Chapter 35

Wu Mu tried hard, but some things couldn’t be achieved just by effort. He struggled all night, constantly shifting between his half-beast and beast forms, but ultimately failed to return to his half-beast form. The failed transformation left the big snake lying limp on the ground, each scale on his body reflecting his disappointment. While trying to transform, he kept talking to Song Xu, feeling a sense of urgency. Unlike before, when he could barely utter a word, now he was spitting out words in short bursts. Only Song Xu could understand his scattered and strange words accurately.

“Wherever you go, I’ll go with you. Wherever I go, you’ll follow me. We’ll stay together, okay?”

Song Xu finally managed to calm the snake down. She realized that leaving home and facing the vast outside world was also a new and unfamiliar experience for the mighty snake. He could fiercely kill an eagle but was worried she would say goodbye to him. As they left the area, the bushes gradually thinned out, and the towering trees disappeared from sight. Low shrubs covered the ground, and further away was a large grassland with faint outlines of mountains in the distance.

Song Xu emerged from the bushes, with Wu Mu following closely behind. They were about to enter an open field without the cover of trees, stepping into a bustling world. The field was full of vibrant and colorful spring flowers. The plants with short blooming periods only had a little time. They had to attract all possible pollinators or other creatures to complete their mission for the spring.

As soon as Song Xu stepped into the field, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s so lively here. They’re so noisy.”

Her eyes found the colorful flowers too loud, and her ears found the buzzing pollinators too noisy. It was as bustling as a marketplace. The temperature had unknowingly become comfortably warm. At night, there was no need to light a fire for warmth. Song Xu’s fur was enough to ward off the lingering cold.

During the day, the sun’s warmth was undeniable. Even the most dormant seeds knew it was time to sprout under the sun’s rays. If they didn’t grow now, they would miss the splendid spring. The flowers blooming like a market became Song Xu’s food along the way. For a squirrel, nothing tasted better in spring than freshly sprouted buds and dew-covered flowers.

Similarly, the wild goats grazing on the fresh flowers and grass in the field were Wu Mu’s food. He wasn’t picky about his food, willing to eat anything, whether clean or dirty, with skin or fur. He swallowed everything whole, only occasionally spitting out indigestible parts.

Song Xu had mentioned it to him many times, so this time, Wu Mu strangled a wild goat but didn’t eat it directly. Instead, he dragged it to a nearby stream to rinse it before eating.

Song Xu was amazed. Why did Wu Mu wash his food before eating it? She recalled that when he was in his half-beast form, he would eat wild boars that had rolled in mud without a second thought. She didn’t realize it was the result of her constant nagging.

Their eating habits were different. Song Xu could eat while playing on the road, while Wu Mu needed to stop and rest after a meal. While he rested, Song Xu wandered nearby, sniffing the scent on a rock. Her beastman senses told her that this was the edge of a beastman territory, with a slightly fishy smell—possibly from a wolf pack. She could distinguish the wolf pack’s scent because she had previously encountered wolf beastmen in the cedar forest. However, the scent had faded, indicating that the wolf pack hadn’t been here for a while. She moved to another rock a meter away, where different beastmen also left a scent. The smell wasn’t as strong but still noticeable, though she couldn’t identify the animal. This field seemed to be the border between two different beastman territories. If they walked along the border, they should be fine, right?

Unfortunately, a wolf tribe living nearby had recently had several females give birth to many cubs. The smell of blood and the presence of young attracted hungry wild animals, and their camp had been attacked twice. So, the leader expanded their patrol range, coincidentally reaching the border. The fresh tracks and the dangerous snake scent made them wary. They couldn’t tolerate a dangerous stranger entering their territory. The wolf tribe leader, Ling Feng, identified the scent and waved his hand. A dozen gray-black-haired men and women instantly transformed into wolves and chased in the direction of the setting sun.

Song Xu lay sprawled on the snake, looking at the stars. The more she looked, the more stars she saw. Thinking about the universe, she sighed, “We are so small. Look, the sky above us is just a corner of the universe, and our world is just a star in the universe.”

Wu Mu didn’t understand. The stars were so small, and their world was so big. How could it be a star? But he couldn’t speak now, so he just flicked his tongue in confusion.

Song Xu continued, “Then you might say, the stars are so small, how can we live on a star? That’s because we are so far from other stars. Things far away look small, right?”

Song Xu chatted with Wu Mu about the universe, becoming more profound, “Actually, we are the same as a flower or a stone.”

“You see,” Song Xu picked up a stone casually, “the significance of me and this stone to the world is the same. Our elemental composition is almost the same; in the end, we are all just dust from the stars.”

She then grabbed an ant nearby and held it up: “I am also the same as this ant.”

