Chapter 17: Flying Bird Unexpectedly

Zu'an was both surprised and angry. "It's you? We had no grudges in the past and no enmity recently, so why are you harming me?"

Plum Blossom Twelve chuckled. "You only have yourself to blame for offending someone you shouldn't have."

"Who exactly did I offend?" Zu'an quickly asked.

Plum Blossom Twelve stepped directly onto his back, pulled out a knife, and tapped his face with it. "You don't need to know that. Go ask the King of Hell in the underworld."

Zu'an couldn't help but wonder if this world also had legends of the underworld and the King of Hell.

"If you dare kill me, the Chu clan will not let you get away with it." Zu'an tested him, trying to find out if the person behind this was from the Chu clan.

"Oh dear, I'm so scared!" Plum Blossom Twelve patted his chest, performing theatrically. "Out here in the wilderness, who's going to know how you died?"

He paused, then added, "But you've reminded me: better safe than sorry. Hmm, I won't do it myself then. Later, I'll throw you into Jackal Valley and let the fierce black jackals gnaw you until nothing remains. Then the Chu clan will never find me, right?"

Zu'an was surprised. From the tone of his voice, it seemed the person behind this wasn't from the Chu clan after all.

"By the way, do you know why fierce black jackals are called fierce black jackals?" Plum Blossom Twelve chuckled, not waiting for a reply. "Because they're good at disemboweling! You'll have to watch as they rip out your intestines with a single swipe, but you won't die right away. You'll just have to watch them eat you alive. Believe me, that won't be a pleasant feeling."

Zu'an was confused. What was the point of telling him all this at a time like this? Was it to satisfy a torturer's twisted psyche?

Plum Blossom Twelve assumed he was too terrified to speak and didn't mind. He changed the subject and continued, "However, if you can answer a few questions for me, I might consider giving you a quick death, sparing you such torment."

"What questions?" Zu'an was taken aback, wondering if the original owner of this body had known some extraordinary secret that had drawn killers from all sides.

Plum Blossom Twelve squatted down, a strange smile appearing on his face. "How big are Miss Chu's breasts?"

Zu'an: "???"

He had guessed all sorts of possibilities but never expected such a question.

"About this big," Zu'an gestured vaguely, not having seen them himself and just making a guess.

"And her waist? How thin is it?"

"About this thin?" Zu'an was growing impatient. If he couldn't get any actual information, he wouldn't bother wasting his time with this nonsense.

"Is she tight there? How does she moan? Damn, just talking about it is making me hard." Plum Blossom Twelve's mouth was dry. He pulled down his pants. "Come on, suck it!"

He probably wouldn't be able to have Miss Chu in this life, so indirectly experiencing her "flavor" this way was good enough.

Zu'an: "???"

He had originally planned to use the opportunity to sound him out, but he never expected this guy to be such a pervert!

With a dark expression, Zu'an snatched the knife from his hand and, with a swift motion, cut off his "root of trouble."

"Ah!" Plum Blossom Twelve had no time to react. He shrieked, clutching his crotch, and rolled frantically on the ground. Then his head accidentally hit a tree, and he painfully passed out.

Plum Blossom Twelve seemed to be having a long dream. In it, his gang leader sent him to the imperial palace to become a eunuch. He was castrated in the silkworm chamber, and the palace eunuchs fed him a lot of pale yellow substances, refusing him water for days. He was dying of thirst.

Perhaps heaven heard his plea, for it began to rain. The rain seemed warm and so palatable, with a subtle hint of saltiness.

He drank a few greedy sips, then suddenly felt something was wrong. He quickly opened his eyes and found himself tied to a large tree. He struggled to break free, but the ropes didn't budge. Only then did he realize these were his own ropes, specially treated and designed to restrain low-level cultivators.

What was going on?

For a moment, he couldn't process it. Hadn't he brought that good-for-nothing Zu'an to Jackal Valley? He suddenly felt something wet on his face and instinctively licked it. It tasted similar to what he'd drunk in his dream.

Standing on a tree stump nearby, Zu'an adjusted his pants and said apologetically, "Sorry about that. You weren't waking up, and I couldn't find any water to splash on you, so I had to improvise. I've had a bit of a fever these past two days, so it's a bit yellowish."

Plum Blossom Twelve immediately knew what was on his face, especially remembering how he'd seemed to drink it eagerly in his dream. "You motherf—!"

Rage points from Plum Blossom Twelve: 777!

"Your temper's quite something too, buddy," Zu'an said, though he was secretly overjoyed. With such a great opportunity, he felt it would be a shame to not earn more rage points, almost betraying his title as a "keyboard warrior."

Plum Blossom Twelve cursed loudly, "You damn well dared to tie me up! Let me go now!"

Zu'an jumped down from the stump. "Have you forgotten what just happened?"

Plum Blossom Twelve froze, thinking, "Just a moment ago, I was stepping on this kid, wanting him to..." At this thought, he quickly looked down and saw a bloody mess between his legs. Although the bleeding had stopped, the space between his thighs was empty. He let out a tragic wail, "Where is it?"

With his furious roar, the wound reopened, and a spurt of blood shot out again.

Zu'an had to admit that people in the cultivation world indeed had better physiques. In his previous world, a man with such an injury would have bled to death long ago. Yet, cultivators in this world could endure for so long.

