C23 Snake Hunting

"Is this supposed to be wine?" Ma Tianming had a penchant for alcohol, but he never allowed his younger sister, Marmin Xin, to drink, as she was still quite young. Gold appeared even younger than his sister.

"Is it supposed to taste good?" Gold was reminiscing about the wine she had savored when she killed the Flat-head Wind thrown out by Ma Tianming. It had been an unforgettable experience for her.

After a brief hesitation, Ma Tianming ultimately passed the wine to Gold.

The moment the liquid touched Gold's lips, she sprayed it out with a "Wow," flapping her tongue and exclaiming, "Ugh, it's so bitter!"

Ma Tianming couldn't suppress a chuckle. "That's because it's bitter bile! Of course, it tastes awful."

This turned out to be a good thing, instilling a fear of alcohol in Gold, which might prevent her from becoming a drunkard in the future.

Gold, panting like a dog, suddenly bit into the corpse of the Snake Demon and devoured it greedily.

Ma Tianming felt a wave of nausea and turned away, unable to resist asking, "I've heard you enjoy eating snakes, but aren't you worried about snake bites? These snakes are venomous, after all."

Gold chewed on the snake meat for a bit, which helped to alleviate the bitterness in her mouth. She replied, "Snake venom doesn't affect us, and besides, the snakes can't even bite us."

"Snake venom doesn't affect you?"

Ma Tianming had assumed Gold would say the snakes couldn't bite them, having witnessed her agile movements in combat with the Snake Demon. Even the lightning-fast Flat-head Wind couldn't outpace them, so naturally, they couldn't be bitten. However, he hadn't expected the claim that snake venom was ineffective against apes.

"Why is that? Do you have an antidote?"

"No antidote needed! We're naturally immune to snake venom."

Indeed! Just as the Flat-head Wind is inherently venomous, there are species that are naturally immune to poison.

Ma Tianming didn't dare hope to be immune to deadly toxins like Gold, but with the current absence of danger, he found himself recalling Gold's agile, lightning-fast leaps during her battle with the Snake Demon. Curious, he asked, "Could you teach me how to leap like lightning?"

Gold's skill likely stemmed from her naturally petite frame and inherent agility. Ma Tianming had mentioned it offhandedly, not truly believing he could master it himself.

"Sure thing!" Gold replied, her mouth still full of snake meat. "Hmm, do you have any more of that wine you gave me before? It tastes so much better than this."

Ma Tianming was at a loss for words. She had truly become a wine aficionado.

Looking at Gold's eager expression, Ma Tianming found it hard to associate her demeanor with bargaining or even blackmail.

"Yeah, I do! But you'll have to wait until I get home."

Once Gold had rinsed the bitter taste from her mouth, she began to teach Ma Tianming her astonishingly quick skill.

Gold's agility and quickness were innate, but after transforming into a demon, she focused more on combating snakes and on how to jump even higher and faster.

Originally, Gold relied on her physical strength to leap, but as a demon, she harnessed demonic power.

When Ma Tianming attempted to learn, he considered himself just an ordinary martial artist without much strength. However, Gold assured him that he didn't need to exert much physical effort.

He found himself tapping into an unfamiliar force.

Could it be demonic power?

Or perhaps it was the Snake Demon's power, since Ma Tianming had consumed the snake gall, turning him into a demon?

Impossible! Such things couldn't happen!

Despite his skepticism, Ma Tianming felt only a surge of vitality and no other odd sensations. He might just be frightening himself.

Two hours passed.

Though his teacher was youthful, Ma Tianming was earnest in his desire to learn and had indeed made progress. He might not have matched Gold's speed, but he had become significantly more agile.

Take the Reverse Spin Jump, for example: when the mongoose attacked the snake, it would swiftly pivot and clamp down on the snake's head.

Ma Tianming wouldn't use his teeth to bite an opponent, so he adapted the move to strike with his fists. The true effectiveness of this technique would only be revealed in actual combat.

While it wasn't a formal martial art, Ma Tianming found it quite practical and dubbed it the Snake Hunting Jump.

As the afternoon waned and the sun dipped low, Ma Tianming had no intention of spending the night at Top Touching Mountain, so he and Gold made their departure.

Let's seek out the Snake King Mah first. He's always been extremely cautious, and upon witnessing Ma Tianming being dragged into Top Touching Mountain, he wouldn't believe that Ma Tianming could be saved. Nor would he linger outside Top Touching Mountain waiting.

After exiting Top Touching Mountain, he headed towards Golden Ocean. Suddenly, a cacophony of noise approached from afar. Glancing in that direction, he spotted a carriage barreling his way.

"Gold, you need to revert to your original form now."

Gold hesitated briefly, but Ma Tianming had cautioned her that she must transform back whenever others were present. Despite her fondness for her current form, she complied and resumed her Golden Fur Mongoose appearance.

Ma Tianming dressed Gold in the clothes he had provided for her. They were worn and tattered, but at least they were modest enough to avoid any impropriety.

The runaway carriage was clearly out of control, with no one at the reins.

No, there was someone!

