Chapter Forty-Six: The Sikong Brothers

“Don’t… please stop…” Watching her companions being seized and brought in, the Snow Maiden’s face revealed a look of fear. It seemed these little birds meant a great deal to her.

“I understand,” said Sikong Lang, his expression unchanged as he faced the Snow Maiden shouting at him. “In these lonely days, these birds have kept you company. You regard them as your dearest friends, don’t you?”

Hearing Sikong Lang’s words, the Snow Maiden shook her head desperately, seemingly trying to deny what he said. Observing her reaction, Sikong Lang lightly uttered, “Brother, do it!”

“Heh heh.” Sitting on Sikong Lang’s shoulder, Sikong Ming gave a sly chuckle. He slowly placed the bird, bound by his fingers, into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed it.

“No!” As she watched the bird that had accompanied her get devoured alive by the figure before her, the Snow Maiden could no longer contain her grief. Tears burst from her eyes, falling to the floor and transforming into several round, crystal beads that rolled across the ground. These pearls, it seemed, were the legendary Tears Crystals.

Seeing the Snow Maiden’s tears turn into Tears Crystals, Li Gang rushed forward as if he had found treasure, picked them up from the ground, and exclaimed excitedly, “We’re rich! We’re rich! If I sell these beads, they’ll fetch at least hundreds of millions. It’s all thanks to you, Sikong brothers, ha ha!”

Just as Li Gang was shouting in excitement, the gatekeeper entered and whispered a few words in Li Gang’s ear. Hearing the report, Li Gang dismissed it with a sneer, “Another fool sent by a rival, I suppose. Who knows how many I’ve buried in this Madian Village who dared to covet these Tears Crystals. Let the men brought by the Sikong brothers handle it. I’d like to see what tricks they still have up their sleeves, ha ha. I’ll leave it to you, Sikong brothers!”

“No problem, Mr. Li,” Sikong Lang replied, still expressionless. “My men are already stationed throughout the estate. The intruders won’t even make it past the villa’s front door!”

At that moment, Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang, having spent an hour and a half on a coach and then hitching a ride, finally arrived at the estate guided by a local villager. The villagers all knew of the luxury estate—a villa built by Li Gang, the investor who had fenced off nearly two hundred acres at the eastern end of the village. Crossing the estate’s fence, Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang noticed a line of tire tracks pressed into the grass.

“Look, these are tire marks. If we follow them, we’ll surely find where Li Gang and his people live. That’s where the Snow Maiden must be held!”

Mentioning the Snow Maiden, Zhang Yang’s face lit up with excitement. If it weren’t for the mission to rescue her, he would never have dragged Qin Xiaochuan out in the middle of the night. From the first moment he saw the Snow Maiden on television, he had been captivated by her adorable and pure appearance, electrified and unable to describe the excitement. He knew he had fallen in love with her. “Yes, following this path, we’ll find her. Xiaochuan, hurry and come with me!”

Watching the eager Zhang Yang run ahead, Qin Xiaochuan hesitated, debating whether to tell him the truth about the Snow Maiden’s origins. After Zhang Yang had gone to borrow money from his sister, the Little King of Hell on the videotape also revealed the Snow Maiden’s identity: her name was Feixue, the younger sister of Feiyan, separated from him many years ago…

As Qin Xiaochuan ran across the grass with Zhang Yang, a sudden burst of bright light appeared before them, forcing them to squint. From the car stepped a man dressed in black, who stood in front of them and declared, “This is private property. If you know what’s good for you, get out!”

“We’re a bit lost!” Despite the hostility, Qin Xiaochuan stepped forward and began spinning tales. “Let us rest for just one night in Mr. Li’s estate. With a house this big, surely there’s room for the two of us, ha ha!”

“So you’re here to cause trouble, are you? Let me escort you out, then.” As he spoke, the black-clad man’s trousers were suddenly torn apart by eight enormous tentacles, revealing a body like an octopus. “Though you’ll be leaving in the form of corpses, heh heh!”

Seeing the black-clad man reveal his monstrous form, Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang realized he must be a demon hired by Li Gang as a bodyguard. They were so used to monsters by now that his transformation didn’t faze them. Instead, they asked, “Since you know why we’re here, tell us—is the Snow Maiden imprisoned here?”

