Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 146 Wrong judgment?

How to deal with the python's body is indeed a problem. It is unrealistic to take the whole thing away. It is too big and no single carriage can fit it or pull it. It is not appropriate to use several carriages to pull it at the same time. Not only are they already loaded with things, but it will also be difficult for them to pass through.

There is no need to cut it into pieces and take it away, because it is spring and the weather is warm. It will rot and spoil soon, and there is no safe way to store it in these wild mountains.

This was killed by everyone's combined efforts, but on the surface, Zhao Qingluan contributed the most effort. Considering the time factor, everyone quickly discussed and came up with a rough plan. Although this giant python was full of treasures, only part of it could be discarded.

In the end, everyone reached an agreement to skin and tendon the beast, and distribute the money according to the contribution of each party.

On the surface, Zhao Qingluan had the greatest contribution and took the lion's share, 40%. The escort agency and Chen Xuan's side each took 30%. The other parties had not contributed anyone before and were still in the protected group, so they were unable to enjoy the distribution. No one had any objection to this.

The distribution plan has been decided, but those who have not been allocated will not just sit there and watch. They can take away as much of the unwanted parts as possible. After all, it would be a waste if they throw them away. Moreover, if they are interested, they can spend money to buy the good things that have been picked out from those who have been allocated. It depends on whether all parties are willing and based on personal needs. If they think they can keep the things, they don’t have to sell them, and others cannot force them to buy them.

The final result was that Zhao Qingluan kept a small piece of snake skin and part of her snake tendons, and sold the rest to the escort agency and herbal medicine merchants, because she would have no use for the extra parts. Ordinary people were not allowed to wear armor privately, let alone make armor, unless they wanted to be punished by the court, so the snake skin she left behind could be used to make some small protective gear, which was considered to be skirting the law.

Chen Xuan and his friends didn't have much demand, so they sold the snake tendons, skin and other parts for more than 1,000 taels of silver, which was considered a good fortune.

In fact, if this python is handled properly, it will be worth a fortune. However, there is no way to handle it properly in this desolate mountain and wilderness.

Of course, the money will not be given now. Who would carry so much money on a long journey? I will go to the town in Yezhou to withdraw the money for payment.

Then you can go to the government to collect the reward for killing the python, which is five hundred taels of silver.

But when he went to the government to claim the reward, everyone rejected him. It wasn't because they didn't want the money and fame, but because the government was a bunch of ruthless people. It was true that he could get a reward of 500 taels of silver for killing the python, but if he wanted to claim the money, anything on the python had to belong to the government.

It is equivalent to the government’s announcement to eliminate pests, spending the least money to get the greatest benefit. There is no way around it, this is the rule.

Everyone can still clearly distinguish between the bounty and the valuable things on the python.

So when you travel around the world, if the opportunity comes, you can make money quickly. Look, Zhao Qingluan made a fortune not long after he went out.

In fact, if each family processes the things they buy, the value can be increased several times. However, if you don’t have the skills, the money will be earned by others. This is the reality.

The next step was to extract the tendons and skin, which took a lot of effort. Fortunately, the python was already dead and allowed them to do what they wanted. It took several horses and people to work together to peel off the snake skin. The widest part of the skin was nearly ten feet wide when spread out. It was very big, but it could not escape the fate of being cut into pieces. The same was true for the snake tendons that were more than ten feet long.

In fact, the most valuable thing is snake gall, which is as big as a basketball. It was bought by medicinal material merchants for a large sum of money. The bulk of Chen Xuan and his friends' more than 1,000 taels of silver came from this.

If it is combined with some precious medicinal materials and the right technology, a batch of precious pills can be refined, which will be very valuable. However, no one has that technology, and the money will be earned by others.

Chen Xuan knew several recipes for making elixirs using snake gall, but he didn't have the skills and tools now, so he had to give up. Fortunately, there were many pythons like this in the deep mountains and swamps of the world, so he would have the chance to try again in the future.

In addition, everyone took some snake meat and bones. Too much would be unnecessary and difficult to store, so most of it had to be discarded.

All in all, the trip was quite fruitful.

As a young master, Gao Jingming did not covet the money that Chen Xuan and his friends had. He suggested that they be divided among everyone so that everyone would benefit.

During the process, Zhao Qingluan was really a tiger. She said that snake blood was a good thing and drank it directly. Her mouth was full of red. At the end, she burped and said that snake blood was indeed cold.

Seeing this, other martial artists followed suit. Geng Hong and the others drank until their stomachs were full, which was very helpful in improving their martial arts skills.

Unfortunately, it cannot be preserved in a vacuum and constant temperature environment, so most of the snake blood will still be wasted.

Chen Xuan, Gao Jingming, Xiao Cai and the others did not drink the snake blood. Firstly, they felt disgusted, and secondly, the effect of the snake blood was not as good as the Sanbao Soup that they still insisted on drinking every day.

After a busy time and counting the losses, which took nearly an hour, everyone finally set off again. They had to speed up their pace, otherwise they would not be able to get out of the foggy mountain before dark.

Only a few horses and carriages were lost, but there were no casualties. Only a few people were slightly injured. It was fortunate that the gains were much greater than the losses.

