Fan Debiao shoved the heavy stone aside and asked, "Mr. Liu, why don't we just draw another one using Shi Tou's blood?" The moment the words left his mouth, Huang Shitoun's skin erupted in goosebumps.

Young Master Liu shook his head. "Those talismans have an order. I placed them randomly, and I have no idea which one is missing. Drawing a new one now, if it's wrong, it's completely useless!" Beside them, Su Yougui plopped onto the ground with a shout, "Damn it all, the centipede is out!"

Veins bulged on Young Master Liu's forehead. "My ancestors! That fast?" The six men turned to see the giant centipede already scrambling toward them, fangs bared. Its tail swept around, cutting off their retreat path.

Young Master Liu roared, "Run toward the cliff face!" The five bolted, swift as the wind. When they reached the stone wall, Fan Debiao suddenly snapped back to awareness and cursed, "Damn it, why did he make us run into a dead end?" Young Master Liu surveyed their surroundings, hurried behind a boulder taller than a man, scrutinized it for a moment, and exclaimed, "Look quickly, there's something strange here!" The others rushed over and saw it: precisely where Young Master Liu pointed, there was a dark, gaping cave entrance. The cavern walls were narrow, yet surprisingly spacious; a person could enter without stooping.

Hearing the rustling in the undergrowth behind them, they knew the centipede was upon them. Fan Debiao gritted his teeth, switched on his miner's lamp, and plunged inside. With a shout from the others, they all followed. Young Master Liu, the last to enter, caught sight of a wooden plank near the entrance by the light Fan Debiao shone back. An idea struck him; he grabbed the plank and slammed it against the opening. A muffled thud echoed—the centipede had hit the barrier. The impact forced Young Master Liu to stumble back repeatedly. Ge Shuanwa, quick on his feet, immediately shoved against the plank, managing to hold the creature back.

A sharp hiss sounded from beyond the wood. A plume of black mist seeped through the crack between the plank and the stone frame. Ge Shuanwa and Young Master Liu, bracing the wood, held their breath. Young Master Liu yelled, "You guys... quickly... get something solid to prop this up!" Fan Debiao lit his lamp and found several large stones. Together, they managed to wedge the wooden barrier securely in place. Young Master Liu and Ge Shuanwa let out long sighs of relief and retreated to where the smoke hadn't reached. Feeling utterly drained, they both sank onto the ground.

Fan Debiao urged, "Hurry and light the kerosene lamps! These cheap miner's lamps won't last long on battery!" Hearing this, Hu Beikang and Huang Shitoun immediately lit two kerosene lamps, instantly brightening the cavern considerably. Examining their surroundings in the glow, they noted the cave was over a person high and clearly man-made. Scattered around were thick wooden stakes, seemingly preserved despite the passage of time, their wood type unknown.

When the noise outside finally subsided, Huang Shitoun asked, "Do you think the centipede left? Also, Mr. Liu, I think my brother went into this cave, right?" The moment he said this, everyone jumped up as if sitting on hot coals, their gazes fixed on the darkness ahead. Young Master Liu felt a suffocating dread: a formidable beast was waiting outside, spitting smoke, and an unknown fate—perhaps death—awaited inside. They were trapped between two dangers.

Su Yougui, already weak from hunger and possessing no useful weapon other than the Zhentianlei (blasting cap) praised by Young Master Liu, had managed to snatch a sharply pointed stake from the ground and hook it onto his belt. Everyone stared into the cave, but there was no movement, not a whisper. Suddenly, Su Yougui let out an "Ah!" that sent a chill down the spines of the others. Fan Debiao stammered, "What is it? What did you see?" Huang Shitoun immediately pressed closer to Young Master Liu.

Su Yougui slapped his forehead. "That snake! That snake!" Young Master Liu’s head felt ready to explode. He quickly asked, "Be clear! What about the snake?" Su Yougui wailed, "That snake was huge! If we roasted it, it could feed us for two days! And we just left it out there! Oh!"

Fan Debiao was so enraged he kicked Su Yougui in the rear. "You stupid fool, you’re still thinking about eating at a time like this!" Young Master Liu felt like joining in, but held back, knowing Su Yougui belonged to Fan Debiao's group.

