In fact, if Jiang Zhi hadn't found that snakeskin, she would have thought that the snake she saw was just an illusion.

Of course, this can't be fake.

Aside from the snakeskin she found, the little lizard circling around her feet was a constant reminder that it was real.

Ever since she was able to eat porridge, the little wild boar has become very clingy, always hovering around her.

After raising them for two days, Jiang Zhi discovered that pigs can actually be kept as pets, and they are very easy to care for.

When walking in these mountains and forests, wild baby animals have an innate sense of vigilance, which keeps them in sync with their mothers at all times.

Jiang Zhi doesn't need to worry about Xiao Wuhua getting lost, and there's no chance of her pet cat or dog "running away".

As for getting lost that night, the circumstances were truly exceptional.

Two large boars died on the spot, and the other wild boars screamed in pain from their injuries. The little wild boars were abandoned by their terrified mother and wandered off into the distance.

Now that they were in the woods and had checked that the surroundings were safe, Jiang Zhi let the little wild boar roam freely while she and Chunfeng chatted and worked together.

Unbeknownst to anyone, fifty meters away from the two, in a crevice in the rocks, a large, colorful snake that had been resting was flicking its tongue, frantically collecting pheromones from the air.

Despite the great distance between them, the vibrations from Jiang Zhi and the others striking the wooden sticks still woke it up.

Snakes have poor eyesight and rely mainly on their tongues to sense vibrations or their built-in heat sensors to detect their surroundings when searching for food.

Moreover, depending on wind speed, surrounding obstacles, heat sources, and other factors, a snake's sensory range can reach hundreds of meters.

At this moment, the two people and the pig, dozens of meters away, appeared to the giant serpent like a blazing pillar of fire, making it impossible for the serpent to ignore them.

The four-legged food that was running all over the place quickly piqued the snake's interest.

During this period, the realgar smoke rising from the cliffs caused all snakes to flee, resulting in a severe food shortage for the large snake.

After being starving for several days, the snake finally saw food again. Even with that unpleasant smell, it still couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food.

At this moment, behind a pile of trees three meters away from Jiangzhi, the little wild boar was grunting and scratching itself.

The large snake moved silently from its hiding place, slowly approaching.

Jiang Zhi was unaware of the approaching danger and continued chatting and laughing with Chunfeng beside her.

Just then, a wild boar not far away suddenly let out a scream, rushed over, and plunged its head between Jiang Zhi's calves.

Jiang Zhi found it strange and was about to look down when she faintly smelled a fishy odor, and the little pig was also grunting loudly behind her.

She quickly grabbed the forked wooden stick and turned around, only to see a large snake, as thick as an arm, slowly swimming less than ten feet away from her.

"Ah! A snake is coming!"

Jiang Zhi shouted and quickly aimed the wooden fork at the giant snake.

These wooden forks are specially crafted, with a sharp blade attached to the long end. They can be used to drive away animals or for self-defense, and the forked end is especially useful for catching snakes.

Chunfeng, who was standing nearby, heard Jiangzhi's shout and ran over with her wooden fork.

Upon seeing the giant snake, he was taken aback: "Wow, it really is a huge snake, enough for several meals!"

At this moment, the large snake was deterred from approaching by the smell of the snake repellent bag, and it stopped moving around restlessly, flicking its tongue repeatedly.

With Chunfeng's encouragement, Jiang Zhi wasn't so afraid, especially since there was a trembling little wild boar beneath her that she needed to protect.

Jiang Zhi brandished the long pole in her hand to drive the snake away, and shouted loudly, regardless of whether the snake could understand her, "Get out of the way!"

Chunfeng picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the snake, trying to drive it away: "This thing is really bold, it's really not afraid of death!"

The two women hadn't expected that the large snake they had been so careful to avoid at home would be encountered so far from the mountain, and that it even seemed to be attacking them. They were momentarily flustered and confused.

Stimulated, the large snake immediately formed a snake formation, coiling itself into a semicircle and hissing as it flicked its tongue at Jiang Zhi.

