86: Invisible malice

Little Grey Rat and Rat Spirit crouched in the bushes at the foot of Chang Sheng Village, panting heavily.

The Little Spider Spirit on Rat Spirit's back had already shrunk into a ball, terrified, while the Little Green Snake in Little Grey Rat's paw was still unconscious, its head dangling down like a boneless, soft rope.

Suspicious traces flowed from the corner of its mouth.

Rat Spirit gave the Little Green Snake a speechless look; it was truly fortunate for this fellow to faint at such a time.

Just as Rat Spirit was about to speak, he saw Little Grey Rat's solemn expression; he lowered his voice, scanning his surroundings alertly.

"Husband, what's wrong?"

"I don't know if it's my imagination, but I always feel that those two Devil Heads are still watching us."

Little Grey Rat couldn't describe the feeling in words, as if there was an eye, hidden in a corner beyond their sight, silently observing their every move.

This invisible malice assailed him, making all the hairs on Little Grey Rat's body stand up involuntarily.

"Husband, it's better to be cautious. I'll try first."

Rat Spirit gently placed the Little Spider Spirit on the ground and pulled out Lord Chuping's Amulet from her bosom.

The small jade tablet was now emitting a faint golden light, exceptionally striking in the night.

"To the Lord Chu Ping Temple!"

Rat Spirit said with such conviction it was as if she was about to become a god, "Only Lord Chuping can save us and the children of Black Rat Mountain."

Little Grey Rat nodded.

Just as Rat Spirit was about to continue speaking, she suddenly felt a chill at her feet, and a cold sensation shot up her spine from the soles of her feet, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe.

A second later, Rat Spirit stared at her distorted, wriggling shadow, her fur standing on end, and a shriek pierced the silent night.

The shadow seemed to have a life of its own, sometimes stretching like a snake, sometimes expanding like a ball, and finally forming a blurry spider shape at her feet, with eight long, thin shadow legs dancing arrogantly.

"Shadow Spider's tracking technique!"

Little Grey Rat gasped, his paw unconsciously tightening around the unconscious Little Green Snake in his arms.

"We've been marked."

The Little Spider Spirit rolled off Rat Spirit's back, curling into a trembling ball.

Rat Spirit couldn't comfort her; her trembling paw reached for Lord Chuping's Amulet.

The small jade tablet's golden light flickered on and off, as if responding to the Shadow Spider's evil power.

"To the Lord Chu Ping Temple! Now!"

Little Grey Rat made a decisive move, coiling the Little Spider Spirit with his tail, "Sister Ling'er, can you still walk?"

Rat Spirit gritted her teeth and nodded, but found her feet as heavy as if filled with lead.

Looking down, the spider-shaped shadow was tightly wrapped around her ankles; every step was like wading through a quagmire.

"Husband... I..."

Rat Spirit's voice was tearful.

Without a word, Little Grey Rat tucked the Little Green Snake into the fur on his chest and hoisted Rat Spirit onto his back.

"Hold on tight!"

He growled, his hind legs pushing off with force, and he sprinted towards Chang Sheng Village.

The night wind whistled past his ears; Little Grey Rat could feel the Shadow Spider's evil aura following him like a shadow.

He dared not look back, fearing he would see the two Devil Heads' ferocious faces if he did.

The Little Green Snake's cold body pressed against his chest, the Little Spider Spirit trembled in his tail, and Rat Spirit on his back clung tightly to his neck, softly sobbing.

"The children... the children of Black Rat Mountain... what about them?"

Little Grey Rat's heart tightened.

"Lord Chuping will protect our family," Little Grey Rat said, panting, both comforting his wife and convincing himself.

"The Amulet is still glowing, which means Lord Chuping's power is still here."

The outline of Chang Sheng Village gradually appeared in the night.

This was a human village built against the mountains; most of the houses were dark now, with only the Lord Chu Ping Temple in the center of the village still emitting a faint light.

* * *

Just as Little Grey Rat and Rat Spirit had anticipated, at this very moment, the Shadow Spider and Blood Bat, who were guarding the outskirts of Chang Sheng Village, were furious.

"These two old rats who don't know their place!" the Shadow Spider cursed through gritted teeth, not expecting these two to have been unfooled and to have outsmarted them.

"What do we do now? If we can't catch the humans, Lord Xuesha will blame us, and we won't be able to bear it!"

The Blood Bat was also very anxious, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"What's the rush?" the Shadow Spider sneered, "Don't we still have those thousand rat pups from Black Rat Mountain? Enough for the King to feast on."

"Damn it, I don't believe it!"

The Blood Bat's temper was already volatile, and being tricked by two rats like this made his anger surge.

"Are these two villages really so sinister? We can't enter, but those two old rats go in and out safely?"

The Blood Bat grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes turning crimson, and he rushed towards Chang Sheng Village recklessly.

Seeing this, the Shadow Spider had no intention of stopping the Blood Bat.

She was actually a little curious about the rumors surrounding Chang Sheng Village.

If the Blood Bat, that traitor, was willing to test it out himself, it would undoubtedly be the best thing for her.

But the change happened in an instant.

Just as the Blood Bat stepped one foot into Chang Sheng Village, a white light suddenly flashed, followed by a huge roar.

Half of the Blood Bat's body was instantly incinerated into ash.

Scorched flesh and twisted bones clung together; that half of his body was no longer recognizable.

Traces of rampant lightning were spread like a spiderweb; his skin was charred and peeling, revealing stark white bones, with scattered sparks still flickering in the blackened muscle tissue.

The unaffected half of his body remained in a painfully twisted posture, his wide eyes and open mouth frozen in the fear and confusion of the moment of death.

Tragic!

It was truly too tragic!

The Shadow Spider swallowed in fear, then turned and ran towards Black Rat Mountain.

She was going to grab all the little pups and hurry back to report; she would never come to this cursed place again!

* * *

At this moment, inside the rat hole on Black Rat Mountain, Little Grey Rat was plugging the last piece of gravel into the entrance.

"Quick! Wrap all the vines around it!" he commanded the young rats calmly, but his tail trembled uncontrollably.

Although Little Grey Rat and Rat Spirit hadn't told him anything these past few days, Little Grey Rat always had a feeling of dread and a chill down his spine; every cell in his body was telling him.

Escape!

He absolutely had to escape!

After much thought, Little Grey Rat couldn't resist leading his entire clan to flee.

"If Mom and Dad were here, it would be great..." a young rat suddenly sobbed, and the cave instantly fell silent.

Little Grey Rat said nothing, merely pressed his ear tightly against the damp cave wall, constantly urging his tribesmen ahead.

"Uncle Grey, I'm scared..." a young rat with still-unfaded fur burrowed into his arms.

Little Grey Rat took a deep breath, his claw tips unconsciously digging into the soil.

"Everyone, be quiet!" he ordered in a low voice, his tone more resolute than he expected, "Run in the direction of Chang Sheng Village — quick!"

"Go now!"

Little Grey Rat coiled the nearest young rat with his tail and flung it onto his back, "The big ones carry the small, the strong carry the weak, not a single one can be left behind!"

Over a thousand rat pups instantly sprang into action, like a gray torrent pouring into the already prepared escape tunnel.

The smallest young rats were carried in the mouths of the older ones, while the slightly larger ones formed columns, frantically digging at the soil with their front paws.

Little Grey Rat brought up the rear, constantly crushing the gravel in the cave to cover their tracks.