After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 348: Chapter 347: The Final Reckoning

When the Hanhe River flooded, the band of mountain bandits led by Tuu Zhongli was boating on the river to evade the Government Office’s pursuit. Their luck was utterly rotten; they were swept directly downstream into the Demon Nest Swamp.

Hee Lingchuan listened and thought that these poor devils’ predicament was quite similar to his own. The difference was, they had capsized several boats, and more than half of their men had died.

The survivors, including Tuu Zhongli, didn’t see their luck turn around either, as they were washed into Lord Boshan’s territory.

As he had done before, the great snake had intended to devour this heaven-sent meal, but Tuu Zhongli begged for his life and swore to serve him with dog-like devotion.

No humans had set foot in the Demon Nest Swamp for a long time, aside from the merchant caravan that regularly traded with Second Madam Zhu. Lord Boshan immediately saw a use for these bandits.

He forced them all to ingest a slow-acting poison, ordered them to leave the swamp and attack Master Gan’s caravan, and even sent a few Snake Demons to assist them.

Master Gan’s Commerce Association was a major enterprise in Longqiu. His trade with the Demon Nest Swamp, in particular, was the foundation of his fortune and a point of pride for the Gan Family, a fact well-known to the locals.

After leaving the swamp, the bandits returned to their old trade. It took them little effort to figure out the caravan’s departure date and route. Using the poison provided by Lord Boshan, they ambushed the caravan, killing Master Gan and his accompanying Martial Artists on the spot before forcing the entire caravan into the Demon Nest Swamp.

Tuu Zhongli then disguised himself as Master Gan’s ”nephew,” using wine jars to smuggle his men into the Demon Nest. Lord Boshan also persuaded the hot-headed Civilized King to help. The two Great Demons worked together to keep Second Madam Zhu occupied while the bandits moved to steal the Giant Spider’s Relic Shell.

The plan was quite meticulous, but it was ruined by the unexpected variable that was Hee Lingchuan, who muddied the waters.

He coughed twice and, under the Red Spider’s watchful gaze, sternly questioned Old Sixth, ”The Relic Shell is still gone. Who actually took it?”

Old Sixth looked utterly bewildered. ”I... We don’t know either!”

Seeing that no more information could be squeezed out of him, the Red Spider gave a command, and the swarm of spiders surged forward, devouring him piece by piece.

His bloodcurdling screams made the legs of Steward Zhao and the others nearby turn to jelly.

Hee Lingchuan rubbed his nose and stepped back.

The spiders seemed unsatisfied, but instead of eating them, they just herded them into the ruins to be kept under strict guard.

Second Madam Zhu’s main body had gone to pursue the great snake, so the Red Spider had to leave Hee Lingchuan and jump down to command the troops. Everyone then witnessed squad after squad of spiders rushing toward Lord Boshan’s territory. The sheer number of them, a swarming, menacing tide, seemed to cover the mountains and plains.

This showed just how fierce the battle with Second Madam Zhu must be, requiring her children to swarm out in full force to support her.

Hee Lingchuan had no intention of joining that chaotic affair.

He was rummaging through the dead bandits’ belongings when Dong Rui approached him.

”I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

”The good news first.”

”We can get out of here. There’s a good chance.” With the Red Spider gone, they could speak in low voices. ”We have Lord Boshan to thank for creating this opportunity.”

”What were you doing in the display chamber just now? Why did Second Madam Zhu only notice the Relic Shell was missing after she came out?” Dong Rui had also heard Second Madam Zhu’s furious roars, which gave him a bad feeling. ”Is this related to the bad news?”

”I suppose her Relic Shell was stolen after all.”

Dong Rui stared at him intently. ”Was it you?”

”What would I have used to steal it?” Hee Lingchuan spread his hands. ”Weren’t you and the Red Spider with me the whole time?”

’True, but this kid is definitely involved somehow,’ Dong Rui thought.

He couldn’t explain why, but it was a gut feeling.

Meeting his suspicious gaze, Hee Lingchuan cut to the chase. ”If Second Madam Zhu doesn’t get her Relic Shell back, she’ll be in a foul mood when she returns, and we’ll both be out of luck.”

”So where’s the opportunity?” Dong Rui had a pretty good idea of Second Madam Zhu’s temper by now. Just as Hee Lingchuan said, it was very likely they’d bear the brunt of her anger.

”We have one chance to turn the tables and seize the initiative, but only one,” Hee Lingchuan whispered. ”It lies with your Demon Puppet.”

”...It is?”

”After the bandits’ infiltration, security in the Underground Palace must be much tighter. Your Demon Puppet isn’t in the workshop anymore, is it?” Hee Lingchuan knew that Dong Rui relied on his Demon Puppet for combat and that only the puppet could give him a sense of security. It might be fine on normal days, but at a volatile time like this, he would surely keep his Demon Puppet as close as possible.

Besides, he had heard the sound of a bell several times now. It couldn’t be that Dong Rui was just shaking it for fun, could it?

’He even noticed that? I was so careful when I moved it.’ A chill ran down Dong Rui’s back. ’This kid is far more perceptive than he looks.’ ”Where do you want it to be?”

”Just inside the entrance to the Underground Palace. You have to make it follow my commands.”

”And then?”

”And then you can just watch the show,” Hee Lingchuan said with great sincerity, patting him on the shoulder. ”The next part is up to me. If it works, we leave. If it doesn’t, only I’ll suffer the consequences.”

’Easy for you to say! I’d have to be a fool to believe that!’ Dong Rui retorted irritably, ”Explain it clearly. Even if I’m going to die, I deserve to know why.” If the plan failed, the Spider Queen’s wrath wouldn’t fall on Hee Lingchuan alone.

