Chapter 140: The New Snake Charmer

Just as the Horned Wood Dragon of the Twenty-Eight Mansions returned to its stellar position, far away in Fufeng County, an old man clad in golden linen robes looked out with a gaze so profound it was unfathomable. Afterward, he murmured to himself, "Five hundred years ago, I buried you beneath the Lake of Profound Mystery, anticipating that today you would face this tribulation. If you pass it, you shall roam the universe in absolute freedom; if you fail, your soul shall scatter into dust."

He then pinched his fingers together to calculate for a moment, his eyes lighting up with a gentle and benevolent expression as he said, "Who would have thought? He actually made it through."

Turning his gaze toward the direction of the An family estate in Yinhua County, he pondered for a brief moment and muttered, "It is time for me to leave."

With a single stride that spanned several yards, he walked out of the town.

By this time, because An Youyu had disrupted the subterranean ley lines of the mountains and slain the spiritual entities residing within, not only had his fortune completely vanished, but karmic retribution had descended upon him, consuming even the accumulated ancestral destiny of his family down to the very last fraction.

Without the protection of fortune, catastrophe struck him directly. Ultimately, his family was ruined and scattered. Now reduced to begging on the streets, An Youyu’s appearance had altered so drastically that he no longer even realized he was once the young master of the illustrious An family, assuming himself to be merely some vagrant born of misfortune.

Over the past few days, the things An Youyu heard most frequently were talks of the An family’s ruin and rumors of a snake-charmer dressed in golden linen. Originally, he had wanted to seek out this snake-charmer, sensing some profound connection between them, but he had never managed to cross paths with him. Figuring that the man must have left, he had long since stopped hearing any news of him.

Feeling utterly disheartened and cold at heart, he decided to leave this place, never wishing to linger here another moment. Subconsciously, his feet carried him toward the city gates. Passing through them, he turned back for one last look at Yinhua County, whichbustled with life just as it always had. Everyone was going about their daily business as usual; the downfall of the An family had merely become a topic of casual conversation over people's teacups.

Once upon a time, he had been mighty and imposing, surrounded by throngs of attendants whenever he stepped outside. A single word or action from him would be eagerly imitated by the people of Huaying County. But now, watching them live their lives unaffected, going about their routines without a single thing changed by the disappearance of the An family, a sudden surge of enlightenment struck An Youyu’s heart. He seemed to understand something, yet remained half-enlightened, enveloped in a sensation that was abstruse and mysterious.

"Sigh!" An Youyu let out a heavy breath. After all, this was his homeland, and parting from one's native soil is never easy. Leaving required a fierce internal struggle, but he knew he truly had to go now, his mind heavy with complex emotions.

Shaking his head to clear away these thoughts, he walked out into the countryside. Not knowing where to go, he simply followed his instincts. As he walked past the base of the Blade and Axe Mountain, he instinctively wanted to skirt around it, but feeling that this direction was somehow right, he pressed forward.

Walking and walking, he arrived at the foot of a mountain path. The trail was rugged and arduous to traverse. Feeling rather fatigued by this point and wishing to find a place to rest, he looked up and saw an old man sitting upon a boulder ahead. Clad in golden linen, with a snake basket placed beside him, the old man looked as though he had been waiting specifically for him.

A sudden intuition stirred within him. Raising his head to look closely at the elder, he recalled that the man matched the descriptions of the snake-charmer he had heard about recently. Realizing this must be the source of the guidance pulling him forward, he stepped forward and asked, "Pardon me, honorable elder, are you the snake-charmer from the town who enlightened the people and had them build the Green Snake Temple?"

The old man smiled, nodded, and replied, "If there is no one else, then I suppose I am."

A weight lifted from An Youyu’s heart, and he thought to himself that he had finally found him. Yet when he opened his mouth, words failed him. Though an obscure instinct had driven him to seek out the snake-charmer, now that they had met, he had no idea what to ask of him.

An awkward silence fell between them. The snake-charmer did not rush him, merely smiling as he watched him for a long while before finally speaking: "What business does the young man have with this old fellow?"

An Youyu deflated, truly at a loss for what to say or why he had sought the man out. "To not deceive you, senior, your junior was merely guided here by a hunch. As for what I am supposed to do, I honestly do not know."

"Haha, good, very good." The snake-charmer chuckled, then continued, "It is precisely because your spiritual roots are complete that you felt this induction. For all these years, you have indulged in mortal vanities, and your spiritual altar has long since been clouded over. Now that a myriad of entanglements no longer disturb your heart, returning to your original true self is only natural."

Though An Youyu did not fully comprehend the snake-charmer's words, he instinctively felt they were entirely correct. He dropped to his knees before the elder and said, "Your disciple is lost and bewildered. I earnestly beseech Senior to accept me as your disciple; I am willing to serve by your side."

The old man shook his head and replied, "You and I share no ties of master and disciple, nor do I have anything to teach you. The path is one you must walk on your own."

Hearing this, An Youyu simply kowtowed repeatedly. The snake-charmer pondered for a moment before saying, "Though we lack the affinity of master and disciple, your affinity with this lineage of serpentine arts is profound. The Great Dao has three thousand six hundred schools, and each person grasps but a single sprout. Within this art lies the principles of the Great Dao itself; whether you can comprehend them depends entirely on your own fortune."

Without overthinking it, An Youyu felt deeply that this was indeed right—this was his true path. He performed three kowtows and nine prostrations in gratitude, crying out, "Thank you, benevolent master! Thank you, benevolent master!"

"Inappropriate, inappropriate." The old man shook his head, thought for a moment, and added, "My surname is Fu. From now on, you may simply call me Old Fu."

Just as An Youyu prepared to bow once more, he heard the old man call out to him, "Catch!"

He saw a snake basket tossed through the air toward him. Scrambling in a flurry, An Youyu managed to catch the basket in his arms. The lid, having loosened somewhat during the flight and the turbulence, pushed open slightly as a small green snake wriggled out, flicking its forked tongue as it looked up at him.

An Youyu's initial instinct was to fling the basket away, but in the very next moment, he gripped it tightly back into his hands. The tiny green snake looked at him with an almost human-like innocence, seemingly baffled by his strange behavior, before tilting its head as if in deep thought.

Beholding the innocent and guileless appearance of the little green snake, the softest part of An Youyu's heart seemed to be touched. Looking at the serpent, his face softened completely, and he carefully adjusted the lid of the basket.

Sensing that the lid was being put back on, the little green snake glanced left and right before obediently slithering back inside the basket.

Watching this entire sequence of events unfold with An Youyu, the old snake-charmer nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "It seems this art of serpent-charming, passed down since antiquity, was tailor-made specifically for him. Those with affinity truly are different. Once I impart this art to him, I can move on to attend to other matters."

"For now, you shall stay by my side and learn the serpentine arts." Looking up at the sky, which was already sinking into dusk, the old man said to An Youyu, "It is getting late; we must hasten our journey and find a place to lodge before nightfall."

Coming to his senses, An Youyu nodded and carefully hoisted the snake basket onto his back, treating it as if it were some supreme treasure. With the basket secured, he straightened his posture, lifted his head, and strode resolutely after the old man.

Under the setting sun, the figures of the old man and the youth moved onward. The elder walked with an ethereal lightness, as if flickering in and out of existence, effortlessly at ease; the young man trudged behind him with a heavy basket on his back, his steps laborious yet steady.

Though the youth appeared somewhat rugged and travel-worn, his body radiated a stubborn perseverance. The determination in his eyes seemed to encapsulate a profound yearning for something beyond the mortal horizon.