"Calm down, I must remain calm." I slapped myself hard, forcing myself to regain composure. Panicking now would only lead to mistakes. Given Zhang Dabiao's personality, he wouldn't have confronted the giant snake head-on. His decision to flee meant only one thing: the snake's strength had surpassed his limit.
Since he could escape, it implied he was still alive. The two weasels, fearful of the snake, only saw Zhang Dabiao jump into the river and the snake pursuing him. They likely didn't notice their own movements.
If I were Zhang Dabiao, what would I do?
It's important to remember that snakes can swim. A normal person's instinct would be to swim downstream, as this would increase their speed and thus their chances of survival.
However, we must not forget that the snake chasing Zhang Dabiao was a giant python. With its size and the force of the current, it would be like a fully-powered giant tank in the water, its speed only increasing. The possibility of escaping its jaws was slim.
Based on this judgment, Zhang Dabiao would have first plunged into the water, held his breath, and then forcefully swam upwards. Only this way could he have a sliver of hope. With this assessment in mind, I quickly said to the two weasels:
"I'll have to trouble you two again. Search upstream on the opposite bank of the river, while I search upstream along this bank."
The two weasels had seen the giant snake swimming downstream, so when I told them to search upstream, they looked doubtful. But thinking they wouldn't have to encounter the giant snake, the two little creatures nodded and disappeared from my sight.
I didn't linger either, walking upstream and calling out Zhang Dabiao's name. By the time the sun began to set, I still hadn't received any response from Zhang Dabiao.
"This... did I misjudge?"
As I was scratching my head in frustration, I felt something tugging at my trouser leg. I looked down and saw a weasel, about the size of a rat, standing alertly and looking at me.
My heart leaped with joy, and I quickly asked, "Did you find my brother Zhang?"
The little weasel tilted its head, thought for a moment, and nodded. Then it turned and ran a few steps, looking back at me.
"Lead the way."
After casting the Tianqiao Seal on myself, I followed the little weasel, running wildly. When I returned to where I had been, the two larger weasels were squatting on the ground, chattering as if communicating.
Seeing me arrive, their rodent faces were filled with "smiles," as if to say, "The person you asked us to find, we have found for you."
"Where is he?"
"Squeak squeak..."
Following the two of them, I arrived at a clump of willow trees after a series of twists and turns. There, Zhang Dabiao lay on the ground, eyes closed, his face pale, without any reaction.
"Brother Zhang, how are you? Don't scare me." I rushed over in a panic, nudging him a couple of times. Seeing no response, I placed my hand under his nose. A faint breath made the stone in my heart fall.
Taking out a yellow talisman I carried with me, I recited the Ju Yang Incantation. Instantly, a halo of scorching Yang energy appeared in my hand, which I then directed into Zhang Dabiao's body. After a short while,
"Cough cough..."
"Brother Zhang, it's so good that you're alright. I thought you..." Seeing him wake up, I was so excited that tears almost fell. Who would have thought that a simple chase could have almost cost him his life.
"Cough cough... I'm fine, aren't I? I just swallowed some water while swimming, nothing serious." Zhang Dabiao said it lightly, but I knew things were definitely not as he described. Besides, this was not the time to discuss it.
While I was looking for Zhang Dabiao, Zhang Sao and Chen Yun had called my phone and turned it off. If I didn't go back now, I didn't know what they would do.
Helping Zhang Dabiao up, I put his arm over my shoulder, and we slowly walked home.
On the way, I asked Zhang Dabiao what had happened, where such a large snake had come from. It seemed bigger than an anaconda from a nature documentary.
When Zhang Dabiao heard me mention the giant snake, he was full of anger: "I don't know where that damned thing came from. After I received your call, I was heading back, but as soon as I turned around, I heard Zhang Fan's scream behind me. I saw a snake as thick as a vat madly tearing at Zhang Fan, its pair of blood-red eyes filled with a bloodthirsty glow. Sudan Novel Network.
At that moment, I didn't dare to delay and just ran. But unexpectedly, my running attracted its attention. Then it charged at me. At that time, a barrier appeared, and I thought it would stop it, but to my surprise, it broke through with two hits. It was during that brief moment of delay that I had a chance to escape. Otherwise, when you saw me again, I would have already become a pile of dung."
As we approached home, Zhang Dabiao pushed me away, not letting me support him. He repeatedly warned me not to tell his wife about what happened today, so as not to worry her. He would explain it himself.
Seeing Zhang Sao standing at the door like a statue waiting for her husband, Zhang Dabiao opened his arms. Zhang Sao, like a bird returning to its nest, threw herself into his arms, "Where did you go again? You didn't answer your phone. You don't know how worried I was." As she spoke, her hand found a soft spot and twisted, causing Zhang Dabiao to wince in pain.
"I saw a wild boar, and I wanted to catch it and slaughter it to nourish your body. I didn't expect to lose track of it and get lost in the mountains. If my brother hadn't come into the mountains to find me, I don't know when I would have returned... You can ask my brother if you don't believe me."
Zhang Sao looked at me with suspicion. I quickly chimed in, saying that it was true, there were many wild boars in these mountains, and next time we go into the mountains, we should bring a hunting rifle.
"So that's how it is. Don't take risks next time. Animal world says wild boars are very fierce..."
"Okay, wife, I'm hungry."
"..."
Zhang Sao clearly didn't believe Zhang Dabiao's story, but she didn't say much more. However, seeing his figure from behind, she let out a series of trembling sounds, indicating that she had him in her grasp. Whether his body was green or purple was no longer my concern.
I went back into the house, got some money, charged my phone, and hurried towards the village chief's house. The weasels had helped me find Zhang Dabiao, and I had promised to thank them properly. I remembered that the village chief's family raised quite a few chickens, so I had to buy ten or eight of them to reward them. Otherwise, it would be unlucky to be targeted by those little guys.
When I arrived at the village chief's house, they were just having dinner. "Qingyun kid, have you eaten? If not, have some here?"
I refused the village chief's invitation, paid the money, and carrying eight hens, I headed towards the small river east of the village. When I arrived, it was already getting dark. Near the riverbank, by the edge of the woods, pairs of small, glowing green eyes were staring at me.
"Good heavens, if I had come a moment later, would you have prepared to come to my house to demand payment?" I joked, throwing the chickens in my hand in front of them.
Immediately, more than a dozen weasels scrambled out. In pairs of two, one would ride on the chicken's head, while the other would bite its rear end. In the blink of an eye, they had driven all the chickens into the bushes and disappeared.
I sighed inwardly. I had always heard that weasels were skilled at stealing chickens, and today I truly witnessed it. They were indeed skilled, and their coordination was seamless.
Just as I was about to leave, two weasels, the size of domestic cats, stood in front of me. They stood on their hind legs, blocking my path.
"What does this mean? I've brought the promised reward, are you saying it's not enough?" I asked them with a frown. If Huang San were here, I would have even saved the chickens.
The two weasels quickly shook their heads. Seeing my bewildered expression, one of them jumped onto a nearby dirt mound and looked up at the sky, while the other walked to the base of the mound and knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.
Seeing their actions, I immediately understood what they meant. They were asking where their ancestor Huang San had gone.
"This..."