Baby with Daoist Monarch System-Chapter 583 - 231: The Sudden Disappearance of the Serpent Horde (Part 2)
The first thing he did was check on his master’s wounds and found that his breathing was stable, which finally put his mind at ease.
Then, he went outside and saw the villagers heading towards the altar that was set up the night before.
The apprentice followed suit upon seeing this.
The previously rudimentary altar was now well-equipped, even having an incense platform, and a cage specifically for offerings was set up beside it.
Every villager who came here would burn a stick of incense and worship devoutly.
At that moment, the village chief stood to the side, looking like the most devout believer, guiding the people.
Zhang Hao saw the puzzled apprentice and asked, "Where is your master?"
Although my wife still died, the physician and the apprentice tried their best to save her that night, so my attitude was very accommodating.
"My master’s leg is broken," the apprentice said sadly.
Instantly, those who were worshipping the so-called Snake God all looked over, their eyes filled with horror and confusion.
"What happened?" Zhang Hao immediately asked.
The physician is the most valuable talent for a village chief, and whenever the villagers have any issues, they all turn to the physician. Thus, the physician’s status is very high in the villages near the Great Mountain.
Now, you say the physician’s leg is broken, this is a big deal.
"Uh..."
The apprentice hesitated, looking at the Snake God on the altar.
At this, everyone understood what this meant, and those worshipping became even more devout, kowtowing with greater intensity.
"Wait, you said your master, his leg is broken, but he isn’t dead?" Zhang Hao asked.
"Yes!" the apprentice replied, "I just checked my master when I came out, there’s nothing wrong, it won’t be like yesterday."
Then, Zhang Hao pulled the apprentice out of the altar and carefully inquired, "Tell me in detail what happened last night, from start to finish."
By this time, the villagers had gathered around, and the apprentice began to recount everything to the crowd.
When they heard about the apprentice personally cutting off his master’s right leg, their faces involuntarily twitched.
"The physician is truly experienced. Knowing that my wife was poisoned yesterday, to prevent the spread of the poison, he came up with the idea of amputation, alas..."
That sigh was full of helplessness.
"Village chief, what should we do now?" someone asked.
Now the worship has been conducted, offerings have been made, kowtows have been performed, yet still, someone has been bitten by a poisonous snake, and it’s even the physician, what are we to do?
"Let’s go see the physician first," Zhang Hao said.
This proposal was unanimously agreed upon by the villagers.
A group of people set out in droves to the physician’s home, and upon opening the wooden door, found him lying in bed, eyes open.
"Master, you’re awake!" the apprentice immediately stepped forward.
"Master, everyone knows you encountered troubles, we’ve come especially to see you."
By this time, Zhang Hao had arrived at the bedside; the physician’s lower leg was gone, the wound wrapped in layers of bandages, and a green liquid, the herbal medicine, seeped from within.
"Village chief, this is not the Snake God at all, but the existence within the Great Mountain!" the physician said.
The Great Mountain!!
At these words, everyone was stunned.
The Great Mountain is very mysterious to Great Wilderness Border Village; they only know it harbors countless strange flora and fauna, along with enormous terrors.
Even though Great Wilderness Border Village is several hundred miles from the Great Mountain, it still falls within its range; this gives an idea of the vast influence of the Great Mountain.
Now the physician claims that the poisonous snake appearing in the village is related to the Great Mountain?
The Great Mountain is hundreds of miles away! Did a snake travel all this distance just to bite people?
"Physician, how could it be an entity from the Great Mountain?" Zhang Hao expressed disbelief.
"Cough, cough," the physician weakly said, "The snake has a dark red hue, and that kind of snake exists only in the Great Mountain."
Last night, I saw it; though it was just for an instant, I could tell it was precisely the dark red snake," the physician became more excited as he spoke, coughing harder.
After hearing the physician’s words, everyone fell silent, and after a while, continued to speak.
"When I was young, I went to Great Wilderness Border Village to learn how to handle snake venom and learned from Pharmacist Xie that there is a kind of dark red poisonous snake in the Great Mountain, highly venomous, and once bitten, no one can last a day."
