Chapter 141 I came to collect the fetus; my wish was fulfilled, but my fortune was meager. ...

That night, the evening wind from Pinglu blew across Shanzhou, pushing the river waves against the stone banks. Wherever the wind passed, it stirred up thousands of willow branches, rustled the grass and trees, and swept away the dust.

Along the way, the shadows of the trees swayed gently, surrounding a lone figure in a green robe as he resolutely departed.

Whether he would live or die on this journey was unknown, but he believed that heaven and earth were kind enough to ensure that they would meet again in the future.

Therefore, Zhou Yaren left without saying goodbye, without mentioning farewell, hoping that those she cherished would take care of themselves in the future and not blame her.

The blind monk was skilled at conveying messages through the sounds of the wind. He left behind a wisp of wind to this world, hoping that his feelings, like the immortal world, would be preserved for thousands of years.

If I die, if I forget, let this gentle breeze remember that I and the one I love once shared a love.

He said to Qingfeng: I have achieved my wish, but my fortune is meager.

In this life, our love is deep but our fate is shallow, and though the mountains are high and the rivers are long, we are unlikely to walk hand in hand together. Zhou Yaren raised his hand and "stood up like an elephant," and suddenly Bai Yuan's figure materialized in the wind, cold and lonely, walking alongside him.

He said to the white-faced figure standing in the statue: "Accompany me one more time, it may be the last time."

The Three Sovereigns had no written language, so they used knotted ropes to govern. Gu Zong recorded words by sound. It was not until the Five Emperors that written contracts were introduced. Even after written contracts replaced records, there were always times when written contracts could not fully express what was said or what was meant. Therefore, the sages "established images" to fully express their meaning.

Zhou Yaren's "image" fully expresses his feelings, because even a thousand words, deep in his heart, cannot fully convey his emotions. Even a thousand words cannot compare to his companionship; he craves the company of those who have cleared their names, so that he doesn't seem like someone who walks alone.

He reached out his hand, as if to walk hand in hand, and as they walked, he seemed less lonely and isolated.

"If only we could stay like this forever," Zhou Yaren thought, staring at the white grievance in the "standing image." It turned out that he also longed for eternity.

The world may not know, but let the bright moon and gentle breeze be our witnesses.

After this, there will probably never be another Zhou Yaren in this world.

Things that are not in balance will make a sound. Grass and trees are silent, but they make a sound when the wind stirs them. Water is silent, but it makes a sound when the wind moves it.

As Zhou Yaren twirled his flute, tender green willow branches brushed against his shoulders. Unable to express all his sorrows, he could only entrust his lingering emotions to the mournful wind.

In his life, he didn't care about many people, but Lu Bing was one of them, someone he would go through fire and water for.

Zhou Yaren was stubborn and regretful, but fortunately Bai Yuan promised him that he would come to see him next time.

As long as he wasn't ground to dust... Zhou Yaren had naturally considered this possibility, so she had Tang Yuan's brother pass on a message to Liu Yun, asking him to collect her body.

...

At this moment, the young Yang family member's life hangs in the balance, while Li Liuyun and several fellow disciples, led by a snake catcher, have found a secluded and deep cave.

The cave entrance was small, and it was pitch black inside with no end in sight. After some careful discussion, the group decided to explore it further.

The tunnel slopes downwards, is low and narrow, and can only allow one person to pass by bending over.

It was so cramped inside that Lian Zhao couldn't lift his head. He accidentally bumped the back of his head. He said, "Could this be the tomb passage?"

“That’s also possible,” the snake catcher said. “Snakes, insects, and rodents often live in graves.”

The young cultivators had even personally explored the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), so there was no tomb they could fear.

Despite lying prone, the tunnel was so cramped that the rough earthen walls would occasionally brush against my arms and back.

The snake catcher knelt on the ground, crawling on his knees, and faintly caught a whiff of snake breath. To the boys, the smell was fishy and foul, and naturally unpleasant.

The deeper they went, the lower and narrower the passage became, forcing the group to crawl on their elbows. Luckily, they were all quite thin; any heavier ones might have gotten stuck. The boys couldn't help but worry that if they encountered a venomous snake in this situation, their limited mobility would make it difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, they encountered no accidents or traps to prevent grave robbing, allowing them to pass through the narrow passage smoothly.

