Chapter 232: The Black Snake Curse II

The flute looked like a piece of dark green jade, crystal clear and translucent, with exquisite carvings on its surface. A closer look revealed what seemed to be a jade snake coiled upon it, appearing vivid and lifelike.

Wei Zhuang did not care about such things. Seeing that Gao Jin still wanted to resist, he swung his sword without hesitation. This strike was incomparably sharp and extremely fast, piercing straight toward Gao Jin's heart like a bolt of lightning. Gao Jin's eyes widened in utter disbelief, but he was unable to dodge this fatal blow.

The sharp blade pierced through his chest and heart, and Gao Jin felt a wave of intense pain strike him. Bright red blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, yet he persisted, using his final strength to play that magical flute in fits and starts. By now, the flute music was no longer coherent, becoming increasingly faint.

Wei Zhuang frowned, appearing somewhat impatient. With a forceful swing, he decapitated Gao Jin. As Gao Jin's head fell to the ground, that magical flute also slipped from his hand and dropped to the floor.

Seeing their gang leader die just like that at the hands of that white-haired swordsman, the disciples of the Black Snake Gang were stunned. Their eyes had originally been filled with anticipation and hope, but at this moment, those lights dimmed instantly. They looked at one another, their hearts filled with fear and despair.

Wei Zhuang stood where he was, his eyes fixed tightly on the Gao Jin before him, his heart filled with curiosity and doubt. He could not for the life of him understand why Gao Jin had not died even after his heart was pierced by a sword.

He walked closer to the corpse to observe it carefully for a moment, then suddenly realized with a start: "How strange, his heart actually grew on the left side!"

Just as he was about to continue saying something, a subtle sound suddenly came from all around. It was a rustling, crawling sound, as if countless creatures were approaching them.

Wei Zhuang frowned, scanned his surroundings vigilantly, and muttered to himself: "What other trump cards are there?"

Just then, the disciples in the courtyard suddenly let out screams: "Snakes, there are snakes, so many snakes..." Their terrified voices echoed in the air, breaking the original tranquil atmosphere.

Following the disciples' exclamations, the courtyard immediately fell into chaos. Those sounds became increasingly clear, as if countless snakes were rapidly weaving between the ground and the shadows, bringing with them bursts of hair-raising friction.

Wei Zhuang's brows were locked tight, his gaze like a torch as he quickly scanned the surroundings. He saw that in the night, black shadows were quietly closing in; they were the venomous snakes summoned by the jade flute.

"Hmph, so that's how it is." Wei Zhuang gave a cold snort, his heart already understanding a few things. This jade flute was extraordinary and must possess some secret method for summoning snakes. Although Gao Jin was now dead, the lingering resonance of the flute music remained, and combined with his final playing before death, it seemed to have triggered some hidden power.

"Everyone, gather together! Retreat outside the gate!" Wei Zhuang shouted loudly. At the same time, his figure moved, and he had already leaped to the front of the crowd, his long sword flashing with cold light, ready to deal with the impending crisis.

Hearing this, the disciples hurriedly acted according to Wei Zhuang's instructions, one after another moving toward the gate to form a small human wall. As for the other Black Snake Gang members who had not yet reacted, they were caught in the middle by the sudden swarm of snakes.

Gradually, the swarm of venomous snakes finally revealed their true forms. They varied in shape; some were as thick as a bowl, others as thin as a finger, but all of them opened their blood-red maws, revealing sharp fangs as they lunged fiercely at the crowd. The air was filled with a thick, fishy stench that made one feel almost suffocated.

Just as they were nervously searching for targets, a Black Snake Gang disciple accidentally stepped on the tail of a snake hidden in the grass. This action enraged the nearby swarm, and they raised their heads one after another to launch an attack on that disciple. The other disciples watched the scene before them in terror; they wanted to help, but they dared not approach those ferocious snakes easily.

This unfortunate disciple was soon surrounded by a group of venomous snakes. He brandished the weapon in his hand, attempting to drive these attackers away, but the venomous snakes grew more and more numerous, surging in from all directions.

In the end, he was bitten on the body by several of the venomous snakes. The venom spread rapidly throughout his entire body, his complexion turned abnormally black, and his breathing became rapid.

Another disciple was more fortunate; although he was bitten by a non-venomous snake, his life was not in danger. However, because the wound was unbearably painful, he was also unable to continue fighting.

At this time, the remaining Black Snake Gang disciples began to fall into a panic. They did not know how to deal with these suddenly appearing snakes, and they were even more worried that they would become the next victims.

Utilizing the terrain, Wei Zhuang's figure moved like lightning. As his long sword danced, the sword light was like a web, hacking the venomous snakes into several segments one by one. But the number of venomous snakes was vast, as if endless; though he was valiant, he gradually began to feel overwhelmed.

"This cannot go on!" Wei Zhuang thought to himself.

