Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Below me was a massive circular pit. The snakes inside were clearly a size larger than the ones I’d encountered in the desert; most were as thick as a human calf, coiled into writhing balls that squirmed in a dense, suffocating mass.

It was the kind of sight that would give even Medusa a case of trypophobia.

My palms were sweating, and I felt my grip on the vine slipping as my body slid down another few inches.

Tong Wei stood at the edge of the pit. He stole a glance downward, breaking into a cold sweat and secretly thanking his lucky stars that he hadn’t chased me any faster.

“Hahaha! Qiao Moyu, you’re so capable, why aren’t you running anymore?”

Tong Wei brandished his pistol, aiming it at the vine I was clinging to.

“Qiao Moyu, I’ve changed my mind. Originally, my teacher said to keep you alive so we could get the Qingnang Classic. But now, I’m going to show you exactly what happens when you’re too arrogant!”

With a loud bang, the gunshot rang out, and the vine in my hands snapped in two.

“Ah-!”

I let out a sharp cry as I plummeted. To my surprise, I slammed into another vine on the way down and frantically wrapped my arms around it.

This was a desert; why were there so many vines growing over a snake pit? I looked down closely, only to realize that what I was holding wasn’t a vine at all-it was clearly a layer of shed snake skin.

I followed the length of the “vine” toward a nearby pillar and swallowed hard, my throat tight with tension.

A snake skin over ten meters long? Did that mean there was a giant snake over ten meters long living here?

“Hahaha! You’re still not dead? Qiao Moyu, you really do have the luck of the devil!”

Tong Wei held his gun high, laughing with manic arrogance. Not far away, Jiang Haoyan tried to rush forward, only to be pinned down by several of Tong Wei’s men.

Jiang Haoyan’s eyes were red with desperation as he screamed hoarsely, “Qiao Moyu! Tong Wei, I’ll give you money! Just let Qiao Moyu go!”

I dangled over the snake pit like I was on a swing, clutching the snake skin. Tong Wei kept his pistol trained on me but couldn’t get a steady bead. He took two steps forward, leaning half his body out over the pit.

“Goodbye, Qiao Moyu-”

Tong Wei reached out.

In the next heartbeat, a colossal shadow lunged up from the depths of the pit.

“Hiss-!”

A crimson flick of a tongue lashed across Tong Wei’s face. The giant snake opened its cavernous maw, revealing two rows of neat, razor-sharp fangs, and bit Tong Wei’s body clean in half.

Tong Wei’s upper torso was swallowed into the snake’s belly, while his lower half remained standing on the edge of the pit. Blood sprayed everywhere. Everyone present was frozen in terror.

Jiang Haoyan seized the moment to break free from Tong Wei’s men and sprinted toward the pit.

“Qiao Moyu, grab my hand!”

He threw himself prone at the edge, reaching out to me. I clung to the snake skin, trembling as I scrambled toward him.

Having finished off Tong Wei’s upper half, the giant snake whipped its head around, and Tong Wei’s lower half tumbled into the pit as well.

In an instant, the entire pit seemed to come alive.

Every snake within began to writhe and squirm, competing to feast on Tong Wei’s remains.

I edged my way out along the snake skin. Just as I was about to reach the rim, the giant snake finally stopped its swallowing motions and turned its head to look at me.

In the dim light, a pair of vertical pupils the size of lanterns glowed with an eerie green light.

Shaking, I pulled out the Thunderstruck Wood Talisman.

“Snake Boss, it’s a bit dark in here. How about I light a lamp for you?”

With that, I thrust the token upward. A bolt of lightning crackled forth, striking the giant snake directly in the eye.

The beast reared its head back with a strange, guttural cry, and a gust of foul-smelling wind blasted into my face. I finally reached the edge of the pit. Jiang Haoyan grabbed me and hauled me up with a powerful tug; we tumbled onto the solid ground together, rolling twice before stopping.

“Run!”

We scrambled to our feet, grabbed each other’s hands, and ran for our lives.

Inside the palace, the only light came from the area directly beneath the circular dome. As Jiang Haoyan and I ran deeper into the hall, we were quickly plunged into pitch-black darkness where we couldn’t see a thing.

Behind us was a man-eating giant snake; ahead lay an obsidian palace filled with unknown horrors. As we ran, I occasionally stepped on smaller snakes, the squelching sensation beneath my feet feeling absolutely wretched.

I don’t know how long we ran, but eventually, my legs felt as heavy as lead, and my pace slowed.

Jiang Haoyan also gradually came to a halt. We stood there in the darkness, hand in hand, silent for a long moment.

“Qiao Moyu, are we going to die here?”

Jiang Haoyan’s voice sounded low and slightly raspy. I shook my head emphatically.

“Don’t worry. You might, but I definitely won’t.”

“I’ve read my own fortune. My Eight Characters contain all five elements, and my Star of Prosperity is robust. I’ll live to be at least ninety-nine.”

Jiang Haoyan froze for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

“Qiao Moyu, you really are…”

He laughed gently and turned to pull me into a hug.

“…a little bit cute.”