At one point, they finally entered the range of his Soul Skill. Yu Xiaogang nervously poured Soul Power into his spirit ring, silently repeating to himself,
"I hope it works. No, it has to work. It must work.
"Otherwise, Sanzi and I are done for."
"It took so much effort to find a disciple with such outstanding talent who also respects his teacher. I can't let him die here."
"My second Soul Skill is hypnosis. I control it first, then attack. That's the right order, isn't it?"
Once both spirit rings had lit up, Gangzi took a deep breath and shouted loudly, as if trying to work up his courage:
"Fart like a cloud of smoke, hypnotize and put them to sleep, Luo Sanpao!"
Luo Sanpao opened its mouth and inhaled. Its belly swelled, then it leaped into the air, aiming its rear at the Silver Shuttle Snake.
With a puff, a cloud of yellow gas burst from between its plump cheeks, shrouding a large area around the Silver Shuttle Snake.
Just as Gangzi was about to unleash his first Soul Skill, a whoosh cut through the air. A streak of silver shot out of the smoke and landed right beside his foot.
Before he could react, a piercing pain suddenly flared in his calf.
A shrill scream burst from his mouth.
"Ah~~~"
He instinctively raised his bitten right leg, but lost his balance and toppled to the ground.
He didn't even try to get up. He frantically scrambled backward, rolling and crawling.
"It's over. It's all over. I'm going to die in the Soul Beast Forest too."
Terror seized him.
He had memorized the soul beast guide, so he knew all too well how venomous and dangerous the Silver Shuttle was.
Once bitten, there were only two words: no cure.
Luo Sanpao stayed close beside its master, its eyes filled with panic too.
Watching from a distance, Tang San's vision went black. He nearly fainted on the spot.
That pig-brained move nearly gave him a brain hemorrhage.
On the surface, he'd been so respectful to his teacher he was practically groveling, but in his heart, he had no qualms at all.
He snapped and cursed,
"What are you doing? No, seriously, what on earth are you doing, old man? Putting on a coward's show?"
"Useless. Completely useless.
"No wonder Huang Tian beat you into that sorry state. Against a fast opponent, you move like an old woman out for a stroll. If you don't get bitten, who will?"
"And what were you thinking, trying to hypnotize a venomous snake with a poison-smoke skill? Did you think the Silver Shuttle Snake wasn't excited enough, and decide to spice things up for it?"
His only hope had gone down in a spectacular heap without accomplishing a thing—and now Tang San had to save him.
At that moment, Tang San felt worse than if a dog had screwed him. He was going out of his mind.
Still, he didn't give up. He hurriedly called out:
"Teacher, don't move! That'll make the poison spread faster."
"Oh, right, right. I almost forgot. The Silver Shuttle's venom travels through the blood."
Just as expected, Yu Xiaogang immediately stopped moving. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath. In just a short while, sweat had soaked through his clothes.
He couldn't tell if it was from the pain or the fear.
Hopping over on one leg, Sanzi treated Gangzi with pressure-point techniques and bound the wound, hoping to slow the poison's effects.
At the same time, he didn't forget to ask:
"Teacher, do you know how long it usually takes for a victim to die after being bitten by a Silver Shuttle Snake?
"What do people or soul beasts look like when they die from the poison? Does their skin break down? Does their complexion change noticeably? Do they develop some kind of unusual smell?
"And how does the Silver Shuttle Snake tell that its prey has died?
"Temperature? Breathing? No movement? Something else?"
He had come up with a plan: play dead.
He had treated his wound very promptly, and most of the poison had been expelled. With the pressure-point treatment, the bandaging, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill, he ought to take much longer to die than someone normally would.
If he could fool the snake into thinking he was dead and lure it over to feed on him, he might be able to strike once it got close. With the surprise of his Hidden Weapons, he might have a chance to turn things around.
The Silver Shuttle was too fast. He couldn't catch up to it on one leg, and even if he did, he wouldn't have many ways to deal with it.
Yu Xiaogang was stunned by the barrage of questions.
"The soul beast guide doesn't say any of that. How would I know?"
"The Spirit Hall compiled the soul beast guide to help its members find suitable spirit rings. It only records a soul beast's traits and abilities, and how to identify its age.
"At most, it adds a warning beside some extremely dangerous creatures."
Gangzi awkwardly shook his head and said nothing.
Tang San was so frustrated he could barely breathe, but he didn't dare waste any more time.
Then I can only gamble.
One hand clamped tightly around Yu Xiaogang's calf. With the short sword in his right hand, he struck precisely and ruthlessly. No matter how agonizingly his teacher screamed, Tang San didn't stop until he'd cut a cross-shaped gash into the wound.
Then, sword in hand, he pretended to chase after the Silver Shuttle Snake.
He'd leaped about thirty meters when, judging by how quickly the poison was spreading up his leg, it should have been enough to make him pass out.
Suddenly, his body swayed. He fell face-first to the ground, stiff as a board, and after a few twitches, lay still.
Many kinds of poison caused skin to break down, become bloodshot, swell abnormally, change color, or erupt in blisters.
By burying his face in the grass and pressing his hands beneath him, he could keep the Silver Shuttle from judging his condition.
The moment Tang San fell, Yu Xiaogang sprang up behind him with a whoosh.
In a voice even more anguished than when he himself had been bitten, he cried out:
"Sanzi, what's wrong? Sanzi!
"Sanzi, are you all right?
"Sanzi, wake up! Don't scare your teacher!"
His voice was filled with terror; every word seemed to tremble. Tears and snot streamed down his face.
As he howled, he grabbed at the flowers and grass with both hands and dragged himself forward with all his might.
Tang San was utterly speechless, yet deeply moved.
Damn it, I told you not to move! I told you not to move! You'll speed up the blood flow and spread the poison. Did you just let it go in one ear and out the other?
My teacher's willing to die to save me. He won't be any help if he gets here, but his heart's in the right place. He really is a good teacher.
But no matter what he thought, he didn't dare move even a toe or make a sound.
He controlled his breathing until it was barely perceptible, and used the Mysterious Heaven Skill to force his heartbeat down to its slowest pace.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't treated the poison quickly enough. By now, his entire right leg had gone numb, and his head had begun to swim. He crawled slowly.
Still, two minutes later, he reached Tang San's side.
He swayed, looking at his unconscious disciple, then gritted his teeth.
"Sanzi, I can only cut off your left leg. It's the only way to save your life. I hope you won't blame your teacher when you wake up."
Tang San jolted in fright.
What the hell, you stupid bastard? What are you doing?
Get away from me! Hurry up and get away, you idiot!
I'm luring it in. Do you even know what it means to lure the enemy?
Yu Xiaogang had already raised his right hand. The sharp short sword whistled through the air, and Sanzi could no longer keep up the act.
He pushed hard with both arms, rolling his body to the side and making Yu Xiaogang's sword miss.
But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a strange, thin, pointed head nearby, sharp as an awl.
It was the Silver Shuttle Snake he'd been thinking about all along.
Before you continue