In addition, there was her darling Rice Ball. The little guy could control the rabbits and sheep in her space, and even command those military dogs. She wondered whether it could also make these venomous snakes bow their heads in submission.
At this moment, Rice Ball also discovered its owner. It came running over on its little short legs, swaying from side to side.
Without a doubt, the first thing Rice Ball wanted when it saw its owner was a hug.
He Zhiran also had the innate desire to kiss, hug and toss in the air such an adorable little guy.
That was exactly what she did, indulging in sweet affection with the cute little fellow before preparing a bowl of milk for it.
Once Rice Ball was full, He Zhiran said to it, “Rice Ball has eaten its fill. Can it do me a favor now?”
“Mm...”
“There are many snakes outside. Can you make them listen to you?”
“Mm...”
“Alright then, I’ll rest for a while before taking you out.”
“Mm...”
Rice Ball kept emitting little “mm” sounds, amusing He Zhiran into softly laughing, while hugging and rubbing it in her arms again.
After awhile, she let Rice Ball go off on its own to play in the bamboo grove, and had a simple meal with Mo Jiuye, intending to take a nap before going outside again.
Although she said it was just a nap, by the time she woke up it was already afternoon.
The couple tidied themselves up, then held Rice Ball and emerged together within the mountain cave.
The sounds of the snakes were still audible. He Zhiran softly said to Rice Ball, “Sweetheart, do you hear the snakes?”
“Mm...”
Apparently Rice Ball’s call disturbed the snakes. The two humans stood still as they felt the sounds approaching them little by little.
He Zhiran intended for Rice Ball to control these snakes, so before leaving her space she had not dusted herself and Mo Jiuye with realgar powder.
She remained vigilant at all times. If Rice Ball was unable to successfully control the snakes, she could only return to her space again.
Just as the snake group was getting closer and closer, Rice Ball let out another burst of howls. The snakes immediately halted their advance.
At the same time, the two also saw the number of snakes. There were visibly over a thousand, densely packed together. Fortunately He Zhiran’s psychological resilience was strong, otherwise she would surely have been disgusted by the sight of the endless sea of snakes before her.
The scene was simply indescribable in words, but could be summed up in two words: “Disgusting”.
With so many snakes gathered together, there was no need to think about it. They must have increased the vigilance of the people at the Simeng Mountain Villa due to Third Master's previous intrusion.
In order to prevent anyone else from sneaking in, they had deliberately released so many snakes here.
While He Zhiran was lost in thought, Rice Ball let out another roar towards the snake group. The snakes then began to move in an orderly fashion, raising their heads and constantly flicking out their tongues...
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye looked at each other. They both knew that Rice Ball had succeeded in controlling the snakes.
“Good boy, Rice Ball,” He Zhiran praised, unable to resist planting a loud kiss on its forehead.
Delighted, Rice Ball frolicked and hugged its owner’s neck affectionately.
He Zhiran had suddenly kissed Rice Ball on impulse. Right now she still had something for the little guy to do, and could not keep showering it with affection.
“Be good, sweetie. Get them to follow us and disperse once we’re safely out of the cave.”
“Mm...”
Rice Ball proceeded to bare its teeth and pull funny faces at the snake group, letting out a few different calls. The snakes then moved to stand in orderly rows along both sides, clearing a path.
Mo Jiuye cradled the proud Rice Ball in one arm and held He Zhiran’s hand with the other as they walked out along the channel created by the snakes.
Outside the cave was a primeval forest, tall trees and humid air. On the surface it looked like an uninhabited area, yet neither of them dared let down their guard.
Encountering the snake group could be considered a wake-up call. Since someone had already interfered and entered Simeng Mountain Villa, the road ahead would surely be fraught with danger.
As He Zhiran pondered this, she had already placed Rice Ball back into her space and taken out the prepared realgar powder to dust on herself and Mo Jiuye.
According to Third Master, after exiting the cave they would have to pass through the lush forest ahead to reach Simeng Mountain Villa.
Now that even the snakes had emerged, there was no telling what else might be lurking in the woods.
Speaking of which, in such a place there would be nothing more than other poisonous bugs and creatures. The realgar powder wouldn’t completely neutralize their venom, but could at least buy them a bit of time to react.
Once preparations were complete, the husband and wife set off together into the depths of the forest.
It was fine at the beginning. The path was covered in slippery green moss but didn't seem dangerous.
When they went deeper into the woods, they came to a sea of flowers that was a feast for the eyes.
Girls were born to love all things beautiful, and He Zhiran was no exception.
Yet right now she had no mood to appreciate the scenic view, because hovering above the flowers was a dense swarm of wasps.
The birds in the forest must have spotted the wasps and gradually flew in their direction to prey on them.
He Zhiran had originally considered purchasing some insecticide from Taobao Treasure to deal with the wasps.
But upon seeing the birds hunting them, she changed her mind.
The soundly sleeping Rice Ball was once again taken out of space by its owner. Woken up suddenly and finding itself in a different environment, the little fellow immediately started to fuss.
He Zhiran gently patted its back, coaxing softly, “Be good, Rice Ball. I need your help.”
On hearing that it was needed, the little guy immediately became serious. It seemed to know that by helping its owner it would get more bowls of milk.
“Mm mm mm...” Rice Ball seemed to be saying, Master, hurry and give me a task!
He Zhiran pointed towards the sea of flowers and said, “There’s a swarm of wasps over there. Can you call all the birds here to prey on them?”
She said this just to try it out. After all, controlling the entire forest’s population of birds was no small feat. She had no idea if the little guy could accomplish it.
But this was the most convenient method so she had to give it a shot.
Rice Ball blinked its pitch black eyes a few times then lifted its virtually invisible little neck and howled towards the sky.
In the blink of an eye flocks of birds came flying in from all directions.
Rice Ball demonstrated its prowess once more, calling out to the birds several times. All the birds that had flown over then headed straight for the sea of flowers, instantly covering up the wasps.
About five minutes later, the air above the flowers finally calmed down. Not only had the dense swarm of wasps disappeared without a trace, even the birds had flown away on their own.
