Chapter 56: Lord of All Snakes

“......just following Father.”

Hong Fu stretched out his trembling finger to point at his unfilial son, nearly too angry to speak.

Seeing this, Hong Jing hurriedly shifted the topic:

“Father, we’ve been wandering around this mountainside for three days now, yet we haven’t seen a single venomous snake. We haven’t even seen the tail of one.”

“Do you think we should go deeper in?”

When it came to livelihood matters, Hong Fu no longer had the mood to hit his son.

He rubbed his cracked skin and said:

“But this spot here is the safe range that our Hongjia Village tested with human lives over many years. If we go any deeper......”

Hong Jing said:

“But Father, the officials have already started pressing us.

If we don’t catch a few venomous snakes soon, those petty underlings from the government won’t let us off either.”

Of course, Hong Fu understood this, but his many years of caution still left him hesitant:

“Let’s look around nearby first. If we still don’t find anything, we......we’ll decide then.”

Hong Jing didn’t press his father further, because his instincts told him they likely wouldn’t find much.

Sure enough, after wandering the forest for the time it takes to burn several sticks of incense, they had come across field mice, weasels, rabbits, and even a wild boar.

But they hadn’t seen so much as a shed snake skin.

Under Hong Jing’s probing gaze, Hong Fu gritted his teeth:

“Fine. We’ll head deeper.”

Hong Jing’s face lit up with joy.

“Once we’re deeper in, remember, don’t you dare......”

“Make noise recklessly, act alone, or turn your back on a beast.

I know, Father.”

Hong Fu glared at Hong Jing:

“Most importantly, don’t you talk back to me! The moment something feels wrong, if I say retreat, we retreat immediately!”

“Yes, Father! Understood, Father! I’ll follow all of Father’s commands!”

With that, the father-and-son snake catchers headed deeper into Hong Mountain.

In corners they did not see, several snakes slowly raised their heads from the shadows, coldly watching their fading figures.

“Hmm......snake catchers, you’ve finally come?”

Mo Lin opened his eyes:

“Then let the show begin.”

......

Hong Jing and his father cautiously made their way up the mountain.

After about half a stick of incense, Hong Jing patted his father’s arm.

From the strength of the pat, his excitement was clear.

Following his son’s gaze, Hong Fu saw a silver-banded krait swaying leisurely along.

Hong Fu made a hand signal, and Hong Jing instantly understood.

The two split up, encircling the krait from both sides.

The krait seemed somewhat dull, not noticing their approach at all.

“Swish!”

In the blink of an eye, Hong Fu’s snake fork struck the krait’s seventh inch with lightning speed.

Hong Jing quickly followed up, pinning the snake’s body as well.

Once they had subdued the krait, they placed it into Hong Fu’s snake basket and finally let out a breath of relief.

Hong Jing winked at his father:

“Father, see, I told you the snakes were deeper in.”

“It must be because the taxes have been raised so harshly recently. Everyone in the village has been desperately catching snakes, so the venomous ones have consciously moved farther away from the village.”

Hong Jing patted the basket, grinning with delight:

“This is a banded krait! It’s enough to cover a large part of the tax.”

Catching the krait also relaxed Hong Fu considerably:

“Hmph, seems your head isn’t all empty after all.”

“Father, you weren’t saying that just a moment ago.”

“I’m your father. What I say, goes.”

“Alright, alright, you’re the father, you’re in charge.”

Hong Jing cupped his hands in mock surrender, then added:

“Father, while the sun’s still up, shall we catch a couple more before heading back?”

Hong Fu was tempted as well: “Let’s go, let’s get two more.”

Just a few steps away from the krait, pushing aside a clump of dry grass, Hong Fu spotted a five-pacer viper.

His years of snake-catching experience made him instinctively suspicious—could a banded krait and a five-pacer coexist here? And only a few steps apart?

But since he had seen a venomous snake, there was no reason to let it go.

“Shhh—shhh—”

A sound came from ahead.

Hong Fu frowned.

Why did it sound strange?

It wasn’t the wind, nor the rustle of leaves.

It sounded more like......scales rubbing together.

Just as Hong Fu was about to call to Hong Jing, he saw his son standing dumbfounded, pointing ahead with trembling lips but making no sound.

Hong Fu was puzzled.

His son wasn’t as clever as Hong Sheng, but he wasn’t stupid either.

Why was he frozen like this?

So he followed his son’s gaze.

One look, and he nearly screamed.

The blood drained from his face, leaving him deathly pale.

Reflected in his bulging eyes was a sight enough to freeze the blood of a man who had caught snakes for decades.

What lay before them was not a solitary five-pacer!

Ahead of it were slender green snakes, earth-brown pit vipers, brilliantly colored king cobras, and even pythons as thick as oil barrels.

Hundreds upon hundreds of venomous snakes, non-venomous snakes, and giant pythons filled the entire clearing.

Snakes that should have been enemies, killing each other for territory and food, made no sound of conflict.

Instead, they gathered silently,forming a writhing, ceaseless, colorful abyss of a——sea of snakes.

“Shhh—shhh—”

Hundreds of snakes formed a circular array, their heads facing inward, bodies swaying rhythmically in unison, as if enacting some ancient and mysterious ritual.

The sound of scales rubbing was not grating, but carried a dreadful rhythm.

The sight alone was enough to leave Hong Fu speechless.

But what truly filled him with bone-deep terror was the twenty-meter-long python in the very center, its head broader than a snake fork.

Its pupils lacked the cold, merciless gleam of ordinary snakes.

Instead, they gazed upon the gathered serpents with gentleness.

It lowered its noble head, one by one brushing its lips against each snake that approached, as if......as if accepting the worship of its subjects.

Hong Fu shuddered violently.

What kind of python could receive the worship of all snakes?

What kind of python would show human-like tenderness toward them?

“Th—the Lord of All Snakes......”

As the thought struck him, he immediately grabbed Hong Jing’s arm:

“Run, Hong Jing, run!”

But Hong Jing seemed paralyzed, as if snake venom had numbed his nerves, staring blankly at the sight of the worshipping snakes.

Hong Fu grew desperate, tugging at his son while his heart pounded with panic.

At that moment, through the dim light filtering the leaves, Hong Fu saw the Lord of All Snakes turn its gaze toward them.

“！”

Hong Fu could no longer care about hiding.

He slapped Hong Jing across the face, dragging him as he bolted down the mountain.

The slap finally snapped Hong Jing back to his senses.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

Hearing the cacophony behind them, Hong Jing’s scalp went numb.

It’s over, over!

The snake tide was chasing them!