Stunning Dragon Wife-Chapter 18 - 17

A thick snake as thick as an arm lunged at the woman, its two sharp fangs flashing coldly like swords.

"It’s over."

The woman, terrified and sitting on the ground, had completely given up hope.

"Bang."

Suddenly, a sickle flew from the side, grazing the woman’s beautiful face and hitting the snake squarely on the forehead, slicing it in two in an instant.

The snake fell to the ground, struggled a couple of times, and then lay motionless.

The woman remained stunned on the ground, at a loss.

"Get up."

By then, Zhang Xiaoshan had already rushed over and pulled the woman to her feet.

"Save me, save my life..."

The woman shuddered and clung to Zhang Xiaoshan’s waist from behind, wailing.

"Don’t cry, let go of me first. If you hold me like this, I can’t even save myself, let alone you."

The woman hastily released him upon hearing this.

Zhang Xiaoshan immediately took out a packet of medicinal powder from his waist and spread it around.

"Hiss hiss hiss..."

The snakes surrounding them immediately scattered in all directions and were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Don’t be afraid, they’re all gone; you are safe now."

Zhang Xiaoshan breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to sprinkle the remaining medicinal powder on the woman.

"Achoo."

The woman sneezed and took a fearful step back, nervously saying,

"What did you sprinkle on me? The smell is so sharp."

"It’s a medicine I made myself, using realgar and other herbs. Just by sprinkling this, the snakes wouldn’t dare come close."

While speaking, Zhang Xiaoshan demonstrated for the woman by walking towards a snake that was coiling and watching from a distance. The snake was poised to strike, but when Zhang Xiaoshan had gotten within two or three meters, it immediately turned and burrowed into the bushes, effectively steering clear.

"Wow, it really works!"

Seeing this, the woman’s face lit up with a smile.

"Who are you? What brings you here?"

Zhang Xiaoshan turned back to look at the woman, his expression puzzled. Being a native, he had never seen this woman before.

Clasping the hem of her clothes, the woman said nervously,

"I-I’m Hu Qiaoling. I was sold to White Dragon Village a few days ago. The man who bought me is Li Erniu."

"I was wondering why I had never seen you. Turns out you were just sold."

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded. The Li family was another big clan in White Dragon Village, second only to the Wu family. Li Erniu, in his early thirties, had been a bachelor and long desired to buy a wife; it seems he had now gotten his wish. He then asked,

"Then why aren’t you staying at Li Erniu’s home? What brought you here?" Zhang Xiaoshan asked sternly.

Clutching at her clothes, Hu Qiaoling stammered,

"I—I got lost and ended up here by accident."

"Is that so?" Zhang Xiaoshan looked into her eyes.

Hu Qiaoling quickly lowered her head, unable to meet Zhang Xiaoshan’s gaze.

Zhang Xiaoshan immediately understood; it seemed Hu Qiaoling was trying to escape.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Xiaoshan still couldn’t help but say to Hu Qiaoling,

"I know it’s hard being brought here against your will, and it’s normal to want to leave. But White Dragon Village has unique terrain. To the front stretches the vast White Dragon River, and behind lie mountains that extend for miles with wild beasts and venomous snakes. Many strong men from our village have died in those mountains, and it has become forbidden ground in our village. If you try to leave through this area, it’s tantamount to seeking death."

"Deeper in the mountains lies Ten Thousand Snake Valley. If you wish to feed the giant pythons, go ahead."

"Ah?"

Hearing Zhang Xiaoshan’s words, Hu Qiaoling’s face instantly paled and she became extremely agitated.

"Then, what should I do?"

Since Zhang Xiaoshan had saved her, she had instinctively started to depend on him, seeing him as her only savior in this unfamiliar, forsaken village.

Zhang Xiaoshan didn’t want Hu Qiaoling to be a martyr, nor did he want to meddle further. Buying wives might be unrighteous and forbidden legally, but it was a crude tradition that White Dragon Village had followed for a hundred years. Changing such deep-seated customs by himself was almost impossible, so he told Hu Qiaoling,

"There is no other way. Since you are here, the best course is to not take risks. You’re lucky to have met me today; otherwise, if the snakes didn’t kill you, Li Erniu would. Over the years, there have been at least a dozen women in the village who were beaten to death for trying to run away, and not even their intact bodies could be left behind."

Zhang Xiaoshan actually didn’t want Hu Qiaoling to court death, so he purposefully painted a very bleak picture, hoping to frighten her into staying.

Unexpectedly, he overdid it, and Hu Qiaoling was scared half to death.

"Please don’t let Li Erniu know I tried to run. I beg you," she pleaded.

As she spoke, Hu Qiaoling began to unbuckle her belt.

"Hey, stop, what are you doing?" Zhang Xiaoshan hastily intervened.

But Hu Qiaoling moved quickly.

"Rustle."

Her trousers fell to the ground, revealing her jade legs.

Zhang Xiaoshan’s eyes went wide all of a sudden.