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"Li Shengma replied, holding a translucent pearl that glowed in the darkness.
"That must be the Night Pearl," Seven chimed in immediately.
Third glanced over, noticing that Li Shengma's gaze shifted uncomfortably. He sensed something was off but chose not to confront it.
"With something so valuable, you should have thrown it to me just now," Seven continued.
Li Shengma chuckled lightly, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes.
Second scolded Seven, saying, "It's better not to take money that isn't earned through honest means!" Seven had no retort to Second's words.
The sun had fully risen now, bringing warmth with it. The group took a moment to regroup and prepare to head back to South Town. Walking back would likely take them about two days.
Once the five of them had packed up, Li Shengma seemed to have recovered enough to be self-sufficient. The others were also in good shape.
The group set off towards South Town.
Seven and Wang Er Gou led the way, marching from day into night, which could be considered a forced march of sorts. Li Shengma and Wang Er Gou were starting to struggle; after all, they hadn't undergone any professional training.
After some discussion, they decided to rest for the night.
They were currently situated roughly halfway between the entrance of Stone Forest and Skylight Dark River—exactly where Old Liu had warned them that they would need to fend for themselves upon entering.
The route they were taking back was not the same as the one they had come in on. Although they had sufficient food and water for now, it would last them at most three days.
When Li Shengma joined the group, she was alone and, in some ways, a burden.
As night fell, dark red clouds appeared on the horizon like fiery billows that seemed impervious to the encroaching darkness. Their flashlight was running low on power, its beam growing weaker until it eventually faded into nothingness."
The flashlight as a light source could be disregarded. The torch seemed to have been discarded earlier. Now, only the embers remained. However, a clever woman cannot cook without rice; in this Stone Forest, there was no wood available for burning.
Second tapped the flashlight a few times and cursed, "This foreign junk is really useless."
Seven fiddled with the flashlight and said, "This thing is already scrapped."
Suddenly, Wang Er Gou said, "I think I still have some fuel in my bag." The others were excited.
However, Third remarked, "It's better not to light a fire." This statement left everyone puzzled.
Third continued, "The firelight might bring us unnecessary trouble."
Second asked, "What trouble could there be? Third, stop being paranoid."
Wang Er Gou also didn't understand Third's words. Seven remained silent, and surprisingly, Li Shengma agreed with Third, opposing the idea of lighting a fire.
Third elaborated, "The firelight can easily expose our location. This Stone Forest is too vast; we must consider the threats it poses to us."
Second ceased arguing and accepted Third's suggestion.
As night fully enveloped them, the red glow on the horizon still did not fade, looking somewhat eerie.
In the end, it was decided that Second and Seven would take the first watch.
The rest of them were more or less sluggish; Third had sustained serious injuries.
As the night deepened, the red glow intensified, and the more they looked at it, the more unsettling it felt.
" Second said to Seven, 'What do you think that red mass over there is?'
Seven replied calmly, 'It should be a result of the hot weather, indicating that it might rain.'
Suddenly, Second exclaimed, 'No, something feels off. It can't just be rain.'
At that moment, Third woke up and said urgently, 'We need to relocate.'
Second and Seven turned around, thinking Third was still dreaming. But Third stood up abruptly and repeated, 'We need to move quickly.'
Wang Er Gou and Li Shengma were still fast asleep. It was only then that Second and Seven believed Third was serious.
The Red Clouds were drawing closer, casting a red glow on the ground, making the already unclear terrain even more distinct.
Third quickly reacted, waking Li Shengma and Wang Er Gou. Second and Seven rushed to gather their belongings. It dawned on Seven that this was not just about rain; it was a matter of life and death.
Wang Er Gou and Li Shengma woke up confused, seeing the red light illuminating them and watching the three busy figures. Second shouted, 'What are you two waiting for? Run!'
Only then did they fully grasp the situation and hurriedly prepare themselves.
As the Red Clouds approached rapidly, Second asked, 'Which way should we run?'
'Just get away from those clouds; we can go anywhere after that,' came the reply.
The five quickly found their direction and started running. The Red Clouds seemed to sense them, following closely behind like a shadow.
'What’s that sound?' Wang Er Gou asked. Second turned back to see lightning striking down from the Red Clouds. Damn! Second cursed, 'It's lightning! They don't plan on letting us live.'
'Could it be divine punishment? We haven't committed any unforgivable sins!' Seven shouted."
"Wang Er Gou" suddenly said, "Did we just pry open someone else's coffin down there? Is that why we're in this mess?"
" Second " and "Seven" nodded seriously. The red light continued to shine on them; although the threat lingered, in some ways, the light also aided their escape.
