Chapter Thirty-Three: A Gentleman of Integrity!
As Yu Dao Yi saw the blood python with the phoenix crown charging at him, he was struck with fear—never had he witnessed such a scene. Steeling himself, he took a deep breath, swung the corpse containing three Evil Spirit Pills, and hurled it with all his might into the python’s maw. Without so much as a backward glance, he turned and fled.
The move was not particularly clever, but in such a dire moment, there was no time for careful planning.
With nimble footwork, he finally rendezvoused with the other two.
Turning back, he caught sight just as the giant python swallowed the corpse whole. Good heavens—it seemed to relish its meal.
Yu Yunfan stood beside him, his small ink-black cauldron floating defensively in the air.
“If you have something to say, say it now!”
“I have a plan! But we can’t let the python know!”
“...Can the python speak?”
“Nope.”
“...Can it understand human language?”
“Nope.”
“Then what’s stopping you from saying it outright?!”
“Oh, seems you’re right!”
“...”
So exhausting—his brother’s logic was always a little off.
“Ah, what a waste—my brother missed all the hints I was sending with my eyes,” Yu Dao Yi lamented.
“...”
“Enough chatter. I hid three Evil Spirit Pills inside that corpse. Explosions won’t hurt it from the outside, so we’ll blast it from within! Attack its belly—let the pills detonate!” A hint of gravity shone in Yu Dao Yi’s eyes.
Seeing his brother’s serious expression, Yu Yunfan said no more. He formed a seal, enlarged the ink-black cauldron, and slammed it into the python’s slightly swollen abdomen. The phoenix-crowned blood python reared up, letting out a furious howl as it charged toward the trio.
“Focus your attacks! Hit harder! As soon as it blows, run!” Yu Dao Yi shouted, retreating with Yu Yunfan.
At last, after repeated strikes with the cauldron, a muffled boom sounded, followed by two more thunderous explosions and a miserable scream. The phoenix-crowned blood python rolled through the ruins, blood pouring from its jaws.
“Run!” Yu Dao Yi, relying on his powerful physique, hoisted Song Qiuling and Yu Yunfan and dashed away.
Terrified—no, wrong!
A true hero never looks back at the explosion scene!
Song Qiuling, carried on the back of this young man, gazed at him with complex emotions. She had thought herself doomed, about to be devoured by the python, yet was saved by someone only at the third stage of Qi Refining—a scoundrel at that.
And then there was his brother, clearly harboring many secrets. From what she had witnessed earlier, his power was certainly not something a seventh-stage Qi Refining cultivator could wield.
Looking back at herself, it was obvious she had become the one dragging them down.
She glanced at the youth’s back, her pale, delicate face tinged with pink, then flushed with embarrassment and anger.
“Yu! Dao! Yi!” Song Qiuling spat out each syllable, gritting her teeth.
“Hmm? Don’t fuss! In moments of danger, this is what a man must do! Lean comfortably on my broad, warm shoulders!” Yu Dao Yi replied seriously.
“Then could you please stop your hands from roaming all over my thighs?” Song Qiuling was furious, though now wasn’t the time to settle scores.
Hearing this, the scoundrel paused, both hands on her smooth, delicate thighs.
“Nonsense! Would a gentleman like me take advantage of someone in distress?”
He ignored her and continued unabashed.
Poor Song Qiuling silently endured this humiliation.
Yu Yunfan, unable to bear the sight, turned away, shutting out the world.
After a while, both their faces were pale—a fierce battle followed by nonstop fleeing had left them exhausted.
Fortunately, they had shaken off the phoenix-crowned blood python. The Evil Spirit Pills detonating inside had wounded it, but not fatally. If they hadn’t run far enough, once it recovered, it would hunt them down again. But having fled a good distance, and knowing the blood python would not stray far from the Scarlet Blood Fruit, this area was temporarily safe.
“Whew~” the scoundrel let out a heavy sigh.
He gently set Song Qiuling on the ground, then turned to see her utterly defeated expression.
The poor girl had suffered countless indignities from this rogue, her once-bright eyes now dulled.
Yu Dao Yi, seeing Song Qiuling as though her soul had departed, felt a pang of guilt. He crouched beside her, patting her shoulder gently.
“Don’t worry! We’re safe now!” His tone was warm, like a caring big brother.
Of course, he would never mention what he’d done earlier.
He kept his gaze fixed on Song Qiuling, eyes glittering, mouth even glistening with a hint of drool.
Song Qiuling glanced down at herself—her tattered clothing barely concealed her snowy skin.
Then—
“Hmm, today I’ve circled the rear mountain quite a few times… Looks like I’ve even got little stars now,” she mused.
Old grudges and new piled up; Song Qiuling grabbed the scoundrel’s hand, tossing him left and right. The scene was positively bloodcurdling, the ground pitted with two human-shaped dents.
For a long time, the scoundrel pleaded loudly for mercy, vowing to take responsibility as a man!
Song Qiuling moved to another spot—one littered with rocks—to continue her punishment.
“Oooh, what a cruel woman! How could she treat someone as adorable as me so harshly?” Yu Dao Yi, clutching his once-handsome face, whimpered, tears in his eyes, sniffling, his body mottled purple and blue—a pitiful sight.
Yu Yunfan simply kept his distance, meditating to restore his peak state.
Face flushed, Song Qiuling gasped for breath, exhausted by the ordeal and by her humiliation. Fuming, she stood up—this fellow truly needed a lesson, lest he try anything else!
Yu Dao Yi squatted beneath a giant tree, pitifully rubbing his wounds, like a stray dog licking its injuries. Though battered, his body healed at a visible speed, making him marvel at the incomplete Ancient Demon Nine Transformations technique. Despite its pain, it had greatly strengthened him—these minor wounds would be gone in moments.
Looking up, he saw Song Qiuling had changed clothes, and both she and Yu Yunfan sat cross-legged, cultivating to quickly recover.
He glanced at himself. Sigh. What need had a third-stage Qi Refiner for meditation? He didn’t deserve it…
He lowered his head, reflecting on the events of their journey, especially the Scarlet Blood Fruit, which intrigued him greatly.
The third stage of Qi Refining was simply too low. Were it not for the incomplete Ancient Demon Nine Transformations that had made his body far stronger than most, he would likely have become a cold corpse—or even scattered bones—by now.
If only he could quietly obtain a Scarlet Blood Fruit or two, he could force his body to absorb one and break through to the fourth stage. Then he could ask his father for spells and weapons, instead of relying on his fragrant, tempting flesh as bait…
Speaking of his father—he had absolutely no sense of responsibility! Watching his handsome, adorable son venture into the rear mountains without so much as a word! Not even a piece of equipment! In games, even NPCs give starter weapons! There’s always some Dragon-Slaying Blade—click to receive! One strike, level 999! Girls flock to you, followers abound, big shots lend a hand—instant life at the top!
But his father? Stingy beyond belief! The scoundrel’s heart was full of resentment!
And his punch earlier—since arriving in this world, he’d seen no cheats, no systems, nothing special. His only oddity was in alchemy; everywhere else, he was painfully ordinary.
The terror on the Black Gold Leopard’s face was genuine, so the only explanation was something strange about the Ancient Demon Nine Transformations, or perhaps the mysterious book at his brow, whose effects remained unknown.
He was weary at heart—like a beauty before him he couldn’t touch or undress, constantly teasing him, but out of reach.
Hmph! Seductive little vixen!
And then, as he pondered further, Yu Dao Yi suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him, utterly uncontrollable. He struggled to stay awake, but his eyelids drooped, his mind emptied, and eventually, he slowly drifted into sleep.