Chapter 78

The vipers moved undoubtedly quickly, especially since, this time, the Clan Head had summoned them together and, while the Clan Head could summon them, the Clan Heads rarely did so. For many of the vipers alive now, this was the first time they’d heard the call ¹ . So it was with a sense of excitement that they slithered to Mo Laoda – hey hey hey! WTF ² was with all the noise?! The Clan Head summoning everyone is a solemn occurrence, okay!

Time passed and it was evening of the next day. Vipers within a thousand li radius continuously arrived.

Although most of the vipers already knew that the Clan Head had changed hands and knew that the Mo snake “Mo Laoda” had become the new Clan Head, the majority of the vipers had never before seen Mo Laoda. Since Mo Laoda’s body was over ten meters long, the upper half of his body was already taller than every other viper present, so there was no need for this Clan Head to go and find somewhere high to stand, unlike the previous Clan Head. Mo Laoda stood in the center. The vipers surrounded him, all heads tilted upwards, waiting for Mo Laoda to speak.

Yin Xiaoxiao, who hadn’t joined the circle, watched this scene and in a low voice muttered, “Why, it feels like watching monkeys at a zoo.”

“What?” Wang Yanzhen, standing beside Yin Xiaoxiao, asked without thinking. Just recently, had he really heard the three characters for “zoo”?

…Yin Xiaoxiao did not speak.

“Everyone was summoned this time for one very important matter which should be told to everyone,” Mo Laoda, with an exceptionally serious face, loudly declared. “Many humans have entered the boundary!”

As soon as Mo Laoda’s final word was spoken, there was an uproar.

“Calm!” Mo Laoda said, voice serious. When the scene was calm again, Mo Laoda opened his mouth again, “Surely everyone is not unfamiliar with these creatures, humans. In our inherited memories, humans are one of the targets we are required to handle! This time the humans entered because they want the precious objects we are guarding! We absolutely cannot let these humans go free!”

The scene once more became chaotic. All the vipers were making an unnecessary racket.

“Oh my, humans in the inherited memories are very hard to handle.”

“Wrong! The humans in the inherited memories are the best to deal with! It’s magicians and monsters and the rest that are hard to handle!”

“Kill all humans! Kill all humans!”

“What do humans even look like? Do they look like us?”

….

Mo Laoda waited until some tranquility had returned to the scene and then said, “I know that everyone here probably hasn’t seen a human before, so I brought a live human so everyone can take a look. If such an ugly creature is seen, then it is surely a human.” Having said that, Mo Laoda turned to face Wang Yanzhen.

All the vipers present, nearly a thousand in total, turned to look at Wang Yanzhen.

Wang Yanzhen: “….”

Yin Xiaoxiao silently retreated a few steps. He seemed to be standing in a very bad spot.

“Heavens! Unexpectedly, humans look so ugly!”

“Oh dear, don’t look! Take care or be blinded!”

“They actually walk on two legs, huh! I recall that pheasants also walk on two legs!”

Wang Yanzhen felt grief and indignation. ‘My life is difficult ³ ! I’ve fallen into the hands of a group of snakes…or rather, tails, and I also even have to accept their mockery!’

“Eh? I seem to have seen creatures like this before.”

Mo Laoda’s line of sight fell on a Huang snake. “You’ve seen a human before?”

Quiet descended on the scene. Everyone’s gaze focused on the Huang snake.

That Huang snake didn’t answer Mo Laoda’s question, instead first slithering over to face Wang Yanzhen then, after meticulously examining Wang Yanzhen, stated with assurance, “That’s right, I’ve seen humans before! Even though several decades have passed, I will never forget such an ugly creature!”

Wang Yanzhen: Is it possible to stop adding “such an ugly creature”?

That Huang snake continued to say, “I remember that, decades ago, my older brother was having a marriage ceremony. Dozens of these creatures, no, dozens of these humans suddenly intruded on the ceremony and launched an attack on us. In our rage, we wiped out all those humans then waited there to kill future waves!”

“Humans really are too repulsive!”

“Exactly, exactly! They dared interrupt a marriage ceremony.”

“Humans really are too ridiculous. So small and weak, yet they dare to attack us vipers first!”

Mo Laoda looked at the Mo snakes in the crowd and said, “Talk about this matter later. Now it’s important to dispatch the humans who had entered a few days ago. I, as Clan Head, order all snakes present to divide into nine groups, each led by a Mo snake. Each group is to separate and head in different directions to search for the humans. If any humans are encountered, kill them with no mercy!” After a pause, he added, “Some Hong snakes and Lan snakes, remain.”

The crowd of vipers spoke in unison, “Understood!” (Suddenly it feels like a historical danmei…)

Mo Laoda: “Good, dismissed. Form into groups and set off.”

The crowd of vipers dispersed to go and form groups and then – gathered around Yin Xiaoxiao.

“Hey, you are the Clan Head’s future partner, right?!”

“Really is a Yin snake, huh. Looks small.”

“The Clan Head’s future partner doesn’t look fully grown.”

Mo Laoda stood to the side, laughing hard and enjoying the commotion.

Yin Xiaoxiao couldn’t bear it anymore and didn’t need to bear it. “Now! Immediately! Depart! To go and look for humans!”

The vipers of this crowd were clever and, in unison, replied, “Understood!”

Watching the scattering crowd of vipers, Yin Xiaoxiao used his tail to wipe “sweat” off his forehead. These snakes really were formidable.

“Future partners?” Wang Yanzhen had an odd expression on his face. The snakes had said partner. Did they mean what he thought they meant?

