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墨書 Inktalez
I was taken aback, realizing that this creature actually had thoughts like a human. It must have already gained some intelligence, and I had underestimated it before.
In the blink of an eye, just as the Giant Tongue was about to sweep across my abdomen, I raised my staff and thrust it down fiercely. "Take that, you old fool!" I struck right at the tip of its tongue, but before I could celebrate, a foul-smelling, putrid liquid splattered all over my face. It felt like fire on my skin, especially in my eyes, which burned and stung, making tears stream down uncontrollably.
My heart sank. Damn it, am I going blind?
At that moment, I suddenly felt a tightness around my waist as several tendrils wrapped around me and lifted me into the air. A gust of wind rushed towards me, and reflexively, I raised my hand to block it. That creature had learned from its previous encounters and knew the power of my staff. My haphazard defense only served to deliver the staff directly into the Giant Tongue's grasp. With a jolt, it slipped from my hands.
My heart raced as I cursed myself for being such a fool. First, I lost my attack, then my weapon—was I just offering myself up for dinner?
How many times had I, Qian Yi, escaped peril and survived dire situations? Now I was about to become a meal for a tongue?! If word got out, I'd be the laughingstock!
No way! I couldn't let this happen; I wouldn't let this creature claim me so easily. Listening to Mao Zedong's teachings applied everywhere.
As I was lost in thought, suddenly the Giant Tongue swung me violently. Before I could react, the back of my head slammed against the granite rock with a thud. My mind buzzed as everything spun around me; a wave of sickly sweet liquid surged up my throat, making me feel utterly miserable! Before I could catch my breath, another gust swept past the back of my head with a crack—my right rib collided with a stone. A piercing pain shot through me, nearly knocking me out cold as blood surged up in my throat! Damn it, my rib must be broken!
It dawned on me that this creature didn't want to swallow me; it aimed to smash me to death! "What deep-seated grudge do we have? A tiger fallen on hard times gets bullied by dogs; killing someone is just a matter of hitting them in the head or on the ground. Can't you give me a quick end?" I shouted in fury.
This anger only intensified the sharp pain in my ribs. I gasped sharply and instinctively reached for it when suddenly my hand brushed against something—a dagger's hilt at my waist.
I froze for a moment before realizing that this was left by A Li when he used his shrinking technique to save Old Qiao. It had lodged itself in one of the tendrils wrapped around me. Ha! This is perfect; it's a stroke of luck that might just save my life today.
I yanked out the dagger with determination. The Giant Tongue let out a low growl and shook in pain. My heart soared with joy: "Hey there! This is what they call thirty years in He Dong and thirty years in Hexi! Now it's your turn to taste my methods!" With that thought in mind, I plunged the dagger into the tendrils around my waist again and again, each thrust sending forth countless splashes of liquid—whether blood or something else, I couldn't tell. The Giant Tongue howled in agony as its thick tail thrashed wildly against the granite surface.
The flesh on my waist finally gave way, and I took advantage of the moment to roll over and hit the ground, perking up my ears to listen for any sounds around me.
After a few seconds, the frenzied Giant Tongue gradually calmed down. I could even feel its sharp "eyes" scanning me, as if it wanted nothing more than to crush me into a pulp. However, it didn’t attack immediately; instead, it seemed to be contemplating how to strike me down in one blow.
My heart raced as I prepared myself, desperately trying to open my eyes despite the stinging pain that brought tears to them. I had no choice but to give up; without my sight, I could still send you off to the afterlife.
At that moment, I suddenly caught a familiar foul odor and heard a series of splattering sounds, as if some liquid was shooting towards my feet. I reached down to touch it, and my fingertips instantly felt a burning pain—oh no, it was the stuff spewing from the suction cups!
In a panic, I covered my head with my collar and rolled back and forth on the ground, trying not to stay in one spot for more than a second. The sound of pus flying through the air was relentless, like a rain of bombs! Even though I dodged as fast as I could, I still got hit several times. My whole body felt like it had been thrown into a pot of hot oil—it burned painfully! If this continued, I would surely lose a layer of skin!
Just then, a sudden gust of wind rushed past me from behind. My heart skipped a beat—could this creature have an accomplice?
“Catch!” A Li's voice rang out. It felt like a reassuring balm for my nerves. Following the direction of the wind, I raised my hand to catch what came flying towards me—it turned out to be an umbrella, but much heavier than a regular one. The material felt strange; it was somewhat like stainless steel yet also mirrored in appearance, and it carried an odor reminiscent of mildew from long disuse.
A Li quickly moved in close behind me, and we held the two large umbrellas like sturdy shields protecting us in the middle. I reminded her, “Watch out for that pus; don’t let it splash on your skin!”
A Li paused for a moment, probably observing the situation before she exclaimed in surprise, “ Brother Qian Yi, your face… and your eyes?”
I knew this was something I had to face sooner or later. A man must endure; what’s losing one’s looks compared to life itself? Thinking of Sima Qian enduring mutilation for the Records of the Grand Historian, Zuo Qiu losing his sight yet still contributing to Guoyu, and Sun Bin suffering punishment yet mastering Military Strategy… As they say, “To entrust great responsibilities to someone, one must first temper their spirit and labor their muscles; one must starve their body and deprive them of their possessions so that they may strengthen their resolve and enhance their abilities.”
I—Qian Yi—still had great things ahead of me! In time, I would bring honor to my family and benefit my community while being remembered throughout history with admiration! I told A Li, “It’s just skin deep; it’s nothing serious. Don’t stare at me too much; you might get scared.”
“That’s not it, Brother Qian Yi! There’s so much… eye gunk.” A Li said as she wiped my eyes with a handkerchief. When I tried to open them again, hey, it seemed like I could!
Looking down at my arm where the pus had hit earlier, there was a yellowish solid mixed with liquid. When I crushed it with my fingers, it broke apart into grains—some thick and some thin—looking just like eye gunk.
I quickly rubbed my face a few times, scraping off some large eye crusts. My skin felt less painful now, just slightly tingling. I asked A Li, "Is my skin ulcerated or burned? Are my eyes red?"
A Li replied, "Your eyes do look a bit red, but it’s probably just from lack of rest; there are a few bloodshot veins. As for your skin, it hasn’t changed at all; it looks the same as before."
This puzzled me. Did I make a mistake? I said to A Li, "Wait a moment; let me try again. If this liquid really is safe, then you can put the umbrella away."
A Li nodded and stepped aside.
The Giant Tongue seemed to have a poor digestive system; after all this time, it still had something to expel from its suckers. Thinking about the burning sensation on my skin, I hesitated to retract the umbrella completely and only opened a small gap at my feet. Immediately, two jets of pus shot onto my pant legs.
I squatted down to observe and found that the surface of the pus was bubbling with white foam, capable of rapidly corroding skin and clothing while producing a burning sensation. At first, the area around my skin turned deep red, resembling a burn and indeed causing a burning pain. This condition lasted for about two minutes before the color began to lighten, and the pus formed a semi-solid yellow scab on the surface. The pain gradually diminished, and when I pressed on it with my hand, the scab fell off, revealing unscathed skin—there was truly nothing wrong.
Damn, that was really scary! I sighed in relief and turned to A Li, waving my hand. "It’s safe now; put the umbrella away!"
Just then, the Giant Tongue suddenly emitted a series of strange sounds resembling vomiting. Its entire body twisted into a massive shape, stretching forward in jerks. The suckers on its body expanded and bulged outward, while dark purple muscle strands protruded prominently.
A Li and I exchanged glances and simultaneously swallowed hard; it seemed something was about to burst forth.
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