Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 131 - 129: The Loyal Believer
Tu Xiao'an discovered that when he got personally involved, the believers' worship and the resulting Power of Faith would be credited to him. For example, the unconscious person seemed to have been revived by the Snake King Water, but that wasn't the whole story.
He had secretly added a little something precious to that bowl of Snake King Water.
That something was Killer Bee Honey.
Killer Bee Honey was excellent for strengthening the body, but it had another key feature: it could neutralize toxins.
As for what kind of poisons it could neutralize, Tu Xiao'an wasn't actually sure. But today's test yielded remarkable results. He never expected the honey could even neutralize the venom of a rare Snake Species. This was incredible.
The value of the Killer Bee Honey skyrocketed in Tu Xiao'an's mind.
In reality, many people in Bai Town died from snake venom every year. If his Killer Bee Honey could be used as an antidote for it, it would be incredibly useful.
Putting all else aside, just selling it would be an excellent business venture.
Zero cost, pure profit, and it would definitely be in high demand.
Of course, that was all for later. Tu Xiao'an's current priority was to collect one hundred thousand Faith Points, unlock the system's store, and see if there were any treasures inside that would allow him to undergo Transformation.
In the past, he had no hope of becoming human. But now that he possessed the Flying Technique and the Transformation Technique, the so-called Transformation Technique was no longer a pipe dream.
He looked out at the sea of kneeling people inside the temple, feeling immense joy.
The tricky part now was how to usurp the current one, become the true Snake King, and then have his own statue built in this temple. After all, he couldn't stay in the Snake King Temple every day.
Only by replacing the Snake King statue with one in his own likeness could he collect the Power of Faith from the believers.
Then, any believer who came to the temple to kowtow and make a wish could contribute a ceaseless stream of Faith Points to him.
However, to accomplish this great undertaking, he needed to find an accomplice to help him complete this grand feat.
After all, this Snake King statue had been worshipped in the Snake King Temple for several hundred years. No one would agree to just swap it out on a whim.
Immediately, Tu Xiao'an's gaze locked onto a target within the dense crowd: the man in the Daoist robe, who was also the head of the Snake King Temple.
This person was among those who had just generated Power of Faith. He alone had provided a full 100 Faith Points, which showed that he was an extremely devout believer in the Snake King.
His name was Li Shun, and pretty much everyone in Bai Town knew him.
He was a full zodiac cycle older than Tu Xiao'an, putting him in his early thirties. He was still single and was also a loyal believer in the Snake King.
There was quite a story behind Li Shun.
Years ago, he had an older brother named Li Wen, a locally-born Snake Catcher. One day, Li Wen went up She Mountain to catch snakes and suddenly discovered a snake hole at the base of a large tree. The hole had been concealed by thick grass, so no one had ever noticed it before.
He had a sharp eye. Pushing aside the dense grass, he discovered a whole clutch of snake eggs inside.
Li Wen was overjoyed. He quickly took off his outer shirt, spread it on the ground, and gently gathered the snake eggs one by one into the fabric.
Sixteen eggs in all.
Just as he finished, he faintly heard a rustling sound approaching, growing closer and closer.
Li Wen was instantly on alert. He set down the snake eggs and raised his Snake Hook, on guard.
In an instant, a venomous snake over a meter long darted to the entrance of the hole. It coiled its lower body to guard the eggs, reared its upper body up menacingly, and flicked its tongue like a Flame as it took an attack stance against Li Wen.
Li Wen retreated two steps, raising his Snake Hook and keeping his eyes fixed on the snake's every move. After a standoff that lasted several minutes, he decided to strike first. He swung the Snake Hook, and with a WHOOSH, it struck the Snake Head squarely. The snake's upper body immediately went limp. Li Wen then brought the Snake Hook down on its body again, but he unexpectedly used too much force and killed it.
For a Snake Catcher, the purpose of Ascending the Mountain was to capture snakes, not kill them. But what was done was done. He still had the clutch of snake eggs, so it was a fruitful harvest nonetheless.
Afterward, Li Wen brought the clutch of eggs home, and it wasn't long before sixteen venomous snakes hatched.
To earn more money, Li Wen decided to raise the snakes to adulthood, as only fully-grown venomous snakes were valuable.
But this decision led to disaster. Three months later, Li Shun came home one day to find his brother's body covered in venomous snakes. His flesh was rotting away, and he was long dead.
And these snakes were the very same ones that had hatched from the eggs his brother had brought back from She Mountain.
The hatchlings were raised, and they took their revenge.
The story was kind of like something you'd see happen to the protagonist of a martial arts novel.
The mother is killed, the child is raised by the enemy, and then grows up to exact vengeance.
The only chilling difference was that this time, it wasn't a person's revenge, but a snake's.
Li Shun was terrified. He could feel an aura of resentful Qi emanating from the sixteen snakes, as if they wanted to kill him to eliminate the witness.
He turned and fled, running and running, always feeling as if the snakes were chasing him. He wasn't sure if it was a twist of fate or something else, but he ended up running to the vicinity of the Snake King Temple.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck, and he ducked into the Snake King Temple.
Once inside the Snake King Temple, the oppressive, resentful Qi from the snakes and the shadow they cast over him slowly began to fade.
Li Shun understood that the Snake King had saved him. From that day forward, he became a steadfast believer. Since his brother was dead and he had no other family, he simply decided to stay at the Snake King Temple.
He ended up staying for over a decade.
Now, he had become the head of the Snake King Temple. If he were a Monk, his position would be equivalent to an abbot.
Snakes possess a spiritual nature; they can repay kindness and seek revenge. Many people who angered a snake would eventually choose to come to the Snake King Temple to escape disaster. It might seem like a superstition, but you couldn't help but believe there was some truth to it.
Of course, the story has a supernatural feel to it. But there's a scientific explanation for why snakes appear to seek revenge. Their reproductive glands secrete a special fluid to attract mates. If you try to kill a snake and get this scent on you, you will be in potential danger, regardless of whether you actually kill it or not.
You'll be tracked by that snake or others of its species.
Some veteran Snake Catchers exploit this very fact, rubbing the secretion on their rubber boots to lure other snakes out.
At that moment, Li Shun was kowtowing respectfully along with the crowd. But he didn't make a wish, because there was nothing he desired.
His only desire was for the Snake King Temple's fortunes to flourish and for the Snake King to be worshipped by even more people.
He firmly believed that the Snake King was real—a true Divine Spirit.
Suddenly, Li Shun's entire body went rigid. He felt a Formless pressure envelop him, rendering him unable to move.
Just then, his eyes slowly widened as a strange voice echoed in his mind: "Li Shun, you truly are my most loyal believer."
Li Shun was both shocked and overjoyed. 'The Snake King is talking to me! He's revealing his divine presence! Could it be that my decade of tireless service in the Snake King Temple has finally earned me the Snake King's favor?'
The elation was like winning a five-million-dollar lottery, sending a rush of excitement through Li Shun. He wasn't afraid in the slightest—only overjoyed.
"Long live Lord Snake King! I am your most loyal believer! I would go through fire and water for you, Lord Snake King, and would not shrink from ten thousand deaths!"
Li Shun muttered to himself in excitement.
