Chapter 66 - Sacred Mountain in Myanmar (Part XX)

Chen Shaoxian looked at the group and noticed that Thomas was indeed missing. He hurriedly asked, “When did you notice it?”

“He was still here when we rounded the corner,” Yang Xiao’ang replied.

“Xiao Zhuang, stay here with the others and don’t move,” Chen Shaoxian instructed while turning back.

As he walked, Chen Shaoxian called out Thomas’s name. Suddenly, he caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye-it was Howard. He quickly turned his head to look.

Howard seemed to be waiting for Chen Shaoxian. Seeing that Chen was looking at him, he gestured with his hand and ran forward, with Chen Shaoxian closely following behind.

Howard stopped in front of a thatch hut, pointed at it, and then, as if frightened, turned and vanished into the darkness.

Chen Shaoxian quickly ran to the hut where Howard had paused and examined it. The door of the hut was wide open, and inside it was pitch black, with a faint moaning sound coming from within.

Chen Shaoxian recognized the sound as Thomas’s, and without a second thought, he dashed into the hut.

Inside, he shone his flashlight around and, upon seeing the scene, his skin prickled with terror.

The hut was simple, with only a straw mat inside. Seated on the mat were four people. Three of them, judging by their attire, seemed to be Japanese soldiers from World War II, and the fourth was Thomas. The four were sitting around a large pot filled with something that looked like yellow grain.

What made Chen Shaoxian’s scalp tingle with fear was that the three Japanese soldiers had their mouths open, constantly spitting yellow grain into the pot. Chen noticed that their bellies were very large, and judging by their looks, it was uncertain how much more they could hold.

Thomas appeared trapped there, as if controlled by something. His hand was gripping a handful of grain, trying to shove it into his mouth, which remained tightly shut. He was shaking his head and making a moaning sound.

Upon seeing Chen Shaoxian enter, Thomas shed tears but suddenly stared in horror behind Chen, and the tone of his moaning changed.

Chen Shaoxian turned around and saw a woman dressed in all white, sliding down the wall. Her skin was as pale as her clothes, and her hollow eyes fixed on Chen Shaoxian without expression, yet she emitted a chuckling sound, as if laughing.

As the woman slid down, the door of the thatch hut was also slowly closing. Knowing he was short on time, Chen Shaoxian ignored the descending woman and instead ran towards Thomas.

It was not until he was close to Thomas that Chen Shaoxian realized why he couldn’t move. Numerous thin twigs were stretching out from the gaps in the straw mat, entwining around Thomas, restricting his movements.

After discovering the cause, Chen Shaoxian used his evil-slaying blade to cut the twigs around Thomas. The twigs seemed to fear the blade, retreating with rustling sounds before he even touched them.

Meanwhile, three Japanese soldiers, still spitting grain, turned their heads to look at the two men and then shakily stood up.

Chen Shaoxian quickly pulled up Thomas and then swiftly sidestepped, fiercely kicking the stomach of the nearest Japanese soldier’s corpse. It felt like kicking cotton, his foot sinking into the corpse’s belly.

With this kick, a lot of yellowish grain burst from the corpse’s mouth, then flew and hit the other two bodies. Despite the force, they did not fall but staggered towards Chen Shaoxian and Thomas.

The sliding woman blocked their path, and the door of the thatch hut was left with only a narrow slit open.

Realizing the danger, Chen Shaoxian hurriedly handed the evil-slaying blade to Thomas. Taking the blade, Thomas mustered his courage and shouted loudly, hacking wildly at the three Japanese soldier corpses. The corpses seemed to fear the blade, hesitating to approach.

Seizing the moment, Chen Shaoxian picked up the shotgun and fired at the woman blocking the door.

The bullets went straight through her, hitting the wooden door behind her and creating many small holes with their force.

As the bullets passed through her, a lot of white dust flew off her body, and numerous insects, resembling white moths, fell to the ground.

Chen Shaoxian quickly held his breath and warned Thomas not to breathe, then rapidly pulled the trigger at the woman. After a few shots, the gun clicked empty, out of bullets.

At the same time, the twigs that had retreated earlier now emerged again from the gaps in the ground, tightly wrapping around their feet and winding upwards.

Chen Shaoxian couldn’t worry about anything else at this point. He tossed the gun aside, quickly rummaged through his bag for the bottle of liquor, took a mouthful, and, using his lighter, sprayed it in a flame toward the woman in front of him.

As soon as the fire touched her, she burst into a swarm of white moths emitting sparks. As the white moths left her body, the woman let out a sharp scream. A thick twig descended from the roof, wrapped around her head, and pulled her into the darkness of the ceiling.

Chen Shaoxian aimed his flashlight upward, revealing the ceiling was teeming with white moths. The woman was enveloped by the swarm the moment she was pulled up, causing Chen Shaoxian to feel a wave of nausea. He quickly looked down, poured the rest of the liquor at his feet, and set it alight with his lighter. As the fire burned, the twigs around their legs slithered back into the crevices of the floor.

A renewed scream echoed from the ceiling, followed by a sudden, loud buzzing throughout the room. White powder rained down, and the yellow grains in the pot began to pop and fly into the air.

The three Japanese soldiers’ corpses fell to the ground with a thud, their bodies releasing swarms of tiny insects resembling ladybugs.

Seeing this, Thomas’s face turned ashen.

Chen Shaoxian urgently shouted, “Charge the door! It’s the Flying Grain Gu¹!”

Footnote:

1. Gu(蛊): In ancient Chinese folklore, “Gu” refers to a type of poison or sorcery made from venomous creatures. It is often mentioned in myths and legends as a means of causing harm or controlling others.