One section was black, one white, one red. The snake's tail coiled around her arm, its head raised high, its red tongue flicking with a hissing sound.

Duan Li resisted Miao Shaoqing's pressure, while the venomous snake silently slithered away from Duan Wen's control towards Miao Shaoqing.

"Watch your back!" Lian shouted a warning. Miao Shaoqing didn't have time to turn around before he felt numbness at his back, his limbs slackened, unable to follow his brain's commands. He felt difficulty breathing, and a chill spreading through his body.

The venomous fangs pierced the skin, entering the nervous system, rapidly damaging Miao Shaoqing's central nervous system and immunity. Lian aimed a shot at Duan Li and quickly moved to Miao Shaoqing's side. The snake had already withdrawn to Duan Wen's hand, while the poison eroded Miao Shaoqing's will. She tore open his clothes, the wound from the two fangs oozing black blood, the surrounding area already blackened.

She took a deep breath: "Look at me, do you hear? Look at me." Lian shouted at Miao Shaoqing, pressing hard on the wound.

"Your father died by its hands, now it's your turn." Duan Li shrugged his shoulders, the shot earlier hadn't hit any vital point, it only grazed his neck and embedded into the tree trunk behind.

Lian glared at Duan Li, as Xu Ce stood up from a rock and approached her.

"Military Advisor, I suggest you better put down the gun!" Xu Ce smiled, glancing at Miao Shaoqing, who seemed to have lost all sensation, black air cloaking his entire body.

"Bullets have no eyes, it wouldn't be good if your pretty face got accidentally hurt."

Lian sneered, aiming the gun at Xu Ce: "Bullets may have no eyes, but it's a good thing they have eyes for you."

With a bang, a bullet left the barrel and hit a nearby rock, causing it to explode. Lian somersaulted to avoid the poison arrow shot by Duan Wen, landing at the spot where she'd just crouched.

"I told you bullets have no eyes, why can't you understand that?" Xu Ce shook his head regretfully: "The person you're waiting for won't come, but I could consider letting you leave with me, the Military Advisor paired with the Master is a perfect match."

A fishing boat slowly sailed from one side of the river, its engine making a clattering sound.

"Dream on!" Evading Duan Wen's attack, Lian exhaled quietly.

"Women who are too stubborn will suffer, it's a pity for a beautiful woman like you to have an unsightly mark on your face." Xu Ce nodded at Duan Wen, who was now holding a few poison needles in her hand. "Your people hurt her husband, she's a very vindictive person. If you come with me, perhaps I can save your life."

"Really? Then try it." With that, Lian moved like a shadow, the person who was just two meters away was now in front of Xu Ce: "Take your filth to Hell!"

No bullets, no gunfire, a sharp short-blade foreign knife pierced Xu Ce's chin, passing through his throat to emerge from his topknot. His face still bore the obscene smile, disgustingly provoking nausea. Lian pulled out the exotic short blade, wiping it twice on his body, adjusting her breathing.

Duan Li yanked Duan Wen over, his ten fingers curled inwards, forming a strange defensive posture. Lian sheathed the blade and turned around, seeing Miao Shaoqing no longer convulsing. Without Xiao Lin, she didn't know how to save him, she raised her eyes to Duan Wen: "Antidote!"

The woman coldly refused to make a sound, glaring behind Duan Li with sinister eyes. Xu Ce's death hadn't brought her much shock, he was just a dead man, as long as it wasn't her.

"Give me the antidote." Lian stepped forward, the fishing boat had already docked, Duan Li retreated backward.

"Go!" With a command, the siblings simultaneously turned and dashed toward the boat.

"Hand over the antidote!" Lian followed closely behind them, knowing if they got on the boat, she'd lose all hope.

Three steps away, Duan Li grabbed Duan Wen's hand, leaping onto the deck: "Start the boat."

The fisherman rolled up his trousers, fanning himself with an out-of-season palm leaf fan, ignoring Duan Li's order.

"Didn't you hear me say start the boat?"

"Oh!" The fisherman responded, leaping away from the boat in the opposite direction of the cabin.

"What are you doing?" Duan Wen exclaimed, unable to contain herself.

"Oh, looks like one's already dead?" The fisherman glanced at Xu Ce's wound, clicking his tongue, then moved to Miao Shaoqing's side, pressing fingertips against his skin: "It's hardening!"

"Don't touch him!" Lian halted, the boat was right there, but the fisherman who jumped down was stubbornly squatting in front of Miao Shaoqing.

He pressed the wound, and a small stream of black blood oozed from the hole. "Hmm, that's good!" He drew a machete from his back.

"Put down the knife, or I'll shoot." Lian abandoned the Duan siblings on the boat, aiming her gun at the fisherman with both hands.

"Put down the gun!" The fisherman removed his straw hat, pouting: "Are you going to murder your husband?"

Xiao Lin's face swayed in front of Lian, bringing her to the brink of tears.

"Don't bother chasing them; their fate is death anyway." Xiao Lin motioned for Lian to join him instead of pursuing the boat: "Help me pry his mouth open, lift his chin."

The machete slashed open his wrist, and blood dripped into Miao Shaoqing's mouth.

"You've gone mad, what are you doing?" Lian hurriedly tried to plug the stream of scorching blood, but Xiao Lin blocked her.

