Chapter 39 039 "Let's see who's more venomous. Please, senior, bestow your blessings..."
In a flash, the puppets on either side of the old woman reacted swiftly, rushing forward to cover her. A torrent of water poured down on them, unstoppable and unexpected. When they came to their senses, the puppets in the small wooden house were reduced to a pile of rotten, wet logs, their wooden eyes creaking and grinding.
After a long while, a hoarse, low cough sounded:
"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."
The old woman struggled for a long time before finally pushing away the doll that was pressing down on her. Even so, her face turned ashen and her breath became faint. She looked even weaker than any of the elderly people in Yangjia Village who were farming.
"Cough cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough..."
The coughing was intermittent, seemingly endless, as if he were about to pass away at any moment.
"You are Huo Wu, one of the eight great assassins of the Demonic Sect?"
A deep, clear voice belonging to a young man suddenly rang out, and the old woman's heavy cough stopped. She raised her eyes, and an oil-paper umbrella appeared from the shadows. Water droplets were shaken off the umbrella surface as it was folded up and closed. The tip of the umbrella drew an arc before being placed on her shoulder, revealing an incomparably handsome face.
Even the old woman, who prided herself on having seen countless legendary figures, momentarily forgot to cough and couldn't help but exclaim in praise:
"What a handsome baby!"
The little poisoner, however, showed no mercy, crossing his arms and glaring at her with suspicion: "Is Huo Wu, one of the eight great assassins of the Demonic Sect and on par with the old poisoner Gongye Chi, some old thing like you... with half a head buried in the ground?"
The old woman: "..."
"How rude of you! Cough...cough cough cough cough!" The old woman coughed even more violently, almost coughing up her lungs, and it took her a long time to stop. She glanced at the wet and miserable scene on the ground, and finally fixed her cloudy gaze on the little poisonous creature. "Good heavens, you've crippled half of my good child. It seems you've studied my child... You're not Yang Dalang, who are you? What school do you follow? Who sent you? That brat Yang Dalang... perhaps I should say that the 'Longevity Manual' has already fallen into your hands?"
As Huo Wu sized up the little poison creature, the little poison creature was also sizing her up.
Although the little poisonous creature verbally disdained Huo Wu for being merely an old woman in her sixties, he had never relaxed his vigilance since the old woman appeared. His dark eyes were fixed on her without blinking for a moment, and his back was taut like a fully drawn bow. Although Huo Wu had the senile face of an old woman in her sixties, she was unusually petite and even childlike under her fiery red dress. Her aged face was framed by a childlike body. Despite the deep wrinkles on her face and her incessant coughing like someone in their twilight years, her exposed hands were as delicate as a child's, without a single wrinkle. At first glance, she was no different from a rotten, wet doll lying on the ground.
The little poisonous creature merely smiled upon hearing this, even though the hairs on its body stood on end, its face remained completely harmless:
"What are you saying, old man? I don't know what the 'Longevity Manual' is. As for which sect or school it belongs to, I've been an orphan and a wanderer since I was a child. If a sect were willing to take me in, I wouldn't be wandering in this poor and remote place. You're joking, old man."
The little poisonous creature is practicing Tai Chi, and so is Fire Dance:
"There are very few in this world who can dispel the sting of this old wasp, young brother, you are too modest. Cough cough... Young brother, you keep calling me 'old lady,' but I haven't seen you show much humility. I'm old, I'm counting down the days, I don't have much time to waste with you." Huo Wu sighed softly, her voice, though gentle, was sharp and sinister, becoming deep and eerie. "Young brother, since you know my name, even if you don't, you know the methods of the Demonic Sect. It would be such a waste for such a fine body to perish in this desolate place. Hand over Yang Dalang and the 'Longevity Manual' obediently, and I'll spare your life, okay?"
"Your words are nice, senior..." The little poisonous creature glanced at the remaining half of the puppets, who had stealthily infiltrated and surrounded him with ease, clearly not intending to give him a way out. It snorted coldly, raised its eyelids, and its dark pupils were unfathomable. "What if this junior says 'no'?"
"Knowing my name and still daring to plot against me, you're the first." Huo Wu sighed softly, curled up in her wheelchair, seemingly even more exhausted. "What a pity. But—"
Huo Wu paused, her murky yet shrewd eyes scanning the little poisonous creature up and down. The wrinkles on her aged face spread out like waves: "It wouldn't be bad to leave your skin and bones behind as a little boy to keep you company."
The little poisonous creature sighed, "What a pity. Rather than being a wooden puppet by your side, I'd much rather wander the world."
The moment the words left his mouth, the puppets surrounding the little poisonous creature, who had been waiting for an opportunity, spat out several silver needles and suddenly burst into flight, pouncing towards the little poisonous creature at the center! At the same time, the little poisonous creature snapped open the oil-paper umbrella that had been draped over its shoulder, shielding itself from the overwhelming barrage of silver needles, as well as the dense swarms of green snakes that had been winding and coiling from every corner of the small house!
