Strange Tales from the Deep Mountains (Part Two)
The dark green river remained undisturbed, but the small boat carrying the old boatman drifted away silently, and the wooden oar, no longer serving a useless purpose, was casually left on the boat by the old boatman.
Hahahaha...
The rough, weathered laughter grew fainter and fainter, as if it came from a distant valley, sending chills down one's spine.
The mountain road was rugged and winding. The dense reeds in front of him were like a thick city wall, making it impossible to see what was ahead. Li Su walked for a long time and was still going around in circles in the reeds that were taller than an adult man. It was like being trapped in a maze. The scene in front of him was exactly the same as what he had seen half an hour ago. Perhaps there were some differences, but he could no longer tell. The reeds in front of him were turning black.
"I can't go on... I really can't walk anymore..." Li Su said, panting, as he pushed aside another thick reed blocking his way.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but he was so tired that he could no longer walk. His originally fair cheeks were flushed from the exercise, the color spreading from the tip of his nose to behind his ears.
"I need to rest for a bit before I go on..." Finally, they reached a slightly flat area. Li Su picked up her skirt, which was wet and dirty from the damp mud, and sat down on a large rock under a thick tree.
The humidity in the mountains is too high. My hair, which was originally dry, is now damp and sticky, as if it has been sprinkled with a layer of fine dew.
Li Su raised his hand and gathered all the long hair that was scattered on his chest and put it behind his head, but the hair that he had just put behind his head all slid down his shoulders and back to his chest when he bent down to clean the mud off his shoes.
The muddy soles of her shoes, the damp air, her unruly hair, her aching calves... everything made Li Su feel uncomfortable.
Since entering the second instance, he hadn't seen a single player like himself, and the frustration and unease he felt were amplified by the unfamiliar environment: "Why is there nobody here...?"
Whether it was sweat or mist, the moisture condensed on his warm skin and slowly slid down his brows and eyes, sticky and damp, making him shiver involuntarily. Li Su raised his hand to wipe away the water droplets that had already slid to the corners of his eyes.
The system seemed to be accompanying its host into the game for the first time as well, lacking experience in comforting people, and could only offer a dry, curt reply: "There will be people when we reach the witch village."
Li Su blinked her wet eyes and lowered her head in grievance.
This instance gave him a bad feeling. Whether it was the eerie atmosphere, the unfamiliar environment, or the fact that no other players were around from the beginning, everything made Li Su frown.
"Ouch! That hurts..."
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her ankle, and Li Su's originally rosy face instantly paled as the sudden pain drained its color.
"Oh my god! A snake!"
"Aaaaaah, I'm terrified of snakes!!!"
"Is it poisonous? Oh my god, can someone please save my baby?"
Li Su looked down and happened to meet the gaze of a black snake that was completely black and even had a sheen.
The black snake's sharp fangs were still biting into Li Su's ankle, and blood was already flowing out from the two small holes.
"Waaaah... System... Snake..."
Overwhelmed by extreme fear, Li Su could no longer speak clearly.
Those two tiny, bean-like eyes stared straight at Li Su, while the slender snake body continued to crawl slowly, curling up into a ball at Li Su's feet.
Don't move, let me see...
"Ugh..." Li Su bit his lip hard, his eyes were already red, and his legs and feet were cold. Even though he tried his best to control himself and not move, he couldn't control his physical fear. His body trembled uncontrollably.
The black snake seemed to sense the subtle tremor as well. Displeased, its tail slowly moved upwards from Li Su's feet, wrapping tightly around her soft, white calves.
The cold scales clung tightly to his legs, and Li Su could even feel them tightening.
[Entering a new dungeon will reset your points; you currently have no extra points to redeem for potions in the shop.]
"Ahhhh, I'm giving the baby points as a reward!"
"I'm here! I'm here!"
"That's terrifying! This snake isn't moving!"
"It's just points! Who's short of that? Let's fight now!"
"Yes, yes, don't let my baby get hurt!"
The points were increasing rapidly at a visible rate. Just as the system was about to open the system shop for Li Su to buy medicine, it heard rustling sounds around it.
Then the system immediately went silent again.
"Waaah..." The system that was talking to him just a second ago vanished without a trace. A wave of helplessness and panic washed over him in this unfamiliar environment, and Li Su couldn't help but sob, "Where did you go..."
"come over."
A man's voice rang in his ear, and Li Su instinctively flinched, wanting to hug his knees and shrink into a corner, but then he remembered the black snake still coiled on his leg, biting his ankle, so he quickly stopped. His misty eyes trembled uneasily, yet he dared not look up directly to observe the person who had entered.
The black snake reluctantly opened its mouth, and two sharp teeth were slowly pulled out of the hole in Li Su's ankle. The long, sharp teeth were still covered with blood and hung in the shape of teardrops at the ends of the teeth.
The black snake's beady black eyes stared intently at Li Su, a ferocious desire flickering within them, like prey about to be devoured but unable to be tasted. Li Su's throat was dry and sore; he swallowed instinctively, quickly averting his gaze. A strange, stimulating coolness spread across his ankle, as if the snake's head had intentionally or unintentionally brushed against it.
Strangely, Li Su inexplicably felt that the small black snake seemed to be showing him goodwill.
Even though it had just bitten him.
"Don't make me say it a second time."
The man's voice seemed even lower and more subdued than before, carrying a hint of displeasure.
