The distant mountains are hidden, and the rain is hazy.
Accompanied by the melodious duet of folk songs, Jiang Yuebai stepped into the Snake Village in the southwest of Baipu Territory.
The village is located deep in the rainforest surrounded by green mountains and clear waters. The air is humid, ancient trees are towering, vines are entwined around the trees, and there are exotic flowers and plants everywhere.
It's just... there are a lot of snakes.
Since Jiang Yuebai entered the mountain, if he hit someone with a stick, five or six snakes of different colors would crawl out from the bushes. Snakes would often fall down accidentally like vines hanging on the trees, giving people a fright.
In addition to the countless small villages in Baipu area, there are five major villages, each named after the Five Poisons.
The place where Jiang Yuebai and Yun Shang agreed to meet was one of the snake villages.
At the entrance of the village, there are six tall and old wooden pillars standing on both sides of the road. Each of them is carved with a snake of a different appearance. The snake's head is facing down from the top of the pillar, with its mouth open and hissing, full of wildness.
There is also a monument at the entrance.
[No strangers allowed, those who violate the rules will be killed]
Jiang Yuebai's scalp tensed up and he looked around carefully, but he didn't find any special identification formation, and there were no guards checking the entrance to the village.
Adjusting the hairpin on her head, Jiang Yuebai walked on the muddy ground, and passed by several Wu clan monks wearing blue clothes and silver ornaments without looking at them.
"Looks like... everything is fine?"
After making sure that everything was alright, Jiang Yuebai began to appreciate the scenery of the village. The stilt houses were built against the mountain in an orderly manner.
Standing on the top floor, you can see the vast waves of Panshe River and the endless mountains.
The place is bustling with people, noisy and filled with the smell of fireworks.
The blue brick path was covered with moss. On the side of the road, one could see heroic witch girls holding wine bowls and urging people to drink. They were talking loudly with people in the shop opposite, speaking in a tone that Jiang Yuebai could not understand but found strange.
Jiang Yuebai looked around and found that the clothes of the monks here were mostly black and blue, embellished with different silver ornaments and dark red embroidery patterns. Most of them had snake totems, and some had scorpions, centipedes and other five poisonous creatures. They should be the monks of the Wu clan from other villages.
In addition, the monks here are all women who walk in front with their heads held high, and men with scimitars hanging from their waists who walk behind, like guards.
In the roadside shops, the people who sit behind the counter and shout out services are all women, while the people who run errands and do work are all men.
The Wu Clan in Baipu Territory respects women, and even foreign cultivators who come here have to abide by their rules.
In the Five Great Villages, it is an honor for the native men of the Wu tribe to be able to follow and rely on powerful women.
Hiss!
A snake jumped out from nowhere and swam quickly past Jiang Yuebai's feet. Jiang Yuebai jumped back for fear of stepping on it. She heard the sound of breaking wind behind her ears and a black shadow rushed towards her.
Jiang Yuebai's eyes became fierce, he turned around and chopped the thing that was thrown at him into two halves with a palm knife.
When the thing fell to the ground, she realized it was just an ordinary... hydrangea
Jiang Yuebai raised his eyes and saw a male cultivator from the Wu clan in dark blue clothes standing on the corner of the street. He was in the late stage of Qi training, dark, strong and sturdy, and was looking at the hydrangea on the ground with a hurt look on his face.
Finally, the dark and strong male cultivator nodded to Jiang Yuebai, then turned and left.
"Girl, is this your first time in Baipu Territory?"
At the entrance of the wine shop on the roadside, a middle-aged woman in the foundation-building stage, with a green snake wrapped around her arm, said in an accent that Jiang Yuebai could understand while pouring wine,
"In our Baipu region, if a woman falls in love with a man, she will be kidnapped directly. If a man wants to woo a woman, he will throw her a bouquet. If she agrees, she will take it. If she doesn't agree, she must not take it."
Jiang Yuebai asked doubtfully, "What if I accidentally accept it and don't want to agree to it?"
The middle-aged woman closed the lid of the wine jar. "If you meet someone who is easy to talk to, you can comfort him and he will leave. If you meet someone who is difficult to deal with, he may keep pestering you. In our Baipu area, loyalty is an excellent quality of a man. If you accept the embroidered ball, the man will regard himself as yours."
