Chapter 19: Blood for Blood

Yi Chenlan struck swiftly, grabbing the black silver-striped snake with venomous fangs in one hand.

His expression suddenly turned dark and vicious. He hadn’t expected Chen Tao to be not only ruthless and sinister, but also so foolish and arrogant as to dare make a move against Shu Wan. If anything happened to Shu Wan, did Chen Tao really think Shu Qi would let him leave Zhongshan Sect alive?

Not to mention Shu Qi—even he himself would never let him off…

Yi Chenlan gripped the snake tightly and crushed it with a single motion.

Shu Wan stirred slightly in his arms and asked Yi Chenlan, confused: “Senior Brother Ah Lan? What are you doing?”

Yi Chenlan’s body stiffened. Only then did he realize what he had done, and he quickly released her. Recalling the way her face had turned pale and she had screamed in fear at the snake earlier, he calmly tucked his bloodstained hand behind his back. “It’s nothing. I saw wrong.”

Her family’s villain was always so proper and respectful—how could he suddenly hug a girl like that and claim he saw wrong? Could he really have mistaken something?

Shu Wan pointed at his hand. At this tense moment, she was on edge. “Why are you hiding your hand? Is… is there a snake?”

Yi Chenlan had no other choice and lowered his voice. “I’ve already thrown it far away.”

“You didn’t get bitten, right? Let me see your hand.” Shu Wan felt a flash of anger. Chen Tao had actually kept a trick up his sleeve. If it had made Yi Chenlan look this serious, it must’ve been a venomous snake no less dangerous than the Bloodcoil Serpent.

But Yi Chenlan didn’t oblige her and kept his hand hidden behind him. “Don’t look. It’s dirty.”

He refused to show her, so Shu Wan kept staring at him with worried eyes, like a little animal with a pleading gaze. Yi Chenlan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’m really fine.”

He looked around. “Wan Wan, there’s too much vegetation here. It’s hard to guard against Chen Tao’s tricks. Let’s get out of here first.”

…

Under the hanging moonlight, in the guest room, a middle-aged man stared at the few black silver-striped snakes coiled around his arm, a look of hatred twisting his face. He slowly stroked the cold snake bodies, revealing a hideous smile.

Chen Tao suddenly stood up and strode toward the door. The moment he yanked it open, he froze in place.

“Surprised?” Yi Chenlan chuckled softly. “Hall Master Chen must have been about to come looking for me, right? As the junior, how could I let you go to the trouble? I came uninvited—please pardon me.”

Chen Tao was still a little stunned when Yi Chenlan stepped sideways into the room. He walked to the table and sat down, curling his fingers to tap lightly on the tabletop. “We didn’t get to finish our ‘exchange’ involving the Bloodcoil Serpent today. Were you planning to introduce me to the ‘Silver Venom Ink’ instead?”

He glanced thoughtfully at the snakes on Chen Tao: “It’s far more poisonous than the Bloodcoil Serpent. Once poisoned, death comes in the span of a single breath. Hall Master Chen, you should handle it with care.”

Chen Tao sneered maliciously. “Young Master Yi sure knows a lot. Even such a rare species as the Silver Venom Ink, and you recognized it at a glance. That’s right, I was going to keep you alive and slowly torture you—but since you killed all my Bloodcoil Serpents, I had no choice but to bring this out to deal with you.”

Yi Chenlan laughed and said: “Did you forget? I’m my Master’s ‘beloved disciple.’ If you provoke me, you’ll be asking for trouble.”

“Pah! What kind of bastard are you? Don’t tell me you’re really that naive?” Chen Tao spat viciously. “That good-for-nothing Shu Wan may not understand, but don’t tell me you don’t either? You’re only alive to repay your Demon Lord father’s debts!”

Yi Chenlan’s smile suddenly vanished, his gaze turning icy cold. The look in his eyes at that moment truly reminded Chen Tao of Yi Heng from years ago—devoid of warmth, filled only with a chilling, endless cold.

Chen Tao’s heart sank, and he instinctively took a step back.

