Years Apart

The hunting party entered the forest.

It was eerily quiet. The forest was so silent that no bird calls or beast roars could be heard, not even a mouse. The extreme quiet made the hunting dogs in the party restless.

The hunters ahead made a discovery.

The clan leader rode his horse forward and saw the hunters gathered around several strange, giant earth pillars. The earth pillars were taller than a person, clustered together in various sizes. The clan leader remembered seeing many such strange earth pillars along the way. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were indeed magical, possessing even these things. However, he felt uneasy in this place...

On the hillside, the snake's eyes watched coldly. After the party ventured deeper into the forest, she coiled her tail around a long, strip-like stone and flung it out fiercely!

The spinning stone flew over the treetops, brushed past the crowd, and then heavily impacted an earth pillar, shattering a small piece with a loud clang. The earth pillar remained largely intact.

The crowd was stunned for a moment, suspecting an ambush. They formed a circle, tense, but saw nothing for a long time.

If they had run the moment the stone landed, they might have survived. Now it was too late. The earth pillars began to spew streams of black water like springs...

Woof woof woof~!

The hunting dogs barked frantically. Two of them even broke free from their leashes and ran away with their tails between their legs. The horses whinnied. The strange behavior of the dogs and horses made everyone uneasy, and rustling sounds echoed from the woods.

Until a servant's calf stung, and he looked down to see a horrifying sight.

A terrified scream shattered the silence...

More and more thumb-sized ants swarmed forward!

The crowd, which had been huddled together moments before, instantly exploded into chaos and scattered, running and desperately swatting at the ants on their bodies. The more they flailed, the more they agitated the ants in their nests through vibrations. Each earth pillar instantly became a black ocean. Some unknown species of ants showed humans what an advantage in numbers meant. In just a short while, there was almost no place to step in the forest.

Those who fell could no longer stand. Within seconds, they would become ant balls and gradually dissolve.

The White Snake recalled an alligator that had passed through the forest before. The four-meter-long alligator had dissolved in no time, becoming nourishment for the ants. Humans, of course, did not have the resilience of an alligator's hide.

Looking at the clan leader still galloping away on his horse, the White Snake disappeared into the grass.

The horse dragged the clan leader away. The rugged terrain limited the horse's speed, and the ants' bites drove the large horse into a frenzy. The clan leader, sitting on the horse, was swept off by a tree branch when he wasn't paying attention. He fell from the horse. When he endured the pain and got up, his mount was long gone. Hearing screams still echoing from the forest behind him, he ignored his injuries and continued to flee, limping.

If time could be turned back, he swore he would never have stepped into the forest, but alas, it was too late.

A white shadow flashed, and the village clan leader's head throbbed as he lost consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, the clan leader slowly woke up. He felt as if someone was dragging him forward. He wondered if it was a servant or one of the hired hunters. He thought he could reward them with two taels of silver upon returning. But when he looked up ahead, he was filled with immense terror...

A giant white snake's tail was wrapped around his calf, dragging him forward!

"Help... help me..."

No one responded. His cries echoed in the valley, chilling the clan leader to the bone.

Then, he was lifted into the air. He rolled a few times upon landing and looked around at the terrified wails. It was the same forest. The White Snake had sent him back.

The ants covered the greedy ones, and the White Snake left without looking back.

Those who narrowly escaped ran out of the mountains, and the name of the fierce beasts in the mountains spread like wildfire. The Hundred Thousand Mountains once again issued their bloody warning to humanity. Less than ten of the dozens who entered the mountains survived. This time, even the herb gatherers who relied on entering the mountains for a living dared not go in. At the same time, the villagers learned that the White Snake's intelligence was not low; she had masterfully used others to kill.

If the mountain village had not been so poor and lived in thatched huts, they would have built a temple for the White Snake long ago.

The mountain villagers were not as particular as the scholars in big cities. They believed whoever helped them was a divine being. Temples to Great Immortal Yellow, Fox Immortals, and even Snake Immortals were common in the countryside. Rather than praying to aloof and unresponsive deities, it was better to seek out the great immortals in the mountains behind the village, as at least they would manifest and occasionally heal illnesses or avert disasters.

The mountain folk feared the White Snake even more.

The White Snake knew she could not interact too much with Yun'er, as it would easily affect her life. Thus, she decided to return to the mountains.

The valley was secluded and tranquil.

Ancient ginkgo trees blessed the land, and the spiritual White Snake sought immortality.

Time was lost in the mountains. The weather changed through wind, rain, sun, and clouds. The ancient trees had become the White Snake's dojo for cultivation. Besides climbing the cliff to breathe in the morning air, she spent most of her time under the trees, coiled on large rocks, or lazily entwined around the ancient trees, completely losing track of time. It wasn't until she shed her skin and grew again, her body reaching six meters.

Suddenly, she thought of Yun'er, wondering how the girl was doing. The White Snake realized that the fruit trees in the mountains had bloomed and borne fruit nine times. Nine years had passed in the blink of an eye.

She swam out of the mountains.

When she saw the mountain village, the White Snake sighed; it was still as poor as it was nine years ago.

Perhaps the White Snake and Yun'er were fated. When she arrived at the back of the mountain, she saw a beautiful figure standing there, lost in thought. The girl had grown up, and her scent hadn't changed. If one didn't look at the calluses on her hands, Yun'er was quite delicate. Her long hair cascaded to her waist. In the countryside, she was undoubtedly a top beauty. However... why was her brow furrowed?

Yun'er sensed something and turned around, seeing the familiar white figure.

"White Snake!"

Just like when she was a child, Yun'er ran over and hugged the White Snake, crying and laughing. She complained that the White Snake had been gone for many years. The setting sun cast its glow, and the graceful Yun'er looked like a child...

Night fell, and the stars twinkled. Modern humans living on Earth could never imagine how beautiful a pure starry sky was. The twinkling stars hung in the sky, brilliant and beautiful.

Yun'er sat on the grass, leaning against the White Snake, her large eyes gazing at the stars alongside the snake's pupils.

In reality, the White Snake couldn't see the stars. Her severe myopia hadn't changed much after cultivation. As for infrared thermal sensing, it was impossible to see stars clearly. Doing this was just for show, as Yun'er didn't know her good friend was nearsighted.

Yun'er whispered to the White Snake.

"I'm getting married..."

"..."

The White Snake was speechless. How old was Yun'er this year? Fifteen? Or sixteen? At this age, she should be studying diligently in school, not getting married and having children. The mortality rate for childbirth at this age was extremely high, but who cared?

"Brother Wang from the village is very good. I like him, but I don't want to marry him. I really like Brother Wang..."

"..."

"Last month, Steward Guo came to our village and saw me. He said he wanted to take me as a concubine. I know concubines don't have status, and Steward Guo is forty years old, just like my father."

"..."

"The village is poor. Brother Wang's family is also very poor. Every year, they don't have enough food and have to dig for roots and scrape bark. Steward Guo is different. His family can eat meat every day and doesn't have to worry about starving. Look how fat Steward Guo is. Even though concubines don't have status, I really don't want to starve anymore!"

Yun'er was getting a little emotional, and the White Snake knew she was just trying hard to prove herself right.

"My parents didn't want me to become a concubine, but I wanted to, so they had to agree. Brother Wang was very sad."

"I'm getting married the day after tomorrow..."

"White Snake, can you escort me to my wedding...?"

The White Snake nodded.

The starry night was brilliant. On the hillside, sobbing cries carried far, far away