Chapter Nine: The Lineage of the Flute Masters

"Mission accomplished!"

As the enormous serpent was slain, the system’s notification sounded once more. The serpent’s body began to slowly dissolve, transforming into a floating card suspended in midair.

The card was black, bearing the image of a giant serpent with violet eyes. In the upper left corner, a crystal orb displayed the character for fire, denoting the card’s affinity with the fire element.

Although Li Pingyang did not yet understand its significance, he observed closely.

In the upper right corner, a star slot indicated the card’s rank—three stars. Below that, its name was inscribed.

Within Li Pingyang’s mind, a scroll unfurled, revealing a compendium of all the monsters. Yet, each entry was shrouded in darkness.

Upon acquiring the serpent’s card, its vacant entry in the compendium was illuminated, casting a faint purple glow. Li Pingyang’s level rose from one to two.

Was that skeleton truly his missing father’s remains?

Who built Room 066, along with the hundred other rooms? What purpose did they serve?

Was this giant serpent, like him, a traveler from another world—or did it belong here from the start? What secrets lay hidden within the temple?

Too many questions remained unanswered.

Li Pingyang stepped forward and took the floating card. The moment it touched his hand, his core grew warm, and a jet of black flame flickered at his fingertips.

The flame carried no heat, not even a hint of warmth. Li Pingyang watched as the card burned away, vanishing between his fingers.

Not far behind, Wu Yiyi, who had followed the serpent for over an hour, leaned against a tree, breathless and exhausted. She had lost track of the serpent, which had long since disappeared.

A chill breeze swept by. Wu Yiyi wiped the sweat from her brow, enjoying the cool air, when she saw a distant figure.

On an open patch of ground, Li Pingyang had just sheathed his short sword. He heard someone calling his name. Looking toward the sound, he saw Wu Yiyi standing under a tree, waving at him with a joyful smile.

Forcing a smile, Li Pingyang raised his hand in greeting. Then, the two walked back to the village together.

Under the setting sun, Wu Yiyi stayed close to Li Pingyang. As they walked, their hands unknowingly intertwined.

Li Pingyang did not resist; in fact, he smiled to himself. Seeing his acceptance, Wu Yiyi squeezed his hand tighter, her cheeks flushing bright red.

Just as in the past, they always liked to hold hands this way. For a fleeting moment, Wu Yiyi felt she had returned to her childhood, with that boy Li Dog-Egg by her side.

Along the way, when Wu Yiyi brought up the giant serpent and asked how he had escaped, she looked at Li Pingyang with curiosity.

Li Pingyang was at a loss for words. Could he tell her he had dispatched the serpent with a single stroke?

He improvised quickly, claiming he had nothing better to do and danced disco inside the serpent’s stomach, tied its intestines into a butterfly knot, and even scribbled “Visited here” on its heart, liver, spleen, and stomach.

Unable to bear it any longer, the serpent had spat him out.

Wu Yiyi could not help but burst into laughter. Such absurd, mischievous antics—Li Dog-Egg truly had the nerve to pull them off.

Soon, they returned to the village. From a distance, Li Pingyang saw Li Hu standing at the entrance, eyes brimming with tears, along with all the waiting villagers.

Li Hu dashed over and grabbed Li Pingyang’s arm, his grip strong and lips trembling as he confessed he thought he’d never see him again.

Li Pingyang embraced Li Hu, patting his back and assuring him his fate was resilient, he was not ready to die, and still had much to live for.

Suddenly, Li Hu sniffed the air, catching a particularly foul odor. Looking down, he found Li Pingyang’s clothes coated in slime from the embrace.

Pinching his nose, Li Hu fished out a clean set of clothes from his bundle and tossed them to Li Pingyang to change. Just as he was about to leave, the village elder barked an order, and the entire crowd of villagers knelt in unison—a striking scene.

They gazed at Li Pingyang in gratitude, thanking him for ridding the village of the giant serpent. Their kneeling also signaled another request; if he refused, they would remain kneeling.

Li Pingyang looked troubled. He was merely a messenger, never intending to be a hero. Yet, seeing their pleading eyes, he could not bring himself to decline and reluctantly agreed.

Afterward, the elder recounted the village’s recent troubles, including the appearance of a white snake that could speak.

A few months earlier—

Since the serpent demon appeared, children in the village began to vanish frequently. At first, people believed it was wild beasts or children wandering off.

But as more children disappeared, by the fifth missing child, the villagers grew anxious. Some men who went into the mountains to gather herbs never returned.

To determine whether it was mountain spirits or something else, the elder led a group to investigate, following traces.

Days passed with no clues. As they were about to give up, a villager suffering from stomach trouble found a piece of cloth while relieving himself.

Upon identification, the cloth belonged to one of the missing persons. Following this lead, they discovered some enormous serpent eggs in a ravine behind the mountain.

The eggs had not yet hatched. Beneath them, they found the skeletons of the missing children and herbalists.

Not far from there, in a cave, they encountered a severely wounded snake covered in white fur. Its eyes were strange—one glance would trigger a splitting headache.

Anyone who had looked into the white snake’s eyes soon went mad upon returning home. Many villagers contracted strange illnesses: some men suffered hallucinations and strangled their wives, convinced they were monsters.

Some children suddenly fell gravely ill. Though their hearts beat, they were like the dead, lacking awareness and consciousness.

The girl they first saw in the coffin suffered the same symptoms.

Several widows from neighboring villages, after gazing into the white snake’s eyes, returned home only for their bellies to swell inexplicably.

Because the matter was shameful and violated propriety, no one dared speak of it. Yet, when the children were finally born, everyone was terrified.

All the widows gave birth to the same thing: a white snake covered in fur, with sinister, frightening eyes.

Wu Yiyi, inheritor of the flute-wielding tradition, devoted to healing and saving lives, had come here to subdue the demon after learning of these events.

Her encounter with Li Pingyang was mere coincidence.

Initially, Wu Yiyi played the flute to expel the malignant energy afflicting the villagers. Their eyes had turned black because of the wounded white snake demon.

It was that white snake who controlled the villagers, compelling them to attack Li Pingyang. The reason for this hostility remained unknown.

Wu Yiyi played a song called “Soul’s Peace,” a melody to subdue demons. The black threads on the villagers were manifestations of true energy, meant to restrict their movements.

The giant serpent had been dealt with, but the white snake demon proved even more troublesome. Now that Li Pingyang knew of it, he could not ignore the threat.

He turned to Wu Yiyi for help, hoping she could devise a way to lure out the white snake demon, so he could personally destroy the menace with his formidable swordsmanship.

The two whispered about their plan, and after some discussion, they exchanged mischievous grins, casting a glance at Li Hu.

Li Hu swallowed nervously under their gaze. Li Pingyang leaned in and revealed the plan. Upon hearing it, Li Hu shook his head repeatedly, refusing.

Li Pingyang’s plan was to have Li Hu sacrifice himself as bait, pretending to be a child to draw out the white snake demon.

Since none of the villagers knew martial arts, using them as bait was too dangerous. Only Li Hu, skilled in martial arts, was the most suitable candidate.

When asked why he wouldn’t go himself, Li Pingyang explained that he lacked Li Hu’s towering strength, handsome looks, and superior skills and courage.

After such flattery, Li Hu felt lightheaded and fell for the scheme, agreeing to be the bait.

Wu Yiyi then dragged him away, saying she needed to put makeup on him. Seeing her sly smile, Li Hu’s heart grew uneasy.