Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Snowflake Python Meat

“Elder Yami, can we grill some python meat to try?” Changxia asked, her eyes sparkling as she ate grilled fish. Her gaze kept darting to the nearly butchered python, and she licked her lips, eager to taste it.

Yami replied, “Sure. I thought you’d be sick of the smell of snake soup and wouldn’t want to eat any more snake.”

Seeing how the tribe was tired of snake soup, Elder Yami was happy to have grilled fish for dinner.

She hadn’t helped make the snake soup, but she’d had to smell it all afternoon. Even now, she could still catch a whiff of that strong scent.

“Changxia, wait—I’ll go cut some meat.” Nan Feng jumped up.

But Yadong and Shankun were even faster.

As soon as Changxia spoke, Elder Yami hadn’t even replied yet—

The two of them snuck back with the python meat, furtively handing it to Changxia and asking, “Changxia, does this python meat need to be marinated?”

“Rub it with salt, let it sit for a while,” Changxia replied.

No matter what kind of meat it is, meat is still meat.

If you marinate it for a bit, it gets rid of the gamey smell and adds flavor.

Nan Feng picked up a knife and complained, “You two are quick, huh!”

They’d all heard the elders in the tribe talk about pythons—supposedly a rare delicacy from the Twilight Forest. Unfortunately, pythons lived in the Wangyue Mountains.

And the Wangyue Mountains were the territory of the Sheyue (Snake Mountain) tribe.

Everyone knew the snake tribe was hard to deal with.

Yadong and the others craved the taste, but they understood you couldn’t just offend the snake tribe for a bite of python.

But this time, they’d stumbled upon a python by the river—how could they resist? When Maple Leaf mentioned grilled fish earlier, all the totem warriors around Yadong looked disappointed.

They’d just resigned themselves to missing out.

Who would have thought the tables would turn, and Changxia would actually offer?

In that instant, everyone felt like they were in paradise—it was wonderful!

“You all really want to try python meat?” Changxia asked in surprise.

Yadong chuckled sheepishly, exchanged glances with Shankun and the others, and explained, “We’ve always heard the elders say that python is a rare delicacy in the Twilight Forest. Just one bite is better than a hundred other flavors!”

“Changxia, did you forget?” Maple Leaf added, “When you were little and got that scar, it was the shaman who brought python oil from Mount Kana to help heal it. Because of the snake tribe, pythons have become almost mythical in the Twilight Forest.”

Wanderers sometimes risked approaching the Wangyue Mountains to hunt pythons.

Maple Leaf and the others weren’t surprised.

The various beast tribes in the Twilight Forest were mostly peaceful; they wouldn’t kill for profit.

But wanderers would.

Wanderers had no fixed home, drifting from place to place all year round.

They also colluded with merchant caravans from the Eastern Continent.

Almost every year, some wanderers would sneak into the Twilight Forest or the Qinghai Plateau, mainly hunting rare delicacies and treasures: pythons from the Wangyue Mountains, ice crystal grass and light stones from the Qinghai Plateau, the fish tribe’s foundation stones, pearls, and coral—these were all targets for the wanderers.

But the fish tribe lived in the Eastern Sea.

The Eastern Sea was their domain; unless wanderers had fish tribe members with them, they didn’t dare hunt there.

The fish tribe mostly ate cold dishes, but that didn’t mean they were vegetarians. When they got fierce, not just anyone could handle them.

“My father says python meat is amazing, but he’s never tasted it himself,” Nan Feng said bluntly, using her father, the chief, as an example.

With that, Changxia suddenly understood—pythons were different from regular snakes.

The tribe was very interested in them—very interested.

No wonder, even though everyone knew the python was considered sacred by the snake tribe, both elders and regular tribe members were still eager to hunt one.

Besides having the strength to not fear the snake tribe, Changxia thought the real reason was that everyone was craving python meat. For a taste, they’d risk offending the snake tribe without hesitation.

Soon, the python meat had marinated for about fifteen minutes.

Without needing Changxia’s reminder, Yadong and the others crowded forward.

Each person got a piece—not very big, about the size of a palm.

Changxia said she wasn’t sure how best to cook it, so they’d just grill some to try.

Python meat was different from pork or beef; it was white, almost crystal-like. As it roasted over the flames, it slowly turned red, looking a bit like premium marbled beef. The red and white mingled in beautiful, snowflake-like patterns, like marble—absolutely gorgeous.

At the same time, a mouthwatering aroma filled the air.

This scent was unlike any grilled meat Changxia had ever tasted—unique, almost dreamlike.

It was fragrant, with a hint of rosemary. Amidst the smoky aroma, there was a trace of sweetness and crispness that was simply intoxicating.

You could smell the sweetness, but the crispness could only be felt by tasting or touching it. This python meat was truly extraordinary—even just simply grilled, it was such a pleasant surprise. No wonder the tribe always remembered it so fondly.

Gulp—

In the darkness, someone couldn’t help but swallow audibly.

Soon, the sound of swallowing spread one after another, echoing along the riverbank.

“It smells even better than Chen Rong’s grilled meat!” Nan Feng murmured, staring hungrily at the roasting meat on the branch, wishing she could eat it before it was even done.

Luckily, Maple Leaf and Changxia were there to hold her back.

“Yadong, go cut some more. This python is huge—don’t worry about running out. Even if the whole tribe came, we couldn’t finish it all,” Pukang urged.

That feeling of fullness from earlier was gone in a flash.

Just smelling the aroma of grilled python, Elder Pukang’s stomach was rumbling again.

But this time, he kept his composure and didn’t lose his head.

He smacked his lips, savoring the taste of the python meat he’d just eaten. It was so tender and smooth—one bite was like drinking maple sap, the texture was incredible!

Forgive Elder Pukang for his lack of adjectives—he could only think of two words: absolutely delicious.

This time, Elders Yami and Senda didn’t object either.

Smelling the aroma of grilled python, they were both tempted.

As soon as they heard there was a python by the river, they’d been thinking about how to eat it. As for releasing it, or sending it back to the Snake Mountain tribe—forget it.

“Changxia, you try it first—”

Chen Rong was the first to offer a piece of grilled python to Changxia.

At the same time, he took the branch from her and continued grilling.

He’d never tasted python meat either, though he’d heard of it before. But Chen Rong had never been a foodie, not like the other nobles of the Tianyuan tribe, who were practically decadent in their pursuit of fine food.

Chang Xia didn’t stand on ceremony. While everyone else swallowed nervously, she brought the roasted anaconda meat to her lips and took a bite.

Fragrant, fresh, tender—a flavor beyond words exploded on her tongue and quickly spread through her whole body.

Chang Xia had never tasted anaconda meat before.

When she marinated it, she’d only rubbed on a bit of salt. She hadn’t added any ginger, scallions, or garlic.

She hadn’t expected that just a touch of salt could make the anaconda meat taste so amazing. Chang Xia had never eaten premium marbled beef in her previous life, but she thought this anaconda meat was every bit as good—maybe even better.

“How is it, Chang Xia?” Nan Feng asked nervously.

Nearby, Maple Leaf and the others stared intently at Chang Xia’s mouth.

Chang Xia took another big bite and mumbled, “Delicious! Don’t overcook it—the meat is really tender, just a quick roast is enough.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the others immediately stuffed their own skewers of anaconda meat into their mouths.

Hot or not—

Who cared? They didn’t even think about it.