Chapter Fifty-Six: Seeking Vengeance

At that moment... A puff of azure smoke rose from the previously unremarkable mound. As the smoke faded, a shadowy figure slowly appeared. I immediately recognized it—the twin-tailed scorpion.

She gazed at us with a calm expression, as if she'd known we would come all along.

"We found what you were looking for," I said.

The twin-tailed scorpion nodded lightly and replied, "Bring it to me."

"And the antidote?" I demanded.

She answered, "Give me the Snow Spirit Flower, and I'll give you the antidote."

"Why should I trust you? Let's exchange—one hand for the antidote, one for the Snow Spirit Flower," I insisted.

She smiled faintly. "Hand over the Snow Spirit Flower first. If not, you can kill me, and let your friend be buried with me."

Damn... She clearly knew I wouldn't dare harm her.

I suppressed my anger, took a deep breath, and forced myself to stay calm. Reaching into my coat, I pulled out the Snow Spirit Flower and tossed it to her.

Without hesitation, she caught the flower. Then, in a flash, she vanished.

Just as I was about to curse, her voice echoed from the air.

"Thank you for the Snow Spirit Flower. When you return to the hospital, your friend will be fine."

I shouted, "You'd better not be lying to me!"

With that, we hurried back to the hospital.

Entering the ward, we found Fatty already awake. Though his body was still weak, two doctors hovered nearby, checking his vital signs.

Fatty smiled when he saw us.

I approached him and asked, "Are you alright?"

He nodded, "I'm fine!"

After the doctors left, I explained everything to him. Only then did Fatty realize he'd fallen victim to the twin-tailed scorpion’s trick.

By evening, Fatty had nearly recovered. After all, he was a descendant of the Dragon-Slayer Clan, far sturdier than most. Leaving the hospital, he couldn't let the matter rest, insisting on confronting the twin-tailed scorpion—no amount of persuasion could dissuade him.

Back at the hotel, Fatty stormed toward the twin-tailed scorpion’s lair.

Worried for him, we followed.

When we returned to the mounds, Fatty cursed and shouted for ages, but not a single twin-tailed scorpion appeared. The sky grew darker.

I advised, "Why not head back and return tomorrow?"

Fatty stubbornly refused, continuing to yell.

As time passed, I noticed something odd—they should have shown themselves by now. Why was there no movement, despite Fatty’s relentless commotion? Had they moved en masse? Or gone out to forage?

I turned to Wu Xin and said, "Something feels off."

Wu Xin nodded, her keen eyes scanning the surroundings.

Feng Zi Mo remarked, "They must have fled, knowing we’d come seeking revenge."

Xiao Xiao disagreed, "That’s not their nature. I sense something strange here."

Indeed, Xiao Xiao had a point. Remember the old man from earlier—how arrogant he was.

Fatty, worn out from shouting, panted and said, "Watch me! I refuse to believe they won't come out."

He strode to the nearest mound, drew his large cleaver—rumored to be the Dragon-Slayer Blade—and hacked away the weeds, leaving the mound bare.

We gathered around. On the left side of the mound, we noticed a fist-sized hole.

Seeing this, Fatty pulled out his black gourd, aimed it at the hole, and recited the incantation from the Immortal’s Tomb.

"Heavenly gourd, earthly gourd, demons and monsters enter the gourd..."

As he finished, I saw a streak of blue light sucked into the gourd.

Fatty quickly sealed it, shook it, and said, "If you don't want to die, tell us where your companions are!"

A strange voice echoed from the gourd, "I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you."

Damn...

Fatty snapped, "Still stubborn? Just wait—you’ll soon know what it’s like to be turned to mush."

He began muttering toward the gourd.

Soon, anguished wails sounded from inside.

"Well? Ready to talk yet?" Fatty asked.

"Still won’t tell..."

"Refusing? Then don’t blame me for being ruthless," Fatty threatened.

Just as he was about to continue, a sudden chill swept through the air. In a flash, a shadow snatched the gourd from Fatty’s hand, releasing the twin-tailed scorpion trapped within.

When I finally saw the figure clearly, it was the old man from earlier. But now he looked quite different, and the aura he exuded was noticeably stronger.

The old man let out a strange laugh, but said nothing.

Lin Wei Yan whispered, "Brother Chu Yun, he has already taken the Snow Spirit Flower!"

I stared at the old man, remembering how he’d claimed ignorance about the flower earlier—it was all an act.

No wonder they say scorpions and snakes are poisonous—even their lies are deadly.

Fatty glared at the old man as if confronting a mortal enemy, raising his Dragon-Slayer Blade high, ready to fight at any moment.

The old man glanced at Fatty, snorting disdainfully. Then his gaze shifted to me—he must have known I was the one who obtained the Snow Spirit Flower.

Since I had the strength to secure the flower, I couldn't be underestimated. That’s why the old man hesitated; he was weighing my abilities.

Yet, he could never guess I was actually the weakest among us.

Even so, the old man didn’t dare make a rash move.

I saw through his caution and, feigning mysterious confidence, said, "I know you’ve taken the Snow Spirit Flower. But to me, it’s nothing special. We don’t want trouble—just hand over the twin-tailed scorpion who poisoned my friend, let him vent his anger, and I may consider sparing you."

The old man suddenly replied, "If you want me to hand over Ah Fang, forget it."

I smiled, "Is that so? Refusing my offer will cost you dearly."

The old man laughed coldly, "Such arrogant words!"

As soon as he finished, soldiers clad in armor surrounded us. I estimated their numbers—at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.

I knew these soldiers were all twin-tailed scorpions transformed, loyal to the old man.

With a single command, they would swarm us.