Chapter 58: Taming
Chapter 58: Taming
Ji Xinghuo waited for five hours.
Finally, the snake in the cave stirred. It shrunk itself down to a mere few centimeters in length, slithered out from the rock crevice, and made its way across the valley, entering the nearby forest.
It was clear that the little green snake was familiar with this area.
Its slithering speed was fast, and its reduced size did not slow it down at all. Instead, it became even more agile, navigating effortlessly through the grass and trees without making a sound.
As the little green snake moved forward, it stuck out its tongue from time to time, changing directions as it searched for prey.
It was using its sense of smell to hunt.
Through his magnetic field perception, Ji Xinghuo detected several wild beasts of various sizes, as well as rodents and insects hiding in underground mud holes. However, the little green snake seemed uninterested in them, pausing only briefly to sniff before moving on.
Before long, it found its desired prey.
Perched on a tree, resting, was a wild junglefowl, slightly smaller than a rooster, with long tail feathers and the ability to fly. It was a white-bellied pheasant, commonly found in the Starry Forest.
The little green snake carefully climbed up the tree trunk, stealthily approaching the pheasant.
In its miniaturized state, it moved silently, using the cover of leaves to stay out of its prey's line of sight. Before long, it had climbed up the tree, and with a quick contraction and release of its body, it accelerated and shot towards its target.
The white-bellied pheasant had no time to react as its body was pierced by the green light, and it let out a pitiful cry as it fell.
The little green snake landed gently on the ground and immediately crawled towards its now-dead prey.
It opened its mouth and bit down, causing the entire pheasant to disappear.
Then, it made its way back towards the valley where its nest was located, soon returning to its cave. It spat out the prey and only then began to feast.
Ji Xinghuo watched the entire process, amazed by the snake's hunting prowess.
The snake was like an experienced hunter, skillfully utilizing its abilities to easily obtain food.
However, there was one intriguing detail.
Instead of devouring the pheasant immediately, the little green snake had carefully plucked the feathers and removed the intestines before swallowing the meat.
"A snake that knows how to prepare its food..." Ji Xinghuo found this behavior peculiar.
But then he reminded himself that this was no ordinary beast; it possessed intelligence, and its fastidiousness towards food could be understood in that light.
After finishing the meat, the little green snake did not rest as it had the previous time. Instead, it swallowed all the feathers and remnants in the cave, crawled to a pool in the valley, and spat them out, as if disposing of garbage. It then swam in the water, cleaning its body before returning to its cave.
"Quite the clean freak," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.
Only then did he notice how spotless the little green snake's cave was, indicating that it regularly kept it clean.
A few hours later, the little green snake ventured out again.
This time, it hunted in a different location, finding a bird's nest in a tree several kilometers away. It showed no interest in the eggs but lay in wait, ambushing the mother bird when it returned. It struck with lethal precision, taking its prey back to the nest.
Once again, it plucked the feathers, removed the intestines, ate the meat, cleaned up the remains, and then settled down to sleep.
Ji Xinghuo secretly observed the little green snake's activities throughout the day, gradually piecing together its patterns.
Its schedule was not divided by day and night. Instead, it ventured out to hunt every three to six hours. However, it showed no interest in the typical diet of snakes, exhibiting a rather picky appetite. Its preferred prey was medium-sized birds and fowl, and it always prepared its food carefully before eating.
The little green snake possessed an extremely sensitive sense of smell, able to detect scents from as far as three hundred meters away.
Through scent alone, it could discern direction, distance, and location, as well as differentiate between various types of prey.
It was evident that the snake was thoughtful and cautious.
If it detected an unfamiliar scent within its range, it would immediately become still and quiet, avoiding detection. It had tremendous patience and would only resume its activities once the potential threat had left the area. It also never approached unknown beasts or monsters proactively.
Ji Xinghuo summarized its personality: clever, timid, patient, and cautious. Its intelligence was comparable to that of a five or six-year-old child.
When dealing with such a creature, force was not an option. Patience and a gentle approach were necessary to lower its guard and demonstrate friendliness.
Ji Xinghuo came up with a simple plan.
Given the little green snake's nature, it would not willingly approach him unless presented with an irresistible temptation—food.
That evening, Ji Xinghuo stopped hiding his tracks and boldly set up camp on the cliff above the valley, but he did not climb the stone pillar. Instead, he chose a platform on the opposite side of the cliff, ensuring he remained within the snake's sensory range.
He kept a close eye on the little green snake's movements and noticed that as he set up his tent and laid simple traps around his campsite, the little green snake in the cave opened its eyes.
Ji Xinghuo continued with his routine, forgoing a campfire as he usually did at night, opting instead for dried rations and water. Then he lay down in his tent to rest.
That night, Ji Xinghuo barely slept.
The little green snake did not approach the cliff, and it quietly ventured out twice to hunt, moving stealthily each time.
The next morning, Ji Xinghuo woke up, washed, and shot down two white-bellied pheasants nearby. He brought them back to his campsite, plucked and prepared them, cooking the meat while also boiling some noodles.
This time, he had brought enough spices with him.
Although his cooking skills were average, far inferior to Jiangnan Caiyi's, his many attempts at cooking had honed his techniques. Soon, the aroma of roasted chicken filled the air.