The space gradually widened, to the point where one could even stand upright. Then, a crisp sound was heard underfoot, as Li Liuyun had stepped on something flat.

The snake catcher blew on the tinder he carried with him and, by the dim light, bent down to examine it. It was a dark green to blackish lump. The snake catcher told them, "This is snake dung. It will become brittle and hard after it dries."

Lian Zhao finally found an opportunity to tease him: "Liu Yun, you stepped in snake poop."

Li Liuyun: "..."

Therefore, it seems that there are indeed snakes living here.

Wen Yi, who had never seen snake dung before, asked curiously, "Wait, this snake dung is such a big lump?"

The snake catcher observed and analyzed: "Judging from the thickness of the feces, this snake is definitely not small; it's probably a giant python."

Yu Heqi: "A giant python?"

The snake catcher nodded.

Wen Yi: "How big is the python?"

Based on his experience, the snake catcher judged: "It must be at least as thick as a waist, and it would probably be at least two or three zhang long to catch. I have never seen such a huge python in these mountains."

The boys were all shocked.

Lian Zhao exclaimed in surprise, "Two or three zhang long?!"

Yu Heqi gestured to her waistline: "So thick?!"

The snake catcher said, "If it really is a giant python, and it's pregnant, it's extremely dangerous; it could easily strangle someone."

Although he knew these young Taoist priests had some skills, it was still necessary to remind them that such a large, pregnant python was extremely dangerous, lest they act rashly or carelessly.

Wen Yi and the others were already feeling uneasy.

Fortunately, they had this experienced snake catcher who could not only help them find the pregnant snake, but also determine what kind of snake they were about to face based on the traces. At least they had some idea of ​​what to expect. Li Liuyun said, "Hurry up and find it, don't miss the time."

“Yes, yes,” Lian Zhao asked, “What time did Tingfengzhi tell us to go and make backup?”

Li Liuyun: "It's the third watch of the night."

When Tingfeng sent someone to deliver a message, he didn't explain it very clearly. He only briefly mentioned a few things, the last of which was that if anything happened to him, he hoped that his friend would take care of his body, provided that his own life was safe.

Li Liuyun suspected that Xu Zhangfang had discovered their hiding place in Pinglu, but Ting Fengzhi repeatedly instructed them to stay in Shanzhou and continue helping the Yang family with the abortion.

Wen Yi was puzzled when he heard this: "What is Ting Fengzhi trying to do?"

Li Liuyun wasn't entirely clueless; he had a vague guess that Tingfeng was probably prepared to take a risk: "Do as he says."

Yu Heqi asked four questions in a row: "He wants us to go here to meet him at midnight? Meet him with whom? Is anyone in Shanzhou? Or is it Tingfengzhi who's planning to come?"

Li Liuyun shook his head and said nothing more: "You'll know when the time comes."

To avoid arousing suspicion from those secretly watching, they had been searching the mountains and fields with snake catchers before finally finding this place. Since the child's life was at stake, they had been doing their utmost, not just going through the motions.

Li Liuyun and his companions walked along the long tunnel for a long time, finding some rotten and smelly dead rats and withered plants along the way, as well as traces of frequent snake activity.

Snake catchers have keen senses, and they could smell the snake's odor gradually becoming stronger. Even the teenagers who were unfamiliar with "snake breath" could recognize the smell.

The tunnel wound its way through several turns until they finally reached its end without any obstruction.

There was clearly a stone gate in front of them.

With Li Liuyun's wit and intelligence, he could easily handle even the most ingenious and unpredictable formations set up by powerful figures, let alone a mere ordinary stone door. With the press of a mechanism on the wall, the door slowly opened.

Amidst the heavy, muffled sound, a cold, damp, and fishy wind seeped out, carrying with it a musty, stale odor.

The teenagers were well-prepared, and the danger of a surprise attack did not occur.

The faint light from the tinderbox illuminated the darkness. There was a stone-paved slope underfoot, and the surrounding stone walls were rough and covered with damp moss.

Several teenagers cautiously stepped inside, their feet slippery. Not far away, there was a large puddle of water, which must have been rainwater that had seeped in.

