Meng Shaode remained calm, nocking an arrow to his bow. Such a large snake was an easy target; he wouldn't miss.
Furthermore, it looked harmless, so why be afraid? A few solid bamboo arrows should do the trick.
"Brother Meng, look," Wu Dalei said, holding up a torch to point at the ground.
Due to the enormous size of the spotted snake, no one had noticed the small black snake hidden beneath Ah Jiu and Madam Wang's watchful eyes.
At this moment, the small black snake had raised two-thirds of its body. Its ear-like flaps flared, and the red venom sac on its head swelled, poised to threaten the larger snake.
"Grandma, that big snake seems scared of this little king snake," Ah Jiu said, tugging on Madam Wang's arm from behind her, feeling a semblance of security.
"Indeed. That small snake is a king cobra by birth, a ruler among snakes. Most snakes' natural predators are centipedes or hawks, but this little king snake has no natural enemies."
Madam Wang became quite engrossed as she watched.
Though the two snakes' physiques were vastly different, making the little king snake appear minuscule,
the small king snake coiled its tail and flicked its tongue rapidly, emitting a hissing sound as it bared its tiny fangs.
A single flick of its tail would allow it to strike the larger snake with lightning speed.
Rustling, the large snake indeed seemed intimidated. It lowered its massive head, twisted its body, and slithered away.
"Brother Meng, look, it's gone! The big snake actually ran away," Wu Dalei said, wiping sweat from his face.
Meng Shaode's hand, holding the bow, trembled slightly. He breathed a long sigh of relief, "It's good that it's gone, it's good that it's gone."
"Ah Jiu, Mother, let's leave here as soon as it's dawn," Meng Shaode said, but he dared not approach.
The small black snake, now free, could attack at any moment.
Ah Jiu fell into thought.
After driving away the large snake, the little snake had crawled a few steps towards Ah Jiu. Perhaps sensing it had frightened her before, it coiled itself in place, revealing its thumb-sized, inverted triangular head and looking at Ah Jiu foolishly.
"Alright, alright, let's all go to sleep. It's fine now."
Madam Wang's eyes were fixed on the small black snake, eager to drive people away and capture it.
Suddenly, the little black snake raised its head and flared its ear-like flaps, assuming an aggressive posture towards Madam Wang.
Startled, Madam Wang quickly retracted her hand and retreated a few steps.
For some reason, Ah Jiu felt that this little king snake seemed to be protecting them.
She cautiously crouched down.
"Ah Jiu, no..." Meng Shaode exclaimed, his heart leaping with fright.
Wu Dalei's body stiffened with fear.
"Girl, are you crazy? Do you believe what this old man says?" Madam Wang dared not make a definitive judgment at this point.
Logically, the girl possessed spiritual energy, and he, having cultivated for so long and consumed so much spiritual spring water, should also have the scent of spiritual energy.
However, the small black snake showed Madam Wang no respect at all.
As Ah Jiu crouched down, the little black snake slowly uncoiled its body and slithered towards her.
The hearts of those watching tightened, and they dared not breathe.
The little snake lay at her feet. Seeing that it showed no sign of aggression, Ah Jiu tentatively reached out her index finger and carefully stroked its small head.
It felt cool. The snake seemed to enjoy it, pressing its head against Ah Jiu's foot.
Then, it remained motionless, its eyes no longer as sinister as they had appeared in daylight.
"Gulp." Meng Shaode swallowed hard.
Madam Wang, however, huffed indignantly, turning away with her sleeves flicked and hands clasped behind her back.
Ah Jiu's lips curved into a smile. She extended her hand, and the little snake crawled onto it.
A wave of coolness spread across her palm, dispelling much of the oppressive heat of the sweltering summer day.
"Father, look." Ah Jiu happily cupped the little snake and turned to show her father.
Meng Shaode reflexively raised his arm to shield himself.
Wu Dalei's legs gave out, and he fell onto the ground, too stunned to retreat.
"Enough, stop showing off. This old man will find an opportunity sooner or later to crush this beast. It had to bite where else but my rear end."
How was he supposed to meditate after this?