Chapter 145: Chapter 145: The Ravenous Pukang

Bang, bang—

As Elder Senda disappeared into the wilderness, the ground shook more and more violently, as if there was an earthquake. But everyone present knew the truth.

Most likely, the tremors were caused by the two elders.

A single python couldn’t possibly make such a ruckus for so long. It was probably Elder Senda trying to restrain the rampaging Elder Pukang, and the two had ended up fighting.

From a distance, Changxia could just make out two dark shapes darting back and forth,

almost as if special effects were being played out in the distance.

“Do you think... Elder Senda can restrain Elder Pukang?” Changxia whispered.

Elder Pukang’s strength was recognized by all the beast tribes of the Twilight Forest. Changxia didn’t know much about Elder Senda—this was the first time she’d even heard of his reputation as a snake catcher. Plus, Elder Senda was small and thin, nowhere near as burly as Elder Pukang.

“He definitely can,” Maple Leaf said.

Nearby, Nan Feng and Kong Shan looked completely relaxed.

Elder Senda might not be able to defeat Elder Pukang in a fight,

but if it was just about restraining him, Elder Senda would have no problem.

Sure enough,

the commotion gradually died down, and the ground stopped shaking.

Changxia listened carefully and said hesitantly, “It sounds like it’s over! Chen Rong, have you finished carving the bowls and chopsticks?”

Everything—bowls, chopsticks, you name it—was made from whatever was at hand.

There were no tables or chairs, so they used tree stumps instead. After felling a big tree, they turned it into round stumps, which worked well as seats or tables.

“All done. I’ll take them to the river to wash,” Chen Rong replied.

Maple Leaf had chosen the spot for the stove, a flat area near the river and the entrance to White Lake. All the weeds around had been cleared away.

Despite being called a “small river,” it was actually a proper river—

not as wide as the White River, but still seven or eight meters across. The water was crystal clear, and you could see fish swimming in it from the shore.

They’d hunted so many snakes this time that no one even bothered to look at the fish in the river.

It would be a shame to waste anything,

but there were enough snakes for everyone to eat their fill and still have leftovers.

“It’s strange, there’s nothing in the pot, but it actually smells pretty good,” Nan Feng muttered, tempted to sneak a piece of snake meat to try.

But she remembered Elder Pukang.

His appetite was terrifying, and this snake stew was made especially for him by Changxia. Nan Feng didn’t dare compete with Elder Pukang for food—she was afraid she’d get beaten up.

Besides,

the way Elder Pukang had just eaten raw snake gall had scared her.

That stuff is incredibly bitter, but he’d swallowed dozens of them in one go. Never mind whether they were poisonous or not—just the bitterness alone would be unbearable for most people. Elder Pukang really was something else!

Changxia shook the roots of the cogongrass in her hand and retorted, “I did put in some cogongrass roots, you know! And it really does smell pretty good!”

Actually, adding the cogongrass roots was just a spur-of-the-moment idea.

She hadn’t expected it to work so well.

The snake’s fishy and bloody smell wasn’t strong at all, which even Changxia found surprising. Could it be that cogongrass roots help get rid of the odor?

“I think the cogongrass roots from the south are sweeter than the ones from the north. Do you guys notice that?” Maple Leaf said, chewing on a root as she worked on the snake meat. The more she chewed, the sweeter it tasted, almost like eating sugarcane, and she was starting to get a little addicted.

“They are a bit sweeter,” Changxia agreed.

Nan Feng didn’t say anything, just munched on her cogongrass root.

Actually, the southern cogongrass roots weren’t just sweeter—they were also bigger. Fresh and crisp, they were almost as good as regular sugarcane.

As they ate, Elder Senda came back, dragging Elder Pukang along. Both of them were covered in bits of grass and looked a bit disheveled.

“Chen Rong, you and Kong Shan go bring over the python’s carcass,” Senda said. “Changxia, do you have anything to eat? Quick, get a couple bowls into Pukang. When he goes crazy, he’s like a madman—good thing I was quick...”

Otherwise, that python would have been torn apart by him.

Maple Leaf looked at Elder Pukang, who had been subdued by Elder Senda, his face smeared with blood and bits of meat still at the corners of his mouth. She exchanged a glance with Nan Feng and stepped in front of Changxia—had Elder Pukang just bitten into something raw?

But then, they realized—

That was exactly the kind of thing Elder Pukang would do.

Changxia took the clean bowls and chopsticks from Chen Rong and set them on a nearby stump. She was busy ladling out the snake soup and didn’t notice Maple Leaf and Nan Feng’s little moves.

“Changxia, you ladle—I’ll take it over to Elder Pukang,” Maple Leaf said.

Nan Feng chimed in, “Yeah, you just ladle it out. Leave the rest to us.”

With that, Nan Feng quickly stripped off a big handful of leaves, ran to the river to wet them, and then hurried over to Elder Senda to help clean up Elder Pukang’s face.

“Hurry, make sure it’s really clean,” Maple Leaf whispered.

She carried the bowl, not caring whether the snake soup was too hot, and went straight over to pour a bowl down Elder Pukang’s throat. Surely, with Elder Pukang’s thick skin and sturdy flesh, a mere bowl of boiling snake soup wouldn’t hurt him.

As expected, Elder Pukang didn’t let Maple Leaf down.

The moment the scalding snake soup went down his throat, his wild, frenzied roars abruptly ceased. That terrifying, maniacal laughter vanished as well, and the three elders—Senda and the others—exchanged relieved glances.

“What are you all—” Elder Pukang woke up and was about to laugh, but Nan Feng forcefully held him down and started roughly wiping his face with a wet leaf.

Maple Leaf said, “Shh! Wait until Nan Feng finishes cleaning you up, then we’ll explain everything.”

With that, she dashed over to Chang Xia, grabbed a second bowl of snake soup, and handed it to Elder Pukang. With food in front of him, Elder Pukang became quite cooperative, letting Maple Leaf and Nan Feng fuss over him as they pleased.

Elder Senda sat nearby, black knife in hand, watching closely.

He stayed on guard, worried that Elder Pukang might have another fit.

“Elder Pukang, don’t be so reckless next time. You nearly scared Chang Xia out of her wits just now. Eating raw anaconda meat—aren’t you afraid of getting poisoned or infected with parasites?” Nan Feng muttered quietly.

“Hee-hee-hee—” Elder Pukang burst out laughing again.

But this time, his laughter sounded much more pleasant than before, when he’d been out of his mind.

With that innocent look on his face, it was as if he were saying, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand a thing.”

“Who got scared?” Chang Xia walked over behind Maple Leaf, carrying her own bowl of snake soup. She looked up just in time to catch Nan Feng’s words.

Nan Feng, quick as a flash, hid the blood-stained leaf behind her back.

“I said Elder Pukang went crazy from hunger and nearly scared you. That’s all,” Nan Feng said, swiftly changing the subject. Best not to mention the raw meat incident any further.

“Chang Xia, this snake soup is a bit bland,” Pukang commented.

Chang Xia shot him an exasperated glare and explained, “My dear Elder Pukang, the snake soup isn’t even finished yet! Elder Senda said you were too hungry and needed something to fill your stomach first. Shankun went back to Baihu Cave to get some seasoning and hasn’t returned yet. Where am I supposed to find salt for you right now?”

Even as he complained about the blandness, Elder Pukang kept pouring bowl after bowl of soup down his throat.

That’s right—

He was literally pouring it down, not eating or drinking in any normal sense.

This was the first time Chang Xia had witnessed Elder Pukang’s extraordinary abilities—especially when it came to eating.