He turned to leave, but suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling once again on the dark green jade flute on the ground. Wei Zhuang flashed forward, quickly rushed to where the jade flute lay, grabbed it, and gently brushed off the bloodstains on it. At the end of this flute, the two characters 'Qing Qiu' were carved.

Retreating back to the Hong Sect disciples, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, attempting to sense the power remaining within the jade flute.

A moment later, he opened his eyes abruptly, a look of helplessness appearing on his face—he had sensed nothing at all.

In this situation, it was either an object or a secret technique. Wei Zhuang hardened his heart and struck the Qing Qiu with his sword.

The Qing Qiu did not move in the slightest. Wei Zhuang was even more astonished; he channeled Blood Qi into the blade and struck with all his might.

The jade flute still did not move in the slightest; Wei Zhuang had not damaged it by even a fraction.

Wei Zhuang's expression grew colder. He stepped toward the direction of Gao Jin's corpse, but after searching for a moment, there were still few clues.

Wei Zhuang looked again at the Black Snake Gang members caught in the middle: "Who usually takes care of all these snakes your gang leader raised?"

Surrounded by the swarm of snakes, a young man shouted: "The gang leader has a snake-rearing pond in the Rear Courtyard. He usually doesn't let disciples or members enter or exit. You can go there and find a way to solve this."

Wei Zhuang looked at the young man who had spoken, pondered for a moment, and while channeling his Blood Qi, walked toward the Rear Courtyard.

The snakes along the way were all hacked into two halves by Wei Zhuang, which made the people nearby marvel. They looked toward Wei Zhuang, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

The snake pond in the Rear Courtyard was very obvious; the snakes along the way had all come from one place, as if they were prisoners who had broken out of their cages, rushing about everywhere.

Wei Zhuang stepped into the Rear Courtyard, and the scene before him made his brows lock tight. A massive snake-rearing pond came into view, densely packed with all kinds of venomous snakes coiled within. Because they had lost control, they appeared exceptionally agitated, constantly churning in the pond, and some were even climbing out over the edge to join the ranks of those besieging the Black Snake Gang disciples.

"So the problem lies here." Wei Zhuang thought to himself, then his gaze, like a torch, scanned the area around the snake-rearing pond. He noticed a crude wooden shed by the pond, which seemed to contain some tools and medicines used for rearing.

"Perhaps the answer is there." Wei Zhuang had a plan in mind. His figure flashed, and he was already before the wooden shed. He searched quickly and soon discovered a tattered notebook, which recorded the rearing methods, habits, and secret techniques for recalling these venomous snakes.

"Found it!" Wei Zhuang felt a surge of joy and hurriedly opened the notebook to study it carefully. A moment later, a knowing smile appeared on his face; he seemed to have found the key to breaking the current predicament.

Wei Zhuang held his long sword and walked slowly toward the snake-rearing pond. He took a deep breath and, according to the records in the notebook, searched for that red Snake King.

Wei Zhuang did not want to feed the snakes with his own body, so he channeled his Blood Qi Strength to the maximum and blasted his Blood Qi Strength toward the fleeting red shadow.

This was a red snake as thick as an infant's arm with a triangular head, which signaled extreme toxicity, but no matter how it hid, it could not escape the sharp eyes of the swordsman.

He picked up the red snake and placed it in a specially made snake basket, hanging it in a corner on the north side of the snake-rearing pond. He lit the charcoal fire underneath, and thick smoke surrounded the red snake, causing it to hiss.

Following the hissing of the red snake, those venomous snakes that had been attacking crazily suddenly stopped their movements. They began to appear bewildered and chaotic, and in the end, they turned back one after another, following the red snake's aura to return to the snake-rearing pond.

The crisis was resolved, and the courtyard returned to a moment of tranquility. The disciples looked at one another, unable to believe everything that had just happened.

The moon hid and the stars sank. In the courtyard of the Black Snake Gang, only low gasps and the occasional sound of weapons hitting the ground remained. Wei Zhuang stood beside the corpse; the dark green jade flute was stained with spots of blood, making it appear even more eerie. His gaze was cold and sharp, as if it could pierce through the night and look directly into the deepest fears of the human heart.

The surrounding Black Snake Gang disciples, whether kneeling or standing, were all filled with shock and despair. Among them, some trembled with their hands, attempting to pick up the scattered weapons, but it was all in vain; others lowered their heads and wept, mourning the fall of their gang leader, yet they also understood that from this day forward, the glory of the Black Snake Gang had become past smoke and clouds.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Wei Zhuang's voice was low and powerful, piercing through the night and landing in everyone's heart. His tone carried not a shred of emotion, as if he were merely stating a fact rather than asking a question.

The disciples looked at one another. In the end, a man who appeared older gathered his courage and answered with a trembling voice: "We are willing to surrender, only asking that the young hero spare our lives. Although the Black Snake Gang has perished, we still have families and need to survive."

Hearing this, Wei Zhuang's gaze flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, he said slowly: "Those who surrender may be spared from death. But you must remember, all things of the past have become smoke and clouds. From now on, await the orders of the Hong Sect."