Chapter 23: The Python

(1/3)

The mother smiled as she pushed open the door to the outhouse, stepping into the filth on the floor without a second thought.

"Girl, Mom has a good job for us. If we pull this off, we won't just keep the house; our future will be secure for the rest of our lives."

In the frame, Xu Jiabai looked up with a vacant stare.

"What job?"

"In five days, it's the day to worship the Snake Immortal. I'm taking you to perform the summoning."

"But Mom, we don't know how to summon spirits."

"The disciples of the Snake Immortal have bodies of iron and steel, invulnerable to harm. When the time comes, we’ll take iron rakes. You strike me with yours, and I’ll strike you with mine. Once that's done, it’s finished."

"Mom, are you crazy? These iron rakes will kill us!"

The camera zoomed in, finally fixating on the mother’s sinister face.

"We have to survive first. As long as we control our strength, it won't be fatal."

"Child, we have no choice."

The scene flickered and settled onto the stage on the Spirit Summoning Street.

The mother and daughter, ragged and disheveled, knelt on the stage with their chests exposed.

Xu Jiabai kept her head bowed, while her mother began to chant in a high-pitched, wailing tone.

"Hey~~~ Heh~~~"

"Spring invites the Azure Dragon to the true East."

"With the wood element, it brings awakening."

"Summer summons the Vermilion Bird to the true South."

"With the fire element, it brings growth."

"Autumn invites the White Tiger to the true West."

"With the metal element, it brings destruction."

"Winter invites the Black Tortoise to the true North."

"With the water element, it brings extinction."

"Snake Immortal, Python Immortal, White Immortal, let us negotiate in the great hall!"

"Grant me pain, and I shall treat it like sweet dew. When the black blood flows, the Great Immortal arrives!"

Having finished the chant, the mother pulled down her own trousers and Xu Jiabai’s, revealing the black blood staining their crotches to the crowd below.

(Go ahead, look. Half the men on this street have seen our private parts already; what does it matter if we show them again?)

The camera suddenly shifted to the onlookers—lecherous eyes, curious eyes, scornful eyes, and pious eyes—finally focusing on Xu Jiabai’s face, which held a deathly despair.

The mother’s body on stage began to tremble violently, and Xu Jiabai closed her eyes, mimicking her mother’s shivering.

"The Constant Immortal possesses! Invulnerable to blade and spear!"

Hearing the command, Xu Jiabai stood up, trembling, and picked up the iron rake from the ground.

(2/3)

She shook uncontrollably, but still raised the rake and swung it toward her mother’s chest.

The sharp tines struck flesh, and blood sprayed out instantly.

She closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight, but her mother showed no hesitation. Screaming, she snatched the rake from Xu Jiabai’s hands.

Xu Jiabai, face full of terror, collapsed limply onto the stage.

The camera cut to the mother’s face, seven parts manic and three parts pained.

As the rake swung down, Xu Jiabai seemed to see something and leaned forward involuntarily.

(Is that my father looking at me from the heavens?)

(Father...)

The iron rake struck her neck, gouging out a large chunk of flesh as blood splattered onto her and her mother.

The camera slowly ascended above the stage as Xu Jiabai fell flat.

The final frame froze on the mother, still shouting in a manic frenzy, before fading to black.

The aperture closed, and the system’s cold notification chimed again.

"Congratulations to the Dream Weaver for unlocking Dream Fragment 3. All fragments have been unlocked; the seal in a certain place has fully loosened."

As the system sound faded, the old woman on the stage began to dance vigorously once more.

She laughed manically, pulling down her pants to reveal the black blood in her crotch.

"Grant me pain, and I shall treat it like sweet dew. When the black blood flows, the Great Immortal arrives!!!"

"Ah... ahhhhh, the Ghost King manifests! The Ghost King manifests! The Ghost King has bestowed black blood upon us mother and daughter!"

She seemed to have lost her mind, dancing and raving, calling out to something other than the Snake Immortal.

Yet, as she performed her ritual, thunder rumbled in the sky, clouds gathered, and strange omens appeared.

Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, the massive stone snake at the entrance of Chang Town came to life.

The snake, seven people tall, shed its stone skin to reveal the dark green scales beneath.

It slithered down the street, coiled behind the old woman on the stage, and flicked its bright red tongue as it looked down at the crowd.

The onlookers, seeing that the old woman had truly summoned the Snake Immortal, knelt down one by one.

The mother looked at the giant snake before her; rather than fear, she laughed even more hysterically, spinning around in excitement.

"Eeya, hahahahahaha, I summoned it! I truly summoned the god!!"

"Daughter, daughter! Did you see? I did it! I really did it!"

Her laughter seemed infectious, and the mother, who had been sprawled on the ground, burst into a chilling, shrill shriek.

"Hahahaha, Hong Xing didn't lie to me, the Snake Immortal really is here!"

Her eyes filled with hatred as she pointed her uninjured hand at Hong Lei, her fat trembling with her shrill laughter.

"You think you’re so capable? I treated you so well, and you dared to be ungrateful."

"If you won't make money for me, then go die!"

(3/3)

The giant snake behind her listened to her shrill laughter and lowered its body, circling and gliding around her.

Its massive coils enveloped the mother until only her head was visible, its dark yellow, triangular eyes fixated on her with a damp, predatory gaze.

"Hahaha, Great Immortal, it’s me! I sacrificed so many living people for you!"

The mother stared into the snake's eyes, and despite her inner terror, she desperately tried to ingratiate herself.

The Snake Immortal did not answer; it simply tightened its coils.

"Great Immortal, you're mistaken! You've got it wrong!"

The mother realized something was amiss and pointed tremblingly at Hong Lei, but the snake ignored her, continuing its constriction.

With a sound of snapping bones, her shrill laughter came to an abrupt end.

At the same time, the system’s cold notification appeared.

"Congratulations to the Dream Weaver for successfully killing the Nightmare - The Brothel Madam. The Nightmare Bestiary has been updated."

Key locations unlocked 4/4: Brothel, Spirit Summoning Street, Old House, New House.

Dream Fragments collected 3/3.

Nightmares killed 5/7.

Nightmare removal progress: 65%.

Ordinary rewards no longer meant much to Hong Lei. He casually selected 30 points of random attributes, a sudden wave of unease rising in his heart.

The number of Nightmares had gone from 6 to 7.

"There is only one Nightmare on Spirit Summoning Street."

"The number of Nightmares in the brothel is constantly changing."

This meant that besides Hong Xing and the Madam, there was now another Nightmare in the brothel.

Time was running out, and he couldn't be sure if Wu Que could handle the new threat.

"I must kill this giant snake as soon as possible!"

Elsewhere, the townspeople, having witnessed the mother being crushed into pulp, were beginning to retreat despite their initial kneeling and prayers.

Chang Town had worshipped the Snake Immortal for years, but this was the first time one had actually descended, and no one could guarantee what kind of entity this was.

Fortunately, after killing the Madam, the snake did not continue the slaughter. Instead, it watched the pious people kneeling and praying for safety with a look of curious amusement.

It blinked its eyes almost humanly and grinned, revealing its fangs.

A bright red tongue darted out, wrapped around a woman holding a small child, and swallowed them whole.

The townspeople erupted in an uproar, scrambling to escape.

However, an old woman, as if suddenly enlightened, grabbed the person next to her. With a look of fanatical fervor, she watched the snake swallowing and shouted excitedly:

"The Snake Immortal has taken the chosen offerings! A mother and child entering the snake's belly together—this is the finest offering for the Immortal! Now that the Snake Immortal has accepted the sacrifice, it will bless our town with prosperity and ensure favorable weather and peace for all!"