Chapter 3

"Long worms have appeared in the newly dug well!!"

"That worm is terrifying, as thick as a person's waist, it's very scary."

"It seems to be eating people too."

"Ah, has Headman Li already rushed over?"

"My second son, my second son is also there."

"Don't panic, we have many people, we can drive the worm away!!"

"Can't we kill it?"

"That's a monster, how dare we kill it?"

Countless voices converged in Lin Bei's mind from all directions. These were the voices of hundreds of people, including cries, the sheer volume of information making Lin Bei, who was experiencing this for the first time, feel as if his head was about to explode. He wondered if snakes had this ability, to hear so many voices. If that were true, it would make sense why there were so few snakes in places with a high human population.

As Lin Bei quietly sorted through the information he heard and tried to filter out the noise in his mind, the villagers were almost at the well. They came prepared, each person holding various tools: knives, spears, sticks, axes, bows, and arrows. Some even held pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils, while others seemed to have drums.

Seeing Lin Bei's massive snake body, almost everyone gasped, their faces showing shock. Such a giant python would be a terrifying sight even in the modern age, let alone in the ancient times with limited information. Some of the more timid people were already trembling uncontrollably, convinced that the worm in front of them was definitely a monster.

But there were always the brave ones: "Headman Li is there, quickly bang things to scare the worm away."

"Yes, bang loudly, scare this monster away!!"

Reminded by these people, everyone immediately picked up their tools and started banging them, creating a loud noise. As the banging continued, the crowd roared.

Not far from Dongshan Village was a large mountain called Fushan, stretching for hundreds of miles, reportedly reaching the sea. The people of Dongshan Village were almost all hunters, and they had a lot of experience with wild beasts from the mountains. When faced with an unbeatable beast, they would create a loud noise to scare it away.

This was based on real experience. In the past, Fushan had many fierce wolves that would sometimes run to Dongshan Village to eat people and livestock. They would come in packs, and wolves held grudges, so the villagers could only drive them away. The people making these noises now hoped to scare Lin Bei away as well.

Hundreds of people shouting and banging things created a deafening noise. Lin Bei, being a snake, had a small brain capacity, so the noise sounded like hundreds of thousands of firecrackers exploding in his ears, making him inexplicably irritable.

Humans and snakes are different, Lin Bei thought, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. He sighed inwardly. He was a snake now, and the ancient people in front of him were humans. The conflict was inevitable and irreconcilable. Lin Bei didn't want to eat people, so he decided to go along with the crowd and leave.

Thinking this, Lin Bei felt a sense of desolation and a loss of interest. His snake body began to move, slithering away.

Seeing the worm move, the villagers thought it was working and the noise became even louder.

"Bang!!"

A stone hit Lin Bei. It was a fist-sized rock thrown by a boy around ten years old. The boy was quite brave; if Lin Bei were a real python, he might have been provoked. But Lin Bei could only smile bitterly.

"Like a rat in the street, everyone shouts to beat it. That's probably my situation now. Fortunately, this snake body still has some deterrent power, otherwise, I would have been beaten to death."

That was true. If Lin Bei's body weren't so terrifying, he would have been killed on the spot by these ancient people. Thinking this, Lin Bei quickened his pace.

His snake body was large, so he moved quickly. The village wasn't very big, and Lin Bei chose to slither through areas that weren't surrounded. In less than a minute, he saw the wall and easily climbed over it, leaving the village.

Behind him, the noise was deafening and joyful. Lin Bei thought about going back to see if these ancient people would still be so smug. But then he laughed to himself. Why bother with these ancient people? If it came to seniority, they were his ancestors.

The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature was extremely high.

Outside the village, the terrain was a plain with many cultivated fields. However, the fields were extremely dry, and the plants growing there, which Lin Bei didn't recognize but seemed to be millet, were withered and lifeless. Lin Bei remembered what Headman Li had said; it seemed they were indeed in the middle of a severe drought.

The productivity level in ancient times was extremely low, and there were no modern devices, so natural disasters were particularly devastating. A wealthy family could be reduced to poverty after a major drought or flood, and with various heavy taxes, life in ancient times was very hard. Lin Bei thought about the villagers' clothing and, though he wasn't very familiar with ancient times, he could see that they were very poor. He felt a bit relieved. Now, as a giant python, he had almost no natural predators in the wild and could live a peaceful life until death. Compared to the hardworking farmers, Lin Bei was already very lucky.

His snake tongue flicked in and out, and Lin Bei was now very adept at using his snake instincts. The direct sunlight made him somewhat uncomfortable, a natural instinct for snakes. Then, he felt a cool breeze ahead and instinctively slithered toward it, where the outline of a large mountain loomed.

After slithering a long distance, Lin Bei looked back. Many people were gathered at the village wall, probably watching him. Because he was too far away, he couldn't hear them, but they were undoubtedly discussing him. In ancient times, entertainment was scarce, so Lin Bei would likely be a hot topic in the village for a long time. But this was no longer his concern.

His massive snake body crushed the withered grass and plants in the fields, forming a snake trail. As the mountain became clearer, the terrain rose, and the greenery ahead made Lin Bei feel a sense of joy.

Lin Bei was a person with a calm personality and a deep connection to nature. He had always been a regular researcher at the Forestry Bureau, finding happiness in daily contact with nature. He wasn't good at political maneuvering, so it was natural for him to feel joy upon returning to nature. As a snake, nature was his ultimate home.

The closer he got to the mountain, the more joyful Lin Bei became.

This mountain seemed to have a vast range. Lin Bei could already see ancient trees towering, and with his expertise, he knew these trees were hundreds of years old and would be protected in modern times. Various vines entangled the trees, and the forest was much cooler than the outside. The plants were vibrant, and even from outside, the air inside the forest felt extremely fresh.

As he entered the forest, a thought crossed Lin Bei's mind: "I didn't encounter anyone on the way. It seems ancient times were indeed sparsely populated."

PS: I'm already working, but I will resign soon and focus on this book.