Chapter 138: Landing to Discuss Conditions

He Lingchuan helped Wu Shaoyi onto the crocodile's back, then went to the stony beach to look for the long spear, only to find it was gone.

"It's gone."

The Crocodile God slowly submerged. The two held their breath, gripping tightly onto the spines on its back.

Fortunately, this stretch of water was short, and the Crocodile God swam swiftly. After a dozen breaths, it surfaced, no longer submerging.

Both sighed in relief.

In fact, Turtle's Nest was very close to Immortal Spirit Village. He Lingchuan guessed that Lu Yao and his men were still breaking ice on the western path. To avoid their sight, he specifically asked the Crocodile God to take a detour and land on the eastern side.

For the giant crocodiles, it was just a matter of a few more tail swings. They effortlessly climbed onto the east bank without much effort.

Unexpectedly, one of Lu Yao's bandits was wandering there. Seeing movement by the lake, he immediately rushed over.

His view was obscured by the vegetation, so he didn't see the Crocodile God at first. He only saw two people limping into view and assumed they were villagers hiding in the bushes. Eagerly, he approached, intending to rob them.

But upon a closer look, "Whoa, what a huge monster!"

"Croco-croco-Crocodile God!" The man shouted, turning to flee. He Lingchuan wouldn't let him get away. He reached out to...

"Keep him alive," Wu Shaoyi suddenly emphasized.

He Lingchuan took out his broken blade, then remembered his poor aim: "Uh, I can't throw straight."

"..."

Helpless, Wu Shaoyi somehow produced the long spear and threw it like a javelin.

With a "whoosh" through the air, the spearhead pierced through the bandit's trousers, pinning him to the ground.

He Lingchuan quickly moved forward. The fellow was about to draw his blade when He Lingchuan struck him on the back of the neck with his palm, knocking him unconscious.

Looking at the spear again, it had only pinned the bandit's trousers, not harming him in the slightest.

He Lingchuan subconsciously glanced at Wu Shaoyi. Despite looking on the verge of death, the man's strength and accuracy when taking action were still flawless.

A centipede does not stiffen even after death.

Indeed, one should never lower their guard against such a person.

Of course, Wu Shaoyi not killing the bandit wasn't out of kindness. He gasped, "This man can save... save my life!"

The exertion of throwing the spear caused his wounds all over his body to tear open again.

Just then, footsteps approached from the shore. Clearly, the bandit's shout before losing consciousness had attracted unwanted attention. He Lingchuan drew his dagger and hid behind a tree, preparing to ambush, when unexpectedly, there was a rustle in the bushes, and something lunged at the bandit first.

The creature moved incredibly fast. The bandit saw a blur, felt an excruciating pain in his left eye, and couldn't help but shriek, flailing his arms wildly.

He Lingchuan seized the opportunity, closing in and stabbing him in the back.

The world instantly fell silent.

He turned his head and saw something moving agilely on the ground. Its body was mostly hidden in the darkness, but a pair of beady green eyes reflected a faint glow.

What on earth was that?

He Lingchuan twirled his dagger, but then heard Wu Shaoyi call from behind him, "Coal Ball, come here!"

The creature darted away and, with a squeak, leaped into Wu Shaoyi's arms.

He Lingchuan turned and walked over, only to realize it was a sable. Its back was so dark, like an overturned inkwell, making the name "Coal Ball" quite fitting.

The sable scurried over Wu Shaoyi, carefully avoiding his wounds, then looked at He Lingchuan and tilted its head.

"This person saved my life from the crocodile's jaws," Wu Shaoyi said, stroking its head. "Where are they?"

"They thought you were dead and dispersed," the sable suddenly spoke. With the Crocodile God having spoken human language earlier, He Lingchuan wasn't surprised. "Some were recruited by Lu Yao, most fled, but they haven't gone far yet. I came to check the situation."

"Go bring them back," Wu Shaoyi said, then immediately changed his mind. "No, wait another half hour before you go."

He Lingchuan glanced at him, thinking that this man was extremely suspicious, not fully trusting even the subordinates he saw daily, and unwilling to let them see him in his most vulnerable state.

The sun was bright. Several giant crocodiles lay lazily on the lake shore east of the village, basking in the sun, some even comfortably opening their mouths wide.

He Lingchuan quickly scouted the east side of the village. He didn't find a single person, only a few free-range chickens wandering aimlessly. It seemed Lu Yao had only left two bandits to guard and loot Immortal Spirit Village.

It was clear that the bandits had been struggling recently, unwilling to let even the meager wealth of a small village go untouched.

He found a spacious house, moved both Wu Shaoyi and the bandit inside, and asked Wu Shaoyi, "How do you plan to use him?"

"To exchange injuries," Wu Shaoyi said with difficulty. "I learned a secret technique that can transfer injuries to other animals or humans, but the conditions are very strict. Ideally, the birth dates and times should match. This man... this man isn't quite suitable, but fortunately, you have the Turtle Pearl, so he can still serve the purpose."

Even injuries could be exchanged? He Lingchuan immediately became interested. "Is this secret technique difficult to master?"

"Not difficult, but there's only one set of materials, and it has many drawbacks," Wu Shaoyi said with a bitter smile. "I can't worry about that now; saving my life is paramount."

"Can you handle this yourself?" He Lingchuan stood up and stretched. "I still need to catch up with the team."

It wasn't that he was abandoning someone in peril; he and Wu Shaoyi were unrelated, even adversarial in their positions. He had already rescued the man from a desperate situation, hadn't he done enough?

Furthermore, saving him would require a Turtle Pearl, which sounded like an invaluable treasure.

"No, I can't do it without you." Seeing him about to leave, Wu Shaoyi, helpless, grabbed the corner of his clothing and then pointed to the spear beside him. "This spear is called 'Soaring Dragon.' It originally belonged to Liao Mozhao, a famous general of the Xuan Kingdom. The spearhead is made of dark gold infused with extraterrestrial meteor iron, and the shaft is from a seven-hundred-year-old Twin Vine. Do you know about Twin Vines?"

He Lingchuan honestly shook his head.

"Twin Vines refer specifically to two types of vines that parasitize the Immortal Disc Tree. To compete for the tree's nutrients, they entwine, straining with all their might to strangle each other. Over time, however, they both grow stronger. Ironically, the Immortal Disc Tree, which often grows twenty or thirty *zhang* tall, might eventually be strangled to death. You've already seen how tough the Soaring Dragon spear shaft, made from Twin Vines, is."

The spear had been stuck in the giant crocodile's mouth, and no matter how it bit, it couldn't break. Although the crocodile demon's fear of pain from its decayed teeth played a part, the shaft's resilience had indeed left a deep impression on He Lingchuan.

"In recent years, Immortal Disc Trees have become rare, found only in inaccessible deep mountains and vast marshes, and Twin Vines are even harder to obtain," he sighed. "Anyway, I won't be able to wield a spear anymore, so I'll give this treasure to you."

He Lingchuan ran his hand over the spear shaft. "If I heal you, your companions will arrive and then try to deal with me."

Though the Soaring Dragon spear was excellent, it wasn't enough compensation.

He also understood that he was Wu Shaoyi's only hope of survival.

This young man was no saint. Wu Shaoyi was helpless, knowing that He Lingchuan was about to negotiate. He could face death bravely when fighting the Crocodile God, but once back on land, breathing in the scent of earth and lake water, he desperately yearned to live.