Yi Chenlan spoke in a quiet, emotionless voice: “Since your Bloodcoil Serpents are all dead, you hold no value to me anymore. I never intended to let you live past tonight anyway. Besides—”

A trace of menace gradually appeared in his phoenix eyes. “You couldn’t even control your Silver Venom Ink. That alone gives me another reason to kill you.”

Chen Tao realized he was referring to the snake he had secretly left behind during the day. It had never returned, which meant Yi Chenlan had most likely killed it.

Yi Chenlan’s words infuriated him beyond reason. He roared: “With your pathetic little skills, you dare boast about killing me?! Utterly laughable!”

Before Chen Tao even finished speaking, he had already lunged forward. His palm moved like the wind, aiming to strike down hard on Yi Chenlan’s crown.

But just as he was about to land the blow with full confidence, his wrist was suddenly stopped.

Yi Chenlan’s hand gripped him like an iron clamp, holding him in place so firmly that he couldn’t move an inch.

Enraged and humiliated, Chen Tao immediately struck with his other hand, but Yi Chenlan twisted the arm he was already holding, causing Chen Tao’s body to turn off balance. Not only did he fail to touch even a strand of Yi Chenlan’s hair, but he was also thrown off to the side with a rough tug and push, stumbling clumsily a few steps before landing hard.

Chen Tao’s eyes turned red with fury. “How could your skills be this good?! You clearly let me paralyze you with ease during the day! You—you’ve secretly learned the Blazing Sun Manual!”

Yi Chenlan calmly rubbed his fingers together and said: “Didn’t Wan Wan already tell you? I am Shu Qi’s beloved disciple. The Blazing Sun Manual was passed down to me rightfully. How could that be called stealing? Hall Master Chen, mind your words.”

Chen Tao knew he was no match in martial arts and would suffer if he kept fighting head-on. He didn’t try to be brave. Instead, he yanked the black snakes off his body and tossed them to the floor.

As soon as the Silver Venom Inks hit the ground, they slithered rapidly toward Yi Chenlan.

Chen Tao watched gleefully, expecting Yi Chenlan to panic and dodge helplessly. However, when the snakes reached Yi Chenlan’s feet, they suddenly froze in place.

He was just about to wonder what had happened when he saw all the snakes retreat from Yi Chenlan as if frightened. Their movements showed clear fear, as though Yi Chenlan was some terrifying poisonous creature. They hovered there, dazed for a moment, then suddenly all began crawling back toward him.

Chen Tao’s face darkened with rage. He was furious that the damned creatures weren’t obeying, but just then, Yi Chenlan spoke up, his voice crisp and clear:

“Hall Master Chen, when I grabbed you earlier, I left a little something on your body. I’m not blessed enough to enjoy your snakes. The long night stretches ahead—why don’t you, their master, keep them company instead?”

Without so much as a backward glance, he walked calmly out the door.

Moments later, loud crashing noises erupted from the room—sounds of things falling, shattering, and scattering. Tables, cabinets, vases, iron racks… it was as if someone inside was scrambling frantically for their life.

Yi Chenlan stood in the night, his figure unparalleled, like an immortal under the moon.

Back then, a cold, slippery red snake had slithered across his body. Its sharp fangs pierced his skin, and his blue robes were almost soaked through with blood. He had fallen to the ground, his lower lip already bitten through. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, covering his entire face. Chen Tao’s sinister smile loomed close:

“Just now, I also gave you a dose of my exclusive mute drug.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t damage your voice. You just won’t be able to speak for half a month.”

“I don’t like listening to people scream. I prefer silence.”

Yi Chenlan watched as the sounds of violent crashing gradually died down. The room behind him returned to a deathly silence, and at last, a faint smile appeared on his face.

What a coincidence—he liked silence too.

…

That night, before resting, Yi Chenlan glanced at the small wooden box beside his pillow. He raised his hand and extinguished the candle flame.

In the darkness, Yi Chenlan sat still for a while before finally reaching out toward the small box. He opened the lid with practiced ease and gently stroked the jade hairpin inside.

Because of her sudden interference today, his plan to escape Zhongshan Sect had once again fallen through. He didn’t know how long he would have to wait for another good opportunity.

