They all looked exactly alike, and for a moment, A Jiu's vision blurred.
A small king cobra slithered up an ancient tree. Below, three other cobras raised their heads, adopting aggressive, defiant stances.
These three were visibly larger than the one on the tree, by at least ten times.
A Jiu's hands went empty, and her bamboo basket fell in shock.
Yun Hao quickly scooped up the basket, his eyes alight. "We must catch them and take them back."
He made to move forward.
"Brother Yun, this is highly venomous. Even a tiny amount can kill a cow," A Jiu cried, terrified, her gaze fixed on the snake clinging to the cracked bark of the ancient tree.
She recognized it; it was her Dilong.
Yun Hao, though a constable, was also frightened. "What should we do?"
"I don't understand something. Didn't you say there's only one Emperor-level cobra per mountain?"
A Jiu didn't know why, but her current worry was for her Dilong. Its venom was all used up. Surrounded by three large king cobras, it was surely doomed.
A Jiu slowly crouched down, picked up a stick, and took two steps forward, waving it in the air a few times.
"Go away, go away..."
The three large cobras seemed to disregard A Jiu entirely, not even glancing at her. They raised their upper bodies, flicking their forked tongues, their gazes fixed on the Dilong in the tree.
In comparison, the Dilong's physique was like that of a newborn.
"A Jiu, don't go any further," Yun Hao grabbed her basket and pulled her back.
"How about this: you go back and get people, and I'll stay here and guard. We'll try to catch them all."
As Yun Hao spoke, he continued to stare warily at the cobras.
He too couldn't comprehend why three had appeared at once. Ancient texts recorded it this way, and his own father, once invited by bandits to shoe horses and trim hooves, had encountered such a situation.
Bandits who lived in the mountains year-round understood these creatures better than anyone.
If one small king cobra was killed, many other snakes would seek revenge. These king cobras protected all the snakes in their territory.
They would also offer sacrifices to the king cobra regularly, especially after the breeding season.
"You go, I'll stay here."
"Ah? You're a young lady..." A Jiu's words startled Yun Hao.
"You don't understand. My Dilong can understand me. If you're here, what if it harms you?"
A Jiu's reasoning left Yun Hao speechless. He gritted his teeth, dropped the basket, and scrambled down the mountain to get help.
A Jiu wasn't foolish. Her Dilong was hanging on the tree and could understand her, but against these three wild creatures, A Jiu had no advantage. She simply covered her head with the bamboo basket.
She was quite slender, and when she crouched, the basket could cover her entire body.
Just then, a cobra as thick as an arm cautiously began to climb the tree, its venom sac on its head no smaller than a peach.
In contrast, her Dilong's venom sac was at most the size of a peeled tea seed.
The large cobra's upper body extended like an earthworm, searching for a place to grip.
The Dilong, clinging to the middle of the tree, dug deeply into the cracks of the bark and raised its head, baring its fangs.
But it couldn't stop the snake's ascent. Just as the large cobra's upper half had secured a foothold along a crack, its head was mere inches from the Dilong.
The Dilong's head rose higher, its mouth opening almost into a straight line.
"Whoosh!"
*Hiss!*
The Dilong moved with incredible speed; even A Jiu's sharp eyes couldn't follow its movements.
The snake that had just climbed had several scales missing from its neck, and three fang marks bled.
However, it didn't fall from the tree. Its body contorted into an S-shape, like a drawn bow, and it hissed menacingly at the Dilong above.
A Jiu was completely stunned. Her Dilong was no longer venomous, and it had only managed to bite the large snake once.
Then, another snake began to climb from below. This time, A Jiu clearly saw the Dilong attempting to turn and climb higher up the tree trunk.
It was afraid.
A Jiu suddenly stood up, hurled the basket she was holding, and drew her ox horn knife, pointing it at the three snakes below.
"All of you, get out of here, or I'll cut down whoever comes!"