#15 - Chapter 15 Taking Silver
After thinking for a long time, Cheng Feng knew he was no match.
A head-on confrontation was definitely out of the question; the outcome was certain.
Cheng Feng would definitely lose.
So, he could only resort to outsmarting it.
Such a large snake wouldn't likely be affected by realgar wine.
That meant he could only try a feint to steal its lair.
The canyon was two miles long, and he didn't even know where the snake's nest was.
Cheng Feng had a rough idea; based on the distance of the corpses he'd encountered earlier,
it was closer to the upstream, about one-third of the way in.
Assuming Cheng Feng obtained the silver from the skeleton at the one-third mark, and the snake discovered him at that moment and gave chase, could it catch up to Cheng Feng in a short amount of time?
Cheng Feng didn't know.
His fishing skill proficiency was increasing, which also improved his swimming.
All thanks to the big fish, Qiu Shui.
If it weren't for that water-repelling bead, Cheng Feng would never have come here; the two-mile-long canyon was all flowing water.
If he exhausted his stamina, he'd really be done for.
Without the slightest hesitation,
Cheng Feng made several preparations, still bringing Lao San along.
He could only rely on Lao San for help.
Who told them to be the only two who ate the water-repelling bead?
Even if they encountered the snake again, it could only follow the water flow in the face of the straight cliffs.
Lao San's safety shouldn't be a concern.
Cheng Feng first spent six small coins to buy some firecrackers.
Then, he saved up some fresh fish blood.
After that, he made four torches and bundled up more than ten bundles of easily flammable dry straw.
He also found some round, large stones on the cliff top and moved them to the place closest to the cliff edge,
ensuring Lao San could push them down.
Only then were the preparations truly complete.
Cheng Feng didn't know if it would work.
But the wealth had indeed moved his heart.
He was experiencing more and more strange things,
yet he didn't even have the strength to truss a chicken.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.
Only now did Cheng Feng realize that if he were to say what he needed most,
what Cheng Feng needed was strength, not external objects, but strength to protect his own safety.
Otherwise, if that snake had been just a little faster, he would have been buried in the fish's belly.
And that time with Qiu Shui, if Qiu Shui's magic had been a little stronger, he might have been done for then too.
Those not of my kind must have different intentions.
Cheng Feng really didn't dare to gamble with his own life.
His talent hadn't even been used yet, and he still had a great future ahead of him.
To be buried in the early stages would be too unjust.
Cheng Feng also realized that there was something wrong with his mentality.
But the only solution was to get rich quickly.
He'd already bought the car, all that was missing was a tank of gas.
This kind of opportunity might only come once, and giving up might lead to lifelong regret.
For the sake of a smooth road ahead,
Cheng Feng had to take a gamble.
Last time, things happened suddenly, and it was normal to be unprepared.
This time, with preparations, Cheng Feng was still prepared to test it out.
If he didn't even have the courage to try, then there probably wouldn't be a future.
Saving money for three to five years,
would be too late.
Time waits for no one; Cheng Feng had to take a gamble.
Cheng Feng had already inquired; there were martial arts schools in the city.
They taught people martial arts.
It was said that some gang thugs were also martial artists; only with strength could one gain a foothold in Qingxi City.
Ordinary people who relied on ruthlessness and courage wouldn't last long and would automatically disappear.
And join gangs with martial artists.
Only those associated with martial artists could survive.
Cheng Feng made another round of inquiries, even asking at the door.
Learning martial arts was generally better the younger you were; of course, adults could also learn, but progress wouldn't be as fast, and breakthroughs later on would be very slow or even impossible; being stuck by a bottleneck for life was also common.
For someone Cheng Feng's age, the martial arts school tuition was two taels a month.
For adults, it was five taels a month, no bargaining; take it or leave it.
Cheng Feng saw that he would be an adult in just three months.
It would be best to have a sum of money that didn't use the family's funds to help Cheng Feng learn martial arts.
And literacy; the martial arts school didn't teach literacy.
If you really had a secret manual and couldn't read it, that was your own business; the martial arts school didn't care.
