Chapter 485

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Chapter 485: Sharing the Cart

Hu Jia is one of the musical instruments of ethnic minorities.

In history, there was a guqin piece composed by Cai Wenji called "Hu Jia’s Eighteen Beats."

The shape of Hujia Grave resembles a Hu Jia instrument. There are a total of nineteen peaks here, in a mysterious shape.

The reason for adding the word "grave" is because it is rumored that there are many corpses of ferocious wild beasts from the Great Wilderness buried beneath these mountains.

There were people who attempted to dig the mountains and unearth the bones, but without exception, they all failed and disappeared. It didn’t matter if they were supernatural creatures or people from the Ming Country.

This kind of strangeness continued for many years, and eventually, Hujia Grave became a notorious dangerous place. It was a place where eerie and ominous energy gathered. With its unique feng shui, it naturally attracted evil cultivators and dark practitioners. Gradually, Hujia Grave became their gathering place, just like how Mount Akina attracts numerous skilled drivers. The geographical environment determines its economic value.

As the feudal lords of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom waged wars, the terrain of Ba State underwent several changes in just a few hundred years. First, the water routes were redirected, causing many farmlands to be flooded, forcing them to be turned into lakes. Second, there were basins and landslides caused by earthquakes. Lastly, there were changes in the population structure within Ba State… All these situations led to the transformation of the geographical location of Hujia Grave from a remote and impoverished mountainous area into one of the main thoroughfares.

Unlike other main roads, the road here is faster, and the mountain road has been expanded several times. The evil cultivators and dark practitioners have settled here for a long time. In addition, driven by profit, a nearby settlement and the bustling town of Hujia with a population of over ten thousand have formed.

The nineteen gloomy mountains on Hujia Grave have also become a unique landscape. When the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom is relatively safe, adventurers and travelers come here for sightseeing and taking photos. There may even be some tough individuals who have traveled across the universe who come here to endure a beating in order to gain enlightenment.

But this doesn’t change the fact that Hujia Grave is a den of demons.

The permanent population here is extremely small, and the vast majority are transient residents. If they can leave within a day, they will definitely not stay overnight. But if they have to stay overnight, they must never pass through the gloomy mountains at night. There are rules, one after another. In the later stages, each time a merchant caravan sets off, not only do they hire guides and high-priced bodyguards, but they even bring along some unfortunate souls for sacrifice.

It’s like planning a one-time ritual for celestial worship.

This group of unlucky individuals, who are used as sacrifices, are often useless and only have a miserable life left. They owe a large amount of money that they cannot repay, so they follow the merchant group in order to repay a part of their debt. Although the price is high, there is no doubt that this is a life-threatening act. Once there is a problem, their lives will be left in Hujia Grave, using their lives to buy the lives of others in the merchant group.

As for when the problem will occur, no one knows.

They all pass by on the way and each peak in the nineteen gloomy mountains may be different, but no one dares to delve deeper to find out what is different there.

The only ones who really understand the specifics are the residents who have stayed in the local town of Hujia. Many of them have connections to the gloomy mountains. However, even if they know, they keep it a secret… In the past, a family in the town had accidentally mentioned some details about the inside of Hujia Grave. The next day, all three family members had their tongues cut and eyes gouged, not dead, but it was no better than death.

Mystery shrouds this place, and many people tremble in fear and unease when they hear the name Hujia Grave.

It’s like how normal people react when they hear about Arkham Asylum or St. Elizabeth Mental Hospital; they all have to shake their glutes a bit to show respect.

As for how terrifying Hujia Grave really is…

When entering the area near Hujia Grave, you can often see dead bodies hanging from the ground and trees. The crows can feast on them during the winter.

But these crows on the trees are quickly dispersed by fright.

On the snowy ground, there was a loud rumbling sound.

Snow absorbs sound, so the sound can’t travel very far in the snow, unless it’s very powerful and can still spread through the ground.

In this deep snow that can reach up to your ankles, who could make such a loud noise?

Skilled people who walk on snow are careful to leave no traces, like a white crane spreading its wings. No one would waste energy on decorating the snow.

It was a carriage speeding on the snowy ground.

The speed was astonishingly fast. Because it was so fast, the carriage left behind blurry trails. Normally, a fast carriage like this would have overturned, just like how a big truck can’t speed too much or it will detach when making a turn.

Strangely, the carriage’s wagon firmly stuck to the snowy ground. No matter how fast the front went, the back always glided like a skateboard on the snow without overturning, keeping at least three wheels firmly pressed against the snow.

The carriage was quite magical, and so was the creature pulling it, which was a giant spider.

