Jiang Pan led his wife and daughter into the mountains again, heading towards the direction of the water source.
They wanted to see what the situation was like in the area during the day.
With a clear objective, the family of three reached the spot where they had stopped the previous night in no time.
What was unclear at night was truly hair-raising in the daylight.
The area around the water source was teeming with snakes. Even the trees were adorned with snakes of all sizes and colors. A gust of wind brought with it the distinct smell of snakes.
Jiang Wan couldn't help but touch her arm. In her previous life, as an ability user, she had seen all sorts of mutated beasts. But snakes, for some reason, gave her a physiological discomfort.
One or two were fine, but half a mountain filled with them? Who could handle that?
If her abilities had reached the level of her previous life, she could have dealt with these snakes with just a flick of her fingers. But for now, it was better to admit defeat.
Chen Yuezhi also felt her hair stand on end, not daring to linger.
The family of three retreated to a spot where they couldn't see the snakes. Chen Yuezhi said, "With so many snakes, the villagers might not dare to come."
Jiang Pan smiled and said, "Compared to survival, these snakes are nothing. If all else fails, we can set the mountain on fire, and that should at least drive these snakes away."
"Set the mountain on fire?" Chen Yuezhi thought this was a bad idea. "These mountains are connected one after another, and all the trees in the mountains have withered. If it really catches fire, I'm afraid it will get out of control."
Jiang Pan nodded. "Indeed. But apart from this method, we can't find any other good ones."
Chen Yuezhi looked at Jiang Wan and asked, "Wanwan, does the old immortal have any good suggestions?"
Jiang Wan replied, "He doesn't concern himself with such matters. We can try to scare the snakes away. We'll scare off as many as we can. For those we can't scare off, we'll kill them and eat their meat!"
This method sounded much more reliable, so the family of three got up and started walking back.
At the foot of the mountain, the villagers had been without water since the previous night. They hadn't had a drop of water for several hours, and their tongues felt as if they were sticking to their mouths.
As the sun rose higher, although it wasn't too hot, the thirst made everyone feel even more uncomfortable.
Some villagers began to complain, "We should have stayed in the village and guarded the spring. We wouldn't be this thirsty."
"Yes, as long as we hide well, I don't believe those refugees can find us."
"My family didn't want to leave in the first place, but they insisted we all go together. Now look, not a drop of water. Even if we go back now, we might die of thirst on the way."
The village chief's face turned ashen with anger, but he couldn't say anything.
Just as the villagers were seriously considering whether to turn back to the small mountain village, Jiang Pan's family of three emerged from the mountains.
"We found the water source!"
The words stunned everyone in the village.
The village chief excitedly rushed over, "Dapang, what did you say? You found the water source?"
Jiang Pan nodded. "Yes, in the deep mountains, less than ten li from here, there is a water source."
The crowd erupted, "Then what are we waiting for? Hurry and take us to get water!"
Jiang Pan shook his head. "It's not that simple. If it were that simple, how could we have come back empty-handed?"
As he spoke, he held up his water pouch and shook it in front of everyone, then opened the lid and poured it out. There wasn't a single drop of water inside.
"What's going on? Didn't you find the water source? Are you guys trying to monopolize the water source?"
Jiang Pan looked in the direction of the voice. It was Jiang Lao Er again.
Jiang Wan, perched on Jiang Pan's shoulder, bared her teeth at Jiang Lao Er. "If our family wanted to monopolize the water source, why would my father have said anything? Do you think everyone is as stupid and wicked as you are?"
"You little brat, who are you calling names!"
"I'm calling a dog!"
Jiang Lao Er jumped up in anger.
The village chief roared at him, "Are you done? If you cause any more trouble, you won't be allowed to get water!"
Jiang Lao Er immediately fell silent.
The village chief turned to Jiang Pan and asked, "What exactly is the situation there?"
Jiang Pan explained, "It's a snake den. Half the mountain is covered in snakes, from the size of chopsticks to as thick as an adult's calf. The water source is in the middle of the snake swarm. To get water, you have to pass through the snake swarm."
"Hiss—"
Everyone gasped.
A snake den!
The small mountain village was nestled against the mountains, and the entire Jianzhou Prefecture had mountains, so everyone was familiar with snakes and not particularly afraid.
But no matter how brave a person was, they had never ventured into a snake den!
The village chief's expression was very solemn. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation, and he couldn't think of a solution for the moment.
Jiang Pan didn't rush to offer a solution, just letting the villagers worry.
But what good ideas could a bunch of country bumpkins come up with? They couldn't even imagine what it would be like to have half a mountain full of snakes.
When the villagers had worried enough, Jiang Pan said, "Why don't we all go and see the situation first, and then think of a solution?"
Many who were desperate for water quickly said, "Yes, let's go and see the situation first."
The village chief quickly organized some men and had Jiang Pan lead a group into the mountains. Most people stayed behind to guard their belongings.
After nearly two hours, the group returned, their faces all grim.
Seeing so many snakes, they felt a chill just looking at them, let alone passing through them.
By this time, everyone was so thirsty they could barely stand it. The children were crying from thirst, shaking their bamboo tubes for water.
Jiang Pan felt that the time was right and said, "Perhaps we can try to scare the snakes away?"
"Scare the snakes?"
It was the snakes that were scaring them!
Jiang Pan explained, "There's a patch of bamboo in the mountains, and it has all withered. We can cut down the bamboo, hollow it out, fill it with fire, and throw it into the snake pile. Once the bamboo burns, it will explode, and the snakes, hearing the noise, will naturally be startled and flee."
When the village chief heard this method, he immediately clapped his hands. "This method is good! Safe and effective. Excellent."
Jiang Pan added, "Also, our people can try to hunt the snakes. Snake meat is a good thing. It's getting cold soon, and our food won't last long. If we dry the snake meat and stew it in winter, it will be a great delicacy."
As soon as he said this, the villagers' eyes lit up.
That's right!
They had been so scared that they had forgotten that snake meat was edible!
With so many snakes, if they could catch them all and make dried snake meat, would they still have to worry about food?
Someone said, "Why don't we not scare the snakes away, but start from the edges and catch them inwards? Not a single one should be let go!"
Jiang Pan's mouth twitched. "But our most important task right now is to get water. If we don't drink soon, everyone will get sick from thirst. Besides, many of those snakes are poisonous. If you get bitten, it's no joke. Our family doesn't have any snakebite antidote."
The village chief also shouted, "Nonsense! After entering the mountains, everyone must not be greedy. If you get bitten by a venomous snake, you can't blame anyone else!"
The man chuckled sheepishly. "I was just joking, I wouldn't dare."
The village chief didn't pursue it further and quickly began to assign tasks.
Since they were going up the mountain to hunt snakes, those who went had to be brave and quick-handed. Women and children naturally couldn't go, and the elderly couldn't go. A group also had to stay behind to guard their belongings. So, after much deliberation, it was the strong men who had gone to rescue people the previous night.
They had nothing to say and immediately picked up their machetes and followed Jiang Pan up the mountain.
The village chief looked around and saw Jiang Lao Er hiding behind his cart. He called out, "Jiang Lao Er, why aren't you going up the mountain?"