Reborn as a Snake? I Devour My Way from Ancient Times to the Modern Era!

Chapter 11: Falling into the Waterfall

Mo Lin had not expected that, before hibernation, he would encounter the snake catcher from last time again.

Snake catching was not a business that earned profit without risk — it carried the danger of losing one’s life.

Hadn’t they already gathered enough for their livelihood and said they would no longer come up the mountain?

Moreover, this snake catcher was different from before.

This time, he came alone.

Could it be that something had changed again?

Although curious in his heart, Mo Lin did not pay too much attention.

Since he had met his enemy, there was naturally no reason to let him go.

The enemy was in the light while he was in the dark.

With only one snake catcher present, it could be said that Mo Lin held the advantage.

That being said, Mo Lin still had to plan carefully.

The best outcome would be for Hong Tianfeng to clash with other animals — just like with the mongoose and honey badger before — leaving both sides injured, and then Mo Lin could reap the benefits.

But soon, Mo Lin no longer had time to plan, because he saw that Hong Tianfeng had already begun packing up his belongings.

It seemed that he was preparing to go down the mountain.

If he let go of this opportunity today, then even if he encountered Hong Tianfeng again in the future, his son would likely follow him closely.

The difficulty of revenge would only grow greater.

Mo Lin clenched his teeth and decided to take a slight risk.

Following behind Hong Tianfeng, Mo Lin searched for a chance to launch a sneak attack.

But Hong Tianfeng, worthy of being a professional snake catcher of many years, was even more cautious than before when he came up the mountain alone this time.

Several times, just as Mo Lin swam within a few meters of Hong Tianfeng, the man seemed to hear some faint noise and turned his head to survey the surroundings.

This left Mo Lin with no opportunity to strike.

But just when Mo Lin thought he would have no choice but to let Hong Tianfeng go, a chance appeared.

On his way down, Hong Tianfeng passed by a pool.

Above the pool was a waterfall, and at the waterfall’s upper stream lay a giant rotted tree that had been struck down by lightning, half-submerged in water, casting shadow and cover.

Mo Lin’s eyes lit up.

The roar of the waterfall could mask his movements, while the shadow of the rotted tree could serve as a perfect disguise.

This place was practically tailored for his ambush.

Without hesitation, Mo Lin circled ahead of Hong Tianfeng, arriving first at the inner side of the rotted tree by the waterfall.

Using its shadow, he completely concealed his long body and patiently waited for Hong Tianfeng to approach.

Very soon, Mo Lin felt the vibrations of Hong Tianfeng’s footsteps.

He could even already see the man’s feet moving along the creek above the waterfall, taking this route to avoid most of the dangers in the forest.

Just then, both Hong Tianfeng and Mo Lin, who was hiding in the shadows, heard a voice calling in a hushed tone:

“Father! Where are you?”

Hearing the voice, Hong Tianfeng was startled.

He walked quickly to the edge of the waterfall and looked down:

“Hong Wen! Why are you here!”

Beside Hong Wen, Hong Tianfeng also saw his younger brother, Hong Tianyun.

Wearing rubber boots and carrying snake forks, they were standing below the waterfall, listening to the rumbling crash of water hitting the pool, faces filled with joy:

“Father!”

“Big Brother!”

Now was the moment!

As Hong Tianfeng’s attention was drawn away, Mo Lin, who had lain in ambush, shot out from under the rotted tree like black lightning!

His target was none other than Hong Tianfeng’s unguarded neck!

“Whoosh!”

Hearing the sudden sound of air splitting behind him, Hong Tianfeng was shocked.

He instinctively leaned back, dodging sideways, while drawing the short knife at his waist!

Mo Lin, having planned this ambush meticulously, naturally would not let go of this moment of carelessness.

Even though Hong Tianfeng turned his head and narrowly avoided Mo Lin’s first strike, Mo Lin hooked his tail onto Hong Tianfeng’s body, once again opening his fangs.

This time, with Hong Tianfeng in close contact, there was no way to dodge.

Mo Lin’s venomous fangs sank deeply into the vital spot of Hong Tianfeng’s neck.

“Tsk!”

Hong Tianfeng, truly an experienced hand, did not panic in the slightest even though Mo Lin’s fangs had pierced his neck.

With his left hand, he pressed down on Mo Lin’s head.

