Chapter Thirty-Eight: Shattered Bones

Xiaoshan hastily wiped the cold sweat from his face and tried with all his might to rise on his left leg. His face twisted with pain; the moment he lifted his leg slightly, he collapsed back to his knees. In his pupils, the image of the snake grew ever larger. Its mouth opened, revealing long fangs. As Xiaoshan stared at the enormous serpent's head, a chill ran through him. Bracing himself with his right hand on the ground, he clenched his teeth and, despite the agony, scrambled backward. If he couldn't stand, then he would roll away.

Within seconds, the serpent’s swaying head was already hurtling in the direction Xiaoshan had rolled, leaving behind only a patch of flattened grass as evidence of its passing. Xiaoshan rolled a few times and then stopped abruptly, his left leg throbbing, though without any visible wound.

His taut nerves gave him no respite. He immediately turned his head and saw the snake’s mouth open wide, exposing its long fangs; he could even see the saliva dripping inside its jaws. They were only a meter or two apart. His pupils contracted and trembled. Staring at the snake, the pain in his leg made it clear he could not escape. He could almost feel the pain of being bitten.

It was already upon him!

"Die!!!"

A sharp cry suddenly rang out in Xiaoshan's mind! His previously dazed eyes became clear and bright once more. He blinked, and a pair of fangs appeared right before his face, his mouth forming an O of shock.

At that moment, a sword flashed by, and Xiaoshan instinctively squeezed his eyes shut.

A sharp, ringing sound filled his ears—a clear clash of hard objects! The Soul-Stirring Sword thrust toward the python’s head, but the tip of the blade merely scraped along the dark blue scales, casting sparks.

The scales on the serpent’s head glimmered, as if emitting an uncanny light. The sword’s tip slid off the scales without warning.

“Oh no! The sword didn’t pierce it!” Ruoxi cried out, her tongue poking out in a playful, almost endearing manner.

Xiaoshan was momentarily stunned and almost couldn’t help but retort, raising an eyebrow.

“Then hurry and dodge!” Xiaoshan barked, his tongue sharp as thunder. Ruoxi, as if startled from a trance, shifted her gaze from Xiaoshan to the python.

The python was only about a meter away from them, its forked tongue flicking in and out, its gaze locked on the ground. The grass was tangled and dense, but the fleeting flash of its blue-green body was still visible, the rustling sound grating in Xiaoshan’s mind.

Ruoxi’s face paled, and her sword hand began to tremble. Ultimately, she lacked combat experience; faced with danger and fear, her mind went blank, especially when confronted by such a serpent.

At such close range, the python’s tail easily struck Ruoxi’s back, sending her upper body lurching forward as if she were a drum being pounded.

From Xiaoshan’s perspective, Ruoxi was struck so forcefully that her body nearly bent into a crescent, and the Soul-Stirring Sword flew from her grasp. Xiaoshan’s eyes narrowed in alarm, his footprints marked in grass wet with morning dew, leaving only a blurred afterimage where he had been.

At the same time, the Soul-Stirring Sword embedded itself upright in the ground, quivering slightly. The python’s blow came with a howling wind, and its next strike was imminent.

Xiaoshan wrapped his arms around the nearly crescent-shaped Ruoxi as they tumbled to the ground.

“Ah!”

A wretched scream echoed through the silent forest, startling the birds resting in the branches above. The python slowly advanced, its blue body rustling the leaves. With mortal danger upon them, nothing on the ground could halt Xiaoshan’s desperate roll.

Suddenly, Xiaoshan, still cradled in Ruoxi’s arms and feeling her warmth, showed no change in expression. His hands, veins bulging, pushed against her shoulders.

With tremendous force, the two of them were instantly separated. Ruoxi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she watched their bodies part, and a flicker of disappointment crossed her gaze.

But in the next instant, her eyes widened further as she caught sight of the gaping jaws of the snake, right at the spot where they had just separated. The snake’s head swung toward Ruoxi.

Xiaoshan’s expression remained unchanged. He mustered all his strength and kicked the serpent’s head with his left leg, propelling himself backward.

The python shook its head in a strangely human-like gesture, as if dizzy, but almost immediately, its head rose again, locking onto Xiaoshan, the one who had just kicked it.

This time, its speed was unlike anything before, its serpentine motion blurring in Xiaoshan’s vision.

Taking advantage of his momentum, Xiaoshan slid effortlessly over the damp ground, leaving wheel-like tracks behind.

Propping himself up on his hands, he flipped and, with a forceful push, managed to stand. Gasping for breath, his chest heaved from the intense exertion, but the python gave him no time to recover.

This time, the serpent showed no mercy. Its gaping maw seemed wider and more terrifying than ever.

Luck was no longer on Xiaoshan’s side. The long fangs sank directly into his left shoulder as he tried to flee, and with a sickening crack, the bones in his shoulder snapped under the force of the python’s bite.

He collapsed to the ground, and the snake’s body immediately coiled around him, tightening its grip, circle by circle.