Chapter 54: Caught in One's Own Web

As he grabbed the wooden sword, preparing to snatch it away, Jiang Fan suddenly activated the lightning effect within the sword. A powerful electric current immediately surged into Zhu Jianshen’s body, causing him to scream and freeze in place.

Jiang Fan seized the opportunity, sweeping his leg to kick Zhu Jianshen onto a wooden frame. “Tie him up!” he commanded.

The household guards immediately stepped forward, expertly hog-tying him to a butchering rack. By the time Zhu Jianshen regained sensation, he was unable to move his limbs, only able to roar, “Let me down! Let me down now!”

Jiang Fan ignored him and ordered his men to lift him onto a brazier to be roasted. The intense heat made Zhu Jianshen howl incessantly, “What are you doing to me?”

Jiang Fan calmly replied, “Treating your illness, of course. However, we still need a crucial ingredient.”

He opened the bag Zhu Jianshen had brought back and found the golden Soul-Snatching Thorns. He paused slightly, a hint of surprise on his face. “Where are the bronze thorns?”

A隨從 helpless aide replied, “The young master thought they were too cheap and cumbersome to carry back, so he threw them away on the road.”

Jiang Fan reluctantly picked up the Soul-Snatching Thorns and walked over to Zhu Jianshen. “No choice. Since you threw away the Iron-Blood Thorns, I can only use these to treat you.”

Upon seeing the object, Zhu Jianshen’s face turned ashen with terror. “Wait! You’re going to use Soul-Snatching Thorns to treat me? Do you know what this is? It can kill people!” Clearly, he recognized the item and knew its dreadful nature.

Jiang Fan showed a playful expression. “Oh? Young Master Zhu, you were fighting me for this item. Wasn’t it for your own treatment? I thought you also knew its medicinal properties.”

What? Zhu Jianshen’s face turned liver-colored. He had paid a hefty price to snatch these thorns, only to end up paying for Shadow Guard Number One! This left him feeling utterly mortified!

But what truly panicked him was the realization that this thing was going to be used on him! What made him want to vomit blood the most was that he had thrown away the less painful Iron-Blood Thorns, keeping only the Soul-Snatching Thorns!

“Shadow Guard Number One, I warn you, don’t come closer, don’t you dare come closer…”

“Ah!!!”

As Jiang Fan pressed the Soul-Snatching Thorns onto him, Zhu Jianshen experienced an excruciating spiritual pain. It was like a sharp knife violently stirring within his soul. That kind of suffering was ten times worse than a physical blade wound. He instantly let out a pig-like shriek, his limbs twitching and convulsing in extreme agony.

Zhang Yuxiu listened with a heavy heart. Just as she was about to call for a stop, she noticed faint black liquid seeping from Zhu Jianshen’s skin. Under the high temperature of the brazier, it gradually evaporated into black mist and dissipated. This method really worked! She suppressed her heartache, covered her ears, turned away, and said, “Shen’er, hold on, it will be over soon!”

Initially, Zhu Jianshen could still scream. But as the treatment deepened, he became too pained even to shriek. He twitched uncontrollably and foamed at the mouth. All the pain he had endured in his life combined was not even one-tenth of what he was experiencing now!

Ye Qingxue watched, speechless. Even criminals undergoing death by a thousand cuts couldn’t be suffering as much as Zhu Jianshen, could they? However, he was getting what he deserved. Paying a small price for attempting to harm Patriarch Chen.

Half an hour later, no more black liquid seeped from Zhu Jianshen’s body, and Jiang Fan finally stopped. “Alright, the corpse poison has been completely removed!”

Zhang Yuxiu quickly had Zhu Jianshen released. Seeing her son, barely conscious, his features distorted by pain, almost unrecognizable, she cried out of heartache.

