The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 70: Chapter 68: Night Excursion

Pei Xiaoxiao stiffened at his words. She looked down and finally noticed her own appearance.

She froze completely, and her face flushed crimson in an instant.

”Ah...!”

After a long moment, she let out a sudden cry and, as if she had cast an Agility Technique, dashed into the woods like a bolt of lightning.

Zhang Deming shook his head and muttered, ’Now you’re embarrassed? Now you’re shy? Why didn’t you react like this when you were hiding your treasures right in front of me down below?’

Ignoring her, he walked over to the pile of snake meat. Being near the water, there were numerous mosquitoes and other insects.

By now, quite a few flies and mosquitoes were already buzzing around the snake meat.

”Xiaoxiao, hurry up and use your Spiritual Power to dry it. We need to go get people to haul the meat away. It would be a real shame if it spoils.

This Demon Beast Flesh is an incredibly rare treasure for the Ordinary people in your town.

Eating it can not only strengthen their bodies but also extend their lives.

Of course, if you don’t care for your town, then just pretend I said nothing,” Zhang Deming called out.

”Coming!” A moment later, Pei Xiaoxiao ran out again, looking fresh and clean.

The two of them then went into town to find help. Thanks to Zhang Deming’s Dragon Monarch persona, the townspeople were incredibly enthusiastic and eager to assist.

Zhang Deming only had to say a word, and with a great clamor, more than half the town showed up.

The Shocking Water Snake was large, but...

For such a large crowd, carrying the meat of a ten-meter-long snake was no trouble at all.

The journey was only a short distance, and the task was finished quickly.

「That evening, in the market square of Qingshui Town.」

Since Zhang Deming hadn’t left, the town head, Xie Dongli, organized a grand bonfire party for the entire town.

A snake meat banquet, to be precise.

Of course, while the town wasn’t huge, there wasn’t nearly enough snake meat to go around.

So, a lot of other meat was added to make a snake meat stew.

Zhang Deming saw how respectful they were toward him, and it had been over a decade since he had experienced such a lively gathering.

On a whim, he took out several pieces of gold and told Xie Dongli to arrange a sumptuous feast.

At first, Xie Dongli refused to accept it, but Zhang Deming had to issue a stern command, threatening to stop the rain if he didn’t take the gold. That finally scared him into complying.

At night, in the market square, several bonfires blazed brightly. Groups of people sang and danced around each one.

Many young men seized the opportunity, mustering their courage to ask the girls they admired to dance, with some even pledging themselves to each other for life.

Zhang Deming had forgotten the last time he had seen such a vibrant, lively scene.

Zhang Deming sat on a high platform in the square, watching the bustling banquet below. He murmured, ”It’s good to be young.”

Pei Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. ”Senior Brother, you say that as if you’re ancient.”

Zhang Deming: ”...”

He put on a stern face and glared at her. ”What do you know? Your Senior Brother has achieved a high level of Cultivation and is skilled in preserving his appearance.”

Pei Xiaoxiao pressed on, ”But you haven’t even grown a beard yet!”

Zhang Deming: ”...”

’Who said lolis are cute?’

’God, I hate lolis, especially argumentative ones. Someone drag her away. Can’t a man enjoy a banquet in peace?’

’It’s not easy for an old man like me to have a rare moment of sentimental melancholy, reflecting on the passage of time!’

Because Zhang Deming was present, and because the story of the snake meat was passed from person to person—growing more miraculous with each telling—the final version of the tale claimed it was a Spiritual Object containing Dragon Blood.

If Zhang Deming hadn’t been their certified Dragon Monarch, they probably would have started calling it Dragon flesh.

For all these reasons, the lively celebration continued late into the night before the crowds slowly dispersed.

In the end, Zhang Deming even came down and joined the crowd, dancing and celebrating for a while.

「Late that night, after the crowds had dispersed, Zhang Deming and Pei Xiaoxiao returned to the inn.」

After parting ways with Pei Xiaoxiao at their respective rooms, Zhang Deming first sat in meditation to recover his Spiritual Qi, which took a long time.

Afterward, he stood up and checked his surroundings for a moment, confirming that everyone was asleep.

Light Wings appeared at Zhang Deming’s heels. He leaped straight out the window and bounded swiftly across the rooftops, leaving the town in moments and arriving at Qingshui Lake.

Without pausing, he crossed Qingshui Lake, passed through Yushui Town, and half an hour later, arrived at Xiashui Town.

Xiashui Town, situated downstream on the Qingshui River, was much more prosperous than Qingshui Town.

It was several times larger and actually looked like a proper town.

Yes, in this era, it was almost the size of a small county seat.

Perhaps because it was late at night, he spotted several snakes as soon as he reached the outskirts of town.

These weren’t Ordinary snakes. They were all one or two meters long and highly venomous.

Zhang Deming could even sense a very faint trace of Spiritual Power on them. These snakes were all descendants of Demon Beasts.

He frowned. ’Has the Demon Beast infestation in this town gotten this severe?’

He circled the town several times and saw small snakes slithering along the Roof Beams inside many of the houses.

Xiashui Town was already showing signs of a snake infestation.

Once it truly took hold, the situation would become serious.

After all, these were not Ordinary snakes. They were descendants with Demon Beast Bloodlines. If they became a full-blown plague, they could quickly evolve into true Demons.

Zhang Deming searched every inn but found no dignitaries or Immortals.

’Haven’t they arrived yet? They’re so slow!’

Zhang Deming pondered for a moment, then began to swiftly reconnoiter the source of the snakes. After a long while, he found a deep ravine in a canyon beside a river channel.

When Zhang Deming stood at the edge of the canyon and looked down, the sight of countless writhing balls of snakes made his scalp tingle with dread.

Even knowing that most of them were just beasts that didn’t even qualify as Demon Beasts, the sight of the tangled balls of snakes still made his skin crawl.

Many of the snakes in the balls were bizarre, some with fleshy tumors, others with deformed, forked double tails.

He went deeper into the canyon and, in the largest ball of snakes, found the mother python coiled within.

The mother python was about ten meters long. It must have originally been an Ordinary beast, but now it was a Demon Beast at the level of an Intermediate Apprentice.

Coiled with the mother python were several other pythons with similar auras; they were likely her first-generation offspring.

No wonder so many of the snakes in the outer balls were deformed. It was due to inbreeding.

’Wait, this aura is...?’

’The Shocking Water Snake?’

Among the few pythons coiled with the mother, Zhang Deming sensed a familiar aura.

A wave of realization washed over him. He now had a good idea of how this snake infestation had started.

’In that case, perhaps I can try a more cautious method?’

’After all, an assassination always carries a risk of being discovered.’

After reconnoitering the surrounding terrain for a long time, Zhang Deming turned and left, heading to Qingshui Prefecture within Qingshui Lake.

He took out the Snake Skin and Snake Bone he had acquired during the day. It was a good thing he hadn’t disposed of them.

Zhang Deming quickly draped the Snake Skin over the Snake Bone. His skinning technique had been excellent, so with the Snake Bone providing support, it was difficult to spot anything unusual from a distance.

Then, Zhang Deming tossed out several seeds. His hands flew, and one by one, Vines began to spread inside the Snake Bone, providing support.

A moment later, under Zhang Deming’s manipulation, the Shocking Water Snake seemed to come to life once more.

It raised its head, its empty eyes turning to stare at him.