Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Counterattack Plan

Ling Yunfei peeked out, and was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. He hurriedly grabbed Qin Feiyang’s wrist and whispered, “You’re no match for it, don’t act impulsively!”

“Let go!”

Qin Feiyang spoke in a low voice.

The giant horned serpent was terrifying, but the sword in his hand, Frost Snow, was more than capable of tearing through its defenses.

Ling Yunfei frowned, released his grip, and decisively drew a black dagger from his spatial pouch, preparing himself for battle.

“Don’t interfere,” Qin Feiyang murmured, his voice so faint that only the two of them could hear it.

Boom!

Hiss!

The giant horned serpent moved swiftly.

Its attention was drawn by the fire stick ahead.

Thus, as it passed by the pit, it failed to notice Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei.

At that very moment!

Qin Feiyang, like a leopard, sprang from the pit with the speed of lightning, pouncing onto the giant horned serpent.

His hand came down fiercely!

Frost Snow gleamed with a deadly edge!

Clang!

Sparks flew as Frost Snow pierced through the serpent’s scales, sinking deep into its vulnerable spot!

Hiss!

The giant serpent let out a cry of agony.

Its massive body writhed wildly within the tunnel!

The tunnel was barely the width of a winnowing basket, leaving no room to evade. Qin Feiyang could only grip Frost Snow tightly with one hand and clutch a serpent scale with the other.

He had to keep himself from being thrown out.

For if he fell, he would certainly be crushed to death by the serpent’s colossal body!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The giant serpent rampaged through the tunnel.

The entire snake tunnel trembled violently.

Some parts were already beginning to collapse.

Even the ground above showed signs of an earthquake!

The twelve elders of the Ling family sensed the commotion below and laughed coldly.

The tremors lasted for several hundred heartbeats before gradually subsiding.

Inside the snake tunnel.

The fire stick had long since extinguished.

Darkness reigned.

“Jiang Haotian, where are you?” Ling Yunfei’s worried voice echoed through the gloom.

“I’m here.” Qin Feiyang’s voice followed, weak and powerless.

Hearing this, Ling Yunfei’s worry deepened. He hurriedly reached into his chest, muttering, “Thankfully, I still have another fire stick.”

He took out the fire stick and blew it alight, illuminating the space.

Staring at the scene before him, Ling Yunfei was so shocked he could not speak for a long time.

A blood-soaked serpent’s body occupied half the tunnel.

The stench of blood was overwhelming!

On either side of the serpent’s body were piles of rubble and earth.

The space was so cramped, one could only crawl forward.

“Come help me,” Qin Feiyang’s weak voice sounded again.

Ling Yunfei shivered, quickly crouched down, holding the fire stick in one hand and gripping a serpent scale with the other, crawling along the serpent’s body.

Blocked by many stones, he found it difficult to progress.

“Where are you?” Having gone a while without seeing Qin Feiyang, he shouted anxiously.

“Here.” Qin Feiyang’s voice came from a pile of rubble ahead.

Ling Yunfei quickly crawled over, placed the fire stick to the side, and used both hands to move stones and dig through earth.

Soon after, Qin Feiyang appeared in his sight.

But now, he was not only covered in dirt, but his body was battered and bruised!

Though he clung to the serpent’s body throughout, as it rolled and slammed against the tunnel walls, it was only his strong will that kept him holding on; otherwise, he would have been crushed to death by the serpent’s bulk.

Ling Yunfei reached out to help.

Qin Feiyang quickly said, “Don’t move me yet, I think my legs are broken.”

“What should we do then?” Ling Yunfei was frantic.

“I’ll manage myself. Move aside,” Qin Feiyang said.

Ling Yunfei hurriedly retreated two meters.

Qin Feiyang gripped the scales, exerted strength with both hands, and his legs were instantly racked with agonizing pain, cold sweat pouring from his brow.

But he gritted his teeth and crawled out laboriously.

At this moment, his whole body was convulsed with pain.

Ling Yunfei quickly crawled over, took out a bone-mending pill and a healing pill, and fed them to Qin Feiyang.

The medicine worked wonders.

Soon after ingesting them, the pain began to ease.

Looking at Qin Feiyang’s pale face, Ling Yunfei rolled his eyes and said, “This time, you were really too reckless. You’re lucky to still be alive.”

“Reckless?” Qin Feiyang smiled and said, “The tunnel’s exit was blocked. If we didn’t kill it, we’d have been swallowed alive sooner or later.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Ling Yunfei replied helplessly.

Yet, he genuinely admired Qin Feiyang.

At first, when ambushed by the Ling family elders, he was nearly in despair, but Qin Feiyang remained calm, breaking through with him by force.

When they fell into the snake tunnel, Ling Yunfei only cursed, but Qin Feiyang calmly deduced there was a hidden passage underground.

When confronted by the giant horned serpent, Ling Yunfei’s first thought was to flee, but Qin Feiyang launched a counterattack in an instant, successfully slaying the serpent.

Such composure and resolve were truly admirable!

“It seems I still lack experience,” Ling Yunfei muttered to himself, then asked, “What next?”