This coincided with Cheng Feng's plan.
So, this money, from whatever perspective, had to be gambled for.
After everything was ready, Cheng Feng instructed Lao San: "Safety first; if there's any danger, run straight away; there's no shame in that, understand?"
Cheng Lei knew that his second brother was still preparing to go into the water to test things out; he couldn't stop him, so he could only say, "Second brother, be careful."
"Don't worry, second brother will also assess the situation; if things can't be done, I'll definitely prioritize saving my own life," Cheng Feng comforted his younger brother.
Having said that, he waved his hand and said: "Proceed according to the plan."
Estimating the time, Cheng Lei first lit the firecrackers and threw them off the cliff to see if they could startle the snake.
The canyon echoed with the crackling sound of explosions.
Cheng Lei was also watching carefully, but didn't see anything.
According to the plan, he did a few more rounds.
The entire canyon seemed to be echoing, but it didn't lure out the snake.
In the second step, Cheng Lei lit the flammable grass bundles beside him, and after they were burning so they wouldn't easily go out, Lao San kicked the lit grass bundles down one by one.
The river surface, apart from the burning grass and rising smoke, remained calm, with no sign of the snake.
On the other side, Cheng Feng was listening to the sound of firecrackers coming from afar, taking off his clothes, and turning to enter the river.
He didn't conserve his energy at the start, swimming at full speed towards the corner in his memory.
Everything was about buying time.
It would be best not to encounter the snake in the river, or there would be no way to run.
Maybe the snake was sleeping; after all, Cheng Feng had been exploring here for many days before seeing the snake.
He just happened to encounter the snake on its way out.
Cheng Feng felt unusually smooth; Lao San's warning sound hadn't come.
Cheng Feng looked at the yellowed skeleton and breathed a sigh of relief.
Only half the distance remained to success.
The poor person in front of him was only a skeleton; the rotting flesh and the like were long gone.
In its arms, slightly below, was a bulging brown bundle.
A corner of it revealed a touch of silver.
Cheng Feng didn't dare to stay any longer; he pulled it over, but the bundle was actually stuck by the bones.
Thinking that the snake might appear at any time,
Cheng Feng's heart couldn't calm down at all, and he pulled the bundle out with force.
Unexpectedly, he also pulled out a long object from the hand bones.
Looking at its shape, it seemed to be a knife.
Cheng Feng didn't dare to think too much, and followed the bony hand to bring up the hilt of the knife.
He quickly flew towards the riverbank.
Cheng Lei, on the other hand, was working hard as an observer, looking around.
Originally, he didn't find anything, but to Cheng Lei's right, soil and stones rolled into the river, splashing water everywhere.
Curiously looking to the right, he took one look and his soul almost left his body; the snake was walking upstream along the mountain.
How dare Cheng Lei stay for even a second?
Following the escape route left by his second brother, he ran wildly.
But seeing that his small body couldn't outrun the snake behind him, he would be caught up sooner or later.
Gritting his teeth, he found a good slope on the left side of the mountain and jumped down in a sudden dive.
Cheng Lei dared to jump this time only because of his suddenly improved swimming ability.
Cheng Feng was trying hard to swim forward when suddenly a large splash of water rose behind him, startling Cheng Feng.
Subconsciously, he looked over.
A small head emerged from the water.
Wasn't that Lao San?
Cheng Feng angrily shouted: "Shitou, why did you jump down?"
Cheng Lei was still relatively dazed when he emerged from the water.
Hearing his familiar second brother's voice,
he quickly shouted: "Second brother, run! The snake is on top of the cliff!"
Cheng Feng was also shocked to hear this, but luckily Lao San was okay.
Looking up at the top of the cliff, he could vaguely see a long, slender figure swimming on the top of the cliff.
Cheng Feng waved to Lao San and whispered: "Come over quickly, swim close to this earthen wall, that way the snake can't see us."
Lao San understood and quickly swam towards Cheng Feng's direction while sticking to the wall.
Cheng Feng had relatively more stamina, but he was carrying a bundle and had a knife in his hand.
He slowly submerged, not daring to relax his vigilance.
