Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 730 - 552 Hunters with Ulterior Motives_2

Chapter 730: Chapter 552 Hunters with Ulterior Motives_2

And with a lunge, the giant python’s fangs sank into a gap in the fishing net, while the hunter beneath quivered with fear, unwittingly letting a trickle of fresh blood escape the corner of his mouth.

The python’s strike had broken several of his ribs; it appeared that he would be bedridden for a good year and a half. Wu Mo and Su Ding strained at the net with all their might.

But ultimately, the net was a mere mortal creation, and as the python struggled, they felt the net tighten in their grip, and they simultaneously flung it aside.

The python was hurled away, and Wu Mo swiftly notched his bow and loosed an arrow—the perfect opportunity presented itself.

The bowstring pressed against Wu Mo’s nose.

Wu Mo closed his left eye, his right eye fixed intently on the python.

The python thrashed wildly on the ground, desperately trying to free itself from its bonds.

But at a certain moment, Wu Mo suddenly spotted a vulnerability.

Releasing his right hand, the bowstring let out a soft hum as the arrow shot forward. Wu Mo did not relax; this arrow was unlikely to be fatal for the python.

As expected, the shot struck the python’s right eye, proof that Wu Mo’s archery, honed by frequent rabbit hunting, was skilled enough to be considered impressive even in the city.

Su Ding and the others threw their woodcutting knives forward, the blades tracing arcs through the air and slashing gruesome wounds into the python.

Seeing his arrow hit its mark, Wu Mo adjusted his stance, continued to draw his bow, and aimed more arrows at the python.

The experienced hunters, like Su Ding, understood the lethality of Wu Mo’s archery skills well.

As the arrows flew toward the python even before they hit, the gathered hunters cheered in anticipation.

Indeed, as Su Ding and the others had expected, several more arrows lodged into the python.

The python’s struggles grew even more violent, scattering blood all across the ground.

Seeing this, Su Ding and the others were heartbroken; they knew the python had lived for at least a century, making its blood incredibly precious.

If one could consume this snake blood, it would not only enhance one’s vitality but also nurture one’s essence. It was said to be akin to devouring Demon blood, potentially awakening abilities even in those without the Exorcist’s talent.

Yet, these hunters were mostly simple country folks, only somewhat informed about such matters.

They knew not the odds of such an outcome, but they presumed them to be low.

In Yulin City, the price offered for such monster blood was at least one tael of silver per tael; by no means was it ordinary Spirit and Monster blood.

The blood shed from the python weighed several dozen kilograms, earning dozens of taels of silver if sold. Mind that in the days when Wu Mo was a night watchman, he only earned five hundred copper coins a month.

A thousand copper coins were equivalent to one tael of silver,

which means Wu Mo could accumulate merely six taels of silver all year round without spending a dime. Yet the blood alone from the behemoth before him held a value of several dozen taels of silver.

That staggering sum made Su Ding and the others view the python as secured treasure, especially since one of Wu Mo’s arrows had cleverly struck its vital seven-inch spot by chance.

The hunters knew that the seven inches was a snake’s deadly weakness, and realizing this, they knew the python’s time was running out.

Wu Mo revealed a look of joy; instead of approaching right away, Su Ding and the others began discussing how to distribute their newfound wealth.

"What a pity, this snake blood is worth at least a dozen taels of silver," lamented one.

"The snake skin, marred by several cracks, has lost much of its value," another pointed out somberly.

"This Snake Gallbladder..."

Wu Mo hesitated, while the others showed reluctance. Although Wu Mo had played a significant role in slaying the python, they reasoned that without their assistance, Wu Mo would have found it much more difficult to kill the beast and would have been more likely to end up in its belly.

The hunters were at odds with one another, unable to agree, when Su Ding remembered the hunter who had been injured by the python.

The injured hunter lay on the ground, the breaths he drew in far fewer than the ones he let out; Su Ding and the others lacked Medical Arts and could only tie pieces of cloth around him to bind his wounds.

