Chapter 19: Luring the Tiger Away From the Mountain


    The young men of the vige had reunited outside the vi. They had sickles, hoes, and even shotguns with them. Needless to say, they were awe-inspiring.


    I warned the vige head, "Women and children must stay at home tonight. Tell them to keep the windows and doors shut. No matter what happens, they mustnte out or open the doors and windows."


    Then, I led the army of vigers toward the small river, ready to engage in war.


    There were some por trees by the riverside and strong wind. The moon hanging in the sky had been half covered by dark clouds, and the overall visibility wasn''t high.


    I told the vigers to ce the snakes and rats on the ground. After that, I drew a circle with realgar powder right next to the riverside and set up a bonfire in the middle.


    In the meantime, the vigers went to pick up dry branches and fetch gasoline.


    After dividing up the work, I told everyone to rest far from the bonfire. The n was to wait until midnight and then take action.


    ording to my guess, the python was nearby, and the goal was to catch it by surprise when the time came!


    To be honest, I wasn''tpletely sure if the spirit sword and the giant python were the same entity. After all, no one had ever seen its real appearanceit was just a guess Id made based on the clues Id found.


    Moreover, there was something else bothering me... where had the Snake-Fostering de gone? I was sure that the giant python had taken it away, but where had it concealed it? After all, it couldn''t keep it on its person.


    If we failed to find the Snake-Fostering de, things wouldn''t end even if we managed to get rid of the spirit sword. Sooner orter, the Snake-Fostering de would umte more hatred and continue to harm people.


    I looked at my watchit was almost midnight. I brought the vigers with me and arrived beside the bonfire, starting to throw the snakes into the fire.


    The snakes started to burn amidst the mes, exploding like firecrackers.


    At the same time, I nced at the rats in the cage, who were still calm.


    Honestly, I felt bad for putting so many snakes to death, but since the lives of the vigers were at stake, I could only endure.


    The snakes that didnt burn to a cinder crawled away from the bonfire, but the circle of realgar powder forced them back.


    At this time, it felt as though the vigers were attending a festival. Theydpletely forgotten what fear was, and all of them were running to the bonfire to throw the snakes into the fire. Some even raised their torches and held them on the bodies of the snakes, happily watching as the animals hissed and shed the burnt skin.


    Li Mazi squatted beside me and asked, "Isn''t this going too far?"


    I forced a smile. "Just endure! In the future, we wont meddle in simr matters again. Too much bad karma."


    "Why are we even doing this?" Li Mazi asked.


    I exined, "Snakes are social creatures, and among the ones gathered here, there are definitely some that are the descendants of the giant python. Therefore, the python won''t be able to sit by and do nothing."


    Li Mazi finally understood. "I see. In that case, what about the rats? Do you want to burn them as well?"


    I said, "No need for that. Rats have an inborn fear of snakes, and they can feel their presence from afar. As such, they will start panicking as soon as the giant python approaches."


    Li Mazi pondered aloud, "Were lucky that you thought of this n. Still, although weve almost burned all the snakes, the giant python has yet to make its move..."


    After hearing his words, I was taken aback. "What? Weve burned all the snakes we captured?"


    Li Mazi nodded. "Can''t you smell it? The scent of burnt snakes has filled the whole ce. You need to burn a lot of snakes to reach this level."


    I turned my head and looked around, my face immediately darkening.


    The vigers seemed to be at a party,ughing and throwing snakes into the fire.


    Out of the initial two hundred, only a dozen or so snakes were left. The few survivors hung their heads in dejection, aware of the fate that awaited them.


    Before long, I realized that there was something wrong. Even though things had reached this point, the giant python still hadnt made its move... did it mean that wed been searching in the wrong ce all along?


    Or perhaps... the python was already in the vige, harming people!


    When that thought shed through my mind, my face paled. I yelled, "Stop, stop immediately! Give your family members a call and ask them if theyre safe!"


    The vigers were somewhat annoyed when I interrupted their fun, but when they heard me mention the vige, they snapped out of it. They took out their phones and called their rtives back at the vige.


    However, none of the calls got through, not a single one!


    I didn''t hesitate and ran toward the vige.


    Only women, children, and the elderly were left back at the vige. If the giant python attacked, the consequences would be unimaginable.


    Along the way, the call of a viger finally managed to get through. However, the guy started sobbing right after hanging up.


    I asked him, "Hey, what''s the matter?"


    The viger said in a trembling voice, "My wife... she said that a Japanese soldier appeared in the vige and started killing people!"


    "What? A Japanese soldier?" I took a deep breath. "From where did this Japanese soldiere from?"


    "I don''t know, but that''s what my wife said. She told me that theres this man holding a de and wearing the uniform of the Japanese army. The des the same as the one we found in Yama''s Execution Ground! I have to go back! My son is still in the house!"


    I urged the viger to get in the car of Li Mazi''s sworn brother and head back to the vige with us.


    Along the way, he kept calling his wife to get updates on the situation.


    The more he listened, the more his expression turned into one of fear. "It''s over... my wife said that the vige has been flooded, and several houses were knocked down by the water. It''s definitely the python retaliating against us. It''s over..."


    I was stunned. "Where did the watere from?


    Then, I looked at Li Mazi''s sworn brother in puzzlement. "Wasnt your vigecking water to the point that you had to deviate the stream of the Yangtze River?"


    Li Mazi''s sworn brother was speeding on the road, his forehead full of sweat. "Perhaps it''s groundwater?"


    I shook my head. "It shouldn''t be. How can groundwater suddenly shoot up and flood the whole vige?"


    As we approached the vige, we saw stagnant water on the road. From the looks of it, the ce had indeed been flooded.


    When we reached the entrance, the water had already reached the wheels of the car, and things were just going to get worse as we proceeded forward.


    Since we couldn''t go by car, we had no choice but to go on foot.


    I was eager to discover where that Japanese soldier holding the Snake-Fostering de hade from who would have thought that the Japanese still had soldiers on Chinese soil even decades after their defeat!


    When we passed Yama''s Execution Ground, we discovered that the water in the huge pit was bubbling. The ce seemed like it was the origin of the flood.


    After strolling through the vige, we didn''t see a Japanese soldier. I heaved a sigh of relief. There was a chance that the wife of the viger had been so scared that shed started seeing things.


    But, right at this time, Li Mazi''s sworn brother tripped in the water.


    He called out, frightened, "There seems to be something beneath my foot, something soft!"


    However, before we could react, around a meter from us, the surface of the water started churning and exploded upward like a geyser. The strong waves made it impossible for us to stand our ground.


    I firmly gazed towards the geyser, waiting to see what would drill out of the water.


    In the next moment, I opened my eyes wide in shock.


    Standing in front of me was unexpectedly a Japanese man in uniform. He had a tall build and was holding the missing Snake-Fostering de in his hand.


    Despite the shock, I urged Li Mazi and his sworn brother, "Quick, climb on the roof of a house!"


    But, just as I took a few steps, a long shadow lying beneath the water whipped at me. I was caught off guard, and the huge force sent my body flying upside down and crashing into the wall of a nearby house.


    Warm blood spurted out of my mouth after the impact.


    When I took another look, I discovered that Li Mazi and the others had also been whipped around.


    In the next moment, the Japanese soldier dashed toward me, and it was right at this time that I discovered the secret behind it!