The two little Ganoderma lucidum on Jiang Yuebai's scalp trembled, fortunately she didn't pick it up.
"Would you like to come in and try some flower cakes and mushroom soup and snake soup? Our local wine is also very good."
Jiang Yuebai bowed his hands and thanked him, "Thank you, fellow Taoist. I have an appointment with a friend, so I'll come back later."
The middle-aged woman looked at Jiang Yuebai's back as she left, and said to the green snake on her arm, "Such a pretty girl, with high cultivation, is very popular~"
Jiang Yuebai, who was confused, went to find another place, changed into a black warrior suit, took out a Shafeng sword and held it in his hand, painting his eyebrows and eyes like swords, looking tall and mighty.
Jiang Yuebai found the house that Yun Shang rented in the backyard of Wangjiang Tower and saw the male cultivator from the Wu Clan guarding outside her door. She immediately understood why Yun Shang wanted her to dress up as a man.
Clearing his throat, Jiang Yuebai walked over and shouted, "Achang, I'm here to pick you up."
Before he could get close, the burly male cultivator from the Wu clan suddenly stood up and glanced at Jiang Yuebai with hostility.
The door was opened from the inside. Yun Shang, who had not been seen for several years, was still as cute and lively as before. When she saw Jiang Yuebai, her eyes were misty and she rushed over and hugged Jiang Yuebai's waist.
"Why did you come just now?"
Jiang Yuebai has grown a lot taller over the years. When Yun Shang held her, the top of her head just reached her lower lip.
"Alright, alright. As soon as I received your letter, I rushed here without stopping. Stop crying, stop crying. Let's solve the problem at hand first."
"Hmm~"
Yun Shang nodded aggrievedly. Jiang Yuebai pulled her behind him to block him. He raised his chin and looked at the male cultivator from the Wu clan in the distance with unfriendly eyes.
"I don't understand the rules of your Wu clan, but she is mine, and I won't allow you to harass her at will."
Yun Shang bravely poked half of her head out from behind Jiang Yuebai, "I... I told you, I didn't know I just... just accepted your embroidered bouquet."
Jiang Yuebai's cultivation level was at the middle stage of foundation building, while the male cultivators of the Wu clan were only at the ninth level of Qi training. Seeing them clasping hands together, he felt frustrated.
In the end, without further ado, I bowed and said goodbye.
But before leaving, she said to Yun Shang with a sad tone, "If he treats you badly, you can come find me anytime. I am willing to follow you forever."
Jiang Yuebai: … …
Yun Shang's cheeks flushed, and she said angrily, "You... you should just give up on this idea."
After saying that, he shrank behind Jiang Yuebai and never came out again.
After the male cultivator from the Wu clan left, Jiang Yuebai could no longer hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha… "
Yun Shang hit Jiang Yuebai on the arm in frustration, "What's so funny? This is my first time here and I don't know their rules!"
Jiang Yuebai couldn't stop laughing. Yun Shang stepped on her feet and covered her mouth. "If you laugh again, I will... I will... Ouch!"
Yun Shang returned to her room with a red face, and Jiang Yuebai followed closely behind her, wiping away tears from laughing.
As soon as he entered the house, Jiang Yuebai was drooling at the tempting aroma of food. He saw Yunchang's table filled with special delicacies of the Snake Village, and a storybook called "Love Gu Tribulation" opened on the table.
"Achang, you have been having a good time recently~" Jiang Yuebai teased.
Yun Shang's face turned red, and she stammered as she explained, "I... I prepared all this for you."
Jiang Yuebai glanced at her and said, "You didn't wipe the corner of your mouth clean."
Yun Shang quickly turned around and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. After wiping for a long time, she found that the corners of her mouth were clean. Then she heard Jiang Yuebai's chuckle coming from behind her.
It was only at this moment, when Jiang Yuebai saw Yun Shang, that his tense mind of the past few years finally relaxed. He no longer had to be on guard no matter who he met as before.
"Okay, I won't laugh anymore. Let's eat and talk at the same time. I have a lot to say to you."
Jiang Yuebai sat down and picked up a piece of flower cake to eat. It was soft, sweet and very fragrant!
(End of this chapter)