Chapter 14, The Golden-Banded Viper King

Translator: StarReader

 

About ten miles west of Gusu County City lay a range of mountains stretching endlessly, their peaks resembling an arched dome, majestic and deep, with a solemn grayish hue that gave them their name, Vaulting Mountains.

 

At the foot of these mountains, lakes were scattered like stars in the night sky, their surface serene and obscuring their depths, leaving one breathless with wonder.

 

Beyond Vaulting Mountains, to the west, lay Vastest Lake, its surface shimmering with rolling waves across a vast expanse.

 

Su Chen didn’t venture near the lake. It was the lair of one of the five major martial gangs in the Wu Region—the Whale Gang. This feared group controlled an army of pirates, dominating Vastest Lake and frequently plundering merchants traveling along the region’s rivers. They also oppressed the fishermen in the Wu Region, even bullying the regional governor’s office into submission.

 

Vaulting Mountain was distant from Gusu County City, its deep forests and rugged terrain creating a desolate, uninhabited wilderness. Even the ordinary hunters of Gusu County City didn’t venture far into the woods, hunting on the outskirts.

 

Su Chen, wearing the Medicine King Group outer disciple blue robe, was carrying a large medicine basket and holding an axe as he pushed through tangled shrubs, searching for traces of the golden-banded viper among cliffs, valleys, and streams.

 

Under the scorching sun in the old forest, poisonous insects frequently bit him.

 

Su Chen gathered some herbs, crushed them into a strong-smelling green juice, and spread it on his exposed skin to drive away mosquitoes and ants.

 

When thirsty, he drank a few mouthfuls of mountain stream water.

 

When hungry, he picked wild fruits, hunted wild chickens and rabbits, coated them with salt, and roasted them to satisfy his hunger.

 

Su Chen had cultivated for five or six months in the Medicine King Estate in entry-level martial arts. He was no longer the weak boy of old; his hands alone could easily lift at least thirty kilograms. With one swing of his axe, he could split a small tree. He moved swiftly over mountains and streams.

 

At night, he lit a fire to keep the wolves away.

 

On lucky occasions, Su Chen gathered one or two rare herbs like Red Blood Vine, Snake Muscle Grass, and Bearhide Grass from streamsides or rocks. These low-grade body-strengthening herbs replenished blood, strengthened muscles, and improved the skin.

 

They were worth at least one or two hundred copper coins. If they were more than ten years old, their value could even reach five hundred copper coins or more.

 

For Su Chen, these herbs represented an unexpected surprise that he was happy to collect, tossing them into his basket.

 

Once he returned home, he planned to use them to strengthen his Lower Dantian, nurturing his vitality and improving his cultivation.

 

Su Chen was still quite far from reaching the initial activation of his Lower Dantian. Without these herbs to aid him, it would take much longer for him to become a third-grade practitioner, someone with significantly increased martial arts abilities. Even within the Medicine King Group’s Errand Hall, he could at least become a low-ranking attendant rather than remaining at the very bottom as a nameless errand boy.

 

Deep within the mountains, there were tigers and wolves, making it dangerous for even low-level disciples to venture into the forest. Su Chen, who had risked coming here to hunt a golden-banded viper, didn’t linger more than he needed. If he were to lose his life, all the herbs he collected would be for naught.

 

“Regardless of how this mountain expedition turns out—whether my experiment fails and I’m eventually discarded by my master and relegated to become an errand disciple at Errand Hall—I will continue to cultivate relentlessly. My goal is to become a third-grade martial artist as soon as possible. The strength is enough to match someone from the Security Hall, no worse off than other senior brothers.”

 

Su Chen carried a heavy basket, wiped the sweat from his brow, and mentally spurred himself on…

 

After nearly two days of trudging through the dense mountains and hacking through thick underbrush, he grew tired and sat down on a rock to rest. He wiped the sweat from his face with a rough cloth.

 

Two full days had passed without success—he’d only gathered a few cheap herbs here and there, worth no more than a handful of copper coins. There was still no sign of the golden-banded viper.

