The sky was unbearably hot and stifling, like a giant steamer. Quite a few ants had crawled out, along with those little sparrows, each flying extremely low.
When ants moved house, birds flew low.
Looking up at the sky, Ye Qin saw several dark clouds drifting over from who knew where. He pondered for a moment. "Looks like it's going to rain."
He ate a few wild fruits to fill his stomach, but he didn't leave. Instead, he hid behind a rock.
The rock was about the same color as he was, a deep black as well. The two had nearly blended into one, and unless someone looked carefully, they would never notice that a little black snake was hiding there.
The wild fruits on the ground were his best bait. Sooner or later, some small herbivorous animal would come over.
Ye Qin was extraordinarily patient, like a qualified hunter. Perhaps it was instinct, but he didn't move at all, as still as a fossil.
Even his bright-red tongue only trembled occasionally, used to determine whether there were traces of prey nearby.
The sun was sinking in the west. As it gradually shifted, the entire sky was dyed orange. Layers of rolling clouds shrouded the emerald-green mountaintop, adding an unusual flavor to the scene.
That wait lasted more than half a day. During that time, Ye Qin didn't see any trace of another small animal.
He wasn't discouraged. Even if he returned empty-handed today, there was always tomorrow. If there was nothing tomorrow, there was still the day after.
At worst, he could go somewhere farther to try his luck. Although that would be somewhat dangerous, he would always manage to find food.
Just as Ye Qin was preparing to return—
His pupils suddenly contracted. A faint rustling came from the grass not far away, and gray fur could vaguely be seen. It stood out clearly beneath the verdant grass.
It was a gray field mouse. Several whiskers probed back and forth through the air, as if checking whether there was any danger nearby. Then, most of its body emerged.
The field mouse rose onto its hind legs, its little nose twitching repeatedly, before looking toward the wild fruits not far away.
Although its four limbs were short and small, it was very fast. Only after seeing that there was no danger around did it relax.
Its forelegs stuffed the wild fruit directly into its mouth. Its two incisors were drenched in the fruit's juice, and then it swallowed the whole thing in one gulp. Its cheeks instantly bulged.
The field mouse savored the delicious meal, completely unaware that, in the darkness, a pair of eerie beast eyes was watching its every move.
Ye Qin approached cautiously without making the slightest sound, as though he had merged with the surrounding environment. His pupils shrank to the size of needles, firmly locking onto the field mouse.
His body tensed straight, ready to strike.
The field mouse seemed to sense something as well. Its little whiskers trembled, and it stopped eating. However, everything was already too late.
In the blink of an eye, Ye Qin shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving only an afterimage in the air.
His body swiftly coiled around the field mouse.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The field mouse struggled desperately to break free, but the snake's body only wound tighter and tighter. Soon, its movements gradually weakened, and it fell silent.
Only then did Ye Qin release his constriction. Looking at the field mouse's corpse, he wore a satisfied expression. His first hunt had been quite successful.
This field mouse was relatively small, and its claws and teeth posed little danger. Otherwise, Ye Qin could never have succeeded so quickly.
Next came the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Ye Qin had already prepared himself mentally. Even so, crossing that hurdle in a single leap was still not easy.
Although he was a snake now, he had been human for several decades in his previous life. He had rarely even eaten sashimi, let alone field mouse.
He took a deep breath, forced down his nausea, and slowly swallowed the field mouse.
He didn't know whether it was because his physiological structure had changed or because of a snake's inherent nature, but the field mouse wasn't nearly as unpleasant as he had imagined. In fact, the meat was rather tender.
Among the people of Lingnan, there was even a saying: "Eat one mouse, and it's worth three chickens." This described how field mice had greater nutritional value than chicken. Dried field mouse was not only delicious, but also high in protein.
After finishing the field mouse, Ye Qin finally felt full. He lay contentedly on the grass to rest for a while, then used the last trace of daylight to return to the cave before the sun had completely set.
Perhaps because he had replenished his energy, he dug faster and for longer than usual that day. The small hole, previously no wider than a thumb, had already been expanded under Ye Qin's efforts to the size of two fists.
At the same time, the charred scales on Ye Qin's tail had completely fallen away, replaced by new green snake scales. He didn't know whether it was merely his imagination, but he always felt that his body seemed to have grown much longer.
Ye Qin had noticed it while hunting that day. He had only wrapped around the mouse halfway, yet its body was already completely covered by his coils.
After enjoying a full meal, Ye Qin headed back and returned to the cave. Aside from the time he spent hunting outside, he devoted most of his time to visualization.
Apart from hibernation, snakes normally slept very little, so Ye Qin could spend the entire day visualizing and cultivating without any issue.
Not only did he not feel tired, he was instead refreshed and invigorated. Most importantly, he could feel his strength constantly increasing.
The hideous, terrifying wounds he had suffered now remained only as scars. All these changes had come from cultivation.
"Rumble!"
A dull boom came from outside the cave, pulling Ye Qin's thoughts back to reality.
A peal of thunder crashed down from midair, illuminating the originally dim cave with purple light.
"It's thundering."
Ye Qin couldn't help murmuring to himself.
Hearing the rumbling thunder outside, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. Perhaps influenced by this snake body, he was especially displeased by this kind of stormy weather—in fact, he could even say he hated it.
After all, when he had crossed over, he had nearly been struck to death by lightning. His wounds still hadn't healed completely. If not for cultivation, he would probably have become a wandering soul long ago. No wonder he reacted this way.
The thunder continued without pause, making Ye Qin somewhat irritable. The tip of his tail kept poking the ground, but he never expected to hit the half of a dead branch beside him.
The dead branch was several times thicker than he was. With a sharp crack, it suddenly broke into two pieces.
Ye Qin stared at his tail in disbelief. He hadn't seemed to use much force just now. He assumed the branch's interior had already rotted and become as brittle as paper, so he didn't pay it any mind.
Besides the thunder, the sound of the wind's endless wailing also passed through the cave.
Although Ye Qin hadn't gone outside to see what the scene was like, he could imagine it. The wind must have been raging wildly.
With such tremendous force behind it, a torrential rainstorm was surely approaching.
Ye Qin couldn't help feeling fortunate once again that he had found such a good place, sheltered from the wind and rain. If he were in the wilderness now, with his small frame, he might have been blown into the sky.
Besides natural enemies, animals also had to guard against harsh weather and environments. This was nature's cruelty: with the slightest carelessness, they could perish within it.
With a cave like this, he at least had a place to shelter himself. Unless there was an earthquake, Ye Qin had nothing to worry about.
By the latter half of the night, the pitter-patter of rain continued without end, making it impossible for Ye Qin to focus his mind. Unable to sink into visualization, he simply coiled his body into a ball and rested.