Chapter 58: Big Snake's Mischief

People had grown accustomed to aligning their routines with the natural flow of time. Even in his current circumstances, Ji Yuan eventually got some sleep. But after the harrowing lesson at the Mountain God's Temple on Ox Kui Mountain, Ji Yuan never again fell into a deep slumber.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Ji Yuan awoke when the first rooster crowed in the village. This was likely in the first half of the fifth watch, which would be around 3 AM in his previous life.

People of this era always had a strange psychology; even those afraid of the dark would subconsciously feel a little safer hearing a rooster crow, even if they knew dawn was still far off. Ji Yuan was no exception.

This wasn't unfounded. Ji Yuan had learned a good deal of useful basic knowledge during several conversations with the City God of Ning'an County. Ghosts, for instance, rarely feared the sun. Even demons, before they reached a certain level of power, couldn't withstand the sun's energy, and therefore disliked daytime.

Hearing the rooster's call now, Ji Yuan also felt much more relaxed. Seeing the old man inside still deeply asleep, Ji Yuan decided to try and catch a little more sleep.

Outside, the sky was still dim. In a small courtyard in the northeastern corner of Shanghegou Village, a traveling merchant who had stayed the night got out of bed, yawning.

"Hah...ho..."

Looking at the others still sound asleep beside him, the awakened man put on a coat and stumbled out of the room.

Rooster calls sounded occasionally, but after stepping out of the courtyard, he didn't see anyone else stirring, confirming that it was indeed still early.

"The latrine... the latrine... over there!"

He walked quite a distance before spotting a latrine building by the village wall.

It was a small, rectangular, sloping building, distinctly different from the surrounding houses, making it easy to identify. As he approached, the stench immediately hit him, rousing him considerably.

He opened the straw door of one of the stalls, and a terrible stench immediately billowed out.

"Ugh... This village's latrine is just too dirty!"

If it had been a minor need, he wouldn't have hesitated to relieve himself outside, but this was for a "big one," so he had no choice but to brave it and go in.

As he took his first step inside, he felt something soft and squishy underfoot.

"Damn it all! This is the worst luck in eight lifetimes!"

Muttering curses, he still squatted down inside, hastily finished his business, tore off a couple handfuls of the straw that made up the latrine's walls to use as toilet paper, and then practically leaped out of the outhouse as if fleeing.

"Ugh, damn, that's disgusting!"

He was practically shuffling, dragging one foot, and his hands also seemed quite unclean.

Finally unable to bear it, and knowing it was still a walk back to the courtyard where he was sleeping, he wasn't sure if there was water in the water vat there. He looked at the small river outside, hesitated for a moment, then walked towards it.

The wattle fence gate by the river was simply secured with a wooden pin. The merchant shook his hands, slid open the pin, and squeezed through the gap in the door.

"Woof woof woof... Woof woof woof woof..."

Dog barks rang out behind him. He instinctively looked back and saw a dog with glowing green eyes, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

"Woof woof woof woof..." "Woof woof woof..."

"Woof woof woof... Woof woof woof woof..."

Originally there had been just one dog, but now several had gathered, all barking furiously at him.

"Damn these mongrel dogs! What are you howling about?! If you dare bite me, I'll butcher you and make dog stew!"

He pretended to be fierce, yelling at the dogs and quickly squatting down as if to pick up a stone. Sure enough, several dogs instinctively jumped back a few steps.

"Good that you know how strong I am!"

Meanwhile, the incessant dog barking immediately woke Ji Yuan up again. This time, the barking continued non-stop, disturbing many households closer to the riverbank.

Ji Yuan waited a while but heard no signs of the barking subsiding; in fact, it seemed to be getting fiercer. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to stay put any longer.

"Hmph... I'll go out and see!"

With a swift movement, Ji Yuan got out of bed, put on his clothes, glanced at the still sleeping old man, and then walked to the table. He took out the fire striker from its holder, blew on it, and the sparks grew stronger.

He touched the wick of the oil lamp on the table, and with a breath, a flame flickered to life.

He put the fire striker away, then glanced again at the sleeping old man. Ji Yuan extended his hand and waved his sleeve, and the flame from the oil lamp was instantly drawn into his sleeve.

'I'll see if it's a human or a ghost!'

