Chapter Twenty-Two: The Suicidal Serpent

As evening approached, Li Ziyuan was still on his way home.

Li Yue’er woke up leisurely, stretched, and thought of heading to the kitchen to help. As she stepped out into the courtyard, her eyes immediately fell upon a cute little girl of about seven or eight named Ling’er, along with a woman working alongside her mother. Nearby, Li Yue’er’s father was constructing a house out of bluestone with a strange man. Puzzled by the unfamiliar face, Li Yue’er walked over with a smile and asked softly, "Hello there, may I ask who you are?"

Ling’er stared at her with wide, curious eyes, saying nothing. Ling’er’s mother quickly spoke up, "Greetings, Miss Yue’er. We are new arrivals, and we will be living here in Qingyan Village from now on."

Li Yue’er waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Just call me Sister Yue’er. Are you settling in well after just arriving?"

Ling’er’s mother replied with a smile, "It is wonderful here, and everyone is so warm."

Just then, Mother Li emerged from the house. Seeing them chatting, she smiled and said, "Yue’er, this is Ling’er’s family. From now on, we shall all live together in harmony like one family."

Li Ziyuan stepped into the courtyard and paused, taken aback at the sight of the strangers. Who were these people? Why were they at his home? He did not ask immediately, but simply gave a slight nod as a gesture of greeting.

At the dinner table, Ling’er’s family seemed somewhat reserved; after all, they had been here less than a day and were strangers to everything. Ling’er, however, was uninhibited. With wide, bright eyes, she looked at Li Yue’er and Li Ziyuan and chirped happily, "Sister Yue’er and Brother Ziyuan are so good-looking!"

Mother Li warmly served dishes to the family, saying with a smile, "Don't be shy, eat plenty. This is your home now, and we are all one family." Father Li nodded slightly, signaling them to relax.

Ling’er’s parents were filled with deep emotion. This Brother Li, though seemingly ordinary, possessed a unique aura. And since his son, Li Ziyuan, was so handsome, how could the father be anything but extraordinary? They could never have imagined that such a figure—a supreme and exalted venerable—could be so gentle. Privately, they felt fortunate to have encountered such kind people and resolved to repay this kindness with their utmost loyalty. Ling’er’s mother quickly added, "Thank you all. We will certainly adapt to life here as quickly as possible."

Li Yue’er looked at Ling’er tenderly and said, "Ling’er is so adorable; we can play together from now on." Though Li Ziyuan was a man of few words, he offered a faint smile, letting the family feel his goodwill. Infected by the warmth of the Li family, Ling’er’s family gradually relaxed and began to enjoy the cozy meal. They were filled with gratitude and looked forward to their future in this small village.

Far from the Qingyan cottage, Jiang Yun watched the smoke rising from the chimneys with a heart full of resentment. Having failed to exact his revenge on Li Ziyuan and knowing he had no place left in Qingyan Village, he resolutely walked away. He yearned to venture into the outside world, yet his obsession with revenging himself upon Li Ziyuan remained undiminished.

As he slowly passed the area where Li Ziyuan had once fallen off the cliff, a long snake trailed him, drooling. Jiang Yun, however, was completely unaware that he was being stalked. Just as he was lost in thoughts of the world beyond the village, a massive green snake struck like a phantom. Its blood-red maw clamped down on Jiang Yun’s head, and its thick body coiled around him instantly, binding him so tightly he could not move.

Jiang Yun’s head was shoved deep into the serpent’s throat. He could not even scream for help. Before he could process the pain, he felt his entire body being swallowed by a tremendous force; he did not even know what kind of monster had attacked him. The green snake, feeling satisfied, slithered toward its cave.

"What on earth is this? Whose belly have I ended up in?"

Three days later, the snake felt as if something was frantically devouring its flesh from the inside. It turned out that Jiang Yun’s "corpse-body" was something the snake could not digest. Jiang Yun, acting like a madman, bit into the meat inside the snake’s stomach, ferociously sucking its blood. The serpent writhed in agony, trying to vomit him out, but terrifyingly, it could not. The snake felt like crying, wondering what kind of nightmare it had swallowed.

Soon, the snake was reduced to little more than skin and bone. Jiang Yun tore through the serpent’s belly and crawled out with great difficulty. His strength seemed to have increased slightly. Standing on the mountaintop at the edge of the village, he looked back at Qingyan Village, gritting his teeth as he swore, "Li Ziyuan, I will be back!" With that, he resolutely left Qingyan Village.

Early the next morning, atop the back mountain, the young man Li Ziyuan stood in black robes, his eyes filled with determination.

With a focused thought, he unleashed a punch at an ancient tree: "Flame Dragon Break Fist!" Yellow-orange spiritual energy instantly surged into his right arm, and a fire-yellow golden dragon the size of an arm roared out, striking the tree like lightning. With a thunderous "bang," a charred crater was left upon the massive trunk.

Li Ziyuan felt he had made some progress with the intermediate Flame Dragon Break Fist, but looking at the charred mark, he remained dissatisfied with the power of his attack; compared to his father’s strength, it was a world of difference.

After resting for a moment, Li Ziyuan lay on the ground, gazing at the azure, jewel-like sky where white clouds drifted lazily like aimless fish. He fell into deep contemplation, his thoughts traversing time and space to the past.

Yu Tian, the girl with the sweet and lively smile, would always meticulously prepare his favorite braised pork. It was her own cooking, which he had eaten from middle school all the way through college, never tiring of it. She would often urge him to study hard, get into college, find a good job, and eventually earn enough to buy a house of their own. He recalled how, when he wanted to kiss her, she would always say that books claimed kissing led to pregnancy and that they had to wait until after graduation. He remembered their childhood in the orphanage, how he would stand up for her against bullies, and how she had become his little shadow ever since. That night at the hospital, their bond had deepened even further.

But the moment he remembered being cruelly tortured and murdered by that gang of bandits, the heart-wrenching pain surged back into his mind. Would Yu Tian have to endure such torment before being killed by them too? Such a wonderful girl, killed by them just like that.

Thinking of the girl who had eyes only for him being tortured to death by those thugs, the rage in Li Ziyuan’s heart surged uncontrollably, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. His eyes turned crimson, and that long-dormant, eerie black spiritual energy began to seep from his body. Li Ziyuan lost himself once more, entirely consumed by his fury.