Chapter 41: Push the Knife

As Qin Mu ran frantically, he stirred up a strong wind. Granny Si and the blind man rode on its crest, using its force to travel. Just as a wave crest is formed by moving water, a wind crest is formed by moving air; the surge of wind Qin Mu had just created was what they called the "wind crest."

The young man Qin Mu had been carrying immediately dismounted and quickly led the three of them toward his house, urging, "Hurry, all of you, hurry!"

Qin Mu set aside his thoughts about the wind crest and walked to the front of the house. Looking around, he saw that this village was much larger than Disabled Elder Village, home to over a hundred families, and its houses were ancient and simple.

In the courtyard stood a large tree, its canopy overshadowing half of the house. The woman in labor was inside the part of the house shaded by its branches.

A village woman poked her head out of the house and exclaimed, "Her water has broken! Quickly, boil some hot water! Oh, it's the old midwife from Disabled Elder Village! This is wonderful; mother and child will surely be safe now!"

Granny Si surveyed her surroundings, her expression understanding. "Mu'er," she instructed, "open your divine eye and check for anything amiss. If you find anything strange, handle it. I'll go inside to assist with the delivery. Blind man, you must also be cautious; don't let anyone ambush you."

"Divine Firmament Eye, open!"

Qin Mu activated his Divine Firmament Eye and scanned his surroundings. His gaze suddenly fell upon the large tree's dense canopy, sending a shiver down his spine; he nearly cried out in alarm.

What appeared to be the tree's thick trunk was, upon closer inspection, a colossal snake as thick as a water bucket!

The enormous snake was concealed within the tree's canopy, with half of its body deeply embedded in the trunk. The occasional large protrusions on the tree were, in fact, parts of the snake's exposed flesh!

Judging by its visible coils, the snake's length was beyond anything he had ever witnessed. The other half of its body was likely concealed within the tree's roots, buried deep in the soil, making it even larger than the Green Jiao Snake Grandpa Ma and the others had caught!

The entire tree, including its canopy, was shrouded in thick black mist, enveloping the house!

At that moment, the giant snake was flicking its crimson tongue, its head lowered, seemingly inhaling and exhaling towards the room where the woman in labor lay. He couldn't discern what it was doing.

Fearing he might be mistaken, Qin Mu deactivated his Divine Firmament Eye. With his normal vision, the large tree appeared to be just that – a tree, not a snake. Yet, when he reactivated his divine eye, the enormous snake was still coiled in the canopy, clearly waiting to devour the soul of the baby the pregnant woman was about to bear!

Evidently, this large snake had devoured the souls of all the children born to the mistress of this house over the past few years!

Rage surged within him. He uttered in a low voice, "Blind Grandpa..."

The blind man remained calm and unperturbed. He leisurely said, "Granny told me to leave this to you. So handle it. This will be your first hunt. Hurry, the child is about to be born."

Qin Mu composed himself, walked directly to the base of the large tree, and slowly began to regulate his breathing.

His vital qi surged from stillness to motion, fueled by his simmering anger, circulating ever faster and becoming more and more formidable!

The vital qi within him churned with surging power, and his anger burned ever fiercer!

*Clang—*

Suddenly, the pig-slaughtering knife on his back resonated with his surging vital qi, leaping from his back with a clang and shooting above his head!

Qin Mu raised his hand and gripped the knife. His vital qi became wild, surging furiously into the pig-slaughtering knife as he swung it!

He swung the knife with every ounce of his strength!

He unleashed his vital qi and his fury in one explosive, satisfying strike!

*Slash!*

The pig-slaughtering knife in his hand suddenly clanged loudly, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek as it struck the tree trunk with devastating force!

*Thud—*

A loud thud echoed as Qin Mu's strike cut into the tree trunk and the large snake hidden within, but only halfway. The snake's skin, flesh, and bones had been cultivated to an incredible toughness. Even though the pig-slaughtering knife, crafted by the mute, surpassed ordinary spirit weapons, it couldn't sever the snake in two with a single blow!

Qin Mu grabbed the back of the knife with his other hand and pushed with both feet, executing Cripple's leg techniques.

Cripple had taught him that legs are wind, earth, the very root of power!

Now, his feet rooted to the ground, he pushed with sudden force, causing the earth around him to sink with a boom. All his strength erupted as he pushed the back of the knife with one hand, his other hand gripping the hilt tightly, driving the blade forward!

A grating, piercing sound filled the air as the large tree, along with the enormous snake inside it, was cut in half!

Qin Mu steadied his stance, holding the pig-slaughtering knife horizontally before him. Blood streamed from the blade, and the muscles on his back remained taut, still twitching.

Behind him, the towering tree tilted and crashed down.

