Lu Ze smiled as he held the Jade Box, gently opening it.
Inside the Jade Box, a bead the size of a longan and resembling a cherry lay quietly. It was a deep crimson, shimmering with a radiant light.
As Lu Ze opened it, a wave of pure Spiritual Power spread out, refreshing all who felt it.
"Junior Brother Cheng, what is this?" Lu Ze asked, feigning ignorance.
The old man smiled and said, "My family doesnāt have many valuables. This Spirit Pearl Fruit is the only thing barely presentable. Please, allow this old man to offer it as a token of my gratitude."
"Arenāt you afraid weāll take your stuff and not get the job done?" Zhangg Xiu spoke up, his words brutally direct.
The old man chuckled. "You neednāt worry, Senior Brothers. This old man and my people have already scouted the Snake Nest several times, so we are quite familiar with it.
Although there are many, thereās only one mother snake, and her Cultivation is barely at the Intermediate Apprentice level.
There are also five Child Snakes at the Junior Apprentice level. And while the mother snake is an Intermediate Apprentice, she is just an ordinary python.
She has no Bloodline Skills, and the five Child Snakes can only spit their poison mist once every ten days.
And weāve already made them use up this ten-day periodās poison mist.
Therefore, with the formidable strength of you three Senior Brothers, this old man can rest assured."
Hearing this, Zhangg Xiu asked, "If thatās the case, why not just deal with it yourselves? Youād save some money, wouldnāt you?"
Lu Ze shot Zhangg Xiu a glare. Zhangg Xiu immediately shut his mouth and said no more.
The old man, however, didnāt seem to mind. He explained with a smile, "First, we have no way to deal with that mother python. Second, most of us in the Cheng Family donāt know any Techniques.
Even those who do only have an Entry Level grasp of the Little Cloud Rain Skill. We have the will, but not the strength."
Lu Ze then spoke up with a smile. "Junior Brother Cheng, donāt mind him. Heās just like thatāacts without thinking, always a bit slow on the uptake."
The old man smiled. "Senior Brother Zhangg is straightforward and outspoken. This old man actually thinks thatās a fine quality."
The group continued to eat and chat like this, finishing lunch about an hour later.
After a short rest, the group followed the Cheng Family members to Snake Valley. The three of them frowned slightly as they looked down at the writhing balls of snakes below.
Just then, the elder, Cheng Jie, spoke up. "As you Senior Brothers can see, now is the breeding season for these beasts.
This is the perfect chance to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. If we wait for these beasts to finish breeding, Iām afraid Xiashui Town will be facing a true snake disaster."
The trio nodded. Lu Ze looked at Zhangg Xiu and Wenx Weichao beside him and said, "Weichao, you cultivate with the Flying Knife. You start."
Wenx Weichao was an aloof young man. Hearing this, he simply nodded.
Seeing that everyone was ready, he initiated the attack with his Flying Knives. He held several knives between his fingers, which he sent hurtling toward the mother snake in the writhing mass, a faint light flickering around them.
"CLANG... THWIP..."
Of the several Flying Knives, a few aimed at the snakeās head were all deflected by its scales. But as the mother snake coiled and uncoiled, it exposed its belly, and the other knives plunged straight in.
"HISSSSS..."
The mother snake cried out in pain, letting out a low, guttural hiss. The writhing balls of snakes in the valley suddenly went still.
A moment later, countless snakes broke away and began slithering up the not-so-steep canyon walls.
The sheer, dense number of them was a terrifying sight.
Wenx Weichaoās expression remained cold and unmoved. He unleashed several more Flying Knives, this time aiming them all at the mother snakeās belly.
After being hit again, the mother snake and the few Child Snakes that were Demon Beasts all charged up the slope of Snake Valley, heading straight for Wenx Weichao.
Behind Wenx Weichao, Zhangg Xiu put on a gauntlet and charged directly at the mother snake, which was leading the attack.
