novellk 003 Pork Belly
003 Pork Belly
The Corpse-Eating Python has been entrenched in the northern suburbs of Chenwang Village for over a century. Not to mention the younger generation, even the oldest patriarch of the Wang family in Chenwang Village grew up listening to terrifying stories about the giant python.
"If you don't behave, I'll throw you into the python's den."
"Travelers and merchants should avoid the northern suburbs."
"A stranger passing through the northern suburbs suddenly felt his scalp tighten, his hair stand on end like needles, and his body involuntarily float upwards. He looked up and was horrified to find a giant python coiled on the rocks, sucking at him."
Over the course of a century, the python devoured tens of thousands of livestock and wild animals, and claimed no fewer than a hundred human lives. Chenwangli, and indeed the entire Moshang Township, suffered greatly from it.
The county had organized a force to eradicate the python. But no matter if they used swords, spears, or powerful bows and crossbows, they could not penetrate the python's scales. Instead, it enraged the python, causing it to uproot trees, climb mountains, and cross rivers, chasing the county soldiers for twenty miles, all the way to the outskirts of Gandan City.
The city wall of Gan Dan is five zhang high and more than three zhang wide, making it a magnificent sight.
But the Corpse-Eating Python coiled up, like a giant tree reaching the sky, more than two zhang taller than the city gate tower.
Golden vertical pupils overlook the entire city.
Anyone who met his gaze was filled with terror and their hearts pounded with fear.
Fortunately, this python disliked living creatures. After smashing down the city wall with its tail, then sweeping away a large number of houses and venting its anger, it leisurely returned to the northern suburbs.
Gan Dan City escaped a calamity.
Even so, it left an indelible impression of terror on the people of Gansu, making them no longer have the desire to kill the snake, and instead they worshipped and offered sacrifices to it every month.
Until today.
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On the first day of the fourth lunar month, the sky was clear and blue.
More than 30 indigenous people are marching towards the northern suburbs of Chenwangli.
The twelve people were divided into four groups, some pushing behind and some pulling in front, driving four wheelbarrows.
The wheelbarrow was piled with freshly slaughtered livestock such as pigs and sheep.
Thick, sticky pig and sheep blood dripped down the cart shafts and wheels. Drivers could easily step in the bloodstains or get bloodstains or splattered on their trousers.
However, the indigenous people didn't seem to care, their eyes occasionally glancing at the wheeled vehicle in the middle.
On it was a large black pig, over ten feet long and weighing three or four hundred pounds.
The big black pig's belly was cut open, and its heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, large intestine, and small intestine were all removed.
Instead, it was a person.
A "superhuman" they initially scorned—
Li Yu.
During last night's patrol, Li Yu offered a plan to kill the python. His inspiration came from an article he had read before his time travel.
Liang Xiaosheng, "Cunning is a Risk".
The article begins with the legend of the Corpse-Eating Python and the story of an Indian boy who, in an attempt to save his father, put himself in the python's mouth but died due to carelessness.
Li Yu didn't know the difference between the "Indian Corpse-Eating Python" and the "Northern Suburbs Corpse-Eating Python," and he had long forgotten the specific details of how the boy killed the python.
But this did not stop him from offering advice and strategies to Xiong Ba.
The reason he volunteered to feed the snake, imitating the story of the boy who assassinated the snake in its mouth, was out of desperation.
Firstly, the system announcement resounded throughout the world, and a hundred territories were established. Now, it is a situation of "a hundred boats racing and a thousand sails competing," and those who strive and forge ahead will be the first and above others; those who abandon their oars and do not move forward will be lucky enough to "catch the tail of a steed and climb the wings of a great bird."
For an "unlucky fellow" like Li Yu, born into this era of great strife, it is unlikely that he will have a good end if he does not fight or compete.
Secondly, Li Yu is currently in dire straits and is almost on the verge of collapse. Although he has the wheat cakes from the gatekeeper to fill his stomach, he has no money for the lamp oil needed to train in the [Hidden Soldier Cave] the next day.
Unable to level up, the -10 reputation penalty and the series of negative effects from the [Rough] attribute cause NPCs to avoid them. The path of leveling up through "quests" is also blocked.
Faced with this dilemma, he finally made up his mind to fight to the death.
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The mountain road was bumpy, and Li Yu lay in the dead pig meat, feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit.
