The Fisherman

"Hiss!"

As expected, upon seeing the Poison Dragon Grass, the Flower Fox Ferret immediately let out a hiss of danger, its fur bristling and its back arching slightly, like a drawn bow.

"Ssss!"

A moment later, Fang Yuan heard a response from among the white stones. A thin, black, long line slithered out, raising half its body and flicking its purplish-red tongue in a threatening posture.

"Is this… a snake?"

He gasped slightly as he looked at the snake that had suddenly appeared.

The snake was about three feet long and as thick as a thumb. Its black scales shone brightly, adorned with vein-like patterns. Most importantly, its tail was pale, resembling a string of beads. Its fangs were sharp and white, and a large fleshy lump grew on its head, as round and full as a purple pearl, faintly glowing.

"Pearl-tailed Snake?"

Fang Yuan immediately linked it to the dangerous venomous creatures of Qingling Mountain that the Heart-Questioning Hermit had mentioned. "No… ordinary Pearl-tailed Snakes aren't this slender, and they shouldn't have this fleshy lump on their heads… a mutation?"

He was certain that even if this Pearl-tailed Snake wasn't a Spiritual Beast, it was definitely more ferocious than an ordinary one.

"Hiss!"

At this moment, the Flower Fox Ferret bared its teeth and claws, slowly stepping forward.

Faced with the Flower Fox Ferret, whose fur was bright and clean, the mutated Pearl-tailed Snake appeared extremely wary. It coiled into a circle, its head poised to strike.

"That's right… Flower Fox Ferrets are natural predators of snakes. And now that it's a Spiritual Beast, amplified by my Spirit Tea, it should be able to take it down…"

The Pearl-tailed Snake was incredibly venomous. Fang Yuan had no confidence in dealing with it using only his Cleaver and antidote. He quickly retreated far away, nervously watching the events unfold.

The two strange beasts stared at each other for a long time before the Flower Fox Ferret suddenly darted forward several steps.

"Ssss!"

The Pearl-tailed Snake's scales flared, and it shot out translucent threads from its fangs, flying out like crossbow bolts.

"Spitting venom?"

Fang Yuan broke out in a cold sweat watching from the side, knowing he'd have little hope of dodging such an attack.

Whoosh!

At this moment, the Flower Fox Ferret in mid-air made a nimble turn, like lightning, avoiding the venomous projectiles. Its body became a white streak, and in a flash, it pounced into the white rubble. Its front claws firmly pinned the Pearl-tailed Snake's neck. Despite the snake's tail coiling around it, the ferret opened its massive maw, revealing its sharp incisors, and bit down without hesitation.

Crack!

With just one bite, half of the Pearl-tailed Snake's head disappeared.

"Well done!"

Fang Yuan rejoiced and quickly ran over.

He first looked at where the Pearl-tailed Snake's venomous projectiles had landed. He saw that not only was the soil scorched black, but even the stones were corroded with scattered pits. He couldn't help but gasp.

"Flower Fox Ferret, you did a great job!"

Fang Yuan praised it repeatedly and carefully put away the Poison Dragon Grass. "Yes, with this, combined with the Three-Star Grass and the Leaf from before, and now this Pearl-tailed Snake… the materials for 'King of Hell's Order' left by Master are all here!"

The prescription's name was frightening, but it was actually a potent antidote capable of neutralizing all poisons. Even when facing the gates of hell, it was like a command from the King of Hell, enough to bring one back from the brink.

"Damn it! Eat less, I still need this snake!"

After finishing his calculations, Fang Yuan was speechless to see the Flower Fox Ferret already holding the Pearl-tailed Snake and gnawing on it like a sugarcane. It had dug out a purplish-green gallbladder and swallowed it.

"Fortunately… the venom sac is still here…"

Fang Yuan went over to inspect it carefully and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that even with the Flower Fox Ferret's divine abilities, it was still wary of the mutated Pearl-tailed Snake's potent venom and dared not consume it rashly.

"Although I didn't find any Spirit Fertilizer on this trip into the mountains, I've gathered all the materials for King of Hell's Order. I can mix it once I get back…"

On the way back, Fang Yuan was in a very good mood.

Although King of Hell's Order had miraculous effects, its preparation was not complicated. It only required mixing several ingredients in the correct proportions and processing them. The difficulty lay in the rarity of the materials.

"With this, it will be more convenient if I go out and travel in the future…"

Fang Yuan mused, and suddenly, his expression changed.

Before him stood a broken tree. An ancient tree, as thick as a person's waist, had been snapped in half.

This in itself was not unusual, but at the break, a clear palm print was exceptionally conspicuous!

"Human power, a Gate-Breaking Martial Artist?!"

Fang Yuan's expression turned solemn. He looked at the messy traces nearby. "Fighting each other? They've actually ventured deep into Qingling Mountain?"

"Hiss!"

The white Flower Fox Ferret watched all this, its fur also standing on end, becoming tense.

"Let's go, let's follow and take a look, just one glance!"

Fang Yuan was still a youth, and his curiosity was piqued. He couldn't hold back any longer and directly said to the Flower Fox Ferret.

The Flower Fox Ferret sniffed the ground and immediately found a direction, giving chase.

Fang Yuan followed closely behind and immediately saw more messy footprints, as well as bloodstains.

"It truly was a chase, and this destructive power..."

