CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: CRESTED SNAKE, BIG-MOUTHED SNAKE!

"Alright, come in and have a seat!"

Seeing that Gu Yuan had spoken candidly, even sharing a similar occupation, Old One-Eye’s attitude softened significantly, and his gaze towards Gu Yuan was less wary.

Words can deceive, but some things cannot.

Gu Yuan’s Iron-toothed Rat was well-groomed, sleek, and plump, and it was exceptionally close to Gu Yuan, showing that he was indeed an animal lover who treated it well.

Though Old One-Eye had become reclusive and eccentric from years of living alongside snakes, he was exceptionally familiar and close with them.

He knew well that these wild animals might be dangerous, but they were often purer and simpler than humans!

If you treat them well, they can feel it and will treat you well in return.

Gu Yuan treated the Iron-toothed Rat well, so at the very least, he wasn’t a wicked person.

"I have nineteen kinds of snakes in this yard."

After the two sat down, Old One-Eye answered Gu Yuan’s previous question:

"I caught most of these snakes from the mountains around Cyan Willow Town."

"Some of these snakes are highly venomous, like the Five-step Snake, Silver Ring Snake, Iron Head Snake, Bamboo Viper, and Crested Snake. Among them, the most formidable is the Crested Snake; its venom is such that once the blood is tainted, death is swift—even a Martial Master would die instantly if bitten."

As he spoke, Old One-Eye opened a snake jar nearby.

With a beckon, a reddish-brown venomous snake slithered out, climbing up Old One-Eye’s arm.

This snake was slender, with a distinctive crest-like bony protrusion on its head.

Hiss—

At this moment, it also noticed the uninvited guest Gu Yuan, raised its upper body, flicked its tongue, and stared at him menacingly.

"The old man’s snake is quite impressive."

Gu Yuan scrutinized the Crested Snake, instinctively nodding.

Although he had never seen a Crested Snake before, he had raised two spirit pets and had a certain level of appreciation.

Its scaly body was sinister, exuding a chilling aura with an intimidating presence, giving off a terrifying feeling just from its stare, showing how dangerous it was.

Gu Yuan suspected that the snake’s grade was at least Cyan Elite Level, the same as his Iron-toothed Rat.

It might even be superior, comparable to the Iron-backed Centipede, making it an excellent grade spirit beast!

Such a spirit pet, when used appropriately, could be as effective as a Peak Martial Master!

Just like the centipede, now recovered from its injuries, it was Gu Yuan’s trump card.

With the centipede, Gu Yuan was confident!

Even when facing someone like Yang Han, a Peak Martial Master, he was fearless!

It seemed that Old One-Eye was an elusive expert in Cyan Willow Town.

As for the Crested Snake before him, Gu Yuan was interested, but he knew its strength lay in its venom, and perhaps it wasn’t what he desired.

Moreover, the centipede’s venom was no less than this Crested Snake’s; since their talents overlapped, it wasn’t very meaningful.

Seeing Gu Yuan’s lack of interest, Old One-Eye was somewhat surprised, gently stroking the Crested Snake’s scales, and continued:

"Most of the remaining snakes are quite ordinary and require winter hibernation. Those that don’t hibernate include the White-Browed King Snake, Red-flowered Viper, Black-scaled Python, and Big-mouthed Snake... Some have weak venom but large bodies capable of killing wild wolves. Some are good at hiding, their bodies undetectable in grass and trees. Others are small but have immense constriction power..."

Gu Yuan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly interrupted, "Wait, old man, the snake you mentioned that’s small but has great constriction power, what is it?"

Old One-Eye returned the Crested Snake to the snake jar, got up, went to the yard, and lifted a tile.

Soon, a gray-white odd snake slithered out of a jar.

This snake looked very peculiar.

It was over six feet long, but its thickest part was just as thin as Gu Yuan’s little finger.

Only its head was larger relative to its slender body.

Overall, it looked just like a piece of rope.

"This is the Big-mouthed Snake."

Old One-Eye explained, "This snake is non-venomous but can swallow prey much larger than itself, and its constriction power is immense. This one once twisted a wild rabbit into two."

"Two years ago, a hunter had his arm caught by a Big-mouthed Snake and couldn’t break free. In the end, his companion had to smash the snake’s head with a machete to save him. But that arm was already twisted into a mess and had to be amputated."

Gu Yuan kept nodding, his eyes growing brighter.

Strong constricting ability, tough and powerful body, relying solely on constriction to hunt prey, this Big-mouthed Snake was exactly what he needed!

"Old man, could you let me have this snake?"

After some thought, Gu Yuan took out several silver ingots from his pocket: "The price is negotiable, and if you’re not satisfied with the money, I can offer more."

"Money is unnecessary."

Old One-Eye didn’t even look at the silver in Gu Yuan’s hands, waving his hand with a disinterested expression: "I’m just an old man; what do I need with so much money?"

"I’m getting old, and I can’t take care of these snakes. If it stays with me, it’ll suffer. If you like it, take it. Just promise to treat it well."

"This..."

Gu Yuan naturally didn’t want to take advantage of an old man and planned to persuade him, but seeing Old One-Eye’s desolate and lonely expression, he ultimately said nothing.

To Old One-Eye, these snakes were more like friends or family, and offering money was an insult to him.

So Gu Yuan repeatedly assured Old One-Eye that he would treat the snake well.

...

Soon, Gu Yuan left Old One-Eye’s house, carrying a jar.

He returned to his inn room and closed the door tightly.

Gu Yuan opened the jar’s lid.

As the Big-mouthed Snake poked its head out, he quickly grabbed it by the head and pulled it out while squeezing its tail with the other hand.

The prerequisite for taming a spirit pet was capturing it first.

And the Spirit Pet System required the captured animal to be in a state where it couldn’t resist or escape.

Being grabbed by Gu Yuan, the Big-mouthed Snake began to struggle.

Although its body was only as thick as a little finger, its strength was surprisingly formidable when it wriggled!

Moreover, its gray-white scales were exceptionally hard and slippery, making it hard to grip.

Even though Gu Yuan’s strength had greatly increased since becoming a Martial Master, he almost lost his grip.

Fortunately, after several struggles, the Big-mouthed Snake’s strength was finally exhausted, and it obediently submitted in Gu Yuan’s hands.

[You have captured a Big-mouthed Snake (Cyan), would you like to tame it?]

It turned out to be an elite grade... Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, and then said:

"Tame it!"