The sight shocked everyone, as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped on them in the dead of winter—whoever said bats were blind clearly hadn't seen them see, catch, and grasp. The five men began to tremble in unison, and even the cast-iron offering table shook along with them. The six of them feared the bat might notice, but the more they worried, the more they shook, unable to stop. Fearing discovery, they desperately wanted to turn off the lamp, yet they couldn't manage to extinguish it. However, the bat seemed utterly oblivious to their presence.

It slowly shuffled over to the white dog. A few faint snuffling sounds came from the bat’s nose, tinged with a hint of excitement. It circled the dog several times, then abruptly stopped, facing the group, and slowly inserted the tube attached to its face into a bulging sack on the dog’s belly. This finally jolted even the drowsy Su Yougui into a state of semi-alertness. Fan Debiao clamped a hand over his mouth. They watched as the bat pushed the tube deep into the distended lump on the dog’s abdomen.

A wet, sucking sound—guzhi guzhi—emerged. That lump began to shrink, and the bat moved from one swelling to the next. In no time, all the pouches on the white dog’s belly had vanished. Young Master Liu realized, So this creature feeds on centipede eggs.

After draining the eggs, the giant bat suddenly spread its wings with a screech: “...Zhi... zhi...”

The sound was piercing, sharp, and utterly grating. As its wings unfurled, its underside was fully exposed under the lamplight. Young Master Liu focused his gaze and gasped, Oh my God... Hanging from the bat’s lower abdomen were what looked like thousands of those strange worms, twitching and vibrating amid their incessant squeaks, seemingly overjoyed with their existence.

Su Yougui, already running a slight fever, could hold back no longer and violently threw up. Having eaten nothing all afternoon, he only managed to expel clear water. His sudden retching made everyone else feel an irritating tickle in their own throats... Seeing thousands of live, strange parasites dangling from a single creature’s belly made them instinctively imagine such things infesting their own bodies.

Fan Debiao whispered to Young Master Liu, “This isn’t right. We’re making this much noise, and there’s a lamp right here, yet this old monster hasn’t reacted in the slightest?”

Young Master Liu’s face paled with panic, and he suddenly let out a loud cough that earned him a string of silent curses from the others. To everyone’s surprise, the bat acted as if it hadn't heard a thing, not even glancing in their direction.

A chill settled in Young Master Liu’s heart, and he echoed the sentiment, “It’s known we’re here all along. It just doesn't care; it probably thinks it has us cornered...”

Fan Debiao’s eyes reddened. “No way. I’m grabbing the blasting cap and dying with it! I won’t let it…” He suddenly remembered something else. “Oh, for crying out loud, maybe that Huang Peng guy’s brain was sucked out by this thing!”

At this, Huang Shitou’s eyes flashed red, and he moved to light the detonator in his hand. Ge Shuanwa, quick as a flash, pinned his arm down.

Young Master Liu said sternly, “Let’s save those for when death is truly unavoidable!”

The bat ambled to the doorway, nudging the mountain cat it had dropped earlier with its claws, positioning it exactly in the center of the room. It turned its head back, glanced at the six people hiding beneath the table, chirped a few times, and a thread of transparent mucus dripped slowly from the tube in its mouth.

Hu Beikang, the big man, finally broke down crying. “Oh, the thing is drooling over us...”

Young Master Liu hardened his resolve and declared, “Everyone ready your weapons! We charge out together—I’ll hold it off, and you all run!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone froze. Fan Debiao roared, “Master Liu, what do you mean by that?”

Young Master Liu said gravely, “Don't try to persuade me, and don't argue. I’ve studied martial arts for years for one purpose: to subdue demons and slay monsters! You are all ordinary people...”

Before he could finish, Fan Debiao gripped Liu’s arm excitedly. “Master Liu, we will never forget what you’ve done for us!”

Hu Beikang’s nose was running from emotion as he wiped it away. “Master Liu, you truly are a good man!” This response momentarily stunned Liu. Damn it, not a single one willing to play the hero alongside me...

The bat suddenly shook its wings and let out a long, high-pitched cry that made their eardrums ache. Young Master Liu leveled his mountain-cleaving saber and shouted, “Let’s all go out together! It’s life or death now!”

Fan Debiao bellowed in response, “When Master Liu moves up, you all need to run faster!” Just as Liu was gathering his strength, hearing this nearly made him fall onto his backside. Ge Shuanwa quickly shoved him from behind.

Just as the group prepared to fight their way out into certain death, they suddenly heard rustling sounds coming from the stone wall, and another wave of rustling echoed from the passage leading out of the chamber entrance. They tensed up, and then, one by one, centipede heads began to emerge from the openings on either side.

“Goddamn it! We have two more guards stationed here! Holy hell, today...” Fan Debiao nearly dropped his mining lamp. Hu Beikang struggled to compose himself. “We are men of standing; how can we run from a bit of danger? I’m willing to stay and fight alongside Master Liu!” Young Master Liu sighed inwardly again: These guys should be acting in an opera; they’re wasted here.

