Lin Fan quietly circulated the Divine Emperor Art, recovering some of his purple qi.
He decided to risk the explosion and see if he could kill the snake demon.
"You're crazy!"
As he spoke, Lin Fan stealthily retreated again.
"What are you doing?"
The snake demon's voice held a hint of panic.
It could now feel a sharp pain from its stomach. Clearly, the digestive fluids in its stomach had dissolved the explosive box and were now coming into contact with its stomach lining.
"Naturally, I'm eliminating evil for the good of the people."
Lin Fan took a deep breath, already preparing to flee.
Hiss~
A powerful suction force pulled at him. Caught off guard, Lin Fan stumbled several steps forward.
"If I die, you won't live either!"
A venomous voice emanated from the snake demon's mouth.
Lin Fan pressed one hand against the cave wall, preventing himself from being sucked in.
With his other hand, he hovered over the detonator switch, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
To detonate, or not to detonate?
If he had nothing to lose, he would have surely detonated it to destroy that damnable snake demon, risking being blown to smithereens himself.
But with his sister-in-law at home, he hesitated to make the decision.
"Giggle..."
The snake demon suddenly let out a strange sound, its massive body writhing uncontrollably.
Lin Fan activated his Purple Extreme Spiritual Eyes. "An opportunity has arrived!"
He turned and ran with all his might.
Seeing this, the snake demon roared in fury, "Die!"
With that roar, the snake demon's pair of emerald green eyes brightened even further.
Palm-sized scales surged towards its head like an incoming tide, rhythmically.
As Lin Fan neared the cave exit, he couldn't resist looking back.
That one glance nearly scared him to death!
"Ugh~"
In mid-air, a dough-like object was rapidly flying towards him.
"Holy crap!"
Lin Fan clearly saw it: it was the box of explosives!
Without further thought, Lin Fan immediately pressed the detonator switch.
Boom!
A deafening explosion.
Lin Fan sprinted out of the cave as if his backside was on fire.
Simultaneously with the explosion, Lin Fan just managed to escape the cave.
Rumble...
Accompanying the thunderous explosion was the tremor that shook the entire Luofeng Mountain.
A yellow dragon of rubble and dust erupted from the cave!
Smoke and debris, mixed with broken stones, first shot out of the cave and then spread upwards, appearing to reach for the clouds.
Whoosh...
The stone walls on both sides of the quarry collapsed. Tens of tons of rubble rained down like hailstones!
If this had landed on the farmlands, crushing the crops, an entire village might have gone hungry!
By now, Lin Fan had run a considerable distance but was still within the quarry's boundaries.
He held his head with both hands, constantly aware of the falling debris above, and frantically searched for a place to take cover, running for his life!
A sharp, elongated boulder whizzed past him, narrowly missing slicing him in half!
Lin Fan was terrified, feeling his courage dwindle.
He was so scared he broke out in a cold sweat down there!
He was so angry he cursed aloud!
But curses aside, in his current situation, he dared not stop for even a moment.
Like a nimble squirrel, he unleashed his full potential, leaping and dodging, making his way towards the periphery.
After a long while.
The dust settled.
Lin Fan stood before the quarry entrance, gazing at the vast expanse of collapsed mountain walls, a sense of lingering fear washing over him.
He wondered if the snake demon was dead.
Even if it wasn't, buried under tens of thousands of tons of rock, it probably couldn't come out to cause trouble anymore.
Monsters, heh, they weren't as terrifying as he imagined!
Lin Fan chuckled "heh heh," wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth.
Just now, he had been struck by flying debris more than ten times. If not for the protective barrier of purple qi, those fragments, with their bullet-like force, would have pierced him through!
The shockwave from the explosion had also inflicted internal injuries, not insignificant ones!
It would take him at least ten days to half a month to fully recover his health!
"Xiao Fan!"
A voice like a warbler's song rang out from behind him.
"Mengyao?"
Lin Fan quickly turned around and saw Tian Mengyao running towards him.
Tian Mengyao stumbled, nearly tripping on the rubble several times.
She quickly reached him and threw herself into his embrace.
"Xiao Fan, are you alright? Why are you bleeding?"
Tian Mengyao felt him all over, afraid he was missing a limb.
"I'm fine."
Lin Fan smiled and asked, "Didn't I tell you to go back? Why did you return?"
"I was worried about you."
Tian Mengyao's tears flowed. Seeing that Lin Fan was not seriously injured, she managed a weak smile.
"Stop feeling me up, I was fine but you'll make me sick..."
Lin Fan intended to make a joke, but before he could finish, he felt a sudden metallic taste in his throat, followed by a cough that brought up a mouthful of blood.
"Xiao Fan!"
Tian Mengyao cried out in alarm, trembling with worry.
Lin Fan patted his chest, reassuringly, "It's nothing, just need a few days of rest."
"I'll help you down the mountain."
Tian Mengyao put her arm around Lin Fan's waist, and they began to walk down the mountain together.
As they walked, Tian Mengyao couldn't help but glance back.
Seeing the entire quarry collapsed, a cold glint flashed in Tian Mengyao's eyes.
If that monster dared to come looking for trouble after what Lin Fan had endured, she would have to fight with all her might!
"Don't worry, it's probably dead."
Lin Fan patted the back of her hand.
"Mm."
Tian Mengyao nodded, letting out a long sigh of relief.
A heavy weight had finally been lifted from her heart.
The monster was killed by Lin Fan!
The villagers of Luofeng Village could finally have a peaceful life!
Tian Mengyao looked at Lin Fan with eyes full of adoration.
...
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, with the Lunar New Year approaching.
In Xiao Fan's Medical Hall, Lin Fan lay on the sofa, listening to the cheerful sounds of children playing outside and the occasional crackle of firecrackers, feeling an immense sense of contentment.
He looked out for a while, his lips curling into a smile, then heaved a sigh.
Ten days had passed since the quarry explosion, how quickly time flew!
Tian Mengyao had explained the incident to the villagers by claiming it was the commencement of the medicinal herb planting base, and cautioned them that there might be blasting operations on the mountain before and after the new year, advising them to stay away if possible.
Lin Fan had lived in trepidation for a few days, worried that the snake demon might still be alive, but he was finally at ease now.
It had been ten days. Given the snake demon's nature, if it were still alive, it would have likely come seeking revenge by now.
"Finally, I can get back to a peaceful life!"
Lin Fan grinned proudly.
The only thing that displeased him was that his injuries were more serious than he had anticipated.
He still coughed up traces of blood from time to time.
This caused Xia Xue great concern. Every day, she made him take Chinese medicine, nourishing tonics, and hearty meals of chicken, duck, and fish.