Three hundred and fourteen. The corpse in the wooden house
The back of the shoe is almost submerged in the mud, and the soft flesh-like feel can be felt through the rain boots.
Lu Li knelt down and held an oil lamp to shine into the dark red mud.
The mud has not been restored, and the shape looks like someone fell here. The footprints extending into the withered jungle are evidence of this.
"Someone entered the Shadow Swamp through a secret passage before."
The raised oil lamp moved, and Lu Li carefully inspected the area.
Except for the traces in the mud, no clues were left before the exit of the secret passage.
"Is he my brother?" Qiao Qiao asked subconsciously.
Lu Li turned to the Swamp Mother sculpture in his pocket and asked, "Where is Oliver."
[I don’t know about him... there are many humans entering the swamp...]
Lu Li raised his head and asked Qiao Qiao: "Do you remember what Oliver was wearing when he disappeared?"
"Linen overalls and teal linen shirt!"
Lu Li added details on top of this: "Height is less than 1.6 meters tall, brown hair, young man."
The Swamp Mother searched for the memories of her servants and told Lu Li: [There was one...in the old lair of the Creeper servants...]
"Put it into something I can understand."
The mother of the swamp paused for ten seconds and murmured slowly: [The place where the six-legged monster once lived...near the swamp road...]
Lu Li's mind flashed back to the abandoned village he saw when he first entered Shadow Swamp...
He knew what the Swamp Mother was talking about.
"I need someone to show me the way."
【people……?】
"Your dependents."
The Swamp Mother's ignorance of human society makes their communication efficiency very inefficient, but it is not like other evil gods who are full of barbarism and arrogance - it has excellent moral character: learning.
This kind of morality drove this evil god to cooperate and trade with Lu Li, who was no different from an ant, even though the cooperation process was awkward and slow.
Soon, the Swamp Mother obtained the relevant memories from the consciousness of the dependents who were once humans, and she corrected Lu Li's mistake: "They are just my servants... If you are willing to accept the power... you will become my dependents..."
It sounds like dependents are higher-end beings than servants, just like the personal guards and ordinary soldiers who protect the king.
"Then please ask the servants to take us to Oliver." Lu Li was not interested in becoming a monster.
[My servant is approaching you... follow it... you will reach the old lair...]
Lu Li relayed the whispers of the Swamp Mother, and Qiao Qiao couldn't help but ask anxiously: "My brother... is he still alive?"
[He entered the lair... did not leave... my eyes did not enter...]
The whisper was only heard by Lu Li, and he told Qiao Qiao: "There is an abandoned village near the swamp road. Your brother hid in the house and has not appeared since."
Jojo didn't know whether to be thankful or regretful, the news she received was no different from before. Her brother Oliver's life or death was still uncertain.
Lu Li suddenly turned his head and looked at the outline of the jungle not far away, and a strong feeling of being watched emerged from the bottom of his heart.
A dark silhouette was hiding behind a dead tree more than ten meters away, leaning out half of its body, as if peeping here.
Qiao Qiao was frightened and backed away. Lu Li asked calmly: "Is it going to lead the way?"
[Yes... when you stop looking at it... it will come to the front... and lead you...]
"We follow it, and when I say blink, we simultaneously close our eyes or look away for a second."
"Um."
"good."
Anna and Qiaoqiao answered respectively.
"Blink."
The two of them closed their eyes at the same time, and when they opened them again, there was no silhouette of the person behind the dead tree they faced.
"It's there." Qiao Qiao reminded Lu Li.
The Shadow Man moved to the right the moment they closed their eyes.
Lu Li pulled out his rain boots that were stuck in the mud and walked towards Ying Chuo Ren. A staggering Qiao Qiao followed behind.
[Turn off the fire... The swamp is not safe... The light will attract them...] The Swamp Mother whispered to Lu Li.
After a brief pause, Lu Li turned off the oil lamp in his hand and put it into the suitcase floating behind him.
After doing this and explaining it to Qiao Qiao, Lu Li frowned: "This is your territory."
[Its followers... sacrificed many humans... became servants... they thirsted for blood and killed... killed many of my servants...]
"That evil god is very powerful?" Lu Li asked.
[It... was suppressed by me... did not wake up... I am stronger than it... but its believers found my weakness... and was weakened...]
"You were restrained." Lu Li replied.
Lu Li and Qiao Qiao approached the Yingchuo Man. The deep black silhouette of the Yingchuo Man reminded Qiao Qiao of the fear of facing the dark sea. It sounded like the followers of the unknown evil god knew the Mother of the Swamp very well.
Lu Li basically sorted out the situation: The followers of the unknown evil god wanted to give birth to the evil god. For some reason, they focused on the territory of the Swamp Mother, so they went in and out of Shadow Town to investigate the Swamp Mother and find its weaknesses.
Then when everything is ready...call the evil god to come.
"Are its followers still there? Blink."
After blinking together, Ying Chuoren flashed behind a dead tree more than ten meters away.
They continued to approach the Shadow Man.
[Humans... are dead... there are still servants...]
This is bad news. Lu Li may have to face a wise believer.
Lu Li stepped into the seemingly calm mud. Water-like ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the mud, swallowing Lu Li's rain boots. In an instant, he was pulled by an invisible force and retreated out of the mud.
Qiao Qiao was startled and broke into a cold sweat, but Lu Li's voice was still calm as he talked to the Swamp Mother.
"Why did you choose to trade with me."
[I am observing you...you are not afraid of the servants...and you are not afraid of me...you can approach it...kill it...]
The whisper of the Swamp Mother did not disappear and continued to sound: [Its servants wander ahead... follow the shadow... go around... keep quiet...]
Lu Li nodded, silenced Qiao Qiao, and reduced the noise caused by his movements.
The process of approaching the abandoned village was almost uneventful. Part of the Swamp Mother's consciousness remained in the sculpture, helping Lu Li and Qiao Qiao avoid the followers of the unknown evil god.
The dim silhouette of an abandoned swamp cabin looms large.
The shadow figure flickered to the largest house in the center of the village and stared at them with sadness.
"Send us up." Lu Li tilted his head slightly.
The cold breath brushed across their skin, and Lu Li and Qiao Qiao floated up on the spot, landing on a wooden board one meter above the swamp ground.
The damp and soft wood muffled the sound of their landing.
"elder brother……?"
Qiao Qiao called softly to the darkness behind the door.
Lu Li asked about the situation around the Swamp Mother, made sure it was safe for the time being, and lit the oil lamp again.
The dim yellow light spreads around, dispersing the darkness, revealing the withered vines hanging everywhere like spider webs, revealing the situation inside the wooden house.
Under the simple wooden table facing the house, a body... or a piece of shriveled skin was piled under the table, with a thin face full of fear.
There was a thud and fall behind him.
Qiao Qiao collapsed on the ground, her horrified expression filled with joy.
She was thankful that it wasn't her brother who suffered this nightmare.
