The Treasure of the Endless Scrub — Richard Quarry

A warlord coerces a pair of banished Zen monks into exorcising the curse over his salt mine, where so many slaves have died that the rest refuse to go underground no matter how hard he whips them. For the monks, scheming Rikuzen and his companion the smiling, blind Hotei, the prospect of trying to appease the man-killing mine sounds only slightly more inviting than trying to appease the mounds of fire ants the warlord offers as an alternative.They have second thoughts, however, when in the course of getting bashed and battered about, the monks learn that they face not just one, but two malevolent forces. The Earth spirits demand tribute for the wealth taken from their domain. They can burn, drown, and crush you. But the pretkya, the hungry ghosts of the slaves who having died here now remain compelled to forever haunt this dark realm, will try to chew their way straight to your soul in the hope it may help them escape.Up above, the fire ants are starting to look more cuddly.A