Chapter 8

Recently, Song Xu felt an itch in her teeth and had to gnaw on something to feel comfortable. The original “Song” used to chew nuts daily, but there were few nuts in this forest, so she didn’t use her teeth as much. It seemed that squirrel beastmen needed to grind their teeth regularly. She tried gnawing on tree trunks and found it more effective than anything else, and it relieved her itch.

Gradually, Song Xu got used to using her teeth to gnaw on tree holes. At first, she felt embarrassed and would look around to see if anyone was watching, but later, she found the sensation of wood chips falling very enjoyable. She gnawed so much that she felt like an electric motor. After gnawing on trees for a while, she would look for food, then play or explore in the forest and collect large chunks of moss to dry outside the snake’s stone cave. The dried moss had many uses: it could be used as kindling and to line nests, and Song Xu’s small nest in the stone cave was lined with several layers of dried moss, making it look like a bird’s nest. She also dried a lot of moss to line the snake’s corner, making it more comfortable and hygienic for the snake to sleep in. Wet moss could also be used as toilet paper, which was much better than other things. Moss was abundant in the forest, and Song Xu used to disdain it because it couldn’t be eaten, but now she realizes its many uses.

While exploring the forest, Song Xu would bring back anything interesting or unfamiliar to the stone cave. Over time, one corner of the snake’s stone cave was filled with the miscellaneous items she brought. Fortunately, the snake was a generous landlord and didn’t mind her bringing back some junk. However, whenever Song Xu brought back large dead branches, the snake would wrap his tail around them and crush them into pieces.

Initially, Song Xu brought back dead branches to make decorations for the snake, but later, she collected firewood. The snake’s “wood chopping” was convenient and quick! She no longer had to worry about running out of firewood. She also discovered that crushing dead branches might be a hobby of the snake. When hunting and encountering fallen dead trees, he would slightly deviate from his path to crush them before leaving. It was like a little boy attracted to puddles on the roadside.

Song Xu, who played in puddles in the forest every day, said so.
The second time Song Xu saw the snake go out hunting, it was different from the last time. This time, he went out in the evening. As the sun set and birds returned to their nests, Song Xu was also heading back to the stone cave. She saw the snake wandering outside and decided to follow him. After a while, she realized he was going to eat. His meal times seemed not fixed, and he did not follow the usual breakfast, lunch, and dinner schedule. It had been about half a month since its last meal.

Song Xu kept track of the days on the stone wall of the snake’s cave, marking a line every night before bed and adding lines for the days she initially missed. Now, there were thirty-three lines. In the thirty-three days since she arrived in this world, the snake was the one she saw almost every day. From her perspective, they were now very familiar with each other.

They would sleep together—every time it thundered and rained, Song Xu would run to sleep under the snake’s tail for the night. She lined the snake’s corner with moss to avoid getting covered in dust and mud every time. They would eat together—Song Xu loved to share and didn’t hesitate to let her roommate taste her food. Her enthusiasm often overwhelmed the snake, which was usually slow to react except when hunting. The snake couldn’t keep up with her talking speed, and her cooking often made him hide in the narrow corner of the stone cave, hugging his tail and refusing to come out.

They would also hunt together—Song Xu eagerly followed the snake, wanting to watch a live version of Animal Planet. She was still unfamiliar with the vast forest, and the local snake could broaden her horizons and help her discover more spots.

Wu Mu went hunting in a different part of the river this time, but the environment was similar. Song Xu guessed it might be the upstream or downstream of the same river. There were also many animals drinking water here, though fewer than last time. This was understandable, as the forest at night was indeed unsafe, with many ferocious predators around, so most animals had gone home. If it weren’t for the big snake nearby, Song Xu wouldn’t dare wander in the forest at night.

Song Xu stayed on a nearby branch, watching the big snake. This time, he had his eyes on a large wild boar, a fat male boar, which was digging at the riverbank, sending mud flying everywhere.

As Song Xu watched, the big snake transformed into his beast form opened his mouth wide and swallowed the gradually struggling wild boar.

Song Xu thought to herself: “It’s all muddy. Shouldn’t he wash it before eating? Dipping its tail in the river would be quite convenient.”

The big boar bulged the snake’s neck into a round ball, which slowly moved downwards. Song Xu found it inexplicably funny and cute, like a string of candied haws or a swallowed meatball. She laughed so hard on the tree that she rocked back and forth.
Suddenly, she noticed the snake spit out the meat it had just swallowed.