Because Zhao Qingluan's horse was swallowed by a python, it was squeezed and deformed when the python's belly was opened. She didn't salute at all, and although she felt sad, she didn't care too much.

After going through such things, everyone had fought side by side, so they wouldn't let her walk barefoot. So she got on Chen Xuan's carriage, her feet shaking.

Her shoes had broken in a previous battle, and she had no spares that would fit, so Xiao Cai and the others offered to help her mend them. Xiao Cai and the others were skilled in needlework, and Zhao Qingluan was sincerely grateful. She swung her feet on the shaft of the cart, looking at the section of snake tendon on the roof that belonged to her and said with a smile, "This thing is good, two or three meters long. After it dries in the shade, I can have someone make a long whip. It will definitely be very powerful."

As she spoke, she made a whip-waving gesture, and her rosy lips made a snapping sound.

This girl is a bit fierce, but she is still very cute.

Then she turned around and asked Chen Xuan, "Young Master, what about you? You sold the snake skins, but what are your plans for the snake tendons?"

At this moment, Chen Xuan was thinking about something. No one else showed up during the process of killing the python. Could it be that his judgment was wrong, and the snake was wild and not captive?

He had always been on guard against this matter. What if the python had an owner and was being watched from behind? He would not ignore it. Otherwise, he would kill the python as soon as it appeared, just to lure it out of its hole. But in the end, he ended up luring it away in vain.

So at the last moment, Zhao Qingluan took the risk and he secretly helped and killed her.

Then he began to think, the python was coming straight towards the convoy because it was hungry and wanted to eat after hibernation, or was it attracted by the dragon horn pendant on Gao Jingming's neck?
The python has been torn into pieces, so there is no way to get the answer.

Hearing Zhao Qingluan's words, Chen Xuan withdrew his thoughts and said with a smile: "It should be used to make a few bows."

"Should? Bow?" Zhao Qingluan asked puzzledly.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said, "The court does not ban bows and arrows. Brother Gao and I are both scholars. My teacher taught me the art of archery and charioteering. My archery skills have been praised by my classmates, so I want to make a good bow."

"I see. That's right. If there had been someone with a precious bow and exceptional archery skills nearby when we were fighting the python, it would have been much easier to kill it," Zhao Qingluan agreed. She then sized up Chen Xuan and said, "You look young, delicate, and frail. Can you draw a strong bow?"

Who am I saying is weak? I look thin when dressed and muscular when undressed. The muscles under my clothes will make many girls drool. If I had no interest in bullying girls, I would really like to compete with you.

Chen Xuan muttered in his heart, but smiled and said: "We also practice martial arts, and we will grow up in the future."

"Haha, you? Well, I'm not trying to discourage you, but you need talent to practice martial arts. Otherwise, your achievements will be limited no matter how hard you try. I can hardly feel your meager internal strength from such a close distance. I'm afraid it will be difficult in the future," Zhao Qingluan said with a smile, covering her mouth and shaking her head.

Chen Xuan was speechless. This girl was not only fierce, but also had a bit of a sharp tongue. However, she had no ill intentions and was straightforward by nature, which made her quite likable.

"Do you want to listen to what you are saying? My meager internal energy is because 99.99% of it is hidden in my limbs and bones. Otherwise, I would scare you to death."

Muttering in his heart, Chen Xuan smiled and said: "It's okay, as long as you persevere, there will always be gains."

"That's right. Oh, by the way, where are you going?" Zhao Qingluan nodded, and in a blink of an eye she forgot about what had happened before and started asking a new question.

As a newbie, she is curious about everything, and every person and every thing she meets is new to her.

Chen Xuan opened his mouth and said, "Visiting relatives, Miss Zhao, how about you?"

She leaned back against the carriage, her hands behind her head, her legs crossed, her small feet, covered in dust but looking even whiter and more tender, swaying with longing, "Well, I've run away from home. I'm planning to go to Huizhou. I heard there's a student called Liuyu there, and it's very civilized. There's also the Hanshan Sword Sect, one of the five great righteous sects, in Huizhou. Both the literary style and the martial arts there are at their peak, and there are countless young talents, chivalrous men, and even innate masters, so I plan to go and see it."

Liuyu students think that the world's civilization is a bit poor, but Jingguo is one of the best.

What a coincidence, it should be on the way next time.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "Is that so? Perhaps Miss Zhao will be able to meet her ideal husband by then."

"Oh, stop calling me Miss Zhao all the time. It makes me feel embarrassed. As for my ideal husband, hey, I'm very picky. He must have at least innate martial arts skills and can't be too old. If his martial arts skills are not so good, he must at least be a Jinshi. Otherwise, I wouldn't run away from home. It's much easier to win a husband through a martial arts competition. Why am I telling you this? You are still young. You are neither good at literature nor martial arts. You are nothing." As she spoke, she actually shook her head in disgust.

I have such a bad temper that I really want to beat you to death.

We chatted and hurried on our way, and time passed quickly.

A few hours after Chen Xuan and the others left, it was almost dark.

In the middle of the foggy mountain, where the python was killed, an old man in a black robe called out from the mountain: "My little darling, where have you gone..."

(End of this chapter)