"In a day, the entire body will turn to thick liquid, and the bones will appear dark."
"The only way to survive is by amputation; wherever you’re bitten, cut it off before the venom spreads through the whole body."
"This matter happened so long ago that I’d forgotten it. When the village chief’s wife died, it didn’t come to mind immediately, but when I glimpsed that shade of dark red in the night last evening, I remembered."
The physician’s words were like a bitter cold wind in a harsh winter, sending shivers down one’s spine.
This was something Pharmacist Xie from the Great Wilderness Border Village, one of the villages most knowledgeable about the Great Mountain, had spoken of.
No one expected that the poisonous snakes from the Great Mountain would crawl hundreds of miles to reach Great Wilderness Border Village.
"So, what the lunatic from Stone Village said at the village entrance was all true? Is Stone Village really gone?" someone suddenly asked.
This brought everyone’s memories back to that evening; each person recalled the madman’s words.
It’s stirring to think that a large Stone Village was destroyed by a few poisonous snakes; does this mean Great Wilderness Border Village can’t escape the same fate?
"Physician, is there any solution?" Zhang Hao frowned and asked.
The physician shook his head, "No, unless you can kill them."
"Isn’t it difficult to kill those poisonous snakes? They’re small, and they conceal themselves well; it’s hard just to find them," someone said.
"Indeed, Great Wilderness Border Village is neither too big nor too small, with many places where those few snakes could hide."
"Why don’t we leave Great Wilderness Border Village?" someone suggested.
This proposal was immediately rejected on the spot.
"Escape? Where could we go? Nearby villages won’t harbor us, and it’s impossible to escape beyond the Great Mountain’s range."
"Moreover, even if other villages dare shelter us, when the poisonous snakes see that there’s no one left in Great Wilderness Border Village, they’ll just go searching for the next one. Wouldn’t the result still be the same then?!"
"Village chief, do you have any plans?" the apprentice kept looking at Zhang Hao.
After a moment’s consideration, Zhang Hao spoke, "I do have one plan, but the opportunity exists only once."
"What plan?" Everyone’s eyes immediately lit up.
"Just like last night, conduct another sacrifice. By then, as last night, the poisonous snakes will come to the altar, and then we’ll capture them all!!"
Night.
The villagers of Great Wilderness Border Village gathered again at the altar, with hundreds of chickens beside them as offerings, except this group was very quiet.
Unlike last night, there was no fervent devotion on the faces of the villagers, only endless resentment.
The events at the village chief’s and the physician’s homes have made them realize that these poisonous snakes won’t rest until they’ve slaughtered the entire village.
Zhang Hao held the incense, standing, and bowed three times to the snake statue on the altar.
"Welcome the arrival of the Snake God!"
"Welcome the arrival of the Snake God!"
"Welcome the arrival of the Snake God!"
Then he placed the incense on the altar, picked up a chicken, and spilled its blood on the ground.
After completing everything, they left along with the villagers.
Of course, they didn’t truly leave but were waiting outside the altar for the arrival of the poisonous snakes.
At this moment, each of them held a weapon, whether a shovel, knife, or hammer... whatever could be used from home had been brought.
Inside the altar, as last night, dozens of dark red poisonous snakes emerged from the darkness, came to the chickens, and began feasting greedily.
Suddenly, the whole altar area was filled with the anguished cries of chickens.
Upon hearing the sounds, Zhang Hao immediately spoke.
"Hurry, light all the prepared firewood, and guard each exit of the altar; don’t let a single snake escape."
With Zhang Hao’s order, all the villagers began to move, lighting the dry firewood they had prepared.
The altar had four exits, with at least ten villagers guarding each exit.
Soon, a blazing fire erupted, the flames soaring at the altar site.
Yet inside the altar, the snakes had all gone.
Stationed at the door, Zhang Hao sensed something was wrong.
"How is it, are there any snakes at the exits?" Zhang Hao shouted.
"None."
"None."
"None here either."
The three responses came back.
Now, Zhang Hao felt even more uneasy.
These are snakes from the Great Mountain; how could they not have any means against a great fire? It defies all logic.
