Chapter 8: Spider King Grass

Liu Tao took a deep breath, looking at the dead Sawtooth Poison Beast on the ground, "There's only one Sawtooth Poison Beast left. I hope everything goes smoothly."

Ye Chen said calmly, "It will go smoothly."

During the previous battle, Yao Qing didn't contribute much, as Ye Chen's sword was too fast. Now, her face was full of hope, "How did you practice your sword technique? Can you teach me?"

Liu Tao frowned; Yao Qing was being too rash. He quickly said, "Sister Yao, don't be silly. How can sword techniques be easily taught?" The True Spirit Continent had strict traditions, and even masters wouldn't teach all their skills to their disciples, let alone to someone with no connection.

Unexpectedly, Ye Chen said, "There's nothing to teach. You can practice the basic sword technique a hundred times every day, and you'll see results in a month."

"Really?" Yao Qing didn't believe it.

Ye Chen smiled but didn't explain.

The Sawtooth Poison Beast in the cave was enormous, with a head as big as a water vat. Its copper bell eyes glowed with a blood-red light, fierce and cruel.

"Let's all attack together." Liu Tao took the lead, striking the Sawtooth Poison Beast with four palm strikes.

Following closely were the bright flashes of a sword, dense and fragmented sword light, and distorted blade light, like a tide, attacking the Sawtooth Poison Beast. The beast, already pushed back by Liu Tao, howled and retreated further, and in its anger, it opened its mouth to spew a purple toxic smoke that glowed with fire.

Liu Tao was greatly alarmed. He immediately gathered all his inner energy, and a faint black arc of light appeared between his hands. All the purple toxic smoke that touched the arc exploded, forcing him to retreat, his arms numb. The others, seeing this, scattered in all directions.

At this moment, Ye Chen moved, darting forward. His steel sword pierced through the Sawtooth Poison Beast's mouth, which hadn't closed, and with a upward thrust, the tip of the sword emerged as if cutting through tofu.

The Sawtooth Poison Beast struggled in vain, its head tilting to one side, and it died.

"Is it dead?" Liu Tao saw that Ye Chen hadn't followed the plan and thought he had forgotten, but he didn't know that one strike had felled the Sawtooth Poison Beast.

Shaking off the liquid on his sword, Ye Chen slowly sheathed it and said, "When the Sawtooth Poison Beast spews toxic smoke, there's a brief pause. Above its mouth, there's a small hole the size of a cup, which is its greatest weakness, leading directly to its brain."

Twin brother Yang Wu admired, "Impressive, you found the fatal weakness after killing two Sawtooth Poison Beasts."

Ye Chen said, "Finding weaknesses is essential for a swordsman."

"Haha, regardless, the Sawtooth Poison Beast is dealt with." Yao Qing laughed.

The cave wasn't deep, only about twenty feet.

Liu Tao lit a fire and drew a sharp breath, "It's not the Poison Heart Grass... but the Spider King Grass."

"What, Spider King... Brother Liu, did you see it wrong?" Yang Wen exclaimed from behind.

Liu Tao confirmed, "The Poison Heart Grass is purple and shaped like an orchid, while the Spider King Grass is black, with the top leaves resembling a poisonous spider. There's no way I could have seen it wrong."

Upon hearing this, even the usually calm Ye Chen's breathing quickened. The Poison Heart Grass, though valuable, was worth only two to three thousand silver taels and was beneficial for those practicing poison techniques, making it a rare herb. In comparison, the Spider King Grass was even rarer. Not only could it be used in medicine to aid in the practice of poison techniques, but it was also essential for the highly toxic martial skill called 'Thousand Spiders, Ten Thousand Poisons Hand.' If those practicing this skill knew they had the Spider King Grass, they would pay more than ten thousand silver taels without hesitation, though the possibility of robbery and murder was high.

Yao Qing said, "Brother Liu, it's too dark here, I can't see anything."

"You're right, let's go out."

Liu Tao carefully dug out the Spider King Grass and led the way out of the cave.

In the bright light, the Spider King Grass was clearly visible for the first time.

The grass was seven inches tall, with seven leaves, and its entire body was jet black, with a faint glow. At the top of the Spider King Grass, a fruit resembling a black spider lay there. At first glance, it was hard to tell if it was alive or dead, making it quite unsettling.

"This is the Spider King... It looks so scary!" The brothers Yang Wen and Yang Wu clicked their tongues.

Liu Tao recalled, "When I joined the Golden Light Sect, I had the chance to see the Grand Elder obtain a Spider King Grass, which looked exactly like this one. I never thought I would get one myself today."

Wang Haiquan stared at the Spider King Grass and licked his lips, "A single Spider King Grass can sell for at least ten thousand silver taels. Divided among six people, that's 1,666 taels each. I can't earn that much in half a year."

Hearing this, Liu Tao remembered the division of the spoils and said to Ye Chen, "Brother Ye, we belong to different sects, and communication is difficult. The Sawtooth Poison Beasts and the Spider King Grass will take some time to sell. How about I give you the silver directly?"

Ye Chen wasn't interested in the Spider King Grass and agreed.

"Alright, two ordinary Sawtooth Poison Beasts are worth about two thousand silver taels, one elite Sawtooth Poison Beast is worth 1,500 taels, and the Spider King Grass is worth ten thousand taels, totaling 13,500 taels. Divided among six people, that's 2,250 taels each, or 225 gold taels. Here are a 100-tael and a 10-tael gold note. Give them to Brother Ye, Brother Wang, Brother Yang, and Sister Yao."

The group managed to gather the gold, but they were still short by 50 taels, so they had to use some materials from the Sawtooth Poison Beasts as a substitute.

After putting away the gold notes and materials, Ye Chen's ears twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "Someone's here."

Liu Tao put the jade box containing the Spider King Grass in his pocket and called out loudly, "I am Liu Tao, a disciple of the Golden Light Sect. Please show yourself."

"Ha, the Golden Light Sect, that insignificant small sect?" The grass rustled, and a group of large men emerged from the dense forest. The leader was hideous, with half his head missing, leaving only two-thirds, a terrifying sight.

"Shut up!" Wang Haiquan was furious.

The hideous man glared, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Liu Tao knew the situation was dire. These men were likely a gang of ruthless bandits. His face turned grim, "What do you want?"

"Ha, I'm a bit short on cash. If you're willing to offer something, that would be best."

Liu Tao frowned, "We don't have much silver, but we can give you the materials from the demon beasts, which should be worth several thousand taels!" He couldn't gauge the inner energy level of the man, but he was likely at least at the tenth level of the Qi Cultivation stage. If a fight broke out, his fellow disciples and sister would be in grave danger, even Ye Chen.

The hideous man cursed, "Do you think we're beggars? A few thousand taels to fool us? I'll give you a choice: leave the Spider King Grass and go. Oh, and the little girl can't leave; she can satisfy me."

The other men laughed lewdly.

Yao Qing's face turned pale, and she bit her lower lip.

Liu Tao's face darkened, suppressing his anger, "Are you joking?"

"Who's joking? I'll count to ten. If you don't comply, don't blame me for being ruthless." The hideous man reached for the hilt of his sword behind his back.

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