We Are Pests

Du Chen, Deboning, and Old Foye moved almost in unison, a singular thought echoing in their minds: a formidable foe was upon them. Yet, this old hag, Xue Ji, was the only one among them who understood the Labyrinth of Life. To escape, they had to protect her, at least for now! They encircled Xue Ji, standing back-to-back, their gazes sharp as they followed the sound, searching for the beast that had suddenly spoken.

The beast's strange, hoarse voice erupted, then abruptly fell silent. The honeycomb-like labyrinth became deathly quiet, save for Xue Ji's ragged breaths, still recovering from her injuries.

Du Chen scanned the sector he was guarding, finding nothing amiss. The other two sides were equally silent. But Xue Ji interjected, "Benefactor, be careful! From the beast's words, this must be the Celestial Capital Tunnel! My master once told me about the creatures within. They are enigmatic, elusive, and frequently strike from unexpected angles. Please pay close attention to any tunnel openings above or below you."

A voice cackled, "Heh-heh-heh, you seem to know us quite well!"

As it spoke, a tunnel opening directly above Du Chen's head revealed… a beast? 'This "beast" is adorable!' Du Chen couldn't help but inwardly exclaim. A vine-like appendage, reminiscent of an evergreen, stretched out from the tunnel, adorned with red maple leaves. At the vine's tip was a small head, no bigger than a fist. It resembled a Long-haired Rabbit's head, but with shorter ears and plumper cheeks, appearing so chubby and round that it made one want to kiss it.

With a gurgling sound, the 'beast's' head dipped lower, closer to Du Chen. It grinned, revealing a mouthful of tiny, silvery teeth, densely packed, with a pink tongue peeking out from the center. "Heh-heh-heh, just playing a little joke with you all! It's been ages since outsiders came to this Celestial Capital Tunnel, it's dreadfully boring. Do my little teeth look like they could possibly eat you? Heh-heh-heh, are you heading to Celestial Capital?"

Old Foye, seeing the cute little creature and sensing no immediate malice, couldn't help but smile benignly. "We could go to Celestial Capital, or return to the Three Continents. We're simply lost and trapped here! Little one, could you tell us the way out?"

The little creature nodded, its two ears twitching wildly, its chubby cheeks jiggling. "Alright! There are three vital pathways nearby. One leads to Longblade Peak, one to Blade of Heaven Peak, and one to the Auerbach Grand Canyon. Where would you like to go?"

Old Foye chuckled, "Which way is the shortest?"

"That would be the path to Blade of Heaven Peak!" The little creature pouted, pointing to a tunnel opening in front of Old Foye. "Go this way, and then… heh-heh-heh, why should I tell you the way?" The little creature chuckled mischievously.

Du Chen rubbed his nose. "What do you want?"

The little creature hopped up and down, exclaiming, "Gold Coins! I want Gold Coins! Lots and lots of Gold Coins!"

Du Chen tossed a pouch of Gold Coins. "They're all yours. But can you take us to Blade of Heaven Peak? Once we're out, I'll give you another pouch!"

The little creature wrapped its vine around the Gold Coins, bit open the pouch for a peek, and its big eyes sparkled with delight. "Alright! I'll take you there, follow me!"

It turned to lead the way, but Xue Ji cried out, "Benefactor, you mustn't trust it! My master said the dangers of the Celestial Tunnel are beyond imagination; one must be cautious at every turn. Those ferocious beasts can employ any trick imaginable!"

Another small head popped out from a tunnel opening above, identical to the first, but from a different passage. It pouted, "If they don't trust us, fine! Let's go, little brother, we'll leave them be! Hey, we're not giving those Gold Coins back, alright?"

The two little creatures, huffing with indignation, vanished into their respective tunnels. Du Chen and Old Foye exchanged glances, falling silent for a moment. Then, Du Chen smiled at Xue Ji. "Miss Xue Ji, I trust you! We'll stay put here!"

Xue Ji felt a warmth in her heart, returning Du Chen's smile. Yet, Du Chen's true thoughts were this: Xue Ji had been completely deceived and wouldn't betray him. In an unknown peril, would you trust an experienced ally, or a few suddenly appearing cute little rascals? Rather than trusting Xue Ji herself, Du Chen was trusting Margaret's experience.

After a long while, the two little creatures reappeared. "Hey, are you really not coming with us?"

Du Chen shook his head. "If you're sincere, come down and join us!"

Suddenly, the little creature's expression darkened. "Hmph, this isn't fun at all! Brothers, it seems these humans won't fall into my trap. Come out, eat them… heh-heh-heh!"

As it spoke, its small head lunged viciously forward, and the vine behind it grew longer and longer… until a colossal, emerald-green body suddenly filled the entire tunnel opening. From the tunnel, over two meters in diameter, crawled out a Giant Green Worm, equally over two meters in diameter!

These Giant Green Worms were almost identical to the Green Gourds, the parasitic pests found on trees, except for their terrifying size. And, of course, they had the small heads Du Chen had seen earlier.

