In the sweltering afternoon, the yellow dog lay in the shade of a tree, sticking out his tongue and panting, and did not move for a long time. At dusk, the sky changed, and suddenly the clouds were dense, the mountains and forests roared, and the birds and animals fled in haste. Gu Boyang looked up at the sky for a while, hesitated for a moment, picked up the basket and strode towards the river. He calculated in his mind that if God would be kind and catch another adult Gelsemium snake before the rainstorm, he would be able to spend the rest of the year safely in the medicine refining hall in the city.
The mountain wind became stronger and stronger, and the river water was like a boiling oil pan, rolling and flowing eastward. Broken branches were caught in the whirlpool, and then were thrown out. They hit the rocks in the center of the river heavily and broke into two parts, revealing the pale branches. Wood core.
Gu Boyang suddenly stopped and became extremely vigilant. He noticed a corpse lying in the low grass. He was dressed in ragged clothes, with his head buried in his arms. His right hand was straight and stretched out. His index finger was stiff and swollen into a dark shiny stick. carrots. It's a Gelsemium snake! It must not have gone far! Gu Boyang's heart became hot. He took off his backpack and carefully searched around the body.
The corpse twitched and let out a dying groan.
Gu Boyang became curious and used a snake-catching iron hook to lift up the man's sleeves, only to see a black line that had crossed the elbow and was almost close to the armpit. He shook his head. It was too late. The snake venom had invaded his vital parts. Even if he cut off his arm cruelly, it would not save his life. The world is in chaos, the people are in dire straits, and the alchemy hall is not a charity hall. He has seen so many people like this that he can't even take care of them. There is no other way except to cruelly ignore them.
In no time, the sky was dark and the earth was dark, heavy rain was pouring down, the sky and the earth were gray, and no one could be seen three feet away. Gu Boyang sighed, hurriedly put on his bamboo hat and raincoat, and quickly left the riverside.
Returning to the hut where he was staying, Gu Boyang chose a corner that did not leak from the rain and squatted down. He felt a little restless. Seeing that the rain was getting heavier and heavier and would not stop for a while, he had to be patient and chew on the hard meat. dry food. "The guy bitten by the Gelsemium snake probably won't be able to survive the rain!" Such thoughts flashed through his mind.
Gu Boyang is a peripheral disciple of the Jinkou branch of the Tianlong Clan and is affiliated with the Medicine Refining Hall. His mission when he went out of the city this time was to capture three adult Gelsemium snakes and obtain the snake venom mixture. If he can complete the trial within one month, he will be eligible to become an official apprentice of the Medicine Refining Hall and practice dispensing medicine and detoxifying under Elder Yi.
The Tianlong Gang has a strict hierarchy. Becoming an official apprentice means joining the family and having the capital to settle down. From now on, every effort will be rewarded accordingly. Gu Boyang does not expect to climb to the core of power of the Tianlong Gang step by step and join the ranks of elders, hall leaders and even helmsmen. He is a practical and cautious young man. He only hopes that he can live peacefully in this troubled world and, if possible, live a happy life. Get comfortable.
After a hard day's work, his greatest enjoyment is to drink a few glasses of wine and have a good night's sleep.
This was what he thought and did. As a result, among those impetuous companions, Gu Boyang was the first to stand out. He was noticed by Elder Yi and won a chance to prove his ability.
Catching Gelsemium snakes is a dangerous task. Gu Boyang read the relevant records of the Medicine Refining Hall carefully and asked Elder Yi for advice before setting off, and received many valuable suggestions. Adult Gelsemium snakes usually come out at day and night, move like the wind, and flee when exposed to light. Chasing this venomous snake in the dark is tantamount to dancing on a knife's edge, and nine out of ten people will die. The best time to catch Gelsemium snakes is before a heavy rain. They cannot stand the sultry weather and swim out of their caves for air. At this time, they are often slow to react and their vigilance is greatly reduced.
Gu Boyang was very lucky. It took him less than ten days to catch two suitable Gelsemium snakes, but the third one was still unavailable. Time passed day by day, getting closer and closer to the prescribed time limit, but there was still no progress. Gu Boyang, who had always been calm, could not help but become impatient at this time.
