Chapter 238: Chapter 237: The Snake Catcher

In a village where every house was built of stone, this small courtyard, fenced with wood, bamboo, and thorny branches, looked pitifully shabby.

Perhaps a single strong gust of wind could topple it.

But because the fence was so rudimentary, Wu Chen could see inside the courtyard with a single glance.

He saw that the moss-covered ground was swept spotlessly clean. A two-foot-wide path paved with crushed stone led from the woven bamboo gate to three simple, tiled-roof houses.

Beyond that, there was nothing else.

Just then, a figure pushed open a door and walked out of one of the houses.

Wu Chen fixed his gaze on the person and saw that it was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen.

He casually waved to the boy and called out:

"Little brother, I was wondering if you have a spare room. My sister and I are passing through and would like to stay for the night."

Hearing this, the boy who had just come out of the house was visibly stunned.

He had heard the sound of hooves from inside but had assumed they were visitors for another family. He never imagined they were looking for him.

He walked to the gate and sized up the young man and woman outside. He first glanced at their well-made clothing, but his gaze finally landed on the sabers at their waists, and his pupils constricted.

"My humble home is damp and cold. I’m afraid esteemed guests like you wouldn’t be used to it."

Faced with two people who looked like wandering martial artists, he didn’t dare refuse them outright, afraid of angering them and having them kick down his already flimsy fence.

Seeing the boy’s fearful expression, Wu Chen said in a gentle tone:

"It’s no trouble. We’ve traveled all over and just need a place to shelter from the wind and rain."

As he spoke, he reached into his storage pouch and took out two small pieces of silver. "Consider this payment for tonight’s lodging."

It wasn’t that Wu Chen couldn’t give more, but for a boy who was only at the second or third stage of the Body Tempering Realm, too much silver was something he might not be able to protect.

He worried that after they left, the money might get the boy killed, which would do more harm than good.

"This... Esteemed guests, please come in!"

Two pieces of silver was no small sum for the boy. His eyes immediately fixated on the silver in Wu Chen’s hand.

Coupled with Wu Chen’s gentle voice, the boy immediately felt much more at ease.

He quickly opened the gate and welcomed the guests inside.

"The house is damp and cold. I’ll light a charcoal fire for you."

He ushered Wu Chen and Sun Yuting into the house. As the boy lit a candle, it revealed a room that was spotless.

"There’s no need. We’re martial artists; this bit of damp cold doesn’t affect us."

Wu Chen handed the silver pieces to the boy and waved his hand, declining the offer and indicating there was no need to go to such trouble.

Seeing the noble air in their every move, he concluded they must be good people. The boy was completely at ease now, and a smile appeared on his thin face.

"If you two esteemed guests need anything, just call for me. I’ll be right next door."

Wu Chen nodded. "Alright. Thank you, young man."

As the boy turned and left, the room fell silent.

Resting was out of the question. They had to stay awake all night to monitor the village for any activity, hoping to find a clue tonight about the people who had vanished from Cold Rain City.

Wu Chen and Sun Yuting sat at the table in the room, silent.

About an hour later, the sky grew completely dark.

During this time, Wu Chen heard the intermittent CRACKLE of firewood burning from what must have been the kitchen hut outside.

’The boy must be making dinner.’

And from the sounds and voices in the courtyard, he could tell the boy also had a younger sister, a few years his junior.

"Go on, take these two bowls of snake soup to the esteemed guests in their room." It was the boy’s voice.

"Brother, what should I call them?" followed the crisp, clear voice of a little girl.

"Just call them ’Big Brother’ and ’Big Sister.’"

"Okay!"

As the voices faded, footsteps approached from the nearby room.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, it’s time to eat."

A small figure entered the room, carefully carrying a tray with two bowls of soup.

The little girl wasn’t even as tall as the table. Sun Yuting quickly went forward to take the tray, worried the girl might burn herself.

"Oh, you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble..."

Sun Yuting placed the thick soup on the table and patted the little girl’s head.

"My brother said you gave us a lot of money, so he had to provide a meal."

The little girl wasn’t shy at all. She scrambled onto a chair and blinked her big eyes, looking at the two guests in her home.

