Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Snake Catchers

“Isn’t this a lot of snakes?”

After a short rest, Chang Xia and the others set out again.

But what happened next was beyond their expectations. Every ten meters, they’d run into another snake. With the weather warming up, venomous snakes and insects were coming out of hibernation—but wasn’t this a bit much?

Frowning, Chang Xia turned to Nan Feng.

Up ahead, Feng Ye and Kong Shan had transformed their hands into beast claws, now stained with blood.

Even without Chang Xia saying anything, everyone sensed something was wrong. They’d patrolled south of Baihu Lake before—there were always some snakes, but never this many.

“…This is way too much,” Feng Ye said grimly, turning to Nan Feng. “Nan Feng, do you remember who last patrolled this area?”

“Shen Nian,” Nan Feng replied.

Patrols were arranged by Gen, so Nan Feng knew the details.

“Did Shen Nian report anything unusual at Baihu Lake?” Kong Shan asked seriously.

Nan Feng tilted her head, thinking for a moment. “His last patrol was three days ago. He said everything was normal.”

“‘Everything was normal’…” Ya Dong muttered, speechless.

Shan Kun said, “Maybe something happened in the past few days?”

“Should we keep going?” Chen Rong asked.

This many snakes wasn’t a real threat to them.

Even if the number doubled, with Feng Ye and the others’ combat skills, they could handle it. Still, the sudden gathering of so many snakes was unsettling.

“What do you think, Chang Xia?” Feng Ye handed the decision to her. Just like Chen Rong, none of them were really worried about the snakes.

“Let’s go,” Chang Xia said. “Since we’ve run into this, we should get to the bottom of it. We’re too close to the tribe’s cave dwellings—if we don’t figure this out, I won’t be able to sleep at night. Just imagine, what if a snake crawled into your cave while you’re sleeping…”

Damn—

At that, Nan Feng couldn’t help shivering.

Not exactly afraid, but definitely grossed out.

"The farther they walked, the more snakes they encountered.

“Did we stir up a snake den?” Chang Xia muttered in a daze.

Maple Leaf and the others exchanged glances, their expressions growing grim. The number of snakes was clearly abnormal—there were far too many. No ordinary forest could support such a large population of snakes, and both venomous and non-venomous species were all mixed together.

This was downright bizarre!

“Maple Leaf, light the signal flare,” Kong Shan ordered.

After speaking, he looked up at Wei Mountain. The others followed his gaze, peering toward the mountain. Clearly, Kong Shan suspected that something had gone wrong with Wei Mountain, causing the dense forest south of White Lake to change so drastically.

These snakes might have come from Wei Mountain.

After all, aside from Wei Mountain, nowhere else nearby could produce so many snakes.

“You mean Wei Mountain—” Maple Leaf reacted quickly, snapping back to his senses.

At the mention of Wei Mountain, everyone’s faces changed instantly.

“It’s hard to say,” Kong Shan replied. “The snake swarms are too strange. Other than Wei Mountain, what other mountain around here could produce so many snakes? And you all saw it—about a third of them are venomous.”

“The signal flare—?” Chang Xia asked curiously.

The insect-repellent sachets they carried had become completely useless.

Maple Leaf untied a beast pouch from his waist, took out a short stick-like object, rubbed it against the pouch, and then set it upright.

Soon, a dazzling flare shot into the sky, piercing the clouds.

Chang Xia flared her nostrils, catching a faint, pungent scent. It smelled like pine resin—she guessed the flare probably contained green oil.

No wonder the tribe valued Green Mountain so much.

If green oil could be used to make signal flares, it would be just as important as any other precious resource.

The beast tribe had no means of communication, so signal flares were much simpler than beacon towers or bonfires—and much faster, too.

Their usefulness was truly irreplaceable.

By the White Lake wall, Elder Dalai was lounging in the sun, half-dozing, humming a tune often sung during rituals, looking quite content.

Suddenly, a flare exploded in the distant sky.

Elder Dalai sprang up from his chair, his eyes sharp as he stared into the distance.

That direction—

Not good.

Dalai immediately realized what the flare meant.

His expression changed dramatically.

At that moment,

Elder Pukang, Elder Yami, and other tribe members all rushed toward White Lake, clearly drawn by the signal flare.

That direction was well within the tribe’s territory—who would set off a signal flare on purpose?

“Dalai, what’s going on with the flare?” Yami asked anxiously.

Dalai frowned, his face dark. “Pukang, take Senda and head south of White Lake. I sent you all a message earlier—Chang Xia planned to go south of White Lake this afternoon to check the river’s flow. She wanted to divert the river into the caves to save everyone the trouble of hauling water.”

“Little Chang Xia—” Pukang’s face changed, his usual laziness replaced by sharp alertness.

Yami furrowed her brow. “Who went with her?”

“Maple Leaf, Kong Shan, Shan Kun, and Nan Feng,” Dalai replied. “Shen Rong went too. With Shen Rong and Maple Leaf’s strength, they wouldn’t set off a signal flare unless it was serious.”

At that, everyone glanced toward the south of White Lake, then up at the sky.

That direction was not only south of White Lake—it was also where Wei Mountain stood.

“Wei Mountain.”

At once, everyone fell silent, their faces turning grave.

“Senda, come with me,” Pukang said, baring his teeth without a smile. His tone was serious: “Wei Mountain has always been quiet. If something’s suddenly happened, it can’t be a small matter. Also, send someone to Green Mountain and let Gen know.”

They needed to notify the wizard hall at Kana Sacred Mountain, but only after Elder Pukang confirmed the situation could they decide whether and how to report it.

“Alright, I’ll grab my gear,” Senda replied. He was a thin, short male, about the same height as the tribe’s females. Standing next to the burly Elder Pukang, he looked quite small.

But as a fellow elder,

No one dared underestimate Elder Senda.

As a snake catcher, Elder Senda’s hunting skills were second to none among the tribe’s elders. After all, to earn the title of “snake catcher,” he must have killed at least a thousand snakes—if not more.

And “snake” here didn’t refer to just one kind.

It was a broad term—even pythons counted as snakes.

He also hunted other wild beasts and predators.

A snake catcher didn’t just catch snakes.

Elder Senda’s weapon was a long staff shaped like a blade, four fingers wide and three fingers thick. The handle was inlaid with some kind of beast bone, polished smooth.

If Chang Xia saw it, she’d probably shout, “Broadsword!”

The weapon was made from ten-thousand-year-old ironwood, and was called the Black Blade.

The ancient ironwood was no longer a cold gray, but a deep, inky black. The black blade’s hilt, however, was a gleaming silver-white beast bone—the black and white together looked especially striking.

Hee hee—

Elder Pukang let out his familiar laugh and exchanged a glance with Elder Senda.

The two of them quickly set off in the direction where the signal flare had been launched.

Meanwhile, Elder Yami began organizing people to patrol around White Lake.

Only after confirming the situation could they decide what to do next.