CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: HEARTBROKEN! BLOOD-SUCKING POISON LEECH!

Listening to Wei Chuan’s words, Gu Yuan and the few survivors from Jade Cauldron Tower were silent, even feeling a chill in their hearts.

Wei Chuan may not be a good person, but his words were not wrong.

Today’s events are already very clear!

This mission was obviously a setup by the higher-ups of Jade Cauldron Tower, and they were just tools, mere pawns in this scheme.

Their lives didn’t matter, what mattered was keeping Wei Chuan here.

This approach was truly chilling!

Gu Yuan looked at the ground full of corpses, some incomplete, some with their bellies burst open, and others corroded by the poison of corpse flies, riddled with holes like melted mud.

Some had died together with the bandits, the long knives still lodged in the bodies of the bandits, and some, though dead, had their eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

He even saw a Jade Cauldron Tower guard, whose long knife was slashed into a bandit’s neck while the bandit’s short sword pierced through his heart, both dying together.

Even in death, this person still had his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Even Zhou Zhong had his arm severed at the root, holding an axe in the other hand, his face pale from excessive blood loss, his body swaying on the verge of collapse.

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness in his heart.

The deaths of these people were clearly in vain... Even if Jade Cauldron Tower provides compensation to their families afterward, what does it matter?

Once their lives are lost, what good is any amount of money?

Thinking of this, Gu Yuan became even more vigilant towards Yang Han, Luo Sheng, and the others.

He had thought Jade Cauldron Tower was a bit more stable, spending the days collecting herbs, completing tasks, and cultivating martial arts in spare time, but who would have thought this Jade Cauldron Tower wasn’t a safe place either.

A single word from those in power could send those below into deadly battles, racing against time.

And that’s fine... frankly, aren’t those prestigious families and martial arts sects the same?

But at least those people die with understanding.

Whereas this time, Jade Cauldron Tower was truly despicable, blatantly keeping everyone in the dark, using their own people to deliberately die so that Wei Chuan would let his guard down, revealing a flaw, allowing Chief Manager Luo Sheng to strike and succeed.

These people, even in death, probably didn’t know why they died, what a tragedy?

Yang Han frowned, sensing something wrong with the expressions of Gu Yuan and the others.

He knew that at this moment, he absolutely couldn’t let everyone become disunited, or else changes could occur, and if word of this spread afterward, it would cause some trouble to Jade Cauldron Tower’s reputation.

"Folks, don’t listen to this person’s nonsense. Today’s events were purely accidental."

He said loudly:

"Moreover, as long as we kill this person, I assure you, everyone will be heavily rewarded! At least fifty taels of silver for everyone! As for the deceased, their families will receive ample compensation afterward."

What nonsense is he saying, purely accidental, why don’t you die then... Gu Yuan secretly sneered, coldly laughing in his heart.

Moreover, no amount of compensation can bring the dead back to life, can it?!

No amount of benefits is more important than life, is it?!

Among the people from Jade Cauldron Tower present, excluding Yang Han, Old Mo, Chief Manager Luo Sheng, Xia Xiuxue, and Yang Jianfei, fewer than five people remained alive.

Yang Han offered many benefits, but it was all the same to Jade Cauldron Tower.

"Brother Wei, your injuries may seem mostly healed now, but we both know you’re just using the Lifebound Gu Insect Ice Silkworm Gu to temporarily suppress them. Once you fight, the injuries will worsen."

Luo Sheng looked at Wei Chuan and said grimly, "However, if you surrender now, I can assure you that your life will be spared. How about it?"

He said this, but he knew full well that Wei Chuan, as a disciple of the Gu God Sect, must have various life-saving tricks up his sleeve. Moreover, Wei Chuan’s cultivation was a notch above his and Old Mo’s.

He had already missed the best opportunity earlier, and now the chances of killing Wei Chuan were slim to none.

"Surrender?"

Wei Chuan glanced him up and down and sneered, "You alone are not qualified to make me surrender!"

"Today I, Wei Chuan, was thwarted, but since Xia Mingyang didn’t come personally, it seems he’s tied up with other matters."

"In any case, Old Mo, Chief Manager Luo, I’ve noted the generosity you two showed today, and I hope next time we meet you’re still alive, so I can kill you both myself."

Saying this, Wei Chuan smiled, and his body suddenly began to fade.

"What?!"

Luo Sheng’s gaze focused as he saw Wei Chuan’s silhouette turn transparent, then burst like a bubble under everyone’s watchful eyes and disappear.

All that remained was a gray-black strange butterfly, flapping its wings, then turning into a wisp of dust, vanishing into the air.

"Phantom Butterfly?"

Old Mo frowned. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Yang Han’s complexion was off, seeming thinner and sallow.

"Young friend Yang, your complexion..."

Not just Yang Han, even Xia Xiuxue, Yang Jianfei, and others nearby felt something was amiss with their bodies.

Only Gu Yuan and Zhou Zhong, who were further away, remained unaffected.

"Not good!"

Yang Han seemed to realize something, his face changed dramatically, and he lifted his clothes, revealing several fist-sized, green leeches stuck to his belly, greedily sucking blood, and he hadn’t even noticed them before.

Seeing this scene, his scalp tingled involuntarily. He pried them off forcefully and flung them to the ground.

Due to his excessive force, the green leeches exploded, spraying crimson blood all around!

Gasping for breath, he collapsed to the ground, his legs weak and unable to stand, clearly severely drained of primordial qi.

"Blood-sucking Poison Leech!"

Old Mo and Luo Sheng also recognized the origin of these green leeches, their expressions shifting slightly, and immediately started checking themselves for any strange Gu insects.

Disciples of the Gu God Sect excel at the Gu refining technique, with all sorts of bizarre and unrivaled Gu techniques, impossible to guard against, and even Old Mo and Luo Sheng couldn’t guarantee they’d be safe.

As it turned out, Old Mo was fine, at least he had a magical artifact for protection, so there was nothing abnormal.

But Luo Sheng discovered there was a beetle clinging to his foot at some point, colorful and clearly poisonous.

Had he not acted quickly and crushed it, he might have gotten bitten.

Even so, the skin where the beetle crawled quickly grew red welts, which burst open, spreading numbness throughout his leg.

Luo Sheng hurriedly took an antitoxic pill and, sitting cross-legged, circulated his true qi to expel the poison and heal.

Just then, Iron Tiger took advantage of the distraction to wildly flee, not even caring for his subordinates.

Now that Wei Chuan had escaped, what use was it for just a martial master like him to stay? To wait for death?

However, everyone present had no time to care about him.