Chapter 27: The Great Era

But obviously, there is always a gap between any myth or legend and real life.

Even though I had the impression that this was the place where the elves of Western legends lived, I knew in my heart that this green stuff was probably a type of fungus, because it did exist. It was found in the Amazon jungle, which is rich in species, and even in other countries. There are more than one type of fungus that can glow, mostly green.

The light floating in the air may be its spores.

I once read an introduction to this fungus in a book and have always wanted to see it. After all, most of the recorded discoveries have been in Western countries or in the Amazon jungle. I never thought that I would discover it in my lifetime in such a beautiful valley in China.

“Isn’t it beautiful? If it weren’t night, you wouldn’t be able to see this scenery.” Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Xiaoding couldn’t help but start to be proud of his sacred place of the snake gate again.

Faced with Xiaoding’s pride, I could only nod blankly.

In the dreamlike green light, I saw a wooden house with several rooms under the tree with a thick trunk and a canopy as large as half a basketball court. The log-colored exterior walls… looked simple but so clean and comfortable.

Is that where Xiaoding has been living?

Deep down in my heart, I think the Bamboo Forest Cottage is already the most beautiful existence, and in fact it is in my heart, but if we talk about the magic and beauty of the scenery, I have to admit that this place is unforgettable and more shocking than the Bamboo Forest Cottage!

“That’s where I live.” Xiaoding’s flute was already inserted into the belt that tied the long coat, and he was holding his blind fish and other things in his hand, looking a little bit ‘naughty’, enthusiastically guiding us.

My master and I were actually very tired from the journey, and after seeing the beautiful scenery, we really needed to rest. So we followed Xiaoding and walked over.

It is so beautiful from a distance, but being in it makes you feel its beauty even more.

When I finally got to sit in the room, this is how I felt… The whole room exudes a natural, light aroma of wood, and the all-wood structure, with simple furnishings, has almost no furniture except for the bed and a little simple cabinet.

The house is about two meters higher than the bamboo hut, and there is a very distinctive fire pit in the hall… In short, everything here is clean and comfortable.

Outside the window, the flickering green light and the dancing fireflies surrounded us. Sitting by the fire, on a straw mat woven from dried grass, I couldn’t help but let out a long, comfortable sigh.

Xiao Ding was boiling water for me and my master. We were too tired to do anything but sit quietly and enjoy the peace and beauty. After all, our nerves had been on edge for several days, and this moment of belonging was especially precious.

I don’t know how long we sat in silence like this, but when the water in the pot hanging over the fire began to boil, a snake slithered into the open door.

I’m so used to snakes in this area that I didn’t even look at it. Instead, Xiaoding looked at the snake, smiled, and waved. His eyes were actually squinted like a crescent moon. This man’s smile was so fierce that his eyes were crescent-shaped. This was the first time I had noticed it.

The snake was very affectionate with Xiaoding. When Xiaoding waved, it crawled faster and soon wound itself up Xiaoding’s arm and perched on Xiaoding’s shoulder.

I watched this scene with interest, but I found that the snake looked familiar. It was just like the snake in the valley when we first met Ding… and the movements were also so familiar. It attached itself to Ding’s shoulder and made a faint hissing sound.

However, I am sure that this is not the same snake. This snake is smaller, obviously smaller than that snake.

The snake seemed to be talking to Xiaoding, and Xiaoding was nodding in agreement, making sounds like “uh,” “ah,” and “uh,” to indicate that he understood.

I couldn’t help but feel amazed. Could snakes really talk? Could Ding communicate with snakes? But seeing how Ding was… I couldn’t interrupt him.

The scene lasted about two minutes, and the snake climbed down from Ding’s body… and then climbed out of the house. Ding didn’t say anything, but instead took two wooden cups from the house and poured a cup of hot water for each of us.

There was a little bit of tea in the hot water, and it smelled very familiar. Master took a sniff and couldn’t help but feel a little sad. He said, “I gave this tea to your grandfather, didn’t I?”

Yes, I can’t forget this familiar smell. My master and I often drank this tea in the bamboo hut. My master treasured this tea, and would drink it two or three times a month. The rest of the time, he would use other teas instead.

