Deacon Bai felt a chill down his spine. He looked at the 100 or so snakes fearfully. They belong to two different kinds – silver jade snake and golden banded snake. Both were of the highly poisonous type.

  If they still had their old ability, they wouldn’t think twice about these snakes, they could use their chi to shocked all the snakes to death. But, not only where they imprisoned here now, they also lost all their chi, making them the same as your usual people.

  Never in a million years would they had imagined that coming to send the Cheng’s a message would turn out like that. Facing over 100 snakes, any attempts to escape from them would turn them into snake food.

  Deacon Lin didn’t hear a respond and a hint of regret flashed through his eyes. Had he not underestimated the Cheng’s and offended them, they wouldn’t have ended up here. Similarly, it was his idea to come to the Cheng’s last night to send a message. This was all his fault and he dragged Deacon Bai in as well. Now they had no idea how to get out.

  Of course, he was more pissed at the Cheng’s; if it wasn’t for them, he couldn’t have came to Willow Village at all, let along being trapped here. Deacon Lin gritted his teeth in hatred and regret.

  He sore, he would pay them back one day for the insult of being trapped!

  Deacon Bai next to him seemed to have sensed his distress and said lightly, “Don’t worry, they didn’t kill us last night. I don’t think they will kill!”


  “I don’t know how we can escape. If it was just the snakes, we might be able to distract them; but did you feel that these vines are strange? It was like they have a mind of their own, we couldn’t move at all.”


  “This….” Deacon Lin struggled against the vine, it made the vine tightened it’s grip rather than the other way round. He looked even more distressed.

  Deacon Bai sighed, “We will just have to wait for Innkeeper Zhu to send help now. I don’t think we will be able to get out of here ourselves!”


  “…..” Lowering his head, Deacon Lin hid the murderous look in his eyes.

  A few fast horses ran out of the small town, three of the riders were young and handsome men, the rest were all hired hands of the Ning’s. They were headed directly toward Willow Village that were miles away.

  “Shi di1, I hope you didn’t lie to me!” said a young man in blue to Ning Xunzong.

  Ning Xunzong replied definitively, “Shi xiong2 Zhou, trust me. My grandpa won’t lie to me. There’s a mythical well in Willow Village!”


  “That will be great. Then the School of Divine Condor will also send their people over. I think we will be rewarded handsomely!” said another young man in white.

  “Naturally!” said Ning Xunzong proudly, “Shi xiong Zhou, shi xiong Gu, don’t worry. When the time comes, I will say we discovered the mythical well together!”


  Shi xiong Zhou and shi xiong Gu looked at each other and smiled. Toward the proud one, they said, “Well then, thanks in advance, shi di!”


  “Ha ha ha, you are welcome. Let’s hurry up and get to Willow Village and check out this mythical well. Ka!”


  “Ka!”


  Six fine horses rushed on the small path in the rural road and kick up a storm behind them. The horses ran faster and faster and quickly disappeared at the turn of the road.

  ___

  Note:

  1. Shi – literally meaning was teacher. Di – young brother. How people refer to male colleagues that are young than them.

  2. Older male colleague.

  After lunch, Cheng Biyuan started watering the bamboos with the villagers again. The villagers were even more efficient and more driven after lunch. One of the smiled and asked, “Brother Cheng, how come the rice at your house is more delicious? Even the water from you well tastes sweeter!”


  “It didn’t just taste sweeter. I was so tired before, and after a few sips of that water, I feel energized all over again! I am starting to think those are sacred water from fairies!”


  “Yeah, they do taste better than the well water from my house. I wonder why?”


  “Yeah, I felt the same way!”


  All four of them starting talking. Cheng Biyuan listened to them with a smile while getting water from the well before he said, “The reason is actually quite simple. I think our house is just closer to Mt. Wan An, that’s why the spring water tastes sweeter. Nothing more.”


  “Brother Cheng was right. We all got our water from the ground, we are thinking too much!” The slightly older Liu Lin Cai accepted that explanation.

  None of the other people know what a mythical well was so, naturally, they all believed they were just overthinking it. The spring water merely tasted sweeter here was all.

  While they were busying themselves, Mrs. Cheng and the kids were studying and learning how to read in the courtyard. Suddenly they heard the dogs barking!

  “WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF…..”


  “WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF…..”


  “Mom, someone’s here. The dogs are barking!” Little Lan Lan was the first to put down her pen and ink and said to the suspicious-looking mother.

  Cheng Zheng Yuan and Chen Zheng Bin also put down their books and saw their mother talking to herself, “Who could that be? I don’t think they are Willow villagers. Let me go check it out!”


  “Mom, we want to go too!”


  The young ones got up with her but Mrs. Cheng didn’t stop them. She walked out with the kids and saw 6 to 7 strangers outside.

  Once she saw their outfits, she turned a little pale. She told her oldest son loudly, “Zheng Yuan, go get your dad! Quick!”


  “Yes, mom!” Zheng Yuan turned and headed towards the back of the house without another word.

  While this was unfolding, the dogs already sent the message to Cheng Xiao Xiao. She didn’t even have the chance to greet Liu Danhang, who was heading up the hill, before she turned around and dashed down the hill.

  A hint of hurtfulness flashed past Liu Danhang’s eyes. Standing mid-hill, and looking at the backside of the girl who suddenly turned and ran away, he didn’t know what had changed about her. She didn’t even greet him when she saw him.

  The pre-occupied Cheng Xiao Xiao didn’t even realized her action had hurt a simple-minded boy. She had forgotten to explain to him, or we should say that knowing something bad was about to come down, she had no mood to explain.

  The three young masters handed their horses over to the servants. When they saw Mrs. Cheng they were slightly surprised. They noticed that Mrs. Cheng did not look like your average woman from the village, she looked more like someone from a higher status.

  Of course, none of these was important. They quickly turned their attention to the two dogs. Shi xiong Zhou looked them over and commented incredulously, “Interesting, very interesting. Even these two dogs are spiritual, they are almost mythical beasts!”


  “Shi xiong Zhou, they are spiritual. Haven’t you noticed that the way they look at you are almost human-like? They are wary of us!” said shi xiong Gu.

  Ning Xunzong pursed his lips in despise, “My two shi xiong, they are just two dogs. Who cares if they are spiritual. We will kill them on our way out. A meal of dog meats sounds good!”