Mysterious Traces

"Phew~"

"Old, old! Truly useless now, this old woman can't even handle a fresh face in the martial world anymore."

As soon as Zhang Bold left, the old woman seemed to deflate, sighing endlessly to herself while her sidelong gaze kept measuring the young man who had fought alongside her.

Zhou Zhen, who had been watching Zhang Bold depart, turned back with a smile and said gently, "Snake Granny, what words are those? If Zhang Bold hadn't swallowed the Martial Stone just now, how could he have matched you?"

With that, his tone shifted. "Granny, I've heard you keep many strange and mysterious little creatures. Do you have any clue about this one who stole the Ice Silkworm?"

"Hahaha, this young friend has such a sweet tongue, not like those rigid, merciless Demon-Slaying Agents. That's true enough, but let this old woman take a good look."

"To be honest, this old woman is a bit curious too. Just who is this divine being that could steal the Ice Silkworm right under our noses?"

As she spoke, Snake Granny's kindly demeanor changed, turning somewhat fierce.

After all, in this martial world, how many truly kind souls could survive?

She stepped forward to where the rat had been, then bent down to examine it closely.

She dipped a finger, rubbed some dust between her fingers, then brought it to her nose and sniffed, frowning in thought, muttering to herself:

"This smell is...?"

Suddenly, she put the dust in her mouth and tasted it, then her face turned grim.

"Urine? Rat urine!"

"No, that's not right. This trace is from that rat."

Zhou Zhen watched Snake Granny's series of actions with some curiosity. Were all these snake-handling, poison-doctoring types this eccentric?

Soon, Snake Granny shifted position and came to a depression in the ground.

"This is...?"

"What is this?"

Zhou Zhen crouched down beside her, asking with some curiosity.

The depression was far too obvious in that spot.

Snake Granny ignored Zhou Zhen. She reached out and gently traced her fingers over every part of the depression, like caressing a lover's hand.

Of course, if anyone could magnify the sight of her fingertips, they would see some strange little creatures.

As she traced, when her finger suddenly passed over a fine scratch, it paused almost imperceptibly, then resumed normally.

Throughout the process, her expression shifted repeatedly, and finally, she shot a quick sidelong glance at Zhou Zhen before slowly uttering a single word:

"Snake!"

"Snake?" Zhou Zhen was startled, hardly believing it. "Impossible, right? How could a snake appear here and eat that rat and the wooden box?"

Snake Granny shot him a glare. "Are you questioning this old woman's years of experience? After all these years of handling snakes, how could I not know if it's a snake?"

"Barring any surprises, it should be a Ten-Thousand Snake. Now that spring has arrived, this Ten-Thousand Snake must have just woken up to hunt, stumbled upon it, and swallowed it whole."

"Is that so?"

Zhou Zhen gave Snake Granny a skeptical look as he replied. He vaguely sensed something off, but he couldn't pinpoint what, since he wasn't well-versed in snakes.

"In that case, let's part ways here and each search on our own."

With that, Snake Granny stood up again and walked off as if nothing had happened.

But inside, she was hesitating, hiding a hint of joy she couldn't quite explain.

Was it really just a snake?

Zhou Zhen crossed his arms, chin resting on his hand, staring at Snake Granny's receding figure, muttering to himself.

At night, the bright moonlight poured like water over the forest. The lively bustle of the day had long faded, leaving only a mess in the woods.

Yet at this moment, a figure appeared—one who should have left.

Snake Granny!

It turned out Snake Granny had never left; she had only pretended to leave, trying to deceive Zhou Zhen.

Now, apparently convinced that Zhou Zhen had gone, she had quietly returned.

As for why she returned, that had to do with what she had discovered today.

She was still savoring that scratch from noon.

Was that trace really a snake? A Ten-Thousand Snake?

Yes and no.

When faced with Zhou Zhen's question, Snake Granny had answered honestly, without a shred of deceit. But there was one thing she hadn't said—she hadn't revealed everything she'd found.

There had indeed been snake-like traces there, that was true. But why was there a sharp scratch among them?

Though she hadn't had time to think it through back then, based on her years of studying snakes, She realized that, based on the position at the time, this scratch mark truly existed on the body of that unknown "snake," rather than being clawed out by a chance eagle landing.

So she instinctively kept it hidden.

After all, the two of them were neither kin nor acquaintances—she had no obligation to tell him everything.

Then she forcibly suppressed the curiosity within her, pretended to leave, and waited until Zhou Zhen was just about gone before returning to examine it again.

Lost in thought, Snake Granny once more arrived before this mark.

Only when she saw that the mark was still there did she breathe a sigh of relief—thankfully, it hadn't been damaged.

After all, during this time, she had repeatedly savored the memory of that mark, and she inexplicably found that it somewhat resembled a Jade Claw.

A snake's body impression, and a Jade Claw...

Add to that her precious pet's unexplained unease today.

Was this the mark of an Earth Dragon?

No, that's not right. An Earth Dragon's scratch couldn't be this sharp.

And her precious pet wouldn't be uneasy facing an Earth Dragon—only a higher-ranked member of its own kind or a natural enemy would cause such distress.

But she had raised her precious pet for so many years; ordinary snakes were no match for it.

Then...

A certain premonition surfaced in her heart, and she couldn't help but feel eager. She bent down directly and began to examine it closely.

Because she had left once before, she had prepared thoroughly during that time.

So countless tiny insects crawled down from her body, swarming over the ground following the scent she directed, spreading like ink across the earth.

Soon, they formed the shape of a mysterious, long-bodied creature with claws on the ground.

The moment she saw that shape appear, Snake Granny's eyes widened, her expression frozen in disbelief.

Th-this, this shape was...

In an instant, Snake Granny's heart pounded "thump thump" with rapid beats, because this meant her guess might be right!

Instinctively, she glanced around suspiciously left and right, even though there should be no one nearby, then decisively dispersed those insects.

No, she couldn't be so hasty.

Snake Granny shook her head firmly. Thinking of that great court, which from its founding had spent untold manpower and resources, consuming nearly a thousand years—

And still hadn't found such a mysterious and powerful creature. How could she possibly encounter one so easily?

She needed to carefully search the surroundings for other traces.

With this thought, she drove the insects to remember this scent and began searching slowly.

Yet she failed to notice another person's presence in the darkness...

"Ten-Thousand Snake," another elegant name for the King Cobra—"Ten-Thousand Snake" meaning "King of Ten Thousand Snakes."