「A week later.」
On She Mountain, two Snake Catchers, wearing leg bindings and carrying Snake Baskets, went up the mountain together to catch snakes.
Though the work of a Snake Catcher was dangerous, it remained the primary occupation for the people of Bai Town. Even many of the younger generation chose this profession.
After all, catching a single rare venomous snake could be worth tens to hundreds of thousands of RMB. It was a high-inco job, but one that ca with equally high risks.
If they were incredibly lucky and caught a rare Snake Species, they could make at least a million RMB.
She Mountain was known to be crawling with snakes. Normally, one would spot a few venomous ones just by entering the dense forest. But strangely, today, these two Snake Catchers had been wandering the mountains for hours without seeing a single one.
"Old Wang, what's going on? Where have all the snakes gone?" Master Chen asked in frustration, his forehead beaded with sweat.
Master Wang glanced at him and retorted, "Old Chen, I was about to ask you the sa thing. Did you forget to pray to the Lord Snake King before you left ho?"
"Don't be ridiculous. How could I dare co up the mountain without praying to the Snake King?"
Snake Catchers had a rule: before going into the mountains, they had to pray to the Snake King for his blessing and for a good catch.
This was a tradition passed down from ancient tis.
Triads worshipped Guan Gong, Snake Catchers prayed to the Snake King, and those who wanted children prayed to Guanyin. Every god and Immortal had their own fan club, so to speak.
To go for hours on She Mountain without seeing a single snake was an extrely rare occurrence.
The mountain's reputation for being infested with snakes was no exaggeration. Local Snake Catchers, in particular, knew exactly where to find them as if they had a sixth sense.
The Snake Race preferred shady, damp, and remote places: areas with overgrown weeds, dense trees, hollows in old logs, or piles of loose rocks.
If you searched for snakes in these spots, you would almost never co up empty. The search was practically a guarantee.
Suddenly, Master Chen sniffed the air, and his eyes lit up. "I sll it. The scent of snakes. It's strong. There must be a lot of them gathered up ahead."
Master Wang laughed. "There aren't any snakes around here, but the scent of the Snake Race is strong up ahead. Don't tell we've stumbled upon a mass mating."
It was sumr, and while the weather was hot, it was also the pri season for snakes to mate.
A horrifying mass mating event had once occurred on She Mountain.
Venomous snakes from miles around had gathered in a single cool, shady spot. The snakes, a seething, writhing mass, were linked head to tail, forming a "snake formation" a hundred ters wide and several kiloters long.
The sight was enough to make your skin crawl, to make you question reality. It was enough to make you lose your appetite for three days.
If they really had run into a mass of mating snakes, the two Snake Catching Masters would have no choice but to turn back and go ho.
Again, Snake Catchers had their own code. This was especially true for traditional Snake Catchers who worshipped the Snake King and held certain taboos sacred.
They abided by the so-called "Five Don'ts" of snake catching: First, do not catch a snake while it is eating. Second, do not catch a juvenile snake. Third, do not catch an injured snake. Fourth, do not catch an exceptionally beautiful or brightly colored snake. And fifth, do not catch a snake that is mating.
Catching mating snakes, in particular, was a major taboo. They were in the process of creating the next generation. If you disturbed them and caught them, you would draw the intense hatred of all snakes.
It was, in essence, a death wish.
There was once a Snake Catcher who stumbled upon dozens of venomous snakes mating. He was overjoyed at the sight, as mating snakes were completely vulnerable, like fish in a barrel. You could just scoop them up; they wouldn't even try to escape.
That Snake Catcher captured all dozens of the mating snakes.
A month later, when he went up the mountain to catch snakes again, hundreds of venomous snakes suddenly sward him. They attacked all at once, savagely biting him to death. It was an extrely brutal end.
This is what they called the Snake's Hatred. Once you were marked by it, any venomous snake you ca across, anywhere, would imdiately attack you.
Going up She Mountain with the Snake's Hatred on you was a guaranteed death sentence.
The Snake's Hatred might sound like an old wives' tale, but with true stories like that, you had no choice but to believe.
The two Snake Catching Masters conferred and decided to press on for a look. If it really was a mass mating, they would turn back, or perhaps take a detour to a different part of the mountain.
After walking another five hundred ters, the scent of the Snake Race grew even stronger. Snake Catchers were extrely sensitive; after years of dealing with snakes, they could tell if one was nearby by scent alone.
This was the mark of a true, professional Snake Catcher. Amateurs who entered the trade late in life completely lacked such specialized skills.
As they walked, Master Chen and Master Wang beca certain that a large number of venomous snakes were gathered ahead. Otherwise, the scent of the Snake Race couldn't possibly be this overpowering; it seed to surge up from the ground, assaulting their senses.
It had to be a mass mating. There was no doubt.
Nothing else could produce such an overwhelming scent from the Snake Race.
Snakes aren't social creatures. They only gather in large numbers to mate or to hibernate.
Since it was sumr, hibernation was out of the question. It had to be a mating.
They were sure of it, but the two Snake Catching Masters still wanted to catch a glimpse before turning back.
As they drew closer, a dense rustling sound ca from a patch of bushes up ahead. Suddenly, flocks of birds burst from the trees, taking flight as if startled by sothing and scattering in all directions.
'A wild animal?'
The flight of birds was an on.
Both n were highly experienced Snake Catchers. They knew She Mountain was ho to more than just snakes; it was just most famous for their sheer number and variety.
Suddenly, both n froze. They let out sharp, choked gasps, as if they had just witnessed the impossible.
A section of a colossal snake's body was visible through the undergrowth, a terrifying glimpse of its form. The scent of the Snake Race billowed out, blanketing everything.
They couldn't see the whole creature, only a section of its body as thick as a water barrel and covered in fiery red scales. But that glimpse alone was enough to make the two Snake Catching Masters break out in a cold sweat.
Clearly, this was no ordinary snake. They had stumbled upon a Giant Snake. Its barrel-thick body was impossibly huge, a sight that would send anyone into a panic.
Just then, a man in a black robe erged from the bushes. He lifted his chin slightly, revealing a face more terrifying than a Fierce Ghost, a loathso smile plastered across it.
It was a sinister and vicious smile, the kind that made you feel as if you were being haunted by a Fierce Ghost.
"Are you here to catch snakes?" the man asked, his voice dripping with false courtesy. "So sorry, but my precious ate all the venomous snakes in the area. I'm afraid you'll be going ho empty-handed."
The man in the black robe seed delighted to see the Snake Catching Masters. He spoke again. "And since you're empty-handed, well... why go back at all? My precious still has room in its belly. You two will do just fine to sate its hunger."
"ROAR—"
A ferocious roar ripped through the air, and a cavernous, bloody maw lunged forward, Devouring everything in its path.
"Aah! A Giant Snake! Help—"
Agonized screams echoed through the forest, but they were cut short after only a few cries. Then, there was silence.
"Haha... I, Jiang Xingze, have returned to She Mountain! I will rise again right where I fell."
The black-robed man savored the brutal scene of his snake eating the n, then his eyes narrowed as he roared to the heavens.
But when his eyes narrowed, it was only his right eye. His left was blind.
Jiang Xingze, who had already been hideous, was now even more terrifying. His left eye had been blinded by a Silver Needle from Dr. Snake, Chen Mo.
His appearance was now so ghastly it defied description; it was hard to believe such an ugly man could exist in the world.
Even a Fierce Ghost, were it to cross his path, would recoil in disgust at his ugliness.
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