Chapter 18: The Giant Crocodile

Mo Lin, up in the mountains, had no idea that because of his abduction of humans, the people of Hongjia Village were already preparing to contact the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring to slay the demon.

However, it could be imagined that the disappearance of Hong Sanjiang would certainly make the people of Hongjia Village extremely vigilant.

Therefore, Mo Lin had no plans to go down the mountain to eat humans in the near future.

Ever since evolving into a python, Mo Lin could sense that his lifespan had already become much longer.

He was no longer the little grass snake that could only live for 15 years.

Mo Lin now also had the urge to explore the depths of the mountains.

Devouring ordinary small beasts was no longer enough to satisfy Mo Lin’s stomach after becoming a python.

Just like how some large animals, after reaching adulthood, would actively attack other creatures to confirm their place in the food chain,

Mo Lin too was curious—what level did he stand at in the deep mountains now?

Could it be that in the deeper forests, there also existed demonic beasts like himself?

At the same time, Mo Lin wanted to know: if Hong Tianfeng’s fortune truly could aid his cultivation, then could the geomancy of the earth veins also assist him in cultivation?

With that thought, Mo Lin began slithering deeper into the mountains.

......

“Snake demon?”

The sound of a chair being knocked over rang out in the house, startling the mother and younger sister who were preparing dinner.

Hong Sheng pressed the man back onto the chair:

“Brother, why are you so agitated? Uncle Yun only said there might be a snake demon on the mountain, so he wants to invite the people from the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring to come help capture it. It’s not confirmed yet.”

Sitting opposite Hong Sheng was none other than his elder twin brother, Hong Wen.

Compared to the innocent and lively Hong Wen before last winter, the Hong Wen now sitting on the chair was simply a completely different person.

Ever since Hong Tianfeng’s death, Hong Wen had become the pillar of the family.

This pressure had forced him to transform drastically within just two or three months.

Now, even standing side by side with Hong Tianyun, his presence was not the least bit inferior, already bearing the air of the head of the household, though still lacking the marks of age’s erosion.

But at this moment, his state was clearly abnormal.

Hong Wen’s face was flushed red, the veins bulging on his temple, as he declared firmly:

“The one who killed Uncle Sanjiang must be the same venomous snake that killed Father last year.”

Hong Sheng quickly said:

“Brother, didn’t I already tell you? The one that broke into Uncle Sanjiang’s house was clearly a giant python.

“The one that killed Father back then was just a venomous snake.

“Whether by size or by method of killing, the two are completely different...”

But Hong Wen suddenly waved his hand, cutting off his younger brother:

“No, you don’t understand, Second Brother.”

His face darkened like water:

“I encountered that snake twice—once it escaped from my hands, and once Father died because of it. Both times, I felt there was something strange about it. Its intelligence far surpassed its kind.

“Have you ever seen a snake sever its tail to survive? Have you ever seen one that would ambush when humans were unguarded, dragging them into the water?”

Hong Wen sat on the chair, shaking his legs in agitation:

“Last year, I already felt something was off. That snake seemed far too clever. And the two times I saw it, its size and color had both changed somewhat.

“Now that I think of it, everything fits.

“It is a snake demon!

“Only a snake demon would sever its tail to survive, only a snake demon could disguise itself as a human to knock on doors, only a snake demon could transform from a venomous snake into a python within a year!

“They must be the same snake!

“So it turns out I had already met that snake demon last year. If I had known, I should have skewered it to death with a fork the first time I went up the mountain!”

Seeing his brother so agitated he was nearly incoherent, Hong Sheng couldn’t help but say:

“Brother, I know you’ve always felt guilty because of Father’s death, but didn’t Uncle Yun also say? It truly wasn’t your fault.

“Besides, you yourself said the snakes you saw were different in size. How can you be so certain they are the same one?”

Hong Wen stopped his roaring, looking at Hong Sheng with a strange gaze:

“No, you don’t understand. It is the same snake. I don’t even know why, but I just know.”

He rubbed his hands:

“After Father died last year, I went up the mountain several times to search for it, but never found it. I guessed it must have been hibernating.

“Now, it has reappeared—and the moment it did, it killed Uncle Sanjiang.

“No, we must stop it! Otherwise, perhaps the entire village will die because of it!”