"Alas, wealth stirs the heart; it seems unlikely that we’ll resolve this today," he sighed.

A hunter with triangular eyes spoke.

His name was Lu Hai, and he was one of the skilled among the hunters. He was somewhat famous in the nearby villages and was also known for being extremely arrogant.

Another hunter furrowed his brows and said, "Since Old Wu shot the python, the inner gall should naturally belong to him. One must still speak of righteousness when making a living."

"Right, right, I was the one who promised to give the inner gall to Old Wu first, and you know that, Lu Hai. Old Wu is an honest man; don’t you think about stealing that inner gall."

Su Ding agreed, as it was something he had promised from the start and naturally couldn’t go back on his word now.

"Hmph, the knife is here. If you want the inner gall, go get it quickly."

Although Lu Hai was reluctant, he had no choice as he hadn’t exerted much effort in killing the python. Being able to get a share was already fortunate. Lu Hai threw his dagger to the ground, where it stuck in the dirt.

Seeing this, Wu Mo didn’t hesitate. Fearing any change if he delayed, and always being a man of his word, he first made sure to get the inner gall into his hands for peace of mind.

But, he didn’t see the sneering smile on the corner of Lu Hai’s lips. When Wu Mo picked up the dagger from the ground and reached to touch the snake, intending to extract the gallbladder,

"Careful!"

Su Ding initially didn’t think much of it, but suddenly, he remembered something and cried out in alarm, but it was already too late.

What Su Ding remembered was that every time a snake was killed, if someone touched it with their hands, the snake would reflexively bite that person’s hand.

Just last time, someone from the neighboring village was bitten like that.

It was a classic case of a dying counterattack.

True enough, when Wu Mo touched the python, it turned its head and, opening its gaping maw, bit down on his hand. Perhaps due to its large size,

the snake’s head engulfed his entire fist, creating a horrific sight. Other hunters quickly came to their senses and forced Wu Mo down, then used the arrows and daggers they carried to pry open the python’s mouth.

However, this was no ordinary snake; despite the men’s efforts, they still couldn’t pry open its mouth, until Su Ding found a rock somewhere and was ready to smash the snake’s head.

But Lu Hai blocked Su Ding’s way with a hand.

"What are you doing?"

Carrying an injured man on his back, Su Ding couldn’t directly confront Lu Hai. He even suspected that everything that had happened was intentional on Lu Hai’s part.

"Old Wu probably won’t survive. Let’s not damage the snake’s head; those teeth still have poison that the masters in the city like."

Lu Hai was extremely dismissive toward Wu Mo. One less person meant one more share for himself; this was a principle Lu Hai understood well.

"You... are truly shameless. This is a living person’s life!"

In that moment, Su Ding regretted bringing someone like Lu Hai along, as his actions were utterly disappointing.

"Oh? All I see are white pieces of silver. You should know, the True Person of Qingcheng Mountain is coming soon. We need to prepare the treasures. If my family receives favor from the True Person of Qingcheng Mountain, then that’s the real fortune!"

Lu Hai was extremely cold-blooded because, for him, an individual like Wu Mo was far less valuable than one tael of silver.

"Forget it, I won’t argue with you."

Having no choice, Su Ding prepared to have the other two hunters take Wu Mo away. At this point, Wu Mo was half purple, evidently showing signs of deep poisoning.

"Are you sure you want to bring him? You should know that with him like this, the large python will be a target for many beasts."

Having one injured was enough, and Su Ding suspected Lu Hai’s guilty conscience was behind such a statement.

Believing that bringing Wu Mo would just be a burden,

"You’d better stop talking, or you won’t get a single piece of the python’s meat."

Carrying the injured person made Su Ding less agile in his movements.

However, Lu Hai was also carrying a snake carcass; the two men were pretty much even.

Moreover, as the organizer of the group, Su Ding was well aware of Lu Hai’s ulterior motives.