The huge disturbance frightened the passengers.
There was even more commotion in the other compartments, which carried over to the business compartment,
"What's going on, why has the train stopped? Was there an earthquake?"
"There are mountains on both sides, it couldn't be a landslide, could it?"
"No, that's not it. A giant coffin fell from the mountain and blocked the railway."
...
As someone mentioned that a large coffin had halted the train, a faint scent gradually permeated the carriage.
The usually sleeping Xiao Honghong, who hid under my collar, poked out her fiery red head. Her sudden appearance caused the young man and woman behind the white-bearded old man to take a half step back, "Elder ancestor, this woman even keeps a Centipede Gu, aren't centipedes and snakes natural enemies?"
The white-bearded old man stared intently at Xiao Honghong, his lips tight, not saying a word.
"Woman, why do I smell the scent of Centipede Incense?" Xiao Honghong was suddenly awakened by the noise, still groggy from just waking up.
Before I could answer Xiao Honghong, countless tiny centipedes began to emerge from every crevice of the carriage.
The centipedes moved quickly and agilely, making a beeline for people's bodies.
Once on a body, they loved to burrow into trouser legs, sleeves, collars, or directly flutter their transparent wings, flying onto people's bare skin on their faces and burrowing into their flesh.
In just one second, the young couple was attacked by a significant number of centipedes.
One burrowed into the woman's hand, leaving a terrifying bloody hole.
Her eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and her breathing quickened, "Blood... blood, I need to drink blood..."
"Elder ancestor, what's happening to my junior sister?" The man, relying on a Body-protecting Vajra Talisman, temporarily safeguarded himself but was at a loss regarding his suddenly demonized junior sister.
"Yun Hao, you really are something," The white-bearded old man squinted at Yun Hao, tossing a red bead the size of a grain of rice to the young man, "This is the Wind-Setting Pearl, feed it to her, it repels poisonous insects."
The young man caught the pearl, grasping the woman's jaw.
He forced the woman's mouth open and threw the Wind-Setting Pearl inside.
The Wind-Setting Pearl indeed had miraculous effects on the centipedes, which hastily escaped through her ears and nostrils.
Upon closer inspection, four had burrowed into her in just that moment.
The one I saw burrowing into her hand was merely one of them.
"It was just self-protection, please forgive me," Yun Hao acted nonchalantly, nodding slightly.
"Another day I will seek your advice on advanced techniques," the white-bearded old man, now that he knew Yun Hao's identity, was much more polite, his sharp gaze sweeping over his two disciples, "Quickly, follow me to the other compartments. We can't let innocent people suffer from the centipedes."
"Yes!" The two disciples agreed through gritted teeth, and although they were reluctant, they could only hurry after the old man's steps to inspect the other compartments.
Yun Hao raised an eyebrow, picked up my luggage, grasped my wrist with composure, and got off the train, "They've been lured away from the mountain. Let's go."
"Big brother, this... was the coffin your doing?" The sudden changes before my eyes took so many turns, one reversal after another, that I was completely baffled.
Just moments ago, a conflict with the mysterious white-bearded old man was imminent, and a struggle between us seemed unavoidable.
Yet it dissolved into nothingness in an instant, turning substantial effort into mush.
It was too magical.
"Don't call me big brother, call me Ah Hao, or Ah Yun, Yun Hao, whatever works," Yun Hao said with particular insistence.
I knew what he was thinking, but I really couldn't comply, "Uh, big brother is just a casual way of addressing you, I... I'll call you Yun Hao then, hehehe, hehe..."
"The coffin was prepared in advance by me, the moment they boarded the train, I sent a text message to Snake Servant to make the arrangements."