Just then, a sudden crash echoed from within the cave, instantly silencing the group. Young Master Liu and Ge Shuanwa exchanged a look. Young Master Liu instructed Fan Debiao, "You men stay here and make sure nothing happens at the entrance. Brother Ge and I will go in to investigate!"

Fan Debiao wiped his sweat. "Damn it, nothing bad better happen. Should I come too?" Young Master Liu paused slightly before shaking his head. "The passage isn't wide; too many people will impede movement. We two will take the rope. If we find him, we'll tie him up. I refuse to believe he can break free of a rope!"

Truthfully, Young Master Liu greatly admired Ge Shuanwa's composure; the man remained steady under pressure and could command a situation. Bringing him along gave Young Master Liu confidence. Young Master Liu knotted his broken belt, switched on his miner's lamp, and took the lead. Ge Shuanwa moved cautiously alongside the wall. The passage twisted and turned; their tense breaths grew ragged as they advanced.

After perhaps fifteen meters, they suddenly found the path completely blocked. Such a short, winding tunnel—and yet Huang Peng hadn't been found inside. Young Master Liu's face broke out in a nervous sweat. "My ancestors! What kind of spirit is this? How could such a large man vanish?" Ge Shuanwa felt his hand gripping the kerosene lamp slick with sweat, so he switched it to his other hand. He braced one hand against the damp wall, intending a brief rest, but the moment he pushed, a distinct click echoed, and Ge Shuanwa tumbled sideways into the darkness beyond. Young Master Liu yelled, "Not good! It's a hidden chamber!"

Ge Shuanwa rolled into the space, wildly swinging his lamp, making the light flicker wildly. Young Master Liu, unsure of the situation inside, dared not enter immediately. He held his kerosene lamp at the entrance of the secret room, searching within. He saw Ge Shuanwa frantically waving the lamp inside. Just then, Young Master Liu's miner's lamp sputtered twice and died.

Young Master Liu’s face turned ashen with rage. He cursed loudly, "Damn ancestors! How the hell is a person supposed to live like this?"

He turned back and shouted, "Don't move! I'm going to get help!" Then he sprinted back toward the main entrance. Since the passage was curved, any commotion inside was muffled outside. The four men were crouched near the entrance. When they saw a figure suddenly rush out of the darkness, they all gasped, gripping their cleavers and sharpened stakes tightly. Huang Shitoun raised his lit kerosene lamp, illuminated the figure, and quickly asked, "Why are you alone? Where is Brother Wa?"

Young Master Liu, panting heavily, said, "Stop talking nonsense." He threw his miner's lamp at Fan Debiao. "Captain Fan, change the batteries! You all light two more kerosene lamps! Follow me quickly to save him!" Seeing the others frozen in shock, he roared, "Get in first, hurry!"

The four snapped out of their daze and scrambled after Young Master Liu, Fan Debiao fumbling with the batteries as he ran. In less than a minute, Young Master Liu and the others reached the secret room entrance. Seeing the light still burning inside, Young Master Liu breathed a sigh of relief and called out, "Brother Ge, are you alright?"

As soon as the shout left his lips, the light inside the secret room abruptly extinguished. Young Master Liu froze, then heard Ge Shuanwa shriek from within, "Ow, damn it all!" The sound made Young Master Liu’s legs buckle, and he collapsed onto the ground. Fan Debiao was still struggling with the batteries, failing to insert the new ones after several attempts. Hearing Ge Shuanwa's piercing cry, he was so panicked his underwear felt damp. "Damn it, how the hell is a person supposed to live like this?"

Hu Beikang came forward to help Young Master Liu up. Young Master Liu didn't say much; he snatched a lamp and strode into the secret chamber. Ge Shuanwa had saved him once before; if something harmed the man now, right under his nose, Young Master Liu knew he would never have peace.

Upon entering the secret room, Young Master Liu first saw Ge Shuanwa sitting safely on the ground, his face unusually flushed, seemingly overcome with agitation. Only then did his heart settle. Fan Debiao had finally managed to install the batteries and entered, holding his miner's lamp. With three kerosene lamps and one miner's lamp lit, the illumination wasn't perfect, but it was enough to clearly make out the surroundings.

Young Master Liu helped Ge Shuanwa up and noticed his lamp was still intact. He asked, "What happened? Are you okay? Why did the light go out?" Ge Shuanwa remained stunned for a long moment before finally coming to, grabbing Young Master Liu's arm. "Damn it, this place is wrong, something is off!" Young Master Liu supported him. "What’s wrong? Tell me what just happened?"