As the two centipedes fully appeared, the bat chirped rapidly, seemingly anxious. The female centipede crawled over to the dead mountain cat, lifted its tail, and plunged it into the cat’s belly. The centipede’s tail tube swelled and pulsed, causing more than a dozen large lumps to rapidly form on the cat’s corpse.

Young Master Liu suddenly understood everything. No wonder only these two centipedes grew in this place—it turns out the bat was eating their young!

Su Yougui, delirious from the centipede venom, started rambling incoherently, “Oh, eating them raw without even roasting them first—you’re going to get sick eating like that...”

Fan Debiao’s eyes filled with tears. “Yougui, even in this state, you’re still concerned about whether the bat’s food is suitable... You... you... you must have been an unsatisfied chef in a past life, right?”

The bat seemed pleased after the centipede finished tending to the mountain cat, chirping a few times. It grabbed the cat and stabbed its feeding tube into the cat’s belly. Hearing the zhigu zhigu sucking sound, Huang Shitou instinctively covered his ears. The bat raised its head, its two large eyes sweeping over the group, and then it swung its left wing. Liu hadn't registered what was happening before noticing the two centipedes positioned themselves, one on the left and one on the right, looking eager to attack. He was instantly alarmed: if these two creatures attacked simultaneously, perhaps not a single one of the six men would escape.

Seeing the fearful expressions on the faces around him, Young Master Liu thought grimly, It looks like we have to fight. Faced with this moment of life and death, Liu became far calmer; several possibilities flashed through his mind like lightning. He turned to Fan Debiao and said, “You hold the lamp steady. Huang Shitou, light both the kerosene lamps for me!”

Fan Debiao, unsure of the plan, nodded quickly. Young Master Liu quietly took hold of the other two lit kerosene lamps and announced, “Run if you can! It’s up to each man!”

“Burn it!” he roared suddenly, hurling the two kerosene lamps he held directly at the bat. This idea stemmed from his previous observation of the centipedes reacting to fire. These creatures seemed to fear flames. The two lamps crashed near the bat, igniting a flame nearly a foot high on the ground. The bat, ancient and highly cunning, had lived many years, but it never anticipated that these humans would be so ruthless as to start with fire.

“Zhi...” The bat shrieked in pain, spreading its wings and rapidly retreating backward. The strange worms hanging from its abdomen fell into the flames, exploding with a sound like popping firecrackers—pipipapa. The bat shielded its underside and pressed against the stone wall. The two centipedes retreated faster than the wind. Seeing an opening at the chamber door, Young Master Liu shouted a warning and sprinted out. Fan Debiao and Hu Beikang helped support Su Yougui, following behind Liu. Ge Shuanwa and Huang Shitou brought up the rear.

The bat wasn’t actually seriously injured, only severely startled. Its eyes flicked over, saw the group attempting to flee, and let out an enraged, piercing screech. Spreading its massive wings, its huge silhouette instantly blocked the doorway. Young Master Liu cursed, “Damn it, it jumps so fast.” This was now a fight to the death; there was no room for clever maneuvering. He raised his mountain-cleaving saber high and brought it down in a powerful chop towards the bat’s head, matching the forward momentum of his escape.

But before the saber was halfway there, the bat's left wing lashed out. Liu felt a powerful gust slap his back, propelling him uncontrollably towards the bat’s embrace. “Oh, my ancestors!” The thought of the thousands of strange parasites crawling on the creature almost made him faint. If he were truly enveloped in that thing, he might as well be dead. In that split second, the bat’s vast chest filled his vision, and a stench so foul made Liu’s eyes roll back. Liu swore under his breath, I’m finished!

Liu flipped his hand, bringing the saber blade toward his own neck. The five men cried out in unison, “Master Liu!!”

The bat didn’t allow him such a quick end. Two sharp claws seized his wrist; Liu felt his arm might snap from the pressure. He couldn't move even an inch. Looking up again, the bat’s hideous face was inches away. It tilted its head, and the sharp, awl-like tube in its mouth aimed directly for Liu’s crown. Tears streamed down Liu’s face, and his bladder gave way; he knew he wouldn't survive.

Just then, a fierce shout rang out: “Holy crap!” Huang Shitou vaulted forward, brandishing his meat cleaver. Having seen the bat, Huang Shitou recognized it as the very creature responsible for harming his brother. Seeing Liu about to have his brain sucked out just like his brother, his face flushed crimson, a surge of righteous anger overwhelming him. He silently invoked, Brother Jing Ke, come quickly!—a technique he’d learned perfectly from Liu’s spirit invocation. He leaped forward and swung his blade, aiming directly at the sharp tube protruding from the bat’s mouth.

