The Poacher's Appearance

Chapter 21: The Poacher's Appearance

Ye Qin shook the snowflakes off his body, his eyes filled with excitement and exhilaration.

Although this tree was small—an adult could snap it with one kick—he had to account for his own physical condition. Ye Qin was now a snake, and a slender one at that, with little mass of his own. Yet he could unleash such force; it was clearly extraordinary.

Nearby stood a large tree, its branches thick and powerful, so wide that an adult would need to stretch both arms to encircle it.

Ye Qin lashed his tail against it. The great tree shuddered, and white snow cascaded down like rain.

This time, Ye Qin was prepared and quickly slithered aside.

Though he hadn't managed to topple such a massive tree, the mark left on the trunk gave him a rough understanding of his strength.

As he was now, let alone natural enemies like hawks and falcons, he could even hold his own against fierce beasts.

And on this mountain ridge, no creature remained that could threaten Ye Qin's existence.

He was no longer the gravely wounded, pitifully weak Little Green Snake he had once been.

"Because I cultivate the White Bone Contemplation, what it gives back to me is hardened bones and a transformed physical body."

"It's a pity, though—the spot struck by lightning still hasn't healed. No matter how tough my body gets, those charred black scales keep falling off. I don't know when they'll be restored."

Ye Qin recalled what he had seen in the library earlier: the Green Brocade Snake species he belonged to was not large—a small type of snake.

But his current size had already exceeded the ordinary length, and further changes might still occur.

"So this is the change brought by the first stage of cultivation. I wonder what will happen when I reach the second stage."

"Next, I don't know—has my lifespan changed?"

Thinking this, Ye Qin couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

Since he could break through the size limit of a small snake, it meant that in terms of volume, he still had an upper limit—and the same went for his strength.

With continuous consolidation and training, perhaps even such a thick tree could be snapped in time. It was only a matter of time.

And maybe, one day, he could soar and transform into a dragon?

"Bang!"

Just as Ye Qin was lost in thought, a muffled sound came from not far away, immediately catching his attention.

He listened carefully and spoke uncertainly, "That sounds like... a gunshot?"

How could there be a gunshot on this mountain ridge for no reason?

Ye Qin followed the source of the sound and pursued it.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Two tall men walked side by side. One of them, with a full beard, was the same man who had picked up the hawk's corpse earlier. In his hand, he was now carrying dozens of dead snakes!

Beside him stood a slightly shorter man with a centipede-shaped scar on his forehead, looking extremely fierce.

His eyes narrowed slightly. The dark muzzle of his gun aimed at a swift figure not far away, and he suddenly pulled the trigger.

The running leopard crashed to the ground. Right in the center of its forehead was a bullet hole, blood flowing steadily. It wasn't dead yet, its body twitching uncontrollably.

As it watched the two humans approach, it let out an angry roar from its throat, as if wanting to bite through both their necks.

Facing the leopard's threat, the scarred man sneered contemptuously and kicked it. "At death's door and still so cocky—"

Before he could finish, in that instant, the leopard suddenly lunged, making a final desperate struggle. Its sharp fangs glinted coldly in the air, nearly touching the scarred man's throat.

Panic flashed across the scarred man's face. Facing the gaping maw rushing toward him, a chill surged straight at his face. He wanted to dodge but couldn't react in time.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out. Bright red blood splattered across the scarred man's face. He couldn't help but step back half a pace, speaking with lingering fear:

"This beast really is vicious. Good thing Brother Li, you were quick-eyed and sharp-shooted. Otherwise, I'd have fallen for its trick. Even at death, it wanted to drag me down with it."

No matter how fast the leopard was, it couldn't outrun a bullet. Its head drooped weakly, its pupils gradually turning dull and lifeless.

Li Han's expression was blank. He looked at a large rock not far away—the leopard had stared fixedly at it even in its dying moments. He strode over.

"A mother leopard protecting her cubs is naturally fierce."

Behind the large rock appeared three fluffy little bundles, tiny and adorable. They looked at the humans before them and let out soft, milky cries.

They didn't yet know their mother was dead.

Stumbling and tumbling, they came to the mother leopard's side, their wet noses nuzzling her body constantly. Sensing her gradually cooling temperature, they even tried to warm her with their own bodies.

But sadly, the mother leopard would never open her eyes to lick their fur again.

The scarred man also walked over. Looking at these little leopards, his face was full of joy and greed, and the words he spoke sent chills down the spine.

"Excellent! A good haul this time—one big, three small. Skinning them will make plenty of things."

The cubs had only just come into the world, and now they faced its greatest malice. Perhaps they would be made into a scarf, perhaps into gloves. That was their final fate.

If they were lucky, they might be turned into taxidermy, keeping their bodies intact, placed on a shelf for people to admire.

Li Han examined the mother leopard's corpse, his expression somewhat disdainful.

"It was a perfect pelt, but because I had to save you, there's an extra bullet hole. Now it's worth a lot less. Why did you have to get so close for no reason?"

The scarred man scratched his head and gave an awkward smile. "Brother Li, don't be mad. At worst, we'll hunt a few more leopards to make up for the loss."

Li Han forced a reply. "Hurry up and take them all back."

The scarred man glanced at the snake corpse in his hand, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "But seriously, Brother Li, what's with you hunting snakes this time? Snake skin isn't worth much, and the meat sells so-so."

Li Han wore a deeply inscrutable expression. "You wouldn't understand."

He had originally wanted to find that snake capable of killing the hawk, but after digging through so many snake holes, the ones he caught were all unremarkable, nothing special.

What's more, they were all small snakes, nothing large.

It made Li Han start to wonder if the snake scale he'd found that day was just a fluke—maybe it had fallen off a snake passing by.

But judging from the marks on the hawk's corpse, it was undoubtedly caused by a snake.

Seeing that the scarred man was about to ask more questions, Li Han urged him on. "Alright, let's head back quickly and deal with these pelts, or we'll miss the window."

The two figures gradually disappeared into the vast snowy landscape. Neither noticed the tail they'd picked up behind them.

All of this was watched by a pair of cold snake eyes.

If he remembered correctly, both Fog City and Tianfu Province had clear regulations forbidding hunting. These people must have snuck up the mountain during winter, taking advantage of the heavy snowfall.

"So they're poachers."

Survival of the fittest—the laws of nature are cruel, but they can never match the human heart.

Some people love ivory, so they break off elephants' tusks. Some people like animal fur, so they skin them alive. Some people, to satisfy their appetites, turn all kinds of wild animals into meals.

For their own selfish desires, these people cast a bloody shadow over animals that should be living freely in the wild.

A gray industrial chain is born from this.

Take these poachers, for example—banned by government decree, warned time and again, yet nothing stops their steps.

(End of this chapter)