Chapter 11

From the age of three, Cui Alán had been carried by her father to hunt in Fuzhou Mountain, and it had been twenty years since then. However, she had never encountered anything as magical as today, where a long snake that could understand human speech wanted to exchange something with them.

Indeed, Cui Alán had already communicated with Lin Bei. As for how they communicated, it was actually quite simple.

In Xishan Township, there was a Doctor Bai who was highly skilled in medicine. Whenever someone in the village had a headache or a fever, they would go to him. Cui Alán had once seen Doctor Bai treat a patient who had mistakenly eaten a strange fruit, causing his limbs to stiffen, with only his eyes able to move. In traditional Chinese medicine, the four diagnostic methods are "observation, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation." The "inquiry" part is also a very important foundation. Doctor Bai treated the patient like this:

"Does it hurt? Blink once if it hurts, twice if it doesn't."

"Does it hurt here? Blink once if it hurts a lot, twice if it doesn't hurt much."

"What color was the fruit? Blink once if it was red, twice if it was white, and don't blink if it's neither."

This method of questioning, which involved confirming and denying, allowed Doctor Bai to easily understand the source of the patient's illness. At that time, Cui Alán thought that Doctor Bai not only had excellent medical skills but also a very flexible mind. Now, she was using this method.

Lin Bei couldn't speak, but he could understand and nod or shake his head. This method of communication wasn't unusual, but it was surprisingly effective. So, Cui Alán quickly learned that the wolf skin the long snake was offering wasn't a free gift but something to be exchanged.

At this point, it was easier to figure out what the long snake wanted in exchange. It was probably something related to food, clothing, or daily necessities. Cui Alán immediately guessed that Lin Bei wanted food.

"Is it meat?" Cui Alán asked.

Lin Bei nodded, feeling relieved. After so much questioning, they were finally getting to the core of the matter.

Cui Alán went into the wooden shed and took out a package. She opened it, and inside was the dried meat that Lin Bei had smelled earlier. "Is this the meat?"

Lin Bei nodded again.

Although the process was complicated, the result was good. Lin Bei's behavior had convinced Cui Alán and the others that the long snake indeed possessed intelligence on par with humans. Lin Bei had no intention of being an enemy to humans, and the hunters still held a sense of reverence for him, so they didn't dare to play any tricks.

"Mr. Long Snake, should I throw this dried meat to you?" Although she had confirmed, Cui Alán still didn't dare to get too close to Lin Bei.

Lin Bei swam forward a few times, reaching the bottom of the rock wall. He placed the wolf skin, which was tied to a stick, at the bottom and then retreated far away. This action finally put the hunters at ease. Cui Alán used her strength to throw the package, landing it near Lin Bei.

Lin Bei picked up the package, opened it, and saw the dried meat. He felt like crying with relief. Getting some food was really not easy. He suppressed his excitement, nodded to the hunters on top of the rock wall, turned around, and was about to leave.

"Mr. Long Snake," Cui Alán suddenly called out.

Lin Bei turned his head, tilted it, and made a questioning gesture.

Cui Alán composed herself. "Mr. Long Snake, do you really need this kind of meat?"

Lin Bei nodded. Deep down, he was still human and wouldn't be used to eating raw meat. That's why he had gone through so much trouble to exchange for the dried meat.

"Then, if Mr. Long Snake needs it in the future, we can also exchange with you."

Hearing this, not only did Lin Bei's eyes light up, but the hunters' eyes also lit up. They all recognized this as an opportunity.

Regardless of why Mr. Long Snake could understand human speech, he was a supernatural being, and supernatural beings were very powerful. The forest was extremely dangerous for hunters, but it shouldn't be a problem for a supernatural being. Since one was a supernatural being and the other was human, there shouldn't be any conflict between them. Therefore, exchanging things with each other would be a win-win situation. It would take several lifetimes of good karma to encounter such a situation.

Lin Bei thought that this woman's mind was indeed very quick. She directly asked if there was a possibility of future cooperation. Through this transaction, she must have seen great potential in the future of their exchanges. Lin Bei naturally wouldn't refuse, as it would also benefit him.

Lin Bei slowly nodded, indicating that they could cooperate again in the future.

Cui Alán's face flushed with excitement. She said rapidly, "Then, Mr. Long Snake, shall we meet here again next time? Let's say... in ten days."

"We will bring enough dried meat, and Mr. Long Snake just needs to help us catch some animals."

"Mr. Long Snake, there's a tree hole to the west where a big bear lives. Can Mr. Long Snake kill the bear?" a hunter asked boldly.

Lin Bei nodded. With weapons, he wouldn't fear even a dozen bears.

"Then, Mr. Long Snake, can you bring the dead bear when you come? I'll bring the dried meat."

Lin Bei thought, "Is everyone a potential merchant?" A bear could weigh several hundred pounds, while he could only carry a limited amount of dried meat. This guy seemed to be making a risk-free deal and treating him like a laborer. However, Lin Bei had to agree this time. He had to give them some sweet deals. Finding someone else to trade with would be difficult, so he decided to let these people have their way.

Seeing Lin Bei nod, the hunters were excited and started to imagine many possibilities.

Hunters didn't always have a successful hunt when they entered the mountains; more often, they faced danger. However, Mr. Long Snake clearly had no such worries. He could find anything they needed in the forest, and they only needed to pay with some dried meat. Was there anything more cost-effective than this? As long as they weren't fools, no one would refuse such a good deal.

"Mr. Long Snake, do you know about lingzhi? It looks like an umbrella, grows on rotten wood, and is red or black. Mr. Long Snake, if you can find lingzhi, I'll exchange it for dried meat."

"Mr. Long Snake, can you help me look for a red fox in the forest? If you find one, can you catch it for me? But it has to be alive."

"Mr. Long Snake..."

Lin Bei thought, "What the heck, these guys are all picking the most valuable things. Indeed, human nature is greedy." However, Lin Bei still nodded. He wouldn't give them too much at once. He had to give them small sweet deals gradually to let them know that Mr. Long Snake wasn't a fool.

Compared to the other hunters, Cui Alán's request was simpler. "Mr. Long Snake, I've heard there's a herb called 'Shenggucao' in the forest. If Mr. Long Snake can find it, I would be very grateful."

Cui Alán was clearly asking for her brother. Lin Bei looked at her and slowly nodded, indicating that if he saw it, he would help her.

With all the requests made, Lin Bei was hungry, so he swam away to eat.

After Lin Bei left, these people still felt as if they were in a dream, but they were more excited about being able to interact with a supernatural being from the forest.

"Let's not tell anyone about this for now. Although Mr. Long Snake has a good temperament, he might not like to see outsiders," Cui Alán warned the hunters.

"Don't worry, Alán, we won't tell anyone."

"Right, we won't say anything."

"If Mr. Long Snake really catches a red fox, that would be great. I heard from a clerk at the Zhen family's shop that a live red fox can sell for hundreds of gold pieces. In wuzhu coins, that's tens of thousands of coins."

"Having a bear would be good too. I heard that nobles in Luoyang also like to eat bear meat, and a complete bear skin can be worth dozens of gold pieces."

"If I have money, I can marry Xiaohong."

"Da Shan, you must be crazy about wanting to marry Xiaohong."

"So what?"

Everyone laughed heartily, the air filled with joy.