King of Assassins-Chapter 552 - 436 A Piece of Sincerity

Jiang Lan was beautiful and graceful, with a gentle and elegant demeanor. She wore a goose-yellow Daoist robe, accentuating her slender figure.
Kneeling on the ground, her narrow waist and rounded hips were even more evident. Her fragile and pitiful posture aroused one's sympathy.
Although Gao Xuan wasn't softened by this, he had to admit that Jiang Lan looked very beautiful like this.
He said calmly, "You conspired with the Snake Demon to harm fellow Daoists. How can I spare you?"
Jiang Lan heard the indifference and coldness in Gao Xuan's tone, which made her panic, and her face looked even more sorrowful.
"No matter how many reasons I have, the mistakes I made are indefensible. I only hope Fellow Daoist can give me a chance to reform."
Jiang Lan calmed down instead, and she said softly, "I can cure the poison affecting all the Daoists here. In the future, I will reform and not harm others again."
After thinking for a moment, she added, "I'm willing to serve under Fellow Daoist Gao, obeying without question. Fellow Daoist's cultivation is extremely high, but your sect has few members, and you could use more people."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but cry, "My Divine Soul Restriction is in the hands of the Snake Demon. Now that it's dead, I won't live much longer either. But even an ant clings to life; being able to live a few more days is good…"
Gao Xuan didn't sympathize with Jiang Lan but didn't despise her either.
It's normal for people to use all means to survive. He was just pondering whether to spare this person's life.
Killing her would certainly be easy, yet the poison affecting everyone was somewhat troublesome. Moreover, this woman indeed had a cunning mind and was quite capable, a formidable character.
In this world, he was isolated and helpless, with only Yuanbao as his junior sister. Though Yuanbao was cute, saying she was competent in matters was out of reach compared to Jiang Lan.
As for demons like Old Huang and Big White, they were merely labor. They lacked the ability to share his burdens.
This world differed from others, and he couldn't just blend in and leave. Jiang Lan, as a spare piece, might be worth keeping for now.
Gao Xuan acted practically and wasn't a moral gentleman. He couldn't say if Jiang Lan's nature was good or bad, as he himself wasn't of high moral character and had no qualification to judge others from above.
Gao Xuan thought for a moment and said, "First cure the poison affecting these Daoists, and we can talk about other things later."
Jiang Lan didn't argue or set conditions; she quickly got up from the ground and took out the hidden antidote to use on everyone.
In the end, she gave the antidote to Yuanbao. However, she didn't give the antidote to Yang Wanchun.
These two details made Gao Xuan chuckle; this woman was indeed clever.
Giving the antidote to Yuanbao last was to show him that the antidote had no tricks.
After taking the antidote, the greenish hue on everyone's faces quickly faded, and each one's breath became even and smooth, evident that the poison had been completely cleared.
The snake's poison came quickly, and went quickly too.
Gao Xuan casually asked, "Why didn't you give the antidote to Yang Wanchun?"
Jiang Lan replied in a low voice, "This person is narrow-minded and bears abnormal hatred toward Fellow Daoist. If he returns, he will undoubtedly cause more trouble. I am merely removing this threat on behalf of Fellow Daoist."
"You truly are merciless and ruthless."
Jiang Lan didn't know if Gao Xuan was praising or mocking her, so she slightly bowed her head and lowered her eyes: "Cultivation is inherently going against the natural order. Without the determination to forge ahead, there is no need to cultivate at all."
Gao Xuan asked again, "If I were to kill you now, would you have any complaints?"
Jiang Lan gave a bitter smile, "At this point, it's the path I chose myself. It's entirely up to Fellow Daoist to handle; I dare not utter a single complaint."
"You are indeed an enlightened person."
Gao Xuan said, "The Snake Demon's Divine Soul has been destroyed, but your Divine Soul Restriction is hidden in its stomach."
He waved a jade hairpin in front of Jiang Lan and said, "I'll keep this item for you for now. I don't need you to do anything specifically for me. I only hope you genuinely reform and stop engaging in those sinister paths."
Jiang Lan hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude. Gao Xuan's words sounded nice, but she didn't take them seriously.
This person had a deeper, more inscrutable mind than hers, and his abilities were greater. Fortunately, he was ultimately a cultivator, and since he practiced the Profound Sect's orthodoxy, he wouldn't use her for sacrificial soul exercises or as a Furnace.
Gao Xuan swept his sleeve and lifted Jiang Lan up, "From now on, we're good friends, so there's no need for such formalities."
He said, "There needs to be a reasonable explanation for what happened here."
Keeping Jiang Lan around was also to ensure this matter was properly dealt with. Of course, killing Jiang Lan would be easy, but with so many people around, returning to the Cloud Mist Sect would inevitably mean they'd ask about the events here, which would be troublesome.
Jiang Lan nodded and said, "We'll say the Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon's body is dead but its spirit wasn't destroyed, and it ambushed us from behind. My sect's Cloud Light Powder combined with Clear Heart Powder happened to detoxify the snake poison. Fellow Daoist and I reasonably killed the Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon. As for Yang Wanchun, he was too deeply poisoned to save…"
Pointing at the massive body left by Snake Demon Ancestor, Jiang Lan said, "This demon is worth a fortune. I hope Fellow Daoist will dispose of it properly."
The Snake Demon Ancestor was truly a Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon. Its snake skin alone was a top-grade treasure. Its bones and flesh also had special uses.
All thanks to Gao Xuan's profound magical abilities that the Snake Demon Ancestor was defeated. But letting other cultivators witness this was inappropriate.
Even though Gao Xuan saved them, watching him claim the Thousand-Year-old Snake Demon alone, they certainly wouldn't feel balanced in their hearts.
Gao Xuan certainly knew how to handle these matters; he just wanted to see how Jiang Lan would handle them.
He waved his sleeve and put away the Snake Demon Ancestor's body. The Nine Peaks Magic Robe came with its own sleeve universe, forming a separate world. You could say that the entire resources of the Thick Earth Sect were within it.
Actually, the Golden Core left by the Snake Demon Ancestor and a Snake Pearl had already been taken by him.
The Golden Core was formed through the Snake Demon Ancestor's acquired cultivation. After all, it was a demon, and the method it used to cultivate was rough. Although the Golden Core solidified, it was merely a result of the Snake Demon's inherent characteristics.
This Snake Pearl, however, was quite exceptional. It was formed from the Snake Demon swallowing Divine Techniques. This pearl itself could devour various things and convert them into pure essence. Another advantage was that it could rapidly absorb Primordial Qi.