Mountain and Sea Demon Martial Arts, Starting with Vertical Pupils

Chapter 1 The Snake Catcher

Under the bright red sun, a cicada chirped noisily on a tree trunk.

Amidst the chirping of cicadas, a praying mantis, standing a meter away, slowly approached, its mantis arms raised.

Behind the mantis, a yellow oriole keenly noticed the moving mantis. With a flap of its wings, it swooped down and pecked down fiercely with its sharp beak.

At the same time, just as the oriole was enjoying its meal, a long brown snake hidden in the trees coldly flicked its tongue.

Its snake body arched, its bloody mouth open, seemingly about to bite the yellow bird.

--state!

Suddenly, a thick wooden stick slammed down on the snake's head, making a dull thud.

The snake seemed a little dazed from the knock, curling up into a ball, still not quite realizing what had happened.

And what awaited it next was the second, the third, the fourth blow...

The waving stick finally stopped when it whimpered and could no longer move.

"A triangular snake's head, with brown spots forming rings—it's actually a seven-step snake! I'm really lucky today."

The seven-step snake has venom that can be used in medicine, its skin that can be used to make clothing, and its meat is quite fresh. It can sell for at least ninety coins.

Chen Luo happily put away the stick, then took out a rope from his pocket, skillfully tied the snake's head shut, and threw it into the bamboo basket behind him and covered it.

He then glanced at the sky; the sun was about to set.

It's about time to head back.

He carried a bamboo basket on his back, preparing to go down the mountain, holding a machete in his hand. He would occasionally cut down some branches blocking his way, and sometimes he would feel a little sentimental.

Because of a traffic accident, he transmigrated to this world and has only been here for a year, but he has already slowly gotten used to the life of a snake catcher.

Who would believe that he was someone who was born with a fear of snakes in his past life?

Of course, I'm still a bit afraid of snakes; they're too dangerous.

Nervous, adept at hiding, highly toxic, fast... truly impossible to guard against.

For example, his ancestors made a living by catching snakes for generations, and all that remained in his memory were the family's snake-catching skills, yet he still could not escape the fate of being poisoned by snakes.

Including his parents, who also died accidentally in the mouth of snakes, leaving behind his former self as an orphan.

That's right. Most people who drown can swim, and most of those who die from snake venom are snake catchers like him.

If it weren't for the fact that making a living in feudal society was extremely difficult, and that his family had no land or stored grain, he would never have been willing to do this kind of work.

With a sigh, Chen Luo skillfully made his way through a grove of trees, and the outline of a mountain path gradually became clear.

Continuing down the mountain path, you soon come to a checkpoint simply enclosed by tall wooden railings and bricks.

Every few dozen feet along the pass there was a watchtower, and the mountain guards on duty could be seen from a great distance.

Mountain guards, as the name suggests, are guards to prevent wild animals and even demons from breaking through the mountain passes.

Chen Luo arrived at the exit of the mountain pass, where a middle-aged, robust man dressed in light armor of the mountain guard stood before the wooden railing.

"Brother Liu," he greeted him, as he was familiar with the mountain guards because he frequently climbed mountains.

"Did you go down the mountain and go home?"

"Um."

Liu Zhengshan, without a smile, glanced at the bamboo basket on Chen Luo's back.

Without needing to say anything more, Chen Luo understood and took off the bamboo basket, handing it over.

Liu Zhengshan picked up the bamboo basket and carefully counted the prey inside, "Yellow-flowered snake, salmon snake, yellow-flowered snake, seven-step snake... wait a minute."

He suddenly frowned, his expression turning serious, and pointed to the bottom of the bamboo basket, "What's with that... lynx at the bottom?"

Liu Zhengshan was pointing to a black lynx at the bottom of the bamboo basket.

The lynx's head was stained with blood, its eyes and mouth were closed, its face was a strange blood red, and a foot-long fang was showing under its mouth, making it look very frightening.

"I saw it by the Nanshan Creek. It must have been bitten by some predator and died there. I think it's still a piece of meat, so I'm going to take it home and stew it," Chen Luo explained.

He cooperated fully with Liu Zhengshan's careful inspection.

After all, the duty of the mountain guards is to prevent all demons and monsters from entering the counties and cities inhabited by humans.

Moreover, just a month ago, a sudden beast tide broke out in the county. The leader was said to be a mountain demon that attacked the county at night, eating people and hunting for food, leaving the county in ruins and causing heavy casualties to the mountain guards.

Even now, everyone remains on edge.

The lynx in his bamboo basket had a red face and fangs, and just by looking at it, it didn't seem like a kind creature, so it naturally attracted the attention of the mountain guards.

Liu Zhengshan remained noncommittal, then carefully examined the cat again. Only after confirming that it was inanimate did he breathe a sigh of relief. "No problem, let's go."

Chen Luo didn't leave. Instead, he took out a plant with roots still attached from his pocket. "Brother Liu, you can have this herb."

Liu Zhengshan didn't take it, but frowned. "Why are you giving me this?"

"It's not for you."

Chen Luo shrugged. "Wasn't Wang Lan from your mountain guard injured by a tiger while patrolling the mountain a few days ago? This herb can cure it. Just crush it, mix it with some water, and apply it to the wound."

