01. Hunting Snake

In a meadow a boy was running through the thickets of weeds and weeds. He didn't even mind the delicate skin of his feet which was occasionally scratched by the thorns of the weeds until they bled. Apparently, the boy was hunting for something.

The boy stopped in front of a fairly dense bush. His beautiful eyes watched a slight movement in a clump of plants with long, yellowish-green small leaves. His tiny mouth softly muttered, "Where is he?"

A rustling sound accompanied by a soft hiss, made the pair of pretty eyes turn their attention to the other side of the bush. A long, dangling object had caught his attention. The boy grinned slightly, because what he was looking for had been found.

"Hmm, here it seems!"

The boy reached out to reach for the long, soft object entwined in the stem of a bush. Apparently, that thing wasn't an inanimate object that couldn't stay still when danger threatened it.

The object was also with a quick movement immediately avoid the hunter. However, the boy wasn't someone who would give up easily either. He immediately grabbed the mysterious object with no less fast movement.

"Haaaaa! Got you!" The Seventeen years old boy also jumped and hit a thicket of bushes where his prey was hiding. He rolled over in a meadow covered with wildflowers in bloom. Even though he had just fallen, there was no whimper of pain on his handsome face.

A smile full of satisfaction spread across her thin pink lips, as she managed to grab onto a long, vine-like tree root that wriggled and continued to struggle. "You can't run away anymore, Ugly Creature!"

A black striped snake mixed with brick red, trying to escape by thrashing full of anger. The venomous beast had been caught in the hands of the handsome and beautiful boy whose eyes were as black as the color of the famous jade from Mount Shi. The body of the reptile continues to squirm, while opening its mouth wide and showing sharp fangs and preparing to peck at the child who dares to catch it.

The boy actually laughed happily because he felt victorious against this helpless animal. "Hey, Ugly Snake! Do you think you can fight this mighty Jing Ling?"

Jing Ling or Hua Ling fondly poked the head of a snake that was smaller than his arm. "Shut up and don't continue to rebel! In a moment, you will be made into soup for my dinner!"

Jing Ling was still laughing repeatedly in a loud voice. That, has disturbed someone who was reading a book on medical science. "Is he that happy today? I can't even read this book in peace."

The boy who was reading a book not far from Jing Ling seemed to see that the day had started to rise leaving the noon. The scorching heat no longer felt as scorching as it had been a while ago. The food and drink supplies they brought from home were gone.

"It's getting late, isn't it time to go back home?" The boy immediately put his reading book behind the deepest layer of hanfu. He got up and rushed to the place where Jing Ling was playing with the snake he caught.

"The twenty-third snake!" Jing Ling's eyes lit up when he saw that his bamboo basket was filled with dozens of highly venomous black and red striped snakes. "This means I managed to beat Hua Feng with his highest score!"

"Junior Ling! How many snakes have you caught?" Another boy's voice startled Jing Ling who was playing with the venomous beast she caught. Of course, that made the snake loose and quickly ran away from the child who was torturing it.

The boy who had just arrived was Hua Fei, Hua Yan's only nephew. This two year old child was no younger than Jing Ling had a natural talent for medicine. Apart from practicing martial arts, Hua Fei prefers to spend time reading books on various medicinal plants, poisons and antidotes. So it is not surprising, if several books will always be taken wherever he goes.

"Brother Fei! Your voice has sent him running!" Jing Ling shouted in an irritated tone as he moved swiftly to catch up with his quarry. "Look! Now he's gone again!"

"Sorry, Little Brother Ling! But, isn't your basket already full? Let's go home, before aunt scolds us both!" Hua Fei without being asked took a basket containing black and red striped snakes to take home. "Let me bring them all to you!"

"But, what about my twenty-third snake?" Jing Ling looked very disappointed because he couldn't catch the loose snake again. His eyes were still probing in the direction of the snake's flight.

"Come on! We have to get home before dusk." Hua Fei pulled Jing Ling's hand and led his as he asked, "Shouldn't we look for them again tomorrow?"

"But, I want to catch more than this!" Jing Ling replied and continued to struggle with her arm which was in her brother's grip. "Come on, Brother!We're hunting again! After we show the snakes to laoshi to evaluate, we'll collect more of their bile to sell to the drugstore downtown."

"Junior Brother, didn't your mother tell us? That we are not allowed to wander into Xiangqing City." Hua Fei said as he held the basket containing twenty-two venomous snakes.

"But I want to go there, Brother Fei. I want to have a look at the weapon shop over there." Jing Ling looked excited at the thought of the sword he had long dreamed of.

"Weapons for what else. Don't you already have that black and red stone spear?" asked Hua Fei while still holding the younger brother's arm.

"But, Brother! I want to see another weapon!" whined Jing Ling with a sullen face.

"Okay, we can go there someday. Now, let's just go home. Let's go!" Hua Fei said as he carried Jing Ling's bamboo basket.

"Junior Ling, don't you want to see my uncle leave this afternoon?" Hua Fei asked reminding Jing Ling that it was quite troublesome if you wanted to.

"Ha? Daddy's gone?" Jing Ling immediately stopped his rebellion because he was shocked. "Is it true that daddy left? Why didn't daddy say anything to me?"

"I don't know either. Probably to avoid us," Hua Fei's reply made Jing Ling very disappointed.

"Father is too much!" Jing Ling felt very neglected by his father.

"Maybe it's because ...."

Hua Fei couldn't finish what he was saying and shouted when suddenly, Hua Ling or Jing Ling had run away from him.

"Ah Ling! Wait me!"