At this moment, the giant snake's target changed.

It had only intended to catch the wild boar cubs, but now that it discovered one of them was the human who had stolen its food, it was determined to settle both old and new scores.

The snake's demeanor changed drastically, and the little wild boar was the first to notice. Fear of its predator made it run away as fast as it could.

As soon as the wild boar ran away, Jiang Zhi and Chun Feng immediately became alert.

"Auntie, this snake can bite! Be careful!"

As soon as Chunfeng finished speaking, the snake sprang up from the spot and pounced straight at Jiang Zhi, who was standing opposite her.

Seeing a large snake was scary enough, but now the snake was lunging at her, and Jiang Zhi was on the verge of a breakdown.

Her mind went blank; all she knew was to frantically swing the wooden stick in her hand.

They say even a novice can defeat a master with a flurry of punches, and this "cloak" staff technique is just as effective.

The more panicked he became, the faster his hands moved, the more the staff left a blur of motion. The snake that lunged at him was knocked off course as soon as it got close.

Jiang Zhi wielded the stick quickly, but with little power; he only managed to knock the snake's head off course, and in the blink of an eye, it was swimming rapidly on the ground again.

Chunfeng was also frightened, but she only realized what was happening when she saw the large snake lying on the ground and then swimming around again a moment later.

We mustn't let the snake hurt my aunt.

Chunfeng was also a ruthless person. She picked up the wooden fork in her hand and stabbed down, but she missed and instead cut a gash in the snake's body.

The pain drove the giant snake mad. It raised its head again, opened its huge mouth, and lunged at Jiang Zhi.

The gaping maw, which had suddenly swelled several times in size and was now close enough to swallow a small wild boar whole, was almost big enough to swallow Jiang Zhi’s head.

Jiang Zhi was so frightened that she retreated repeatedly, but how could she outrun the snake? She could only dodge to the side to avoid her head and face.

Although the rat snake is non-venomous, it can constrict and kill people.

Moreover, a bite leaves several bloody holes, inevitably causing some physical pain.

At this critical moment, Chunfeng struck the bouncing snake in the waist with her staff, instantly dissipating the force and causing it to fall to the ground.

In her terror, Chunfeng's inner ruthlessness erupted completely. She dropped the wooden fork, grabbed the snake's tail, and screamed as she jumped and swung wildly, smashing it against the trees and the ground.

It is said that to catch a snake, strike at its three-inch mark; to kill a snake, strike at its seven-inch mark.

Because the snake's jaw joint is located three inches from the head, once you grab it, it can't turn around and bite you.

The snake's heart is located at its seven-inch mark; breaking it will kill the snake.

Chunfeng's method of grabbing the snake's tail is also effective. Once the snake's body is airborne, it has no foothold and cannot turn back, leaving it at the mercy of others.

It's such a test of one's mentality that ordinary people simply can't do it.

Chunfeng was clearly panicked. Her wild swinging was completely haphazard. At first, the snake bent its body and tried to struggle, but after its spine was broken, it became completely limp and turned into a rotten rope.

At this moment, Jiang Zhi stood behind the pile of rotten wood, holding the trembling little Wu Hua and watching a woman swinging a snake and going crazy.

It's like watching an old man in the park cracking a long whip...

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The snake's head was rotten, its scales were falling off, and Chunfeng was finally exhausted, but she still clung tightly to the snake's tail, not daring to stop.

Chunfeng only came to her senses after Jiang Zhi took the dead snake from her hand: "Auntie, I...I..."

She wanted to say that killing snakes was more terrifying than killing people, but thinking of the consequences, she swallowed her words back.

Jiang Zhi looked at her with admiration: "Chunfeng, you're really something!"

The snake is dead; I dare not stay here any longer.

Jiang Zhi put the dead snake into her basket, hugged the frightened wild boar, and led the exhausted Chun Feng home.

When they got home, Xu Errui and Xiaoman were already back, preparing corn-picking tools at Xiaoman's house at the foot of the cliff.

The sudden return of the two, and their disheveled appearance, startled everyone.