Chapter 59: Taotie, the Gluttonous Beast
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Gu Qingluan shook her head, unable to fully understand the origin and meaning behind it all.
She refrained from indulging in further speculation and slowly scanned the reliefs.
She had a lingering sense that these carvings held more than just decorative value.
Perhaps they could reveal something crucial.
Su Lie, upon hearing her analysis, joined her in the search.
Suddenly, Gu Qingluan’s gaze halted.
On one of the walls, there was a carving—a depiction of a Taotie with the body of a bull and the face of a human, its mouth wide open, revealing its blood-stained maw. Before it lay a twisted representation of the cosmos, encompassing the sun, moon, and stars.
The representation of the sun, moon, and stars symbolized the vast universe and all creation.
As for the Taotie, it was one of the four ancient ferocious beasts, notorious for its insatiable greed.
Though Gu Qingluan had never seen a Taotie in person, she had heard of its existence.
This creature had an insatiable appetite, devouring almost anything without discrimination. It was said to consume the heavens, the earth, and even the air, eventually devouring its own body.
Why would the Jun family carve such a gluttonous creature in their treasure vault?
Could they have intended to symbolize their desire to consume all the wealth in the world?
Approaching the wall, Gu Qingluan extended her hand and touched the relief. Unlike the Pixiu, which symbolized wealth accumulation, the Taotie was purely driven by its insatiable hunger, devouring without regurgitation.
Did the Jun family use the Taotie to represent their obsession with amassing wealth?
A furrow formed on Gu Qingluan’s brow as her finger traced over the mouth of the Taotie.
Suddenly, her fingertip experienced a sharp pain, as if pricked by a blade.
Blood flowed from the wound, seeping into the stone wall.
Sensing an inexplicable force drawing her blood away, Gu Qingluan’s expression turned solemn. She tried to retract her hand but was unsuccessful.
Her hand felt as if it were stuck to the stone wall, and the blood from her body continued to flow at an increasing speed.
Indeed, there was something amiss with this stone wall!
Gu Qingluan raised her other hand and quickly pressed several acupoints on her arm.
Her fingertips gathered profound energy and struck the stone wall.
To her surprise, as soon as the profound energy touched the wall, it disappeared as if a stone had fallen into the water.
‘What’s wrong, Master?” Su Lie, sensing the fluctuation of profound energy, looked over and noticed something was amiss. He hurriedly approached.
As the faint smell of blood permeated the air, his heart tightened, and he anxiously looked at Gu Qingluan ‘s hand pressed against the stone wall.
Instinctively, he reached out his hand towards her, “Master, what happened to your hand?”
“Don’t touch me!’ Gu Qingluan sternly shouted.
Su Lie’s hand froze in mid-air, realizing that the situation was dire. He anxiously asked, “Master, how can I help you?”
“Just stand there!” Gu Qingluan commanded.
She was uncertain about the nature of the stone wall. It could absorb her blood and even her profound energy. She suspected that if Su Lie touched her, he might become its prey as well.
Su Lie obediently stood in place, afraid to move, his eyes filled with concern for her.
Gu Qingluan looked at the eyes of the Taotie with a cold smirk, “I don’t care what you are, but you better keep your thoughts to yourself or don’t blame me for being impolite.”
The opponent clearly didn’t take her threat seriously.
A glint of coldness flashed in Gu Qingluan’s eyes as she drew out the
Hongmeng Qi from within her body and infused it into the stone wall through her fingertips.
The Hongmeng Qi, the primordial energy that existed before the creation of heaven and earth, was even purer than the most pristine divine power.
The power contained within was extremely terrifying, and very few could directly control it.
According to legend, the four ancient ferocious beasts were born during the creation of heaven and earth. She wanted to see if this greedy stone Taotie could devour the Hongmeng Qi as well!
A dazzling white light suddenly appeared, causing Su Lie to instinctively close his eyes.
After a while, he cautiously opened one eye and found that the light had dissipated.
However, his face filled with panic.
Where did Master go?