Qin Feiyang pondered briefly, pointed at Frost Snow still embedded in the serpent’s vulnerable spot, and said, “Use that dagger to cut off its horn, and gather its venom.”

“The horn and venom are indeed treasures, but can your dagger sever the horn?” Ling Yunfei drew Frost Snow, a hint of doubt on his face.

“Try and you’ll see,” Qin Feiyang replied with a faint smile.

Ling Yunfei crawled to the serpent’s head, swung forcefully, and with a metallic clang, the horn was severed at its base!

“So sharp!” Ling Yunfei was stunned.

There was no resistance at all!

It felt as easy as cutting a strand of hair.

“So that’s what he relied on.”

Only now did he realize Qin Feiyang hadn’t acted impulsively, but was confident in his chances.

Next, he jumped from the serpent’s head, used a sharp shard of stone to pry open the serpent’s huge maw, took out a jade bottle, and carefully collected the venom.

Qin Feiyang kept a close eye on Ling Yunfei’s expression.

He had Ling Yunfei use Frost Snow to test whether he would be tempted by greed.

In the end, Ling Yunfei did not disappoint.

Though he was surprised, greed did not show in his eyes.

A moment later, Ling Yunfei crawled over, handing Frost Snow, the horn, and the venom to Qin Feiyang.

After storing Frost Snow and the horn in his spatial pouch, Qin Feiyang examined the venom, his gaze flickering.

The venom was nearly transparent, filling most of the bottle.

Don’t underestimate this venom—even a martial master could be poisoned to death!

Suddenly.

His eyes flashed coldly as he looked at Ling Yunfei and asked, “Tell me, should we kill them?”

“Kill!” Ling Yunfei nodded.

If not for today’s events, he might have hesitated.

After all, they were his clansmen; to wipe them out entirely would seem heartless.

But now,

It was clearly a matter of life and death.

If he showed mercy, sooner or later, he’d be killed by them.

But how to kill them? They were all martial masters.

Qin Feiyang said, “First, let’s find a way out.”

“That’s easy—just blast our way out,” Ling Yunfei rolled up his sleeves, true energy gathering on his fist, preparing to punch upward.

Qin Feiyang quickly said, “No! If they haven’t left, they’ll hear the commotion.”

Ling Yunfei paused, lowered his arm, and frowned, “What then?”

Qin Feiyang thought for a moment, “Use the dagger to dig our way out slowly.”

“Alright!” Ling Yunfei nodded.

Though not efficient, it was certainly the safest method.

Two hours later.

The two finally emerged to the surface.

All was quiet; the twelve elders were nowhere to be seen, obviously gone.

After two hours, Qin Feiyang’s injuries had not fully healed, but he could move without issue.

Ling Yunfei glanced at the dark forest and asked, “What now?”

“Find them!” Qin Feiyang’s gaze flashed coldly. “They wouldn’t go to Black Bear City. They must be hiding nearby. Let’s head to the riverbank and look for their footprints.”

Ling Yunfei nodded.

A few moments later.

The two crept to the forest’s edge and looked toward the river.

Under the hazy moonlight, seeing no one by the river, they approached confidently.

They soon found the tracks of thirteen people.

After careful confirmation, they concluded the group had followed the river downstream.

They tracked the footprints along the river.

With thirteen people traveling together, their trail was obvious and easy to follow.

Half an hour later.

Following the tracks, Qin Feiyang and Ling Yunfei entered a dense forest.

Soon, deep within the woods, they discovered a mountain valley, with faint firelight flickering inside.

It was deep into the night.

The waning moon hung overhead, stars twinkled.

Within the forest, it was deathly silent.

The two arrived outside the valley, hid behind a jutting rock, and peered inside.

A hundred meters away.

A bonfire blazed, illuminating the entire valley.

Above the flames, a wild boar was roasting, its skin golden, oil dripping out with a sizzling sound, the aroma mouthwatering!

Fifteen figures sat around the fire, drinking, laughing, and occasionally cursing.

Qin Feiyang withdrew his gaze, frowned, “It’s them, but why are there two extra people?”

Ling Yunfei said, “Judging by their attire, they’re guards from the City Lord’s Mansion.”

“City Lord…” Qin Feiyang pondered briefly, a trace of murderous intent flashing in his eyes, “He can’t be spared either.”

Ling Yunfei said, “That’s for later. For now, we need to think about how to deal with them.”

Qin Feiyang looked again.

The two guards were evidently quite strong, and together with the thirteen martial masters of the Ling family, a frontal assault was out of the question.

Suddenly.

An idea struck him, and he took out the bottle of venom.

Seeing this, Ling Yunfei instantly understood Qin Feiyang’s plan and whispered, “This venom could certainly kill them, but how will you make them ingest it?”

“I have a way,” Qin Feiyang replied coldly, “I’ll be the bait and lure them out of the valley. You sneak in and poison them.”

Ling Yunfei protested, “That’s too risky! Let me be the bait instead.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t catch me.”

Without another word, Qin Feiyang shoved the jade bottle into Ling Yunfei’s hand and turned away, running into the forest without looking back.

“This bastard, always showing off!” Ling Yunfei cursed under his breath, then quickly retreated from the valley, hiding behind a large boulder nearby.