Through the wide carriage window, Ma Tianming caught a glimpse of a person leaning against it, desperately clutching the sill in an attempt to steady themselves and regain control of the carriage.

"Is there no one driving? Has the carriage lost control?" Ma Tianming thought with alarm. Perhaps the driver had been thrown off, and the current passenger, likely inexperienced with driving or perhaps a lady, was unable to manage the horses.

With a surge of determination, Ma Tianming sprinted towards the carriage.

He felt as if he were flying, his speed noticeably faster than before. He was nearly upon the horse when he realized the danger; the carriage was moving so fast that a collision could be fatal.

In that instant, he decided to test the new technique he had learned, the Snake Pursuing Jump.

Ma Tianming dodged the horse's path, leaped to the left, then sprang towards the horse like a swift leopard, landing squarely on its back.

"Phew!" Ma Tianming breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing that at Golden Ocean Academy, horseback riding was a mandatory skill for Martial Type Students.

Ma Tianming swiftly grabbed the reins and yanked the horse's head back. The horse let out a long neigh and continued to run forward in a frenzy.

With a "Goo!" the Golden Fur Mongoose, seeing Ma Tianming's attempt to subdue the horse, darted in front of the animal to show its dominance.

"Hey! Don't get in its way," Ma Tianming exclaimed to the Golden Fur Mongoose. "You really are a troublemaker."

As expected, the horse spooked at the sudden appearance of the "oddity" before it and veered off to the side.

Despite its continued frenzy, the presence of a strong person on its back eventually calmed it down.

"This horse truly has a wild spirit!" Ma Tianming breathed a sigh of relief. Once he was sure the horse had calmed down, he dismounted and turned to the Golden Fur Mongoose, saying, "You, you! Don't you know any better?"

"Goo!" The Golden Fur Mongoose sulked, its round nose twitching. "Why scold me? I was only trying to help."

It was then that Ma Tianming noticed a man's groan coming from the carriage, though no one emerged.

Approaching, Ma Tianming drew back the curtain to find a middle-aged man dressed in silk, lying there in apparent pain, seemingly injured.

Had he been robbed?

Climbing into the carriage, Ma Tianming observed the man was disoriented, his clothes disheveled, but there was no sign of blood.

Where was he hurt?

Ma Tianming proceeded to loosen the man's clothing to inspect for injuries and found fresh bruises, clear signs of a recent struggle.

Had he fled to this spot? Were there pursuers close behind?

Yet Ma Tianming heard no sounds of pursuit.

As he pondered the situation, he discovered a token hidden within the man's garments. He picked it up to find three protruding characters: "Star Pavilion."

Next to "Star Pavilion," two more characters were inscribed: "Yu Heng."

What could this be?

The token revealed no identity.

Something about the man felt eerie. Ma Tianming, cautious, continued his search and soon found some scattered coins and another token.

"This?" Ma Tianming was dumbfounded as he examined the token that had been discovered. It was the token of the Education Commander of Xunzhou, which meant that the bearer was none other than Lo Tianying, the Education Commander of Xunzhou himself.

Could it be that the Education Commander of Xunzhou had been robbed? Who would dare to rob the Education Commander near Golden Ocean? Only a truly desperate and wicked person would commit such a crime!

Without hesitation, Ma Tianming clambered out of the carriage and surveyed the area. All was quiet—was it that no one was in pursuit, or had they simply not caught up yet?

"Gold, you're small; go check if anyone is following us. But don't stir up trouble," he instructed.

Ma Tianming recalled that Lo Tianying, the Education Commander of Xunzhou, was a formidable man, a Grade Five Martial Cultivator. To see him injured like this, his assailant must be incredibly powerful.

The Golden Fur Mongoose blinked. Not provoke them if I see them? That won't do. If someone wants to harm me, they're asking for trouble!

With that, the Golden Fur Mongoose turned and scurried off.

Ma Tianming knew better than to linger. He spurred the carriage forward, racing away in a panic. He aimed to reach the main road and head straight back to Golden Ocean. Surely, if there were bandits, they wouldn't dare to follow.

Suddenly, Ma Tianming felt a vice-like grip on his neck.

"Who are you?" a frail voice demanded.

"Mr. Education Commander, I am Ma Tianming, a student at Golden Ocean Academy," he replied.

He called me Mr. Education Commander? The middle-aged man realized Ma Tianming must have seen his Education Command Plate, but something else was troubling him more. "Aside from the Education Command Plate, did you see anything else?"

"The Star Pavilion token?" Ma Tianming barely got the words out before his neck was squeezed tighter, the man's grip threatening to crush his windpipe.

"Education Commander..." Ma Tianming struggled to speak.

"You mustn't tell anyone that you've seen the token," the Education Commander's grip seemed to loosen.

In a sudden move, Ma Tianming stepped back, crashing into Lo Tianying's chest, and grabbed the hand that held him. "How could a true Education Commander threaten someone so recklessly? This has to be a fake."

However, Ma Tianming soon discovered that the Education Commander's grip was as unyielding as steel, and he was powerless against it.

Is this the power of a Grade Five martial cultivator?