Fang Yuan's expression turned solemn. When he heard sounds ahead, he slowed his pace to the absolute limit.

"Han Shou... traitor..."

Faintly, carried by the mountain wind, a human voice drifted over.

Fang Yuan dared not rush forward. He looked around, had a sudden idea, and climbed a large tree. Using the thick, solid canopy to completely conceal himself, he looked out.

He was lucky. Ahead was a clearing, and two figures were confronting each other, one in black and one in white. Neither seemed to have noticed him spying.

"Senior brother... I was wrong, spare my life..."

Fang Yuan arrived at an inopportune moment. The fight was clearly nearing its end. The man in black was losing, struck directly in the chest by a palm, coughing up blood. He then knelt down, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Watching this scene, Fang Yuan felt half of his admiration for martial arts masters instantly shatter.

"Heh... looks like masters don't necessarily have good character... He could fight so fiercely before, but now that the situation is bad, he's immediately begging for mercy so quickly..."

He spoke without empathy, thinking to himself, completely disregarding the perspective of the martial artists.

Kneeling before the man in black seemed to make the man in white hesitate. He held his raised right palm down, his face flushing red as he began to curse loudly.

Vaguely, Fang Yuan could only make out words like 'betrayal' and 'treasure,' but he wasn't entirely clear.

Just as he thought the show was over and prepared to leave, a sudden change occurred in the clearing!

The man in black suddenly lunged forward, punching the man in white fiercely in the chest!

Crack!

The piercing sound of bone breaking was clearly audible even to Fang Yuan. However, the man in white's counterattack before death was also formidable. The man in black took a palm strike as well, worsening his injuries. Yet, he spat blood and laughed wildly, extremely pleased.

"Tsk tsk... this guy is ruthless!"

Fang Yuan marveled at the sight, "A comeback at the last moment, a complete reversal!"

At this moment, the man in black stumbled forward, seemingly searching for something on the fallen man in white. However, he swayed and collapsed.

"Hmm? Both sides injured? It seems the man in white's martial arts were still superior to the man in black's; his counterattack even at death's door was so powerful!"

Fang Yuan nimbly climbed down the tree and approached the edge of the battlefield, yet still dared not get too close.

He had to admit, the previous battle between these two and its destructive aftermath had frightened him, making him hesitant to approach carelessly.

Especially the man in black, who had survived, was too cunning. What if he sensed Fang Yuan spying and wanted to lure him into a trap? Wouldn't it be walking into a net to go and collect the spoils then?

With this thought, Fang Yuan picked up a stone and threw it at the man in black.

Bang!

No reaction.

He picked up another and threw it!

Bang!

Still no reaction.

Fang Yuan was full of suspicion. Finally, he picked the largest stone he could find and threw it with all his might.

Crack!

A bone snapped...

"Still no reaction? Is he that badly injured?"

Fang Yuan glanced at the purplish-red blood pooling on the ground, which looked like it was about to form a small stream.

"Flower Fox Ferret, go bite his neck. Be careful not to use too much force!"

Fang Yuan gestured for a long time, having the Flower Fox Ferret go forward to restrain the man in black, before he leisurely walked up to examine them.

The man in white had already become a corpse, with a honest face, appearing to be in his early thirties.

The man in black, on the other hand, was decent-looking, though his chin was slightly sharp, giving him a somewhat sinister appearance. His face was now as pale as paper. Not only was his chest caved in, with countless broken ribs, but one of his thighs was also broken by Fang Yuan's stone, truly a case of one misfortune after another.

"This person is ruthless... but, he still has some use..."

Fang Yuan, using his sleeve to protect his hand, quickly searched both of them. The man in black had nothing on him, causing Fang Yuan to curse him as a pauper. However, in the man in white's pouch, there was a flint, gold leaves, and two bottles of excellent medicinal herbs. It seemed the man in black had been trying to find these, but he was too severely injured and had simply passed out.

"These medicines are good. They must be quite famous in the outside world, but... I don't recognize them..."

After searching and not finding the martial arts manuals he most desired, Fang Yuan looked at the troublesome man in black, hesitating.

Then, he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, hastily dug a pit, and buried the man in white. He then looked at the man in black, his expression complex.

"No... don't come near!"

In his dream, his senior brother, covered in blood, came to claim his life.

Han Shou cried out in alarm and woke up.

Beneath him was a hard bed with a slight, soft curve. The surrounding furniture was made of wood, looking somewhat simple.

But for him, who had been on the run until now, it was like paradise.

"What's going on? Didn't I last..."

Han Shou jolted, trying to struggle to his feet, only to find his injuries were too severe. Not only his chest but also his thigh throbbed with pain, which struck him as odd.

He remembered clearly that Senior Brother had struck his chest with Mountain-Breaking Palm, but when had his leg sustained such a heavy injury as well?

Furthermore, how had he gotten here? And where was this place?

"You're finally awake?"

With a creak, the door opened, and a plain-looking youth entered with a bowl of medicine, seemingly letting out a sigh of relief. "I was terrified when I saw you so badly injured while gathering herbs that day. Thankfully, heaven has blessed us..."

He helped Han Shou sit up, intending to feed him the medicine.

Han Shou managed to sit up and, looking at his clothes, which were still intact, especially the boot on his right foot, finally let out a sigh of relief.