Wu Mu didn’t understand her words. How could she be the same as a stone or an ant? Stones and ants are so ordinary. There are countless stones and ants here; they neither smile nor are cute, don’t scream or dance, dig tree holes, and don’t say strange and interesting things.

She placed the ant on Wu Mu, watching it walk and slide along the snake’s body. Song Xu’s seriousness didn’t last a minute before she started joking: “You know, Wu Mu, on other stars in the universe, there are aliens called the Zerg. They can travel from one planet to another in spaceships equipped with laser weapons. With just one shot, half a planet would be gone…”

“There is also a planet of light in the universe, where people called Ultramen live. Each of them can transform into a giant, although only for five minutes, they can single-handedly fight monsters dozens of meters high… which are primitive beasts!”

The big snake was stunned, half understanding. Although he didn’t know why Song Xu knew so much, she seemed very serious, so the big snake believed her. He looked at the distant stars with dangerous aliens and tightly wrapped his tail around Song Xu, hoping she wouldn’t be afraid.

The night wind brought the scent of a wolf pack, breaking their one-on-one warm teaching moment. The big snake, lying limp on the ground, instantly raised its body, and Song Xu rolled up.

The head wolf, shooting like lightning from a distance, was huge. With a fierce charge, he collided head-on with the big snake, which swung his head, sending the head wolf flying to the side.

The wolf pack surrounded them, panting from their high-speed run, growling threateningly, waiting for their leader’s command. The head wolf, Ling Feng, landed and transformed into a man covered in fur. He had just tested the beastman’s strength with a small move; if he hadn’t dodged quickly, his shoulder would have two more holes now.

The snake beastman opened his mouth, hissing threateningly, revealing sharp fangs. The poisonous smell made Ling Feng realize that the opponent was difficult to deal with. He cautiously circled around, the snake’s eyes still coldly staring at him, ready to attack at any moment.

After about two breaths, the big snake suddenly lunged at him, and all the wolf beastmen moved. The beastman standing at Wu Mu’s tail saw a squirrel beastman on the snake’s body and pounced without thinking.

Song Xu transformed into a squirrel, jumped up to avoid the bite, and kicked the wolf’s eyes with her legs. The snake’s tail cooperated by swatting the howling wolf away.

The thick snake’s body swung, and the wolves trying to bite couldn’t touch it. The squirrel climbed up the slippery snake’s body to the snake’s head. The head wolf seized the moment when the snake swung its tail and leaped to the snake’s vital spot.

Feeling a gust of wind over her head, Song Xu immediately reacted, sliding down the snake’s body and kicking the wolf to stop him from sinking his claws into the snake. The head wolf retaliated, but the big snake sensed it and rolled over, pinning the head wolf to the ground, his tail quickly coiling up, ready to strangle him.

The wolf pack saw their leader trapped and immediately returned to help. Even if the snake’s tail hit them, they wouldn’t retreat. The big snake had to release the head wolf and continue using his tail to drive away the harassing wolves.

Ling Feng whistled out of the snake’s attack range, and the wolf pack retreated. Two wolf beastmen, limping from being hit by the snake’s tail, were pulled back by their companions.

Covered in dust, the head wolf, Ling Feng, pressed his sore ribs. Just now, it felt like his chest was about to be crushed. He understood that continuing to fight would result in heavy casualties, even if they could kill the beastman.

Not willing to sacrifice his tribe members, Ling Feng made no rash moves, standing still and saying, “You are a half-beastman. We do not welcome half-beastmen. Leave our territory immediately, and we will not attack you again.”

No tribe would accept a half-beastman who could lose control at any moment, especially one with such power. If Ling Feng’s tribe could kill this half-beastman, they wouldn’t just drive him away.

These people attacked first, and now that they realized they couldn’t win, they wanted to talk rudely. Given the snake’s poor speaking skills, Song Xu landed beside Wu Mu, rubbing her shoulder and arm hit by the head wolf in the chaos, and growled, “If you hadn’t come, we would have left your territory in a few days. We were just passing through. Why so aggressive!”

Ling Feng remained unmoved: “Then leave our territory now.”

Song Xu’s rebellious spirit flared. She stood with her hands on her hips, leaning against the big snake’s raised body: “No, we will walk slowly… huh?”

Leaning back, she felt something was wrong. The smooth scales had turned into the texture of the skin. Song Xu didn’t finish her sentence, looking back in confusion.

At this moment, possibly stimulated, Wu Mu successfully transformed into a half-beastman. His upper body was still covered in snake scales, and he firmly grabbed Song Xu’s shoulder with one hand and pointed at Ling Feng with the other.

From his mouth came a clear word: “Kill.”

“Kill… hiss… you.”

Song Xu: The snake’s first words are so fierce?