But somehow, he wasn’t in a hurry anymore.

That fierce little girl had stood in front of him during the day, scolding the person who tried to humiliate him until they were thoroughly shamed. The way she had protected him—so determined, so reckless—still sent waves of warmth through Yi Chenlan’s heart when he thought about it.

Even though she was clearly terrified of snakes, she still bravely grabbed his hand, transferring nearly half of her internal energy to him. In the darkness, Yi Chenlan quietly clenched his palm, as if he could still feel the lingering warmth of that soft little hand.

Suddenly, he recalled how that day, Song Fang and Song Yuan had spoken in unison, complaining that Shu Wan had a fierce temper.

Was Shu Wan really fierce? Yi Chenlan silently tightened his grip on the jade hairpin in his hand.

To him, she was clearly the gentlest person he had ever met.

…

Last night, Shu Wan had thought things through. Since Jiang Yang was going down the mountain to Wuchuan Valley, she might as well tell Shu Qi she wanted to go too. Once they left Mount Pochen’s territory, they could part ways—Jiang Yang could go wherever he wanted, and she would head off to gather information about Luo Xian Mountain Villa.

With her thoughts straightened out, Shu Wan woke up early feeling refreshed and in high spirits as she made her way toward Shu Qi’s courtyard.

Halfway there, she suddenly saw Zhou Yuan hurrying past, followed by four or five disciples carrying a stretcher. The person on the stretcher was covered with a white cloth, their identity impossible to tell, but the blood staining the cloth red suggested a gruesome death.

Shu Wan was startled and called out: “Uncle-Master Zhou, what happened?”

“No big deal, kids shouldn’t ask so many questions.” Zhou Yuan waved his hand at her. “Go on, off with you. Go train.”

Just like that, Zhou Yuan brushed her off. Shu Wan held back her confusion and carefully tried to recall the details of this part of the story.

Something wasn’t right. There wasn’t supposed to be such a violent death here. If it had even alarmed Zhou Yuan into action, then the person involved definitely wasn’t someone unimportant.

Even by the time she reached Shu Qi’s door, Shu Wan still couldn’t make sense of it. She raised her hand to knock, but just then, a faintly irritated voice drifted out from inside:

“One of my people from the Bamboo Green Gang has died in Zhongshan Sect. Shouldn’t Great Hero Shu give us an explanation?”

Bamboo Green Gang? Shu Wan moved a little closer to listen.

“Brother Chen Tao raised those snakes for years. How could he be so careless and get bitten by his own snake? I believe there’s something suspicious about this. Great Hero Shu, please uphold justice!”

Chen Tao is dead? Shu Wan was stunned. Could the person Zhou Yuan’s men had carried away earlier be Chen Tao? He had only stayed here for one night—how could he already be dead?

This plot is getting way too bizarre…

Lost in thought, Shu Wan stood there looking a bit dazed. Inside, the voices continued:

“Great Hero Shu, a disciple from our sect said that before Chen Tao’s death, the last people he saw were your daughter and your second disciple, Yi Chenlan. Apparently, they even had a dispute. In light of that…”

Shu Qi coughed twice and replied: “Rest assured, I will certainly give the Bamboo Green Gang a proper explanation. Ah Quan, go and bring Miss and Yi Chenlan here.”

Shu Wan hesitated a moment, then stood silently at the door. As Ah Quan opened it, he was startled to find Shu Wan already standing just outside. She gave a small “ah” sound in surprise.

“Miss…”

Shu Wan nodded and stepped past him into the room. “Father, you were looking for me? I’m already here. This gentleman is—?”

Shu Qi smiled as he introduced: “Wan Wan, this is Tang Tianqin, the Right Guardian of the Bamboo Green Gang. He arrived with Brother Chen. You didn’t meet him yesterday. Hurry and greet him.”

Shu Wan gracefully offered a bow. “Greetings, Guardian Tang. I happened to overhear a bit of your conversation with my father just now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Tang Tianqin gave her a malicious and calculating smile. “Miss Shu is too kind. No rush. Let’s wait for Yi Chenlan to arrive, and then we’ll discuss everything together.”