novelraw Chapter 244: If You Will Not Go, Then I Will!
Chapter 244: If You Will Not Go, Then I Will!
The Snake Den!
The place where he had rapidly pushed two cultivation methods to “Entry-Level Mastery.”
Wangchuan had never once forgotten it.
It was only because of the Five Poison Sect. Not just he, but even the Warring States Game Studio behind him, as well as other nearby studios, had not dared to approach or touch that place again.
Even though the Snake Elder was dead!
Even though the Snake Den still teemed with countless serpents…
No one was willing to risk a clash with the Five Poison Sect merely to use the Snake Den for cultivation.
But times had changed.
Before, he had lacked the strength.
Now—Wangchuan opened his eyes, a strange light igniting within them.
In just over two months, under his leadership, the Sanjiang Branch Helm had grown tremendously. It now had more than four hundred reserve disciples, over two hundred and forty Quasi-Martial Artists, more than sixty full-fledged Martial Artists, eight First-Rank Martial Artists, and soon a third Second-Rank Martial Artist.
He remembered.
The first time he followed Captain Bai to the Snake Den, three Land-Clearing Teams had mustered only nine First-Rank Martial Artists, a dozen or so official Martial Artists, and the remaining thirty-plus were all Quasi-Martial Artists.
The Five Poison Sect’s branch helm had lost a Snake Elder, suffered the death of Lei Zhiyin, and lost a Deputy Helm Leader Xu Zhen. They had been heavily battered by the authorities’ suppression.
Not long ago, they had also lost another batch of First-Rank disciples…
Now, the Five Poison Sect’s branch helm had withdrawn into the mountains and dared not act rashly.
After careful consideration, the more Wangchuan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed!
Still, for safety’s sake, he specifically sought out Su Wan and asked whether they should join forces to restart the “Purge the Snake Den” operation.
Su Wan refused without hesitation.
“No!”
“It is too dangerous!”
“The Five Poison Sect may not rival your Caobang, but it is still a well-established and extremely dangerous Jianghu faction—especially skilled in killing with poison…”
“Last time, if we had known that the Five Poison Sect was hiding behind Blackwind Stronghold, we would not even have invited Captain Bai!”
Her meaning was clear.
Studio members must never knowingly head into danger.
“Wangchuan.”
Su Wan added solemnly,
“We do not know the internal situation of the Five Poison Sect. Whether their branch helm has dispatched other experts is also unknown. Do not risk everything for a bit of minor gain. It is too easy for something to go wrong.”
“Once you enter 《spirit realm》, you are already in Jianghu. You no longer control your own fate… Stay in Blackstone Village, and beasts will besiege it. Bandits will invade. Stay in Huishui County, and all sorts of factions will attack. In one month alone, the Yulong Gang lost over a hundred inner and outer disciples!”
Wangchuan met Su Wan’s gaze and spoke calmly,
“If I hole up in the Sanjiang Branch Helm cultivating, how many incidents have we faced? Crimson Pavilion assassins. The Beggar Sect’s sub-branch. Five Poison Sect disciples… What is not dangerous? Everything is dangerous! Even if you do not step out, trouble will still come knocking!”
“…”
Su Wan had no answer.
Wangchuan took a deep breath.
“Today, it is First-Rank, Second-Rank, and Third-Rank opponents. What about tomorrow? What if a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist appears? Should I just wait to die?”
With that, he rose and turned to leave.
“If you will not go to the Snake Den, then do not blame me for going myself!”
“You intend to act alone?”
Su Wan leaned forward, her expression turning grave.
“Yes.”
Wangchuan halted but did not turn around. Tilting his head slightly, he declared firmly,
“I will ask Bai Yuhui and Hong Kaibao for their opinions. If they are willing to take the risk, they will come with me. If not, they can remain behind to guard the branch helm. I am going to push 《Archery》 and 《Five-Finger Rapid Shot》 upward and break through to Third Rank as soon as possible.”
With that, he strode out.
Su Wan watched him leave without a word.
That very day.
Wangchuan began preparations.
He purchased a large quantity of realgar powder and loaded it onto a cargo ship;
At the same time, he ordered large amounts of arrows and Armor-Piercing Arrows to be brought aboard;
By nightfall, when all was silent—
Wangchuan personally led the team. A group of fully armed Caobang elites boarded the vessel, departed from Hejiang Town’s docks, and sailed downstream toward Huishui County.
For this expedition, he brought everyone he could.
Second-Rank Martial Artist Zhang Cha’er;
First-Rank Martial Artists Chen Ergou, Zhao Heiniu, Li Qing, Hong Biao, Chen Hong, Bai Yuhui, and Hong Kaibao—the latter had volunteered to participate;
Forty full-fledged Martial Artists!
Aside from lacking a Third-Rank Martial Artist to anchor the force, the scale and strength of this operation surpassed even that of the Warring States Game Studio’s previous expedition.
Before reaching Huishui County, the ship docked at a suitable location.
Lin Xun arrived to rendezvous with over twenty brothers from his hall.
This time, Wangchuan had notified only Lin Xun.
And Lin Xun did not disappoint. He brought eight Martial Artists and twenty Quasi-Martial Artists, each carrying a Basket full of arrows on their backs, bows slung over shoulders, sabers at their waists—fully armed.
Nearly eighty men in total moved under the cover of darkness, arriving near the Iron Mine Tunnel outside Blackstone Village to rest and regroup.
This operation had one objective: act swiftly, avoid alerting the Five Poison Sect and other factions, purge the Snake Den within a single day, then return to the city.
Wangchuan sat cross-legged and cultivated 《Qingcheng Heart Method》, adjusting himself to peak condition…
Soon, dawn broke faintly.
“Up!”
“Eat your rations!”
“Move out!”
At Wangchuan’s command, everyone geared up and set off.
Each man carried a Basket filled with arrows! Several Baskets were filled with realgar powder.
With the physique of Martial Artists, they dashed through the forest as swiftly as the wind.
Any snakes, rodents, or wild beasts encountered along the way were dispatched effortlessly with a blade or an arrow.
The formation advanced like a winding black dragon ascending the mountain—unyielding and resolute.
Zhao Heiniu led two men experienced in mountain terrain at the front. Before long, they reached Blackwind Stronghold.
A bleak wind swept through the deserted stronghold.
By then, the sky was fully bright.
Under Wangchuan’s command:
“Captain Zhao! Take men and confirm every entrance and exit of the Snake Den. Spread realgar everywhere!”
“Yes!”
Zhao Heiniu acknowledged and led a squad away.
“Bai Yuhui, Hong Kaibao—you will establish a blockade along the Snake Den’s exit.”
“Yes!”
Having experienced this scenario before, they knew precisely how to use realgar powder to seal off paths. They led a team, each carrying a Basket of realgar.
“The rest of you—bring the arrows to the lakeside. Rest and await orders!”
“Yes!”
Once all the realgar powder had been deployed to seal off the exits, Wangchuan assigned a group to guard the perimeter before signaling to activate the “mechanism.”
The so-called mechanism was simple: from several large entrances of the Snake Den, they hurled realgar powder inside, disturbing the serpents within and forcing them to flee through the sole unsealed exit.
After months of recuperation, the snake population within the den had grown again. Soon, movement erupted inside as serpents desperately crawled outward.
Dense waves of snakes poured down the mountainside.
Wangchuan reused Captain Bai’s previous tactic—dividing the slope into ten-meter sections and conducting segmented, coordinated volleys.
The group executed commands with precision, drawing bows in sequence.
Thrum!
Thrum!!
As the Iron-Reinforced Bows opened and closed, a rain of arrows thickened.
Experience points surged rapidly.