Although the pig's stomach had been cleaned fairly well, he wasn't crammed in with the pig's heart, lungs, or large intestine. But the two pieces of pork were really heavy, making his chest feel tight.
To avoid alerting the Corpse-Eating Python with the scent of a stranger, and to make it easier to strike, Li Yu was naked, his entire body, including his face and hair, smeared with pig's blood.
The thick, pungent smell of blood filled his nose and his mind.
After a long struggle, he finally managed to suppress the urge to vomit.
To Li Yu's left was a long stick shaped like a "‡", with both ends sharpened and fitted with a round iron plate about two fingers thick. Overall, it looked like a crudely made barbell.
To the right is a sharp short sword.
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"Fish Intestine Sword - Imitation"
[Rank] Not classified.
[Attributes] Sharpness 29, Hardness 29, Texture 29, Toughness 29.
[Description] Long ago, outside Changmen Gate stood the tomb of Emperor Helu, with a triple-layered bronze outer coffin containing the Fish Intestine Sword. Three days after the burial, a white tiger dwelled atop it, hence the name [Tiger Hill]. Now, the white tiger and [Tiger Hill] have reappeared, and the Fish Intestine Sword has also emerged.
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A high-quality replica of the famous Chinese sword "Fish Intestine," Xiong Ba's "heart and soul treasure," obtained ten days ago by NPCs in Chenwangli while exploring the leveling spot [Tiger Hill].
After Xiong Ba approved the plan to kill the python, it was immediately reported to Chen Lizheng. Then, the village head, patrolmen, pavilion chief, county constable, and county magistrate discussed it late into the night by candlelight and finally adopted it.
During this time, Xiong Ba suggested that in order to increase the success rate of killing the python, he could replace Li Yu in the battle.
Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads in refusal.
The indigenous people felt it wasn't worth it.
If they fail to kill the python, the death of one of the extraordinary individuals would be fatal. The [Yellow Grade] Xiong Ba is extremely valuable and cannot be lost.
Li Yu refused because he felt that he had finally made up his mind, and this was a time of life and death, a time of struggle for survival, so how could he back down?
Once the decision is made, all that remains is preparation.
The indigenous people didn't have much to say; they just slaughtered pigs and sheep as usual.
Li Yu, however, had made considerable preparations.
For example, he requested the creation of a "spiked barbell," the temporary borrowing of Xiong Ba's treasured weapon, and most importantly—that all NPCs keep quiet until the task is completed, and that players be refused participation in the python-killing operation.
Although the players in this world don't have "infinite resurrections" and don't deserve the title of "Fourth Calamity," there are still billions of people who have transmigrated here, including all sorts of strange and wonderful beings. If some extraordinary person were to suddenly do something outrageous and overturn the table of "good food" that he had carefully prepared, that would be a huge disaster.
Therefore, Li Yu simply blocked the road.
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The car rumbled along, first on flat ground, then uphill, and finally stopped high up where the mountain wind howled.
An indescribable fishy stench wafted on the mountain breeze.
Even more repulsive than dead pig's blood, Li Yu no longer felt the discomfort he had felt before.
His heart pounded, his hair stood on end, and his mouth went dry.
We've arrived at the Corpse-Eating Python's lair!
The dull sound reached Li Yu's ears, and he knew that the indigenous people were unloading pork and mutton from the cart.
Then, the pork that was already wrapped tightly around him tightened even more. The "spiky barbell" and the [high-quality imitation fish intestine sword] pressed tightly against him.
Then, his body felt light, and he was lifted up.
Through the gaps in the pigskin, Li Yu saw that the four pig hooves were tightly bound with hemp rope, and a thick wooden stick was inserted horizontally through them. The big black pig was being lifted up by four horses.
Perhaps fearing that Li Yu might fall out of the dead pig's belly, the indigenous people moved with extreme caution.
Whether lifting or putting down, use your hands to support it carefully.
After placing them all in their final positions, they stretched out the pig bellies, afraid that Li Yu would be exposed before he even started, thus ruining everything.
"Don't worry, Brother Yu, we'll be there to protect you."
Li Yu heard Xiong Ba's whisper, and then there was silence.
Only the occasional mournful sound of the mountain wind could be heard.
Li Yu tried his best to suppress his anxiety and waited quietly for the Corpse-Devouring Python to arrive.