Hong Wen once again leapt to his feet:

“Hong Sheng, when Uncle Yun brings the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring back, you must tell me right away. I will go up the mountain with them!

“I must personally kill that snake demon!!”

Looking at his elder brother, who had grown up alongside him and was once always cheerful, but whose temperament had now completely changed—becoming agitated and uncontrollable at even the mention of snakes—Hong Sheng’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Seeing his father die by the fangs of a venomous snake had already blinded Hong Wen with hatred toward serpents.

If he insisted it was the same snake, then let it be the same snake.

In any case, once the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring arrived at the village, they should be able to capture that snake demon.

By then, once his brother felt his “great vengeance was avenged,” perhaps he might return to normal.

......

On his way deeper into the mountains, Mo Lin stopped when he came across a pool of water.

He wanted to take a bath.

Although he had become a python, he had still lived as a human for more than twenty years in his previous life.

Some habits engraved into his bones were not so easy to discard.

Normally, it didn’t matter, but after eating Hong Sanjiang, half his body was stained with blood.

It wasn’t sticky, but it did make him feel uncomfortable.

Though this pool was covered with floating duckweed and rotting leaves, it was already sufficient to wash himself clean.

But every place in the forest had its owner.

The moment Mo Lin entered the pool, in the shadow beneath the tangled roots of a tree that stretched into the water, a piece of “rotted wood” opened its eyes.

Its mottled skin and slimy moss showed clearly that it had slumbered for countless years.

Now that its favored prey had entered the water, the “rotted wood” broke the surface’s calm, slowly advancing toward Mo Lin.

The unique scent of python—mixed with the stench of water and prey’s blood—stimulated its nostrils, causing its amber pupils to dilate.

The serpent’s shadow gliding gracefully in the water finally entered its narrow, focused field of vision.

Its pupils constricted even further.

Though this uninvited guest was rather large, to it—a beast that could even kill elk—this level of difficulty was nothing at all.

The underwater world seemed to freeze into absolute stillness in an instant.

Its tail was like a bowstring drawn to the limit, its powerful muscles taut, its entire strength condensed into a spring ready to explode.

Everything was about to erupt in the next second.

The python, completely unaware it had intruded upon another’s territory, was lazily swimming, seemingly oblivious to the fatal threat hidden under perfect camouflage.

“Splash!”

Now!

The “rotted wood,” which had been waiting to strike, burst forth with explosive force the instant it neared the python.

Its bloodstained jaws opened wide at Mo Lin’s neck, at last revealing its true form.

A giant crocodile—six meters long, with a bite force exceeding two thousand kilograms!

If its jaws closed upon prey, and combined with its infamous “death roll,” even the king of beasts would have little chance of escape.

Unfortunately, it had chosen the wrong target.

Its prey was a serpent demon with human wisdom—Mo Lin, who had been silently watching it ever since entering the water, only feigning ignorance!

Yes, Mo Lin, who always abided by the creed of “cautious survival,” would never, simply because he had eaten two humans, lose all sense of danger and carelessly bathe in unknown waters.

From the very start, he had already noticed the crocodile disguised as a rotted log.

When the giant crocodile regarded him as prey, it never realized that Mo Lin was already considering how to turn it into a meal.

The roles of hunter and prey could reverse in an instant!

The crocodile’s greatest weapons were surprise and its bite force.

If caught unawares, Mo Lin would indeed have been in great danger.

But this time, he was prepared—and Mo Lin was no ordinary python.

Having anticipated it, the crocodile’s massive jaws never touched him.

Instead, Mo Lin’s flexible tail coiled tightly around its one-meter-long mouth.

Compared to its terrifying bite strength, its ability to open its jaws was only a fraction as powerful.

Even humans could hold its mouth shut with both hands, rendering it unable to open.

Of course, with its death roll, it could still easily tear apart a human.

But Mo Lin was a python.

After wrapping his body around the giant crocodile, no matter how it thrashed or spun, he never loosened his grip.

At the same time, he opened his jaws and bit into the seam between the crocodile’s armor-like scales, injecting his venom into its body.

The crocodile, its only weakness seized, had no chance of winning.

After death-rolling for over ten minutes, it gradually lost strength.

The toxin spread throughout its body.

All it could do was await death in helpless silence.

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