Twilight's Threshold Chapter 365: The Girl Who Keeps a Snake - Novel Cool

Chapter 365: The Girl Who Keeps a Snake

Chapter 365: The Girl Who Keeps a Snake

"Hmm?"

The girl, who was hugging the tree, had been curiously observing the group of outsiders, but she suddenly heard Hu Ma's reminder.

Her face showed a clear sign of surprise, and her little head turned to look up at the tree.

At that very moment, the green snake coiled on top of her head suddenly sprang into action, moving so fast it resembled a green lightning bolt. It darted to the side of the girl's pale neck.

Hu Ma's heart sank, but he managed to restrain himself from taking immediate action to save her.

During their journey, he had already inquired about the local customs from Old Abacus, learning that the mountain-dwelling Wu people had different traditions from the Xia people outside. Therefore, they needed to be cautious and respectful of the local customs to avoid offending anyone unnecessarily.

Saving this girl might be a tricky situation, he thought. The distance was too close, and using the Ghost Ascender Step or the Five Thunder Golden Toad Roar would be too slow. Throwing a knife might not be accurate enough, and accidentally injuring the girl would only complicate matters.

Moreover, despite only a brief glance, he could tell that the girl's appearance was peculiar. Climbing such a tall tree suggested she might possess some unique abilities.

Hu Ma reacted, but Zhou Datong and the others couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Even Hu Ma wasn't entirely sure what to do, and the others were even less prepared.

Amidst the commotion, the emerald snake suddenly slithered down from the tree with a whoosh, its head hovering over the girl's face without biting her. Instead, it revealed its entire body.

Only then did they realize that the snake was as thick as a human arm and nearly two zhang long. Its front half slithered into the basket on the girl's back, while its rear half slowly slid down the tree trunk. Coiled within its body was a herb that resembled a lingzhi mushroom.

The girl happily reached into the snake's body and retrieved the herb. Then, the snake's rear half crawled into the basket, its head poking out and hissing softly as it shivered.

The girl patted the snake's triangular head and giggled, "Good girl, Greenie. Don't be afraid of heights next time..."

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a peculiar lilt as if her tongue had an extra bend, creating a strange yet crisp and pleasant sound.

'Is that snake helping her gather herbs?'

Hu Ma was indeed surprised by this scene. Fortunately, he wasn't a novice in the martial world, so he had only reminded her without interfering. Otherwise, an unnecessary entanglement of karma and grudges could have occurred.

As he was thinking, the girl had already hugged the tree again and was slowly sliding down. She glanced at Hu Ma and the others before walking towards them.

Her straw sandals were tied to the basket on her back, swinging gently. She didn't bother to wear them, and her bare feet, with their slender ankles, stepped on the dry grass and thorns in the forest.

She stopped about two or three zhang away, tilting her head to scrutinize Hu Ma and the others. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then she turned around, searching through the nearby bushes. She picked a long branch, swinging it twice in the air.

After this, she aimed it at Hu Ma and the others, walking towards them. As she got closer, she raised the branch as if about to strike Hu Ma.

"Hey, little girl..."

Zhou Datong hurriedly called out to her, but the girl ignored him. The closer she got, the more furrowed her eyebrows became, and her small face turned grim, giving her a rather intimidating appearance.

The onlookers were surprised. Could they have offended her just by reminding her to be careful?

Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu looked at each other, feeling a bit flustered. Normally, if someone threatened Hu Ma, they would have drawn their swords without hesitation. But now, facing a young girl...

As they pondered, Hu Ma, who was at the front, remained still, allowing the girl to approach. The branch in her hand didn't strike Hu Ma but hovered in the air as she stared at him with her lively eyes.

Then, she brushed past Hu Ma, quickly took a few steps, and headed towards a large tree covered in vines at the side. She swung the branch forcefully at the vines.

As she swung, she muttered a few curses in an unfamiliar language.

"Huff..."

With her strike, a commotion came from behind the vines, and a large yellow dog with white spots on its forehead emerged from the bushes, growling menacingly.

But the girl waved the branch at the dog, striking it lightly. The branch was light, so the blows weren't hard. The dog seemed terrified and, after a few hits, it tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered as it ran deeper into the forest.

Hu Ma and the others watched closely. The dog was the same one that had appeared twice before, barking at their group.

After chasing away the dog, the girl threw down the branch, tilted her head, and scrutinized Hu Ma and the others. As she did so, the green snake in her basket also poked its head out.

