The Snake Catcher Pays a Visit

Clink! Clink!

As if afraid Jin Wan wouldn't believe him, Meng Wu deliberately shook the bag of silver on his shoulder, creating a pleasant jingling sound.

The sound of silver ringing in his ears stirred mixed emotions in Jin Wan's heart. He pointed in a direction with his hand and said with a bitter smile, "Head that way for about a hundred paces, and you'll find it."

"Many thanks, brother." Meng Wu adjusted the bundle on his shoulder and glanced at Jin Xingwang, who was peeking out from behind Jin Wan. Smiling, he asked, "Is this your grandson?"

Jin Wan nodded, patting his grandson's shoulder. "Xingwang, greet your uncle."

"Uncle!" Despite his fear, Jin Xingwang obediently called out.

Hearing this, Meng Wu reached into his collar and pulled out a string of coins—roughly worth a qian of silver. With his calloused hands, he extended the money toward Jin Xingwang, saying kindly, "Here, take this and buy yourself some sweets."

Don't be fooled by Jin Xingwang's young age; his love for money clearly took after his grandfather. The moment he heard those words, his fear vanished, and he immediately stretched out his hand to accept the coins.

Smack!

With a sudden yelp of pain, Jin Xingwang withdrew his hand. Jin Wan, who had delivered the slap, wore a stern expression as he reprimanded, "Who told you to take money from others?"

Seeing this, Meng Wu looked slightly embarrassed. He wasn't exactly a generous man, but he had offered the money because Jin Wan and his grandson seemed close to Gu Ning'an, thinking it would be a good way to curry favor. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Jin Wan.

"Come now… no need to hit the boy," Meng Wu said with an awkward smile. Jin Wan also softened slightly, pushing Meng Wu's outstretched hand back and explaining, "One does not take what one hasn't earned. That's the Jin family rule. I ask that you refrain from offering money again."

Meng Wu paused for a moment before clasping his hands respectfully. "I see you truly are a friend of Mr. Gu—your principles are extraordinary. My name is Meng Wu. May I ask your honored surname?"

"Just call me Jin Wan," he replied, returning the gesture.

"Brother Jin!" Meng Wu smiled and continued, "I'll go find Mr. Gu now. Let's meet again another day."

"Take care, Brother Meng," Jin Wan said with a bow.

After exchanging farewells, Meng Wu walked toward Ansi Courtyard, while Jin Wan pulled his still-pouting grandson in the opposite direction, quickening their pace.

"Grandpa, why did you hit me just now?"

"Since when do you take money from strangers without reason?"

"But it's not a small sum—one qian of silver!"

Hearing this, Jin Wan's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Nonsense! That man gave you the money out of respect for Mr. Gu. Even I, as someone familiar with Mr. Gu, can't accept such a gift, let alone you."

"Didn't you hear what the snake catcher said earlier? He was in a situation where he was destined to die, and it was only by having Mr. Gu divine his fortune that he survived."

"That proves Mr. Gu's abilities are far beyond what we can see!"

"If we truly offend Mr. Gu, the consequences could be unimaginable!"

Understanding his grandfather's concerns, Jin Xingwang muttered an "Oh" before asking, "Grandpa, do you think I still have a chance to become Mr. Gu's disciple? He really must be incredible! Even someone as fierce as that snake catcher was so respectful when talking about him."

"And earning money so quickly too! Just for telling someone's fortune, he managed to earn a hundred taels of silver!"

Hearing this, Jin Wan smiled bitterly and said, "There's still a chance, but it all depends on your great-grandmother now."

"Great-grandmother can help me?" Jin Xingwang asked with a confused expression.

Jin Wan nodded. "Go home and beg her properly."

Clatter!

Burp.

Hu Shi put down the soup bowl, let out a satisfied belch, and rubbed his round, full belly, looking as though he had eaten too much.

Gu Ning'an smiled and asked, "Didn't I tell you that if you couldn't finish, you didn't need to force yourself?"

"No wasting food," Hu Shi shook his head firmly.

Gu Ning'an nodded with a smile. "How was it? Did it taste good?"

After a moment of silence, Hu Shi replied, "Terrible."

Seeing Hu Shi sitting there, belly bulging, yet so serious about claiming the food was bad, Gu Ning'an couldn't help but laugh. "You're impressive—you ate it all despite saying it's terrible."

"Take a rest first. Can you wash the dishes yourself later?"

Hu Shi quickly scrambled down from the chair, picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and answered, "I can!"

Watching Hu Shi's small body and his round belly, Gu Ning'an reminded him, "I told you to rest a bit first."

"No..." Hu Shi replied as he walked, "Grandpa says greasy dishes are harder to wash if you wait too long."

Gu Ning'an nodded. "Alright, just take it slow."

Knock, knock, knock!

The knocking at the courtyard gate began again. Seeing Hu Shi pause, looking like he wanted to answer the door, Gu Ning'an stood up and said, "It's fine, go wash. I'll get the door."

"Okay!" Hu Shi agreed, his footsteps resuming as he headed toward the kitchen.

The knocking continued as Gu Ning'an walked to the gate. Upon opening it, he saw Meng Wu, who immediately bowed and greeted him, "Meng Wu pays his respects to you, sir."

"That's enough, no need for formalities," Gu Ning'an said upon seeing who it was. He stepped aside to let Meng Wu in and added, "Come in and sit down."

"Thank you, sir!" Meng Wu bowed again and followed Gu Ning'an into the courtyard.

Like the Jin grandfather and grandson, Meng Wu's eyes wandered around as he entered.

The former two thought: How can an immortal's residence look so shabby and simple?

Whereas Meng Wu thought: As expected of a reclusive master—his dwelling is so full of meaning and atmosphere.

Once seated in the main hall, Meng Wu recounted his recent experience while snake hunting.

At the time, Gu Ning'an had left Meng Wu with the words: "Seek life on a path of death."

He had also drawn a solid circle and a hollow circle to symbolize the paths of life and death.

On that particular day, while deep in the forest hunting snakes, Meng Wu was bitten by a bright red venomous snake. In a mere moment, he collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth, limbs convulsing.

As a seasoned snake catcher, Meng Wu had often exposed himself to mild poisons in order to build up a tolerance to snake venom.

By all accounts, his body's resistance to snake venom was very high, and a single bite shouldn't have rendered him incapable of moving or saving himself.

But that day, it did.

On the brink of death, Meng Wu spotted his rattle drum, which had somehow fallen near a vibrant red flower.

Seeing the holes on the drum, his survival instincts kicked in, and he dragged himself toward the red flower.

Once he reached it, he bit down and swallowed the entire flower in one go.

Using the last of his strength to choke it down, everything went black, and he fainted.