But the other teas don’t have the same special fragrance, so the fragrance that I remember is the fragrance of this tea.

When the master said this, Xiaoding was also a little sad and said, “Yes, this is what Grandpa left behind. He had not had a chance to finish the tea that Grandpa Jiang gave him before he passed away.”

For a moment, I was a little sad… I felt sorry for Xiaoding. I could imagine that his grandfather was also his master, and his companionship was like that of my master. If such a person died, it would be very sad, right?

“But Grandpa had no regrets. He passed away peacefully, like he was asleep. The ancestors and the sacred snakes came to see him off.” After saying this, Xiaoding smiled sadly.

If that is the case, it is indeed not a very sad thing, except that it is a bit difficult to miss.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit sad, Xiaoding immediately changed the subject. He took out a wooden basin and made hot water for me and the master while saying, “Did you see that snake just now? They are a type of snake with a very high IQ. It brought me news. Those pursuers lost you, but they don’t want to give up. They are now scattered and looking for you all over the mountains and fields.

He said it very easily, but I suddenly became nervous. I looked up at Xiaoding and said, “They wouldn’t have stumbled upon this place by accident, would they?”

“No, the secret passageways are all protected by formations, let alone the holy land? Don’t worry, the chances of this are very small, unless they have the ability to search the entire mountain range.” Xiaoding didn’t care too much. He didn’t specifically say what exactly protected this place, but it was also very powerful.

After all, there are so many different kinds of snakes here, and there are also formations. Maybe there are others. It seems that the Snake Sect and the Taoist Sect have many hidden relationships.

At least I now know about a Mingyang Gate, and it has such a deep friendship with our old Li family.

However, there are always variables in everything. I have never underestimated Yang Sheng… Master seems to think the same way as I do. He also said to Xiaoding in a serious tone, “This is the most precious place in Snake Gate, and it is also the most precious guardian of your lineage. I cannot allow it to be in danger. If possible, I will stay with Chengyi for a day, and I will leave here after tomorrow.”

“But…” Xiaoding looked at my master with some concern. After all, it would be very dangerous to leave with the pursuers all over the mountains and fields, right?

“There is no ‘but’. Even if I am playing with my own life, I cannot play with Sanwa’s life. Xiaoding, there should be a more subtle way to leave in secret, right?” When Master said this, he naturally touched my head. I can always feel the love from Master in these details.

My heart warmed a little, and I took a sip of the hot tea.

Master’s question made Xiaoding hesitate for a moment, and then he looked at my master as if he had made up his mind and said, “Grandpa Jiang, in fact, there are many secrets in Snake Sect, such as the topographical map of this mountain range, which contains information about hidden paths, secret paths, and even secret paths. The most important secret path is naturally the place where the ancestors are… the rest is not important. According to the friendship between you and my grandfather, I can draw you a part of the topographical map. You can use this to safely walk out of the mountains. I will also ask the snakes to protect you.

“If you have this, that’s enough. It’s more than enough. I’ll take care of the rest.” The master’s brows relaxed and he looked relaxed.

Xiao Ding looked at my master and couldn’t help but ask again, “Are you really sure there won’t be any problems, Grandpa Jiang?”

“There really is no problem, Ding. Wait a moment. You prepare a room for me and Chengyi. Don’t let your snakes disturb… I have some things I must attend to. Is that all right?” The master thought for a moment and said very seriously.

“No problem. In fact, besides me…” Ding paused for a moment and then said, “and the sacred snake, other snakes cannot enter easily unless it is an emergency.”

Holy snake? This is the second time Ding has mentioned this word, but I think it involves his master’s secrets, so I didn’t ask any more. I can’t ‘bully’ people. Ding is so simple.

“Well, that’s good.” The master nodded, suddenly looking at Xiaoding, somewhat seriously, and then asked in a deliberately relaxed manner, “Xiaoding, there will soon be a great era in the circle of cultivators. Are you not going to participate in it? You are also a rare young genius! Are you really going to hide away from the world?”

Another great era? The master said that again… What kind of great era would it be? My hand holding the tea trembled for no reason. I found that whenever the master mentioned this word, I couldn’t help but feel my blood boil. I squinted. What kind of great era would it be?