Su Majestad - Capítulo 13
The people here are not afraid of snakes, and the snakes are not afraid of people. It passed by the three people's feet at will, but when its long body approached Tang Congrong, it suddenly froze. Then it raised half of its body, and its bright red tongue flicked out and hissed.
Tang Congrong's face turned even paler, and a thin needle was caught on her fingertip.
But the snake flicked its tongue a few times, then darted into the bushes with a whoosh. It seemed that all of its earlier actions were feints; its real purpose was to escape.
Tang Congrong breathed a sigh of relief.
Along the way, there were many snakes and venomous insects, but none of them were as big as the previous one. When they swam from Tang Yuxi's feet to Tang Congrong's feet, they were all startled and fled in an instant.
As they neared the summit, a disciple whispered to Tang Yuxi, "The Blood Serpent Pool lies just beyond. Should we go and fetch some 'Realgar Mist Powder'?"
Tang Yuxi laughed and said, "That blood snake was raised by me, my great-uncle is the head of the pharmacy, and the patriarch has the mother snake's blood in his body. If the three of us go up there, would we need to use 'Realgar Flowing Mist Powder'? It's your skills that are still too shallow. You should go down the mountain first."
The temperature at the mountaintop was much higher than at the foot of the mountain. At the summit, a pool of water, faintly red, steamed. As one approached, the swirling red within became clearer – it was actually a series of extremely thin snakes.
“These blood snakes are already five years old, and they will be adults in another twenty years,” Tang Yuxi said. “At that time, we probably won’t be able to keep them all on this mountaintop, so we’ll have to distribute some to other places.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tang Qiefang nodded.
The slender snakes writhed and twisted, their bodies intertwined, desperately trying to reach the edge of the pool. Some snakes reached the edge, only to be pulled back down by others. The snakes were densely packed together, desperately trying to swim to the edge.
Tang Congrong was slightly surprised. "What are they doing?"
Tang Yuxi replied, "They smelled the scent of the mother snake's blood and thought their mother had come."
Tang Congrong looked puzzled.
"Blood snakes are difficult to raise because they have extremely high requirements for climate, and because female blood snakes are extremely rare. A blood snake must live to be two hundred years old before it can reproduce," Tang Yuxi reported. "Blood snakes are long and slender, even after two hundred years. A snake can only obtain no more than ten drops of blood in total. Three years ago, Seventh Uncle took the blood from the female snake, but he did not expect that the patriarch's skills had reached such a high level that he could dissolve the snake blood into his skin, thus eliminating all poisons and making him immune to all insects. Now that the patriarch is standing by the pool, the blood snake smells the scent of the female snake and naturally tries its best to swim up to the pool."
Tang Congrong naturally knew the origin of the blood snake and the preciousness of the mother snake's blood. However, why did Tang Yuxi say that he had the mother snake's blood? Before he could ask, Tang Yuxi suddenly knelt down and said, "This subordinate begs the head of the family for a matter."
"you say."
“Blood snakes are naturally attached to their mothers, and now that they have smelled the scent of blood, if we don’t let them get close, I’m afraid the mountaintop will not be at peace for several months,” Tang Yuxi said respectfully. “Please put your hand into the pool, Master, so that the blood snakes can get close to you for a moment.”
Tang Congrong's face turned pale.
Reach your o...the pile of snakes?
Tang Qiefang suddenly approached and pulled Tang Congrong down to squat. Tang Congrong thought he had some secret strategy to share, but Tang Qiefang suddenly grabbed his left hand and dipped it into the pool.
The pool water instantly covered the back of his hand.
I have no feeling in my fingers and palms, but I feel a burning sensation in my wrists.
Even more terrifying, the swarm of blood snakes suddenly surrounded him, passing right through his fingers and palms.
Tang Congrong's eyes widened, her fear reaching its deepest point, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing his pale face, Tang Qiefang comforted him, "If you're scared, don't look—you can't feel your hands, and they won't bite you."
Unfortunately, not a single word entered Tang Congrong's mind. He suddenly screamed, broke free from Tang Qiefang's hand, and floated up, leaping ten zhang in one go. After a few leaps, he descended the mountain.
Tang Qiefang was startled and quickly chased after him.
Tang Congrong's lightness skill was unparalleled in the martial arts world. Tang Qiefang chased him until she was breathless before finally finding him with the guidance of her disciple.
A disciple was helping Tang Congrong wash her hands, handing her a towel while excitedly staring at her left hand. "Master, is this the mother snake's blood? My seventeenth cousin said that when you passed by the herb garden, even the Black King was scared away! Nothing but the mother snake could frighten the Black King—"
Tang Congrong was startled. His mind, which had been filled with fear, suddenly cleared. He threw the handkerchief heavily to the ground and gritted his teeth, saying, "Seventh... Uncle!"
Tang Qiefang had been hesitating outside the door, wondering whether to go in while things were still raging. Now that her name had been called, she reluctantly stepped inside, forcing a smile, "Hehehe..."
Tang Congrong dismissed the disciple and turned her gaze to Tang Qiefang, "You—"
Tang Qiefang immediately said, "It's all my fault! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have put your hand in there—"
Chapter Twenty-Eight
A silver needle grazed his face, silencing him.
"I'm asking you—" Tang Congrong stretched her left hand straight out in front of him, "This lotus flower, was it dyed with the blood of a mother snake?"
Tang Qiefang nodded.
Why didn't you tell me?
Tang Qiefang touched the tassels hanging from the jeweled crown. "If I had said that you needed it more because you are weaker than me now, would you have killed me back then?"
"I was pricked, and I got a needle in the process!" Tang Qiefang sighed inwardly. "Besides, its effects are undeniable. Only your hands in this world can withstand the burning heat of the mother snake's blood. Even if you regain sensation after some time, the heat will have already dissipated..." He smiled and grasped Tang Congrong's hand. "Do you know that if this hand were chopped off, it could fetch at least several hundred thousand taels of silver?"
Tang Congrong frowned, and as he was about to pull his hand back, a deep sense of weakness suddenly came from the depths of his body. All his strength was suddenly drained away, and he closed his eyes and collapsed limply.
Tang Qiefang was startled and helped him up.
He fell asleep again.
He slept for more than half an hour.
Tang Qiefang said, "Let's get going quickly. The longer we delay, the more likely something will go wrong."
Tang Yuxi tried repeatedly to persuade the carriage to stay, but to no avail. He then ordered his men to serve the carriage fine rations and respectfully saw it off.
After the carriage left Hanyang Mountain, Tang Congrong still seemed a little sleepy, leaning against the carriage wall without speaking. Tang Qiefang thought he had fallen asleep, but upon closer inspection, she realized that his eyes were not completely closed; he was looking down at his hands.
Bingjing placed her hands on the fox fur coat, the bright red tattoos looking exquisite.