"This is the fastest way, don't get in the way, open his mouth, don't waste my blood, it's very valuable." Xiao Lin screamed as he watched his blood spill onto the ground. He knew how many people in the Xiao Family wanted to get their hands on his blood, a universal antidote for all poisons.

"He's poisoned, not suffering from blood loss." Lian retorted.

"I know!" Ignoring Lian's anger, Xiao Lin pinched Miao Shaoqing's pulse. His heartbeat was still very weak, but there was strength in it. "Help me tear off some clothes, I need to bandage the wound."

Pulling Xiao Lin's arm closer, Lian's tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly said nothing.

"Alright, I'll be fine." Xiao Lin touched her hair, pressing his forehead against hers, planting a kiss on her nose.

"What about those siblings?"

"It's fine, there'll be someone on the boat to take care of it." Xiao Lin lifted Miao Shaoqing and took Lian's hand: "The dedicated driver will start scolding soon, we've waited so long."

"Where's your sword?"

"Left it for someone else as a memento."

The fishing boat slowly moved forward a certain distance, then turned back in the opposite direction.

Duan Wen sat beside Duan Li, applying balm to his wound, huddled together, but they overlooked a very serious problem.

"Who's steering the boat?" Duan Li was the first to become alert. The fisherman was fake, so aside from them, who else was steering the fishing boat?

Reminded, Duan Wen put on gloves, holding a poisoned sting, and the venomous snake coiled around her arm hissed violently, anxiously darting its tongue at a particular direction.

Something lurked in the shadows. Duan Wen gazed in the direction of the snake's head. Having spent much time with poisonous creatures, she was familiar with their temperament; her beloved companions were frightened, a powerful pressure emanated from the depths of the darkness, forcing its way out. She grabbed Duan Li's arm, slowly retreating.

Clack, clack! Rhythmic sounds emerged from the darkness; first, a sword hilt came into view, followed by the blade, until a wrinkled face appeared before them.

The sword blade pierced beneath the chest, and as he stepped forward, the sword hilt wobbled. Duan Wen clung to Duan Li in fear, the venomous snake in her hands recoiled its tongue, coiled on her arm.

"Only two left from three?" The familiar voice echoed in the Duan siblings' ears. The resurrected man looked at the sword lodged in his body with a strange expression, as if recalling what someone had said; his hand hesitated whether to pull the sword out.

"Today, I didn't want to start a killing spree, but that person wants you dead, so you'll have to die." Flame Swallow reluctantly moved his hand away from the sword hilt, his palms ignited two layers of differently colored flames.

"Oh, I remember, you said something like as long as we're alive, right?"

Duan Wen nodded dumbly, still thinking the same way. She hoped Duan Li could find a way for her to live; she shrank entirely behind Duan Li.

"You, you killing us gives you no advantage!" Duan Li's voice trembled.

"Hmm, it doesn't disadvantage me either." Flame Swallow nodded; the area pierced by the sword felt weird, as if something small was pounding internally.

"I can cure your poison!" Duan Wen finally found a way to survive after pondering for long. Trembling, she retrieved a small black bottle from her chest: "This... this..."

"Ah, I wouldn't have remembered if you didn't remind me." Flame Swallow observed the flames in his hands alternating to form an eye-catching hue, then stuck his tongue out at Duan Wen who took out the antidote: "You lied to me!"

"No!" A sharp scream echoed as Duan Li failed to see how the fireball zipped past him. Duan Wen let out a piercing, horrified scream next to his ear. Turning around woodenly, flames consumed her from hair to heels, leaving nothing but flesh as her outer layer was burned away; she crawled, trying to escape through the cabin door.

"I absolutely hate being deceived." Flame Swallow picked up the black bottle fallen at his heel, addressing Duan Li: "Is this the antidote?"

Duan Li stared at the crawling Duan Wen, failing to respond to Flame Swallow's question.

"Try it and see!" Jumping behind Duan Li's side, he kicked him to the ground.

"No big deal!" Flame Swallow looked at Duan Li in disappointment: "Gu Technique alone is useless, swallow it." Prying Duan Li's mouth open, he poured the liquid from the black bottle down his throat. "If the antidote is genuine, I'll let you go."

For quite some time, Flame Swallow felt tempted to drink the remaining half of the antidote, gazing at the still-unresponsive Duan Li; he was conflicted.

Suddenly, Duan Li's expression turned very strange, layers of pus started seeping from his belly, accompanied by a nauseating smell which dripped onto the boat planks, corroding a hole.

Seeing the situation, Flame Swallow jumped backward, patting his chest, relieved that he hadn't acted impulsively before; reversing his hand, he tossed the antidote into the river, reluctantly setting off a signal flare on the sword lodged in his belly.

A helicopter sounded overhead, descending a rope ladder that he grabbed, swinging away into the sky.

Xiao Lin reclined sleepily in the car, only to suddenly open his eyes as the helicopter flew overhead: "Qing Yi, I suddenly feel you're not all that beautiful."

"What?" Hua Qingyi looked at Xiao Lin inexplicably from the rearview mirror.

"Nothing!" Xiao Lin suddenly laughed happily: "I just saw a man more beautiful than you." (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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