Chapter 1400 — Fleeing in Panic: The Odds Were Even, Hinging on How Badly That Earth Rank Master Was Wounded and on the Skill and Coordination of the Two Profound Rank Masters
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The night passed without incident. Wei Zhao waited until Yu Xiaoke and Old Black had slept their fill and still saw no sign of Elder Rain. Plainly, having run, the man had no intention of returning, and that eased his mind somewhat — for all that Elder Rain feared Wei Zhao, was not Wei Zhao every bit as afraid of Elder Rain?
It was only that Wei Zhao was the more fearless and Elder Rain the more attached to his life, and in that Elder Rain lost the edge of his bearing. As the saying goes, the tough fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those who care nothing for their lives! Elder Rain was the tough one, Wei Zhao the one who cared nothing for his life; set the two against each other, and the outcome was plain at once.
After a meager meal of compressed biscuits, Wei Zhao led the party onward. Still not a trace of Elder Rain along the way. The man moved exceedingly fast; at full stride Wei Zhao and the others naturally could not keep up.
Thus, traveling on, they walked for two more days. By night, as before, everyone rested while Wei Zhao kept watch — until the third day, mid-march, when Wei Zhao suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His abrupt halt gave Qiu Lingshan, Chen Yuxuan, Yu Xiaoke, and Old Black, walking behind him, quite a fright.
"What is it, boy thief? Is there danger ahead?" Old Black's heart, only these few days settled back to ease, nearly burst in his chest at the scare Wei Zhao handed it.
"The smell of blood — and it seems still fresh." Only after drawing a deep breath did Wei Zhao speak.
"The smell of blood?" Qiu Lingshan and Chen Yuxuan froze, then sniffed carefully. Both were sensitive to the scent of blood, and at Wei Zhao's words they caught it too. "There does seem to be blood... not far off..."
"It couldn't be Elder Rain, could it?" Old Black said hesitantly.
"I don't know. It's possible." So saying, Wei Zhao stepped forward again. Though he smelled blood, the jade pendant at his chest gave no further warning — which meant there should be no danger ahead.
Seeing Wei Zhao walk on, the others hurried after him. But this time they had not gone far before Wei Zhao halted once more.
"What is it?" Qiu Lingshan asked.
"Look at the ground!" Wei Zhao aimed his flashlight at the floor a short way ahead.
The others looked down and saw, scattered on the ground not far off, a heap of keen blades; on several of them lay faint stains of blood, and in one corner of the floor there were traces of blood as well.
"Heh—" Looking over the scene, Wei Zhao could not help laughing: "The people who designed this ancient tomb — really, there is no talking to them. I reckon this was the last trap, yet Elder Rain set it off. Simple enough in itself, but sprung upon someone with his guard down, the consequences are quite serious indeed."
"So that's how it is. The trap here is triggered by a most inconspicuous silkworm thread; snap the thread and the trap opens, loosing the blades. Elder Rain must have been walking too fast and too hurriedly — in pitch darkness, failing to see it was only natural." Yu Xiaoke squatted and found on the ground an extremely fine, already severed silkworm thread.
"Thank goodness Elder Rain went ahead of us — if we had been the ones to reach this place, we would all have been done for!" Old Black said with some relief.