At the same moment, a high-pitched flute melody exploded like thunder in a clear sky!
Controlled by the flute music, the green snakes suddenly went berserk, swarming and attacking everything in their sight!
Many green snakes died under the barrage of silver needles, but there were simply too many of them. One after another, driven by the flute music outside, they died and then danced again. Soon, all the puppets' limbs were wrapped by the green snakes, and they were all bound and laid on the ground! This included the puppets that were protecting Huo Wu!
"Green snake's mouth, wasp's stinger!" Even though the torrential flood had destroyed half of her puppets, Huo Wu hadn't blinked an eye. But now, her expression changed drastically, and she almost cried out, "You're the disciple of the old poison master Gongye Chi?"
Seeing that the oil-paper umbrella used to shield its tail was tattered and torn, the little venomous creature simply threw it away. The flute music outside the window was erratic and unpleasant, clearly indicating that the flutist wasn't musically inclined, but it was enough. Encouraged by the flute music, the green snakes scattered everywhere, tearing and biting. The little venomous creature kicked them away one by one, its face pale and pale, but still much better off than Fire Dance.
All her puppets were entangled by the green snakes, and some green snakes had already snaked up her wheelchair and were biting her legs!
"I've long heard of the power of your hind tail sting, senior, and I've come here to learn from you." The little venomous creature said, kicking away the last green snake with disgust, and leaping onto the roof beam to escape the snake pile and catch its breath.
"Yes, yes, in the whole world only the old poison master Gongye Chi has mastered the art of snake venom that has no return once it is made, and only the poison master can manipulate the flesh and blood of living beings." Huo Wu laughed, while her cloudy eyes flashed with a strange light, and she actually allowed countless green snakes to coil around and tear at her body. "I have been as famous as your master for a long time, but I have never had the opportunity to meet and compete. Today can be considered the first duel between the North and South Poison Kings."
The little poisonous creature chuckled and replied, "It all depends on who's more poisonous. Please enlighten me, senior."
As soon as he finished speaking, he respectfully bowed to Huo Wu from the crossbeam with his fists clasped in greeting.
"Okay, okay...good boy."
Huo Wu smiled approvingly, showing the comforting feeling of a mentor who had met a promising young person. As she finished speaking, she crushed the green snake that was wrapped around her body with her bare hands and stood up from her wooden wheelchair!
On the beam, the little poisonous creature's brow twitched suddenly upon seeing this, his face turning ashen. He glanced at the small well outside the window, suppressed a smile, and leaped down with a light touch of his toes!
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Jiang Ling'er was unaware of the battle between the little poisoner and the fire dancer with the puppet inside the house. She and Yang Dalang hid in the well outside the house. The well water was up to her throat, and she could only play the bamboo flute by tilting her head back with all her might. She didn't know what kind of medicine or Gu the little poisoner had given to the green snakes in the vicinity, or what kind of mystery was hidden in the bamboo flute. Perhaps the Gu worm in the bamboo flute was his own Gu worm. The snakes were affected by the Gu worm in the bamboo flute and would slither towards it as soon as they heard the sound. Naturally, the first to be hit was her, the flute player.
After she and Yang Dalang splashed water, they hid under the well to avoid the snakes, which is why the little poisonous creature gave her the bamboo flute.
Jiang Ling'er played the flute for a long time, regardless of whether it sounded good or bad, and guessed that the snakes had been released enough. After all, even a mountain of snakes can run out of resources eventually, and the green snakes weren't truly inexhaustible. Perhaps even releasing a whole mountain of green snakes wouldn't be enough to deal with Huo Wu. The more Jiang Ling'er thought about it, the more anxious she became. She put away the bamboo flute and tucked it into her waistband. She glanced at Yang Dalang beside her, grabbed the thick rope tied around Yang Dalang's waist, and was about to use her light-footed skill to leap out of the well when Yang Dalang suddenly shouted:
"Wait a minute... wait a minute!"
Seeing Jiang Ling'er looking at him sideways, Yang Dalang shuddered at first, then stammered and hesitated, "Let's... let's go up later. There are definitely snakes everywhere up there! There are quite a few venomous snakes from deep forests. I just glanced at one and it was as thick as a bowl... ah!"
Before Yang Dalang could finish speaking, Jiang Ling'er grabbed him by the thick rope around his waist and pulled him up! After a few leaps, he jumped out of the well, and sure enough, there were green snakes everywhere. He screamed and was bitten several times. Fortunately, he had taken the antidote beforehand, otherwise he would have died on the spot.
But he couldn't jump back into the well; without Jiang Ling'er, he knew he wouldn't be able to get out. Finally finding a place to stand, he saw Jiang Ling'er kick away a creeping green snake, untie the thick rope wrapped around her waist, and say to him without looking up:
"If you're scared, then go ahead and head down the mountain. I can go by myself."
