Chapter 351: Viper

Xi Cai was still smirking a moment ago, but now he was stunned, "Buddha's Wrath. Tang Lian? What's that?"

"Tang Men's hidden weapons."

Hui Yu said matter-of-factly, "A top-tier mechanical hidden weapon from the 'One Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons,' shaped like a golden lotus, its center glowing like a ruby. Once activated, countless metal petals scatter in all directions—no living thing nearby can survive."

It's a legendary hidden weapon more terrifying than the Peacock's Feather or the Rain of Needles. This is mentioned in the 'Dou Luo.'"

"Enough, enough. No one thinks you're mute if you don't speak."

Li Cheng, sweating beads of panic, quickly covered Hui Yu's mouth, seriously doubting that if he let this girl run free, she'd happily pull out a gavel and start storytelling right there, reciting every Dou Luo setting until they wouldn't even need to complete their mission.

The surrounding people looked confused; Xi Cai's face remained calm, but his heart was filled with doubt.

She had never heard of Buddha's Wrath. Tang Lian or the 'One Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons,' yet this girl spoke with absolute certainty and named the Peacock's Feather and the Rain of Needles—two secret weapons unknown to outsiders.

The tense silence didn't last long. The sailors, under the captain's orders, patched the leaking hull with wooden planks, raised sail again, and sped away from this dangerous sea.

As for the bandit who fell into the sea and became food for the Nine-Foot Elder, no one cared to avenge him—he was dead, and that was that.

After leaving the black clouds, the ferry cut through the waves and finally spotted the island's silhouette on the horizon.

The island was crescent-shaped overall; on its eastern cliffs stood a stone structure resembling a lighthouse, with a thick iron rod planted at its peak.

The western side was lower, dotted with a vast complex of stone-and-wood buildings nestled in lush forests, carved beams and painted rafters, majestic and grand—no less impressive than the ancestral homes of inland aristocratic clans.

The only odd thing was that the courtyard walls were two or three times taller than normal residential walls, like prison fences.

In the harbor at the island's center, more than ten ships—large and small—were already anchored. They were likely here for the birthday celebration.

"Hmm."

Li Cheng squinted, studying carefully: at both crescent ends of the island, several artillery platforms were positioned, their firing arcs perfectly covering the entire harbor.

The island's rear was entirely sheer, unclimbable cliffs. In other words, the entire island was a naturally perfect military harbor—once the artillery was set up and ammunition sufficient, no fleet could break in.

This was strange. From the conversations among the martial artists, it was clear the current Yong'an Emperor was a wise ruler under feudal values—cultivating inner virtue while projecting external authority, building a navy, engaging in maritime trade.

His openness far surpassed that of Ming dynasty emperors.

Yet, the ability to act meant centralization—no one knew why the Emperor would allow the Tu family to engage in behavior tantamount to "seizing an island as a kingdom."

As dusk fell, the ferry slowly docked in the harbor. Everyone stepped off the gangway; the Tu family's emissary was already waiting on the dock, holding lanterns.

"I am Tu Tuzhi, steward of the Tu family. The sea voyage must have been tiring—honored guests, you've endured hardship. Please present your invitations and follow me; dinner to welcome you has already been prepared."

The middle-aged steward, Tu Tuzhi, had a pale, beardless face and a warmly amiable smile; his breath was long and steady—he was clearly a martial artist.

Everyone presented their invitations to the steward.

Behind Cao Meng of the Fan River Gang, his subordinates tried to follow him, but were immediately blocked by Tu family servants: "Sorry, only those with bronze plaques may board the island."

"Why? We're together!"

One gang member pointed at Xi Cai from the Tang Men, "That woman's invitation was taken from a corpse after she killed someone. You don't stop her, but you stop us?"

"The Tu family is vast and influential, with connections spanning from the martial world to the imperial court—"

"Some sect leaders and clan heads are too busy to attend even when invited, so they leave the invitations unmarked, allowing their junior disciples to represent them."

"Therefore, we recognize only bronze plaques, not people." Tu Tuzhi still smiled, "Cao Boss may pass. As for your subordinates, they must remain aboard for now. We'll send food over shortly."

"Do as Mr. Tu says."

Cao Meng took a deep breath. Having been beaten by Li Cheng on Huaian soil and just witnessed the Nine-Foot Sea Monster and Tang Men's hidden weapons, he'd lost all his earlier bravado. He waved his hand, silencing his men who still wanted to argue.

Li Cheng and Hui Yu had only one bronze plaque, but this small issue posed no problem for them.

Li Cheng stepped forward, shielding Hui Yu.

She immediately slipped back, positioning herself behind the group, then tore off a lump of liquid metal from her arm, kneading and shaping it into the form of a bronze plaque.

Since liquid metal was denser than copper, to avoid detection by weight, Hui Yu mixed in some aluminum and tin, then transformed its surface into a brass hue.

No matter how broad Tu Tuzhi's experience, he could never know that nanobots existed in this world.

He immediately accepted the counterfeit plaque and had the servants store it in the warehouse.

He himself walked ahead to lead the way.

The island's vegetation was lush; some evergreen trees stood nearly fifty meters tall, below which came smaller trees, shrubs, vines, and ferns.

Walking through the forest, sunlight was entirely blocked by the canopy—there was no way to tell east from west or north from south. The primal, oppressive wildness of the jungle pressed in, with only the stone steps beneath their feet—symbols of civilization—offering a sliver of reassurance.

!

Wang Biliu, the woman beside Su Konghu, out of curiosity, reached out to touch a flower growing on a vine beside the path. The moment her hand extended, the black-green "vine" came alive, opening a serpent's mouth to reveal fangs, lunging at Wang Biliu.

Su Konghu reacted swiftly, yanking Wang Biliu's hand back sharply. The black-green venomous snake still tried to strike—when a sharp "whir" rang out.

At the front of the group, Tu Tuzhi plucked and flung a green leaf, which spun through the air and cleanly severed the snake's body.

The severed head fell into the leaf litter, instinctively opening and closing its jaws, spitting out a steady trickle of venom.

"The island teems with snakes and insects. Please do not stray from the stone steps—otherwise, casualties would be unfortunate."

Tu Tuzhi smiled, turned, and continued leading the way.

"Mambaout."

Hui Yu muttered under her breath, picked up the now-dying severed snake head from the ground, and began playing with it in her hand.

"Don't pick up random things when you're out."

Li Cheng, exasperated, knocked the snake head from Hui Yu's hand and corrected her: "And this is a viper, not a mamba."

"Isn't it the same? I saw the ad—it said, 'This isn't the Year of the Snake, it's the Year of the Mamba.'"

Hui Yu stubbornly insisted.

She was referring to Nike's early-year ad targeting the Chinese market, which was extremely abstract: a group of young people exercising while shouting "Kobe,"

ending with two English subtitles:

"This isn't the year of the snake,

this is the year of the mamba."

After this ad aired, a series of inexplicable plane crashes occurred in the U. S., making people wonder whether the ad truly possessed magical power.

(End of this chapter)