 

He also encountered several other venomous snakes, such as the bamboo leaf viper and mountain viper, but their venom differed in potency and couldn’t be used interchangeably. Only the golden-banded viper’s venom held a unique property that could aid in his practice of Turtle Breath, helping to seal off the six senses.

 

Su Chen looked dejected and somewhat downtrodden.

 

He had taken three days off from Li Kui. If by tonight’s sunset he couldn’t find the golden-banded snake in Vaulting Mountain, he’d have to head back to Medicine King Estate tomorrow, likely empty-handed.

 

After resting for a while, as the sky began to darken and his strength renewed, Su Chen pressed on with his search, racing against time.

 

Having climbed a mountain ridge nearly three hundred feet high, Su Chen caught sight of a towering ancient cypress tree ahead. Beneath its shade grew a wild ginseng, its vibrant top adorned with a cluster of striking red seeds emitting a faintly alluring aroma. Estimating by the number of leaves, it was likely thirty or forty years old.

 

“A wild ginseng!” Su Chen was momentarily startled, quickly followed by delight. The older the wild ginseng, the more potent its nourishing effects—and correspondingly, the more expensive it became. In the county’s herbal shops, a ten-year-old ginseng could cost one tael of silver, while one thirty or forty years old would go for at least three to five taels—a fortune beyond his reach, something he dared not even fantasize about.

 

His lifelong strange illness—with no cure in sight—was precisely what made this wild ginseng so invaluable. With it, he wouldn’t have to worry about buying one when his condition inevitably flared up again. The mere thought of possessing such a treasure filled him with exhilaration.

 

Wild ginseng not only could replenish his spirit but was also an important herb for cultivating the Middle Dantian. During the process of cultivating internal True Qi, herbs could be used to enhance one’s sense of Qi. This meant that if his illness didn’t flare again, by the time he cultivated Middle Dantian, this wild ginseng would still be useful to him. Being able to harvest such a valuable herb worth three or five taels of silver was not a bad outcome for this mountain expedition.

 

Su Chen was greatly pleased and unsheathed the small knife strapped to his calf, intending to go and pick the wild ginseng. At that moment, he made an astonishing discovery: on the ground near the wild ginseng, there were faint traces of white marks resembling snake saliva.

 

“Snake drool… Could there be a snake lurking around the wild ginseng?” Su Chen raised his guard and kept his distance. He observed the underbrush around the ancient cypress tree and soon noticed that behind the wild ginseng, one foot away, in a concealed spot covered by a pile of tangled grass, there was a deep cave larger than a bowl.

 

In the dimly lit cave, two glints were faintly seen, flickering occasionally. A faint smell of snake would flow out.

 

“A viper!”

 

Su Chen spotted them, and his pupils shrunk. He was shocked and drew in a sharp breath.

 

Fortunately, the venomous snake lurking nearby had not attacked him when he approached earlier.

 

The cave’s entrance, half a foot wide, likely housed a particularly dangerous serpent. It must be hiding there, luring other prey with the scent of the medicinal plant. The aroma would attract greedy mountain birds and wild rabbits to feed on it.

 

Su Chen waited for half an hour, hoping to see if the venomous snake would come out. However, he was outdone by the snake’s patience as it remained motionless inside the cave, guarding its bait.

 

Su Chen was growing increasingly anxious, not wanting to wait any longer.

 

It wouldn’t be long before nightfall, and once darkness came, he would struggle to see, making him no match for that viper. Moreover, in the morning, he had to set out on his journey back to the Medicine King Estate. He couldn’t afford to waste time sparring with this serpent. If he angered Master Li Kui and brought down his displeasure, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

 

Su Chen scanned the area around the ancient cypress tree and noticed a pile of dry grass on the ground. An idea struck him.

 

He gathered a small bundle of dried grass, retrieved a flint stone from his pocket, and lit the grass, which sent up a choking, eye-watering plume of smoke. He covered the fire with large tree leaves, fanning to force the smoke into the cave.

