Player Reload
Chapter 388 - 357 Viper

Chapter 388: Chapter 357 Viper

Xi Cai’s proud expression from the previous moment immediately turned bewildered, "Furious... Tang Lotus? What is that?"

"A hidden weapon of the Tang Sect."

Gray Rain responded as a matter of fact, "A top-notch mechanism-type hidden weapon in ’Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons.’ It looks like a golden lotus, with a shimmering ruby-like core in the center. Once triggered, innumerable metal petals scatter, leaving no living being in the vicinity.

It is a weapon more terrifying than the Peacock Feather and the Heavy Rain Pear Blossom Needle. This is mentioned in ’Douluo...’"

"Alright, alright, no one will think you’re mute if you don’t speak."

Li Cheng, with beads of sweat on his forehead, hurriedly covered Gray Rain’s mouth. He seriously suspected that if he let this girl have free rein, she would enthusiastically bring out a storytelling stick and narrate the entire ’Douluo’ setting, making the mission unnecessary.

The surrounding people looked puzzled, while Xi Cai tried to appear calm but was deeply uncertain inside.

She had no idea what the Furious Tang Lotus or the ’Hundred Solutions of Hidden Weapons’ meant. Yet, this little girl spoke with such confidence and directly mentioned the Peacock Feather and the Heavy Rain Pear Blossom Needle, which were unknown sect secrets...

The tense atmosphere did not last long. Sailors, on the orders of the shipowner, used planks to repair the leaking cabin, set sail again, and accelerated away from this dangerous sea area.

As for the Green Mountain bandit who fell into the sea to feed the nine-legged sea monster, no one wanted to avenge him. Dead was dead.

After sailing beyond the black cloud range, the ferry cut through the waves, finally revealing the outline of an island on the horizon.

The island had a crescent shape. On a cliff on the east side stood a lighthouse-like stone building with a long, thick iron rod at the top.

The west side’s terrain was lower, with lush forests housing a large complex of stone and wooden buildings, magnificently decorated, no less grand than the ancestral homes of notable families on land.

The only peculiar thing was that the courtyard walls were two or three times higher than those of normal residences, resembling prison walls.

In the harbor in the middle of the island, over a dozen ships, large and small, were already anchored, likely here to attend a birthday celebration.

"Hmm..."

Li Cheng squinted his eyes and carefully observed, noting several batteries placed at the two crescent tips of the island, with their firepower coverage encompassing the entire harbor.

The island’s backside consisted of sheer cliffs difficult to climb. In other words, the entire island naturally formed a perfect military harbor; as long as the batteries were set up and ample ammunition was stored, no fleet could invade.

This was quite strange. From the conversations of those worldly individuals, it was clear that the current Emperor Yong’an, governed under feudal values, was an enlightened ruler, building the navy and engaging in maritime trade.

His open-mindedness far surpassed that of the Ming Dynasty monarchs.

However, being capable also meant centralized power. It was unclear why the emperor would permit the Tu Family’s near-kingly behavior of ’occupying the island.’

As evening fell, the ferry slowly docked in the harbor. Everyone disembarked, greeted by the Tu Family’s envoys who held lanterns, already waiting at the pier.

"I am Tu Tuzhi, the Tu Family steward. The sea voyage must have been tiring. Honored guests, please follow me with your invitations. The mansion has prepared a welcoming feast."

The middle-aged steward named Tu Tuzhi had a fair, beardless face and a very friendly smile. His breathing was long and even, suggesting he was also a martial artist.

Everyone presented their invitations, handing them over to the steward.

A group of Cao Meng’s underlings from the Fanhe Gang tried to follow him but were immediately blocked by Tu Tuzhi’s attendants, "Sorry, only those holding copper plates may come ashore."

"Why? We’re together!"

One gang member pointed at Xi Cai from the Tang Sect, "The invitation in her hand was taken from a corpse she killed. You don’t stop her, but you stop us?"

"The Tu Family has a vast network of connections spanning from the worldly society to the temple. Old friends and acquaintances are spread throughout Jiuzhou—

With sect leaders and family heads usually busy, even if invited, they rarely find the time to attend. Therefore, we issue invitations without names, so that their younger disciples can attend on their behalf.

Therefore, we recognize the copper plate, not the person."

Tu Tuzhi still smiled, "Chief Cao can come through, but the gang members will need to stay on the ship. We’ll send food over later."

"... As Mr. Tu said."

Cao Meng took a deep breath. After being brutally beaten by Li Cheng and witnessing the nine-legged sea monster and Tang Sect hidden weapons, he had lost the sharp spirit he had when he first arrived in Huainan. He waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to shut up and follow orders.

Li Cheng and Gray Rain only had one copper plate, but such a minor issue was nothing for the two.

Li Cheng stepped forward, shielding Gray Rain

while she quietly retreated, bringing everyone in front of her as cover. Then, she pulled a piece of liquid metal from her arm, kneading it into the shape of a copper plate.

Since the liquid metal’s density was greater than copper’s, to avoid detection, Gray Rain added some aluminum and tin, finally converting the surface to a brass color.

No matter how wide Tu Tuzhi’s knowledge was, he would never know about something like nanobots;

he immediately accepted the forged copper plate and had a servant place it in the storeroom.

He himself led the way.

The island’s vegetation was lush, with some evergreen trees nearly fifty meters tall, followed by smaller trees, shrubs, vines, and ferns in descending order.

Walking in the forest, sunlight was completely blocked by the canopy, making it hard to discern directions. The primitive forest’s oppressive atmosphere was overwhelming, with the stone steps symbolizing traces of civilization offering some relief.

Out of curiosity, Su Konghu’s companion, Wang Biliu, reached out to touch an orchid growing on a vine by the roadside. As her hand extended, the blue-black ’vine’ came alive, revealing its fangs and snapping sharply at Wang Biliu.

Su Konghu reacted swiftly, pulling Wang Biliu’s hand back with great speed. The blue-black viper tried to strike again. With a ’buzz’ sound,

Tu Tuzhi, at the front of the group, plucked a green leaf and flung it, swiftly slicing through the viper’s body mid-air.

The severed snake head fell into the leaf litter, its mouth reflexively gaping a few times, oozing a trickle of poison liquid from its fangs.

"The island is full of snakes and insects. Please stay within the range of the stone path to avoid any casualties."

Tu Tuzhi smiled as he turned to continue leading the way.

"Mamba out."

Gray Rain muttered under her breath, picking up the lifeless snake head and started playing with it.

"Don’t pick up random things while traveling."

Li Cheng scolded, swatting the snake head from Gray Rain’s hand, correcting, "Besides, this is a viper, not a mamba."

"What’s the difference? I saw in the advertisement: ’This isn’t the Year of the Snake, this is the Year of the Mamba.’"

Gray Rain argued.

She referred to the Nike commercial launched earlier in the year for the Chinese market, which was highly abstract, featuring a group of young people exercising while shouting ’Kobe,’

ending with two English subtitles,

"This isn’t the Year of the Snake,

This is the Year of the Mamba."

After the advertisement aired, a series of bewildering air disasters occurred in the United States, making people wonder if the commercial indeed had some magic power.