The little brother emerged, then the older brother, a second Giant Green Worm! A third… a fourth… Tunnel openings were everywhere, and Giant Green Worms were everywhere!

Du Chen gripped the hilt of the Vanishing Snow Sword tightly, throwing out a protective lotus from the Precious Lotus Scripture to shield Xue Ji. He cursed, "Damn it, they're all pests!"

"Heh-heh-heh, that's right, we are pests!" The Giant Green Worms swarmed forward, covering everything, each one taunting their opponents as they roared, "We are pests, we are pests…"

Pfft! A spray of sickly green liquid erupted as Deboning struck first, dissecting one of the pests with his blade. In doing so, he quickly grasped their strength. He immediately bellowed, "Beware! There are no fewer than a hundred of these green worms, and each one possesses the strength of a Sixth or Seventh-rank practitioner!"

Over a hundred Sixth or Seventh-rank beasts ambushing a handful of people—no wonder only a Titled Battle God could safely traverse the Celestial Path! Fortunately, there were two Titled Battle Gods present. And though Du Chen wasn't a Titled Battle God himself, he was still a top-tier Ninth-rank Master!

The human-worm battle began…

Xue Ji, protected within the lotus, called out loudly, "Benefactor, my master once said that the Labyrinth of Life is permeated with plant-based life force, and the fierce beasts born within it bear a strong resemblance to creatures that rely on plant growth on the surface! Imagine yourselves inside a giant tree, battling its pests!"

'Treat them as pests, then?' Du Chen's mind stirred, and he quickly ordered, "Uncle, set them on fire! Bru, turn your water into acid… Stop tangling with them using blades and battle qi!"

A blast of fire and a spiral spray of acid erupted, shielding the central group and splashing onto the Giant Green Worms! "Heh-heh-heh! Run, they know our weakness, run!" Du Chen had only intended to test a theory, but he hadn't expected the Giant Green Worms to actually retreat after leaving behind forty or fifty corpses—they truly were mutated tree pests, and they truly feared common methods of pest control!

Du Chen breathed a sigh of relief. "Capture a living one to ask for directions!" He glanced gratefully at Xue Ji. "Thank you, Miss. If not for your reminder, even if we escaped this calamity, we would have been utterly exhausted!" To his surprise, Xue Ji showed no pride, instead saying sombrely, "Benefactor, the Celestial Path has only just begun. These pests are merely the first wave. If we continue, who knows how many fierce beasts, far stronger than these, we will face! A map and the power of a Titled Battle God—these are the bare minimum requirements to enter Celestial Capital!"

Du Chen nodded. "Once my friends capture a living captive, we'll leave immediately!" If Du Chen had originally entertained thoughts of entering Celestial Capital right then, all such notions had vanished. He would honestly prioritize finding a map first!

Deboning returned, dragging a Giant Green Worm, which was enveloped by a black-blue mist. "Young Master, your living captive has arrived!"

Old Foye also brought one back!

Du Chen looked at the adorable little head atop the green worm, and then at its nauseating, emerald-green body. He frowned. "Soundproof the area. Interrogate them separately. If their stories don't match, kill them both!"

"Heh-heh-heh, this human is even slyer than us, little brother, tell him the truth!" As luck would have it, the two captured worms were precisely the two who had first appeared!

The little brother's big eyes blinked rapidly on its small head, shedding tears. "Don't kill us, do you know how hard it is for us?" The older brother also cried, "Exactly, do you know how hard it is for us? First, a horde of The Undead occupied our home, forcing hundreds of our brothers to scramble for territory around here. Then, you captured us… heh-heh-heh!"

"Do you know how hard it is for us?!" The two brothers howled in unison!

Du Chen was momentarily stunned. "What Undead occupied your home? Confess honestly!"

The older brother sobbed, "We… we are the weakest of the Green Gourd Beasts in the Celestial Tunnel. We used to only eke out a living near the entrance, never daring to venture deeper. A few kilometers further in, and it's the territory of the Bone Worms…"

Old Foye, grasping the implication, asked, "Are you saying that originally, your Green Gourd Beasts lived scattered, with not a hundred-plus in one nest, but a group of The Undead occupied your territory, forcing you to gather here? Is that why we encountered over a hundred Green Gourd Beasts all at once today?"

"Heh-heh-heh, exactly, exactly! We usually live in nests of seven or eight, but after our home was occupied, over a hundred of us brothers and sisters had no choice but to crowd together here!"

After the older brother finished, the younger one added, "Those Undead are inhumane! They not only took our territory but also killed our brothers. And after killing them, they didn't even spare the corpses; they turned our bodies into Undead Beasts! The most hateful of all is that Philip!"

The older brother interjected, "Yes, that ugly freak named Philip is the most detestable! He's turned the entire underground from the Auerbach Grand Canyon all the way to Amulang Mountain into an Undead nest!" Tears welled in its big eyes as it looked piteously at Du Chen. "The bone fragments, skeletal remains, and blood-soaked corpses of beastmen buried in the Sacred Land for thousands of years have all risen! At least hundreds of thousands of Undead, all ganging up on us hundred-plus little worms! Do you think it's easy for us?"