C18 The Natural Wine Pool

Ma Tianming was being forcibly dragged, feeling the world jolt and shake around him. His body scraped against thorny branches, yet he only felt his ankles tighten without the sharp pain of a bite.

So, the snake hadn't bitten Ma Tianming?

"Ah!" Ma Tianming exclaimed in shock, his hands flailing, grasping at anything within reach. After several attempts, he finally latched onto a tree branch, but it tore at his hand, and he continued to be dragged along, pain shooting through his body.

Waves of pain assaulted Ma Tianming.

Eventually, Ma Tianming came to a halt.

With a "boom," he sprang to his feet, his head spinning, his body searing as though it had been scorched by fire.

But Ma Tianming couldn't afford to dwell on his wounds because he was startled to see two figures standing before him.

To be precise, they were two humanoid demons: one was the Golden Fur Mongoose he had been holding, now fully resembling a mongoose, its teeth bared, its tail longer than its body, bristling like a barb, ready for a desperate fight.

The adversary of Gold was a Snake Demon with a long tail and a human-like upper body, though its arms were too short to be human. Its head and mouth were a blend of human and snake, showcasing two sharp, fearsome teeth.

It was unmistakably a Flat-head Wind Snake Demon, its large neck a distinctive feature.

"Wow!" Ma Tianming instinctively shouted, his instincts screaming at him to flee for his life.

Ma Tianming turned to run, but he stumbled, his clothes tearing with a rip, and his body sustained another gash. However, he couldn't concern himself with such minor wounds; his body was already riddled with scrapes and cuts.

Before arriving at Top Touching Mountain, Snake King Mah had cautioned him about the difficulty of capturing a Flat-head Wind, as movement here was nearly impossible.

Indeed, Ma Tianming found he couldn't move an inch, crawling was even more out of the question.

Escape was no longer an option.

In a moment of despair, Ma Tianming turned to observe the standoff between two formidable creatures: the Snake Demon and the Golden Fur Mongoose, known as Gold. Fortunately for him, the two were so engrossed in their confrontation that they paid him no mind.

This suggested that the immediate threat to Ma Tianming was significantly reduced, presenting a possible chance to escape. Yet, he couldn't shake off a peculiar sense of being left out.

Ma Tianming had always believed that all demons were malevolent, but now he found himself rooting for Gold, who had just been holding onto his hand. The size disparity between Gold and the Snake Demon was stark, casting doubt on Gold's chances of victory.

Racking his brain, Ma Tianming desperately tried to figure out how he could assist Gold in the battle against the Snake Demon. But as he strategized, Gold and the Flat-head Wind Snake Demon had already engaged in combat.

Gold seemed aware of its disadvantage and wisely avoided a direct confrontation. Instead, it relied on swift dodging and leaping to contend with the Snake Demon, its agility keeping it from being quickly defeated.

Ma Tianming, eager to lend a hand, found himself utterly unable to join the fray.

Lost in thought, he wished for a stick or even a rock to use for self-defense, only to remember that his knife, his actual means of protection, had been lost while being dragged by the Snake Demon.

Feeling a sense of futility, Ma Tianming chose a direction he could still manage to walk in and pushed forward, only to be lacerated by brambles, adding fresh cuts and stinging pain to his ordeal.

In the midst of this, Ma Tianming was suddenly enveloped by an aroma intermingled with various scents—the unmistakable smell of alcohol.

"Ah!" he chided himself internally. How could he be thinking of alcohol at a time like this, when death seemed imminent?

Despite his self-reproach, Ma Tianming instinctively reached for his waist. He had brought two flasks with him, both filled with alcohol—one to quench his thirst and the other containing a potent brew. The ordinary flask had been lost during the encounter with the Snake Demon, and the lingering scent of alcohol was likely from the spilled contents of that very flask.

No way!

As the Wine Prince of Golden Ocean, Ma Tianming could identify any alcohol by its scent alone. But this time, he was stumped; the aroma was too muddled to discern.

It was unlikely anyone would be brewing wine in such a place... Could it be that this scent was emanating from the local demons?

Hmm! It wasn't too far-fetched to consider; after all, no one had ever claimed that demons abstain from alcohol!

Ma Tianming was about to scold himself for fixating on alcohol at such a critical time when a sudden insight struck him. The Golden Fur Mongoose had become less resistant and less hostile after drinking the Drunken Wine. If he could get the Snake Demon to consume it, it would surely become obedient to him. That would be akin to defeating an enemy, wouldn't it?

With no other plan, Ma Tianming followed the alcoholic scent wafting through the air.

After about ten steps, the thorny underbrush thinned considerably, no longer impeding his progress. The ground, however, was marked with numerous scratches.

These were the trails of snakes, and the size of the marks indicated that these were no ordinary serpents. Clearly, this was a frequent haunt for them.

Perhaps the snake's lair was nearby!

Ma Tianming hastened in the direction of the scent until he came upon a puddle.

The water flowed from a small mound with a hole just big enough for a child to pass through. The alcoholic scent was strongest here, at the puddle.

The water's edge was cluttered with an assortment of fruits, yet devoid of the dead branches and leaves scattered throughout the forest. It was evident that someone had been organizing this area.

However, the organizer lacked any sense of artistry; the spot was merely tidier than its surroundings.

Piles of wild fruit?

Indeed, the discovery of wine dates back to when various grains were amassed and, due to moisture, spontaneously fermented into a fragrant "water." It was only after human investigation that the substance was recognized as wine.

It was to be expected that in nature, piles of wild fruit could naturally ferment into wine.

Ma Tianming stepped forward to scoop up some of the "water" from the puddle and took a sip. Although it was far from the quality of wine crafted by humans, it indeed had a subtle hint of alcohol.

Moreover, the taste of alcohol instantly invigorated Ma Tianming.

What kind of wine was this?

Ma Tianming was trying to determine if this was truly the lair of a Snake Demon when he suddenly heard an urgent "Gu Gu" sound behind him.

Ma Tianming turned around alertly, only to see the Snake Demon charging at him.

"Ah!"

The Flat-head Wind Snake Demon was incredibly fast. Ma Tianming realized too late that he couldn't escape.