"You should eat quickly. The snake soup won’t be good if it gets cold."

"Mm."

Sun Yuting nodded, picked up her spoon, and took a small sip. Her eyes lit up. "This snake soup is delicious!"

"Of course it is! My brother is a great cook! His snake soup is famous all around here!"

The little girl puffed out her chest, her expression proud. "Lots of people have tried to buy our recipe, but we never agreed! Impressive, right!"

Sun Yuting nodded. "Very impressive. You and your brother will be able to open a big shop sooner or later!"

"Uh-huh!"

The little girl nodded her head vigorously. "That’s what my brother tells me too!"

...

Wu Chen also took a few bites of the thick snake soup. It was fresh and savory—it really was quite good.

But after a few bites, he put down his spoon, his brow twitching as he looked out the door at the ink-black night.

He listened carefully, confirming there was no one else in the courtyard besides the brother and sister.

He then asked, "Little sister, what do your parents do? Why aren’t they back yet?"

The little girl shook her messy, short hair and turned to look at Wu Chen. "Big Brother, are you asking about my grandpa?"

Wu Chen nodded.

The little girl thought for a moment, as if trying to remember something. Soon, her expression turned sorrowful.

"My grandpa was a snake catcher. He went into the mountains two years ago, got bitten by a snake, and died from the poison."

Wu Chen lowered his gaze. "And your parents?"

This time, the little girl answered quickly. "They were snake catchers too. Six months ago, they also got bitten by snakes and died."

Her voice was very soft this time. The question had struck a sore spot, and her expression visibly wilted.

...

Sun Yuting, who had been enjoying her meal, listened to their exchange. Her spoon trembled in her hand, and suddenly, the snake soup in her bowl no longer seemed appetizing.

She looked at the somewhat grimy little girl slumped over the table, at the tears welling in her eyes after Wu Chen’s questions, and wanted to say something comforting.

She opened her mouth several times, but no sound came out.

Any words of comfort would have seemed powerless.

It was obvious that the snake meat in the soup had been caught by the little girl’s brother when he went into the mountains that day.

Which meant that tomorrow, or the day after, or some other day, the girl’s brother might also be bitten by a poisonous snake and die in the mountains.

’My status... and them...’ A bitter taste filled Sun Yuting’s mouth.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, you have to eat! The snake soup won’t taste good when it’s cold, and it’ll give you a stomachache."

The little girl had been lost in her sadness, but the thought of her brother, and how he would one day open a big shop with her, seemed to bring her back. She wiped her tears with a grimy sleeve and quickly returned to her usual self.

Her gloomy eyes instantly brightened as she urged the two of them to eat.

Wu Chen and Sun Yuting nodded and silently ate the snake soup in their bowls.

The soup that had seemed so delicious just moments ago now tasted like chewing wax, difficult to swallow.

When they both put down their spoons, the little girl deftly cleared away the empty bowls.

"Big Brother, Big Sister, get some rest now!"

As she stepped outside, just before closing the door, she didn’t forget to add a final reminder.

Once the footsteps outside faded away, the atmosphere in the room, now occupied by just the two of them, fell silent again.

Wu Chen picked up the long bench he had been sitting on, walked to a corner, and prepared to make do with it for the night.

He seemed completely unaffected by the little girl’s story.

Watching the figure lying on the bench in the corner, Sun Yuting’s expression was complex in the candlelight.

’Does Wu Chen suspect my true identity? The way I can switch between the inner and outer camps, my free access to the Demon Suppression Bureau’s inner vault... it wouldn’t take much to figure it out.’

"When we leave tomorrow, I’ll leave a sum of money for the brother and sister...?"

Her voice was very soft, as if she were trying to justify her idea to herself, or perhaps explaining it to Wu Chen, who was now facing the wall.

It was the only way she could think of to make things right for the siblings.

Wu Chen said coldly, "If you want them to die even faster, go ahead."

Sun Yuting rubbed her troubled brow. "Then what should I do?"

"I don’t know. Don’t ask me."

Wu Chen said impatiently, "Just go to sleep!"

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