”I can’t explain. I’ll have to play it by ear,” Hee Lingchuan said, pointing in the direction of Lord Boshan’s territory. ”Things have come to this point. Even if we do nothing, Second Madam Zhu won’t let us go. I’ll give you five seconds to consider. Five, four, three...”

The terms were incredibly unfair, but Hee Lingchuan wasn’t giving him any room to choose.

’I’m the one in charge of this plan.’

Dong Rui gave him a long, deep look. He knew Hee Lingchuan was afraid he’d mess things up, which was why he wouldn’t reveal the whole plan. In the past, when this rascal had been his enemy, he’d caused him endless frustration. But looking at it from another angle, it also proved that Hee Lingchuan was genuinely capable.

’I just hope the kid performs as well as usual this time and lets Second Madam Zhu get a taste of my anger and helplessness.’

”If we succeed, you’ll really take me with you when you leave?”

”Of course. I can swear an oath,” Hee Lingchuan said. ”You could also go tattle to the Spider Queen and tell her I’m planning something against her. But she’ll never let you leave until she gets the formula she wants.”

After all was said and done, it seemed Dong Rui had no other choice. He thought for a moment, then exhaled. ”Fine. Swear the oath.”

Only after receiving Hee Lingchuan’s solemn oath did he stroll toward the Celestial Pit, casually shaking the Golden Bell in his hand.

He had made his choice.

A moment later, he walked back and said, ”It’s all set.”

...

By mid-morning, after the captives had spent a sleepless night in fear, Second Madam Zhu’s massive form finally appeared in the forest, surrounded by a large retinue of spiders.

The moment she returned, she called out, ”Where is Hee Lingchuan? Where is Dong Rui?”

Dong Rui hid in the ruins, saying nothing. Hee Lingchuan, however, poked his head out from the canopy of a large tree in the Celestial Pit.

”Over here.” The tree was rooted in the wall of the Celestial Pit and had grown surprisingly lush. When Hee Lingchuan ducked back inside, he vanished from sight. ”Congratulations on your triumphant return, Second Madam Zhu.”

’Second Madam Zhu’s combat prowess is greater than Lord Boshan’s. If he had been the victor, she would have been back long ago. But several double-hours have passed, so she must have been hunting him down to the last.’

”What happened to Lord Boshan?”

”He’s dead,” Second Madam Zhu’s voice was laced with exhaustion. ”The bandits are all dead too.”

She didn’t have time to hunt down the bandits one by one, but her little spiders could do it for her.

She was covered in wounds. Her massive body was pierced with several bloody holes, some of which were still gushing black blood. Smaller spiders crawled over their matriarch, continuously sucking out snake venom and tending to her injuries. It looked like Second Madam Zhu had also lost three of her legs and couldn’t put them on the ground, making every step a struggle.

Although she had dealt with Lord Boshan once and for all, she herself had suffered a great loss of Primordial Qi.

”The strange thing is, Lord Boshan denied stealing my Relic Shell to his dying breath.” Second Madam Zhu was missing two more eyes, and the remaining ones were all fixed on Hee Lingchuan in the tree. ”I searched his lair and all his Magical Artifacts, but I didn’t find it. So tell me, where could the Relic Shell be?”

’It’s like the old saying: when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

Her Relic Shell wouldn’t just vanish for no reason. The only living person who had been in the display chamber and performed magic tricks right under her nose was him!

As she spoke the last few words, her chilling killing intent became impossible to conceal.

”You couldn’t possibly have killed every single Snake Demon,” Hee Lingchuan said, pretending to ponder with her. ”Could it be that one of Lord Boshan’s descendants took it away, hoping to make a comeback one day and get revenge on you?”

”Do you know what I think?” Second Madam Zhu said these words slowly, then suddenly lowered her head, aimed at him, and spat out a wad of white silk.

The Spider Silk she shot fanned out in mid-air like a canopy, covering an area of at least a dozen square meters. It spread out to blanket nearly half the tree. Once a living creature was stuck, escape was practically impossible.

It was not only incredibly fast, but it also came without any warning.

However, Hee Lingchuan was already on high alert and had ducked behind the tree a moment sooner. The canopy was dense and wasn’t completely enveloped by the web.

”Hee Lingchuan!” Second Madam Zhu roared. ”Give me back my Relic Shell!”

The moment she flew into a rage, spiders converged from all directions.

This was the moment of truth!

With half the canopy covered in webbing, Hee Lingchuan appeared on the other side, fired a Sleeve Arrow into a crevice on the far wall of the Celestial Pit, and swung across.

By the time the spider swarm turned to pounce, he had already climbed to the edge of the Celestial Pit and dashed into the dense jungle, leaving the Spider Queen with a single sentence:

”I really don’t have it. Believe it or not!”

”After him!” Second Madam Zhu’s fury echoed in the mind of every spider. ”I want him alive! I’ll make him wish he were dead!”

The spider army immediately set off in pursuit.

Second Madam Zhu, heavily injured, moved more slowly and could only follow behind.

But she sent out a silent message through her scent, and every spider in her territory would immediately move to encircle this area. Faced with the spider army’s dragnet-style search, where could Hee Lingchuan possibly run? How far could he get?

Second Madam Zhu was very confident. Once Hee Lingchuan was caught, she would suck him dry in one go!

Fueled by her rage, the pain from her wounds seemed less difficult to bear.

In the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour passed.

Two quarters of an hour, three quarters...

Ahead was a steep slope. Just looking at it exhausted Second Madam Zhu, so she simply lay down to rest.

She should have had powerful self-healing abilities, but for some unknown reason, the bloody holes in her body were still bleeding. The moment she lay down, her body felt immensely heavy, crushing her to the point where even breathing was difficult.

Under these circumstances, she could only wait where she was for her children to return from all directions with news.