The giant snake wanted to flee but was unable to crawl at all; by the time it tried to vomit up the food in its belly, it was already too late.
Arrows struck its twisting and struggling body one by one, axes hacked at its head, sharpened wooden spears pinned it through, and blades sliced directly through its flesh...
Before long, the arrows were spent, the bamboo spears were all thrown, and even the axes were gone; only a few people still held long sabers in their hands.
The giant snake at the bottom of the pool stopped moving. Everyone cautiously held up their torches and peered down into the depths:
"Is it dead?"
Hunter Xu gripped his long saber tightly:
"I'll go take a look. You all be careful."
As his voice fell, Hunter Xu jumped down and stepped onto the giant snake's body. The snake didn't react at all. Hunter Xu raised his long saber, found the snake's vital Seven-inch spot, and hacked down fiercely.
"Dead?"
"Is it really dead?"
"Are you sure it's dead, Hunter Xu?"
Hunter Xu wiped the blood splattered on his face, used his long saber to toss the snake's head aside, and smiled at the people above:
"It's dead. Everyone can rest easy now."
The crowd, previously shrouded in fear, saw the giant snake's head rolling to the side and finally broke into wide grins:
"Did we really kill a giant snake like this?"
"We're too amazing! The Village Chief was right; this really is Mountain God Grandfather sending us meat to eat."
"Look, something's still moving over there..."
Everyone was startled once more, their eyes wide as they stared at the giant snake's bulging belly.
Hunter Xu, being skilled and bold, jumped over and sliced it open. Soon, a White-Haired Pig rolled out from the snake's belly. The White-Haired Pig wasn't entirely dead yet; it was gasping and trying to get up, but Hunter Xu thrust his blade straight into it.
Seeing the snake and the pig nearly filling the deep pool, the villagers were so happy they were almost in tears:
"A snake and a pig! Hundreds of catties of meat! We've hit the jackpot..."
"Mountain God Grandfather protects us! Mountain God Grandfather protects us..."
"I'll go inform the Village Chief! I'll go inform the Village Chief!"
Having finally resolved this major hidden threat, Qin Sang struck while the iron was hot:
"I see that these mountain beasts are nothing special. No matter how powerful they are, they're no match for our axes and long sabers. Don't you agree?"
The villagers responded enthusiastically one by one:
"Yes! A few hacks with an axe, and anything becomes trash."
Qin Sang added:
"No matter how big the beast is, in the end, it's just a dish in our bowls. Am I right, everyone?"
The villagers shouted with soaring spirits:
"Right! A fine dish!"
Qin Sang smiled:
"Since we've even handled such a massive ferocious beast, if any tigers or Blind Bears come in the future, can we do it?"
The villagers shouted with boiling blood:
"We can! We definitely can!"
"I want to eat bear paws!"
"I've heard that tiger bone wine is very nourishing..."
Qin Sang nodded with satisfaction. Brainwashing successful!!!
Everyone started talking at once about how their wooden spear strike had hit the snake's vital spot.
Others boasted that their axe blow had rendered the snake unable to move. It was a very lively scene of laughter and talk.
Qin Sang found a large rock nearby to sit on and wiped the sweat from her palms.
"Mother... give me a hand." Tian Sangui reached out to Qin Sang with trembling legs. Qin Sang found it amusing but tried hard to hold back her laughter.
She reached out to help her son. Tian Sangui sat down against the rock. Ignoring her third son's weak, trembling legs, Qin Sang praised:
"Not bad at all. I saw it just now—you hit the giant snake's eye."
Tian Sangui's face flushed slightly, and his mouth hung open:
"Did... did I?" It was pitch black just now, and he hadn't dared to look at the snake. He had just been shooting arrows aimlessly without a target.
Qin Sang said with absolute certainty:
"Yes, I saw it."
Everyone was boasting anyway, so what did it matter?
Boys have strong self-esteem. Since Qin Sang had praised the third son, she didn't forget the eldest:
"Da Zhuang was even more impressive. One of his arrows went halfway in. The snake was going to struggle, but it was pinned down dead."
Tian Dazhuang scratched his head sheepishly:
"I am a bit stronger than my brother..."
"Practice hard. I think you have the potential to be a Master Archer, Da Zhuang."
Compliments didn't cost anything, but they could boost a child's confidence. Who knows, maybe the boy really would work hard to become a Master Archer?
After all, Tian Dazhuang was older than San Gui. His legs weren't too weak to move, and he even jumped down to retrieve all the arrows and wooden spears that had been thrown.
Hunter Xu and Tian Yougen were digging a hole, preparing to bury the severed snake head.
Other villagers stood by, pointing and giving directions, looking nothing like the terrified people they were when they first saw the snake.
Before long, the people who had stayed behind at the camp arrived with torches. Seeing the scene at the bottom of the pool, they all gasped, followed by cheers that echoed through the mountains.
With the men's boastful talk, everyone's fear of beasts like the giant snake and the White-Haired Pig lessened considerably.
On the way back to the camp, Tian Dazhuang said with lingering fear:
"Mother, you were really bold just now. How did you dare run straight over there? What would we have done if you had fallen in?"
Qin Sang knew her actions today had really frightened her eldest son:
"Well, I just wanted to eat some white pork. I was afraid the pig would get away, so I was a bit impatient. I was wrong; I'll be more careful in the future."
Tian Sangui also advised:
"There's still some boiled pork in the tent. Even if you want to eat, you have to stay alive first. If something happens to you, what will Big Brother and I do?"
Qin Sang waved her hand. "The stuff in the tent is almost spoiled. Fresh meat tastes the best."
Tian Sangui pressed his lips together, somewhat speechless.
His mother's palate was more demanding than anyone else's in the family. Usually, whenever she went into the kitchen to cook, it was exceptionally lavish and delicious. For no other reason than her willingness to use oil, salt, and seasonings. As her son, he couldn't say much about that.
Hunter Xu, who was nearby, also looked over. Under the torchlight, Qin Sang's profile was calm and peaceful. The smile at the corner of her mouth showed no signs of lingering fear. Hunter Xu couldn't help but speak up:
"What happened tonight isn't like your usual steady style."
Hunter Xu said this because he had some doubts. Qin Sang's behavior tonight was very unusual. Upon hearing a beast's roar, a woman had dared to run out of the camp into the dark night.
After returning, everything she said was telling everyone that tonight was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
And in reality, it truly was a perfect opportunity.
If the giant snake hadn't swallowed hundreds of catties of live prey and been unable to move, they definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with it so easily.
This couldn't help but make him think of the time Zhou Lin was in danger.
When they arrived, the giant snake was already unable to move.
No one saw how Qin Sang did it; the giant snake was just eerily stiff on the ground.
And then there was that time with Butcher Hu, whom she had also dealt with until he was terrified out of his wits...
Unknowingly, she had already done so many things where the weak triumphed over the strong.
Could it be...
Butcher Hu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
Could it be she knew all along that the giant snake couldn't move after eating the White-Haired Pig, and that's why she egged everyone on to take the chance to finish it off?
In that case, even if none of them had listened to her, would she have had a way to deal with this giant snake all by herself?
As this thought arose, it made Butcher Hu's heart beat rapidly and violently.