ripped its tail from his grasp, tearing out a trail of flesh and blood. Then, without looking back, it dragged its injured body and, at an even greater speed than when it arrived, hastily disappeared into the nearby bushes, leaving only a pool of blood and a few broken scales on the ground.
The scene was completely silent.
Black Bear's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg. The flashlight beam shone directly on Qin Yuan's right hand, which he hadn't had time to retract. The five sharp, black fingernails stained with snake blood looked particularly eerie and terrifying in the light.
Xie Yuchen also put away the dragon-patterned staff, his gaze shifting back and forth between Qin Yuan's eyes and fingers, his smile somewhat frozen.
Qin Yuan shook the snake blood off his hands, walked over, picked up his sunglasses, and looked at them. The temple was broken. He clicked his tongue, and using the motion of putting his glasses in his pocket, he pulled out an identical pair from his system space, put them on, and then turned back to look at the two of them.
"What are you looking at? Never seen manicures before?" he said casually, even raising his right hand to admire it in the light. "Cool, right?"
Hei Xiazi finally found his voice. He circled Qin Yuan a little, saying, "Brother... no, Master Qin! What kind of creature are you? A descendant of the White Snake? You didn't actually go to Hangzhou to find Wu Xie, but to find your long-lost mother, right?"
Qin Yuan: "...Blind man, watch less TV dramas."
Xie Yuchen regained his composure and even joked along with Hei Xiazi's words, but his gaze swept meaningfully over the sunglasses that Hei Xiazi never took off: "So, Master Hei, you always wear sunglasses, could it be... you're from the same lineage? Or perhaps you're a black snake spirit?"
Black Bear was momentarily speechless, coughing twice. "Mys is purely a personal hobby... a hobby. It's not the same as Master Qin's... this practical nail art!" He changed the subject, "Well, the snake got away, let's hurry on our way! Third Master must be getting impatient!"
Qin Yuan was too lazy to explain. He looked at his hands, which were stained with blood and sand, and after thinking for a moment, simply took off his other glove and stuffed it into his pocket. Since his fingernails were already exposed, wearing gloves or not made little difference. He tried to control them, and his fingernails retracted slightly, becoming less sharp and frightening, but their color and length were still unusual.