Chapter 134: Bitten!

My entire leg went numb in an instant. Driven by an unknown surge of strength, I kicked her away with all my might and stumbled back several paces.

I looked down at my calf where I had been bitten. Beyond the blood gushing from the two rows of teeth marks, a separate stream of blood was flowing directly from the center of the wound!

The numbness in my leg intensified rapidly until all sensation vanished. Around me, the two-headed snakes were slithering over my body, some snapping their jaws, others flicking their forked tongues.

I’m done for!

Suddenly, a rooster slammed into me. The blood spilling from it splashed all over my body, and the two-headed snakes immediately recoiled and scrambled away.

Old Man Ma rushed over with agile movements. He slapped the top of Sanhou's mother’s head, causing her body to jerk violently. A two-headed snake crawled out of her mouth, and Old Man Ma kicked it onto the spilled rooster blood on the ground. As soon as the creature touched the blood, it withered instantly and began writhing on the spot.

I collapsed to the ground, clutching my paralyzed leg as the numbness spread upward, creeping across my body.

Old Man Ma’s expression shifted. "Damn it! You’ve been bitten! Brace yourself!"

He grabbed the rooster that had been thrown at me, twisted its neck, and poured its blood directly over my bite. A piercing, soul-wrenching pain shot through my entire leg, and I couldn't help but scream in agony!

Old Man Ma soaked my leg thoroughly with the rooster blood until it ran dry, then cast the dead bird aside.

My leg felt nothing but raw, searing pain. Covered in sweat, I gasped for air.

"Where is the wooden charm I gave you?" Old Man Ma demanded urgently.

I pointed toward the child.

Old Man Ma said nothing more. He braced my arm, supported my weight, and we moved quickly toward the house.

As we neared the yellow mud house, Tu'e ran over. "What happened?"

"He was bitten by a snake! Help me get him inside, I need to get my gear!" Old Man Ma commanded.

Tu'e helped me into the living room and sat me down. Old Man Ma bolted to his room and returned with his backpack.

He took out his flask, poured some of the liquid over my bitten leg, and made me drink two mouthfuls. A pungent, strong scent of cilantro exploded in my mouth. At that point, there was no time to worry about feeling sick—saving my life was all that mattered!

Once the flask was empty, Old Man Ma ordered Tu'e, "Take off his pants!"

I shuddered and immediately protested, "No! Spare me some dignity!"

"Do you want your dignity or your life?" Old Man Ma asked, his tone stern and absolute.

"I—I'll do it myself!"

I undid my pants, and without a word, Old Man Ma grabbed the pant leg and ripped it away. My entire leg was swollen and bright red. He took out his talisman brush, slit the neck of another rooster, and began painting rapidly on my leg with the blood. The pain intensified, becoming an excruciating, heart-rending torture!

I screamed in agony and began to thrash.

"Hold him down!" Old Man Ma ordered.

Tu'e grabbed me with both hands. He was a big, strong man, and despite my struggles, I couldn't budge. The waves of intense pain were enough to make one wish for death.

I was in agony, nearly numb, and I have no idea how long it took before Old Man Ma finally stopped. I was utterly drained, unable to move a muscle.

I looked weakly at my leg. It was covered in talismans, and a flow of black blood was oozing from the bite wound. It welled up in a steady, unending stream.

Only when the black blood had drained away did Old Man Ma let out a long breath and put down his brush.

"You’re a magnet for these things, which is why I gave you that wooden charm earlier," Old Man Ma said.

My leg still throbbed, but the pain had subsided significantly. I asked weakly, "Why do I attract these things?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. Your yin energy isn't heavy, your fate isn't fragile, and there's nothing wrong with you. I have no idea why they keep targeting you."

"So, am I safe now?" I asked.

"For now. You’re lucky to be alive. Anyone else would have been finished after a bite like that. You only had the venom spread to one leg, so you can still be saved," Old Man Ma replied.

I let out a sigh of relief. No matter what, my life was at least preserved.

A villager hurried in. Seeing my state, he paused before asking, "The snakes in the village have all been killed. What about the ones blocked outside the village perimeter?"

"Keep sprinkling rooster blood to drive them away. Be careful not to cross the line," Old Man Ma said.

The man acknowledged the order and then looked at me. "Was he bitten by a snake?"

"That's none of your concern; get back to work!" Old Man Ma snapped.

The villager didn't ask again and hurried away.

Old Man Ma shouted after him, "And don't kill all the roosters! Leave two alive!"

Once the villager was gone, Old Man Ma looked at me. "You won't be walking on that leg for a while. Keeping your life and your leg is a blessing from the heavens."

I was just glad to be alive, though I wondered how long it would take for the swelling to go down.

Old Man Ma told Tu'e to look after me and went back outside to help.

Outside, the air was filled with noise and frantic activity. By the time dawn approached, Old Man Ma returned, saying the snakes had finally retreated. Other than Sanhou's mother and myself, there were no other casualties—a stroke of luck in a dire situation.

All the village roosters had been slaughtered, save for the two Old Man Ma had ordered to be kept alive.

After the night’s events, it was clear there were far more two-headed snakes than we had imagined. These were likely just a fraction of the total number, and we had no idea what the situation was like deep in the forest. Dousing them with black dog blood was no longer an option. With them retreating to their lair, Old Man Ma made the decision to burn the mountain! He intended to burn it all to the ground.

It was a decisive plan, but the execution was immensely difficult. There was so much to prepare. First, they had to cut a firebreak to prevent the blaze from spreading uncontrollably. That alone was a massive undertaking, and given how densely the forest had been planted, it was hard to say how long it would take. Furthermore, they had to be constantly wary of two-headed snakes darting out. Since the village population was limited, they had to bring in outside help.

The list of tasks was endless. No one knew if the snakes had truly gone far enough away, so the two living roosters were kept by Old Man Ma to allow us to move in and out of the area safely—as long as we were smeared with rooster blood, the snakes wouldn't dare approach.

The men scrambled to make preparations, while the women took charge of organizing and cooking; we needed to be well-fed to have the strength for the work ahead.

With one leg rendered useless, I couldn't walk and couldn't help. I had tried to offer a hand to the women cooking, but they complained I was in the way and shooed me off. I ended up having to lean on a wooden staff, sitting to the side and watching them work.

To think I was supposed to be Old Man Ma’s apprentice—everyone else was fine, and only my leg was ruined. It felt humiliating just thinking about it.

By high noon, everything was ready: roosters, black dogs, sickles, saws, chainsaws, and kerosene. The reinforcements from other villages had arrived, and they sat at tables to share a meal before beginning the work. All the roosters slaughtered the night before were cooked to feed the guests.