Liu Zhengshan was taken aback, nodded, and accepted the herbs.

Snake catchers have to deal with all kinds of snake venom and are often good at using medicine. Since Chen Luo said it was effective, then it really is effective.

"How is your martial arts training going at the private school?" he asked again.

"You really know how to rub salt in the wound," Chen Luo sighed. "Same as always, still no progress."

"Practicing martial arts is a gradual process, like water dripping on a stone, and you're already at a weak foundation, so don't give up easily."

Liu Zhengshan patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Catching snakes is not a long-term solution for making a living. Try to join our mountain guard as soon as possible."

"I know." Chen Luo smiled. Although the job of a mountain guard was dangerous, the salary was very high, and it was indeed more promising than catching snakes.

After passing through the pass, we walked along the path for another half an hour before finally returning to the county town.

The county where he lived was called Qingshan County, named so because it was surrounded by mountains on three sides, along with several villages below it, and only one side of the valley connected it to a county hundreds of miles away.

The other three sides are surrounded by mountains, with a maze stretching for thousands of miles. No one can say how many demons and beasts dwell within, and it is impossible to see the end of it.

Upon reaching the county road, one is greeted by a scene of utter devastation.

Due to the mountain demon's nighttime attack several months ago, many ruins and broken walls can still be seen today.

The collapsed houses were piled up in one place, broken beams and rubble were mixed together, and some were even just a charred foundation. The broken bluestone road was covered with mud.

If it were a wealthy family, they would have the money to buy bricks and tiles and hire laborers to repair it.

As for some impoverished farming families, they could only lie numbly in the ruins, sleeping under the open sky.

Even in some corners, there were still blackened bloodstains that hadn't been cleaned up, and it was unclear whether they belonged to monsters or humans. The pungent stench attracted swarms of flies.

Chen Luo was already used to this scene, but he still felt somewhat uncomfortable at this moment.

Arriving at the shop that buys wild game, he sold all his prey except for the lynx.

There's no way around it; lynx meat isn't like rabbit or bird meat. It's extremely gamey, not nutritious, and not even considered auspicious. It can't even fetch a price comparable to two steamed buns.

It's better to cook it yourself.

One seven-step snake, one three-striped snake, and three yellow-flowered snakes sold for a total of 140 coins.

Because of the lucky catch of the seven-step snake, he earned much more than usual.

Chen Luo carefully put away the silver, picked up the bamboo basket, but instead of going home immediately, he continued his journey eastward along the county road.

After walking for about half an hour, he encountered more and more people traveling the same way. Many of them, like him, were carrying bamboo baskets or farm tools, clearly having just finished their farm work but not yet returning home. They were walking in twos and threes in the same direction, almost forming a crowd like those heading to a market.

"Alo!"

Just then, someone called out to him from behind.

Chen Luo turned around and saw a young man carrying a hoe running excitedly toward him.

"It's Ah Liang," he greeted with a smile.

The young man's name was Zhou Xiaoliang. He was the predecessor's childhood playmate. The two had a good relationship and often practiced martial arts together at the martial arts school after finishing their work.

Right now, he and Zhou Xiaoliang, along with all the other pedestrians traveling the same route, are all heading to the martial arts school.

Zhou Xiaoliang ran over and stood beside him, asking, "How was your harvest on the mountain today?"

"Not bad." Chen Luo smiled and glanced at the hoe slung over his shoulder. "And you, why did you finish plowing the fields so early today?"

Zhou Xiaoliang's family has several acres of land, so they don't need to go to the mountains every day like he does.

"Then you have to be earlier. I was a little late yesterday and accidentally missed the martial arts school's evening practice. As a result, the gatekeeper wouldn't let me in!" Zhou Xiaoliang complained.

Chen Luo smiled and said, "The martial arts school has three training sessions: morning, noon, and evening. Morning and noon training are for children whose muscles and bones are not yet fully developed. Only evening training allows us adults, who are busy making money during the day, to have time to practice martial arts. And yet you're still late. Who can you blame for missing it? In the end, it's because you don't take martial arts training seriously enough. Besides, yesterday wasn't the first time you were late, was it?"

"You think you know everything," Zhou Xiaoliang glanced at him. "You've come to practice martial arts every single day for the past year without fail. With such diligence, you must have made some progress, right?"

Chen Luo's smile vanished instantly, and he quickened his pace, somewhat annoyed.

"Haha, don't be in such a hurry." Zhou Xiaoliang chuckled and quickly followed.

The two mingled in the crowd and eventually arrived at the gate of a mansion.

Meanwhile, opposite them, there was another long queue of people coming from east to west.

As a result, crowds gathered in front of the mansion from both sides.

Fortunately, the gate of the mansion was spacious, and although there were many people, it was not crowded and no one was making noise. Everyone spontaneously formed two long queues and slowly entered the mansion in an orderly manner amidst the chaos.

Through the two streams of people, one can see two thick pillars in front of the mansion gate, each as thick as a person's embrace. On the pillars is a couplet: "The water in the Canglang River is still cold after washing one's feet; the sleeves are raised, yet one has never forgotten the common people."

And the plaque in the center of the mansion gate, which reads four large characters: Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy.