A few groups of people rushed madly to the ancient building's door, pounding fiercely on the door panels, only to hear the sound of grass forks wielded by the two brothers and the clatter of falling clay figures.
"Open the door, open the door!"
The ground floor of the ancient building was entirely constructed of extremely sturdy giant timber, with a single opening for a main entrance and a few very small ventilation openings. Even if someone outside wanted to get in, they were helpless.
At this moment, the Qin brothers, knowing they had lost the key and couldn't escape, had their eyes red with battle. They paid no mind to the shouts from outside, wielding their grass forks desperately to fend off the giant snake.
The giant snake was coiled around a massive pillar in the center of the ancient building. Its upper half seemed to float like white clouds in the air, its forked tongue flickering, exuding a foul smell. As its tail swayed from side to side, the clay figures displayed on both sides were swept to the ground, shattering into dust.
The Qin brothers stood on either side, trying to flank the giant snake. However, the snake's strength was not only terrifying but also incredibly swift. The grass forks posed no threat to it.
The battle between humans and snake intensified, while those outside the ancient building were utterly unable to help. As they fretted, they suddenly heard a crashing sound from the southeast, followed immediately by a scream!
Everyone's faces turned ashen. Inside the ancient building, it was already a scene of chaos. The giant snake had headbutted Qin Feng, then dodged Qin Chao's attack in a flash. A gust of foul wind blew back, and the snake's body recoiled into the air. It raised its head and hissed, as if issuing a challenge to the two brothers.
Qin Feng was dazed from the impact, but his body was still quite resilient, and he suffered no serious injuries. He took a breath, gripped his grass fork, and prepared to rejoin the fray. Suddenly, he noticed unused torches from the last sacrifice under the shelf displaying the clay figures. His heart stirred slightly.
"Third brother, you hold it off, I've found something good to deal with it!"
Qin Feng roared, carrying his grass fork with one hand as he moved to the shelf.
"What nonsense is this? Second brother, hurry up, this beast is about to tear me apart!"
Qin Chao was also quite agile. He would feign an attack with his grass fork at times, and at other times he would dodge and weave. He looked quite disheveled, but was actually still safe.
"Coming!"
At this moment, Qin Feng grabbed seven or eight torches and lit them. The entire base of the ancient building was immediately filled with a scorching heat. The flickering firelight caused the shadows of the two brothers and the snake to sway.
"Second brother, are you trying to burn down this ancient building! Have you never heard of playing with fire and getting burned?"
The third brother leaped over the table blocking his path, landing on the shattered clay figures. His lower body must have been pricked, and he cried out in pain.
The giant snake, perhaps smelling blood, went into a frenzy. Its head lunged at Qin Chao like a bell, overturning the table. Its cavernous mouth descended upon him, its saliva dripping onto Qin Chao's hair, and it was about to swallow Qin Chao into its enormous belly!
"Damn it! It's over, it's over. Second brother, I'm afraid I can only leave the support of our parents to you. I'm going to meet Grandpa Sky God!"
"Damn it, what kind of nonsense is that!" Qin Feng, disregarding whether the ancient building would actually burn, immediately hurled the lit torches into the giant snake's gaping maw, shouting, "You damned beast, look here!"
The giant snake, having lived for so many years, was already intelligent. It immediately sensed the approaching danger and, without hesitation, retracted its head. It then coiled its upper body to confront the two brothers.
The torches arced through the air and fell near the overturned table. Fortunately, due to the recent continuous rain, the tables had become damp to some extent, and they did not ignite immediately.
Qin Feng pulled his third brother up and gave him some torches. The third brother rubbed his lower body and said, "That was close, I almost thought I was going to meet Big Brother."
"Nonsense, you're my only brother. I would protect you even if it meant death."
"Damn, elder brother, if I were a woman, hearing you say that, I would probably be completely conquered by you right away."
Qin Feng raised his hand and gave him a light rap on the head. The giant snake seemed to be somewhat wary of the dancing flames, coiling on the central giant wooden pillar and not moving elsewhere. Occasionally, its belly would bulge strangely.
"Hey, second brother, have you noticed that the giant snake has never left that wooden pillar since the beginning?"
As Qin Chao spoke, both brothers simultaneously realized something and shivered in unison, "It has finished feeding! So it's rubbing against the wooden pillar to aid digestion!"
Cold sweat trickled down their faces. They didn't know whose luck was so bad. Just as they were looking for an opportunity to attack, Qin Feng suddenly saw a pale-faced woman pinned beneath the collapsed shrine behind the wooden pillar!
"Damn it, it's your sweetheart! Bai Fu!"
Qin Chao saw clearly that the woman was indeed Bai Fu. As soon as he spoke and was about to pat his second brother's shoulder, he saw Qin Feng, as if completely losing his mind, run towards Bai Fu amidst the wildly swinging tail of the giant snake!
"Second brother!" Qin Chao didn't have time to stop Qin Feng. He could only rush forward, waving his torch to cover him, and curse as he ran, "Hey, second brother, you just said you'd protect me even if it meant death, but as soon as you saw a woman, your soul flew away! Supporting our parents is something we have to do together. If you want me to bear this burden alone, no way!"
The two brothers passed through the sweeping giant tail. The strong wind cut at their faces like sharp blades. The snake did not seem eager to attack, or perhaps it was truly afraid of the burning flames in their hands. Qin Feng was the first to reach Bai Fu, passing through the scattered, broken clay figures. At this moment, he heard her murmur, "Save, save my mother..."
"Damn, Aunt Pu is in that beast's belly!"
Before Qin Chao could finish speaking, he felt a gust of foul wind descend upon him. Upon turning back, he saw that the giant snake, in order to attack the two of them, had left the giant wooden pillar. Its mouth, larger than a washbasin, bit down hard on half of Qin Chao's body. As it shook left and right, the torch in his hand flew out!
"Third brother!"
Qin Feng was knocked back two or three meters by the powerful gust of wind from the snake's sudden attack, falling to the ground. His feet were amidst broken clay figures. Before he could get up, the snake's tail suddenly coiled around him, tightly constricting him!
His chest suddenly tightened, and a mouthful of blood was squeezed out. His consciousness immediately became hazy, and the figure pinned beneath the shrine gradually blurred.
"Damn, if Mom and Dad knew that all three sons died, they'd probably die of anger~"
And at this moment, in his daze, he heard the sound of the main gate suddenly opening. A blinding light, like a sharp sword cleaving through chaos, appeared. He looked up and saw a person standing in the light, carrying a black saber, with a slight smile on his face.
"Yo, snake, sorry, there was some traffic on the road. I'm Ren Yuanhao, and I'm late!"