Zhi... zhi... The bat let out a sharp, piercing scream, immediately releasing Liu’s wrist. Liu felt something fall onto his head, and when he reached up to touch it, he found a bloody half-section of the bat's feeding tube. Touching it, he realized the tip of the tube was hard as iron, incredibly sharp, and coated in something resembling bone—though perhaps not completely solid, otherwise Huang Shitou couldn't have severed it in one blow. After striking true, Huang Shitou felt his heart pounding so hard he couldn’t draw a full breath, and he took several deep gasps. Seeing this unexpected turn of events, Liu thought, If I don’t strike while the iron is hot and offer some timely assistance, am I truly the Liu Dasha I claim to be?

He sucked in a deep breath, swung his saber backhanded, and slashed toward the bat’s right wing. With a chila sound, he opened a large gash.

“Yes!” The pent-up frustration of the entire group seemed to be vented with that single slash from Liu.

The bat, being a creature of considerable power, was not panicked despite suffering heavy blows. It retreated rapidly toward the two centipedes and shrieked, apparently signaling them to advance. The fire on the ground was almost extinguished. With the threat of flames gone, the two centipedes raised their heads and prepared to charge.

Having narrowly escaped death moments before, the six men had lost all will to fight. They let out a shout and scrambled toward the exit of the chamber. However, a sudden, bizarre change occurred. The two centipedes abruptly turned and bit down hard on the bat’s body. The bat was completely unprepared for this betrayal and was knocked onto its back. Enraged, it jammed its sharp talons fiercely into the centipedes’ backs, piercing their shells.

“Holy crap! Internal revolt!” Fan Debiao yelled out excitedly, his voice so loud it almost rivaled the famous tenor Hu Songhua from that time. Liu was so thrilled he wanted to embrace the centipedes and kiss them, thinking, If my own children had been eaten right in front of me for years, even an idiot would eventually turn against their captor! The bat grabbed one centipede and tried to tear it apart, but the other immediately bit its wing. This had turned into a genuine fight to the death.

The group had no interest in watching the outcome of the battle. They swarmed toward the exit of the chamber. Hu Beikang reached the doorway, suddenly let go of Su Yougui, pulled out his lighter, and with a ka-click, ignited three blasting caps and tossed them inside. His speed was astonishing. Everyone else was focused only on escape, but Hu Beikang, usually timid, had devised a strategy in this desperate moment to both block their pursuers and eliminate a menace. The others couldn't help but cheer.

After shouting his approval, Fan Debiao suddenly asked with confusion, “Where did you get three blasting caps from?” Huang Shitou and Liu were busy dragging Huang Peng’s corpse. They heard Hu Beikang reply smugly, “The three I tossed in earlier and then fished back out!” Fan Debiao’s face turned white. “The ones with the short fuses?”

The air seemed to freeze. All the men’s faces went pale simultaneously, and they screamed, “Run!”

Huang Shitou saw that he couldn’t move his brother’s body. Crying out, “Brother!” he ran with the others. Just as they cleared the cave entrance, the ground beneath them shook violently, and a wave of heat rushed out of the tunnel: “BOOM... BOOM...” Amidst the three massive explosions, the escaping air current tossed them up like small boats in a rough sea, flinging them ten meters away. They felt dirt and rock fly everywhere, smoke rising in plumes, and their ears ringing like thunder—for a moment, the world spun, and they didn't know up from down.

After an unknown amount of time, they regained some sense. They felt a sharp pain in their chests and coughed up mouthfuls of bloody saliva. At this moment, faint light began to filter from the sky above. Huang Shitou looked back despairingly at the cave, now completely collapsed and sealed. Thinking of his brother’s body being buried with those ancient monsters, overwhelming sorrow washed over him. Tears streamed down his face.

Then, just a few meters in front of him, a body stirred among a pile of rubble. It was lean and dark, but unmistakable—wasn't that his brother? He gasped in shock: Had he... resurrected? Then, another figure clawed its way out from beneath the rocks, face covered in gray dust. The man spat out a plume of white smoke: “Oh, my ancestors!” If it wasn't Young Master Liu.

Huang Shitou leaped over and helped Liu up, too grateful for words. Who would risk their life for a dead man? At this moment, Liu truly became a deity in Huang Shitou’s eyes.

Young Master Liu managed a wry smile, picking the blood from his nose and mouth. “Didn’t you save my life just now? If I hadn’t done something for you, I’d never have peace of mind for the rest of my life!” Huang Shitou, deeply moved, just held Liu tightly... Liu, however, had a small calculation in mind: if the blasting caps had exploded, he could have used Huang Peng’s body as a shield while carrying him away. Finding a reason to save himself and help someone else was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

Huang Shitou looked up at Liu with gratitude, but then saw Liu’s gaze turn icy cold, fixed intently on a single spot. Feeling strange, he followed the line of Liu’s stare and saw Ge Shuanwa rising slowly from the ground.

Young Master Liu suddenly spoke, “Ge Shuanwa, what fell off you just now?”

Ge Shuanwa froze, looked down, and saw a yellow cloth bundle on the ground. The bundle had come undone, revealing its contents: an ancient-looking book and several talismans... Those talismans were instantly recognizable to Young Master Liu—they were the Spirit-Calming Charms he had pasted on the infant corpse box!