Chapter 1

Lin Bei was awakened by the continuous exclamations and commotion around him.

"Is the snake moving?"

"It doesn't seem to be moving."

"Is it dead? It's buried several yards underground; it should be dead, right?"

"It's definitely not dead!! If it were dead, it would have rotted long ago. Look at this snake; its skin is so smooth and thick. How could it be dead? It must be hibernating."

"Then we should kill it quickly."

"Don't hit it. Such a big snake, it might have become a monster. If we hit it, there could be trouble."

Lin Bei was in a half-asleep, half-awake state, thinking, "What the heck, who's in the dorm? How can they be so mean? Don't they know that disturbing someone's sleep is a serious offense?" Even though Lin Bei usually had a very good temper, he felt a bit annoyed. He raised his head and opened his eyes.

"Ah, it's moving! It's moving!"

"The snake is indeed not dead. Heaven, it really is moving."

The voices came from above, and Lin Bei instinctively looked up, then was stunned. Was there something wrong with his eyes? Everything in his field of vision was red, as if a red film had been placed in front of his eyes, making everything blurry. He could vaguely see a few people looking in his direction.

Lin Bei thought it was because he had just woken up.

"Hey, what are you doing? Can't you let people sleep?" Lin Bei couldn't help but ask, but he was shocked because, although he wanted to speak, he couldn't. His throat felt blocked.

In a state of great shock, Lin Bei noticed something strange about his body. First, he was lying on something cold, not in a warm bed. Second, his body felt very soft. Instinctively, Lin Bei lowered his head and was instantly terrified.

"Mommy!!"

Lin Bei saw a large snake, as thick as an adult's waist, with coin-sized black and white spots on its body. The cold, slippery skin seemed to be moving. Because it was so close, Lin Bei could even feel the snake's cold, pungent breath.

Lin Bei wasn't particularly afraid of snakes, but that was only if the snake wasn't sleeping with him. Now, with the snake so close, how could he not be afraid? In a panic, Lin Bei instinctively tried to jump away, but then he froze.

Because he saw that everything below his head was the body of a giant snake. In other words, the giant snake's body was attached to his head. In other words, "I've turned into a snake?"

Lin Bei was stunned by this realization. Then, some information surfaced in his mind. There wasn't much, and with Lin Bei's intelligence, he quickly absorbed it. He finally confirmed that he had indeed turned into a snake.

"Time travel and possession??"

In this era, the concept of time travel wasn't unusual. Being struck by lightning, hit by a car, or even jumping off a building might lead to time travel. Although Lin Bei read novels, he never thought it would happen to him. They say that once you time travel, you hit the jackpot, but turning into a snake—what's that about?

The snake Lin Bei possessed had very simple memories. After hatching, it would hunt for food, eating insects when young and mice and birds as it grew. Then it would hibernate, and upon waking, it became him.

Although turning into a snake was terrifying, Lin Bei knew that time travel was a one-way trip. He had never heard of anyone returning. The only thing to do after time travel was to accept the situation. After being shocked for a while, Lin Bei finally managed to suppress his shock.

Voices continued to come from above.

"Is the snake really moving? I don't think it's moving."

"It really moved. It moved its head just now, then stopped."

"It must be alive, just waking from hibernation."

"Ah, these creatures are quite fierce when they wake from hibernation. Quickly, go get some big rocks to cover the well."

"Where's the Tingzhang? Have you notified him?"

"He's been notified."

Snake? Tingzhang? What kind of terms are these?

Lin Bei raised his head. From the thickness of his body, he knew his snake form was quite large. Because he had just possessed the snake, controlling it was a bit difficult, making this simple action somewhat strenuous.

His vision was still red and blurry. Instinctively, Lin Bei remembered that snakes use their tongues to sense their surroundings, so he extended his tongue.

"Hisss... hisss... hisss"

As soon as his tongue came out, the images in front of Lin Bei became much clearer. If before he saw a splash of ink, now it was almost the same as what he would normally see. Lin Bei even had the feeling that even if he closed his eyes, he could form a clear image of his surroundings in his mind.

A musty, earthy smell entered his mouth, and Lin Bei immediately knew he was in a newly dug well, similar to a rural water well, but without water. He was at the bottom of the well and saw several people above.

These people had dark faces, with exceptionally large and strong knuckles, clearly farmers who worked hard all year. However, their attire was strange, wearing linen clothes like those in ancient TV dramas, with long hair tied up on top of their heads, secured with a wooden pin, giving Lin Bei a mysterious feeling. They were all looking at him with complex expressions, a mix of reverence and fear.

The sound of footsteps came from all directions. Although the footsteps were still far from the well, Lin Bei could 'see' these people, dressed exactly like those by the well, with no cameras or directors.

"It seems I really have traveled to ancient times," Lin Bei sighed inwardly, then heard a voice.

It wasn't exactly hearing; he could feel the sound vibrations, which were captured by his tongue and then transmitted to his mind.

"Li Tingzhang, slow down."

"Is there really a big snake in the well?"

"Tingzhang, how could I lie to you? It's real, and it's huge. I've been to the mountains many times but have never seen such a big snake. Look, everyone is at the well."

"Three years without rain, digging a sweet well but finding a snake. Could this be a heavenly disaster?" Li Tingzhang said softly. The man named Lin San probably didn't hear it, but Lin Bei did.

Li Tingzhang was still several yards away from the well, but through his tongue's perception, Lin Bei could 'see' his appearance. He looked decent, around thirty, with a somewhat tired expression. His clothes were better than those of the farmers, and he wore wooden shoes, which were probably clogs. He was walking quickly.

"Tingzhang?" Lin Bei pondered the term.

Although not well-versed in history, Lin Bei knew that the position of Tingzhang existed since the Warring States period and continued through the Han Dynasty. The famous Han Gaozu Liu Bang was once a Tingzhang. So, the time he was in should be during the Warring States or Han Dynasty?

The Warring States period, Lin Bei wasn't familiar with. The Three Kingdoms, due to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was a bit more familiar, but only with some names like Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

"If I had time-traveled to the Three Kingdoms, that would be great."

Lin Bei thought this and then laughed a bit. What difference would the Three Kingdoms make? He wasn't a human but a snake. Could he start a rebellion? Thinking about this, Lin Bei felt a bit lost. As a snake, what could he do now?