A Green Snake Obsessed with Books

Chapter 41: A Green Snake with a Passion for Books

Zi Bofeng welcomed the Green Snake inside, but Xitui immediately acted as if facing a formidable enemy. Compared to the fox, the Green Snake felt more like a true nemesis; it had once been bitten by a venomous snake and nearly lost its life.

"Don't worry, don't worry..." Zi Bofeng soothed, though he was quite nervous himself.

The Green Snake coiled on his shoulder for a moment, then stretched out its head to nuzzle against his cheek.

Zi Bofeng reached out a hand and gently rested it on the snake's head. The Bamboo Green Snake allowed him to stroke it a few times, behaving quite docilely.

Zi Bofeng let out a soft sigh of relief, finally setting his heart at ease. However, the Green Snake refused to stay on his shoulder any longer. With a bow of its body, it leaped onto the desk. Its golden vertical pupils scanned the bookshelf until they landed on Legend of the White Snake, Volume 5. It reared up its upper body, wanting to pull the book down, but lacking hands or feet—and fearing its fangs might damage the pages—it began to pace in circles, anxious.

"So that's why you like borrowing Legend of the White Snake; it was for your friend all along." Zi Bofeng smiled, reaching out to stroke the White Fox's head.

The White Fox stretched, acted cute, and then turned and ran off, wagging its tail. Zi Bofeng looked left and right, still unable to figure out how the fox had managed to get into the courtyard.

Behind him, the Green Snake was already frantically slapping the desk with its tail. Zi Bofeng couldn't help but laugh; he had encountered an impatient Green Snake. Clearly, this snake was also a beneficiary of his previous lectures, and it had grown tired of borrowing Legend of the White Snake one volume at a time, desperate to finish it here and now.

Zi Bofeng took down the book and lit the oil lamp. The Green Snake extended the tip of its tail, skillfully flipped open the cover, pressed its body across the pages, and held its head upright along the center line of the book.

To respect the reading habits of this world, the Legend of the White Snake that Zi Bofeng had compiled was also written in vertical columns read from right to left. Since the snake's eyes were on either side of its head, its reading method was simple: it tilted its head slightly to look at the right side with one eye, and after finishing, it tilted its head the other way to look at the left with the other eye. After a while, perhaps tired of holding its head up, it flattened its body and pressed its head against the center line, looking lazy as it tilted its head on the desk to read—which had the added benefit of not needing to turn its head at all. He just wondered if snakes could become nearsighted.

Zi Bofeng watched for a while; the Green Snake was like a diligent student, reading by candlelight, more studious than many of his human pupils. It didn't read fast, occasionally flipping back and forth to compare pages. Before long, Zi Bofeng grew impatient, placed the remaining volumes of the Legend of the White Snake on the table, yawned, and said, "You read here, I'm going to sleep..."

Lying in bed, watching the shadow of the Green Snake projected onto the wall, Zi Bofeng felt quite moved. During his daily lectures, he had never noticed this Bamboo Green Snake; it must have been hiding in some tree, unlike the White Fox, which drew attention whenever it appeared.

At the same time, he wondered how many other grasses, insects, and birds had benefited from his Monster Raising Art. If his father saw them coming into his room to read like this, he had no idea what he would think.

The night was spent tossing and turning, filled with nightmares. Occasionally, when he opened his eyes, he saw the Green Snake still flipping through pages. Xitui, initially on high alert, eventually couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep.

The next morning, the sun was already high when Zi Bofeng groggily climbed out of bed. He glanced over, but the Green Snake was gone. He looked around, then peered under the bed, finding the Green Snake coiled into a ball in the corner, catching up on sleep.

His father was in the courtyard charring wood to make wheels for the donkey cart. The previous flatbed cart had been used for hauling timber, and despite his complaints about his son buying a donkey, he actually cared deeply for him and had risen early to build a new cart.

Zi Bofeng stretched, walked over to Tauxue, rubbed its neck, and nourished it with the Monster Raising Art, only to notice a saddle hanging nearby.

"Huh? Dad, whose is that?" Zi Bofeng asked, stunned.

"It was sent over by your Uncle Zhuzi," Zi Jian said with a smile. Zhuzi had quietly dropped off the saddle and left without a word. Zi Jian knew he was still a bit embarrassed; after all, he had beaten Zi Bofeng several times in the past, but his mother's illness had ultimately been cured because of him.

Zhuzi was a taciturn man who didn't know how to express gratitude, so he had spent the night making a donkey saddle.

"Uncle Zhuzi sent it..." Zi Bofeng felt a surge of emotion. This man, who had always been hostile toward him, finally seemed to have some goodwill.

He focused his mind, pressed a hand to his brow, and as his spiritual energy flowed, the aerial view of Lower Yan Village unfolded before him. The villagers had already headed into the mountains. Zi Bofeng had labeled them all; finding the black dot representing Zhuzi, he saw it was no longer the faint speck it once was, but had turned ink-black. This wasn't just goodwill; it was overflowing. It seemed Zhuzi's mother held such a vital place in his heart that his favor toward Zi Bofeng had skyrocketed.

