Chapter Seven: Opening the Mountain Gate (Part Three)

“Uncle Zhangjin, it’s not that I don’t want to save Uncle Zhangfeng, it’s just that we don’t have the strength. I believe it’s best to wait for the right moment to act. That green-scaled serpent, in its fury, forgets it can't swallow three people at once. When Uncle Zhangfeng and the others are stuck at its mouth and it can no longer spew venom, that’s when we all rush in together—only then will we have a chance to take it down,” Zhao Qin said.

“You…” Zhangjin wanted to say more, but saw Zhangfeng and his son, along with Ji Mo, being sucked up by the green-scaled serpent, rapidly flying toward its maw. Zhangfeng, though nearly unconscious, still preserved a shred of awareness. Without hesitation, he pushed with all his might, trying to shove Zhao Hu and Ji Mo down to the ground.

Unexpectedly, as his palms moved, Ji Mo borrowed his strength to leap upwards, pushing the father and son down and accelerating herself toward the serpent’s mouth.

“Mo!” Zhao Hu cried in shock. Zhangfeng’s vision went dark, and he finally passed out.

Ji Mo was only eight, her frame small. The green-scaled serpent easily sucked her into its belly. Seeing this, Zhao Hu nearly went mad. After landing, he seized Zhangfeng’s long spear from the ground and charged at the serpent with all his might. Having swallowed Ji Mo, the beast was about to attack again when its mind suddenly dulled—a hint of confusion flickered in its eyes, and its head, more than a yard high, crashed straight down from the air.

Zhao Hu’s spear struck, piercing its jaw with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered over Zhao Hu’s head and face, sending chills through his body. Instinctively, he withdrew several steps. Then a thunderous crash sounded beside his ear as the upper half of the serpent’s body collapsed, shuddered, and lay still.

Zhao Hu stared at the motionless green-scaled serpent, dazed, forgetting the blood covering his face and head. Zhangjin and the others were even more astonished, their mouths agape as if frozen, staring at Zhao Hu.

“Brother Zhao Hu, quick, cut open the serpent’s belly and see if Ji Mo is still breathing!” Finally, Zhangjin’s son, Zhao Tie, called out, snapping Zhao Hu back to his senses. Jerked awake, he rushed to Zhanghai’s side, grabbed his large blade, and prepared to cut open the serpent’s belly.

“Let me, let me! Good lad, you did well.” Zhanghai had snapped out of it too. He pressed Zhao Hu’s wrist, patted his shoulder, then took the long knife himself. Turning the serpent over, he carefully sliced open its belly with Zhangjin assisting at his side.

The green-scaled serpent was covered in hard scales, but between its throat and belly there was a narrow strip of soft skin. Though tough, with Zhanghai’s strength at the seventh stage of physical refinement, it was no trouble to cut open once the beast was dead.

After opening a slit over two meters long, Zhanghai finally found Ji Mo. Zhangjin immediately donned his leather gloves and gently pulled her out. Ji Mo was covered in serpent fluids, but her chest still rose and fell faintly; she was clearly alive.

Despite its mutated nature and potent venom, the people of Zhao Village were seasoned hunters, well-versed in the properties of mountain beasts. Neutralizing the poison was not difficult. Zhangjin opened his pack and produced several herbs, placing them into the mouths of Ji Mo and Zhangfeng.

Zhangfeng had already taken antidote upon discovering the serpent, so although he inhaled some mutated venom, much of it had dissipated by now. With the addition of specialized herbs, he soon regained consciousness. His eyes flickered open. “Where’s Ji Mo?”

“Father, Ji Mo’s fine. Uncle Zhangjin and Uncle Zhanghai pulled her out of the serpent’s belly,” Zhao Hu replied.

“What? Pulled out from the belly? Who… who killed the green-scaled serpent?” Zhangfeng was stunned; none among them seemed capable of slaying it so easily. No one answered, all eyes settling on Zhao Hu.

“Uh, Father, well, I’m not sure what happened. After the serpent swallowed little Mo, it suddenly crashed to the ground. I acted on impulse, stabbed with the spear, accidentally hit its vital spot, and killed it,” Zhao Hu said, scratching his head sheepishly under their gazes.

Zhangfeng was momentarily speechless, chalking it up to Zhao Hu’s luck, a cat catching a dead mouse. He didn’t dwell on it, but rose to his feet, went to Ji Mo’s side, and frowned at the serpent fluids on her clothes and face. He scooped her up, found a nearby pond, tossed her in, and jumped in after, carefully washing her clothes and face.

By the time the ordeal was over, dawn was breaking. Ji Mo, soaked in water, quickly revived. She opened her eyes and saw Zhangfeng standing before her, blinking several times. “Uncle Zhangfeng, is the serpent dead?”

“How did you know it died?” Zhangfeng was surprised.

“Hehe, I thought, since I’m still alive, that big fellow must be dead,” Ji Mo replied, grinning.

Zhangfeng couldn’t help but tap her forehead. “You cheeky thing, you’re so carefree. That serpent really was unlucky to meet you. Once you entered its belly, it ran right into your brother Zhao Hu’s spear and got killed.”

“Oh, then I must be a lucky star,” Ji Mo said, stunned for a moment before smiling.

“Don’t get carried away. Don’t ever do anything so reckless and dangerous again, understand?” Zhangfeng admonished, knocking her head again. Ji Mo stuck out her tongue, saying nothing.

With efficient movements, Zhangfeng cleaned the serpent fluids off Ji Mo, lifted her from the water, and took out a set of clean clothes from his pack. “Put these on quickly so we can get going,” he said, turning away. Ji Mo, only eight and with Zhangfeng shielding her, wasted no time changing into dry clothes.

“Let’s go.” Zhangfeng took her hand and led her to Zhangjin and the others. Ji Mo’s gaze accidentally met Jiang Ping’s, who stood quietly by Zhao Qin’s side. She caught a fleeting cold glint in Jiang Ping’s eyes and couldn’t help but frown.

The journey ahead was uneventful. They encountered a few fierce beasts, which Zhangfeng and his companions easily dispatched. By full daylight, they had passed through the nameless mountain and arrived at the foot of Moonwatching Mountain.