Yin Xiaoxiao looked askance at Wang Yanzhen. “It’s what you think! Oh, that’s right. I didn’t tell you. For the snake clans, male and male can form partnerships/get married and even have baby snakes. And to let you know, if you stay here, you can also give birth to babies!”

Wang Yanzhen’s face no longer had a strange expression. Instead, he looked frightened.

Yin Xiaoxiao made a show of being very earnest and nodded his head. “So, really, think carefully. I can’t look after you forever. You had better go and find a partner.”

Yin Xiaoxiao turned his back on Wang Yanzhen’s blank face. A smile tugged at the corners of his ⁴ mouth and he slithered away. Standing not far away, Mo Laoda glanced at Wang Yanzhen, but didn’t explain anything. Mo Laoda stood, thinking, then slithered over to Yin Xiaoxiao. “Little Idiot, I need to talk about something with you.”

“What?”

“Can you lend Wang Yanzhen to me?”

“Lend to you?” Yin Xiaoxiao was puzzled. “Didn’t you grab him? Anyway, he’s not mine. Don’t hesitate to take him and use him.”

“You forget that I grabbed him for you. Wang Yanzhen is yours, not mine.” Mo Laoda shook his head and said.

Yin Xiaoxiao suddenly understood. He waved his tail, indifferently. “Don’t hesitate to take him, don’t hesitate to take him. I’ve already lost interest in him.”

Wang Yanzhen who had recently teased ⁵ a woman: “….!!”

So, Mo Laoda turned back to those present, Mo Dayi and those few Lan snakes and Hong snakes, and ordered, “Dayi, you and these clansmen bring Wang Yanzhen back to the mountain. Make sure all the snakes on the mountain can recognize humans. By now, all the parents or fathers and papas should have already returned. Make sure that they’re focused on the young snakes, and that the young snakes are protected day and night. Additionally, I also commanded some snakes to return to defend the mountain and to try and stop any humans from getting to the mountain. Dayi, after you leave, don’t return. You’re in charge of the mountain and the mountain’s defense.” Mo Laoda thought for a bit then said, “And have Mo Damo rush over here.”

Mo Dayi and the Hong snakes and Lan snakes nodded.

Mo Dayi asked, “What’s to be done with this human when at the mountain?”

Mo Laoda had just barely thought to answer when Yin Xiaoxiao got to it first, “Find a cave, assign some snakes to guard this human, and don’t let him escape.”

Mo Laoda: “Do as Xiaoxiao says.”

Mo Dayi agreed, and, through the night, the snakes hurried Wang Yanzhen down the mountain. And so, Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao were the only two snakes remaining here.

Although nearly a thousand vipers had listened and obeyed Mo Laoda’s marching orders, in terms of this mountain range, a thousand vipers were nothing and they could only see that they couldn’t find them.

Of course, the vipers could rely on their keen sense of smell to find the humans, but the humans who’d entered weren’t stupid. They knew that the snake tomb was famous for snakes. They, of course, brought chemicals to hide their scent and chemicals to repel snakes. Naturally, for the vipers, this caused greater difficulty in their search.

The first unlucky team was a group of eleven, led by a middle-aged woman and which was composed mainly of women. They also wore special clothes to enter the snake tomb, but the blisteringly hot weather inside the snake tomb made the women in the ranks have terrible headaches. After walking for several days in the snake tomb without encountering snakes, most of the women thought that the information about the snakes being in the snake tomb was wrong. As a result, they relaxed their guard and changed into the normal clothes they’d carried with them. This included the leader. There were only five men who couldn’t do anything about it and could only allow these women to do what they wanted.

The event happened in the late afternoon. The group had been resting under a large tree when a Bai snake found them.

The Bai snake was very excited. It seemed as though it were the first to find this group of humans and, after this, would definitely have bragging rights. However, the Bai snake had never before fought humans and didn’t dare be overconfident. Seeing that the humans under the tree seemed to have no interest in moving for a while, the Bai snake quietly memorized the location and left to find other vipers.

After only a short moment, the group of eleven was surrounded by dozens of vipers, and the humans hadn’t become even a little aware of this.

The dozens of vipers slowly approached the humans. The circle surrounding them slowly became smaller and smaller. Conflict could happen at any moment.

A thick and solid Bai snake moved through the underbrush, moving ever closer to the humans. But the underbrush was no longer enough to conceal faintly shining scales under sunlight.

“There’s a snake!” A man, who was the first to notice, immediately shouted.

The humans present were alarmed and searched in all directions. They discovered even more vipers surrounding them. The middle-aged woman leading the group had had time to think and sternly said, “Everyone, avoid the trees and stay together! Arm yourselves! Take care not to be bitten by snakes!”

By this time, it was obviously too late to change clothes. The middle-aged woman could only ensure that everyone stood together to defend against the snake attack.

Tear gas, flares, pistols, hand grenades, etc etc – other weapons, one by one, were drawn for battle. Everyone nervously and cautiously observed their surroundings. The snakes were no longer hidden and had appeared facing the humans. Both sides stared at each other, trying to find weaknesses in the other side.

The first significant confrontation between humans and the snake clans was about to be staged.

T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>added for clarity 闹哪样: literally means the trouble/noise, but is used to contemptuously ask ‘what are you doing? ’ 我容易: literally translates as ‘I am easy’, is used online to mean that life is suffering and was popularized by videos posted online. YXX 调戏: can mean molest or tease or flirt with the opposite sex</ol>