The Return of the Condor Heroes

Chapter 25 – Domestic troubles and foreign invasion, Part 4

It was extremely fortunate that Xiao Longnu had rushed in to save him and saw the venomous spiders. Not daring to touch them, she instead launched three needles and luckily hit them, thus managing to discover the antidote to the world’s most lethal venom.

Xiao Longnu watched the three Multicolored Snow Spider’s lifeless forms on the ground, their bright red-green colors still managing to look fearsome.

She also saw Zhou Botong lying motionless as though he was dead.

In truth, she actually felt quite grateful to Zhou Botong. If not for him, Yang Guo would not have come to the Passionless Valley and she would have been forced to marry Gongsun Zhi.

His whole body was covered in a cold sweat and his breathing had grown irregular. Who would have thought he would die like this? In her heart, she was deeply moved.

But all of a sudden, Zhou Botong’s left hand began to move and she heard him say in a faint voice: “What was it that bit me with such…such fierceness?”

He tried to get up but his body was too weak so that he fell back.

Xiao Longnu was overjoyed to find that he was not dead. She lifted the torch closer to his face and saw that the traces of the spider’s venom were no longer there.

Relieved, she asked: “You did not die?”

Zhou Botong chuckled: “Well, it doesn’t look that way. I am right between half-death and half-life…ha-ha…” He wanted to laugh heartily but his hands and feet were still twitching and he was still unable to get up. His smile faded.

Laughter came from outside the cave. The sound was so strong that it resembled the ear-deafening sound of thunder rumbling.

That person spoke: “Mischievous Old Urchin, have you stolen the royal flag? In today’s wager, who won you or me?”

The speaker was Jinlun Fawang.

Using her left hand, Xiao Longnu snuffed out the light. As long as she was wearing her gold silk glove, no sharp objects or raging fires could harm her.

Zhou Botong replied: “Whether the Mischievous Old Man has lost in this game is not yet decided. But I’m afraid I’ve lost my life to you. Fawang, you rascal, what sort of poisonous spider is this, so evil and cruel?”

When he spoke these words, his voice sounded soft and thin. Even though he was angry, he was far too weak. Still, his voice was as deep as Fawang’s rumbling laughter.

Fawang was secretly amazed. He was bitten by my Cai Xue Zhu (Multicolored Snow Spider) but he didn’t die. From his voice, it is clear that his internal strength is profound, and is not below mine. Luckily, he fell for the trap, thus removing a powerful enemy. If he doesn’t die soon, he’ll only suffer for a short while.

Zhou Botong added: “Young Taoist Zhao Zhijing, you worked with this man to trick me. Go quickly to Qiu Chuji and ask him to kill you!”

Outside the cave, Zhao Zhijing hid behind Fawang, fearing for his life. He thought in terror, “How could I ask that of Martial Senior Qiu?”

Fawang laughingly said: “Taoist Priest Zhao is very good. Once I inform our prince of his great deed, he will refer him as an honorable teacher of the Quanzhen School.”

But, he thought; “If Zhou Botong dies, Taoist Priest Zhao won’t have a way out. From this time on, he is under my control. His level of skill is ordinary. Zhou Botong acts like a crazy person, but Senior generations, like Qiu Chuji and so on, may honor him, but who would take his words seriously? How can the Quanzhen sect depend on the words of the Mischievous Old Urchin”?

Indignant, Zhou Botong let out a snort of contempt.

Most of the venom in his body was gone but the Cai Xue Zhu was extremely venomous. Its effects wouldn’t vanish that easily. Just as a tiny drop of it could kill several people, so could the slightest anger in Zhou Botong lead to a feeling of dizziness.

Xiao Longnu said: “Jinlun Fawang, you strike some, and then use this kind of venom to injure another. Is that a rule of your school? Quick, give us the antidote to cure Old Gentleman Zhou!”