"Third" and "Li Shengma" remained silent.
Suddenly, "Third" felt the exquisite copper box containing the black insects stirring, as if the lid were about to be flipped open. "Third" pressed down on it with his hand.
It seemed "Li Shengma" was doing the same thing, his face strained and unnatural.
A muffled thunder erupted from the mass of "Red Clouds," shaking the bodies of the group as if they were trembling. " Second " cursed, "We need to do less grave robbing in the future."
"Seven," now genuinely frightened, said, "You're right, Second."
"Wang Er Gou" remarked, "I warned you all not to open the coffin. Look, now we're facing the consequences!"
" Second " retorted, " Er Gou, don't play Monday morning quarterback here."
White lightning burst forth from the "Red Clouds," appearing terrifying; yet in a different context, it might have been a natural wonder.
The five continued to flee for their lives. The speed of the "Red Clouds" seemed to be increasing.
Sweat beaded on "Third's" forehead. He knew why; some things should never see the sunlight again, but due to greed, they had been unearthed.
But now, there could be no compromise; this was about their lives!
Meanwhile, "Li Shengma" had already turned pale with fear, his hand seemingly unable to suppress whatever was in his pocket.
But for Third, this little bit of power was not enough to create any waves.
Seven shouted, "Running like this isn't a solution. Sooner or later, we'll exhaust our strength. We need to find a place to hide."
Third replied, "Let's see if there’s a Skylight or an Earth Cave nearby."
The others nodded in agreement.
Under the glow of the red light, the power of the black insects seemed to increase. Third could clearly feel this; it was bad—if this continued, the black insects would surely escape.
Third glanced at Li Shengma and could see he was running low on energy. Third called out to him, "If you trust me, hand over the item."
Li Shengma hesitated and looked at Third. If things continued like this, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer, and the power of the insect seemed to be growing stronger. He felt he couldn’t suppress it anymore. But he still wanted to put on a show, so he said, "I don’t have anything."
Third fell silent. Red Clouds had been behind them all along, the red light enveloping them, while the power of the black insects continued to surge.
Li Shengma gritted his teeth, his face growing paler; he was reaching his limit.
Finally, Li Shengma spoke up, "Third, I hope you won't betray me." With that, he handed a black box to Third. Third glanced at Li Shengma and said, "I don’t need this kind of thing, so you can rest easy."
After taking the box, Third immediately exerted pressure on it. Li Shengma felt a wave of relief wash over him; however, his gaze remained fixed on Third. This item was far too important to him. Even if he were to die, losing it would be something he could never atone for.
Once Third took the black box, the feeling of pressure doubled, and the surging power grew even stronger. This red light was truly sinister.
They needed to shake it off quickly. Otherwise, once these insects escaped, who knew what terrible consequences would follow?
The three running ahead continued to rely on the red light to search for an Earth Cave or Skylight and had already prepared climbing ropes.
Wang Er Gou's stamina seemed to be waning, and he had already fallen behind the two in front.
Second shouted, " Er Gou, you have to hang in there!" Seven also understood the dire situation and knew they had to move quickly. He ran ahead, relying on his experience to head towards places where the Earth Cave or Skylight might appear.
Li Shengma's fatigue was becoming more apparent as well.
Behind them, Red Clouds intensified the storm, with thunder rolling and lightning striking one after another. Many stone pillars were struck down.
"Damn it, it was just a coffin I pried open! Is it necessary to go all out like this? Once I get rich, I'll buy you a new one," Second yelled.
Seven added, "I'll get you the best one!" As soon as he said that, Red Clouds surprisingly ceased the thunder and lightning.
The group was momentarily stunned. "Wow, it really is true that money can make the world go round."
With Red Clouds quieting down, the pressure on them significantly eased. Seeing that their words had an effect, Second and Seven continued shouting, "We'll make you a pure gold coffin!"
Wang Er Gou was puzzled. Could shouting really work? So he chimed in, "When the time comes, Uncle Ergou will choose a prime spot with good feng shui for you."
After saying this, Third sensed something was off and warned everyone, "Wait, we need to speed up!"
Suddenly, Red Clouds began to churn violently and at an alarming speed, its color shifting to a dark red—a hue reminiscent of dried blood that was quite unsettling and oppressive, making their scalps tingle.
As Third had predicted, a deafening thunderclap erupted, shaking their hearts and causing blood to trickle from their ears. Second nearly stumbled but managed to steady himself, cursing, "Damn it, Er Gou! You jinxed us! Every time you shout something bad happens!"
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