*Crash—*

The large tree crashed into the courtyard, raising dust everywhere. Suddenly, the fallen tree seemed to come alive!

The large snake, though severed in half, was astonishingly still alive. Its upper body writhed, and a series of continuous popping and bursting sounds erupted as the snake's torso, still embedded in the trunk, tore the tree into splinters. Bark and wood chips flew wildly, even embedding themselves in the walls!

The flung bark and wood chips were more dangerous than spears, whistling sharply through the air, imbued with immense force!

Night Battle, Continuous City Wind and Rain!

The pig-slaughtering knife in Qin Mu's hand flipped and spun, its blade glinting. His previous strike had unleashed concentrated vital qi in a heavy, powerful blow. Now, however, his knife techniques became extraordinarily swift!

The Butcher's knife technique had only one essential principle: speed, more speed, and even more speed!

*Clang, clang, clang, clang—*

A rapid-fire assault of impacts rained down. Countless pieces of bark and wood chips struck Qin Mu's pig-slaughtering knife, making his arms ache and grow numb.

This enormous snake's power far surpassed his own. However, its attention had originally been focused on the woman in labor, preparing to absorb the baby's soul and vital essence the moment it was born.

When an infant is born, its umbilical cord is connected to the mother's placenta, and its vital essence is considered innate. After birth, this innate essence transforms into an acquired form. As the vital essence is not yet fully formed before birth, the snake chose to seize it precisely at the moment of delivery.

It was unknown how the snake had infiltrated this village, hiding within the tree trunk to cultivate and deceiving everyone. Undetected for years, it had greatly increased its cultivation after devouring the souls of several infants. This time, it had expected to smoothly seize the baby's vital essence and soul, but it had failed to notice Qin Mu, who managed to strike it with his knife.

However, despite Qin Mu having severed it in half, the snake would not die immediately.

At that moment, the enormous snake was consumed by a furious rage. Knowing its body was severed and it couldn't survive, it immediately burst free from the tree trunk, opening its bloody maw and lunging at Qin Mu!

A powerful gust of wind assailed Qin Mu's face, making his skin ripple violently and nearly preventing him from opening his eyes.

Without hesitation, Qin Mu slashed forward with his knife like a raging storm. Then, an unimaginable force struck him. The boy grunted, his body violently knocked backward, and with a crash, a large, human-shaped hole was smashed into the courtyard wall!

Before Qin Mu could regain his footing, the two large courtyard gates flew open like paper. The enormous snake had smashed through them, charging fiercely toward him, emitting a foul, bloody odor. Its gaping maw and formidable fangs made Qin Mu's heart tremble. He dared not confront the snake head-on and felt an irresistible urge to call for the blind man's help.

Yet, behind the snake, the blind man stood there, completely unperturbed, paying no attention to the chaotic scene.

A thought flickered in Qin Mu's mind: "Does Blind Grandpa think I can handle this snake? If he believes I can, then I can! Divine Firmament Eye, open!"

His vital qi immediately circulated vigorously, rushing into his eyes and forming layers of magnificent vital qi array patterns, manifesting as complex pupil designs in both his eyes.

With the Divine Firmament Eye activated, he immediately felt as though the world before him had been re-structured. The dimly lit village, the scattered houses, the lunging snake—everything became intensely vivid. He could easily perceive every single movement the enormous snake made.

Qin Mu shifted his stance, narrowly dodging the snake's lunge, and his pig-slaughtering knife sliced across the eye of the snake's head as it passed.

He then leaped up, once more dodging the snake's sweeping body by mere inches.

Every movement of the enormous snake became crystal clear in his eyes. From the muscle patterns beneath its skin to the angles of its exertion, he could clearly discern the snake's next action and thus dodge it.

All of this seemed to happen naturally, requiring no guesswork.

The Divine Firmament Eye, the first level of the Nine Heavens Eye Opening Technique, not only allowed him to see through illusions but also significantly enhanced his perception!

His knife sliced open the pupil of the large snake's left eye, causing it to shriek and hiss in pain. It immediately lunged at Qin Mu, who had just landed, but then its other eye suddenly went black as Qin Mu sliced open its right eye with another swift strike.

The enormous snake suddenly fell silent and still. Qin Mu, too, became quiet and motionless. The boy and the snake stood mere yards apart.

Along both sides of the village road, many villagers had already emerged from their homes to watch, staring blankly at the scene of the eleven- or twelve-year-old boy battling the enormous snake.

It was late, and in the small village of a dozen or so families, the dim light of oil lamps seeped through window frames, casting insufficient light on the path.

Everyone held their breath, daring not to make a sound.

Suddenly, a little girl let out a terrified wail. The enormous snake abruptly moved, slithering frantically towards the girl. It opened its bloody maw and lunged, aiming to bite the family of three, who were frozen in terror!