It was late at night, when the heavy rain stopped, the dark clouds dispersed, and the bright moon hung high on the cliff, illuminating the river like a silver chain. Gu Boyang hesitated again and again, put the basket on his back and walked towards the river again.
The fields were muddy and slippery, and autumn insects were humming among the grass blades. Gu Boyang pricked up his ears to listen to the sounds, and from time to time swept the low trees and haystacks with an iron hook, hoping to find something. He was unlucky. After searching for more than an hour, not to mention the Gelsemium snake, not even an ordinary long worm was found. All were gone.
This open field by the river is the "snake farm" carefully maintained by the Medicine Refinery Hall. It is lush with trees and overgrown with weeds. There are more than ten kinds of medicinal snakes, both poisonous and non-venomous, and it takes a long time to find one. , it’s definitely not normal! Gu Boyang felt a little scared in his heart. He walked around in a big circle and came to the river again. The body that fell in the grass did not change its posture. He should have died of poison long ago, and his muscles were as stiff as iron. Gu Boyang glanced at it casually, his expression suddenly changed, and he stood frozen on the spot, holding his breath.
Under the cold moonlight, a Gelsemium snake was slowly emerging from under the corpse!
The Gelsemium snake was as thick as an arm, with black body and white markings. The snake's head was in the shape of an inverted triangle, its muzzle was raised upward, and its silk threads were spitting out snake letters. A pair of snake eyes flashed with cold light. It was full of spirituality and was obviously not an ordinary thing.
Gu Boyang slowed down his breathing, suppressed his intense heartbeat, slowly stretched out the iron hook, and tried to hold down its head. Cold sweat broke out on his palms, and his wrists trembled slightly. The Gelsemium ejection speed was astonishingly fast. If he missed the target from a distance of three to five feet, its fangs would pierce deeply into his body.
Before his muscles were completely stiff, did he have the chance to take out the snake medicine, take it internally and externally, and snatch a small life from the hands of the Lord of Hell?
The Gelsemium snake seemed to realize that the danger was imminent. It raised its upper body Huo Di, its neck ribs expanded, and its mouth opened to reveal its white fangs. It turned its head and stared at Gu Boyang, ready to pounce. I don't know if it was an illusion, but Gu Boyang felt that there was a sarcastic look in the snake's eyes, and he felt a chill in his heart. The Gelsemium snake obviously couldn't see far, so why was it staring at him so closely?
The iron hook hovered in the air, trembling slightly. Gu Boyang's legs and feet became weak, and the courage in his chest disappeared little by little. This Gelsemium snake was clearly psychic. How could one of his peripheral disciples be able to deal with it? In troubled times, human life is as cheap as a dog. If a vicious creature is targeting you, you will most likely not be able to escape!
Just as he was about to drop the hook and turn around to run away, a hand soaked in rain, pale and wrinkled, suddenly raised up, tremblingly pinched the snake's head, and pressed it firmly into the muddy water. Immediately afterwards, the corpse raised its head. , grinned, showing his white teeth, and the moonlight shone on his face, like a ghost.
Gu Boyang's heart almost stopped beating and he stood frozen on the spot, his mind going blank.
The Gelsemium struggled desperately, wrapped around his arm, and dug deeply into his muscles. The man's throat rattled, and he opened his mouth to bite the snake's body. The tough scales were as brittle as tissue paper. He sucked the blood and tore at it. The snake meat was swallowed alive, and the Adam's apple rolled up and down, which was thrilling.
Gu Boyang stared at him blankly, a chill rising from the bottom of his heart. The snake venom invaded his armpits, and he was able to come back from the dead. Could that person be an evil ghost crawling out of the Palace of Hell? He subconsciously squinted his eyes and looked under the opponent's arm, only to see a black line crossing his armpit and going straight into his heart. He should have been dead long ago, but he seemed to be fine, just swallowing, biting the snake bone crisply, and scratched his head. To the end, not a drop of blood was spared.
