Chapter 144 Avenging the Master’s Cousin

Chapter 144: Vengeance for the Master’s Cousin

“Pfft—” A non-lethal sting struck the Black Wind Serpent’s head. It shook its head, and the sting dropped to the ground.

It turned its head to glance at the Divine Brew Bee. “Brother Feng, can you actually speak human language?”

The Divine Brew Bee’s tone carried a hint of pride. “I can’t—but I can write.” As Xiao Feng’s follower, it not only tended to the spiritual flowers and herbs within the space but also attended classes in the wooden hut, learning to read and write characters alongside Xiao Xing and the others.

Then, another gust rose from the ground—not blowing toward the people, but lifting the fallen leaves scattered across the earth.

Under the Divine Brew Bee’s control, those leaves coalesced into Chinese characters, hovering midair:

“They broke in and stole—killing twenty of my children!”

“Heaven will not tolerate this!”

“Their crimes are unforgivable!”

The onlookers froze in shock—the characters were real!

Could this be a spirit serpent that had attained sentience?

Moreover, the message conveyed by the serpent matched exactly what the two students, Jiang Peiyao and Wen Yuke, had confessed: they had entered the woods, stolen the serpent’s eggs from the nest—and eaten them.

Though humans traditionally regarded themselves as superior to all animals, the creature before them defied such categorization. It possessed human-level intelligence, was impervious to bullets, could manipulate wind to form written characters, and wielded terrifying strength.

Officer Lu said, “Brother Serpent, these children have already admitted their guilt—and suffered a severe enough lesson. Might you consider letting them go?”

Those eggs had been laid by the Black Wind Serpent’s daughters—still undeveloped, barely formed. It had already devoured several of the perpetrators. Moreover, after Jiang Yingxue’s reprimand, its fury had largely subsided. The remaining culprits were already crippled. It had originally intended for the Divine Brew Bee to inscribe the character *kě*—meaning “acceptable.”

But just as the Divine Brew Bee began forming the character *kě*, Zhao Maoquan—his hands already severed—strained his neck and let out a gut-wrenching roar.

“Worthless! What are you doing, negotiating with a beast?! Kill it—now!”

Furious, his eyes bloodshot, he glared at the Black Wind Serpent.

Zhao Maoquan also recalled the snake eggs he’d eaten earlier. To him, humans consuming animal eggs was perfectly natural—nothing wrong with it. His only regret was failing to descend the mountain immediately after eating them. This damned beast had cost him both hands—he longed to flay it alive and rip out its tendons. Seeing the police treat the killer serpent with such deference—making no move to kill it or avenge him—he snapped.

He kept roaring: “What are you all standing around for?! Forget snake eggs—even snakes are just food on our table! They’re *our* meal! And you’re actually afraid of it?! A bunch of good-for-nothings!”

The half-formed character *kě* scattered into the air. Smoke seemed to rise from the Black Wind Serpent’s head—its rage boiling over. This wretched human wasn’t satisfied merely slaughtering its offspring—he even craved snake soup!

“This pisses me off! Seems I went too easy on him—just eating both arms wasn’t enough.”

Enraged, the Black Wind Serpent fixed its gaze on Zhao Maoquan’s legs—deciding which to devour first.

Seeing things spiral out of control, Officer Lu rushed over and clamped a hand over Zhao Maoquan’s mouth.

But the Black Wind Serpent had already heard every word—covering his mouth now was useless.

“Forget it. No need to choose. I’ll eat both at once.” The Black Wind Serpent shook its head. A whirlwind spiraled around it—then shot straight toward Zhao Maoquan.

Officer Lu was hurled aside by the vortex, while the Black Wind Serpent opened its massive maw and swallowed Zhao Maoquan’s legs whole.

A wave of sheer, primal terror flooded Zhao Maoquan’s chest. Terrified beyond reason, he instantly wet himself.

He screamed, “Police! Save me—quickly!”

“The jade pendant! Shen Chengheng—save me!”

The officers raised their guns to fire—but in the next instant, each was stung on the wrist.

A sharp, searing pain shot up their arms, and their pistols clattered to the ground in unison.

“Awwwwesome!” The Divine Brew Bee planted its limbs on its hips, smirking triumphantly at the stunned officers before it.

Try aiding the wicked in front of me—I dare you!

Shen Chengheng touched his jade pendant and lunged to grab Zhao Maoquan’s head.

But before his fingers could make contact, an overwhelming force slammed into him—hurling him violently into the air before he crashed hard onto the ground.

With a sharp *crack*, the jade pendant on his person struck a rock and shattered into pieces.

Shen Chengheng spat out a mouthful of blood. Staring at the broken fragments on the ground, his face twisted in despair.

That force had come from the Divine Brew Bee. The jade pendant—effective against the low-cultivation Black Wind Serpent—was utterly useless against the fifth-tier Divine Brew Bee.

The Divine Brew Bee had long resented Shen Chengheng. In fact, it disliked *all* the students in the cave. When Xi Youshan tried to drive the master’s cousin out, they’d stood by indifferently—no different from murderers.

Thinking of murderers, the Divine Brew Bee fired a venomous needle straight at Xi Youshan. So long as it remained embedded, she would endure the agony of a needle piercing her heart—and suffer endless nightmares, moment after moment.

At last, it had vented some of its fury on behalf of the master’s cousin.

On the ground, after savoring Zhao Maoquan’s terror long enough, the Black Wind Serpent let out a sickening *crunch*, biting off his legs—and swallowing them whole.

Then, the Divine Brew Bee used leaves to form the character *kě* in midair. Afterward, the Black Wind Serpent turned and slithered away.

Paramedics rushed forward to dress Zhao Maoquan’s wounds.

The Black Wind Serpent’s saliva was not only non-toxic but also possessed life-sustaining properties—explaining why these students, though limbless, still retained enough strength to wail and curse.

All present—police and medics alike—felt Zhao Maoquan had brought his leg-loss upon himself. The spirit serpent had been preparing to leave—yet he’d leapt out and provoked it.

From the serpent’s perspective: you ate its children—so its vengeance, its desire to kill you, was entirely understandable.

Yet a snake is a snake—and a human, a human. Such thoughts might linger privately in their hearts—but as public servants, they dared not voice them aloud.

Once the Black Wind Serpent vanished from sight, the cave before them dissolved—replaced instead by a pool of emerald-green water.

“This…” Everyone exchanged bewildered glances at the surreal scene before them.

“Everyone—hurry down the mountain.”

There was only one stretcher. Since Zhao Maoquan had lost both legs, there was room for one more person. He and Xi Youshan could squeeze onto it together.

Dusk was falling. Half the group used flashlights to guide the stretcher-bearers and injured students; the other half of the officers walked behind them.

What had transpired today shattered their worldview—expanding their understanding of reality in ways they’d never imagined.

This world harbored creatures beyond human comprehension. Sentient animals were no longer cold legends—they were living, breathing reality.