He dug in his ear, clearly uncomfortable from the recent shock, then pointed to a long bamboo pole not far away. A thin string was tied to the top of the pole, and from the other end hung a bloody object, suspended in mid-air. "Look, your 'baby' is right there."

"You son of a bitch! You tricked me!" As scenes of what had just happened flooded his mind, Plum Blossom Twelve finally understood he'd been completely outmaneuvered.

Rage points from Plum Blossom Twelve: 999!

Seeing the rage points hit a new high, Zu'an couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that men, no matter which world they were from, cared deeply about their "treasures."

"You're a cultivator?" Plum Blossom Twelve gradually calmed down.

To snatch the knife from his hand, even by surprise, was impossible for an ordinary person.

Thinking of the immense force he'd felt earlier, the opponent's cultivation seemed even higher than his own. But how was that possible? Just two days ago, he was clearly a useless nobody with no strength!

"Now I'm asking the questions, not you," Zu'an said, also tapping Plum Blossom Twelve's mouth with the knife. "Tell me, who wants to kill me?"

Plum Blossom Twelve hadn't expected the tables to turn so quickly, but he was still fuming and simply turned his head away.

"You won't tell me, huh?" Zu'an wasn't annoyed. He walked over, picked up the bamboo pole leaning nearby, and gently swung it through the air. "Actually, that thing being cut off isn't as serious as you might think. With timely treatment, it might even be reattached. But if you delay any longer, and the surrounding tissue necrotizes, that's not my problem anymore."

In his previous life, there were surgeries for reattaching severed limbs that could restore most function with timely treatment. In this cultivation world, with its various wondrous abilities, something similar should be possible.

Plum Blossom Twelve's expression shifted, and a flicker of life returned to his previously dull eyes. "If I tell you, will you really let me go?"

"I might consider it," Zu'an replied.

Plum Blossom Twelve snorted. As an old hand in the Jianghu, he wouldn't fall for such an easy trick.

Zu'an shrugged. "Anyway, if you don't tell me, you definitely won't be released. If you do, there's a tiny chance. It's your choice."

"My gang leader ordered me," Plum Blossom Twelve answered.

"What's your gang leader's name?" Zu'an pressed.

Plum Blossom Twelve hesitated, instinctively glancing left and right to ensure no one else was present before saying, "His name is Mei Chaofeng."

Noticing his small gestures, Zu'an realized he must be quite afraid of this gang leader. Wait, Mei Chaofeng?

"Your gang leader isn't a blind woman, is she?" Zu'an swallowed.

"No," Plum Blossom Twelve replied, looking bewildered, clearly not understanding why he'd ask that. "Our leader is a pure man."

After confirming the details several times, Zu'an realized it wasn't the person he had imagined. He searched his memories but had no impression of this Plum Blossom Gang leader. "Why does your gang leader want to kill me?"

Plum Blossom Twelve's eyes flickered. "How could subordinates like us guess what an elder like the gang leader is thinking?"

Zu'an sneered, "Are you playing games with me?" He then made to throw the bamboo pole into the valley.

"Wait, I remember now," Plum Blossom Twelve quickly said. "One day, a mysterious person came to see the gang leader. The leader took that person to a secret room and talked for a long time, and then he gave me the order to eliminate you."

"Who was that mysterious person?"

"I just said they were mysterious, how would I know?"

Zu'an chuckled, "It seems you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

Plum Blossom Twelve quickly explained, "I truly don't know! When that person came, they were completely wrapped in a black cloak. I couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman, so how could I know who they were?"

Seeing that he was almost in tears and didn't seem to be lying, Zu'an changed the question. "What's the deal with your Plum Blossom Gang?"

After some threats and inducements, he finally understood. The Plum Blossom Gang was essentially the largest gang in Brightmoon City. Its leader, Mei Chaofeng, had thirteen sworn sons, named Plum Blossom One to Thirteen, and were known in the Jianghu as the Thirteen Plum Blossom Protectors, each a formidable individual capable of holding their own.

The Plum Blossom Gang controlled most of Brightmoon City's underworld industries, primarily extorting protection money. Additionally, casinos were their largest source of profit.

After Zu'an had questioned him about the abilities of each of the Thirteen Protectors, Plum Blossom Twelve finally said, "Can I have my 'baby' back now?" His eyes had never left the object on the bamboo pole, but inwardly, he was thinking that once his wounds healed, he would chop that guy's 'thing' into pieces and feed it to the dogs, then slowly cut him to death, slice by slice. Only then would his hatred be appeased.

Zu'an watched as "Rage points from Plum Blossom Twelve: 9999..." continuously popped up in his system. He couldn't help but be amused; this guy held a lot of resentment.

"Alright, I'll give it back to you," Zu'an said. He had been holding this thing, and even through the bamboo pole, he felt a shiver of discomfort. With that, he pulled the pole back.

Just then, a black shadow flashed by. Only the flapping of wings could be heard, and then the bamboo pole was empty.

Zu'an then noticed a large black bird perched on a branch nearby. It looked somewhat like a crow but was much larger. In its beak hung a small "worm"—what else could it be but Plum Blossom Twelve's 'baby'?

The crow glanced proudly at the two men, then tilted its head back and swallowed the "worm" directly.

"No!" Plum Blossom Twelve shrieked repeatedly. Startled, the crow flapped its wings and flew away.

Zu'an: "..."

Plum Blossom Twelve: "..."