Chapter 350: Zhu Erniang's Gift

"The nine-holed ocarina can only be played once," Madam Zhu Er reminded him. "This is a serious matter; don't be reckless."

The xun was neither metal nor pottery, brownish-black, and completely unadorned. He raised a finger and tapped it. "What material is this?"

"It's forged from my elder sister's eye sockets," Madam Zhu Er said eerily. "In ancient times, its magical power was even greater than mine."

He Lingchuan, who had been idly holding the ancient xun, paused. "Hm? Your elder sister?" Madam Zhu Er's elder sister, surely her name isn't... "Madam Zhu Da?"

"Of course."

That mother was certainly lazy with names, wasn't she? So, the question is, "Madam Er, how many siblings do you have?"

"Seven hundred sixty-five at birth."

"..." "That's quite prolific. And how many are alive now?"

Madam Zhu Er didn't answer, changing the subject instead. "You'll leave tomorrow. I need at least one night's rest before I can bestow upon you a divine ability."

No one objected, so they spent the night at the Jiana tribe ruins.

Steward Zhao knew his hopes of leaving the swamp rested on He Lingchuan, so he was exceedingly respectful to both of them. He Lingchuan took the opportunity to inquire about the customs and local conditions outside the swamp.

After all, the world outside the Demon's Nest Swamp was entirely new and unfamiliar to him.

Not long after, Madam Zhu Er returned, pulled out a snakeskin bag, and emptied its contents onto the clearing, startling everyone present.

What she poured out was, surprisingly, an entire giant python!

It was none other than Lord Boshan.

Although it was now a corpse, its massive body still exerted a powerful oppressive presence on everyone.

Madam Zhu Er had already drained all the venom and asked the caravan to help process the python, separating the skin, meat, gall, and other parts. Human hands were so nimble; it would be a waste not to use this free labor.

Steward Zhao readily agreed. The caravan's porters and staff had been traveling merchants for years; it was common for them to catch wild boars, snakes, or rabbits for extra meals. This time, however, the snake they were processing was a bit large—seven or eight *zhang* (about 23-26 meters) long.

The prey killed by Madam Zhu Er usually showed no obvious wounds on the surface. He Lingchuan drew his Fushang Blade and first slit open the giant python, as no one else's blades or swords could pierce Lord Boshan's hide.

While everyone was busy, Steward Zhao suddenly approached He Lingchuan. "Young Master He, could we go search for the other bandits' bodies? Before we entered the swamp, they plundered all our valuables."

With Tu Zhongli dead, they wanted to retrieve their belongings.

He Lingchuan had no objection. He found a few participating spider guards to guide him and entered Lord Boshan's territory.

This was also typical swamp terrain, but its area was only half of Madam Zhu Er's territory. Prey like capybaras, deer, and rabbits were noticeably less abundant than in Madam Zhu Er's domain. No wonder Lord Boshan constantly tried to cross the border and even allied with King Siwen to dig out the burrowing spider nests.

If they succeeded in digging them out, they would have spider molts to study and could use that to coerce Madam Zhu Er into ceding territory.

Who would have thought this would be the outcome?

Soon, they arrived at the battlefield where spiders and snakes had fought.

There were traces of massive creatures having trampled the ground, but overall, the destruction wasn't extensive; only seven or eight trees were toppled. The battle between these two had no earth-shattering visual effects.

However, large and small snake carcasses were scattered around.

The spiders that had died in battle had already been carried back by their kin; only enemy corpses remained here.

As they walked further, the spider guards suddenly raised their upper bodies and emitted a series of clicking, threatening sounds. Immediately afterward, there was a rustling in the grass, and several wild boars bolted out, fleeing into the distance in a flash.

The Boar King indeed wanted to expand its territory to this area.

Both the humans and the spider guards heightened their vigilance, fearing that the giant boar demon might charge out from somewhere.

However, the surroundings remained quiet, and nothing of the sort happened until they left the battlefield.

Perhaps Lord Boshan's death had made King Siwen fearful of Madam Zhu Er's strength, making him hesitant to stir up trouble in the short term.

Led by the spider guards, He Lingchuan and his companions collected the bandits' bodies.

These individuals had scattered and fled, and when the spiders caught and killed them, their bodies were left strewn around.

Now it was the caravan's turn to search their bodies—a clear case of how the tables had turned.

Soon, someone let out a cheer—he had actually picked up two gold nuggets.

He Lingchuan wasn't idle either.

After leaving the Yuan Army and his father, he was no longer Young Master He; from now on, he would have to rely on himself.

There were too many places where money would be needed.

After finishing their search, everyone returned to the ruins. Surprisingly, the spiders came forward and handed Tu Zhongli's body over to He Lingchuan as well.

The unlucky fellow was tightly wrapped in spider silk, his bulging eyes filled with resentment.

Steward Zhao rummaged through the body and indeed found a considerable amount of valuables.

He didn't dare to be greedy. After taking a few items, he said to He Lingchuan, "Young Master He, these are all your spoils of war."

He Lingchuan saw that Steward Zhao was shrewd; he had left the largest silver ingots and most valuable items for him.

He didn't examine them too closely, sweeping everything into his storage ring. However, one item was a rabbit-shaped jade pendant, carved from green jade. Holding it in his hand, he felt his steps become much lighter, as if his weight had suddenly dropped by dozens of *jin* (kilograms).

Tu Zhongli actually had such a magical artifact—an unexpected boon! He casually hung it on his waist.

With this item's enhancement, combined with the Swallow Return movement technique, his speed could reach another level. Sometimes, hard practice might not yield any progress; one must also rely on the power of artifacts.

