Chapter 108: The Dragon Gate Disciples
Whoosh—
The massive python coiled its thick body around the multi-story ship, squeezing the decks until they groaned and creaked. Everywhere on the vessel, scholars stood frozen in shock, and the boatmen were terrified out of their wits.
"Brother Wei Yong, can you fly?" Qin Mu suddenly asked.
Wei Yong snapped out of his daze. "What?"
Qin Mu raised his hand and tossed the chubby fellow off the ship. Wei Yong's screams echoed from below: "I can't fly! Ahhh—"
Qin Mu leaped off the ship himself. Fox Ling'er, who had been drunk and drowsy moments before, was now as alert as an owl at night. The moment Qin Mu jumped, the little fox cast a spell, conjuring a gust of wind to lift him.
Riding the wind, Qin Mu swooped down, reached out, and grabbed Wei Yong. Wei Yong, still in shock, looked down and screamed again.
"Quiet!"
Qin Mu sprinted with all his might. Above them, the massive ship groaned and cracked, and shattered debris rained down with a roar. Qin Mu dodged nimbly in midair, weaving past the falling beams as he charged into the distance.
Wei Yong turned his head and stared blankly. The ship was being crushed, the giant serpent coiled around it, squeezing with deadly force. The vessel was about to snap in two!
Scholars leaped off the ship in panic. Some cultivators who had learned flying techniques manipulated their spirit weapons to soar, while others, who hadn't, flailed their arms and legs as they plummeted.
"Long Jiaonan! Are you rebelling?"
The ship's captain erupted in fury, transforming into a giant of flame as he charged at the seductive man. His techniques were ferocious, but the ship could no longer withstand the clash of two such experts. The core alchemy chamber was crushed by the serpent's pressure, and the alchemist and apprentices inside scrambled out, jumping overboard.
At the same time, the serpent spat a cloud of poison mist into the captain's face. The flame giant extinguished instantly and fell backward, stiff as a board.
"We're doomed..."
Wei Yong's face turned pale. "The Dragon Gate has betrayed us. That guy with the giant snake is Long Jiaonan, the young master of the Dragon Gate—a notorious scoundrel..."
Qin Mu struggled to carry him as they raced toward the ground. Below lay a mountain foothill, where they could hide from the Dragon Gate's experts.
After a moment, they finally landed. Fox Ling'er dispelled her spell and was about to speak when a scream rang out from above. A scholar crashed through the dense canopy and landed before them, shattered into pieces, his brains and blood splattered everywhere.
Thud!
Another dull impact came from nearby.
Thud, thud, thud...
The mountain foothill was like a rainstorm, with scholars falling from the sky one after another, their bodies smashed to pulp!
Wei Yong's face was ashen, his body trembling. Qin Mu's ears twitched, and he suddenly grabbed Wei Yong and sprinted forward. Behind them, a thunderous crash erupted as half the ship slammed down, obliterating a stretch of forest. Trees were knocked over, their trunks shooting in all directions with terrifying force.
The massive hull slid for over a hundred yards, nearly crushing Qin Mu as he ran, before finally stopping.
Qin Mu kept charging forward. From the ship came a cataclysmic explosion—the alchemy furnace had detonated, and the shockwave sent both humans and the fox flying!
Qin Mu landed, released Wei Yong, and said in a low voice, "We need to leave quickly. Dragon Gate experts will be here soon to check for survivors!"
Wei Yong, still shaken, ran forward and asked, "What will they do to the survivors?"
Fox Ling'er shot him a glance, still a bit tipsy—she had clearly sneaked a drink. "What do you think, Fatty Wei?"
Wei Yong shuddered. "The Dragon Gate is bold beyond reason, attacking scholars' ships near the capital! Once the National Teacher recovers from his injuries, he won't let them off!"
"Do you really think the National Teacher is injured?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "In my view, he was never hurt. He deliberately set a trap to lure out all the forces opposing him within the Yan Kingdom, so he could wipe them out in one sweep. Didn't the Dragon Gate just take the bait?"
Wei Yong froze, then exclaimed, "You mean... impossible! I've heard there are no fewer than twenty rebellions now, seizing cities and causing countless civilian deaths, not to mention the bandits running rampant. How could the National Teacher allow this?"
Qin Mu replied, "That's the art of strategy. If he weren't 'injured,' how could he draw out these traitors? So he pretended to be hurt. He lost a battle in the Great Wasteland, was 'assassinated' on the way back, and suffered a blow to both his reputation and strength. Who would pass up such a golden opportunity?"
He continued firmly, "In my opinion, the National Teacher has long had a plan. He won't act to suppress the chaos until all the rebels have shown their hands."
Wei Yong still struggled to accept it, muttering, "But so many people will die..."
