Chapter Fifty: The Snow Spirit Blossom

Yet the halberd in Feng Zimo’s hand was no mere ornament; with a swift maneuver, he thrust it backward, piercing the venomous tail. Of course, I was not idle either—raising the Universe Mirror, I unleashed a bolt of lightning. At the same time, I unleashed the Jiugong Ghost Arts with a fierce sweep, striking down the twin-tailed scorpion so harshly it couldn’t even crawl. Xiao Xiao blocked the bedroom doorway to prevent the scorpion from escaping.

Under our three-pronged assault, the twin-tailed scorpion transformed into human form. The sleepwear it had been wearing changed into a high-collared ancient robe. Seeing the twin-tailed scorpion turn into a beautiful woman in traditional dress, I couldn’t help but wonder: why do monsters always prefer ancient attire? In this day and age, why not dress like we do now?

At that moment, blood was already trickling from the corners of her mouth, and her eyes glared at us with venomous spite.

“Speak. Why are you harming people here?” I demanded.

The twin-tailed scorpion snorted coldly, turning her face away without looking at me.

Damn… that temper…

Clearly, without showing her some force, she wouldn’t realize that even a kind woman can be fierce.

So I said to Feng Zimo, “Brother Feng, if she still refuses to talk, cut off one of her tails.”

“Alright, leave it to me,” Feng Zimo replied, raising his halberd and aiming it at the scorpion.

“If you wish to die, then go ahead and let him sever my tail,” the twin-tailed scorpion laughed skyward, standing her ground.

I froze, and Feng Zimo halted as well.

What did she mean by that?

“What do you mean? Make yourself clear,” I said.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I suddenly felt my whole body burn, veins bulging. Instinctively, I realized I must have been poisoned. I hadn’t expected the twin-tailed scorpion to be this treacherous…

Feng Zimo pressed his halberd to her throat, his voice icy, “Hand over the antidote, and I’ll spare your life.”

Faced with his threat, she showed not a trace of fear. In the same cold tone, she replied, “Are you serious? If I give you the antidote, do you think I’ll walk out of here alive?”

I chuckled, “If you don’t give us the antidote, you won’t be leaving at all.”

The twin-tailed scorpion looked at me in disbelief, stammering, “You… why are you unaffected? That’s impossible.”

I kept smiling. “Why not? Oh, I forgot to mention—I’m immune to all poisons.”

Honestly, even as I said it, I felt I was pulling off the ultimate swagger. If it weren’t for my Crimson-Eyed Demon Pupil absorbing the poison, I’d probably be lying on the ground by now. I knew the Crimson-Eyed Demon Pupil wouldn’t let me die so easily.

The twin-tailed scorpion suddenly sneered, “Even if you’re immune, can you save the others?”

That, I had to admit, was true.

“What do you want? What will it take to save him?” I asked.

She glanced at the halberd still at her neck. “Is this how you negotiate?”

I motioned for Feng Zimo to withdraw his weapon, then spoke. “Is this better?”

With a half-smile, she looked at me, “If you want to save your friend, it’s not difficult—as long as you do me one favor.”

“What favor?” I asked.

“Help me find an herb,” she replied.

“What herb?”

“Snow Spirit Flower.”

She continued, “The Snow Spirit Flower grows in the thousand peaks of the Frozen Mountains, rootless and blooming in blue.”

Frozen Mountains? I didn’t recall such a place. Whatever the case, it was best to agree for now—once she saved Fatty, she would have no choice but to cooperate.

“No problem,” I said. “I’ll find it for you, but you must save Fatty first.”

She smiled slightly. “As long as you find the Snow Spirit Flower, I will naturally save him. Until then, I can guarantee he will not die.”

With that, she tossed me a bottle of pills. “Here are three Life-Extending Pills. Remember, you have only ten days. If you don’t bring back the Snow Spirit Flower in ten days, even if you kill me, you won’t save your friend.”

Damn… this twin-tailed scorpion was truly devious, resorting to such tricks…

“In that case, you should at least tell me where the Frozen Mountains are. Otherwise, how can I find the Snow Spirit Flower for you?” I asked.

She shook her head. “If I knew where the Frozen Mountains were, I wouldn’t need your help.”

Damn it…

Wasn’t this just making things difficult for me?

But I couldn’t kill her now—if I did, Fatty would truly be doomed. Yet if we set out to find the Snow Spirit Flower, we didn’t even know where to begin. It seemed the only option was to go back and figure something out.

So I said, “I’ll help you find it, but you’d better not trick me, or I’ll wipe out your entire kin.”

With that, I turned and strode away, secretly proud of myself. Such a domineering threat—surely it would keep the scorpion up for days, trembling in fear.

But just as I was basking in my own bravado, tragedy struck—I walked straight into the doorframe. Little stars danced before my eyes, twinkling prettily. Clutching my aching head, I walked out of the complex.

This, of course, delighted Feng Zimo and Xiao Xiao to no end.

This lesson finally taught me what it means to be struck down by one’s own pride.

As we walked back, Xiao Xiao asked, “Do you know why the twin-tailed scorpion wants the Snow Spirit Flower?”

Huh?

I honestly didn’t know—I’d forgotten to ask.

“Why?” I turned to Xiao Xiao.

She explained, “The Snow Spirit Flower is a catalyst for advancing one’s cultivation. If paired with Nine Yin Grass, it can raise one’s power by three levels. But it’s not something just any demon can use—only those who have reached a certain level of cultivation.”

She continued, “I suspect the twin-tailed scorpion doesn’t want it for herself—she must have some other purpose.”

Her words made me uneasy as well. Still, Fatty had to be saved, no matter what. We would have to find the Snow Spirit Flower first, and then adapt to whatever happened next. If she did have some sinister plot, we could always kill her then.

Back at the hotel, Lin Weiyan and the others were still awake. Xiaoling was sitting on the bed watching cartoons.

“Brother Chuyun, what happened to your head? Did you get the antidote?” Lin Weiyan asked.

If she hadn’t mentioned my head, I might have forgotten about it. As soon as she reminded me, the bump started aching again.

“It’s nothing, just bumped it by accident. Why aren’t you all asleep yet?” I replied.

I then recounted the night’s events to Lin Weiyan. When she heard about the Snow Spirit Flower, she paused in surprise.

I asked what was wrong, and she told me that Elder Jiang had mentioned the Snow Spirit Flower before and had searched for it for a while. However, they hadn’t gone at the right time.

The Snow Spirit Flower only appears once every ten years, and even then, it is exceedingly rare.