The earth creatures also understood gratitude; the one swallowed by the black snake must have been coming to deliver a message.
Holding the dagger, I hurriedly jumped onto the wall, looked outward, and saw that the forest in front of me was pitch black but far from calm. In the darkness, there were many eyes emitting eerie glows, gazing outwards.
Threatening low growls, alert and frantic monstrous cries— at this moment, the forest was fraught with danger. The earth creatures, like us, were in a panic because something was threatening them!
"Master, something's not right outside..."
I shouted, but when I turned around, the old monk was nowhere to be seen.
Did he run away? I wondered. I went into the temple and found the old monk sitting cross-legged in the center, chanting with his eyes closed, the young novice kneeling beside him, looking scared.
"Master, what's going on?"
I asked in surprise.
"Benefactor, there's a small door at the back of the temple. You can leave from there and you'll see a mountain path. Follow the path and you will reach a nearby village. Hurry..."
It seemed like he also foresaw something, but he didn't make it clear.
"Master, what's happening? Is there a monster outside coming for us? We can go together."
The bad feeling grew stronger and stronger. Before the master could answer, the closed temple gate suddenly blew open with a strange wind. There was a loud "bang," and even the bolt of the gate was broken by the strong wind, while the howling wind seemed like a terrible monster.
The cold air made me shiver slightly. The novice monk hurriedly stood up and blocked the way to the oil lamp. I had heard them say before, the oil lamp must not be extinguished!
In the forest outside, a figure slowly emerged. The figure walked very slowly, muttering a strange low growl, but something was not right. I could even confirm that the approaching figure was not human!
"Please leave, we are going to be in trouble today in this small temple," the old monk, with his eyes closed, once again reminded me.
"Master, what is that dark figure outside?"
I actually had no intention of escaping. I couldn't bring myself to abandon the old monk and the novice. Besides, the situation was still unclear; how could I just leave like that?
"Hiss..."
There was a strange hissing sound on the ground. I looked closely and saw several black snakes crawling in from outside the temple. Each snake was three to four centimeters thick, with a sharp triangular head, indicating that these snakes were definitely venomous!
I immediately drew my dagger. I could see five or six of them in the darkness, but they did not directly rush into the temple. I took a few steps back, protecting the novice monk behind me. The venomous snakes stopped at the threshold of the temple, their long narrow eyes seemed to exude a sinister evil.
Being stared at by these venomous snakes felt really bad. I looked at the old monk beside me. Although I did not know what kind of creature was in the forest, if these five snakes rushed in, I would have a hard time dealing with them alone. I couldn't count on the old monk and the novice to help at this time.
"Well, it's too late...," said the old monk, shaking his head with a hidden meaning in his words.
"As long as the oil lamp does not go out, they dare not come in. Even after so many years, we still haven't been able to suppress it."
Actually, I had been somewhat puzzled before. Why was there a temple in the deep mountain forest, with no incense or enshrinement, and the young monks all left monastic life, yet the old monk was unwilling to leave? It showed that most likely the matter had something to do with the dark figure outside.
The wind was strong, and the novice monk tried his best to keep the oil lamp burning. Indeed, the venomous snakes did not dare to come in, just watching us fiercely. I gripped the bone dagger, quickly thinking of a way to escape from here.
This night was doomed to be restless, much like many nights in my later life, unable to sleep peacefully...
"Master, the wind is too strong, the lamp is about to go out!" said the novice monk with difficulty. The wind blowing into the temple seemed even more violent. I suddenly saw a black snake twice the size of the others slowly carrying something over.
That black snake looked similar to a python in the zoo, but its skin was very rough, like unpolished stone. Its entire head was bigger than my fist, and a bump protruded from its forehead, somewhat like a stretched-out horn.
"A ground beast?" I mumbled, as the large snake twisted its body and seemed to be carrying what looked like a ground beast in its mouth. However, this poor ground beast was already dead, blood dripping down from its body, looking like it had just died.
The large snake also seemed hesitant to enter the temple. The surrounding smaller snakes moved aside. The large snake slowly straightened its body, stretching out its entire upper body, looking very big and muscular, with its skin and muscle lines clearly visible, appearing very powerful.
It shook its head and suddenly flung the dead ground beast, splattering blood from the beast onto the temple, releasing a layer of green smoke. I heard the novice monk behind me say, "Master, the light... the light seems odd!"
In the midst of the strong wind, the already difficult to maintain eternal flame suddenly flickered and diminished. Temples are places of tranquility, free from worldly desires and bloodshed. In a large temple with a thriving incense, the occasional drop of blood would not be a big deal. But in a small temple like this, the blood left by the earth beast carried resentment, and this immediately affected the temple's atmosphere.
The black serpent, biting the earth beast, suddenly shook its head, causing more blood to fall inside the temple. I could clearly feel the spreading resentment in the blood, and a strong wind blew in. In an instant, all the candles in the temple were extinguished, leaving only the eternal flame protected by the young novice.
As the large snake bit the earth beast and gradually encroached into the temple, it seemed to be obstructed by an unseen force. Enraged, the snake threw the dead earth beast into the temple. Even though it fell close, at that moment, I immediately had a bad feeling.
"Something is about to happen!"
A strong premonition erupted in my heart. I turned around and saw the young novice crying out, "Master, the eternal flame is extinguished!"
At that moment, the last flicker of fire in the temple was also extinguished. The young novice turned around, and the eternal flame that had persisted until now went out! My face turned pale because the poisonous snakes that had been circling near the entrance finally slithered in at that moment, as if whatever had kept them at bay had vanished!
"They're coming in! Master, take the young novice and leave, quickly!"
Grabbing the dagger, I shouted, but the old monk remained seated on the ground, motionless.
"Master, please hurry…"
I wanted to shout, but at that moment a snake swiftly swam towards me, coiling around my leg and starting to climb up towards my upper body. I was astonished and panicked, stabbing the snake with the dagger, but it agilely evaded, slipping its head to a place where I couldn't reach it.
Then came a sharp pain as the cursed creature bit my thigh. I kicked the snake away, and as it hit the wall and writhed, it did not die.
If one is bitten by a snake and cannot get to a hospital in time, there are various methods of self-treatment. However, given the circumstances, without antivenom or a doctor, one is left to wait and hope for survival. Nevertheless, even then, there may be lingering effects.
Recalling those words, I quickly retreated, then took off my pants and grabbed the young novice, asking, "Quick, check if the wound is deep!"
The novice was frightened, stammering, "It's… not very deep, just a scratch…"
It seemed like I had reacted quickly, and the snake probably did not have the chance to inject much venom into me.
Without further thought, I quickly tied a belt above the wound, tightened it, and shouted, "Master, please escape."
But by then, the remaining snakes had all slithered into the temple, surrounding the three of us.