Turning back, a dark shadow, the ground dragon, instantly burrowed into the back of the grass shed.
"That's my snake, don't go over there."
A Jiu quickly stopped the few people. Even though most of the ground dragon's venom had been extracted by her, who could guarantee with certainty that there was no poison left on its teeth.
Yun Hao swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stood his ground, watching A Jiu chase after the snake's direction. "Jiu'er, be careful."
Snakes, being cold-blooded creatures, had no sentiment. Even one they raised themselves couldn't be guaranteed not to betray its master.
"It's okay." A Jiu parted the dry grass with a fixed gaze, carefully searching for the ground dragon. "You can't run away. So many people are waiting for your venom to cure their illnesses."
A Jiu searched all around but found nothing. Her heart sank.
It seemed she had taken too much venom, and the little ground dragon was heartbroken and had left her.
"What's wrong?" Yun Hao moved closer, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. He relaxed when he didn't find the snake.
"Brother Yun, what should we do? The little ground dragon has run away, and I have even less chance of getting the venom."
A Jiu clicked her tongue, a look of dejection on her face.
Upon hearing this, Yun Hao also reacted. "Brother Zhang Mang, quickly go find some bamboo baskets."
After giving the instruction, Yun Hao stretched his head to examine the traces beneath the straw. "Jiu'er, it seems to have burrowed out of the enclosure."
Now, the vast world outside made it even harder to find.
"I'll go look outside." A Jiu was unwilling to give up. Perhaps there was hope if she looked. If she didn't try, there would be no hope at all.
Yun Hao stepped forward, took the bamboo basket from Zhang Mang's hand, and followed A Jiu out.
A Jiu followed the fence around to where the little ground dragon had left.
"Jiu'er, look, these are snake tracks." Yun Hao pointed to the winding marks on the ground.
It hadn't rained here, so the soil was dry as dust, and the tracks were clearly visible.
A Jiu followed the tracks all the way to the foot of the mountain.
A rock blocked the little ground dragon's path.
"It's okay, I'll go up and take a look." Yun Hao picked up the bamboo basket and climbed onto the rock, searching the surroundings.
"Jiu'er, it went that way..."
Yun Hao pointed towards the east.
A Jiu quickly followed, her eyes practically burning to be removed and smashed on the ground to stare at the snake's tracks.
However, the path indicated that the little ground dragon was heading up the mountain. The critical issue was that the higher they went, the more rocks there were, and the ground dragon's whereabouts became increasingly difficult to trace.
"Brother Yun, what do we do now?" A Jiu didn't know if it was the lingering heat of autumn or the urgency, but sweat poured down her face.
Yun Hao's expression was also grim. This snake was the key to saving lives.
"Jiu'er, take this. I'll look around."
He handed the basket to A Jiu and went off alone to search in all directions. He refused to believe that there was no patch of soil between the rocks.
A Jiu, panting, sat on a rock and directly placed the basket over her head to shield herself from the sun.
Her mind raced like a thousand horses charging across a battlefield.
If she couldn't save Big Brother, then the lives of thousands of people were at stake.
She couldn't go home. She wondered if Father and Mother would die of worry if they knew.
Let alone herself, even Sister-in-law and Yun Hao wouldn't be able to return.
Thinking this, A Jiu dragged the bamboo basket and looked up towards the mountaintop through the narrow gaps. "Brother Yun, any sign?"
Where was he?
A Jiu had seen Yun Hao wandering around nearby just moments ago.
"A Jiu... come quickly and look!"
The voice came from above.
"Where are you, Brother Yun!" A Jiu looked at the tangled, complex tree trunks in the dense forest and couldn't see anyone. She could only follow the direction of the sound and scramble up the mountain using all four limbs.
After a difficult climb to the summit, she finally saw Yun Hao. "What's going on?"
"Look, isn't that your snake?" Yun Hao pointed to a tree nearby, as thick as a water缸.
A Jiu looked in the direction he pointed and was immediately startled. "How can there be so many?"