Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 18 Siblings

In the mountains and forests, a man and a woman were traveling.

The man was not yet twenty, with a tall and straight figure, wearing a brocade robe, and had a refined and scholarly demeanor. He was clearly not from an ordinary family.

The girl was fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a light pink dress. She was beautiful with delicate features, like she had stepped out of a painting.

Both of them looked travel-worn, their faces covered in dust and their clothes stained with mud, as if they had been on a long journey.

"Brother, how much longer until we get there?" the girl asked, her voice tinged with complaint, her lips slightly pouting.

"Almost there," the boy said, his tone steady. "After we pass this forest, it'll be another day's walk."

"One day?" The girl looked distressed, her legs almost giving way and she nearly squatted down. "My legs are about to break."

"I told you not to come, but you insisted."

"I was just worried about you..."

As they talked, they walked to a large rock and sat down to rest.

The girl rubbed her ankle, grinned, and was about to speak when she suddenly heard a rapid hissing sound behind her.

The sound was high-pitched and thin, like something was exhaling.

The boy's expression changed instantly: "Watch out!"

He pulled the girl behind him, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles white.

Looking back—

On an old pine tree three zhang away, a snake as thick as a bowl was coiled up, its black scales gleaming coldly, its tongue flicking, its icy vertical pupils staring intently at them.

The snake's body writhed slowly, its scales rubbing against the tree bark, making a soft rustling sound.

The girl's face turned pale instantly, and her lips trembled, unable to utter a word.

She had heard stories from her wet nurse since she was a child, about a giant snake that could swallow people whole and specifically ate little girls.

"elder brother……"

The boy didn't move.

He stared at the snake, beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

He recognized the creature—a black-scaled python, non-venomous but incredibly strong; it could strangle a person to death, even crushing bones. Crucially, it moved with lightning speed; there was no way to escape.

His hand rested on the hilt of the sword, his palms sweating profusely.

Should we take a gamble? The odds are 30%.

Not fighting? It's a dead end.

The snake moved.

It slid down from the tree at incredible speed, its black scales gleaming eerily in the sunlight, like a stream of black water, heading straight for them—

The boy drew his sword.

A flash of sword light, slashing towards the snake's head.

But the snake was faster than him. It tilted its head to avoid the sword's edge, and with a twist of its body, it had already coiled around his calf.

A tremendous force tightened around him, making his bones crack.

The boy grunted and swung his sword again—

That's too late.

The snake was coiled so tightly that the sword could not be swung down, and the arm was squeezed to the side, unable to move.

The girl screamed and lunged forward to help, but before her hand could even touch the snake's body, she was whipped by its tail and staggered back several steps.

Just then.

"Whoosh—"

A sharp, piercing sound came from behind, fast and fierce.

The girl felt something fly past her ear, creating a gust of wind, and her ears started ringing.

Then--

The snake's body suddenly went limp, like a rope with its bones removed, and slipped off the boy's leg.

The boy looked down and saw a sharpened bamboo stick stuck right in the snake's vital spot, piercing through from one end to the other and embedded in the tree trunk behind it.

The bamboo was still trembling slightly.

The snake twitched twice, flicked its tail, and then remained still.

The boy was stunned, gasping for breath.

The girl was stunned, her mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, then turned around simultaneously—

A person emerged from the woods.

His long hair was disheveled, like a bird's nest, and his face was covered in soot that it was hard to tell if it was mud or ash. He was wearing clothes made of some kind of leather that were so dirty that you couldn't tell what they were made of. There were also a few branches and a string of dried mushrooms hanging from his waist.

He looked exactly like a savage.

The savage walked up to them, didn't even glance at them, and reached out to pull up the bamboo.

The bamboo was driven too deep; he tried to pull it out twice but couldn't. He muttered something under his breath, which sounded like "Damn it."

He spat into his palm, rubbed it together, and then tightened his grip—

With a "pop," the bamboo was pulled out, drawing out a stream of blood.

He pulled the snake down from the tree, draped it over his shoulder—it felt heavy—and turned to leave.

"etc!"

The boy called out to him, his voice still a little strained.

The savage turned around and glanced at him.

His gaze was indifferent, as if he were looking at a stone or a tree.

The young man took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said solemnly, "Thank you for saving my life, brother. My surname is Li, and my given name is Che. This is my younger sister, Li Tang. May I ask your esteemed name?"

The savage didn't speak, but shifted his gaze from him to the girl named Li Tang.

When Li Tang was swept by that gaze, she subconsciously shrank behind Li Che, only revealing half of her face.

The savage's gaze lingered on her face for three seconds.

Then he grinned.

That smile was somewhat silly and simple-minded, completely unlike the person who had just killed a giant snake with a bamboo stick.

"Are you siblings?" he asked, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time, his throat a little dry.

"Yes." Li Che nodded. "May I ask, brother—"

"My name is Jiang Xun." The savage interrupted him, his gaze drifting to Li Tang's face again, this time looking at her for a little longer. "Your sister is quite pretty."

Li Tang's face flushed red instantly, all the way to her ears, and she quickly pulled her face back.

Li Che coughed lightly, subtly shielding his sister behind him and using his body to block her gaze. "Thank you for saving my life, Brother Jiang. May I ask why you are alone in these deep mountains?"

Jiang Xun withdrew his gaze, weighed the snake on his shoulder, and felt its heavy body sink down.

"You live here."

"You live here?" Li Tang couldn't help but peek out from behind Li Che, her eyes wide open. "You live alone in the mountains?"

"Um."

Why?

Jiang Xun glanced at her, then suddenly smiled.

His smile was a bit roguish and cheeky, which didn't quite match his wild face. He looked more like a petty thug who had stolen something in the city and was being chased.

"Run for your life!"

Li Che was taken aback.

Li Tang was also stunned. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but was stopped by a look from Li Che.

Jiang Xun didn't explain further, turned around and left, the giant snake swaying on his shoulder.

"Hey—" Li Tang called out to him, this time her voice was louder, "Where are you going?"

"Find a place to start a fire." Jiang Xun's voice drifted over from ahead without turning his head. "This snake is enough for one meal. Do you want to come?"

Li Tang looked at the dead snake—its scales were dark, its belly was white, and blood was still dripping down, drop by drop onto the fallen leaves.

Her stomach churned, and she almost vomited.

"No need, we—"

"Yes." Li Che interrupted her, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Jiang Xun's retreating figure, and said in a low but steady voice, "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Jiang."

Li Tang stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

Li Che gave her a wink, the meaning was clear—don't say anything, just follow me.

Li Tang understood, and followed with a bitter face, muttering something under her breath, probably something like "I don't want to eat snake."