Too Dangerous to Cross!

Outside the Yang Estate stood the courtyard where the three great fiends had once gathered.

"Snake Lord, let's speak plainly. Are you actually capable or not?"

"Didn't you say that within ten days, the entire Yang Estate would be thrown into chaos, not even chickens or dogs spared?"

"And now? Six days have passed, and everyone in the Yang Estate, servants included, is healthy and happy!"

"Even the estate's chickens and dogs are all alive, so tell me, is this what you call chaos among chickens and dogs?"

Blood-Handed Butcher Xue Ruhai had originally been quite wary of Jade Snake Gentleman Li Li, and had spoken to him with utmost courtesy.

But now that he had discovered the fellow was entirely undeserving of his reputation, he immediately lost patience.

After being berated like this, Li Li was unable to flare up and retort.

After all, he had indeed boasted too much before, only to have his face thoroughly slapped swollen now.

"This is an accident!" Li Li said awkwardly. "I truly didn't expect there to be an expert in the poison arts within the Yang Estate!"

With an expert in the poison arts stationed in the Yang Estate, this was the only explanation Li Li could think of.

If the strange poisons he had secretly released were discovered and eliminated by the people of the Yang Estate once or twice, that could still be chalked up to their good fortune.

But five or six days had passed. Surely they could not have had outrageously good luck every single time.

Moreover, even if the experts from Heartfelt Martial Hall stationed in the Yang Estate were far stronger than expected, they could not possibly uncover the poisons in time on every occasion.

Even if they found them, without recognizing those strange poisons, they could easily capsize in a gutter.

Thus, after ruling out every impossibility, Li Li had reached only one conclusion.

There was likely an expert in the poison arts within the Yang Estate, one no weaker than himself!

"There's an expert in poison arts in the Yang Estate?" Xue Ruhai did not believe it. "Then how the hell didn't I know?"

He was not saying this so confidently without cause. In order to avenge his son, Xue Ruhai had long since conducted an extremely thorough investigation of the entire Yang Estate.

"Besides, not one of those bastards from Heartfelt Martial Hall knows how to use poison. They pride themselves on being righteous and disdain such lowly tricks!"

"...Brother Xue, watch your words!"

Though he seemed to be talking about Heartfelt Martial Hall, Xue Ruhai was clearly pointing at the mulberry while cursing the locust tree.

Xue Ruhai snorted coldly and did not continue complaining.

Li Li coughed and said, "However, now that I know there is an expert in poison arts in the Yang Estate, I merely need to make the proper preparations."

"Tonight, I prepared a grand gift especially for him!" Li Li sneered repeatedly, his expression so dark it was terrifying.

After all, no matter how skilled an expert in the poison arts might be, he could not possibly recognize that seemingly ordinary black serpent as Li Li's natal gu.

Even an expert like Xue Ruhai, whose inner qi was incomparably deep, would most likely be killed by Li Li's natal gu if caught off guard!

"This time, let's see how he can still... Huh!?"

"Pwah—"

Before Li Li could finish his vicious words, his entire body suddenly shook, and he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of foul blood.

This abrupt, unforeseen change even startled Xue Ruhai, who stood beside him.

He hurriedly retreated several steps, keeping his distance from Li Li.

Li Li spat several more mouthfuls of foul blood before saying with an incredulous expression, "No, that's impossible. Impossible..."

As he spoke, his gaze gradually filled with terror.

Not only had the natal gu he released failed to ambush the meddler as planned.

It had been killed instead!

After all, once a natal gu died, its master would immediately suffer grave injuries.

That was precisely why Li Li would not use his natal gu lightly.

Furthermore, his natal gu possessed extremely high intelligence. Once it sensed that the opponent's aura was too powerful and likely beyond its ability to contend with, it would remain dormant and refrain from attacking.

Even the black snake had merely been camouflage.

Li Li had never actually revealed the true form of his natal gu.

His real natal gu was, in fact, a gu insect parasitizing the black snake's body.

But all that was like drifting clouds now. His natal gu had truly been destroyed.

It had not even been given the chance to escape by shedding its skin like a golden cicada...

"Snake Lord, what's wrong?" Seeing Li Li freeze with an expression as though he had seen a ghost, Xue Ruhai asked tentatively.

Having lost his natal gu and suffered serious injuries himself, Li Li's mentality completely collapsed.

"What's wrong with me?"

"I'm done!"

"I don't want any of the benefits you promised me. Whoever wants them can have them!"

With that, Li Li swiftly swallowed a pill and prepared to flee at once.

Too dangerous to cross, too dangerous to cross!

What poison arts expert? That was a senior master of the poison arts!

Or perhaps someone from the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect had quietly arrived in Yuan Guang County ahead of time and, for some inexplicable reason, insisted on helping the Yang Estate deal with Xue Ruhai?

Either way, he could no longer wade into these muddy waters.

"Wait, Snake Lord! What happened? At least explain it clearly!" A thoroughly baffled Xue Ruhai hurried after him.

Li Li turned back and said impatiently, "Are you fucking deaf? I said I'm done!"

"For the sake of our past friendship, I'll advise you as well: don't rush to deal with the Yang Estate for now. A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. Wait a little longer and get a clear look at the situation first!"

"Farewell!"

After saying this, Li Li's figure flashed, and he vanished into the night.

Xue Ruhai watched the direction in which Li Li had fled in panic, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.

In truth, Xue Ruhai was naturally extremely displeased that Li Li had suddenly and inexplicably quit.

Just now, he had nearly struck out directly, intending to crush Li Li to death in one grip.

But in the end, he still feared Li Li's poison arts.

With people who played with poison, even if one knew they were injured, it was best not to provoke them if possible...

Still, Xue Ruhai had never fully believed Li Li's shouting about there being an expert in poison arts in the Yang Estate.

The reason was simple.

Thousand-Faced Widow Bai Cuixiang had already successfully infiltrated the Yang Estate.

According to the intelligence she had sent back, aside from several experts from Heartfelt Martial Hall stationed there, there were no outsiders at all within the Yang Estate.

So in the end, it was most likely that snake-playing fellow who was not capable enough. The poisons he released had surely all been discovered in time by the experts of Heartfelt Martial Hall.

Or perhaps the Yang Estate had prepared for a rainy day and had long since made special arrangements against the possibility of poison attacks.

Xue Ruhai could not be blamed for thinking this way, for Li Li had never explained just how formidable his natal gu truly was...

Li Li would not reveal a secret like his natal gu even in front of his own father.

"Jade Snake Gentleman?" Xue Ruhai sneered in the direction Li Li had left and spat out a thick gob of phlegm. "Dog shit!"

Inside the Yang Estate's woodshed.

Zou Feng looked thoughtfully at the scraps of black snake he had blown apart with a single finger strike.

If he had not seen wrongly just now, it seemed that a tiny insect had also been blown apart along with the black snake?

Unfortunately, the power of Passion-Chaos Finger had been unexpectedly potent. Coupled with the chain reaction triggered after the mixed poison penetrated its body, that little insect had been blasted into scraps, leaving no way to discern what it had looked like before.

However, Zou Feng was certain that this sudden incident had to be a special arrangement aimed at him by whoever had repeatedly poisoned the Yang Estate.

Though the danger had passed without incident just now, it was enough to show that fellow truly had some skills.

Starting tomorrow night, he would need to be more careful—or simply stop coveting those poisonous creatures' bodies...

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