Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 213 - 209: Hidden Clan

Though their bet back then was only a verbal agreement, they had both taken it to heart, making it their lifelong pursuit.

Chen Mo had originally thought that since the other party had passed away first, the bet would be null and void.

But now, this so-called Tu Family House Snake was so extraordinary and otherworldly. It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air unless Brother Tu had raised it.

Besides, a Snake Species capable of awakening would have no obligation to protect the Tu Family.

There was only one possibility: this snake had actually been raised by Brother Tu when he was still alive.

What was most crucial—and most frightening—was that this snake had already transformed into a human and become a true Snake King.

"Haha... Brother Tu, it turns out you won after all! I, Chen Mo, graciously admit defeat."

Chen Mo looked up at the starry sky and let out a roar, his body trembling faintly. He was clearly overcome with emotion.

The bet from more than a decade ago had finally come to a perfect conclusion today.

Tu Xiao'an was utterly baffled. 'The man is physically disabled, but is his brain disabled too?'

What in the world was going on?

Tu Xiao'an didn't mind how Chen Mo perceived his identity. Thinking of him as the snake his father had raised was plausible enough.

He hadn't wanted to reveal his true identity anyway, as it was far too bizarre.

This accidental misunderstanding actually seemed to work out well. It provided a plausible explanation for everything.

After his roar, Chen Mo even shed a single, sincere tear. He was deeply emotional. Tu Xiao'an just watched quietly from the side.

He didn't quite know what story lay hidden between this man and his own father. But with this revelation, Tu Xiao'an realized he had misunderstood Dr. Snake.

And in turn, Chen Mo had misunderstood him as well.

At the very least, they now had one thing in common: neither of them wanted the two women of the Tu Family to be harmed again.

After a long moment, Chen Mo calmed down. His gaze toward Tu Xiao'an softened considerably, and he prepared to ask the questions that had been weighing on his mind.

"You're the Snake King of Bai Town now, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And you killed the Vampire Snake."

"Yes."

"Then my apprentice must be dead too. Did you kill him?"

"No," Tu Xiao'an corrected.

Chen Mo was taken aback. "Then he's still alive?"

Tu Xiao'an shook his head. "He's dead. There wasn't even a body left. The Vampire Snake swallowed him whole."

Hearing this, Chen Mo froze. He then let out a sigh and murmured as if in a dream, "Ze'Er, why wouldn't you listen to your master? You couldn't control that snake... you just couldn't control it."

In truth, both master and apprentice had been playing with fire and gotten burned. Both had ultimately fallen because of the Mutated Bloodsucker Snake, but the one who truly benefited in the end was Tu Xiao'an.

By devouring the Mutated Bloodsucker Snake, he had ascended the throne, becoming a Snake King of his generation, Ruling the World.

Chen Mo gazed at the young man before him with a complicated expression, but in his mind's eye, all he saw was the image of a snake.

He had said that Brother Tu had won and he had lost. On this point, Chen Mo now conceded his defeat completely.

Although he had ultimately cultivated the Vampire Snake into a peerless Snake Species, at its core, it was an Evil Snake. He had played with fire and been burned.

Meanwhile, the snake Brother Tu had raised, as far as he knew, had never done a single bad thing. Otherwise, why would the people of Bai Town revere it as the Snake King? The grand celebration of today's Snake King Festival was proof enough.

A True Snake performs good deeds and protects the peace of its territory. An Evil Snake stops at nothing, committing heinous crimes against all reason.

No matter how he looked at it, he, Chen Mo, had been utterly and completely defeated.

"Doctor, even though you captured me before, I never hated you for it. Since we have this connection between us, I suppose we aren't really enemies, are we?"

'Tu Xiao'an had originally intended to kill Chen Mo.'

'But now, it seemed there was no longer any need to kill him. Besides, the man was an old friend of his father.'

'For a number of reasons, both emotional and logical, he no longer had a reason to do so.'

"You are the True Snake raised by Brother Tu. Seeing you protect the Tu Family puts my heart at ease."

Chen Mo nodded with a smile.

It was a case of letting bygones be bygones. Their conflict had simply been a misunderstanding, a case of one of their own fighting one of their own.

In a place like Bai Town, any two Snake Catchers could easily find some sort of connection or shared history between them.

Once everything was out in the open, the relationship between them grew noticeably more nuanced. Tu Xiao'an pushed Chen Mo's wheelchair as the two of them began to stroll and chat casually through the night.

Chen Mo couldn't help but think, 'How wonderful would it have been if I had been the one to raise this snake to such a level?'

'To cultivate a snake until it could take human form was an incomparably glorious achievement.'

'A pity that I, Chen Mo, have spent my entire life with snakes, yet never had such luck.'

'And my old friend who passed away had the destiny, but not the good fortune to see it through.'

"Kid, now that you've become the Snake King and taken human form, you must cultivate good karma. Help people with their troubles and relieve their suffering. You must not harm living creatures. The line between good and evil is but a single thought. Whether you are human or Demon, to possess a kind heart is a blessing from the heavens."

Chen Mo was beginning to treat Tu Xiao'an with the attitude of an elder.

Tu Xiao'an smiled and continued pushing the wheelchair forward. "Doctor," he said, "do you happen to know who was behind the poisonings and fainting spells tonight?"

"You figured it out?" Chen Mo turned his head slightly to glance at him. "Was it really like you said? Were they poisoned by mosquitoes?"

Tu Xiao'an said, "It was mosquito poison, yes, but it was deliberate. And it was done by one of you Human Awakened."

Chen Mo didn't seem particularly surprised to hear this. "You're saying a Human Awakened used a special species of mosquito to harm people, is that it?"

"They use a special breed of mosquito to drain people's Essence Blood, create Blood Essence, and advance their Cultivation."

Just then, a Blood Essence giving off a bewitching glow appeared before Chen Mo.

Chen Mo took the Blood Essence, which was brimming with life force, into his hand. His expression changed instantly as he flew into a rage. "Scoundrels! To think they would resort to such an Evil Technique!"

"Don't be angry, Doctor. I've already killed the person responsible," Tu Xiao'an said nonchalantly.

Chen Mo's expression flickered. To kill a Human Awakened so casually... It was clear this Snake King's power was far beyond his own.

"Good riddance! Killing one of those degenerates is nothing; killing two would be a blessing."

Tu Xiao'an hadn't expected the Doctor to have such a vehement hatred for evil.

"Doctor, are there hidden Ancient Martial Families that practice Cultivation within human society?"

Chen Mo was surprised. "You even know about that?"

"The Human Awakened I killed told me. He was acting under orders. The power behind him is the so-called Bai Family."

At these words, Chen Mo's expression changed drastically. He clearly knew something.

"You know of the Bai Family, Doctor?"

Tu Xiao'an brought this up with Chen Mo precisely because, as a Human Awakened himself, Chen Mo was bound to know many things he didn't.

"Yes... the Bai Family of Wencheng. They're a hidden Cultivation family that has gathered a large number of Awakeners." Chen Mo glanced at him before continuing, "These days, the world only knows Shanye Group as Wencheng's top power, but that's just what's on the surface. The real power behind the scenes is the Hidden Clan, the Bai Family."

"It's a major family with several hundred years of history. And speaking of which, the family actually originated and rose to prominence right here in Bai Town."

Tu Xiao'an was a little surprised. "Bai Town... the Bai Family?"