One Thing Subdues Another?

Upon hearing Zhang Daring's words, the Handsome Young Man looked at the seemingly ill-intentioned burly man and shook his head.

"Even Snake Granny couldn't take this little ice silkworm, This Humble One won't suffer that humiliation."

Then, stroking his chin as if talking to himself, he asked and answered his own question.

"As far as This Humble One knows, Ice Blood Cold Silkworms are extremely rare and hardly ever born naturally in the wild—truly a once-in-a-century sight."

"How did one suddenly appear out of nowhere and end up in the Dragon-Severing Mountain Range? How strange, how strange! I seem to recall Master Guangshan stopped by around here a few years ago."

Who would have thought that these words would make the bald burly man, who had just acted indifferent, turn grim-faced?

He stared at the young man with a dangerous look for a long while before grunting, "That's none of your concern, young friend. Since none of you can handle it, let me give it a try."

With that, he pulled a mouse from a cloth pouch at his waist with his left hand.

The moment the mouse appeared, it squeaked and struggled frantically in his palm, and with each squeak, droplets of liquid dripped from beneath it, soon soaking Zhang Daring's fingers.

Seeing this, Zhang Daring frowned. He wanted to crush it, but remembering that he still needed it for this trip, he held back his temper.

Ignoring its pitiful, big-eyed stare, he used his free right hand to pull out an expensive-looking small wooden box, pointed at the mouse, then pointed at the ice silkworm in the distance.

He even started talking to it: "You go over there, put that ice silkworm in this box, and bring it back."

He repeated this several times, then took out what seemed to be a piece of food and stuffed it into the mouse's paw.

The mouse, dazed and confused, listened. First, it ate the food, then, as if agreeing, it stretched out its two tiny paws and grabbed the small wooden box, which was about as tall as itself.

Wobbling unsteadily, it looked back every few steps as it headed toward the ice silkworm.

This bizarre behavior from Zhang Daring left the few people present somewhat astonished. Only Snake Granny, who usually dealt with venomous creatures, seemed lost in thought.

A little mouse?

Up in the tree, Bai Chuan's eyes were wide, his heart full of shock!

Wasn't this the same incredibly intelligent mouse he had encountered before?

What was going on? After he let it go, it got caught again?

And it was connected to this bald man?

Judging by Zhang Daring's actions just now, he must be very familiar with this kind of mouse's habits—so was it his pet?

But could an ordinary mouse, at most a bit clever and spirited, actually take down an ice silkworm?

Bai Chuan recalled how ferocious that seemingly fat, weak, and harmless ice silkworm had been just moments ago.

Could this mouse really do it?

At that moment, countless questions surged in Bai Chuan's mind, and he didn't know whether to feel relieved or speechless.

In a vast forest, if it wasn't a coincidence, how did Zhang Daring manage to find a tiny mouse again? If it wasn't coincidence but intentional...

If he had eaten that mouse back then, what would have happened now?

Would he have been tracked down while half-asleep? Or would he have attracted a swarm of humans to gang up on him?

Or would nothing have happened at all?

At this moment, Bai Chuan didn't know what to feel. Should he say that his momentary kindness toward a living creature with intelligence had saved him from a heap of trouble?

Truly, every bite and every sip is fated by heaven.

Just as Bai Chuan was lost in thought, the situation below changed.

The ice silkworm, which had been vicious toward anyone who approached, suddenly lunged the moment the mouse appeared, ready to attack again.

But then a gust of wind arose, blowing from behind the mouse toward the ice silkworm.

"Thud!"

After that wind passed, the plump white worm involuntarily retracted its cold aura, as if losing its vitality, and fell from midair.

Soon after, it struggled to crawl back up, staring fearfully at the mouse as it retreated, no longer the fierce creature it had been.

"What?"

"What's going on?"

"What happened to the ice silkworm?"

For a moment, several shocked voices rang out.

The Zhao siblings stared in disbelief, their eyes wide at this utterly absurd scene.

And Bai Chuan wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Zhang Daring nodded in satisfaction, laughed heartily, and said, "Didn't expect that, did you? A once-in-a-century powerful ice silkworm, scared of a powerless dead mouse."

"Oh? And why is that? I suppose this rat isn't an ordinary one either?"

At that moment, the Handsome Young Man beside him also wore a puzzled expression, glancing at him with some confusion.

"Ha—you, young sir, have some insight." Zhang Daring shot him an unexpected look before continuing, "Indeed, this rat before you was painstakingly raised by my old bastard before he died."

"Now that he's dead, I don't mind telling you."

As if finally finding an audience, or perhaps feeling the Cold Silkworm was already within reach, this tall man opened up.

"You must have had some guesses before, right? Where did this Ice Blood Cold Silkworm come from?"

"That's right, it's the very one my old bastard kept."

"After all, everyone knows how rare the Ice Blood Cold Silkworm is—it's basically impossible for one to appear in the wild. And this one was originally the Zhang Family's."

"The Zhang Family?" As soon as the words left his mouth, the delicate woman beside him let out a startled cry. "You mean the Zhang Family from the East River Rebellion that involved several great sects back then?"

Seeming annoyed at being interrupted, Zhang Daring frowned slightly but still answered, "That's right. On the eve of the Zhang Family's fall, my old bastard happened to be visiting for an appointment, and the Zhang Family head entrusted it to him at the last moment, telling him to hand it to the right person."

"Originally, this thing should have ended up with me—after all, I was his senior disciple, serving him tirelessly day in and day out. But... but..."

"But why did he plan to give it to that good-for-nothing who only knew how to play around?! In what way was I inferior to him?"

As he spoke, the man's face twisted with rage, his voice dripping with resentment. "A waste, a waste who caused trouble every day! How could he be worthy of such a precious treasure? Why was he so biased? Was something I did not good enough?"

"I served him faithfully for so many years, bringing him tea and water, and I still couldn't measure up to a waste?"

"So you murdered him? And killed your junior brother too?" Snake Granny frowned as she asked.

"That's right!" Zhang Daring lifted his head, grinning savagely. "Since he was unfair, I took it myself. I used the chance to cook his meals every day, slowly mixing in chronic poison. Once he lost his strength, I killed him with my own hands!"

"Then why did the Ice Silkworm end up in this place?"

At this point, the Handsome Young Man raised the key question.

Zhang Daring choked, shooting him a glare as if blaming the guy for always poking at sore spots.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "Who would've thought that old bastard would rather let the Ice Silkworm escape than hand it over to me, the disciple he raised from childhood?"

"Luckily, creatures like the Ice Silkworm don't stray far. It took me several years, but I finally tracked down its trail."

"Speaking of which, you lot from minor families probably don't know much about these rare creatures, do you?"

With that, Zhang Daring cast a contemptuous glance at these people who had risen from the bottom through sheer luck.