Ge Shuanwa swallowed hard. "When I rolled in, I was swinging the light around, and I saw three tall figures! You went out to get help, and I stood up to look around. The moment I saw one figure move, that son of a bitch's lamp went out!" Hearing this, Huang Shitoun and Su Yougui shuffled closer together.

Young Master Liu announced loudly, "Take these lamps and check the environment in four different spots, mainly to see if Huang Peng is here!" He then pointed Fan Debiao's miner's lamp forward and stopped dead, utterly stunned. Seeing his strange expression, the others followed his gaze. This secret room must have been ten meters high, entirely hollowed out from inside the mountain. It was vast enough to hold perhaps two hundred men.

They were standing near the entrance. From where they stood, they could clearly see three carved statues on the rock face about twenty meters ahead. Young Master Liu touched his head. "This really is a Taoist temple! Aren't these statues of the Three Pure Ones?" He shone his lamp on the three carvings and suddenly murmured, "They said they were carving Buddha statues, but they were actually carving a Taoist temple!"

Fan Debiao stood beside him, brimming with questions. "Damn it, even if this project isn't as grand as the Great Wall, it must have taken at least eighty or ninety men! Which bastard had nothing better to do and carved a temple deep in the mountains?" Over by the side, Su Yougui held a lamp closer to the statues and suddenly shrieked, "My God, a dead body!"

Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao exchanged a glance and simultaneously exclaimed, "Huang Peng!" They immediately ran over. They found Su Yougui shaking violently, pointing toward an offering table in front of the three statues. "Oh... dead body..." The others bravely gathered around and saw a corpse sitting cross-legged on the offering table, its hands held in a specific mudra on its lap. The body was blackened and dried, having died heaven knows how many years ago. The two empty eye sockets, catching the light, seemed to hold an eerie glow.

Huang Shitoun crept up to Fan Debiao, his lamp shaking violently. "Brother Biao, it’s not haunted, is it?" Fan Debiao was frantic, about to scold him, but remembering his brother's recent death, he felt a pang of sympathy, patted Huang Shitoun's shoulder, and offered silent comfort.

Young Master Liu approached the corpse and examined it closely. He noticed the figure wasn't wearing Taoist robes, but rather something resembling old military attire. He thought: Could this be a soldier? Why would he carve a Taoist temple here and die inside? Looking closer at the hands, he suddenly froze and exclaimed, "Oh, these hands... these hands probably aren't his!"

Everyone looked and felt a sense of strangeness. Although the corpse was desiccated, the skeleton was huge, but the body wasn't tall. These hands, however, were long and slender, possessing a rather uncanny delicacy. Liu Junqiang clicked his tongue. "It’s like a coal miner grew hands fit for playing the piano." The others found the description incredibly apt. Just as they were pondering this, Liu Junqiang suddenly shrieked, "Huang Peng!!"

A wave of goosebumps washed over all of them simultaneously. They grabbed their tools, eyes wide as saucers. From a dark area across the chamber, a figure, completely black, stepped forward, one measured pace after another. It was none other than Huang Peng.

Young Master Liu signaled Fan Debiao and Ge Shuanwa with his eyes, instructing them to circle around with the rope from both sides. He held his cleaver and blocked Huang Peng’s path. To his surprise, Huang Peng seemed entirely oblivious to them, continuing his steady advance. Young Master Liu was getting a headache; he still had no idea what had happened to Huang Peng. Seeing the figure close the distance, he let out a cry, and the three of them lunged forward together.

Fan Debiao, Young Master Liu, and the others had braced themselves for a serious battle, but unexpectedly, upon contact, Huang Peng offered no resistance. The three bound him tightly, like wrapping a zongzi.

Young Master Liu let out a breath of relief, and the others felt equally unburdened. Their sole purpose in coming here was to find Huang Peng, and now that they had him securely tied up, they no longer feared his supernatural abilities. Huang Shitoun sat near the bound figure but dared not sit too close. He noticed that once tied, Huang Peng was utterly lifeless. Fearing his brother was truly dead now, he started weeping quietly.

