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墨書 Inktalez
I collected my thoughts.
At this moment, Zongzi had completely broken free from the hemp rope. In the pitch-black space, several light pillars had come to a standstill, while a few remaining light pillars swayed unsteadily backward.
Zongzi's violent aura had grown increasingly intense. When Fat Ma shouted to run, he dashed toward the original coffin. The light illuminated it, revealing the flickering multicolored gems.
I called out softly to Fat Ma, but just as I spoke, Zongzi seemed to have locked onto a target and charged toward me. I realized I was in trouble!
I turned to run, but as soon as I did, a sharp pain shot through my ankle. Gritting my teeth, I endured the pain and continued to flee. Seeing this, Zhang Tong rushed over to support me.
I urged her to retreat quickly, but she stubbornly insisted on helping me escape together. With no other option, I pulled out a dagger from my waist. As I moved forward slowly, I turned around cautiously, preparing to stab Zongzi as soon as he got close.
“Zhang Tong, let go of my hand.” After saying this, I quickly pulled my hand away. I could see Zongzi was almost upon me. The searchlight reflected off the blade of my dagger as I swiftly drew it and aimed it at Zongzi. Just then, a hemp rope appeared out of nowhere and ensnared me, pulling me backward a few steps.
Zongzi's bloody claws grazed across my chest.
“Zhang Tong, run!” I shouted.
Once I steadied myself, the clay figure removed the rope from around me.
However, Zongzi was still pursuing me. Without hesitation, the clay figure charged at Zongzi. The rope accurately wrapped around Zongzi's throat as the clay figure quickened its pace and pulled in the opposite direction.
Caught off guard, Zongzi stumbled back a few steps. At that moment, two other Eerie Figures tripped him up with their feet. Unable to regain his balance, Zongzi fell to the ground. In that instant, the clay figure pounced on him like a long-hunted leopard. A thin golden needle appeared between its fingers and without hesitation plunged straight into Zongzi's forehead, accompanied by a jet of black liquid. The clay figure dodged aside and then pulled out a packet of powder from its backpack, sprinkling it onto Zongzi's forehead.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze.
After a while, the clay figure stood up from Zongzi's body. Zongzi lay motionless on the ground as if he had returned to silence; the space around us regained its tranquility.
Fat Ma approached in astonishment and asked, “Is it over?”
I nodded weakly. Zhang Tong supported me while the clay figure stood in place with a pale expression.
Now all that could be heard were a few breaths from us all.
"Dead?" Fat Ma, always filled with curiosity, exclaimed as he hurried over to Zongzi, staring wide-eyed at him.
After a moment, he burst into laughter. "He really is dead!"
"Look at his eyes," someone reminded the Fat Ma.
Fat Ma turned to look and was instantly frightened half to death. "Damn it, he's still got his eyes open!"
"He's not dead," the Mud Man said, then thought for a moment and added, "To be precise, he's not alive!"
Fat Ma nodded foolishly. Suddenly, something struck him, and he shouted, "You, Dead Mud Man, how many things have you kept from me and Old Sun all these years?"
The Mud Man fell silent, not responding immediately.
"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't force yourself."
"No way, today we must get to the bottom of this!"
"Fatty, let it go."
Seeing my sincere expression, Fat Ma decided not to press further.
But now that things had come to this...
Two Eerie Figures lifted the corpse onto their shoulders.
After a moment of silence, I broke it. "Are we going to keep going?"
"This is a secret..." The Mud Man began in a calm voice.
After he finished that sentence, I noticed he seemed to have more to say, so I didn’t interrupt him.
"A lot of people died this time; this is not the outcome I wanted." He glanced at the two Eerie Figures. They remained habitually silent.
"Do you all remember the last time we were in Dujiangyan? We saw a photo back then."
As the Mud Man spoke, memories surged in my mind, and I quickly recalled that photo, remembering how we had noted an extra person in it.
That was why the image lingered vividly in my thoughts.
Even Fat Ma nodded repeatedly, while Zhang Tong looked utterly confused.
"I remember asking someone about it. They said it was a merchant caravan that later settled in that village. On the surface, they claimed to be helping the villagers escape poverty, but secretly, they were a tomb raiding team."
"How do you know that?" Fat Ma interjected.
"Because a few of them are old-timers from our group."
"Then why didn't you say anything at the time?"
"That's a secret."
The Mud Man's expression grew serious.
"There is a large tomb in Dujiangyan, the one we later discovered. However, it had already been explored by others. When we entered, it was merely a second descent into the earth."
"What about the other people in the photo?"
"I’m not sure, but I can say for certain that the blurry figure is definitely not one of that team."
Fat Ma suddenly asked, "Which faction are you from, Mud Man?"
The Mud Man pondered for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Southern School of Five Coffins."
Upon hearing this name, Fat Ma's eyes widened in shock, his lips parted slightly before closing again, leaving him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
When I heard this name, I didn’t think much of it. Having just entered this world, I knew little about factions, and Fat Ma was known for his rough-and-tumble style of doing things.
However, looking at his expression at that moment, I suspected that the faction of the Mud Man was not simple.
About half a minute later, Fat Ma finally regained his composure and muttered, "Isn't the Southern School of Five Coffins supposed to have disappeared?"
"That's what everyone outside says!"
Fat Ma's jaw dropped in shock. "Damn it, Mud Man! I didn't expect you to be the leader of such a powerful faction. If I had known earlier, I would have offered to be your deputy leader!"
His words made the Mud Man feel a bit helpless, while the two Eerie Figures looked slightly angry.
"What does the Southern School of Five Coffins represent?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Old Sun, you remember Old Mountain Master from the Northern Faction, right?"
I nodded.
Then Fat Ma added, "The Southern School of Five Coffins is at least twenty times older than Old Mountain Master, and its prestige and methods are beyond comparison!"
Fat Ma's explanation made me fully understand how profound the meaning behind the words 'Southern School of Five Coffins' was; it was deeply rooted.
Fat Ma continued, "This faction was thought to exist only in legends, but it turns out it really exists! Back in the day, I even read a few manuals that circulated from there!"
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