With the appearance of Zhang Qiling, a way was opened for their originally troublesome predicament.
The true exit of this space was actually on the side wall in the middle of the waterway, hidden within layers of grey centipede armies.
It had to be said that this method of setting up mechanisms was somewhat disgusting. If Zhang Qiling hadn't found the method to open it in reverse from the outside, they would have consumed a lot of time and energy slowly searching.
The few people came to this exit together. Fatty looked around and was horrified to discover that this exit was actually quite close to the collapsed area at the front of the waterway. He gasped in surprise.
"Damn it, it's a good thing you held back your power, Tianzhen, otherwise wouldn't that have directly blocked Little Brother outside?!"
He shook his head and began to pat Zhang Qiling's shoulder vigorously, as if trying to express his relief at his good brother's "narrow escape."
But it was clear that Zhang Qiling was not receptive to this method. He blocked the heavy, careless hand and used his eyes to prove that he was a cool guy with no emotions at all.
"By the way, Little Brother, where does this path lead?" Wu Tianzhen opened his flashlight and said curiously. With everyone present, his tone had obviously become lighter.
But this question made Zhang Qiling fall silent for a moment.
He pursed his lips, his profile appearing obscure in the shifting shadows of the light beam. Then he stopped and turned around to look at Xie Yuchen very seriously.
"I don't know."
"You need to see for yourself."
The tunnel instantly fell silent. Zhang Qiling's sudden words contained an ominous meaning.
Xie Yuchen opened his mouth but said nothing.
Amidst the solemnity, Fatty suddenly exclaimed, "Holy cow!" "Damn it, Tianzhen, did we forget to tell you?!"
"Xiao Hua, don't worry yet," Wu Tianzhen immediately followed up. His face was full of annoyance, and he spoke very quickly. "Actually, we just encountered the Zhangliu God, which can discern the past and future, and we asked about Xie Lianhuan."
"The Zhangliu God said Xie Lianhuan is still alive!"
"We originally planned to bring the Zhangliu God to show you, but it exploded... In short, it's all my fault. It was too chaotic with the black-haired fierce ghosts just now, and I actually forgot to tell you immediately!"
"I'm really very sorry!!!"
Wu Tianzhen's string of words came out so fast, one word chasing after another, that it made people suspect he had practiced rapid-fire speaking.
Xie Yuchen's mood, which had just begun to feel a little heavy, was amused by this firecracker-like speaking speed.
He had heard rumors about the Zhangliu God. Although he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he believed that Wu Tianzhen and Fatty wouldn't lie to him about such a thing. Therefore, he felt somewhat relieved to learn that Xie Lianhuan was not dead.
...No matter what he said, no matter how much psychological preparation he had made, he still cared about that person's life and death.
So he curved his lips and said, "Thank you."
This sentence sounded so gentle that Wu Tianzhen's mind inexplicably drifted back to Fatty's "sugar daddy Xiao Hua" theory from earlier, and his firm resolve almost wavered.
While the group was enjoying themselves here, Hei Yanjing remained hidden in the darkness, silent.
He seemed to dislike the light beam, being stingy with letting the overly bright light illuminate his all-black attire. He leaned against the side wall, looking thoughtfully at Zhang Qiling.
The moment Hei Yanjing looked over, Zhang Qiling became alert. However, upon noticing it was Hei Yanjing, he slightly relaxed his grip on his saber, his expression appearing very calm, as if the Zhangliu God that Wu Tianzhen mentioned had suddenly exploded had nothing to do with him.
So Hei Yanjing lifted a smile of unknown meaning and casually whistled.
The whistle seemed disrespectful. Zhang Qiling silently glanced at Hei Yanjing, somewhat understanding why he had harbored a subconscious dislike for this person earlier.
He didn't pay attention to Hei Yanjing's complex and inscrutable thoughts, turning his head to look behind him.
The people behind them had finished their conversation and returned to a relaxed and warm atmosphere. Zhang Qiling no longer lingered, directly carrying his saber past Hei Yanjing to lead the way.
Zhang Qiling's mood didn't seem very good. Wu Tianzhen and Fatty followed directly, only Xie Yuchen stopped for a moment: "...Did you provoke him?"
"Hehehe, that's a secret~" Hei Yanjing leaned over playfully, trying to rest on Xie Yuchen's shoulder, but due to the height difference, it appeared mocking.
However, he didn't realize this and spoke with self-satisfaction, "But if the boss wants to know, maybe I'll tell you if you pay extra~"
Xie Yuchen: ...
Xie Yuchen remained noncommittal about Hei Yanjing's glib talk. He glanced at Hei Yanjing's outstretched arm and let out a heartless "Hmph."
"Your salary for this hour is gone."
Hei Yanjing: ???
---
The exit of the tunnel looked like a dark canyon. Wu Tianzhen shone his flashlight around, only seeing strange, dry root tendrils hanging on the side walls, like the fingers of withered bones.
Tiny glowing insects flitted around, faintly illuminating small patches of the area, giving the place a strange aesthetic.
The blue rabbit's ears perked up the moment it arrived in the canyon. It kicked off from Zhang Qiling's waist and disappeared in a few steps.
Its kick was firm. Wu Tianzhen, thinking of its hard skeleton all over, couldn't help but worry about Zhang Qiling. However, seeing Little Zhang's unfazed demeanor, the rabbit probably only looked like it was exerting force but didn't cause any damage.
...But in reality, Little Zhang was just used to it.
Zhang Qiling quietly followed behind the blue rabbit, realizing that the rabbit was hungry and eager to continue tearing into the corpse of the two-headed snake.
Honestly, he was now hesitating about the feasibility of raising the blue rabbit. After all, although this rabbit had a wide diet, its appetite was truly enormous.
Fortunately, the two-headed snake's body was huge, barely withstanding the blue rabbit's hungry attack. When the few people reached the front of the snake's body, the blue rabbit had just finished eating half of its abdomen.
"Holy cow, what kind of rabbit is this? So ferocious?" Fatty was startled by the rabbit with a blood-stained mouth at first glance. When he saw that it was a snake on the ground, his expression gradually became complex.
"Seriously, Tianzhen, Fatty is a bit worried about my personal safety at Wu Shan Ju from now on."
Wu Tianzhen tugged at the corner of his mouth but said nothing. He just felt that this Emei Forbidden Land seemed particularly good at turning normally cute things into something sinister.
Just then, Xie Yuchen quickened his pace and walked to the very front.
The coffin in the snake's abdomen had been opened by Zhang Qiling, revealing the skeletal remains soaked in an unknown liquid.
The skeletal remains were incredibly pale, only a skeleton immersed in dark liquid. One hand bone and half a skull floated above the surface, presenting a posture of struggling upwards.
It looked as if this was a person who had been immersed alive in a water coffin, and before death, he had struggled to escape the water.
But these were not the most important things.
Xie Yuchen stared fixedly at the tragic scene in the coffin, remaining motionless for a long time.
A uniform belonging to the Xie family was worn on the skeleton in the coffin, and a delicate family crest hung on the tattered clothes.
This family crest had not been significantly damaged and even looked quite new due to the superb preservation techniques.
...This was Xie Lianhuan's family crest.