Fan Debiao sighed. "Damn it, only now do I feel relaxed. I don't even want to think about that dead centipede outside!" Hu Beikang let out a long breath. "Let's just wait here until dawn before we go out. What if that dead centipede tries something again?"

Young Master Liu and Ge Shuanwa, being more cautious, took two kerosene lamps and went to check the area where Huang Peng had emerged. As soon as they carried the lamps over, Ge Shuanwa burst into loud laughter. "Hahahaha... damn his ancestors... dog, damn dog, dog!"

Young Master Liu turned to look. "Is this the flying white dog you all spoke of with such reverence? Isn't this just a dead dog?"

The others gathered around, curious, and collectively exclaimed, "Oh!"

There, lying on the ground, was a huge white dog—the very Flying White Dog that had haunted their dreams the previous night. It wasn't flying now; it lay motionless, its large mouth agape, stiff in death. Young Master Liu stroked the dog remorsefully. "Alas, if you hadn't flown like that last night, I might have been beaten to death myself." Fan Debiao and Huang Shitoun flushed with embarrassment at the implication.

Young Master Liu let out a sigh of relief, but the situation presented new problems. "We still have two issues: How did this dog get into this cave, and what exactly happened to Huang Peng? If we don't figure this out, I doubt any of us will rest easy tonight. We should remain cautious."

Huang Shitoun mumbled quietly, "That dead... that ancient person, could he also...?" This question struck a chord with everyone. Fan Debiao stared intently at Young Master Liu. "Mr. Liu, this person looks like a senior from your own sect. Tell us what we should do!" Honestly, Young Master Liu felt a touch of fear. What if this ancient person also pulled some tricks like Huang Peng? Tonight would be miserable.

With that thought, he glanced at Huang Shitoun and asked, "Do you have any rope left in your bag?"

Young Master Liu wrapped a thick hemp rope around the ancient corpse again and again, muttering as he worked, "Senior fellow practitioner, you must have passed on long ago. This isn't a sign of disrespect, but we fear your golden body might be used by wicked forces!"

He licked his lips and continued, "When we have time later, we juniors will certainly offer incense and paper money to show our respect."

As he spoke, he finished binding the ancient body into another tight bundle. Once done, he clapped his hands and addressed the group. "Everyone, let's pay our respects to this senior!" Fearful as they were, the group bowed with extreme sincerity.

When they stood up, they felt slightly more settled. Just then, Su Yougui, staring at the dog, suddenly blurted out nonsensically, "This dog... this dog... ah, I mean this dog...!"

Fan Debiao, already on edge from Young Master Liu's words, tensed up hearing Su Yougui mutter again, breaking into a nervous sweat. "Speak clearly! Damn it, what is it about the dog?"

Everyone strained their ears, waiting for Su Yougui to finish his sentence...

Su Yougui said, "This dog is so big—could we roast it and eat it?"

Fan Debiao was so furious he slapped him instantly.

"Ouch! My mother! Brother Biao, Brother Biao, Master Liu!" Huang Shitoun, who had been sitting nearby, suddenly let out a heart-wrenching scream that made everyone jump. Fan Debiao anxiously yelled, "What the hell are you screaming about? Huh? What happened?"

Huang Shitoun pointed a trembling finger at Huang Peng. "My brother... my brother... there's a worm growing out of his head..." This revelation stunned everyone. Fan Debiao shakily pointed his lamp at Huang Peng's head and let out a single oath: "Holy hell!" Under the light of the few lamps, everyone present felt a chill deep in their bones as they looked.

On the crown of Huang Peng’s head, a blood-red worm, about the thickness of a pencil lead, was laboriously wriggling its way out of his hair. It was clearly visible in the lamplight; the worm seemed to be drilling directly out of Huang Peng's brain. Fan Debiao squatted down, holding the lamp. "Ah... this... this damn life is just impossible to live!"

Ge Shuanwa grabbed a knife and shouted, "Nothing to be afraid of! If it comes out, I'll slice it in half. I'm not afraid of not being able to kill it!" Young Master Liu carefully touched the worm with his cleaver. The worm immediately retracted, and Huang Peng's body began to twitch violently, convulsing as if electrocuted. He thrashed on the ground for a moment. Already terrified, the others shouted and scrambled backward to avoid him. At that precise moment, Fan Debiao’s miner’s lamp flickered dimly and went out completely!