Chapter 682

The python blinked its green eyes, then flicked out a tongue over three feet long, licking Hu Xiaotian's naked thigh once before retracting its head, quickly turning its body and swimming back toward the pond.

Hu Xiaotian was certain that he could hear no sound around him anymore, and guessed the python had already gone far away, so he opened his eyes; before he could make out his surroundings, a pungent stench rushed into his lungs. Hu Xiaotian worried that the smell might be poisonous, and hastily held his breath again. What surprised him was that there was actually a faint light in this cavern. By that faint light he saw that he was lying in a mass of black, sticky mud. Hu Xiaotian struggled to climb out of the mud, but his right hand gripped something hard. He casually dragged the object out, and upon closer look saw it was a bleached white skull. Hu Xiaotian wasn't particularly afraid of such a thing; to a doctor, a corpse is far safer than a living person, and certainly safer than that purple giant python. This place had always been the python's den. Hu Xiaotian finally managed to stand up from the mire with great difficulty, considering himself lucky to still be alive, yet he had no idea how Tang Qingxuan was faring at that moment.

Tang Qingxuan watched helplessly as Hu Xiaotian was dragged back into the pond. She came to the pond's edge, but unfortunately she could not swim; even if she jumped in, she would not only fail to save Hu Xiaotian but would also risk her own life. Overcome with grief, she covered her mouth and began to sob. Just then, she suddenly saw a flicker of light in the distance, which frightened her into silence. Only then did she realize that she had torn her dress to shreds just moments ago, leaving her completely naked. Feeling both ashamed and frightened, by the moonlight she saw some clothes scattered not far ahead—these were the garments Hu Xiaotian had left behind when he jumped into the water to rescue her. Tang Qingxuan didn't have time to think further; she gathered those clothes, picked up her own torn rags as well, and quickly hid herself in the bushes.

The firelight drew nearer, and Tang Qingxuan's anxiety rose to its peak. Peering through the gaps in the grass, she saw six figures appear at the pond's edge, the tallest of them being the Black Hu warrior Lahhan. Lahhan said, "Have any of you heard a woman's voice?"

The others all shook their heads and said, "All kinds of birds and beasts inhabit these mountains; it might not have been a woman's cry." In fact, Zaxuan and the others had not given up on hunting down Hu Xiaotian; although they could not cross that mountain ravine, they had detoured around to the foothills and continued tracking him all the way here.

Tang Qingxuan couldn't understand what the Black Hu people were saying, but she was certain they had come to hunt them down, and her heart pounded. Hu Xiaotian did not know whether he was dead or alive; in this situation, if they discovered him, he would have no choice but to die. Tang Qingxuan gripped her curved blade tightly, thinking to herself that if they were found, she would rather kill herself than suffer humiliation at the hands of these Black Hu people.

Lahhan said, "This Dog Head Mountain is strange; all three of our Black Hu's top experts have gone missing in this area."

Several Black Hu warriors, hearing him say that, felt a pang of alarm and said, "Sir, perhaps we should leave."

Lahhan said, "No rush! I just clearly heard a woman's scream."

A Black Hu warrior was drawn by the sight in the pond, where tiny pink glimmers flickered like stars in the sky. Seeing this beautiful scene, he could not help but walk curiously toward the water. Lahhan and his men also noticed the scene over there; the Black Hu warrior reached out, his fingers lightly touching those lovely little creatures, but he was stung by them, and he let out a nervous hehe laugh. Before his laughter could fade, a dark shape suddenly leapt up from the pond and snapped him up in one bite.

Lahhan and his men never expected such a startling turn of events; they all panicked and stepped back, and Lahhan roared, "Shoot it!"

Two archers were the first to draw their bows and fire at the pond, but the black creature had already sunk beneath the water by then.

Lahhan asked, "Did anyone see what it was?"

Several of the Hu people felt a chill in their hearts, each shaking their heads vigorously, and one of them stammered, "Sir… we… we should just leave…"

Lahhan snapped angrily, "You! Go check it out!"

"Sir!"

Lahhan drew a crescent axe from his waist and said grimly, "Go!"

That warrior, though his soul nearly fled from fright, also knew that if he refused, Lahhan might cleave him with an axe; he trembled as he took a few steps forward, saw that the pond had become completely calm, and stammered, "It… probably already left…"

Lahhan asked, "What kind of monster is it?" and slowly moved closer.

Suddenly, a purplish-black long tail lashed out from the pond, smack! wrapping around the waist of the Black Hu warrior who was scouting the situation; the warrior screamed as he was dragged backward. The two Black Hu archers, quick-eyed and quick-handed, simultaneously shot at the tail; their arrowheads whistled through the air with a hiss-hiss, but the tips struck the python's outer skin and failed to penetrate at all, sliding off the tough scales.