Zhu Jianshen’s fingers trembled as he weakly pointed at Jiang Fan with resentment. “Get… him… out…”

Jiang Fan shrugged. “Sorry, Young Master Zhu, I don’t think I’ll be leaving anytime soon. Because I still need to retrieve the Fire Spirit Pearl from your Zhu family’s ancient well!”

What? The Zhu family was going to give him the Fire Spirit Pearl? After he tormented him so much, the Zhu family would still offer him the Fire Spirit Pearl?

“You… you…”

Already traumatized, Zhu Jianshen couldn’t handle such a shock. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

The Zhu family members immediately panicked! After an examination, Zhang Yuxiu found he was not in serious danger and breathed a sigh of relief. She then said to Jiang Fan, “Thank you, Master Divine Healer. With the corpse poison gone, my son will recover quickly. Please follow me.”

Under her guidance, Jiang Fan arrived at the Zhu family’s forbidden area, the Fire Well. The well was very deep, and its bottom was remarkably spacious, no smaller than the Zhu family’s mansion itself.

“When you go down, be very careful where you step,” Zhang Yuxiu warned. “Each time we harvest Fire Spirit Pearls, my Zhu family loses some people.”

Is that so? Jiang Fan looked down. The bottom of the well seemed very calm. Apart from being somewhat warm, there was nothing special about it.

Zhang Yuxiu grabbed a handful of pebbles and threw them down. As one pebble touched the ground, a cluster of fiery red magma instantly appeared below, engulfing the pebble. Jiang Fan’s pupils constricted slightly.

Zhang Yuxiu fixed her gaze on him. “If you’re afraid to go down, you can wait a few days until my Zhu family has finished harvesting. If there are any, we can give you one. If not, we can substitute it with something else, how about that?”

Her calculations were so obvious, it was almost laughable. If Jiang Fan wasn't present, how would he know if the Zhu family had harvested any? If they found some and concealed it, then simply offered something else to dismiss him, what could he do?

“No need, I’ll go down myself,” Jiang Fan calmly stated. With his movement technique, even if he accidentally stepped into magma, he could quickly evade it.

Zhang Yuxiu frowned in displeasure. “Then be careful,” she said, and without revealing any more precautions about the Fire Well, she returned to check on her son.

Ye Qingxue worriedly said, “Young Master Jiang, please be very careful. This Fire Well has indeed claimed many lives.”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Fan said, leaping down. He used his movement technique to search the well’s bottom. The areas near the well’s opening had been searched countless times by the Zhu family and no longer contained any Fire Spirit Pearls. To find them, he had to go to the deepest parts, where the Zhu family members dared not venture.

Time passed minute by minute. Jiang Fan did not emerge.

Lying in his sickbed, Zhu Jianshen gradually woke up. With the corpse poison removed, his body felt significantly better. After simply taking a few healing pills, he was able to walk. However, at this moment, he was not concerned about his body. Instead, he worried about how many Fire Spirit Pearls Jiang Fan had obtained.

“Mother, why did you let Shadow Guard Number One go to the Fire Well? I’ve already promised this batch of three Fire Spirit Pearls to Senior Brother Zhong from the inner sect. With his care, I can have a smooth journey in Qingyun Sect.”

Zhang Yuxiu frowned. “Don’t worry too much. After years of harvesting, there are very few places left in the Fire Well that can still produce Fire Spirit Pearls. The safest spot is very hidden; he might not find it. As for the deepest part, even your father, who went down himself, dared not venture deep. If he goes there, it’s like seeking his own death.”

Zhu Jianshen felt a little relieved but still wasn’t at ease. “Let’s go keep an eye on the Fire Well! In case he doesn’t find any and takes his anger out on the well, damaging our Zhu family’s treasure ground.”

Zhang Yuxiu was startled. “How could I forget that? Come, let’s go and see immediately.”

Deep within the Fire Well, Jiang Fan stood before a rock wall, a look of surprise on his face. As he had walked, other rock walls were covered with thick layers of ancient magma ash. Only this particular rock wall had significantly less dust than the others, appearing strikingly incongruous.