百足虫 Centipede Guai
蜷身一滚无首尾，展足扑腾爪似锥。
蝥牙狠毒喷邪风，狭处相逢命无归。
Twisted in form, it charges like a gale,
With feet unfurled, it strikes a deadly trail.
Beware its breath, the venomous embrace,
In narrow bounds, seek a wider space.
昔年，有个到盘丝洞寻仇的少年，他大仇尚未得报，就被妖怪捉住，扔进了虫窟之中。他跌落深穴，摔在一团肉虫的尸体上，虽是摔折了腿，却活了下来。少年疼得嗷嗷大叫，支起上身，欲要求救，放眼望去，虫窟之中除了骷髅与尸骸，再无他物。
少年万念俱灰，忽感腿上钻心一疼，有只一人长短的百足之虫，咬了他一口，还生生扯下块皮肉来吃。少年大惊，急忙从身旁摸起块硬石，疯狂砸在虫子身上，直将其砸得爆裂开来，才停手。低头一看，手里拿的竟是块人头骨，赶紧将其甩了出去。
番周旋后，少年发现受伤的腿竟然不疼了。他沾了沾虫尸淌出的浓汁，涂在擦伤的手臂上，竟也不疼了，想是它的毒液起了麻痹的效果。这给了少年不小的启发，他环视一周，从深穴边的虫茧上，抽下坚韧的丝线，又捡了两根不知是谁的腿骨，用它们将自己摔折的腿扎了起来，
恰巧此时，深穴中又传来坠地之声，少年望过去，有一堆被吃空了的皮囊被扔了下来。其后，坠地声密集而至，扔下来的全是些死物或残骸。许许多多的小百足虫都冲了出来，抢食这些残羹冷炙。它们每每经过抱成球的少年，都将他默认成自己的同类。少年立刻开了窍，他模仿着百足虫的行为，研究百足虫的习性，跟着它们住，跟着它们吃，足足花了一旬的时间，才从盘丝洞里逃到了外面。
当他迎着天光走出来，终于明白了，人若要好好地活着，就不该执迷于过往。他回到故乡打算好好生活，岂料，织户们知他去过朱家大院，便熙熙攘攘聚在他家门首，逼着他重回山中，带他们去找院中的宝贝。少年只好躲着他们，依然没能过上舒心的日子。
In bygone days, a young man embarked on a journey to the Webbed Hollow seeking vengeance. However, his quest took a dark turn when he was captured by yaoguais and thrown into the Bonevault. Falling into a deep pit, he landed in a lair of large insects. Despite suffering a broken leg, he managed to survive. As he looked around, all he could see were skeletons and remains, filling him with despair.
In the midst of his despair, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. A massive centipede, as long as a person, had bitten him and torn off a piece of his flesh to devour. Filled with terror, the young man instinctively grabbed a stone and viciously crushed the centipede until it burst apart. Only then did he realize that the stone he used was a human skull, which he quickly discarded.
To his surprise, he noticed that the pain in his injured leg had subsided. Curious, he applied some of the centipede's pus to a scraped arm, and the pain diminished, likely due to the numbing effect of the venom. This revelation sparked an idea in his mind. He tore strong silk threads from the cocoons surrounding the pit and found two leg bones to serve as support for his broken leg.
Exhausted from the ordeal, he rested, but soon heard rustling sounds around him. He searched for the source of the noise, but it abruptly ceased. Suddenly, a giant white ball descended from above, bouncing several times before unfurling into a massive centipede, hundreds of times larger than the first one. Swiftly, the young man curled himself into a ball, mimicking the centipede's movements to confuse the colossal creature.
At that moment, more objects fell into the pit—empty skins and remains. From them emerged a swarm of smaller centipedes, feasting on the discarded scraps. They passed by the young man, mistaking him for one of their own. Realizing this, he began to imitate their behavior, observing their habits and assimilating into their society. After ten days, he finally managed to escape the Webbed Hollow.
Basking in the daylight, he came to understand that dwelling on the past would not allow him to live a fulfilling life. Returning to his hometown, he sought to lead a peaceful existence. However, the weavers, aware of his visit to Zhu's Estate, gathered at his doorstep, demanding that he retrieve treasures from the estate. Forced to hide from them, he found no respite from the turmoil that surrounded him.