Maintaining a curious posture, the girl and Hu Ma observed the scene, which was both peculiar and uniform.

Hu Ma looked at her, raised his hand in a bow, and said, "Miss, we are here to do business from outside the mountains. We're unfamiliar with the area, and I'm not sure what just happened..."

"Hehe..."

Before Hu Ma could finish, the girl suddenly spoke, mimicking Hu Ma's manner of speaking, "Be careful."

When she had just comforted the little snake in the tree, her voice was gentle and crisp, with a standard Wu accent. But now, she deliberately imitated the official language from outside, and the two short words were endearing.

After speaking, she didn't say much more to Hu Ma and the others. She jumped and skipped barefoot, turning into the forest by the path, and her figure quickly disappeared.

"What was that?"

Zhou Datong and the others were all confused, feeling like they couldn't quite grasp the situation. They looked at each other, and together with the donkey, they resembled four foolish geese.

Even Hu Ma could only guess a little, unsure of what had just transpired. He turned to the old abacus beside him and said in a low voice, "Brother, what just happened? Can you tell us now?"

"The young lady was kind-hearted..."

The old abacus also looked towards where the little girl had disappeared, and said in a low voice, "She helped us resolve a difficulty, saving us from who knows how much trouble..."

"Resolve a difficulty?"

Upon hearing this, the assistants became tense and quickly looked around. They saw that the forest was empty, and while the evening mist still lingered, the eerie fog that had enveloped their hearts had dissipated significantly.

"As soon as we entered the forest, someone was watching us."

The old abacus lowered his voice, as if still feeling a bit shaken. He said, "I only confirmed it when I saw that dog appear for the second time. It wasn't an ordinary dog."

"It's a poison dog."

"Some Wu people are skilled in this art. They use refined poison bugs to bite the dog, turning it into a poison dog. The dog then becomes controlled by the person who administered the poison, and it comes to bark at people. The first bark startles, the second drives away the soul, and by the third bark, we would have been poisoned."

"..."

"There's actually such a method?"

Zhou Datong and the others recalled the dog from earlier and indeed felt something strange about it, all feeling shaken and uneasy.

Hu Ma furrowed his brows and said, "If you realized it, why didn't you warn us earlier? I could have chopped it with one strike."

"Good thing you saw my eyes and didn't really strike."

The old abacus hurriedly said, "We're in the depths of the mountains and forests, surrounded by eerie atmospheres. Who knows what strange things are hidden around us? If you had acted, it might have attracted something unknown, and they would have all come after us."

"Moreover, since the dog is a poison dog, if you had really chopped it, you might have been affected instead. Poisoning is hard to guard against. How do you know that they didn't intentionally send the dog for you to kill?"

"..."

"Is there such a sinister method?"

Hu Ma thought about the dog's appearance and then asked, "What would happen if we were poisoned?"

The old abacus shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"The poison dog barking three times is just one method of poisoning, similar to poisoning techniques. But what happens after being poisoned depends on the type of poison used!"

"..."

As he spoke, he also looked up and saw the dense forest with lush foliage. According to their original plan, they should have arrived at the Blood Feast Mine around noon, but now, as nightfall approached, there was still no sign of it.

Getting lost in the mountains was common, but this unexpected encounter with the poison dog made their hearts uneasy.

The trees, wild grass, vines, and rocks appeared normal, but as the sun slanted, the dim light made everything seem stranger to them. There was no sound, and a faint bloody smell seemed to emanate from deep within the forest.

"It seems like taking over the Blood Feast Mine won't be easy..."

Hu Ma sighed softly and said, "That little girl just warned us to be careful, not just about the poison dog. She was trying to tell us that there would be more trouble ahead..."

"I wonder what her background is; she seems to have some abilities..."

"..."

"It shouldn't be like this. Before I left, I calculated that this trip would bring me wealth..."

The old abacus also seemed to realize something and muttered to himself before turning to Hu Ma and saying, "Brother Hu, something's not right with the situation in these mountains..."

Hu Ma asked, "Is it directed at us?"

"Most likely."

The old abacus said, "Even if there are Wu people nearby refining poison, and they don't want outsiders to come in, they would usually give some warning and ask people to detour. But to send a poison dog without any warning is too domineering..."

Hu Ma nodded and then raised his voice, calling into the forest, "Is there anyone in front who might have misunderstood us?"

"If you don't mind, please show yourself, and let's talk openly."

(End of Chapter)

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