The little green snake, curled up in its cave, lifted its head, its tongue flicking in and out.
But now...
After two consecutive days of barbecuing near its lair, it would naturally suspect a trap, given its intelligence. So it merely observed from the shadows, making no move.
Ji Xinghuo wasn't in a hurry. He leisurely finished roasting the chicken and began eating one of them.
Chew, chew...
He chewed the chicken loudly, intentionally making a lot of noise.
In no time, he had devoured most of the chicken, and the bones were carelessly tossed aside, allowing the scent to waft across half of the cliff.
As Ji Xinghuo ate, he kept an eye on the little green snake, which stared intently at the roasted chicken in his hand, its tongue flicking incessantly, and drool even forming at the corners of its mouth.
"A snake that's drooling, hahaha..." Ji Xinghuo had to suppress his laughter at the sight.
However, despite the little green snake's strong desire for the roasted chicken, it did not attempt a sneak attack like it had the day before. Evidently, it was highly suspicious of the situation and chose to suppress its temptation for food.
"If you don't come out, I'll create an opportunity for you."
Ji Xinghuo had intentionally prepared two chickens, one for himself and the other for the little green snake.
After finishing the first chicken, he started on the second one. But after taking a couple of bites, he pretended to touch his stomach, got up, and walked to a nearby bush as if to relieve himself.
When Ji Xinghuo returned to the campsite, the remaining roasted chicken had disappeared.
Through his magnetic field perception, he saw the little green snake swiftly slithering through the grass, already near its cave, and then disappearing into a rock crevice.
"Damn!" Ji Xinghuo pretended to curse a few times and then began packing up his tent and belongings, leaving the cliff.
Once he was out of the little green snake's sensory range, it immediately returned to its lair, spat out the roasted chicken, and relished the meal. Having seen Ji Xinghuo take a few bites, it didn't suspect any foul play and quickly devoured the chicken.
Ji Xinghuo maintained a distance but observed the entire process through his magnetic field perception.
The little green snake possessed intelligence, but it wasn't very advanced.
It was still too naive.
The fact that he had eaten from the same chicken didn't guarantee its safety. Poison could have easily been added to the food, and it would have perished if he had ill intentions.
However, it was precisely because of its simplicity that there was a chance to tame it.
If it were as cunning as an adult, such tricks would be useless, and it would have seen through them instantly.
Over the next few days, Ji Xinghuo set up camp near the valley, changing locations daily, sometimes even venturing beyond the little green snake's sensory range. Nonetheless, it always managed to find him, lurking nearby and watching.
Each time Ji Xinghuo camped, he prepared food, not necessarily always bird meat.
He cooked a variety of dishes, including venison, wild boar, fruits, and spider leg meat. But regardless of the ingredients, he always prepared the meals with great care, ensuring they were delicious.
He pretended to be on guard against the little green snake, not giving it a chance to steal food.
The little green snake, on the other hand, would go to great lengths to steal the food. Sometimes, Ji Xinghuo would let it succeed, and other times, he would thwart its attempts, teaching it that food wasn't easily obtained.
It was a battle of wits and courage between man and serpent.
Occasionally, Ji Xinghuo would also leave the area, making it challenging for the little green snake to find his campsite, essentially employing a form of hunger marketing.
For five or six days, Ji Xinghuo didn't gain any spiritual source energy, but his relationship with the little green snake improved significantly. The serpent was no longer as vigilant, and each time Ji Xinghuo set up camp, it would eagerly lurk nearby, awaiting the feast.
However, if Ji Xinghuo tried to approach it, the little green snake would immediately flee.
"It should be about time," Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.
That day, he set up camp directly in the valley, just over two hundred meters from the little green snake's lair.
He ventured into the surrounding forest, hunting several wild chickens and a black-horned mountain antelope, and gathering a bag of wild fruits. Back at the campsite, he began preparing a feast. The little green snake had already climbed a small tree near the camp, lying on a branch, its eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo, filled with curiosity.
Ji Xinghuo showcased his culinary skills, spending a couple of hours preparing a sumptuous meal.
The entire valley was filled with mouthwatering aromas.
The little green snake watched from its perch, drooling profusely.
Ji Xinghuo looked up at the little green snake in the tree and said aloud, "I'm leaving. This is the last meal I'll prepare for you, so enjoy it."
With that, he began packing up his tent and belongings.
The little green snake hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of Ji Xinghuo's turned back, it quickly devoured all the food on the ground and slithered away.
Ji Xinghuo didn't pursue it. Instead, he swiftly packed up his things and left the valley.
Soon, he was beyond the little green snake's sensory range.
Through his magnetic field perception, he continued to track the little green snake, which had hidden itself in a rock crevice, watching the direction Ji Xinghuo had left.
Ji Xinghuo kept walking, putting more and more distance between them.
A few minutes later, he was over eight hundred meters away, and the little green snake was out of his sensory range as well, but he didn't stop. He continued on his path.
That night, Ji Xinghuo set up camp at the foot of a mountain, several dozen kilometers away from the valley.
The next morning, as he stepped out of his tent, he turned and looked at the tree next to him. Among the dense branches, he spotted a familiar green silhouette.
(End of Chapter)
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