Seeing Jiang Ling'er's determination to go, Yang Dalang turned pale with fright. Looking back at the path they had come from, all he saw were snakes, and he didn't have the courage. The path ahead was a dead end. After much deliberation, he realized that staying by Jiang Ling'er's side was the safest option! With a pale face, he forced out a sentence:
"Wherever Master...Master's wife goes, I will go!"
Now they've changed their address from "elder sister-in-law" to "teacher's wife."
Jiang Ling'er glanced at him, bewildered. This was no joke; she might not return from this ordeal, which was why she had pulled him out of the well—she feared he might drown and no one would know. She was about to scold him and send him away when she suddenly heard a woman's shrill voice in the distance:
"Help me...help me!"
Jiang Ling'er, being a martial artist, naturally had better hearing and eyesight than Yang Dalang. She was the first to spot a disheveled peasant woman running towards them. Jiang Ling'er paused for a moment, then lowered her voice and reprimanded the woman:
"Don't come any closer! There are snakes everywhere here!"
However, the peasant woman heard this but still ran towards them. Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth in anxiety, looked back at the farmhouse where she didn't know what was going on, and then looked at the peasant woman running towards them, seemingly hiding from something. Upon closer inspection, she saw that there was indeed a person chasing after the peasant woman. The person was unusually tall and burly, and at first glance, she could have mistaken him for a bear. It was getting dark, and Jiang Ling'er blinked her sore eyes and looked again. She saw that the person had a full beard, and his left eye was covered with an eye patch. Even from a considerable distance, she could smell a strong, lewd odor mixed with sweat on him. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed...
Isn't this the familiar Di Qing?
Jiang Ling'er was startled. She never expected Di Qing to appear here, and even more so, she never expected that the two most feared assassins of the Demonic Sect, the Sanzang Magic Assassins, would appear here together!
They might not even be able to defeat Huo Wu alone, let alone add Di Qing, who has a grudge against them for stealing eyes!
This is... this is going to kill someone!!!
Jiang Ling'er's face was deathly pale, as if struck by frost; her complexion had never been so bad. Yang Dalang was startled by her appearance and stammered:
"W-What's wrong?"
The paler Jiang Ling'er's face became, the more strikingly bright her almond-shaped eyes appeared. She suddenly took a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision. She drew the bamboo flute from her waist, pressed her lips to it, and inhaled deeply, swallowing a large mouthful of the ghostly flame swirling around the flute. Yang Dalang, naturally unable to see the ghostly flame or know what she was doing, only felt that Jiang Ling'er… seemed to be making a final farewell, fiercely inhaling the lingering poison on the flute… the scent of her husband. He never imagined that this strange couple, who seemed to argue eight out of ten sentences together, could be so deeply in love, so deeply that it sent chills down his spine…
Jiang Ling'er took a deep drag, and the three fires on her body shone even brighter. She only let go when she could inhale no more, and when she turned around, she saw Yang Dalang staring at her with an indescribable expression, as if he had swallowed a fly...
Jiang Ling'er: "???"
In this urgent situation, Jiang Ling'er didn't bother to investigate further. She shoved the bamboo flute into Yang Dalang's hand and stared into his eyes, saying:
"I'll go rescue that person to distract Di Qing, while you proceed according to plan and deliver the bamboo flute to the little poisoner. Can you manage that?"
Yang Dalang was stunned for a moment: "Who are you going to save? And who is Di Qing? You're going to..."
Jiang Ling'er suddenly interrupted him and said loudly, "Just tell me if you can do it!"
"...Yes...yes!"
Under Jiang Ling'er's dazzling gaze, Yang Dalang's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously agreed.
Hearing Yang Dalang's answer, Jiang Ling'er breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the unmoving farmhouse behind her, then released her grip. "Remember, you must get the bamboo flute into Little Poison's hands, or we'll all die." Looking at Yang Dalang's dark yet youthful face holding the flute, Jiang Ling'er added at the end, "I know you're scared... but don't be afraid. If you survive, you still have a chance to see Aunt Yang. Aunt Yang has already lost you once; don't let her lose you a second time."
As he finished speaking, Yang Dalang's initially timid eyes gradually hardened, and he gripped the bamboo flute tightly in his hand:
"Don't worry, Master's wife, I will definitely give it to Master!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling'er's lips curved into a smile. She glanced at the farmhouse one last time and, without turning back, ran towards the direction where the peasant woman had called for help. She used her light footwork to leap over the surging swarm of snakes and flew away!
Little poisoner, wait for me!
I don't want to die, so you're not allowed to die either!!!
Live well...wait for me!!!
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Author's Note: Happy Start! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-09-29 17:40:31 and 2023-10-07 18:27:43!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Sunflower (10 bottles); Fairy (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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