Chapter 1195: [Conditions] (Part 1)

Yan Tianlu curled his lip in a cold smile, convinced Lu Qingyuan had no way out; the so-called coffin opening was merely a stalling tactic, but opening the coffin was fine—before all the brothers, he would completely expose Lu Qingyuan's conspiracy. Yan Tianlu stopped and said, "Open the coffin; I want to see how you'll still quibble."

Lu Qingyuan had two men open the crystal coffin, personally carrying the corpse out. Everyone looked up and saw the corpse's build and appearance were almost identical to Yan Tianlu's—let alone the pirates who rarely saw Yan Tianlu, even sworn brothers like Jiang Xingquan dared not easily tell which was real and which fake.

Yang Zongtong said, "Check if there's a flood dragon tattoo on his chest!"

Lu Qingyuan nodded, drew his dagger, slit the shroud from the outside, and with a hard pull, the corpse's upper body was completely **, yet they saw on his chest a flood dragon tattoo, the tattoo's eyes blood-red.

Everyone exclaimed in unison; they had basically believed Yang Zongtong's words, but now, seeing the tattoo on the corpse's chest, everyone began to hesitate again.

Jiang Xingquan stepped forward to examine the tattoo, but Lu Qingyuan reached out and covered it.

Yang Zongtong frowned involuntarily, glanced at Yan Tianlu, who laughed and said, "Lu Qingyuan, I wasn't wrong about you—you're no ordinary man. Finding this stand-in must have cost you dearly."

Lu Qingyuan said, "You want to open the coffin and examine the corpse; to prove it to you, I'd rather be disrespectful to the eldest brother. You keep claiming to be the Island Lord of Python Flood Dragon Island—what proof do you have? Does your chest bear a flood dragon tattoo?"

Yan Tianlu said, "Good! Good! Good!" He slowly took off his clothes, removed the armor underneath, and finally revealed the chest tattoo—identical to the other, and the left eye of his flood dragon tattoo was a birthmark red mole.

Yang Zongtong said, "Lu Qingyuan, move your hand so we can check whether the corpse's chest tattoo has a red mole." Tattoos can be faked, but a birthmark cannot.

Lu Qingyuan nodded, suddenly raised his dagger, and viciously stabbed it into the corpse's abdomen. Seeing this, many cried out. Lu Qingyuan glared viciously at Yan Tianlu, his expression ferocious, and said, "Yan Tianlu, do you think you can catch me?" Gripping the dagger with his right hand, he fiercely slashed the corpse's abdomen, carving a slit about a chi long. From the slit, Boom— a sheet of golden light flew out.

No one knew what that sheet of golden light was; those nearby saw first that it was composed of countless tiny flying insects. In an instant, golden flying insects filled the spirit hall, some already biting into people's skin. The one closest to Lu Qingyuan, Jiang Xingquan, did not dodge. Countless insects had already flown onto his face; first he felt a tingling numbness, then an unbearable itch. Unable to endure the itch, Jiang Xingquan desperately scratched his face, tearing it to bloody shreds, yet the itch did not lessen in the slightest—it only worsened. Jiang Xingquan wished he could gouge his eyes out of their sockets.

The site echoed with miserable cries. In an instant, dozens of pirates were struck. Yan Tianlu reacted incredibly fast; facing the swarm of golden flying insects, he unleashed his protective qi, waved his robes, retreated hastily, and shouted, "Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm! Dodge! Dodge!"

Hu Xiaotian, mixed in the crowd, also heard Yan Tianlu's shout; he was no stranger to the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm—Xu Mitian had originally intended to use this poisonous insect to kill him, but in the end, her own scheming backfired. Because Hu Xiaotian had mistakenly taken the Scarlet Yang Burning Yin Pill, the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm could not harm him; instead, its effects were neutralized by the potent medicine in his body.

Hu Xiaotian shielded Yan Nujiao and fled outward, but Yan Nujiao said, "No need to worry about me; I have a way to collect these poisonous insects."

Only then did Hu Xiaotian recall Yan Nujiao's skill in detoxification; she had him fetch a torch to ignite the dry wood nearby, take out a porcelain bottle, and sprinkle its powder onto the flame. Soon he saw golden insects continually flying toward the burning flame, their numbers growing. Hu Xiaotian shielded Yan Nujiao; although he knew the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm could not harm him, he also worried the insects might accidentally injure Yan Nujiao. Fortunately, the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm clearly dared not approach him—at most they would fly within three chi of him before veering away. One after another, the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworms fearlessly flung themselves into the flame, and before long they had vanished completely.

Approximately a hundred people on site were bitten by the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworms, lying on the ground rolling and scratching in agony.

Yan Tianlu looked around and discovered that Lu Qingyuan's figure had vanished from the gathering hall; this bastard had used the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm to create chaos and then escaped in the confusion. He approached Yan Nujiao and whispered, "Nujiao, is there any way to treat them?" Having seen her just now subduing the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm, he assumed she knew how to cure them.

Yan Nujiao shook her head. Although she could dispel the harm of the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm, she had no means to heal the wounded, and she replied frankly, "Only a handful of people know how to control this poisonous insect, and even fewer can cure those poisoned; in the whole world, perhaps only two people are able to save them."

