After Being Abducted and Raised by A Snake

Wan Zhong rinsed his mouth with cold river water, pretending not to notice the disappointment in the black snake’s vertical pupils as its tail hung limply, he avoided to look at it and looked at the suddenly swaying fishing line.

This was the first time he had obtained prey through his own efforts.

His heart was thoroughly satisfied.

Not only catching fish, now he was very proficient in making fire using primitive methods, although it took at least more than half an hour. But with this skill, he could obtain fire on his own even in a dark cave.

The feeling of relying on himself to achieve what he wanted really gave him a lot of confidence and security.

Wan Zhong picked up some completely dry pebbles far away from the river, buried them in the space heated by the fire, cleaned the forearm-long fish, chopped off the head, and cut the fish body into two pieces, each wrapped in leaves and covered with a layer of mud.

He dug another pit next to the fire, pulled the cooked stones into the pit with branches, then placed the fish meat on top, and covered it with a layer of cooked stones. After covering the pit with soil, he placed some burning branches from the fire on top of the pit, added some fallen leaves, and continued burning.

After doing this, Wan Zhong moved a head-sized stone to find the black snake.

The black snake was leaning against the tree trunk, looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, appearing both bright and sad.

Wan Zhong thought about it but finally did not call it by its name. He addressed it as he liked: “Handsome snake, can you use your tail to dig out a pot for me?”

It could be said that the black snake was the best at digging holes.

The tip of its tail, thicker than Wan Zhong’s wrist, poked the stone and then scraped in circles along the perimeter, creating a pot-like hollow shell.

“…” Wan Zhong was unsure how he should interact with the black snake now. He couldn’t touch its tail to praise and thank it like before, nor could he treat it coldly.

Although the black snake and Xuan Ming were the same snake, Wan Zhong looked at the black snake’s green vertical pupils and couldn’t connect it with Xuan Ming.

The feeling of being so close yet far away was truly awkward.

In the end, Wan Zhong still didn’t say thank you to the black snake.

.

He used his new stone pot to scoop some water from the river, placed it on the fire, added the fish heads, and boiled them while taking the opportunity to check his fish basket.

It felt a bit heavy when he picked it up, and upon inspection, the harvest was not bad at all.

Wan Zhong looked inside to find half a basket of shrimps and crabs, and he shouted excitedly: “Ahhhhh!”

After all, these were all precious finds.

During the days he spent with his grandfather, the only seafood they ate was carp, which cost more than ten yuan per pound and they only ate it occasionally during holidays. Shrimps and crabs were considered luxuries for them. If they had money to buy such things, he might as well buy a bottle of calcium tablets for his grandpa.

The first time Wan Zhong had shrimp and crab was on the ship while searching for his brother. He secretly observed other diners in the restaurant for a long time before learning how to eat shrimp and prepare crabs.

He still remembered that moment.

He was truly grateful that the waiter standing next to him didn’t intervene or laugh at him.

Meanwhile, the black snake blocked out the sound of his spouse’s excitement. It continued to gaze up at the bright yet a little grey sky and addressed the mirror.

[Mirror, mirror.]

[He did not shout so happily when he was tying his tail with me.]

In the midst of Wan Zhong’s excitement, several crabs in the basket had already devoured a number of shrimps. Wan Zhong, too frightened to bother washing them, poured them all into the stone pot. The greedy crabs eagerly drank up the fish head soup.

Wan Zhong took out the fish meat from the pit and, out of habit, asked the black snake: “Handsome snake, would you like some?”

But the black snake looked melancholic and ignored him.

That night, Wan Zhong ate alone with his head bowed.

The fish cooked in this manner had crispy skin on the outside and tender, moist meat inside, as if it had been steamed. Despite lacking seasoning, it was incredibly fresh and flavorful.

Wan Zhong’s stomach, having endured hardship for too long, only stopped eating when the black snake pressed its tail against his stomach to signal him to stop.

They stayed by the river until the sun set.

As the black snake gazed slightly sadly at the sky, Wan Zhong leaned against it, weaving a larger and sturdier basket to hold their harvest from the trip.

The black snake remained reluctant to carry anything other than Wan Zhong. It bared its two large, snow-white fangs and refused to let Wan Zhong carry the basket filled with fish and shrimp.

Wan Zhong lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment. Then, he removed the snake skin wrapped around his body for protection against the wind, carefully wrapped the basket, and said to the black snake: “This basket is made from your shed skin. Do you even despise yourself?”

Then Wan Zhong wore a stone pot on his head, held the basket, and rode on the tail of the black snake, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease at how easily he could deceive the snake.

.

By the time they returned to the snake nest, darkness had already descended.

Judging from the black snake’s speed, they had traveled quite a distance today.

In other words, the river teeming with fish and shrimp was beyond the reach of Wan Zhong alone.

He transferred the fish and shrimp from the basket into a bucket and placed the crabs separately. While he was busy, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him from behind.

This was Xuan Ming’s signal for intimacy.

Perhaps he believed that Wan Zhong preferred human, thus he chose the human form today, hoping to make Wan Zhong accepting his advance.

Whenever he desired, Xuan Ming would transform into a half-man, half-snake, or fully human form with legs and all.

But… ‘Not tonight!’ Wan Zhong hugged his stomach and feigned pain: “Ah~ it hurts~”

His acting skills were poor.

But Xuan Ming truly believed him.