Chapter 21: The Snake Walks Like a Dragon

Chen Wuji, filled with ferocity, rode onto the python's body, swinging his knife at the sole wound in a frenzy of stabs, each blade plunging straight into the snake, the innards churned into a chaotic mess, as if turned into a vat of pulverized pickled meat.

But even so, this guy still wasn't dead.

It thrashed wildly in place, twisting its body, trying to attack the villain on its back with its huge mouth and tail.

Chen Wuji took two solid hits, and almost got swept away by its tail.

But thanks to his unflashy footwork, he didn't suffer serious injury—just a scraped shin—and wasn't flung from its back; he remained firmly stuck on the snake's body.

Although the python wasn't dead yet, its strength was clearly diminished compared to before.

When its tail lashed out, it was slow and limp.

"I don't believe your life is tougher than steel rebar!"

Chen Wuji roared in anger, driving two knives straight through the python's body.

Finally, the python's massive head thumped to the ground.

It's dead!

But Chen Wuji didn't dare let his guard down just yet; he turned the blade in his hand and chopped sideways.

Then he delivered the same chop on the left side.

With those two huge gashes, Chen Wuji finally believed the creature was dead.

After that battle of wits and courage, his strength was nearly exhausted.

But Chen Wuji knew this wasn't a place to rest; the smell of blood would draw stronger predators—where tigers roam, wolves, leopards, bears and the like are sure to follow.

He struggled to his feet, threaded a rope through the opening he'd cut in the snake's body, tied the other end around his waist, and quickly descended the mountain.

Chen Wuji had originally intended to pull the snake's corpse down the mountain, but intense exertion likely deprived his brain of oxygen, leaving him momentarily unable to think straight and overlooking how slick the snake's body was.

As a result, while descending, instead of him pulling the snake, the snake pulled him along.

Wherever it touched even a bit of grass, the python shot down like a visitor on a water slide, making Chen Wuji's descent extraordinarily fast.

But it was also extraordinarily embarrassing.

He couldn't even recall how many times he'd fallen.

Although he hadn't broken any bones or torn tendons, …

His nose was bruised and his face swollen.

He didn't know how many spots on his body had been scraped raw.

Scraped skin was unfortunate, but fortunately he made it down the mountain alive, hadn't encountered any other large carnivores, and brought back a genuine large game animal.

This python was nearly eight meters long and likely weighed over a hundred catties.

Now the only question is, can this thing be eaten?

Chen Wuji had eaten several snakes before, but never one this large, and he wasn't sure if it was edible.

He only knew that the snake's skin should be worth some money.

It could be used to make belts, shoes, and such, and also used in medicine.

After catching his breath at the mountain's base and steadying himself, Chen Wuji dragged the python toward the village.

Dusk had fallen; not a glimmer of sunlight could be seen on the edge of West Mountain.

As he was about to exit the woods, Chen Wuji suddenly noticed a hazy gray figure ahead.

It stood beside the mountain path, looking like an animal yet upright like a person, about the height of a child.

Chen Wuji quietly switched his knife to his habitual right hand and stepped forward steadily.

Villagers said the mountain gets spooky at night, to the point that even veteran hunters who'd spent a lifetime hunting dare not camp there; Chen Wuji had heard the warning but didn't think it was that sinister.

Now, looking at that somewhat eerie figure, he couldn't help but be cautious.

The sun had just set, the sky wasn't completely dark yet, and these things were already coming out?

Chen Wuji stared fixedly at the figure, his steps growing heavier and heavier.

Ten meters.

Five meters.

Two meters…

A weasel's face appeared before Chen Wuji.

"Whoa, it's you! I've been looking for you!"

Chen Wuji hesitated not, swinging his hand down with a knife.

Three hundred wen, in hand!

This weasel just stood there stiffly, doing who-knows-what; Chen Wuji didn't know and didn't care.

All he felt now was delight.

After wandering half the mountain in vain searching for something, he happened to run into it here.

As a transmigrator, he could count this as a stroke of the luck he was due.

As for talking about seeking investiture or the like,

it's probably impossible.

Anyway, he hadn't seen this thing open its mouth.

He hung the weasel, still with a bit of skin attached, on a tree to let the blood drain, then dabbed some dirt on the knife blade to avoid soiling his clothes, after which he slung the weasel around his waist and hauled the python back to the village.

On the village road, small groups of villagers returning home carried their farming tools while chatting about everyday matters.

In the village, about ninety percent of people go hungry four or five meals every three days, constantly teetering on the edge of starvation, yet they are truly diligent—heading out to the fields before sunrise and only returning home at night when they can barely see anything.

If diligence could bring wealth, they would surely be the richest people on earth.

Spotting Chen Wuji descending from afar, the curious villagers all slowed their steps.

"Wuji, did you eat the Mountain God?"

When Chen Wuji drew near, someone shouted a question.

"It got away." Chen Wuji casually let out a fart.

He constantly worried that these people would cause trouble for him because he had hunted down the Mountain God.

"You little brat, how are you getting more slippery by the day? Killing the Mountain God is a sin; hurry up and go to the Mountain God Temple to apologize, otherwise He will bring punishment upon our village and we'll all suffer..." The speaker was somewhat angry, but upon seeing what Chen Wuji was dragging behind him, the words got stuck in their throat.

"A giant python about to undergo Dragon Transformation, you little brat...... how......"

That person stammered, not knowing what to say for a moment, eyes full of shock, and even their mouth locked up from the shock.

"What's wrong?" Chen Wuji asked blankly.

"Right, big fellow, how should we eat this?"

The villagers gathered around in amazement.

No one heard what Chen Wuji said; their eyes were filled with amazement at that giant python.

"Goodness, this thing must weigh over a hundred catties, right?"

"I think it's even more."

"Look, this thing is truly about to undergo Dragon Transformation—its head has even grown horns."

"How did this idiot kill it?"

"It's pretty obvious—he chopped it with a Knife; look at the wound, it's been hacked into minced meat."

"Good thing Yuan Laoer isn't here; if he saw this python's wound, he wouldn't dare grin at Wuji anymore. They could turn the neck of a python about to undergo Dragon Transformation into minced meat—stabbing his neck would surely crush his bones to bits."

Yuan Laoer just happened to walk over.

He had just been idling around Chen Wuji's front gate, and seeing the crowd gathered here, he curiously came over.

As a result, he happened to hear those words.

He sank his face, let out a heavy cold snort, and said, "If he has the guts, let him try to stab me—do you think I, Yuan Jintang, grew up drinking diluted urine?"