A giant python was coiled motionless by the pool of water. Its body was covered in a pattern of yellow and green, but the last two-thirds of its body was unusually swollen and bulging. The scales on its lower abdomen burst open, deforming the python's pattern.

It was indeed a pregnant female python, and just as the snake catcher had predicted, the python was even thicker than the boy's waist. Although it was coiled up, its length was not to be underestimated; it must have been more than two or three zhang long.

"My God..." Yu He gasped in astonishment.

Yu He swallowed hard, afraid of startling the giant python: "How do we deal with this thing?"

"Is it asleep?" Lian Zhao asked, puzzled. "Why isn't it responding?"

The noise from the stone gate opening just now was quite loud.

None of them dared to approach rashly, as the python's head was facing away from them, preventing them from seeing what was happening.

Even when dormant, pythons are generally highly alert.

The snake catcher found two baskets by the rock wall, containing seven or eight chickens and three or five rabbits, clearly provisions prepared for the giant python.

The snake catcher immediately understood. He pointed to the basket and whispered, "Someone is feeding it."

The boys turned to look at the poultry in the basket.

The snake catcher said, "This giant python must have been kept here by someone." The stone door opens and closes frequently, and the python has become accustomed to it, which is why it hasn't reacted.

Just then, the giant python silently raised its head, its body slowly elongating, and quietly approached the uninvited guests from behind.

After they finished counting the food in the cage, when they turned around, they came face to face with the huge python's head. The boys' eyes almost popped out of their sockets in fright.

"ah!"

One of them, unable to bear the shock, screamed, and the sound of a sword being drawn immediately echoed inside the cave.

Perhaps it was the sound of the sword striking that startled it; sensing the danger, the python opened its massive jaws and rammed into Wen Yi, who hadn't fully drawn his sword, sending him flying.

If Li Liuyun and Lian Zhao hadn't reacted quickly enough, they too would have been knocked away by the enormous python's body.

The snake catcher nimbly ducked under the throbbing snake's belly, rolled over, and stepped into the swirling water.

With a flick of its tail, the python sent up a spray of water, then swung Yu Heqi toward Li Liuyun, blocking his attack.

Lian Zhao leaped into the air and kicked the snake's head off course with a spinning kick. As he swept his longsword across the room, the giant python suddenly slid out of the stone gate, its raised tail tip like a whip, almost striking Lian Zhao's face.

Hearing this, he growled, "It's going to run away!"

Several teenagers drew their swords and gave chase.

The tunnel was narrow, not wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and even with its heavy, swollen body, the python moved at an extraordinary speed.

Li Liuyun pressed his advantage, and saw the giant python's long body slither across the ground, turning a corner at the cave entrance.

This bend wasn't the mountain path they found!

Li Liuyun thrust his longsword toward the snake's head, but the giant python suddenly raised its head to the side, dodging the incoming sword, its belly scales sliding smoothly along the rock wall.

Li Liuyun quickly caught up and, in his haste, grabbed the snake's tail. However, the tip of the tail was too slippery, and he couldn't hold on to it. Instead, he ended up with a sticky hand.

As he chased the enemy to the corner, suddenly a huge, bloody mouth lunged at his face!

Li Liuyun's expression hardened, but he remained calm and punched the python's jaw from bottom to top.

With a loud bang, the snake's head slammed into the rock wall.

The massive shockwave and thud from the impact jolted Chen Ying awake. She abruptly opened her eyes, jumped up, and flung open the door: "A-Cong!"

The masked man, Ah Cong, also appeared at the same moment he heard the impact.

Chen Ying said with a grim face, "Something has happened to Qing Mang."

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud bang was heard, and the wooden door next to her suddenly shattered into pieces. A giant python burst out and roared as it leaped into the air!

Chen Ying's expression changed: "Azure Light!"

Immediately afterwards, she saw a boy emerge from her family's cellar behind Qingmang, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth.

There was a tunnel in the cellar leading to the back mountain, specifically for Qingmang to go out and play. These few brats from Taihang Road obviously crawled in by feeling their way through that tunnel.

Chen Ying calmly asked, "What brings you here?"

Li Liuyun, holding a long sword, stepped out from the wrecked side door and met the eyes of the Gu Master: "Naturally, I've come to collect the fetus."