In a village dozens of miles away from the Snake King Valley, some people went out into the mountains and saw the Eagle King hovering high in the sky and screaming sadly. Some said it was a miracle, some said it was a monster, but no one dared to go deep into the mountain.
Because there is no main road leading to Snake King Valley, there are only steep rocks and weeds that grow as high as a person’s head. There are not even mountain roads that people have walked on.
Apparently, the distant valley has become a mysterious and taboo place in the hearts of nearby villagers.
Bai Jun led his people to thrive in the mountains. Year after year, the entire mountain peak was covered with snakes.
Even birds and raptors are afraid of this swamp peak. Only some bold water birds, occasionally one or two white cranes fly to the swamp to eat some game, or various birds with thin feet, strong claws and long beaks dare to come here.
Occasionally, some hunters set foot here and were horrified when they saw the snakes all over the place. They fled one after another. Following the rumors from the human race, this swampy mountain peak was called Ten Thousand Snake Mountain, which means that there are tens of thousands of terrifying snakes in the mountain.
In addition, some rumors were combined with the legend of the white snake that turned into a dragon. All nearby villages within a hundred miles knew that to the south of the village, across a high mountain, there was a place full of snakes. There were countless venomous snakes there.
Tigers and lions will be eaten clean by the snakes. Even in the deepest part of the mountain, there is a huge snake king who is practicing in the valley and wants to transform into a dragon.
Bai Jun doesn't know how the world sees him, and even if he knows, he doesn't care.
Time in the mountains is measured in years, and for him, every day passes by just taking a nap.
No wonder those giant pythons don't like to move around and sleep all day long. Some giant pythons can even sleep for 23 hours a day.
As Bai Jun grew up, he also became like those giant pythons.
Now Bai Jun doesn't know whether he is a snake or a python. He is already eight years old this year.
He has a flawless white jade-like body, and his body length reached more than eight meters after molting thirteen times.
An eight-meter snake may not sound like a giant, but Bai Jun is no ordinary snake.
After some snakes and pythons grow to three or four meters, their throats will be much thinner than their waists, and their heads will be much smaller than their thickest waists.
But Bai Jun is different. The thickest part of his body is the snake's head. From thick to thin from head to tail, his body is nearly perfect. The snake sex hormones he emits every spring when he is in love can attract all the female snakes in the entire mountain.
Go crazy about it.
Bai Jun's head is 70 to 80 centimeters wide, and his throat is 60 to 70 centimeters wide. Such a giant python can swallow a tiger or a lion!
Bai Jun's physical strength is also extremely terrifying. Not to mention the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, at least in his knowledge, no ordinary beast on land can match him.
Even the ordinary giant whales in the deep sea cannot match his terrifying body.
Bai Jun is not complacent because he has seen a deeper world.
He has seen similar monsters like Mr. Chen, he has seen fierce ghosts weeping blood, and he has seen the great virtues and power of eminent monks. There must be monsters, immortals, Buddhas and demons in this world. How can a giant python become king?
Bai Yan is now over eight years old. By next year, his body functions will begin to gradually decline. In another two years, his life will be over.
But he couldn't even cross the threshold of the long journey to immortality.
Mortals know that there are countless legends about immortals and gods. How many people are there among the vast number of sentient beings who may seek the true way?
This is true for humans, and so is it for demons.
Survival is inherently difficult, and only one beast in a million can be enlightened. Even if it is enlightened, it may not be able to attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and turn beasts into monsters.
Bai Jun tried for eight years, but was still unable to attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon into his body.
It would be okay if his lifespan was not approaching, but as a beast, the instinctive premonition, the feeling of watching death approaching little by little, is very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Bai Jun had been reading moral scriptures for eight years, and his mind was calm and clear. His perception ability had also improved a lot without knowing it, and Bai Jun accepted it calmly.
He is a dead person, and it is a blessing from heaven to be able to enjoy the purity of the mountains and fields for ten years. As a human being and as an animal, he must not be too greedy.
Fortunately, Bai Jun saw the increasingly prosperous group of snakes outside the Snake King Valley, and he always felt comforted in his heart. Even if he knew that these cold-blooded similar people might forget him after his death, this kind of joy that he had cultivated personally was very satisfying.
memorable.
This mountain peak has a radius of hundreds of miles and is home to snakes. The number of snakes here has reached up to 3,000 and probably under 5,000.
Because Bai Jun couldn't accurately tell the number of snakes in the group, he could only roughly estimate the number.
As the territory expands, three to five thousand snakes within a hundred miles is no longer considered too many.
Fortunately, the snakes are all surrounding the Snake King Valley, so it can be considered a group gathering.
There are five successor snakes in the valley that Bai Jun personally trained. Now three of them have been eliminated, leaving only two.
