Chapter 86: The Great Serpent

Seeking all kinds of support!

From Jiangzhou to Suzhou, traveling eastward, it would take nearly five days by carriage—a journey long and lonely, with nothing to do but sit in the coach. How does one ease such worries? Only by reading…

Chen Jianchen and Wang Fu were both men of letters. Although Wang Fu was somewhat carefree by nature, at such times, he found little pleasure apart from reading. The weather had turned cold, with a chill wind blowing outside. Inside the carriage, cotton quilts were spread for warmth and softness. Chen Jianchen nestled under the covers, reading contentedly; as for Wang Fu, who rode in another coach, he was likely fast asleep.

Suddenly, the driver’s shout was heard, and the carriage halted. Voices and commotion drifted from outside. Chen Jianchen frowned, lifted the curtain, and poked his head out. He saw their two carriages had arrived at the foot of a rugged mountain, where several other vehicles stood, surrounded by many travelers, all discussing something anxiously and unable to proceed, as if the road ahead was blocked.

Wang Fu climbed out from his own carriage and sent a clever servant to investigate. The servant soon returned to report, “There’s a snake ahead.”

A snake?

Both Wang Fu and Chen Jianchen were startled and questioned further, learning the gist of the situation: the mountain ahead was called East Mountain, towering and vast, its range stretching far. Beyond its foothills lay a gorge, and crossing it meant only fifty more miles to Suzhou—a journey of no more than half a day. But at noon, as a group of travelers passed through the gorge, a giant serpent suddenly burst from the forest. As thick as a barrel and thirty feet long, its body was blue, with a spindle-shaped red mark on its brow—like a third eye—giving it a fiercely menacing appearance.

The travelers were terrified, cursing their parents for not giving them extra legs, and fled in panic. The blue serpent did not pursue them further. News spread swiftly, and no traveler dared attempt the crossing, instead gathering at the mouth of the gorge to discuss what to do.

East Mountain Gorge was a vital shortcut into Suzhou; to detour from another direction would add three days to the journey, wasting precious time. This road had existed peacefully for years, never troubled even by bandits—how could such a monstrous serpent suddenly appear?

The crowd was puzzled, but one among them seemed to know something, saying the snake was likely released years ago by a snake charmer. These snake charmers made their living by raising snakes and performing tricks in the streets. They would seek clever, docile snakes in remote mountains and marshes, train them for performances, but usually kept only those under two feet in length; larger snakes were unsuitable for their art. Thus, when a snake grew too large, the charmer would release it back into the wild.

There was nothing wrong in releasing the snakes; the trouble was that, perhaps by some stroke of fate or innate peculiarity, this particular snake had grown into a towering giant. Its size now posed a real threat, easily capable of attacking travelers and becoming a source of disaster—a snake calamity!

The stranded travelers looked at one another, anxious and helpless. None dared risk their lives by going forward, but retreating was not a solution either. Stuck between options, they could only hope the authorities in Suzhou would receive word and soon send constables to rid the people of this menace.

Upon hearing the details, Wang Fu grumbled, “What kind of world is this? Even snakes can grow so large and wreak havoc—has it become a monster?”

At this thought, he grew uneasy and hurried to consult Chen Jianchen. Chen Jianchen was equally uncertain; after all, snakes were known to become demons—Lady White and Little Green were prime examples. Yet, without seeing the creature firsthand, it was impossible to judge. Certain species could grow exceptionally large without becoming supernatural.

“Liuxian, what do you think we should do?” Wang Fu pressed Chen Jianchen for advice, having long regarded him as an expert in such matters.

Chen Jianchen spread his hands helplessly. What could he do? He could hardly charge in alone and fight the giant snake, nor attempt to “negotiate”—that would be courting death.

“Brother Futai, we can only do as everyone else and wait,” he replied.

With no alternative, Wang Fu ordered his men to build a fire and prepare a meal, settling the matter of hunger first. After lunch and a short nap, news arrived from ahead.

It was good news!

The Suzhou magistrate had received reports and dispatched a general with a hundred soldiers, arriving swiftly. They searched the woods on both sides of the gorge but found no trace of the giant snake, only a shed skin of enormous size.

The snake skin was proof enough; they took it back as evidence of their accomplishment. With the soldiers providing escort, the merchants and travelers hurried through, entering Suzhou at last. As for the return journey, with the threat still unresolved, only a different route would suffice.

As they crossed the gorge, Chen Jianchen glanced back from the carriage, gazing at the vast mountain range behind. Suddenly, he noticed a swath of trees on the mountainside snapped as if felled by an unseen hand—tree after tree broken, forming a wave that surged through the forest.

In the next moment, Chen Jianchen saw an enormous blue serpent coiled around a towering tree, winding its way up until its massive head emerged atop the canopy, gazing down upon him with what seemed a salutation.

It was a gaze!

Chen Jianchen felt it distinctly—the blue serpent observed him from above, almost like a human.

“There! The snake is there!” someone else, also glancing back, spotted the giant snake in the trees and cried out in terror. At his shout, the crowd looked up, witnessing the shocking scene. Some went weak at the knees and collapsed to the ground.

But quickly, the giant snake slid down the tree and vanished into the boundless forest.

Throughout the episode, the general and his hundred soldiers saw it as well, yet not one dared suggest pursuing the snake into the mountain. Such a creature was utterly terrifying, unheard of, clearly out of the ordinary—who would dare provoke it? A grown man, bitten by this snake, would hardly fill its jaws.

They could only hurry back to the city to report to the magistrate, who would decide how to proceed, perhaps summoning some eccentric experts to subdue it.

The carriages rattled swiftly toward Suzhou, but inside, Chen Jianchen’s mood was dampened. Recalling the scene, he felt something was amiss—could the giant serpent truly be cultivating a monster’s form?

This world was growing ever more bizarre, turbulent, and unpredictable…