“Heh heh, not bad. You’re the first not to scream upon seeing my transformation.” Now, the man’s upper clothing was also torn by his hideous true form. A giant, tooth-filled mouth grew from his chest, and a crimson tongue flicked out, terrifying to behold. “As a reward, I’ll tell you where she is,” the monster said, pointing behind him. “She’s locked up in the villa at the back by Mr. Li. You can go there to find her—though you’ll go as spirits, after I eat you, ha ha ha ha ha!”

“I have a question: as fellow monsters, why do you serve humans?”

“Why not? If you had mountains of gold and silver before you, you’d do whatever you were asked, just like me. Don’t you humans have a saying—what is it—money, money…”

“Money makes the devil turn the mill.”

“Yes, yes, money makes the devil turn the mill! Here in the human world, money can accomplish many things impossible in the demon realm, heh heh!”

“Don’t lump us in with you, you ugly brute!”

Hearing the demon’s words, Qin Xiaochuan stepped forward, eyes filled with disgust. He despised those who betrayed their friends for profit, whether human or demon.

“That’s right, you disgusting creature!” Zhang Yang brandished his spirit sword, his gaze as contemptuous as Qin Xiaochuan’s.

“Stop pretending, filthy humans!” Apparently provoked by their words, the octopus monster leapt up and lunged at them, clearly intending to finish them off in one attack.

Watching the octopus leap through the air, Zhang Yang swung his spirit sword without emotion, slicing the monster into many pieces mid-flight. Even after the demon’s body was chopped apart, Qin Xiaochuan was still not satisfied. With a flick of his right hand, a giant spirit orb blasted what remained of the octopus, erasing it completely. Spitting on the ground, the two continued running toward the villa.

“What? Truly astonishing!” Sikong Lang, who had been conversing with Li Gang in the living room, suddenly stood up and looked out the window, sensing something amiss outside.

“What is it, Sikong Lang? Is something happening outside?”

“I sense the aura of one of my subordinates, Zhi Hong, has disappeared! It seems he was dispatched by some powerful expert!”

“What? Didn’t you say your men were strong? How could one be defeated so easily?”

“It seems our opponents are no ordinary rabble, but ones with formidable spiritual power!”

Li Gang was shocked by Sikong Lang’s words. He had only hired him based on others’ recommendations. Though Sikong Lang had just managed to extract a few drops of the Snow Maiden’s tears, he had yet to display his true strength. Considering this, Li Gang’s eyes darted slyly, and he said to Sikong Lang, “I paid a fortune to hire you. If anything happens to my safety, you won’t see a single cent!”

“Rest assured, there will be no problems. I guarantee it.”

“Guarantee? What kind of guarantee? I don’t believe words alone!”

“How can I make you believe me, Mr. Li?”

“Well…” Pretending to ponder, Li Gang rose from the sofa and said, “Unless you let me test your strength!”

“How, Mr. Li?”

Despite the request to test his abilities, Sikong Lang remained expressionless, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

“Come with me, then…” Li Gang led Sikong Lang to a chamber beneath the villa, an exotic exhibition room he had built. Here, he displayed the misshapen creatures he had collected at great expense from around the world: three-headed serpents, double-headed giant lizards, lion-tiger beasts, Amazonian giant anacondas—an array of bizarre creatures imprisoned in this hall. Stopping in front of a huge glass enclosure, Li Gang pointed at the massive beast inside and explained, “See this? The creature inside was bred using live lions as food and mutant genes—a monstrous Kirin Lion. Can you kill this beast?”

As he looked at Sikong Lang, Li Gang calculated in his mind. Hiring the Sikong brothers had cost him hundreds of millions; if the sight of this beast intimidated them, he could cut the bodyguard fee by twenty percent. Heh heh, let’s see how you respond.

“I’d really rather not,” Sikong Lang said, staring at the giant beast behind the glass, which was as tall as a small mountain. He took off his shirt, opened the cage door, and walked in.

Watching Sikong Lang enter so boldly, Li Gang’s face showed disbelief. This was a top predator that fed on lions—there wasn’t a creature alive that could hunt it. Its hide was thick enough to resist machine gun bullets. He had only made the suggestion in passing, but Sikong Lang had actually dared to enter, as if offering himself as food to the monster. Well, if he gets eaten, I’ll save hundreds of millions. If he wins, that would be even better…

As Li Gang’s mind ran wild, Sikong Lang had already reached the giant beast. Facing the Kirin Lion, which was twice his height even when crouched, Sikong Lang remained expressionless and said, “Despite appearances, I am quite fond of animals.” Watching the Kirin Lion rise, Sikong Lang continued, “Thirty percent should suffice.”