One is also a water snake, a black water snake, with a thick body and has grown to nearly five meters in length.
Its length is the largest in this valley except for Baijun.
There is also a green snake, which is only more than three meters long, but its fighting power is extremely strong. It ranks second among all snakes in terms of flexibility and venom toxicity.
The number one poisoner is naturally Bai Jun himself.
There is still more than a year left, so Bai Jun is not in a hurry. He wants to wait until the green snake sheds its skin next year before making a decision.
Bai Jun's life is becoming more and more comfortable now. Every morning, when the sun rises, he gets up proudly. After eating a few hares, he climbs up the willow tree and squints in the sun. When the sun sets at dusk, he enjoys the perfect view and then goes back to his cave to sleep.
.
In spring, the Waking of Insects comes out of their caves, and in late autumn, they hibernate during the light snow season.
One year ends, another year begins again, and year after year, it begins again.
His body is far more cold-resistant than other snakes, so he is the last one to enter the cave every winter to protect the group of snakes and hibernate just now.
On such days, the years are quiet, the white clouds are lingering, and you are free and carefree.
…
Outside Wanshe Mountain, in Zhuangjia Village, the old man sitting at the entrance of the village has been replaced by an old woman. Now that the autumn harvest has passed, the winter wheat has been planted, and it is a rare off-season. The men are going to the market, asking about their livelihood and where to harvest grain at a high price.
, the women were busy embroidering and weaving in the village to make winter clothes.
There is always something in the words of women. Even the most simple women know the trivial matters among their neighbors. After all, these are the ordinary days that they have to spend every day.
The Wang family's aunt has a clever mouth and is known far and wide as a matchmaker in the village. Such a mouth is good for talking about kisses, but if it is used for gossip, it is for knowing the world.
Aunt Wang used a thick needle and thread to thread the yellow homespun cloth through a few stitches up and down the collar. She couldn't help but look to the west, and then said mysteriously: "Hey, do you know? I saw it last night
Widow Xu dragged a man into the house in the middle of the night!"
"What did you say?" A broad-faced woman was shocked but could not hide her gossip and excitement. "That Widow Xu stole a man? Whose man did she steal? My father went back to the house early to sleep last night.
.
Do you think he is the second son of old man Zhang? I think he is idle all day long, so it is most likely!"
Another kind-hearted village woman was a little confused and said, "Li Erniang, what did you say? Widow Xu is all alone. She has a good livelihood these days and can barely eat enough. Will she be able to survive if your words get out?
?”
Li Erniang put on a face, made a sound, and said: "Hey, it seems that Sanmao's mother and Widow Xu have a close relationship. Those who are doing nothing and making trouble, and the dogs don't come out, who do you think will enter the widow's house?
And I live alone and don’t know how to keep two big white geese to look after my house. I think I’m afraid that others will see me stealing.”
A few women were bickering on the street in the village here, while a large group of people gathered outside the village there, and there were even some big horses and a luxurious carriage driving towards the village.
Seeing this scene, several women became frightened and hurriedly shouted to the men in the village to come out and take a look.
The village was in a state of chaos. A few thin and squeaking native dogs barked twice and then lay down tiredly on the ground panting.
The cat on the rafter accidentally slipped down and jumped into the chicken coop.
One or two children poked their heads out of the courtyard door of each house, with curious eyes in their eyes.
The group headed by two horses cleared the way. The village women, who usually only moved within a radius of ten miles, had never seen such tall and powerful horses, as well as this group of outsiders who all seemed to be difficult to get along with.
A middle-aged man in gray clothes dressed in smart clothes got off his horse, showed a faint smile, and seemed kind-hearted. He cupped his fists and said, "Sisters, is this Zhuangjia Village?"
After all, Aunt Wang is half a matchmaker. She is well-informed and courageous. She said with a smile on her face: "Yes, yes, yes, this is Zhuangjia Village. I wonder what you gentlemen are doing in our little wilderness village? If you can help me,
Yes, we roughnecks might be able to use it."
The middle-aged man smiled, took out a handful of broken silver from his pocket, and said, "Thank you so much for your kindness. A group of us are traveling businessmen. My Excellency, Zhang Ze, came here this time to inquire about something."
Are there any specialties nearby? It would be easy to bring some goods with me on the return trip to avoid losing money.
Please also ask the aunt to find some old men in the village to discuss it with us."
When Aunt Wang saw so much broken silver, she smiled so much that the corners of her eyes stretched to the point of her eyebrows, and the silver disappeared with just a touch of her hand. "Good sir, you're too polite. I'll go and collect it right away. Please don't dislike the farmer."
Let’s go into the village and take a rest.”
Zhang Ze nodded and said: "What the eldest sister said is that I will ask my boss for instructions."