With his right hand, he pulled out the short knife, intending to hack off Mo Lin’s head.

But how could Mo Lin not have anticipated this? His long body immediately coiled like a rope with a soul, tightly binding Hong Tianfeng’s arms, while the part of his body near the head clung firmly behind Hong Tianfeng’s back.

Hong Tianfeng had no way to stab Mo Lin’s vital point.

Forced to improvise, he drove the blade into the snake’s coiled body three times in succession.

The searing pain jolted Mo Lin’s nerves, but it only made him more ferocious.

Enduring the agony, he coiled his tail around Hong Tianfeng’s knife-wielding right hand, while venom rapidly spread from his fangs toward the man’s head.

The powerful toxins quickly clouded Hong Tianfeng’s mind.

“Not good…”

At that moment, because Hong Tianfeng had been greeting his kin, he was already standing at the very edge of the waterfall.

Mo Lin’s ambush was witnessed in its entirety by Hong Wen and Hong Tianyun below.

Hong Wen, who moments ago had been overjoyed at finding his father, froze in horror when he saw a triangular-headed snake clamped onto his father’s neck.

Cold sweat drenched his back.

When the venomous snake sank its fangs deep into his father’s neck, Hong Wen’s eyes instantly bloodshot with rage and fear:

“Father!”

Hong Wen and Hong Tianyun immediately began climbing up the waterfall, hoping to help Hong Tianfeng.

But Mo Lin was using his full strength to finish Hong Tianfeng before the three could reunite, giving them no chance.

Mo Lin shifted his body weight toward the waterfall.

Under the venom’s assault, Hong Tianfeng had almost no resistance left.

He could only extend a helpless hand toward his son and brother, who were struggling to climb up —

Then, his foot slipped.

He lost balance and tumbled from the edge of the waterfall.

“Father!”

Climbing up, Hong Wen could only watch helplessly as Hong Tianfeng, with the black snake wrapped around his neck, plunged down from the waterfall.

At such close distance, Hong Wen could clearly see Mo Lin’s dark scales and the despair and lingering affection in his father’s eyes!

“Splash!”

A spray of water two to three men high burst up from the pool, rippling outward in waves, before gradually calming down.

As if nothing had happened in this pool.

But Hong Wen and Hong Tianyun, standing by the water’s edge, knew that this small pool had just mercilessly swallowed their most precious kin.

Hong Wen’s mind went blank.

All sounds faded from his ears.

Only the explosive pounding of his heart remained, along with the endless affection in his father’s eyes before he fell into the water.

On the water’s surface, thin trails of blood seeped up from the depths.

With a grim face, Hong Tianyun walked to Hong Wen’s side and placed a hand gently on his nephew’s shoulder:

“That snake’s body was long. Though your father stabbed it a few times, those wounds shouldn’t be fatal.”

“The sky is already dark. We only brought snake-catching gear, not anything for diving. If we go into the water to fight that snake now, it’s no different than courting death.”

“We’ll wait until tomorrow morning, bring the proper equipment, gather enough men, and come again.”

“You are a smart child. This is painful for us all, but I hope you can make the right choice.”

There was one thing Hong Tianyun did not say.

When he was by the pool, he had clearly seen his brother’s neck bitten by the venomous snake.

Hong Tianfeng must have already been poisoned.

Every snake catcher in Hongjia Village knew that once bitten in the neck by a venomous snake, even without falling into the water, the outcome was the same —

To die in the mountains, filled with regret.

If they went down now to fight a snake adept in water, the best result would only be retrieving a corpse.

And if anything went wrong, another life would be lost.

Thus, the only thing Hong Tianyun could do now was bring Hong Wen back to the village, and tomorrow, return with the corpse fishers to retrieve Hong Tianfeng’s body from the pool — provided that the snake had not carried it away.

Though deeply grieved, Hong Tianyun kept his emotions under control.

This was their trade, living side by side with venomous snakes year-round.

Life and death were dictated by fate.

At any moment, one could be gone.

He had already seen many snake catchers from Hongjia Village turn purple and suffer agonizing deaths from snake venom with his own eyes.

If fortune turned worse, encountering a tiger or wild boar in the mountains, not even a complete body could be left behind.

This time, the unlucky one just happened to be his elder brother — Hong Wen’s father — Hong Tianfeng.