Having resolved the Calamity Python, Bai Jie did not rush to deal with its corpse.
Instead, he returned to the shaded side halfway up the back mountain, appearing before Long Ge and Long De, who were bound in spider silk.
Under the two men's horrified gazes, he first injected each of them with a drop of Mutation Venom, then undid the spider silk sealing their mouths.
"Big sister Bai Zhi, I want some too!" The little snake atop his head cajoled.
"No time. Go stay over there." Bai Jie replied indifferently.
Ignoring the disappointed Bai Huahua, he jumped up into the tree himself, looking down at the two humans from above.
Because he was restricted by his species' size, even though those two were kneeling, Bai Jie could only look up at them. He had no choice but to proactively switch his perspective...
"Tell me your names."
As a voice brimming with charm yet carrying authority entered the two men's minds, their spines instantly stiffened.
Even though this voice involuntarily stirred up countless reveries, they swiftly calmed their minds and said in trembling voices:
"This lowly one is Long Ge." "Long De."
"Is... is it the demon spider lord speaking to us?" The two stared at Bai Jie with alarm and uncertainty.
"Your Elder is already dead. I will ask you a few questions. Whoever answers well will be allowed to live." Bai Jie transmitted.
"My lord, please speak. I will surely tell all I know without holding back!" The pallid-faced Long Ge said urgently, appearing as though he wished he could kowtow.
Long De, however, clenched his teeth and said nothing.
Although they still could hardly believe that the spider before them could communicate with them, neither was willing to give up the sole chance at survival before their eyes.
"How did you find me?" Bai Jie asked.
"It was the Gu-Seeking Cicada. We used the Gu-Seeking Cicada to record the aura you had left behind previously, and then by following the Gu-Seeking Cicada's directional guidance, we gradually pinpointed this location," Long Ge said.
"This entire operation was instigated by the Elder. We were merely acting on orders. I hope my lord can spare our lives."
"An Inner Hall Elder, correct? Tell me about your Wu Gu Clan," Bai Jie transmitted in a flat tone.
Both Long Ge and Long De's expressions shifted slightly, not expecting Bai Jie to also know about the Wu Gu Clan's inner and outer halls. This showed its intelligence was no lower than a human's.
At the same time, they were filled with immense regret. Had they known, they would never have provoked this monster of a spider.
Long Ge let out a heavy sigh and said: "The Inner Hall gathers all the core bloodline disciples of the Wu Gu Clan. Only clan members whose Gu-controlling and sorcery talents are extremely high, and who bear the surname 'Long,' are qualified to enter."
"As for the Outer Hall, the threshold is far more lenient. Many Wu Gu clan members can join the Outer Hall to obtain a job, but the resources and status they receive are far inferior to the Inner Hall."
"The surname Long?" Something suddenly occurred to Bai Jie. "Do you know of a Long Xiaofeng?"
"Long Xiaofeng..."
Long Ge seemed to go blank for a moment, then said: "I remember now. He's an Inner Hall disciple who went missing not long ago. He was also a student at Xingchuan University."
Such a coincidence?
Long Xiaofeng was precisely Zheng Yueling's ex-boyfriend, and he was actually a Wu Gu clan member!
"What connection did he have with Zheng Yueling?" Bai Jie asked.
"They seemed to have been together for a period, but because Long Xiaofeng switched to pursuing a young female Elder of the Inner Hall, they later separated."
A young female Elder... was this Long Xiaofeng not wanting to work hard anymore? A comical thought like this involuntarily passed through Bai Jie's mind.
Bai Jie then brought the focus back to the Elders. "How many Elders does your Wu Gu Clan have? How strong are they? Are there any even stronger?"
"A total of twelve, respectively overseeing twelve cities in the south of the Federation. The Elder who just transformed into the giant python was named Long She, the Wu Gu Clan Inner Hall's chief person-in-charge in Yongan City. I'm not sure of Elder Long She's strength ranking among the Elders. I only know that the Clan Leader is the strongest shaman of the present-day Wu Gu Clan."
"The Clan Leader? What's so formidable about him?" Bai Jie asked curiously.
"Legend has it he controls the world's most powerful Gu insect — the 'Sacred Gu Artifact.'"
Long De suddenly interjected, "As for what exactly this 'Sacred Gu Artifact' looks like, since we've never seen the Clan Leader, we have no idea at all."
"Does your Wu Gu Clan have any ties to the Federal Government?" Bai Jie paused, then added: "This question — you answer."
One forelimb bearing a sharp blade pointed at Long De.
Long De fell silent for a few seconds, then slowly said: "There is. Behind our Wu Gu Clan, there has always been covert support from the Federal Government..."
At this, without waiting for Long De to finish, Bai Jie abruptly interrupted: "You're lying."
Long De's eyes contracted almost imperceptibly. "Ly... lying? What I said was clearly the truth."
"No need to explain."
The next second, a strand of spider silk as fine as a needle shot out from above. Before Long De could even react, it passed through his temple, leaving a tiny bloody pinhole.
With a thud, the light of life vanished from Long De's eyes, and his head slumped powerlessly to the ground.
"The venom I injected into your bodies can easily determine whether you're lying to me," Bai Jie explained coolly.
As his voice fell, with a thin hiss, another strand of spider silk shot out and submerged into Long Ge's wrist. Yet it did not pierce through; it didn't even hurt much.
Long Ge was immediately terrified out of his wits, his pupils trembling, cold sweat pouring down profusely, terrified that Bai Jie would deal with him the same way he'd dealt with Long De.
"Don't move," Bai Jie kindly reminded.
Long Ge could only watch in horror as a drop of liquid glowing with a pink-purple radiance slid along the spider silk into his wrist.
"As a reward for not lying when you answered first earlier, I'll give you another drop of muta... 'Spirit Fluid.' Rest assured, this holds no harm for you, only tremendous benefit."
This enchanting female voice, in Long Ge's ears at this moment, sounded like a demon none the less terrifying.
In a daze, Long Ge felt himself sinking into darkness, within which countless stars rose, then fell into extinction...
After an unknown length of time, Long Ge felt he had dreamed a dream. In the dream, he underwent enlightenment from a spider-shaped deity and was bestowed with transcendent might.
By the time Long Ge returned to his senses, a majestic power filled his entire body. His senses of hearing, sight, and the rest had all become far sharper.
Only then did he know — that just moments ago was no dream.
His expression shifted. Surprise, doubt, and delight flashed across his face in succession. Finally, he violently kowtowed, crying out: "Thank you, demon spider lord, for bestowing this mystery! This lowly one will certainly serve my lord to the utmost, even unto death without hesitation..."
A string of bootlicking flattery rang out. Bai Jie inwardly furrowed his brow.
It seemed killing Long De had left quite a deterrent on him...
"I have a matter I need you to handle. If you can complete it well, not only can I spare your life, I may even consider rewarding you with more 'Spirit Fluid.'"
"Of course, you may choose to refuse," Bai Jie transmitted with a drawn-out lilt.
"Accept! I certainly accept!"
Long Ge hastened to say, "Any command of my lord's, I am willing to complete."
No joke — refusing would be no different from seeking death, and he wasn't that foolish.
"Oh, that's right."
The spider seemed to suddenly recall something.
"I am not called 'demon spider.' My name is —"
"Bai Zhi."