Wenx Weichao, meanwhile, retreated at high speed. Their movements were practiced and fluid; clearly, this wasnāt the first or second time they had worked together.
Dozens of disciples from the Cheng Family had come. Even those without a Spirit Root had cultivated decent Martial Arts.
Along with a number of militiamen, they were all wielding special tools, responsible for dealing with the surrounding Ordinary venomous snakes.
Lu Ze, meanwhile, slowly took out several short rods from his backpack. He connected them one by one, and in a moment, a special, two-to-three-meter-long staff appeared in his hands.
By now, Zhangg Xiu was single-handedly holding off the mother snake plus the five Child Snakes. He was clearly struggling, the faint light around his fists flaring brightly.
Lu Ze smiled faintly, gave the long staff a few twirls, and charged straight into the fray.
"CLANG..."
Judging by its color, the long staff looked like it was made of some unknown wood, but when he leaped high and struck the mother snake on the head, it rang out with the clash of metal.
Evidently, this staff was an Artifact created through Artifact Refining.
Lu Zeās strike was incredibly powerful. It stunned the mother snake, greatly reducing the pressure on Zhangg Xiu.
"Haha, youāre still the one who packs a punch, Senior Brother!" Zhangg Xiu laughed heartily as he pummeled a Child Snake.
Behind them, Wenx Weichao was moving rapidly, constantly changing angles as an endless stream of various Flying Knives materialized in his hands.
He had already thrown dozens of them. Even though they were all small and thin, they would have weighed several pounds in total. If nothing else, his ability to conceal so many knives was truly master-class.
The mother snake, dazed by Lu Zeās blow, shook its head slightly. Lu Ze seized the opportunity, landing dozens more strikes on its body.
For the heavily armored mother snake, the damage from a blunt weapon was clearly much greater than that of the Flying Knives.
In fact, the pain from Lu Zeās staff blows was what snapped it out of its daze. Instantly, a ferocious light glinted in the mother snakeās eyes, and a faint Spiritual Light began to glow from its tail.
Lu Ze, who was in the middle of his attack, noticed the change instantly, but it was too late.
The mother snakeās tail suddenly whipped out like lightning, striking Lu Ze and sending him flying like a cannonball.
"Senior Brother!!!" Zhangg Xiu roared anxiously. He immediately abandoned the Child Snakes in front of him and leaped before the mother snake, blocking it as it tried to press its attack.
"Watch out, it has Power Techniques!" a voice called from a distance, but it was a little too late.
An enraged Zhangg Xiu directly met the mother snakeās faintly glowing tail, the light on his fists surging as they collided.
The mother snakeās tail paused for a moment, trembling to a halt in mid-air.
Meanwhile, Zhangg Xiu was sent sliding backward for more than ten meters, spitting blood and plowing a long furrow in the ground before finally stopping in a half-kneeling position.
Freed from their opponent, the Child Snakes all charged in unison toward Wenx Weichao, who had been relentlessly attacking them with his knives.
The instant Lu Ze was sent flying, Wenx Weichao had already turned to run.
He seemed to have predicted Zhangg Xiuās next move. Or perhaps, this wasnāt the first time heād been sold out by a tank who got a little too passionate.
Therefore, the moment Lu Ze went flying, he decisively turned tail and ran.
Even as he ran, he didnāt forget to pull out more Flying Knives and toss them behind him.
After being knocked back and spitting blood, Zhangg Xiuās first thought was not for his own injuries.
Instead, he looked back and saw that Lu Ze was only bleeding from the corner of his mouth. He had created a large crater where he landed but was already getting back to his feet.
Only then did he breathe a small sigh of relief. A moment later, his rage returned, and he glared at the mother snake. "Youāre going to die."
Just then, a cold and slightly breathless voice rang out from behind him.
"If you keep going crazy, I donāt know if itāll die, but I know Iām about to!
Zhangg Xiu, after this is over, I swear Iām getting new teammates! Even Senior Brother Luās words have no effect on you!!!"