The spider had a beautiful and colorful appearance, but it was still a spider. Seeing an arthropod magnified dozens or even hundreds of times can be quite creepy. What’s even creepier is that the spider’s upper body was that of an elegant woman, while her lower body was that of a spider. She used her magic to weave a colorful garment out of spider silk and raced forward. It was clear that she was expending a lot of energy.

But she didn’t dare to slow down or stop, as if chasing the sun like Kua Fu, afraid of being late. Even when she was thirsty, she hurriedly buried her head in the snow and took a bite of snow to swallow.

No matter how you look at it, it didn’t seem like pulling a cart, but rather like running for her life. What followed behind her wasn’t a horse-drawn carriage, but the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head. She had to run fast enough to keep the trigger from moving.

This scene appeared near Hujia Grave, and the population density in this area had increased a lot. Whether passersby or long-time residents, they all felt somewhat shocked and skeptical when they saw the sight of a spider with eight legs pulling a cart.

Newcomers didn’t know, but the old folks were well aware that a whole clan of colored spiders had already taken control of three peaks in the Yin Mountains. They belonged to the gates and sects of Hujia Grave. Passing through their territory depended on luck, and it could cost multiple lives.

Daring to use spiders as horses and cows was no longer a insult, but a humiliation.

They were already very close to Hujia Grave at this time. There was an inn by the roadside called "Yojian Inn," but in reality, it was a cave called Pansilk Cave.

The business here was divided into two types each week. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, they opened as usual. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, they absorbed Yang energy. Anyone who entered on the seventh day would die.

The business here was naturally run by the Spider Sisters, with the addition of a group of monster servants. It was a profitable business without any capital investment.

The Spider Sprite in charge of collecting the toll today received a distress signal, which was released by a fellow member of the clan. It must be authentic.

After confirming the location, they immediately placed obstacles on the road to block it.

As they looked at the snowy mountain slope, a long trail of snow dust was raised, and they could see the scenery on the hill from afar, feeling the familiar presence of a monster.

"Get ready, everyone!"

"The enemy is coming!"

About seventeen or eighteen monster clan members were ambushed and well-prepared. From several hundred meters away, they could see the appearance of a colored pearl.

"Is that… Sister Colorful Pearl?"

"She is the direct descendant of the ancestor!"

"Why does she look so weary? It breaks my heart just to see her!"

"This minion must be exterminated!"

As the carriage approached, the unruly group of monsters couldn’t restrain themselves any longer. They surrounded the carriage and secretly threw iron hooks to block it. The speed of the carriage was slightly affected, but the powerful momentum still broke several iron hooks.

The spider monsters were puzzled. Their own spider silk was known for its strong elasticity, yet they couldn’t tear open this carriage? Even an ordinary carriage, let alone a bronze war chariot or tank caterpillar tracks, should have been torn apart by now. How could it be so sturdy?

Seeing the slowing carriage and the anxious expression on Cai Zhu’s face, their blood boiled. They didn’t think too much.

"Never mind, let’s all attack!"

"Don’t be afraid, Senior Sister. We’ll save you!"

The spider monsters rushed forward, pouncing on the carriage. This number of monsters was enough to devour more than thirty fully armed cavalry squads. This was because these monsters relied on devouring a large number of living beings and practicing cultivation techniques, so their growth rate was much faster than ordinary monsters.

Their first target was, of course, the carriage driver holding the reins. The reins were tied to the belly and neck of the spider female monster. Although humans might not understand, it might be somewhat stimulating for the monsters, making their eyes filled with envy and jealousy.

With a gust of wind, multiple magical monsters attacked at the same time. The air was filled with demonic energy, and their power surged. Their moves were ruthless and deadly. In an instant, they enveloped the driver’s vital points. Amidst this strong wind, the driver didn’t even open his eyes.

On the snowy ground, there were a few scattered crackling sounds, the shouts of battle boiling, and quickly turning into screams of surprise.

Just one minute later, everything became calm, and the carriage continued its journey, faster and more stable than before.

Because the number of horses increased by three.

The coachman sat on the carriage and said slowly, "You can send reinforcements, but don’t make yourselves suffer. Remember to call for more, I heard that the Spider Witch is very united and friendly."

The three remaining horse-drawn monsters knew they had been fooled, and they all looked at Cai Zhu, who clearly relaxed and saved some energy, with angry eyes.

Cai Zhu stared back without fear… Pleading to survive, don’t be pathetic! If you’re so brave, why don’t you call for backup yourself!

The other three monsters fell silent, then simultaneously took out precious gems or magical treasures to call for their allies, but each had different thoughts.

…An arrow piercing through the clouds!

…Just wait, you’re done for, I’ll go call someone!

…I can’t be the only one to endure such suffering, damn it, absolutely not!