Lahhan surged forward with astonishing strides, raising his crescent axe with his right hand and fiercely chopping at the python's tail before it fully submerged; with a bang! his formidable strength and the axe's sharp blade still failed to tear the python's skin.

After suffering three consecutive attacks, the python swiftly dragged that Black Hu warrior down into the water.

Lahhan's blow just now had been his full effort, leaving his right arm sore and numb, and he had also finally seen clearly what the monster was.

At that moment, more than ten people came running from the eastern woods carrying torches, their leader being the horse merchant Zaxuan. Lahhan's group, still shaken from the recent danger, turned away from the pond and went to meet Zaxuan.

Beside Zaxuan walked a Han man, a guide he had found locally.

Tang Qingxuan saw that this group was only about five zhang away from her, and they could spot her at any moment; she clapped a hand over her mouth and did her utmost to conceal her presence.

Lahhan briefly told Zaxuan what had just happened; Zaxuan, hearing it, was equally shocked, and he asked his guide, "What place is this?"

The guide, a local hunter familiar with the surrounding terrain, said in a low voice, "This is Peach Blossom Pond, because the water breeds many jellyfish that appear every night, resembling peach blossoms in March, hence the name. Although Peach Blossom Pond is beautiful, it is also a terrifying place; over the years dozens have vanished at its edge, and legend says a dreadful demon lurks within, so the local hunters try to stay away." He paused and added, "In our village there is someone who doesn't believe in evil; he pastured cattle nearby and saw a yellow cow eating grass by the pond when a monster gulped it down in one bite."

Lahhan had already seen that the monster was actually a purplish-black python, and he told Zaxuan, "It is a purple giant python; I suspect the earlier disappearance of the imperial preceptors is also related to this creature."

Zaxuan nodded, glanced at the pond, and said, "Everyone leave this place for now; we will report to the Fourth Prince tomorrow and then decide."

Hu Xiaotian stepped through the mud toward the light, thinking it might be phosphorescence from a corpse's bones, but upon approaching he saw it was a plant about a foot tall, with only three leaves growing at the top; the leaves resembled pennywort, glowing with a green fluorescence, and nestled among those three leaves was an orange fruit the size of a longan, emitting an orange-yellow light that pulsed like a breathing lamp. Hu Xiaotian had never seen such a plant before; even after searching his memory he drew a blank, but in nature the more vivid something is, the more likely it is toxic, so he dared not touch it. He leaned in, looked, sniffed, and caught a whiff of a refreshing, rich fragrance that filled his lungs.

That scent instantly dispelled the cavern's foul odor, making Hu Xiaotian's mind suddenly clear. He couldn't help but inhale a few more times, and even the pain and itch from the jellyfish stings on his body lessened noticeably at once. He was sure it wasn't his imagination; apparently the plant had a calming effect. He cautiously reached out to touch its leaves, and upon raising his hand he was shocked to see that his palm had swollen to more than double its normal size, his index finger puffed up like a carrot. This astonishment was no small matter—was this still a human hand? It looked more like a bear's paw. Instinctively he touched his own facial skin; his fingers went numb, his face went numb, and even bending his arm became extremely difficult. Hu Xiaotian's soul nearly fled in terror—he had been poisoned! He didn't know whether it was from the jellyfish stings or from the python's lick, but logically the former was more likely.

In fact, Hu Xiaotian's body had been swollen for a while already, but because so many things had happened in succession, he had overlooked the changes in himself. He licked his lips and felt them numb; his tongue felt clumsy. He silently thought, "This is bad," realizing these were symptoms of poisoning, and without prompt treatment his life might be in danger. Yet now, trapped in this damp, stinking cavern, it was truly a case of crying to heaven and getting no answer, to earth and finding no response; moreover, with a ferocious giant python lurking in the pond at the cave's mouth, escape was practically impossible.

Just as Hu Xiaotian found himself at a loss, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from outside; he panicked and flung himself onto the pile of foul-smelling mud, guessing the python had returned, and sure enough, not long after he saw the purple giant python come back, this time dragging along a corpse.

Hu Xiaotian held his breath and focused, fearing the python would see through his disguise; fortunately the purple giant python's attention was not on him. It tossed the corpse beside Hu Xiaotian, then swam over to the orange fruit, its pair of dark green eyes fixed on the red fruit, its scarlet tongue flickering beside the fruit and actually dripping a few drops of saliva.

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