"And yet, the National Teacher's future troubles will be completely eliminated, won't they?"
Qin Mu glanced at Wei Yong. The fat man was surprisingly agile, keeping pace with him, though he clearly had little understanding of the wind and couldn't ride its currents to fly. "Once he roots out all threats, who would dare make a move behind his back when he next goes to war? Besides, if he wipes out all his enemies this time, who would dare object if he wanted to claim the throne?"
Wei Yong shuddered several times, staring at Qin Mu as if he were a monster. "Brother Qin, you're about the same age as me, right? How can you come up with so many schemes? Little fox, is he really an old fox spirit in human form?"
Fox Ling'er hopped excitedly. "Fatty Wei, you noticed too? I've long suspected the young master is a male fox spirit!"
Wei Yong said, "Don't call me Fatty Wei. My family, the Wei of Jiangling, is a well-known clan. It's embarrassing."
The little fox said, "Then I'll call you Bloated Fatty."
Wei Yong was silent for a moment, then said wryly, "Just call me Fatty Wei. At least it sounds like 'slightly chubby.'"
Suddenly, Qin Mu asked, "Brother Wei Yong, what's your cultivation level?"
"I've broken through the Five Luminaries Wall and opened the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury, but my cultivation doesn't seem much higher than yours."
Wei Yong was puzzled. "What's your level?"
"Embryonic Soul Realm."
Qin Mu's primal energy swirled as he drew his pig-slaughtering knife. "Brother Wei Yong, you take two, I'll take two!"
Wei Yong didn't understand, but then four large snakes slithered out from the forest ahead. Accompanying them was the sound of a flute—a melodious, cheerful tune, like a playful village girl teasing green snakes in the grass, the notes rising and falling in sudden bursts.
The flutist was likely a Dragon Gate disciple. Qin Mu followed the sound but saw no one, meaning they were hidden.
The Dragon Gate was originally a sect from Daxing Commandery near the capital, known for raising snakes and calling themselves dragon tamers. The sect had been subdued by the National Teacher and had remained obedient, even supplying giant snakes for the military's beast-keeping units.
The flute's clear notes guided the snakes' movements.
"Brother Qin, the Dragon Gate's real weapons aren't the snakes but the flute music. The music controls the snakes' attacks..."
Wei Yong was about to explain their tactics when Qin Mu charged forward. Helpless, Wei Yong followed.
Suddenly, the flute's rhythm grew rapid and staccato. The red-crested snakes accelerated, lunging at them.
The moment Qin Mu met the first snake, a blade of light erupted like a silver sphere!
Night Battle, City-Sweeping Storm!
In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. Before the red-crested snake could strike, silver light wrapped around it, racing from head to tail. When the light faded, only a massive skeleton remained, stripped of all flesh.
Meanwhile, Fox Ling'er summoned a wind-blade scimitar to strike another snake. The flute-controlled snake opened its mouth, sucking the blade in, and prepared to spit poison mist.
Qin Mu pointed his fingers forward and thrust. The Young Guardian Sword pierced the snake's eye, and with an upward flick of his fingers, the sword burst through the snake's skull!
On the other side, Wei Yong charged in. His cultivation was solid, and he carried a sword case on his back, controlling several flying swords to stab at the snakes. The case itself was a spirit weapon, though its sharpness paled compared to Qin Mu's Young Guardian Sword and pig-slaughtering knife.
Wei Yong moved nimbly under the attack of two snakes, inflicting many wounds but failing to kill them. His cultivation was deep, but his combat skills were far inferior to Qin Mu's, and his techniques were textbook—lacking the power for a decisive blow.
Suddenly, Fox Ling'er dashed into the forest in a flash, and Qin Mu charged in from another direction. Wei Yong cried out, wanting to follow, but was held back by the two snakes.
Just then, the flute stopped abruptly. Without the music, the snakes became sluggish. Wei Yong seized the chance to kill them and rushed into the woods, hearing the little fox's voice: "Fatty Wei, over here!"
Wei Yong hurried over and found Qin Mu and the fox standing by a towering tree that was bleeding. He didn't see anyone at first, but on closer inspection, the blood wasn't from the tree—it was from a man. His clothing was painted to look exactly like tree bark, and even his face was covered in bark-like patterns!
He had hollowed out a hole in the tree to hide inside, invisible to the casual eye.
"A Dragon Gate disciple!"
Wei Yong's heart leaped. "Brother Qin, Dragon Gate disciples always move in groups!"
"You mean..."
Qin Mu's expression changed as he looked deeper into the dense forest. There, among the lush trees, a hundred or so figures emerged from the trunks, all covered in bark-like patterns.
The flute sounded again, and from behind the trees, countless snakes slithered forth, covering the mountain slopes. Their red crests swayed like flowers in the wind.