Chapter 346: Time to Settle the Score

When the Han River flooded, the group of bandits led by Tu Zhongli was navigating the river to evade government pursuit. Their luck was utterly dreadful; they were swept directly downstream into the Demon Lair Swamp.

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan realized these unlucky individuals had a very similar experience to his own. However, they had capsized several boats and more than half of them had died.

Tu Zhongli and the other survivors did not find a change of fortune, as they were washed into the territory of Lord Boshan.

As before, the great snake initially intended to eat these heaven-sent delicacies, but Tu Zhongli pleaded for his life and offered to serve him.

The Demon Lair Swamp had been untouched by humans for a long time, except for the merchant caravan that regularly traded with Madam Zhu. Lord Boshan immediately saw how these bandits could be useful.

It gave all of them a slow-acting poison, ordering them to leave the swamp first and attack Master Gan's caravan, and sent a few snake demons to assist.

Master Gan's trading company was very successful locally in Longqiu. Especially the trade with the Demon Lair Swamp, which was the foundation of his wealth and a source of boastful conversation for the Gan family. Everyone locally was well aware of this.

After leaving the swamp, these bandits reverted to their old ways. They effortlessly figured out the caravan's departure date and route. Using Lord Boshan's poison, they ambushed and attacked them, killing Master Gan and the accompanying martial artists on the spot, and kidnapped the entire caravan, forcing them into the Demon Lair Swamp.

Tu Zhongli transformed, posing as Master Gan's "nephew," and used wine jars to transport his men into the Demon Lair. Lord Boshan also persuaded the naive King Siwen. With the two great demons restraining Madam Zhu, the bandits proceeded to steal the giant spider's slough.

This plan was quite precise, but it went wrong due to He Lingchuan, an unpredictable variable who stirred up trouble.

He coughed twice lightly. Under the red spider's gaze, he sternly questioned Old Six: "The slough is still missing. Who took it?"

Old Six looked bewildered: "I... we don't know!"

Seeing that no more information could be extracted from him, the red spider gave an order. The spiders swarmed him and tore him apart to eat him.

The screams made Manager Zhao and the others nearby weak in the knees.

He Lingchuan rubbed his nose and stepped back.

The spiders were still hungry but did not eat them. Instead, they were driven into the ruins and strictly guarded.

Madam Zhu's main body had gone to pursue the great snake. The red spider had no choice but to leave He Lingchuan and jump down to deploy its troops. Everyone witnessed company after company of spiders rushing towards Lord Boshan's territory. The formation was vast and menacing, practically covering the entire mountain.

It was clear that the battle at Madam Zhu's location was fierce, requiring her subordinates to come out in full force to provide strong support.

He Lingchuan had no intention of joining such a commotion.

While rummaging through the bandits' belongings, he spoke to Dong Rui, who had approached him:

"Good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"The good news first."

"We can leave, there's a good chance." The red spider was not nearby, so they could speak in low voices. "Thanks to Lord Boshan for creating this excellent opportunity."

"What were you doing in the display room just now? Why did Madam Zhu only discover the slough was missing after she came out?" Dong Rui had also heard Madam Zhu's furious roars, and had a foreboding feeling. "Does this have something to do with the bad news?"

"Perhaps her slough was stolen after all."

Dong Rui stared at him intensely: "Was it you?"

"How would I steal it?" He Lingchuan spread his hands. "Weren't you and the red spider with me the whole time?"

Yes, but Dong Rui believed that this kid was still involved.

He couldn't articulate why, but his intuition told him so.

Meeting his suspicious gaze, He Lingchuan summarized: "If Madam Zhu doesn't retrieve her slough, she'll definitely throw a huge tantrum when she returns, and I'll be in deep trouble."

"So, where's the opportunity?" Dong Rui had a pretty good idea of Madam Zhu's temper by now. Just as He Lingchuan said, both of them were likely to become targets of her anger.

"We have one chance to turn the tables, to go from guest to master, but only one." He Lingchuan whispered, "It's with your demon puppet."

"...It?"

"After this bandit intrusion, the defenses within the underground palace should be even stricter. Your demon puppet shouldn't be in the workshop anymore, right?" He Lingchuan knew well that Dong Rui relied on his demon puppet for combat, and only the puppet could give him a sense of security. Normally it might not matter, but in such turbulent times, he would certainly keep the puppet as close to him as possible.

Besides, he had heard the sound of bells several times already. Could Dong Rui be just playing with it?

*He discovered even this? I carefully deployed it.* A shiver ran down Dong Rui's spine. *This kid is much more perceptive than he appears.* "Where do you want it?"

"Inside the entrance to the underground palace. You'll have to make it obey my commands."

"Then what?"

"Then you can watch the show." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder, speaking with utmost sincerity, "The next part is my scene. If it succeeds, we leave; if not, only I will suffer the consequences."

Easy words to say, but only a fool would believe them! Dong Rui snapped, "Explain it clearly! Even if I die, I want to die knowing why." If the plan failed, the Spider Queen's wrath wouldn't be directed solely at He Lingchuan.

