The Serpent

Crisscrossed with dark brown patterns, the serpent was as thick as an eight- or nine-year-old child's waist. Its body was coiled loop upon loop around a massive banyan tree, its bright yellow slit pupils staring coldly down at Li Tongya and the others. "What a massive serpent!" Even as he voiced his astonishment, the hand seal Li Tongya formed was not the least bit slow. The moment his words fell, a hazy golden glow had already surfaced over his palm. The serpent flicked its bright red tongue with a hiss, opened its great maw, and abruptly spewed forth a thick plume of black mist. Yet the golden radiance arrived first, darting straight for the brown-patterned serpent's lower jaw. The strike snapped the serpent's head aside, sending the jet of black mist spilling entirely onto a nearby tree. That banyan tree hissed and popped in an instant. Its lush leaves and branches dissolved away completely, turning into drops of black liquid that fell onto the soil, and even a thick layer of its two-man-wide trunk was eaten through. Drawing in sharp breaths, Li Yesheng and the others shrank back in terror at the sight, practically on the verge of turning tail and fleeing. "Keep your eyes on it. Back away slowly." Having rescued Li Yesheng and the several village militia from the serpent's clutches, Li Tongya shook his head solemnly and spoke in a low voice. Watching the men slowly retreat, the serpent did not pursue. It remained coiled in the banyan tree, staring down coldly at them. Only after the great banyan tree had vanished from view did Li Qiuyang timidly speak up. "The fruit is right behind that tree!" "No rush." Li Tongya waved a hand, then instructed Li Yesheng, "Summon the militia from the village. Have them gather long poles and iron shovels from every household. Those who have bows, bring them along with arrows, and come up the mountain together." "Yes!" Li Yesheng answered, hurriedly leading the few village men down the mountain. Li Xiangping patted Li Qiuyang on the shoulder and said, "Back then, you must have run into a time when this serpent was out hunting. Not only did you escape with your life, you even stumbled upon a stroke of fortune! Head back to the courtyard to cultivate. There is nothing for you to do here." Seeing Li Qiuyang drenched in cold sweat as he complied and headed down the mountain, Li Xiangping found a bluestone to sit on and said to Li Tongya, "This serpent has remarkably tough scales. A strike from the Golden Light Technique only managed to shatter a few scales on its chin." "Judging by its appearance, it is merely a minor demon in the Embryonic Breathing realm. Its intellect has yet to open. However hard a beast's scales may be, what use are they?" Li Tongya replied casually, his eyes carefully surveying the surrounding terrain. Before long, the able-bodied men of Lijing Village made their way up the mountain. Hearing that they were going to slay a demon beast, they were both apprehensive and excited, tiptoeing along behind Li Yesheng. Having scouted the terrain, Li Tongya summoned Liu Linfeng and asked, "Uncle, I heard the Liu family used pit traps to kill wild boars last year. For a serpent of this size, how large a trap would be appropriate to dig?" Liu Linfeng hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "I hear this serpent is a demon beast and cannot be judged by ordinary logic. What if it can fly...?" "Naturally, it cannot fly. Just double the dimensions of your usual experience, Uncle," Li Xiangping interjected, adding silently to himself, *If this serpent could fly, how could we still have our lives at this moment?* "Then that will be easy!" Hearing Li Xiangping's words, Liu Linfeng gave his full assurance. He began directing the men to dig the pit, pointing this way and that with an air of great authority. Liu Linfeng had felt stifled for a long time. In the past, though the Li family was powerful, they had at least accorded his Liu family some face and consulted him whenever village affairs arose. Now that the Li family had unified the various villages, Liu Linfeng dared not step forward to issue orders. These past days had truly stifled him. Finding something to do at last, Liu Linfeng instantly regained his vigor. *Going on like this is no solution. My Liu family must find a place to prove its worth under the Li family's protection; otherwise, we will decline sooner or later!* As he directed the digging, Liu Linfeng pondered in secret. Li Tongya had no idea of the many thoughts running through Liu Linfeng's mind. He and Li Xiangping were busy imbuing the arrows with the Golden Light Technique. Left unused, the spell could roughly maintain its power for six to seven double-hours—more than enough time to kill the serpent. With their current magic power, each brother could enchant roughly a dozen arrows. Once their power was depleted, they sat cross-legged to regulate their breath. By the time the villagers finished digging the pit, concealing all traces of fresh earth and scattering withered leaves over it, the two brothers had just finished their recovery. The militia formed their battle line. Those with long poles stood in front, while those with bows stood behind, each archer holding an arrow infused with the Golden Light Technique as they edged warily toward the serpent. The men in front had only just reached the great banyan tree when they could not help but gasp in unison, "What a terrifying serpent!" The serpent remained coiled around the massive tree, its bright yellow vertical pupils striking terror into everyone's hearts. Opening its maw, it spewed a thick plume of black mist. Forewarned, the men in the front rank abandoned their poles early and scrambled back. The black mist merely corroded a patch of dead leaves on the ground and several wooden poles. A volley of pale golden streaks of light arrived swiftly from behind. Infused with the Golden Light Technique, these arrows were exceedingly sharp, piercing into the serpent's brown-patterned scales one after another. Disturbed time and again, the serpent was finally enraged. Flicking its tongue with an angry hiss, it abandoned the banyan tree and slithered rapidly toward the crowd. The villagers in front scattered in an instant. Li Tongya and Li Xiangping hurriedly formed hand seals to unleash burst after burst of the Golden Light Technique, striking the serpent until it shrieked in pain. Fixing its golden slit pupils on the two brothers, it surged toward them at high speed. Far from alarmed, the two brothers were overjoyed. Watching the serpent wind its way along the cliffside slope, Li Tongya bellowed, "Ready!" As the serpent surged forward, it suddenly felt the ground give way beneath it, nearly plunging headfirst into the massive pit concealed beneath the dead leaves. However, its body was exceptionally long. It did not immediately fall all the way into the trap; its head snapped upward, resting across the far edge of the pit, looking as if it were about to climb right out. Just then, a crowd of village men emerged from the cliff above at the signal. Thrusting together against a massive bluestone, they shouted in unison, "Drop!" The bluestone plunged straight down, crashing square onto the serpent's back. In an instant, tendons snapped and bones shattered. With a pained hiss, the brown-patterned serpent was pinned flat into the bottom of the pit. Its head was reared high and its body bent into a sharp U-shape, completely immobilized. "Hahahahaha!" From behind the crowd, Liu Linfeng let out a long laugh, nodding with deep satisfaction at the success of his handiwork. "Get it!" Li Yesheng roared, and the men grabbed their sharpened bamboo poles, thrusting them repeatedly into the pit. Though the serpent's scales were tough, they could not withstand a dozen or more burly men swarming and jabbing like this. The men thrust with all their might for half a double-hour, not stopping until the bamboo poles they pulled back were soaked bright red. Having confirmed again and again that the serpent was dead, the crowd erupted into earth-shaking cheers, utterly proud of themselves as they chattered excitedly about how to haul the beast out and carry it back to the village. Leaving Liu Linfeng to oversee the cleanup, Li Tongya and Li Xiangping took Li Yesheng and several trusted men to quietly circle behind the great banyan tree. Seeing the ground strewn with white bones among the thick grass, Li Yesheng let out a heavy sigh. "A few years back, my brother Li Yesheng went up the back mountain and never returned. It seems he must have run into this serpent while it was hunting and was swallowed whole by it." Li Xiangping nodded matter-of-factly, while Li Tongya gazed solemnly at a small tree bearing five lustrous red fruits. Turning his head, he said to Li Yesheng, "Station men to guard this place. Allow no one to come near."