With that said, he walked to the carriage behind him and whispered a few words close to the carriage. Then the curtain of the carriage was opened, and a pair of handsome men and pretty women jumped out of the carriage. Finally, a rather handsome man got out of the carriage.
A dignified, middle-aged man in a brocade robe wearing a crown.
Aunt Wang's heart skipped a beat, but she still had a smile on her face and took several women back to the village to make arrangements.
On the way, Li Erniang scolded: "Mrs. Wang, you are a person who has been stabbed a thousand times. Aren't you bringing trouble to the village?"
Aunt Wang whispered: "What do you know? These people are said to be businessmen, but they don't look like any friendly businessmen. They are most likely people from the Jianghu. There are forty or fifty people in this group.
Even if you don't know martial arts, you can't stop him with just one word.
The most important thing now is to quickly go back to the village to inform each family, see what their purpose is, and make preparations. At the same time, let the children of each family run back to the town to find the men of each family. Naturally, there are many people and you will be brave. Why don't you go quickly?
!”
Several women were in a state of panic. Now that they heard what Aunt Wang said clearly and eloquently, they hurriedly followed her instructions.
A group of people waited at the entrance of the village for a while and saw seven or eight old men from the village arriving, and some men also followed.
An old man with gray hair said with a smile: "You have come all the way from afar, but our village has not welcomed you. I am the village chief of Zhuangjia Village, so please don't resent the lack of hospitality."
The handsome young man smiled and said, "Isn't the old village chief afraid that we are robbers and bandits?"
The old village head hurriedly waved his hands and said: "You guys are joking. Now that the Holy Emperor is ruling the world and the world is prosperous, how can there be room for bandits to do whatever they want? Besides, old man, I have never seen a bandit as elegant and graceful as the young master."
The young man couldn't help laughing when he heard this. He bowed his hands and said, "I'm here Ouyang Xue. Behind me are my father-in-law Mei Yuanwai and my wife Yu."
The old village chief hurriedly complimented: "It turns out to be Yuan Wai Mei and Mr. Ouyang. The fact that our village can host these few really brings glory to our small village. Please come to my old man's humble residence to entertain these few."
Member Mei nodded and smiled lightly, "You are all guarding outside the village. Let's go."
Everyone responded "Yes!" in unison, and the farmers in the village were frightened by their orderly manner.
When Mei Yuanwai saw the behavior of the villagers, he felt light-hearted. Don't think that farmers are more simple, but it is not for nothing that the saying goes that poor mountains and harsh waters bring out unruly people. Although he is not afraid of these villagers, if there is a dispute, he will inevitably have to fight with them.
Negotiations with the government. The government under the rule of the Holy Emperor is the most powerful force among the people. Everyone in the world is afraid of it.
When the three of them followed the old village chief into the house, Member Mei smiled and said, "I wonder how old the old village chief is?"
The village chief smiled hurriedly and said: "I don't dare to take it seriously. Old man, I am already seventy-four years old."
"I guess the old village chief is familiar with this area, right?" Miss Mei, standing next to Ouyang Xue, asked playfully.
The old village chief smiled and said: "I am ashamed, old man. Although I am old, I am not a native of this place. Instead, I was recruited by the government and immigrated here five years ago to build a village.
However, even though it has only been five years, I still know most of the cultural and cultural things around here within a hundred miles."
Member Mei raised his lips and asked, "Old village chief, do you have any special products in this village?"
The old village chief smiled bitterly when he heard this and said, "Our village has been built for less than five years. We can only plant some crops and nothing else, so we call it Zhuangjia Village."
Ouyang Xue frowned, "Well, then it seems we are going to leave empty-handed.
But are there any special products in the mountains and forests near the village chief?"
The old village chief felt relieved. It seemed that he had no intention of harming their village. He said, "Haha, sir, you don't know something. This area of a hundred miles is originally a mountain forest. It was created by the government setting fire to open up the mountain five years ago. The fire
After all, what other specialties can we have?”
Miss Mei turned her head and suddenly thought of something, "Hey, when we came out of Qinan City, we heard that you have a snake mountain here? There are so many snakes, countless. Is this true?"
The old village chief suddenly became entangled in his heart: "These... these... people want to go to Wan Snake Mountain? This can't be done! It can't be done!"
Ouyang Xue frowned and said with a hint of coldness in her voice: "Why is this?"
The old village chief said hurriedly: "This Wanshe Mountain is separated from our Zhuangjia Village by a tall mountain peak. Although it seems to be only a few dozen miles away, if you really want to go there, you have to climb over the mountains and ridges and walk more than a hundred miles.
Moreover, the grass in this mountain forest can grow as tall as a human being, and there are countless poisonous insects and beasts in it. There are even tens of thousands of snakes in the Ten Thousand Snake Mountains, and even snake catchers dare not go there easily.