Yan Tianlu let out a long sigh; from afar came a heart-rending scream—it was Fourth Chief Jiang Xingquan, who, with his bare hands, had gouged out his own eyes. The sight was too horrible to behold, and Yan Tianlu walked over.

Jiang Xingquan wailed, "Elder brother, I haven't betrayed you; I was deceived…… by Lu Qingyuan……"

Yan Tianlu nodded and said, "I understand; I believe you!" Jiang Xingquan had always been loyal and honest, and Yan Tianlu knew him fairly well; seeing him reduced to this state, he no longer held it against him.

Jiang Xingquan said, "Thank you!" Suddenly drawing a dagger from his waist, he viciously stabbed it into his own chest, unable to endure the pain inflicted by the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm, and chose to end his life.

Yan Tianlu pressed his lips, his heart filled with grief, which turned into fury toward Lu Qingyuan. He roared, "Men, search every corner of Python Flood Dragon Island—even if we have to dig three chi deep, we must find that bastard Lu Qingyuan!"

The Enforcement Elder Yang Zongtong came to Yan Tianlu's side and whispered, "Island Lord, what should we do with these wounded brothers?"

Yan Tianlu pondered a moment, then said grimly, "Burn them; the Blood Shadow Golden Silkworm will lay eggs inside their bodies, and if we leave this hidden danger, the consequences would be unthinkable."

Yes!

Just as Yan Tianlu was busy giving orders, a pirate hurried up to him and reported, "Island Lord, just now a ship set sail from port, leaving behind this letter."

Yan Tianlu took the letter, finished reading it, and his face immediately darkened.

Yang Zongtong said, "I'll immediately lead men to pursue them!"

Yan Tianlu slowly shook his head and said, "No need to pursue; Bo Guang is in their hands."

Hearing that her brother had been taken away, Yan Nujiao rushed to Yan Tianlu's side and begged, "Uncle, please save my second brother's life."

Yan Tianlu reached out and gently patted her shoulder, saying, "Nujiao, don't worry; I won't stand idly by—I will certainly rescue Bo Guang."

Hu Xiaotian had been standing afar, observing; as the saying goes, the bystander sees clearly. He felt that Yan Tianlu's current behavior was completely out of the ordinary—logically, upon learning that Lu Qingyuan had fled, he should have immediately sent men to give chase, yet he hadn't, which seemed unreasonable. After all, this was within the waters under his control; as long as he dispatched ships to pursue, they ought to be able to catch up. It appeared Yan Tianlu was hesitating, perhaps there was some hidden motive.

Hu Xiaotian quietly left the scene and went to Flying Fish Cave, where he saw Xia Zhangming still there, helping the Flying Eagle wash off its feathers; the Flying Eagle's whole body was white and glossy, already cleaned by him with medicinal liquid. Seeing Hu Xiaotian return, Xia Zhangming looked up and smiled, "My lord has arrived; fortunately Luo Qianfu left some medicinal liquid in the Fish Cave, which can let the Flying Eagle regain its freedom."

The Flying Eagle finally managed to stand, shook off the medicinal liquid with force, and slowly spread its wings.

Seeing the Flying Eagle finally unfold its wings again, Hu Xiaotian and Xia Zhangming exchanged a knowing smile.

After shaking off the medicinal liquid, the Flying Eagle flapped its wings and soared into the sky. Hu Xiaotian watched it fly farther and farther, feeling a sense of loss; Xia Zhangming, reading his gaze, whispered softly, "The Flying Eagle is proud and aloof, hard to tame—unless it willingly submits, few can master it."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Regaining freedom would be best, though I fear there are few of its kind left in the world." He thought of his own fleet: "Zhangming, what about our fleet?"

Xia Zhangming sighed and said, "This sudden typhoon dealt us a heavy blow—six warships went missing, and the remaining fourteen, seeking shelter from wind and rain, entered the lagoon about eighty li southeast of Python Flood Dragon Island. But after the storm, the lagoon's water level dropped, leaving all the warships temporarily grounded." Speaking of this, Xia Zhangming also felt helpless.

Hu Xiaotian wore a bitter smile; when he had led twenty warships out from Dongliang Jun with high hopes, he possessed fifty thunder cannons, intending to flatten Python Flood Dragon Island, but man's plans fall short of heaven's—no matter how powerful the weapon, it cannot withstand a violent storm.

Xia Zhangming said, "For the warships to free themselves, we must wait for the lagoon's water level to rise again; but back then, to avoid the storm, we had already thrown all important supplies into the sea, and now food and fresh water are lacking."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, thinking inwardly that he could only seek help from Yan Tianlu now; although they had once been in the same boat, times had changed—back then Yan Tianlu had been deprived of the island lordship by Lu Qingyuan's scheming, fleeing like a homeless dog, whereas now he had turned the tables and become the sole lord of Python Flood Dragon Island, making it hard to say whether he was friend or foe. He told Xia Zhangming, "Zhangming, wait here for me while I go talk to Yan Tianlu."

Xia Zhangming said, "My lord must be careful. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come)."