Strangeness in the Village

After bidding everyone farewell, Shen Hui and Lu Huan continued forward along the official road.

They had gone only two or three li when they came upon several villagers carrying baskets on their backs.

Their steps were hurried, their empty baskets swaying, and urgency showed on their faces.

The moment they saw Shen Hui and Lu Huan, a middle-aged man at the head of the group stopped and cupped his hands. "May I ask, Daoist, did you come from the post station up ahead? I heard there's a huge snake there and its meat is being handed out freely. Is that true?"

Shen Hui nodded. "It is. But by the time this poor Daoist left, the snake had already been divided up for the most part."

Disappointment appeared on their faces.

One old man still refused to give up and asked, "What about the innards? There must at least be a skeleton left, right?"

Shen Hui said, "Fearing lingering harm from snake venom, the internal organs and snake eggs were all burned in one fire."

The villagers looked at one another, and the middle-aged man said with a smile, "Such a large snake—even the bones could be used to make soup, and the hide could be tanned into boots. There must be something left over. We might as well go try our luck."

With that, he cupped his hands again and hurriedly led the others toward the post station.

Shen Hui watched their retreating backs but did not try to dissuade them. He merely continued on with Lu Huan.

By afternoon, the sun had tilted westward.

After passing several villages, the two finally reached the village the bearded man had mentioned.

From afar, it was not large, with only twenty or thirty households. Most of the homes were mud-brick dwellings,