Composing himself, Ji Yuan slowly slid open the bolt, gently opened the wooden door, stepped out, and then quietly closed the door behind him.

Looking east, a faint white line was already visible on the distant horizon.

"Hmph!"

He stomped his foot with force, and Ji Yuan instantly shot upwards, landing on the roof of a nearby single-story house. With another light touch, he cast an illusion spell and glided, robes and long hair trailing, towards the northeast of the village, in the direction of the barking.

***

By the riverbank, the merchant first washed his hands, then took off his shoes, grabbed a handful of weeds from the bank, dipped them in the water, and began scrubbing the soles and sides of his shoes.

"Splash... splash..."

A splashing sound came from a distance, startling him, and he looked up. A disturbed swirl of water on the river, a little further away, was fading.

'Perhaps it's just fish feeding...'

Though he thought this, he still sped up, quickly scrubbing the soles of his shoes.

"Splash... splash..."

Another splashing sound occurred, but this time it was a little further away on the bank.

"Oh, it's so smelly... How annoying!"

A soft, delicate voice, tinged with slight annoyance, sounded nearby.

The young merchant, who was washing his shoes, peered over and, in the dim light, saw a pale shape hiding by the bank.

"Oh! What are you looking at? Don't look!"

"Oh, oh, oh... My apologies, lady, my apologies! I had no idea you were bathing here..."

Though the merchant said this, his heart was already soaring with excitement.

"I thought no one would be out. When you came, I had to hide in a corner of the bank and wait for you to leave, but who knew you, you!"

The merchant looked at the shoes in his hands, then at the direction of the flowing water, immediately feeling embarrassed. He hastily hid the shoes behind his back.

"Uh... I..."

"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and leave! I need to get out; the water is disgusting!"

"Oh, oh, oh, I'll turn away immediately, right away!"

The merchant took a deep breath. While he said he would turn away, his heart pounded much faster than before. That fleeting glimpse had stirred an irrepressible excitement within him.

The "splash" of water caused the merchant to instinctively imagine a scene of romantic beauty.

"Woof woof woof... Woof woof woof woof..." "Woof woof... Woof woof woof..."

"Woof woof woof woof... Uh... Woof woof woof..."

The dog barking from the village intensified manifold. Many yellow and black dogs gathered by the wattle fence, drawing the merchant's gaze towards the distant dogs within the fence.

"Ah..." "Splash..."

"Lady, are you alright?"

The merchant turned around, both nervous and excited, running two steps forward but then stopping. He didn't see the woman come ashore, so naturally, he didn't see the sight he had hoped for.

"Hmph... I was just about to get out, but the dogs startled me, and I tripped... My leg, my leg can't move..."

There was a pause, as if the woman hiding in the water by the bank was gritting her teeth in an internal struggle.

"Young master, could... could you come help me up?"

"Is this... is this appropriate?!"

Although the merchant said this, his steps were remarkably swift. He quickly ran to that spot on the bank and looked down, seeing a delicate, snow-white figure huddled in the water, only partially visible.

The woman extended one slender hand, while the other protected her chest. Her face was turned away, and she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"Young master, please help me up..."

At this point, the merchant's blood was practically boiling. He swallowed hard and reached out with both hands to pull her...

"Splash... splash..."

The merchant was pulled into the water, but surprisingly, he looked utterly delighted, now pressed extremely close to the woman in the water.

***

Ji Yuan moved swiftly across the village rooftops, against the wind, following the densest concentration of dog barks. Along the way, he saw many households near the river, awakened by the commotion, coming out draped in clothes to see what was happening.

Gliding to the roof of the outermost house, his nose already detected a foul, bloody stench. Following the scent with his gaze, Ji Yuan immediately opened his pale eyes wide, ignoring any strain.

By the river a little further away, a large snake was flickering in and out of sight in the water, yet it was perfectly clear to Ji Yuan's eyes.

Near the snake's head was a phantom-like female figure. A young man, his clothes soaking wet, was coiled by the snake, gazing at its head with a look of utter infatuation, being slowly drawn towards its wide-open maw.

In that moment, countless thoughts, perhaps involving multiple internal struggles, flashed through Ji Yuan's mind. The spiritual energy within him surged restlessly, transforming after only a second or two into a thundering roar that burst from his mouth.

"Fiend! How dare you use an illusion to lure a sacrifice!"