Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 48 Breaking a Promise

The weather is getting hotter.

Several heavy rains did not cool things down; instead, they made the mountains damp everywhere.

The oppressive humidity pressed down on my body, clinging tightly to my clothes, making it hard to breathe.

Sanlaba swatted away the mosquitoes swarming in front of him and looked up at the sky.

The midday sun shone brightly, suppressing the shady, poisonous creatures in its shadow.

His heart grew increasingly desperate.

July will be here soon.

The blood centipede will soon be able to reproduce.

They will then hide underground, spewing out thick poisonous mist to seal off the entire Blood Dragon Cave.

Before that, he had to prepare the tribute for Black Wind Stronghold.

Sanlaba licked his chapped lips and turned to his tribesmen, asking:

"How much more do we need?"

The tribesmen behind him all looked exhausted. The relentless hunting of blood centipedes for months had taken a toll on them, and many of them had recently fallen ill.

"One hundred and fourteen more are needed."

The tribesman's voice was hoarse, low, and weak.

Black Wind Village doubled its offerings compared to previous years, causing many villages to scramble to gather supplies. This led to bloody battles among many villages for resources, and some small villages were even wiped out as a result.

The reason why Sangma Village was able to complete the offerings in the previous months was largely thanks to the villagers who worked in the market.

It was thanks to their support that supplies were able to be gathered on multiple occasions.

But now, no matter how hard they try, Sangma Village is on the verge of extinction.

Sanlaba made a decision in his heart:

"Let's go to the Blood Dragon Cave. Take advantage of the midday sun and go inside to have a look."

The clansmen remained silent.

No one refused, and no one agreed.

He simply followed in Sanlaba's footsteps in silence.

They knew all along that this day would come.

Sanlaba led his people to the Blood Dragon Cave.

The scarlet and pitch-black cave entrance emitted a foul, fishy stench, just like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast.

Everyone took off their clothes and applied the prepared herbal juice to their bodies.

This is an insect repellent made from a mixture of mugwort and realgar, with some medicinal herbs purchased from the market added as well. It works very well.

They then took out a jar of five-colored pigments and drew stripes on their skin. Finally, they drew the character "王" (king) on ​​their foreheads to imitate a tiger, hoping to scare away poisonous insects.

After doing all this, Sanlaba looked at his people.

Unlike blood centipedes that hibernate in winter, summer blood centipedes are exceptionally irritable and fierce enough to hunt jackals.

These clansmen who followed him were all elderly, fathers and grandfathers.

If they die here, how many families will weep?

But in any case, it's better than letting young people take the risks.

"Light the torches and follow me into the cave."

At Sanlaba's command, he led the way into the Blood Dragon Cave, but suddenly the image of his daughter appeared in his mind.

She remembered that she had told her not to go to places where powerful demons roamed, as it would be dangerous. If Black Wind Stronghold had difficulty raising offerings, she should tell her, and she would help find a way. After all, she had grown up and could contribute to the stronghold.

Sanlaba's lips twitched slightly as she recalled how she had smiled and agreed to it back then.

"Muya, I'm sorry, Father broke his promise."

He cleared his mind of distractions and focused on observing the situation in the Blood Dragon Cave.

Unlike the last time I visited, Blood Dragon Cave is warm and dry in winter.

The place now reeks of a foul stench, with slime dripping incessantly from the scarlet rock walls, and it gets colder the further you go in.

Sanlaba's leg wound throbbed with pain, but he didn't falter for a moment.

After walking for a while, the cave gradually became more spacious. When the torchlight swept across the surrounding rock walls, you could see the marks left by sharp claws.

"Strange, why haven't we seen a single blood centipede yet?"

Sanlaba frowned.

Logically speaking, you should encounter at least a few of them.

"Something's not right, it's too quiet here," said Samp, the oldest member of the group.

Sanlaba also noticed this.

"Could it be that the blood centipedes have already gathered at the deepest part of the cave, preparing to lay their eggs?"

Samp frowned. If that were the case, their trip would be in vain.

"Let's take another look inside," Sanlaba said.

The group walked a little further.

Sanlaba, holding a torch, suddenly saw two figures lying motionless on the ground ahead.

He raised his hand to indicate that he had noticed something, and carefully walked over to investigate.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the two men were also local villagers.

"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?"

Sanlaba noticed that the two were still breathing, so he stopped and asked them a question.

One of them turned his head stiffly and shook his head with difficulty.

"Is it poisoning?"

Sanlaba led his people over and saw that the two villagers were still alive. One of them had already fainted, while the other was lying on the ground unable to move, looking terrified. It seemed that he had inhaled the poison gas.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Sanlaba offered a word of comfort, then said to the tribespeople behind him, "Bring the mugwort juice, I'll feed them some."

"quick……"

The person who was awake managed to make a sound, looking extremely anxious.

Sanlaba frowned, thinking he was in a hurry to drink the mugwort juice, and turned to instruct the tribesmen:

"Quickly bring me the mugwort juice."

But none of the tribespeople reacted; they all stood there, stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Sanlaba frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

"The mugwort juice was held by Sang Shi."

The oldest man, Samp, trembled all over, constantly looking around, his cloudy old eyes filled with panic.

"But... Sangshi... he's gone."

"How could someone just disappear like that!"

"Are they sprinkling water nearby?"

The crowd trembled as they looked around. Torches were being waved everywhere, and the chaotic shadows looked like ghosts.

A cold hand suddenly grabbed his calf.

Sanglaba's back was instantly covered in cold sweat.

He looked down and saw the villager lying on the ground, his face filled with terror, tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes, his mouth agape with all his might.

"…escape!"

Sanlaba's pupils contracted sharply as he slowly brought the torch closer to his face, his gaze fixed on his pale lips and tongue.

Deep within the throat, two bright red tentacles slowly emerged, then quickly retreated upon sensing the firelight outside.

"Blood Centipede!"

Someone shouted.

A torch suddenly fell to the ground and rolled to its feet.

Sanlaba quickly drew his sword and assumed a fighting stance.

His gaze swept over all the tribesmen, but he couldn't find Samp.

"Sampdoria!"

"Uncle Samp!"

The people of Sangma Village gripped their weapons tightly, their faces filled with terror as they scanned their surroundings, calling out to Sangpu repeatedly, but no one responded.

Sanlaba's heart sank to the bottom. He suddenly understood why the villager had been looking at him with such fear in his eyes.

He raised his head and held the torch above his head.

Everyone looked up at that spot.

The firelight dispelled the darkness, illuminating the blood-red carapace that blended seamlessly with the rock wall. Dark golden claws moved slowly forward, and a gigantic body emerged from the depths of the cave, with two dragon-whisker-like tentacles connected to a ruby-like centipede head.

The centipede's head protruded with the face of an old man, its gray eyes filled with ferocity. Looking down at the tiny insects below, it let out a sharp, maniacal laugh:

"Hehehe, human blood tastes better!"