Scanning the rest of the village, more than half of the inhabitants now showed signs of overflowing goodwill. His tenure as the village head of Lower Yan had been quite successful, and because of that, he felt an even greater responsibility to protect them.

However, aside from Zhuzi, many others remained in neutral colors, clearly still harboring doubts.

What surprised Zi Bofeng most, however, were not these black dots, but the points of light. He knew these were the monsters nourished by his Monster Raising Art. Monsters could become monsters without his help, but it was difficult and slow. With his nourishment, not only was their path smoothed, but a special connection was formed; as long as they were within his territory, he could see their every move if he wished.

At this moment, centered around the largest, brightest light—Blue Stone, which shone like the full moon—tiny specks of light were scattered throughout the jurisdiction of Lower Yan Village, so many they were impossible to count.

Beside these points of light, the heavy death energy that shrouded the world was being dispelled bit by bit, as if someone were using a fine mesh to scoop filth from the water. Even if it was just a spoonful at a time, the death energy was fading.

As long as the death energy continued to diminish, there was hope.

For some reason, seeing this scene swept away his frustration, filling him with renewed fighting spirit.

"Dad, I'm going to Meng City again," Zi Bofeng thought. Zhuzi had truly sent a pillow just as he was getting sleepy; he had been worrying about how to ride the donkey. He led Tauxue out and placed the saddle on its back.

"Going to Meng City? What for?"

"The academy exam results will be out soon. I want to pay a visit to the teacher. Also, there's the matter of the Jade Tax; I need to discuss it with someone," Zi Bofeng said. He didn't dare mention his plan to scout for information on Feijianzi; knowing oneself and the enemy was the only way to win every battle.

Zi Jian was worried and wanted to dissuade him, but what came out was, "Eat breakfast before you go."

"No need. With Tauxue, I can just buy something to eat once I reach the city," Zi Bofeng replied. Zi Jian wanted to urge him further but shook his head, coming over to help fasten the saddle and stirrups, tightening the girth under the donkey's belly before attaching the bridle.

Zi Bofeng returned to his room to pack his belongings into a book box. Seeing the Green Snake still asleep, he hesitated. Fearing it might hurt someone while he was away, he tucked it inside. Worried it would cause a fuss when it woke up, he threw in two volumes of Legend of the White Snake. The box was woven from rattan, so it had gaps for light and air.

Zi Jian helped hang the box on the donkey's back. Seeing Zi Bofeng wobble as he mounted, he worriedly asked, "Why don't I hitch the cart and go with you?"

"I'll be staying in Meng City for a day or two. You should look after the house, Dad." Zi Bofeng really didn't want to bring his father along; it would make things difficult.

Handing a small whip to Zi Bofeng, Zi Jian led the donkey out of the gate. Zi Bofeng had never ridden a donkey or horse before, wobbling for a moment before he found his balance.

Outside the gate, Little Stone was playing with two puppies under a large tree. Seeing Zi Bofeng on the donkey, he shouted, "I want to ride! I want to ride!"

After much persuasion, Zi Bofeng managed to calm Little Stone down. He bid farewell to Zi Jian and his aunt, and under their worried gazes, he rode the little donkey, trotting toward the outskirts of the village.

"Ugh, my poor back..."

Seeing the gates of Meng City in the distance, Zi Bofeng quickly dismounted. His legs felt like noodles, and he could barely walk. He leaned on his waist, shuffling along for a while before he felt slightly better.

Walking to Meng City was too slow and tiring; the last time he took a carriage and a donkey cart, he had been shaken until he nearly fell apart. Now, riding the donkey, he felt sore and aching. At this moment, Zi Bofeng deeply missed the comfortable cars of his past life.

He wondered how Feijianzi's Cloud Carriage was made; it looked incredibly comfortable.

Zi Bofeng couldn't help but harbor thoughts of killing the man to seize the treasure.

Tauxue snorted in dissatisfaction. It was the one doing the running, yet the guy on its back had the nerve to complain about being tired?

Shortly after leaving the village, the Green Snake had started making a racket in the book box. Expecting the little snake to read quietly was wishful thinking, so Zi Bofeng had to let it out. He intended for it to leave on its own, but it refused to budge, so he had to tell it stories to keep it calm.

The first technique of the Monster Raising Art, "Unity Transformation," didn't have a significant effect on these highly intelligent creatures, but it did have one benefit: it allowed him to communicate with them. Even Tauxue, the donkey he had just bought, could understand his stories. The journey was fast and steady, or Zi Bofeng would have suffered even more. Along the way, he consumed quite a bit of spiritual energy, and Tauxue could almost fully understand human speech, leading Zi Bofeng to praise it repeatedly as a clever donkey.

Record of Raising Monsters