Chapter Thirty-Eight: The White-Browed Tall Spider (3)

The visitor was Chi Zhou, a young member of the Silver Wolf clan. This clan harbored deep resentment toward both the Gu family and the Mo family. If they set their sights on you, misfortune was sure to follow in the days ahead.

“What’s wrong, scared?” Mo Han, as always, remained the same timid soul after all these years, truly lacking ambition.

Mo Han paid no heed to Chi Zhou’s provocation. He had no desire to waste energy on such a petty, self-important fellow.

“I’m telling you, can’t you show some backbone? Just looking at your meek, cowering demeanor makes me furious.” His mouth was sharp, and though he was pleasing enough in appearance, his conduct left much to be desired.

Frankly, he’d be better suited as a beast than a human.

Seeing Mo Han remain silent, Chi Zhou lost interest and glanced at Chen Yuan. In that instant, his arrogance deflated, replaced by sheer terror as he stared at Chen Yuan, his body trembling visibly.

He looked as though he’d encountered something dreadful, his voice trembling, “Why are you here? How could you be with them?”

It was over—he was doomed. Of all people to meet, why did it have to be Chen Yuan? She was the bane of his existence!

“So what, you can show up here, but I can’t? Who are you, anyway? Do I know you?” She asked bluntly, not wanting to risk attacking the wrong person.

“It’s me. How could you not recognize me?” Chi Zhou’s heart ached a little—she hadn’t even recognized him.

He lifted a hand and tore off the mask from his face, meeting Chen Yuan’s gaze with utmost seriousness.

At once, Chen Yuan recognized him. She launched into a furious tirade.

Truly, this side of Chen Yuan was a first for Chu Xingran and Mo Han, who witnessed her wrath with wide eyes. It was a fiery confrontation, promising plenty of drama.

“You shameless wretch! You actually dare show your face before me—why didn’t I finish you off back then?” She unleashed her anger on Chi Zhou, still feeling unsatisfied.

If circumstances allowed, she would have slapped him several times.

“What’s the point of your scolding? It wasn’t my fault.” Chi Zhou felt aggrieved—why did everything fall on him?

Back then, he hadn’t been the one to reject Chen Yuan. Why vent on him? He truly was wounded by it.

If it hadn’t been for Chen Yuan leaving midway, things wouldn’t have turned out this way, and they wouldn’t be quarreling now.

“Save your breath. I have no time for your nonsense. Just tell me what’s happening here.” Cutting him off, Chen Yuan got straight to the point.

She had no desire to dwell on the past; only the affairs concerning her master and Lord Nine mattered now. What was lost was lost, and she wouldn’t waste tears or time on those who didn’t deserve it.

She and Chi Zhou were long past the point of reconciliation; their paths had diverged irreparably.

“What else? Trouble, all of it meant for him. But now, it doesn’t matter anymore.” His own woman stood on the opposite side—he’d failed as a man.

Yet, what could he do? Their fate simply wasn’t sufficient.

Once, they’d been so close, but time and gossip had torn them apart.

“The White-Browed High-Legged Spiders have been bought off. Be careful. I have business elsewhere.” He saw no reason to stay—Chen Yuan would only curse him more.

“Chen Yuan, if there’s still a chance, I’ll wait for you.” With that, Chi Zhou vanished.

He wished he could be with Chen Yuan, but now was not the time. He couldn’t disrupt her life now.

As long as she was well, that was enough.

Delivering the most crucial information was all he could do.

They were two opposing forces, with slim hope of ever uniting. Having each other in their hearts was comfort enough.

If someday opportunity arose, he would still choose her—still hope to share his life with her.

“Why are you staring at me? You two have the nerve to watch? Can’t you focus on the task at hand?” Chen Yuan rolled her eyes and turned to examine the fallen townsfolk.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered they were indeed under control.

Inside their skulls lurked tiny White-Browed High-Legged Spiders, manipulating their neural pathways.

“How do we solve this? There are too many. The three of us couldn’t finish in several days.” Chu Xingran felt overwhelmed as well; Yan City had at least five to six hundred thousand residents.

“I’ll try summoning the Snake Clan. Maybe we can finish before ten o’clock.” Mo Han’s face was dark, clearly reluctant, but he had no choice.

The Snake Clan Summoning Spell cost him a year of life each time he used it—a steep price for such a task.

But faced with the current predicament, he had no alternative.

“Maybe I could try puppet magic. That might speed things up.” Chen Yuan considered that, since puppets and those controlled by puppet magic were under her command, she could use them to solve the problem.

“We can, but be extra cautious. There might be others hiding in the city.” Chu Xingran wasn’t fully supportive of Chen Yuan’s plan, but there was no choice.

The three sprang into action, quickly removing the White-Browed High-Legged Spiders from the residents’ brains.

Even after the spiders were neutralized, it would take an hour or two for the townsfolk to awaken.

About three to four hours in total—hopefully, by then, the crisis would be resolved.

One thing did not worry them: the residents would not notice anything amiss upon waking, as memories from the time they were controlled by the spiders would be erased along with the spell’s removal.

That meant the residents wouldn’t realize they’d ever been under control. This made things much simpler, easing their burden considerably.

After two hours of relentless work, the city was finally freed of the infestation. Chen Yuan and Chu Xingran felt utterly exhausted.

There was no labor more draining than this—they both felt on the verge of collapse.

They dropped heavily to the ground, leaning against each other, gasping for breath, convinced they’d never worked so hard before.

Even Mo Han’s face was drawn with fatigue; his steps were unsteady, though he fared better than Chen Yuan and Chu Xingran.

“Rest awhile—we’ll have more trouble tonight.” Their adversaries wouldn’t let them obtain what they needed so easily; more problems surely awaited.

So far, they hadn’t encountered a White-Browed High-Legged Spider with a century’s cultivation. That meant the mastermind behind all this was formidable and wouldn’t allow them to pass unchallenged.

“You’re kidding—more tonight? This is harder than my old training days.” Chen Yuan decided to play the rascal, sprawling on the ground, truly unable to move another inch.

“Don’t slack off until everything’s sorted. Just in case—understand? Don’t give up now.” Mo Han snapped at her, then glanced at Chu Xingran.

There was little to say to Chu Xingran, so he simply sat beside the two, joining them in rest.

Let’s hope things go smoothly from here—no more surprises, please.