The black snake seemed to be expressing its dissatisfaction, its black tongue flicking out of its mouth while hissing. Its head slowly moved away from Li Su's ankle, but its glossy black body remained tightly wrapped around his calf, as if it did not want to let go of this rare prey.
Seeing that the black snake was finally going to let him go, Li Su tried to stand up and run away, but before his buttocks had even completely left the rock, he slumped back down weakly. The place where the snake had bitten him began to feel strangely numb and itchy, and he couldn't stand up at all.
A pair of long boots embroidered with intricate patterns stopped at Li Su's feet, and the clear sound of silver bells rang out with the man's movement.
"Come up."
The man's voice carried a hint of displeasure.
Li Su subconsciously looked up.
The black snake beside her leg paused for a moment, but still obediently released Li Su's calf and slithered into the wide sleeves of the man's pale, slender hand.
The ferocious beast just moments ago instantly transformed into a docile pet.
Li Su was speechless at the sight, his mouth agape in astonishment. By the time he fully recovered, the man was already standing in front of him, but because he was so tall, Li Su couldn't make out his features. Li Su composed himself and tilted his head back, trying to see the man's face clearly.
The man before her was extremely tall, but his features were strikingly beautiful, making it difficult to tell if he was male or female. His thick, dark hair cascaded down his shoulders, with several thin braids interspersed among the strands. Embroidered blue cloth strips with intricate patterns and delicate silver bells adorned the ends of his hair. If it weren't for his deep, cool voice just now, Li Su would have thought that the person before her was an unparalleled beauty.
The man squatted down, the movement eliciting a series of pleasant, bell-like sounds.
The clear, silvery sound entered Li Su's ears, and she inexplicably felt a little dizzy.
Just moments before, his ankle, which had been coiled and twisted by the black snake, was grasped by the man's slender hand. The unfamiliar, icy touch made Li Su mistakenly think that the black snake had coiled around him again, and he instinctively flinched, trying to pull his foot back.
"Don't move."
The man squatting in front of him raised his head, his dark green eyes fixed on Li Su.
The palm at her ankle was just as cold as the black snake from before... no, it was even colder than the black snake.
This is not a normal body temperature.
Li Su even felt that the handsome man dressed in exotic attire in front of him was more terrifying than the black snake from before, but he was so stiff that he couldn't escape.
The feeling of being about to be devoured grew stronger, but a chill from his feet brought him back to his senses. Li Su looked down and realized that his black leather shoes had been taken off by the exotic-looking man in front of him.
“You…” Li Su frowned, about to speak, but her calf was lifted up by the person in front of her without her knowledge.
He lifted his calves up until they were level with his lips.
The man's movements were sudden, catching Li Su completely off guard. After a moment of surprise, a thin layer of powder quickly spread across her cheeks. She hurriedly pressed down on her white dress, which was slipping down from her ankles, to prevent herself from being exposed.
Li Su frowned, her tone reproachful but her voice trembling with panic: "What are you doing?"
The foreign man didn't speak, but lowered his head, his thin lips touching the two small holes from which blood was still flowing.
It's so cold. How come some people's mouths are cold too?
The spot where Li Su was touched instantly tingled with goosebumps. The feeling of being constricted by the black snake returned, and his strong will to survive overcame his fear. He subconsciously reached out and blocked the man's head, preventing him from getting closer.
"you......"
Li Su had only managed to utter one word when the rest of her words were forced back down her throat.
The foreign man in front of him wrapped one hand around the sole of his foot, which was trying to cause trouble.
A moist, cool tongue emerged from between the man's lips and teeth, pressing against the area below the wound.
"Hmm..."
The sensation of blood flowing out rapidly made Li Su groan involuntarily. Her hand, which had been weakly pressing against the man's head, unconsciously increased its strength, pulling at the smooth hair beneath her fingertips.
The silver bells adorning the ends of her long hair jingled softly in the occasional breeze, adding to the ambiguous and dreamlike atmosphere of the scene.
Unconsciously, Li Su exerted force, her fair fingertips weaving into the man's dark hair.
It smells so good...
So sweet...
A beautiful red tinge appeared in the man's dark green eyes. The warm blood flowing into his mouth made him feel slightly out of control, but the occasional stinging sensation on his scalp gradually brought him back to his senses.
A struggle flickered in the man's eyes, his long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and when he opened his eyes again, the terrifyingly intense desire had vanished without a trace, leaving only a clear mind.
"Plop..."
The sound of blood being swallowed rang out. Li Su's eyes widened uncontrollably. She didn't even have time to scold the man for his harassing behavior before she hurriedly cupped his face in her hands, her voice trembling with fear as she looked at the remaining blood at the corner of his mouth: "You...why did you swallow that? That snake might be poisonous..."
The man squatting in front of him stared at him intently, his dark green pupils elongated like those of some cold-blooded animal, with a faint hint of dark red in the center. Li Su didn't have time to delve deeper and hurriedly urged the man, "You, you should vomit it up!"
After staring at him for a moment, the man parted his thin lips slightly, and his bright red tongue darted out from between his lips and teeth, licking away the remaining blood on his lips.
It looked just like a cold, large snake slowly and deliberately enjoying its prey.
"you......"
Li Su was stunned by his unexpected action and stood there for a moment, not knowing how to react.
He told the man to spit out the blood, but instead he swallowed it.
"The toxins haven't been completely cleared out yet."
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