Chapter Sixty-Five: Thick-Skinned and Sturdy

“Hold him steady,” Peanut said to me.

I hurried to Qin Feng’s side and pressed down on his shoulders with both hands.

“Fatty, use your hands to open up his wound,” Peanut ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

Fatty acted at once, leaning in and stretching his hands toward Qin Feng.

“Wait!” I called out hastily.

“What’s wrong with you now?” Fatty shot me a look of exasperation.

“No, Peanut, if you open up the wound like that, it might get infected. What if he gets tetanus…”

Fatty rolled his eyes at me, clearly speechless. “Come on, we’ve got two lives hanging in the balance and you’re worrying about infection? Seriously…” He stretched his neck out and said, “Old Qin, I’m starting now.”

Qin Feng glanced at Fatty from the corner of his eye. “I’m not… not close with you, don’t call me Old Qin…”

Before Qin Feng could finish, Fatty suddenly pried open a wound on his back. In an instant, I saw Qin Feng’s face contort—he was clenching his teeth so hard he didn’t make a sound, but it was clear he was in excruciating pain.

The sight made my scalp tingle. It was as if Fatty were prying open someone’s mouth—blood immediately began streaming down the wound, a pungent metallic scent flooding my nose. I nearly had to turn away. But then, I caught sight of something moving in the blood within Qin Feng’s wound.

At the same time, Peanut’s knife flashed and plunged into the wound. His movement was swift—just a blur—and then the knife was withdrawn. A gush of black blood spurted from the wound, splattering Fatty’s face. Looking at the knife, I saw something impaled on the tip—a creature just a bit larger than a fingernail.

It was bloody and gruesome. On closer inspection, I realized it looked exactly like a toad, except at its tail there was a thin, long appendage.

“Is that the Poison Mite?” Fatty asked.

The Poison Mite had already been pierced by the knife. Its tail still twitched, but it was clearly dying. Peanut pried it off and pressed it under his thumb, holding it before our eyes. With one look, I gasped in shock.

The thing opened its mouth, revealing six rows of sharp teeth—three above and three below—taking up nearly two-thirds of its body. It was terrifying.

“These teeth can bite through bone. Even after it’s dead, the teeth remain indestructible, and inside them, the Poison Mite’s eggs are hidden,” Peanut explained. He then carefully pressed the creature to the ground and, with a snap, crushed its belly into a mess of blood.

Fatty was sweating profusely, urging Peanut to hurry as he scratched nervously at his own back. Compared to this, I was more worried about Qin Feng. So much blood from a single wound—if we had to deal with them all, we’d need a bottle to collect it. Every time Peanut stabbed into Qin Feng’s back, my heart seemed to wrench. At first, Qin Feng looked in agony, but as it went on, his expression grew more and more numb.

I knew this was not a good sign; Qin Feng was reaching his limit. My palms were slick with sweat, yet I could only let Peanut and Fatty continue.

After more than half an hour, Peanut finally finished cleaning out the last wound on Qin Feng’s back. At his feet was a pile of over thirty Poison Mite corpses, each with a gaping mouth lined with needle-like teeth—just looking at them made my bones ache.

Only after confirming that Qin Feng had no more Poison Mite wounds did I finally breathe a deep sigh of relief.

“Qin Feng, Qin Feng?”

He seemed to have lost consciousness, unresponsive no matter how I called. I turned anxiously to Peanut. “He isn’t going to die, is he?”

“The venom of the Poison Mite mixed with fat has a slight coagulating effect. Let him lie face down with something over his back. As for whether he’ll pull through, that’s up to him,” Peanut replied.

Following his instructions, I settled Qin Feng. Fatty, unable to wait, bared his back in front of Peanut. “I swear my stomach even started hurting—I bet those things have already burrowed in. Hurry up and check.”

I suddenly realized I was the only one left who could help. Soon, I’d have to open Fatty’s wounds myself, and the memory of Qin Feng’s bleeding made me hesitate.

Seeing me pause, Fatty grew anxious. “Miss, we haven’t known each other long, but we’ve survived life and death together. Why are you just sitting there?”

I thought there was no way out, but I still hoped to find something to shield my face. As I was about to step forward, Peanut handed the knife back to Fatty.

We all froze, Fatty more than anyone. “What? You’re clocking off already?”

“Human fat affects Poison Mites. If the fat layer is too thick, the Poison Mite can’t get in. So, even though your wounds were caused by them, they probably got scared off,” Peanut said.

His last words were the perfect jab at Fatty—so precise, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Seriously? There’s actually a benefit to being fat? If Qin Feng hears about this, he’ll hate you for life.”

Fatty was overjoyed, scratching his head. “Well, it looks like even the heavens want me to be a tomb raider, ha!”

He put his clothes back on and suddenly came over to pat me.

“Your turn.”

“My turn? For what…” I abruptly realized I’d been so worried about Qin Feng and Fatty, I’d forgotten to check myself. Instantly, I took off my shirt for inspection.

Fatty circled me a few times but found nothing. “Huh, how come you didn’t get bitten at all?”

I checked carefully and, confirming I was fine, felt a wave of relief. Then I shot Fatty a cold look. “Don’t be jealous. Maybe Poison Mites pick their victims by looks.”

“Oh please, with your looks, you want to talk about appearances with your Brother Yanran…”

“Enough, let’s wake Master Yuan and get out of here,” Peanut suddenly interjected.

I hadn’t even spoken before Peanut strode straight toward my father.

“Let my father rest a bit longer,” I rushed to block him.

“If he rests any longer, there’ll be no time left. What your father needs most now is a hospital. We have to leave immediately,” Peanut said urgently. I wanted to get out too, but his sudden concern for leaving was out of character. He’d seemed indifferent before; now he was almost desperate. It unsettled me, but thinking it over, I guessed his change was related to the Poison Mites.

Just then, my father stirred and opened his eyes.

“Dad, you’re awake.” I hurried over with the canteen.

After a brief rest, he looked even weaker, struggling to drink even a sip of water.

“Qin… Feng, what happened to him?” he asked, glancing at Qin Feng lying on the ground.

I told him what had happened, and when I mentioned the Poison Mites, his eyes flicked to Peanut with a strange expression.

“No need to dwell on it. I will go there,” Peanut said.

My father shook his head. “It’s not as you think, but since you insist, I won’t stop you from courting death. Yuanzi… help me up.”

I carefully helped my father sit up and asked, “Dad, how do we get out of here now?”

He looked up at our surroundings, then said, “Yuanzi, no matter what, you’ve made it this far. Since you’ve entered the ancient tomb, according to our family’s rules, you have to take something from the main burial chamber before you leave.”

“What? Dad, is this really the time for that? And isn’t it dangerous in there?” I wondered which ancestor came up with such a rule—cursing their descendants with such a perilous tradition.

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