"I can't explain it, it requires improvisation." He Lingchuan pointed in the direction of Lord Boshan's territory. "Things have come to this; even if we do nothing, Madam Zhu won't let us go. You have five seconds to think about it. Five, four, three..."

This condition was very unfair, but He Lingchuan gave him no choice.

He was the one in charge of the plan.

Dong Rui looked at him deeply, knowing that He Lingchuan feared he might ruin things and was unwilling to reveal the entire plan. In the past, this fellow had been his enemy, causing him endless vexation. But from another perspective, it also showed that He Lingchuan indeed had capabilities.

He only hoped this kid would perform as expected this time, and let Madam Zhu experience his anger and helplessness.

"If it works, will you truly take me with you?"

"Of course, I can swear to it," He Lingchuan said. "You could also inform the Spider Queen and say you're going to deal with her. But she won't let you leave before she gets the formula she wants."

All things considered, it seemed Dong Rui had no other choice. He thought for a moment, then exhaled: "Alright, swear your oath."

After receiving He Lingchuan's solemn oath, he casually walked towards the sinkhole, shaking his golden bell as he went.

This was his choice made.

After a while, he walked back and said, "It's arranged."

The sun was high in the sky. The captives, terrified, hadn't dared to close their eyes all night. Madam Zhu's enormous body finally appeared in the forest, followed by a large group of spiders.

As soon as she returned, she looked for them: "Where are He Lingchuan and Dong Rui?"

Dong Rui hid in the ruins, remaining silent. He Lingchuan, however, peeked out from the crown of a large tree within the sinkhole:

"Here." This tree, rooted in the sinkhole's cliff face, had surprisingly lush foliage. When He Lingchuan hid inside, his figure vanished. "Congratulations on your victory, Madam Zhu."

Madam Zhu's combat strength was greater than Lord Boshan's. If Lord Boshan had won, Madam Zhu would have returned much earlier. But several hours had passed, suggesting Madam Zhu had pursued him relentlessly, killing him off completely.

"What happened to Lord Boshan?"

"Dead." Madam Zhu's voice was tinged with exhaustion. "The bandits are all dead too."

She hadn't had time to chase down every single bandit, but her smaller spiders could do the job.

She was covered in wounds. Her massive body had several gaping wounds, some still oozing black blood. Smaller spiders crawled over their ancestor, continuously sucking out snake venom and tending to her wounds. Madam Zhu also seemed to have three broken limbs, unable to stand, making her movements extremely difficult.

Although she had eliminated Lord Boshan once and for all, she herself was severely weakened.

"The strange thing is, Lord Boshan denied stealing my slough until his death." Madam Zhu had lost two more eyes. Her remaining eyes fixed on He Lingchuan in the tree. "I searched his dwelling and all his magical artifacts, but found nothing. Tell me, where could the slough be?"

It was the old saying again: eliminate all impossibilities, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

Her slough wouldn't disappear without reason. The only living person who had been in the display room and performed tricks right under her nose was him!

By the last few words, her biting killing intent could no longer be concealed.

"You couldn't possibly have eliminated every snake demon," He Lingchuan said, helping her think. "Could it be that Lord Boshan's offspring took it, planning to rise again and seek revenge on you in the future?"

"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Madam Zhu slowly uttered these words, then suddenly lowered her head, aimed at him, and sprayed a mouthful of white silk.

The spider silk she shot out spread like an umbrella in mid-air. Its area was at least a dozen square meters, expanding to cover a good portion of the tree. Once a living creature was stuck, it could hardly escape.

Not only was it incredibly fast, but it also came without warning.

However, He Lingchuan had been on high alert, and had already vanished behind the tree. The tree's crown was dense, so it wasn't completely enveloped by the web.

"He Lingchuan!" Madam Zhu roared angrily, "Give me back my slough!"

As soon as she got angry, spiders gathered from all directions.

This was the moment of truth!

Half of the tree crown was covered by the web. He Lingchuan appeared from the other side, shot a sleeve arrow into a rock crevice on the opposite side of the sinkhole, and swung himself across.

By the time the spiders turned and lunged, he had already climbed to the edge of the sinkhole, turned, and ran into the dense jungle, leaving the Spider Queen with only one sentence:

"I truly don't have it. Believe it or not!"

"Chase him!" Madam Zhu's fury echoed in every spider's mind. "Alive! I want him to neither live nor die!"

The spider army immediately set off in pursuit.

Madam Zhu was severely wounded. Her movements were slower, so she could only follow behind.

But she released a silent message through scent, ensuring every spider in her territory would immediately converge in that direction. Faced with the spider army's carpet-like search, where could He Lingchuan flee, and how far could he escape?

Madam Zhu was very confident. Once He Lingchuan was captured, she would drain him dry!

Supported by her fury, she found her wounds less unbearable.

A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Two quarters, three quarters...

Ahead was a steep slope. Madam Zhu looked exhausted and simply lay down to rest.

She should have had powerful self-healing abilities, but for some reason, the wounds on her body were still bleeding. Moreover, as soon as she lay down, her body felt incredibly heavy, making it difficult even to breathe.

In this situation, she could only stay put, waiting for her offspring to return from all directions with news.