At this time, the spider swarm began to spread out from behind, preparing to occupy Lord Boshan's territory.

With the jungle's overlord dead, Madam Zhu Er naturally seized the opportunity to consolidate and expand her domain.

What a magnificent sight it had been when she built her nest and operated in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest of the Coiling Dragon Wasteland; the major forces of the wasteland all sought to curry favor with her. Now, her offspring were less than a fifth of what they were then, and her overall strength had declined by more than a single grade.

The next day, before dawn, everyone got up and packed their belongings.

Madam Zhu Er had spent the entire night digesting Lord Boshan's essence of flesh and blood. By this time, her movements were much smoother, and her three legs could now touch the ground and walk.

She handed three pieces of amber to He Lingchuan, each sealing a drop of red blood.

"This is the essence of flesh and blood I extracted from Lord Boshan, mixed with my own vital essence," Madam Zhu Er said solemnly. "There are two uses: If you are severely wounded, drinking one drop will heal you instantly, and severed limbs can regenerate within an hour. However, you can only drink one drop within a twenty-four-hour period, and only if you are severely injured; otherwise, your body will explode."

She explained, "It blends the life force of two great demon kings, which is too potent even for high-level human martial artists."

He Lingchuan carefully took it. Madam Zhu Er had promised him a life-saving divine ability, and she had certainly kept her word. "What's the second use?"

"While crushing the amber, silently recite the words 'Blood Fang Guards,' and you can summon three 'Blood Fang Guards,' each proficient in attack, defense, and healing," Madam Zhu Er demonstrated, summoning a giant spider the size of a calf. "The Blood Fang Guards are even larger, sturdier, and more formidable than this one. They also possess their own divine abilities and will be excellent helpers in your battles."

She seemed to sigh. "After the Middle Ages, spiritual energy weakened, and I no longer produce such offspring. But through the combined power of Lord Boshan and me, you can temporarily summon them into the human world for a maximum of half an hour."

It was indeed a valuable item, and He Lingchuan carefully put it away.

Finally, she produced a cloud-brocade flag and handed it to He Lingchuan right before the eyes of the Gan caravan members. "This is a specially made pass; with it, you can exit the swamp. Remember not to talk, laugh, or frolic loudly when passing through the mirage fog, or you might awaken the mirage demon, and then this flag may not be able to protect you on your way out."

She then turned to Steward Zhao and said, "The Gan family must wholeheartedly ensure he reaches Lingxu City. Whatever he asks for, you will provide; whatever he tells you to do, you will do." Madam Zhu Er's tone was chilling. "Otherwise, you can forget about setting foot in the Demon's Nest Swamp ever again!"

Steward Zhao and the others repeatedly affirmed, "Yes."

By this time, the spiders had already reloaded the caravan's large carts with goods. Everyone identified the correct direction and slowly drove away from Madam Zhu Er's territory.

As they proceeded further, a blanket of white mist indeed emerged from the depths of the jungle. Visibility dropped to less than ten *zhang*. The croaking of frogs and chirping of insects seemed to drift in and out, making their exact locations impossible to ascertain.

Ordinary creatures entering here would become lost, forever trapped in the dense fog.

Having entered and exited multiple times, Steward Zhao was experienced. He had already instructed his men to tie the carts together with ropes, one after another. Now, he asked He Lingchuan to place the flag on the leading carriage.

The flag emitted a green light, and the dense fog within fifty *zhang* suddenly receded, revealing the true surroundings.

The compass also worked normally.

The caravan dared not make a sound, advancing in silence. Along the way, they saw many wild beasts lying dead by the roadside, all of them having mistakenly wandered into the mirage fog and been trapped to death.

Steward Zhao quietly told He Lingchuan that creatures both inside and outside the swamp actually feared the dense fog and usually stayed far away from it. Only newly born or naive outsiders would be so ignorant and fearless.

In the dense fog, He Lingchuan seemed to see a blurry shadow, resembling both a rabbit and a fox, but it was very large, and a tail gently swayed behind it.

But no matter how much he strained his vision, it remained indistinct and utterly lacking clarity.

He didn't know what that thing was, nor did he even know how far it was from the group.

He glanced at Steward Zhao, who repeatedly waved his hand, signaling that it was nothing.

Before long, the figure vanished.

From then on, there were no more hitches. The caravan traveled for over an hour, finally emerging from the enveloping fog and leaving the confines of the Demon's Nest Swamp!

The moment the dense fog dispersed and their vision cleared, everyone cheered aloud.

They were out of danger!

Finally, they had returned to the familiar human world.

"Have we reached the territory of Fu Nation?"

"Not yet, not yet, this is a no-man's-land," Steward Zhao replied, his smile genuine. "Fifteen *li* (about 7.5 kilometers) further, and you'll be welcome as guests in our Fu Nation."

Dong Rui, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly spoke up. "Alright, we'll meet again in Beijia's capital four months from now. I'm leaving first."

Two spider puppets immediately walked to his side.

He Lingchuan smiled. "Not coming with us?" This fellow had previously kept a secret, only claiming to have made one spider puppet, but it turned out he had two. Madam Zhu Er hadn't reclaimed them, considering he still had tasks to complete afterward.

Dong Rui snorted. "I still have things to do. We'll meet again." With that, he leaped onto the demon puppet. The creature strode off on its eight legs, disappearing behind the jungle trees in a few swift movements.

The two had originally been enemies, yet they had stayed together for over ten days, outwardly cooperative but inwardly estranged. Now that the pressure from Madam Zhu Er had vanished, Dong Rui reverted to his usual taciturn self, making his escape at the first opportunity.