Chapter 1047: The Skeleton Grabbed My Ankle
Editor: Henyee Translations

“Clang—”

In the darkness, the sound of swords clashing echoed, followed by Duan Ting’s shout, “Brother, help me!”

“I’m struggling myself, how can I help you?” Su Liangwei blocked the puppet’s sword with his own, his arm numb and almost losing sensation.

At this moment, countless mechanical puppets were chasing them. These puppets, made of iron and wood, were seven feet tall, towering over the men, each wielding heavy weapons, leaving them almost defenseless.

“Ah—” A puppet struck one of their men on the shoulder, blood gushing out. “Brother, help me!”

Su Liangwei’s sword was pressed down by the puppet, his body slowly sinking, his face red and veins bulging, about to kneel.

In a critical moment, he suddenly lay down, kicking the puppet away with his legs and quickly hiding in a corner. He rubbed his wrist, almost crippled by the encounter.

“Ah—” Another man had his arm chopped off by a puppet, falling to the ground unconscious.

Meanwhile, Fifth Master Xuan led Xuan Dong Wu and their men into the puppet formation. In the darkness, they relied on luck to navigate.

“Clang, clang—”

In the dark, intense clashes continued, occasionally lighting up with sparks, keeping everyone on edge.

“Uncle, what’s happening?” Xuan Dong Wu asked anxiously, seeing the tall iron puppets. “Can we even defeat them?”

“The Nalan family was famous for their mechanical traps. The house is full of them. Stay alert,” Fifth Master Xuan said, decapitating a puppet.

A subordinate was impaled by a puppet’s sword, dying instantly.

With Fifth Master Xuan and his men fighting the puppets, Su Liangwei, Duan Ting, and their last subordinate sneaked away into the darkness.

“Help me, Master!” a subordinate cried as a puppet struck his back, blood spurting from his mouth.

Fifth Master Xuan couldn’t save him, retreating while fighting, leaving the subordinate to face the puppets.

The intense fighting gradually ceased, fading into darkness. Only the thick scent of blood hinted at the violence that had occurred.

Meanwhile, Chu Tang, Jiang Zhaoyong, and Shang Zixing entered a study.

Chu Tang lit the lamps and searched for hidden doors. As the light illuminated the room, a hidden door opened by itself.

Jiang Zhaoyong approached the door, “Here…”

Shang Zixing cautioned, “Be careful. This place is full of traps.”

In their short journey, they had already encountered three traps, surviving only due to Chu Tang’s quick reactions.

“I know, I won’t be reckless,” Jiang Zhaoyong said, standing at the door, observing without moving.

Chu Tang walked over and peeked inside, even she was momentarily stunned.

Inside was a stone chamber filled with treasures—gold, silver, and jewels, all covered in dust but still glittering.

Surrounding the treasures were numerous skeletons, twisted and draped over the riches.

Jiang Zhaoyong marveled, “The Nalan family truly was a wealthy, ancient family.”

Shang Zixing, standing by the treasures, suggested, “Let’s take some of these.” He reached for a jewel.

“Wait!” Chu Tang had been examining the skeletons and saw what happened after Shang Zixing touched the jewels. “Throw it away!”

Shang Zixing immediately dropped the jewel. His fingers stung, and his hand quickly turned black, the color spreading up his arm in a sinister and terrifying manner.

Jiang Zhaoyong, alarmed, asked, “What do we do?”

Chu Tang took a pill from her pouch and fed it to Shang Zixing, then cut open his fingertip with a dagger, using her spiritual power to cleanse his hand.

Black blood flowed from Shang Zixing’s finger, and the darkness receded, his hand gradually returning to its normal color.

Jiang Zhaoyong bandaged Shang Zixing’s wound, relieved. “I didn’t expect the jewels to be poisoned.”

Shang Zixing, grateful, said, “Thank you, Chu Tang.”

Chu Tang glanced at the skeletons, “Remember, don’t touch such things.”

Shang Zixing nodded quickly, “I understand.”

Chu Tang inspected the chamber but found nothing besides the treasures. “Let’s check elsewhere.”

Jiang Zhaoyong followed Chu Tang out, “Are we leaving all these treasures here?”

Chu Tang replied, “We’ll deal with it later.” These treasures would fund their military, but she couldn’t discuss it with Jiang Zhaoyong, an imperial envoy.

As they exited the study, a scream echoed.

“Let’s go see,” Chu Tang said, leading them towards the sound.

Meanwhile, Duan Ting, fleeing with Su Liangwei, felt something grab his ankle in a corridor. Lighting a torch, he saw a skeletal hand.

Terrified, he screamed.

The skeletal hand reached from the darkness. Duan Ting dared not look closely.

Su Liangwei was also horrified but tried to remain calm. “Don’t move.”

As he spoke, he began to retreat, wanting to leave this terrifying place.

“Brother, don’t leave me! Help me!” Duan Ting pleaded as Su Liangwei moved away.

At that moment, Chu Tang and her group arrived. “What are you yelling about?”

Duan Ting, on the verge of tears, begged, “Master, please help me. A skeleton grabbed my ankle.”

Chu Tang saw the skeletal hand around Duan Ting’s ankle. Walking over, she lifted the hand, surprised to see a valuable jade ring on it.

Whoever owned this ring must have been wealthy or noble.

Chu Tang moved the torch, revealing a skeleton leaning against the wall, ribs marked with cuts. A necklace hung around its neck, which Chu Tang took, thinking it might be useful later.