"Are you, are you alright?"
Xu Jing cried tears of joy.
"If you don’t let me go soon, I really will be suffocated to death by you," Zhang Xiaoshan said, his face turning bright red from the constriction.
Xu Jing hurriedly let go of Zhang Xiaoshan in embarrassment. Latest content publıshed on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Zhang Xiaoshan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and struggled to stand up from the ground.
After assessing his body’s condition, he felt somewhat relieved.
Although his internal organs had been shaken up, he was fortunate to have the cultivation of a Half-step Qi Transformation and the protection of True Qi, along with his body having been tempered by the Dragon Qi, which made his physical condition more than ten times sturdier than that of an average person; otherwise, he would have been turned to mush by that blow.
Taking a deep breath, he regulated his inner breath, and the tumultuous surge of his blood gradually calmed down.
"Damn it, this beast is just too vile, I can’t rest until we’ve slaughtered it."
Zhang Xiaoshan was about to charge at the Red Training Snake King.
In a panic, Xu Jing held onto Zhang Xiaoshan’s arm, unwilling to let go.
"Zhang Xiaoshan I beg you, don’t fight it anymore, you’ll die."
The men from the village also showed fearful expressions at this time.
Even Li Erniu, who had been loudly claiming his readiness to fight the giant serpent to the death, changed his tune after seeing the Red Training Snake King’s true form, deflating like a punctured balloon.
"Mr. Xu has already been rescued. Given how big and ferocious this creature is, I think we better forget about it."
"This beast is very vengeful. If we let it go, it will bring disaster upon us."
Zhang Xiaoshan argued excitedly.
Wu Damming stepped forward with a cold laugh.
"You ungrateful brat, not content with having your life spared, are you now itching to court death?"
"You said it yourself, it holds grudges. If we don’t manage to kill it this time, it will seek relentless revenge on all of us later."
"If we let it go this time, maybe it’ll be grateful and no longer attack the villagers."
An old man chimed in with agreement.
"I think what the village chief says makes sense. A giant serpent is a Mountain Spirit; we cannot provoke it, and even if we killed it, we would suffer retribution."
The crowd nodded in agreement.
"Ignorance," Zhang Xiaoshan said sternly.
"Do you really expect such a brutal beast to be grateful to you?"
"If we don’t kill it today, I can guarantee that people from the village will start dying frequently."
Wu Damming stated resolutely.
"Zhang Xiaoshan, you can choose to throw your life away if you wish, I can’t stop you, but I am the village chief of White Dragon Village, and I have to be responsible for the lives of the villagers. Nobody is allowed to go."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.
Already quite afraid of the Red Training Snake King, with Wu Damming’s order, it conveniently matched their wishes.
"Zhang Xiaoshan, I can understand how you feel, but please, don’t act recklessly, can you just listen to me?"
"As long as you come back to the village with me, I promise I’ll listen to you from now on and stop causing trouble."
Xu Jing’s eyes brimmed with tearful earnestness as she looked at Zhang Xiaoshan.
Her aggrieved and innocent appearance stirred pity.
But Zhang Xiaoshan remained unmoved.
"Xu Jing, believe me, this beast must die today," he said, pulling his arm free of her grasp.
"Hmph, Zhang Xiaoshan, you’ve got skills, but do you really think you can take on this beast alone?" Wu Damming said with a sneer.
Zhang Xiaoshan glared at Wu Damming, clearly annoyed, and then activated his superpower.
"To everyone here, if anyone dares to join me in dealing with this thing, I’m willing to pay a thousand," he declared.
"Whoever helps me kill this beast, I’ll give ten thousand."
At these words, the crowd grew excited.
"Little Shan, you’re not joking with us, are you?"
"I mean what I say, I can afford that much money."
"Those who dare, step forward."
Li Erniu was the first to rush out.
"I don’t care about the money; I just want to rid our village of this menace."
Wu Biao, looking somewhat guilty, glanced at Wu Damming and then hesitantly stepped forward.
"Well, count me in too."
One by one, the villagers stood up.
In the blink of an eye, the majority of the villagers had joined Zhang Xiaoshan’s side.
Who could hate money?
Just putting in the effort would earn a thousand, and if they did something meritorious, they could get ten thousand.
For the men from the mountains, this was a significant temptation.
Wu Damming, who had been waiting to watch the excitement, turned green with rage at this point.
But as this was a private action, and with Zhang Xiaoshan offering real money, what could he do?
"You little brat, you’ve got guts. Wait until trouble arises; that’s when you’ll be crying," Wu Damming spat.
Zhang Xiaoshan ignored Wu Damming completely and addressed the others, including Li Erniu and Wu Biao.
"You will all get your money, every penny of it. Now, I need everyone to seal off this area. Keep watch over the Red Training Snake King and prevent it from escaping. I won’t let you risk your lives; I’ll handle the life-threatening part myself."
"You’re going to take it on by yourself?" The crowd was even more astonished.
"Yes, all you need to do is secure this place and make sure it doesn’t escape," he said, and with that, Zhang Xiaoshan jumped down from the ridge and headed toward the Red Training Snake King.
"Zhang Xiaoshan, have you lost your mind?"
"You’re asking for death!"
The crowd was frantic.
The Red Training Snake King, already primed to strike, saw Zhang Xiaoshan actually provoking it and instantly charged at him like a freight train.
The force of the assault was enough to flip a sedan.
But Zhang Xiaoshan made a move that seemed utterly unimaginable.
He took a stable horse stance and then suddenly lunged towards the oncoming Red Training Snake King.
The crowd seemed to foresee Zhang Xiaoshan being smashed into pulp.