Song Xu: “Huh? Why did it spit it out? Is it not tasty?”

She was still in a daze when, almost instantly, the snake’s head had already reached the branch where she was perched.

Song Xu stared at the suddenly enlarged big snake head in front of her, completely stunned. The fully transformed snake hissed menacingly, and the dark red scales with black patterns brushed past her ears.

Behind Song Xu came a sudden, urgent cry of a feline animal. She turned to look and saw the snake biting a black panther, simultaneously wrapping his long tail around it, filling the entire tree with his coils.

Leaning against the tree trunk, watching the close-up hunt, Song Xu saw the black panther go limp within seconds, realizing that the snake was likely venomous. It wasn’t until the snake swallowed the panther that Song Xu understood what had just happened.

Earlier, while the snake was hunting the wild boar, a black panther lurked on the branch above her, eyeing her as its prey. A sudden wave of fear washed over her, and she ran to the snake’s side, clinging to his tail and crying out.

“Scared me to death. Scared me to death!!”

“How could there be a panther!”

“I almost got eaten. If I had been eaten, I would have become fresh fertilizer by tomorrow morning!”

Wu Mu had just swallowed the panther and was almost startled into spitting it out again by her cries. The tree valiantly supported his over twenty-meter-long body. Wu Mu coiled around the tree, his head resting on a branch, digesting his meal as usual. But the person beside him kept crying out in delayed fear, attracting his attention. She was as lively as ever, no different from before. Every night, she would jump and shout like this, sometimes even running along the stone cave walls.

Having fought with her father for many years, Song Xu was used to crying loudly without shedding tears. Leaning against the thick snake, she cried for a while, then suddenly felt a bulge on the snake’s body. The black panther was now moving inside the snake’s stomach to the spot where her hand was resting. She stopped crying instantly, curiously looking at the large bulge and carefully touching it. She could feel the large prey being digested in the stomach as the bulge slowly shrank at a visible rate. The digestive power of beastmen was truly strong. After her curiosity was satisfied, she wanted to continue crying but found she couldn’t, so she just held her chest and repeated softly, “That scared me to death.”

In her original body’s memory, small beastmen didn’t have great strength and were easily attacked by predators when living alone. In her previous small tribe, they were often attacked by giant eagles. But in this forest, the places Song Xu usually moved around were near the giant stone cave, where the snake’s scent lingered. Large animals dared not approach, so she never encountered any danger and gradually relaxed.

“Snake, you saved me just now. You’re so good.” Song Xu was suddenly moved and lay on the snake’s tail, feeling that her usual efforts of cleaning the cave, laying moss, chatting, dancing, and sharing food with him were not in vain. Although he didn’t talk much, he was a warm-hearted person—a snake.

The “warm-hearted” snake digested for a while and prepared to return. He climbed down the tree and noticed his tail was being held. The squirrel was clinging tightly to his tail, looking at the wild boar not far away.

“Are we just going to leave that wild boar? What a pity.”

Wu Mu had no intention of eating what he had spat out, but Song Xu hadn’t had pork in a long time. She ran over, tore off a large piece, wrapped it in leaves, and prepared to take it back to try. She acted quickly, fearing the snake would leave her behind like last time. But to her surprise, he waited in place this time. Song Xu was so moved that she lay on the snake’s back, wanting him to carry her back.

Since the snake was so nice today, she wouldn’t miss any chance to take advantage. By the time they returned, it was completely dark. It was Song Xu’s first time wandering outside at night with the snake. When alone, she found the forest at night scary, fearing wild animals and ghosts. But on the snake’s back, the forest wasn’t so frightening, and Song Xu even had the mind to look at the stars. The dense canopy blocked the sky, and only occasionally, passing through small clearings in the swamp, could she briefly see the sky.

“The stars are so bright…” Song Xu suddenly tumbled off the snake’s tail. And the snake, like a careless parent who drove off without realizing the child wasn’t in the car, continued moving forward.

Song Xu had to run the rest of the way back. She chased after Wu Mu, panting as she reached the stone cave entrance, seeing the snake, who had arrived first, transform back into his half-beast form. He looked back, curling his tail in confusion, as if wondering why he didn’t see the squirrel on it. The squirrel, exhausted from chasing the “car,” was almost dead tired.