NOVGO.NET Chapter 412 - Chapter 412: Chapter 405: Looking for the Snake
Chapter 412: Chapter 405: Looking for the Snake
Moreover, she had prepared for a long time before she came here, making thorough preparations. Otherwise, she wouldn’t possibly be here. She was determined to survive and return home, because Chengcheng at home was waiting for her to save him.
She moved forward, relying on her years of experience living in the mountains. She could infer the directions of north, south, east, and west from the growth of the leaves and how the light fell. Along the way, she left markers with her pocket knife. These markings would help her to find her way home when she was ready to leave.
She kept walking. During the day, she looked for the things she needed. At night, she found a safe place for herself, maybe somewhere with lots of rocks or an open space. She would also scatter insect repellent powder around. On the first night, she was constantly trembling, hugging her arms tightly. The forest was filled with strange and scary sounds and the howling of unknown animals in addition to the sound of the wind. She was very afraid, even though she had already lived two lifetimes, she was still afraid.
She held back her tears, tightly clutching her backpack, enduring the time in anxiety and listening to ghosts wailing and wolves howling in the wind.
At some point, she fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, several pairs of glowing green eyes were staring at her. But when those eyes moved, something terrifying must have scared them away.
Tang Yuxin opened her eyes and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She was drenched in sweat and her fingers quietly held the small medicine pack on her backpack.
The small medicine pack emitted a unique smell that repelled wild animals. Unless they were starving or in danger, they wouldn’t bother her under normal circumstances.
However, the dangers here were beyond her knowledge and expectations. It was evidently more dangerous and difficult than she had imagined.
She gave a bitter smile. She overestimated her abilities. In the face of nature, she was really insignificant. Any passing creature could end her life. Then, her brother would die; her father would lose his daughter. What was the difference from her past life? What changes had she made? What was the meaning of her existence?
She hugged her bag tighter as the wind blew all night long. The wind blew her determination to pieces until only despair was left. It was just a hair’s breadth from complete breakdown.
When the day dawned, she stood up, collected dew on a bottle and drank it. She then took out an instant noodle pack from her bag and started to eat. However, she did not dare to eat too much. She really didn’t know how long she would stay here—a month, two months, or longer. Maybe tomorrow she could go home, or perhaps she might never be able to return.
She said she had grown up in the mountains. Hence, she should be more capable of surviving here than others, at least she wouldn’t starve to death.
She stood on tiptoe, plucked a leaf from a tree, and started to chew it. The taste was not good, but it was not bad either. It tasted like Elm money, but it was not. This kind of tree was plentiful here. She had known from the beginning that she could eat its leaves. That gave her the courage to venture deeper, regardless of how much food she had brought. At the very least, she wouldn’t starve to death here.
The leaves of this tree were edible. Though they might not taste great or fill her up, at least they could provide the energy her body needed. She wouldn’t starve to death.
As she chewed the leaves, she walked on. After a few steps, her arm ached. Every now and then, something that wasn’t deterred by the medicine would sting her. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a patch of skin that was clearly red and swollen. She reached into her pocket, took out a small medicine bottle, shook some of its contents onto her hand, and applied it to her arm. As soon as the medicine touched her skin, a comforting coolness spread. She let down her sleeve and continued walking.
It was her fifth day here, and besides being bitten countless times by unknown insects, she had not found the purple snake she was looking for. She had found other types of snakes, but they were not the ones she wanted. They were useless to her. She was only looking for one kind of snake, only one kind was useful to her.
With a disappointed smile, she bent over and picked up the snake lying in front of her. It was a pity it was just an ordinary snake, not the type she was after.
She’d caught at least fifty snakes in her hands, so she knew something about their habits.
Getting bitten wasn’t a major concern for her. In her initial learning stage, she was bitten countless times. However, she kept on trying. After getting bitten a few times, she eventually became proficient, catching a snake almost every time she reached out.
Sometimes, she wondered if all the snakes in Li Tang’s village had been caught by her. There were a few rare ones she’d captured to make medicinal wine for her father. But now, she didn’t have the time to worry about these things. She stopped walking and plucked another leaf to chew, oblivious to the fact that a black and red snake was rapidly approaching her nearby. But just as the snake was about to strike her, suddenly, it convulsed and a tree branch impaled it at its vital point.
Tang Yuxin crouched down and picked it up, only to find out it was not the type of snake she needed.
She promptly carried on with her journey, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a shimmering purplish-red color.
“Found it!” She chased after the flash of purplish-red, but the snake moved incredibly fast and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
However, she was not in a hurry. As long as she knew that the snake was here, she would soon catch it.