Chapter 10: Snake Painting

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The old professor squatted down and stared at the snake paintings at his feet for a while. He then said, “These snake paintings are well-preserved, and they are very lifelike. I don’t know what paint was used, but there are no signs of oxidation even after thousands of years.”

Yan Jiao also squatted down to observe these snake paintings. However, when she stood up and saw the dense and endless snake paintings in the distance, she felt a slight headache. Why were they all snakes? Had she fallen into a snake cave recently?

Everyone looked at the paintings for a while, then carefully walked around the drawings and headed toward the altar in the middle.

The old professor was extremely excited. He patted and touched the altar. Suddenly, Luo Jie’s hand accidentally pressed on a protruding geometry on the edge of the altar. There was a rumbling sound, and a hole opened up in the ground in front of everyone.

The entrance of the cave was eerie and cold. A mysterious and ancient feeling came from it.

They looked at each other and slowly walked toward the hole. Roger shone his flashlight in and saw a flight of stairs leading to somewhere unknown.

“Captain, let’s go down and take a look.” Jiang Sheng looked at the entrance of the cave with excitement.

“No, it’s too dangerous.” Although Roger also wanted to rush down and explore, he knew how many unknown dangers there were in newly unearthed ancient tombs. For example, toxic miasma could be harmful to the human body.

Not to mention, this was the ruins of the Snake King Meng Hui. If the legend was true, no one knew how dangerous it would be.

“Don’t worry, Jiang Sheng. We’ve been waiting for so many days. We can wait a little longer.” Luo Jie patted Jiang Sheng’s shoulder. “We’ll enter the tomb tomorrow morning.”

Although Yan Jiao wanted to support Jiang Sheng’s idea, she did not know why the fear that had been haunting her recently had resurfaced. She stayed silent and supported Luo Jie suggestion.

Although Jiang Sheng was a little reluctant, he knew that his Captain was right. Yet, he still looked back at the hole every three steps he took while leaving for the camp.

Soon, the group left and returned to their camp.

What they did not know was that not long after they left, the snake heads on the ground rose up from the ground like real snakes and looked in the direction they had left. After a while, they turned back to the hole that rose from the ground and lowered their heads, as if in worship.

After a while, they merged into the ground again and turned back into drawings.

Yan Jiao’s team had also returned to the campsite safely. The people who stayed in the campsite immediately surrounded them and asked them what they had discovered. Roger and the others explained everything bit by bit. The people who stayed behind were excited when they heard this. However, Yan Jiao also noticed Yu Shu’s resentful gaze as she stared at Yan Jiao. However, Yan Jiao did not take it to heart and chose to ignore it.

After a long discussion around the bonfire, they returned to their tents one after another, planning to rest and prepare for tomorrow’s excavation.

Yan Jiao and Su Qing also returned to the tent. They had just laid down and closed their eyes when Yan Jiao heard Su Qing’s voice.”Jiaojiao, what do you think will be in the ruins of the Snake King? Snakes? Will the archeology work tomorrow be very dangerous?”

“Don’t think too much. It might be gold, silver, and other treasures.” Yan Jiao did not want to reply at first but seeing that Su Qing was really curious, she decided to stop the conversation there. She wanted Su Qing to let her rest.

“That’s true. Then, what priceless treasures do you think there are? Gold? Pearls that glow in the dark?”

“I don’t know.” Yan Jiao yawned, her tone carrying a hint of indifference.

Su Qing noticed that Yan Jiao was starting to feel sleepy, so she stopped pestering her to chat. She laid there, deep in thought, and the tent fell quiet.

As Yan Jiao listened to the crackling sounds of the firewood burning, she could not fall asleep even if she wanted to. She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen tomorrow, and an ominous feeling filled her heart.

After a sleepless night, Yan Jiao saw that the sky was starting to brighten. She simply got up and splashed herself with cold water, forcing herself to wake up. After packing up, she walked out of the tent and found that she was not the only one who stayed up the whole night. Luo Jie and Jiang Sheng had already prepared food for the other team members.

When Luo Jie saw Yan Jiao come out, he greeted her and continued to chat.

After a while, everyone woke up and gobbled up the food. Everyone packed up their tools and headed to the altar.

The morning air was slightly chilly, and it cleared Yan Jiao’s mind.

Soon, everyone arrived at the entrance of the ruins. They took out the tools they had prepared and waited for the captain’s orders.

“Let’s go!”