 

Snakes detested smoke; this would surely drive it out.

 

Soon there was movement within the cave. The viper, thoroughly tormented by the smoke, could no longer bear to stay inside.

 

“Sssss!”

 

A serpent over ten feet in length rushed out of the cave, its fanged mouth snapping menacingly as it hissed, its viperous eyes brimming with rage and hatred, locked firmly on Su Chen, who stood not far away.

 

With gold and black rings, it was a viper king. Having occupied this place for years, it had devoured countless lives, only to be driven out of its cave by the nauseating smoke from this creature—it was an unimaginable humiliation. It vowed to teach this upstart a lesson.

 

“Golden-banded viper king!”

 

Su Chen poured the smoky concoction into the cave and retreated several meters away. As the massive viper emerged, he gasped in astonishment.

 

He hadn’t found even a trace of the viper he needed after two days of searching. Yet here he was; not only had he stumbled upon a ginseng that was at least thirty years old, but he had also come across this golden-banded viper—a stroke of sheer dumb luck.

 

What filled Su Chen with both awe and fear was that this was no ordinary snake. It was a fully grown golden-banded viper, as thick as a person’s thigh, at least sixteen feet in length, and far more imposing than he could ever hope to match. The sheer size of it struck dread into his heart.

 

This was a viper king, incredibly fierce. Its bite would kill an adult jackal on the spot.

 

Su Chen felt fear and almost wanted to flee immediately.

 

He was merely a martial arts initiate, a far cry from a third-rate practitioner. He aimed for a common golden-banded viper, not the king variety.

 

However, the wild ginseng was too tempting.

 

It was hard to find a ginseng worth three or five taels of silver in the mountains; a rare treasure indeed. If he could get his hands on this ginseng, he wouldn’t have to worry about his illness for over a year.

 

Su Chen forced himself not to flee and kept a nervous eye on the viper king as he cautiously backed away with his axe, maintaining a distance of over fifty feet.

 

As a disciple of the Medicine King Group, he knew much about the habits of snakes. At close range, their strike speed was deadly, able to attack multiple times in mere moments—faster than even a third-rate practitioner’s attacks.

 

The venom of the golden-banded viper was extremely potent. One bite would render a bull weighing several hundred kilograms inert.

 

This was no ordinary golden-banded viper—it was the king of its kind, with a massive body measuring over ten feet in length. Just being wrapped by its colossal body would be enough to suffocate and kill a person, even without the venom taking effect.

 

Su Chen was well aware of his own limitations. Compared to the viper king, he lacked both the strength and speed needed to match it in close combat.

 

Fortunately, snakes had a fatal weakness: their movement speed was slow, comparable to that of a child’s running pace. As long as Su Chen maintained a sufficient distance, attacking from afar, he would be safe. The snake couldn’t catch him, nor could it escape.

 

Su Chen saw an opportunity to slay this formidable golden-banded viper king, which far exceeded his own abilities in terms of sheer ferocity.

 

…

 

The great body of the golden-ringed cobra moved slowly, gliding with ease. Its cold eyes fixated on the cautious opponent nearly fifteen meters away.

 

In this dense mountain forest, human traces were rare. In the past, it had encountered mostly insignificant foes like birds, rabbits, and wild chickens. Even the most ferocious adult jackals or strong elk were no match for it; a single bite would end their lives.

 

However, the few fierce eagles that soared in the skies posed a threat to it. The viper usually hid within the depths of its cave, remaining still and undetected by the birds. If a powerful enemy approached its lair, it remained concealed inside.

 

Upon discovering prey that grew careless and ventured within two meters of its cave, the viper would spring out instantly. With one swift bite, it injected venom into its victim and held fast. Soon, the prey would stiffen from the poison and lose the ability to resist, ultimately being devoured whole.

 

But the creature before it was clearly different from any opponent it had faced before. It used smoke to drive it out of the cave—this must be the most cunning foe it had encountered in decades, hidden deep in the mountains.