The fear induced by a poisonous snake is no less than that of a lion. The most poisonous snakes can easily kill an elephant and each type of snake has its own attack range and motion. The sinister aura exuded by these creatures seemed like an invisible dagger hanging over our heads, ready to strike at any moment.
My leg quickly started to numb, later than I anticipated, indicating that my assessment was correct, the snake did not have the chance to inject much venom! But the numbness would undoubtedly slow down my movements. I reluctantly took a few steps back and leaned against the altar.
The snakes did not immediately attack; they seemed to be waiting for a signal. The larger black snake roamed around and after a while, a dark figure emerged from the shadows.
It approached, its tall figure casting an exaggerated black shadow, hair floating like weeds in the breeze. I felt like I had seen this shadow before, and as it came closer, that feeling grew stronger.
When the faint moonlight poured into the temple, the black figure finally appeared in front of me, and my intuition erupted completely!
I had seen it before, just a few hours ago!
It was the creature that crawled out of the earth mound, that figure resembling both a zombie and a human!
Disheveled hair, a sinister and terrifying aura, black nails, and a slight low growl coming from its mouth. There is no doubt that this is the monster that released the green gas and killed the little ghost!
"How did you appear here?" I exclaimed in surprise, not even considering whether it understood my words.
A large black snake coiled at its feet, and I instantly understood that all the poisonous snakes here were actually under its command.
Is this monster following me? Have I led harm to the old monk and the young monk?
"The debt has an owner, and you are looking for me, not them. Release them; if you want to kill, come at me alone!" Anger and courage burst forth within me, allowing me to utter these words at that moment. It had already been an unlucky day. I had nearly been killed by Lingqian, separated from Fatty, and provoked the chief of the Three Mountains, a big shot in the jianghu. Now, I've encountered such a tough opponent. In any case, I can't escape now. If sacrificing myself can save the other two, it's worth it. At least I will have some semblance of heroism!
But the monster in front of me didn't spare me more than a glance. It walked up to the old monk, and I reached out to shield the old monk behind me. Amidst the disheveled and dirty hair, a pair of green eyes appeared. At this moment, the old monk pushed my hand aside, stood up from the cushion, and clasped his hands together in reverence.
The strange person in front suddenly started to laugh, and the laughter was odd, sounding as if there were a stone lodged in their throat, preventing the sound from emerging. Suddenly, all the snakes around us pounced. Startled, I pulled the old monk and tried to run, but the old monk instead pushed me. His strength was astonishing, as he effortlessly pushed me against the wall. My chest felt tight, and as I raised my head, I heard the old monk shout, "Child, take the benefactor and leave through the back door, and don't come back here."
What on earth was happening? The person who should have been chasing after me had completely given up on killing me and was now confronting the old monk. My head was becoming increasingly muddled, whether it was due to the snake venom or the myriad of troubling circumstances, I couldn't tell.
"Master..." I heard the young monk's tearful cry, followed by the old monk's call, "Benefactor, please take my disciple and leave, and thank you." As he spoke, he suddenly threw his arms, and his large sleeves flung the snakes that were attacking away.
Behind those aged eyes was an intense sorrow, something I had never seen in my twenty years of life. That sorrow carried a sense of despair, as if he was about to let go of everything and face death. But there was also a noble resignation, a readiness for sacrifice!
I couldn't save him! I knew the stark reality and shook my head. Before the venom truly paralyzed my legs, I had to at least escape with this young monk. I suddenly sprinted, despite my legs being somewhat unresponsive due to the bites. I exerted all my strength, scooping up the young monk and then turning to flee!
"Master, Master..." the young monk screamed madly. I held him tightly, thankful that he was not heavy, but I did not dare look back, fearing to see the old monk covered in blood. He would never survive, and perhaps no one could tell me the many secrets entangled in this situation.
Ten seconds later, I had already reached the back door of the small temple, but the danger was far from over. Something was following us!
I heard the distinctive hissing of a snake, and as I reached the back door, I glanced back, and I was nearly frightened out of my wits! The snake, with a head as big as my fist, had somehow followed us. I was running at full speed, but it slithered along the ground, steadily keeping up with me.
"The snake, the snake is coming up!" the young monk, perched on my shoulders, shouted loudly.
"Don't make a racket, I damn well know!" If I had a hunting rifle or a long weapon like a samurai sword, I might have stopped and fought it. But now, with a child with no means to defend himself, and just a beast bone dagger, I didn't have that kind of skill.
Running along the mountain path, the young monk kept screaming, reminding me that the big snake was right behind us. I was feeling anxious, cursing under my breath, "Damn it, stop chasing me!"
The mountain path was still long, but one misfortune followed another. My legs finally began to give out!
The numbness from the snake bite had intensified, and now, after the vigorous running, the venom was flowing more rapidly. After running several hundred meters outside the temple, my entire leg finally gave out.
In such a situation, if I kept running along the mountain path, I'm afraid the big snake would catch up with me before I reached the village. By then, I'd be exhausted, and the little monk wouldn't have the skills to deal with the snake. We would both be finished here.
Biting my lips, I quickly made a decision in my heart!
I turned suddenly, leading the little monk into the forest, and then, after setting him down, I said, "Listen, I'll divert the big snake later. When we both disappear, you come out and keep walking along the mountain road. There's a village below. You'll be safe in the village. If I can come back safely, I'll find you in the village. Under no circumstances should you go back to the temple, or you will die. Do you understand?"
The little monk's eyes were red, and there were clear tear marks on his face. Today's upheaval had scared the little boy to tears. I reached out and patted his head. I had intended to comfort him, but time was running out. The big snake had caught up along the mountain path. I patted his head and said, "Remember, you must go to the village to hide! My name is Ba Xiaoshan, don’t forget, I will find you."
After speaking, I turned and rushed out of the forest. At this moment, the big snake was twisting and crawling on the mountain path, moving at a rapid speed as if it was flying close to the ground.
It saw me stop, and simultaneously stopped, and stared at me warily.
"You are a ground beast, I don't know if you can understand me. Do you want to kill me? Come, let's play in the woods."
In fact, many years later, friends in the circle would use the term "fugitive" to describe me, and even Fatty often called me a madman. Some of the hidden adventurous factors in my body would sometimes turn into crazy blood and then accelerate.
I held a dagger. In fact, with my condition at the time, I didn't have a handy lethal weapon. One of my legs was basically useless, and I also had been poisoned by the snake. I probably would have died in the mouth of the big snake. But if I, as a man, didn't fight, was I still a man? I couldn’t send the kid to his death, and besides, if I didn't even have the courage to fight for my life, I would look down on myself!
Turning my wrist, I taunted the big snake by waving my arm. The big snake slithered and writhed on the ground, and then I began to slowly move toward the other side of the forest, and the big snake slowly followed!
Finally, the sparse moonlight broke through the large clouds. In an open space in the forest, I tensed my body. The big snake slowly straightened its upper body. It was then that I truly noticed that this snake was three meters long!