"What do we do?" Dongyang whispered.
"Get out!"
But as soon as they retreated, Mu Shaoling noticed that the python had moved.
Then, the python used its body to encircle them.
"Is it... planning to eat us?"
The pythonâs head faced them directly, its long forked tongue flicking in and out, disgustingly crimson. Its body, originally coiled like a pancake, undulated rhythmically.
"Perhaps it seems about to give birth." Looking at the pythonâs swollen belly, it appeared as if it had just swallowed a large creature. "Iâm thinking it probably plans to devour us as a replenishing meal after giving birth."
Commandery Princess Dongyangâs face turned pale upon hearing this. True, she was not afraid of death, but the thought of being swallowed by a snake was utterly revolting.
"Mu Shaoling, do you think we can survive today?" She thought for a moment before adding, "If we canât, Iâd rather take my own life than be devoured. I find the way of death by being swallowed too unsightly."
Then she noticed Mu Shaolingâs handsome face contorting in various ways.
"Would you shut up!" He had never seen anything like this before; she wasnât thinking about fighting the python to the death but rather committing suicide. Damn, why did he feel so irritable?
However, at this moment Commandery Princess Dongyang was not in the right frame of mind, his yelling was useless.
So she continued, "Mu Shaoling, thereâs something I forgot to tell you. If we donât die today and someone finds us, once we return to Capital City, I will definitely ask the Emperor to call off our marriage. I know you donât want to marry me, and I will grant you your freedom then."
At this moment, Mu Shaoling felt anger boiling inside him. If he were to truly die now, he thought he would die from her infuriating him, not from being eaten by the snake.
"Are you sick? One moment calling off the marriage, the next begging for it, do you think the Emperor is your father, doing whatever you ask? Enough nonsense, better think about what we should do now!"
"Ah, what can I do?" Commandery Princess Dongyang said, spreading her hands after hearing this, "Negotiate with it?"
Mu Shaoling rolled his eyes weakly. Negotiate? With a python? She had some audacious ideas.
"Letâs retreat outside its coiling radius. If it doesnât attack us, weâll head towards the edge of the forest. If it attacks, we fight back. You go for its belly and Iâll take its head. The martial arts Iâve taught you these past two months havenât been for nothing. Got it?"
Alright, having stayed on the island for two months with nothing better to do, Commandery Princess Dongyang had been pestering Mu Shaoling to teach her martial arts or medicine, leading to them ravaging all the medicinal herbs on the island.
Commandery Princess Dongyang looked at the pythonâs massive length and nodded with immense pressure, "Iâll do my best!"
Having agreed, the two of them started retreating backwards together, all the while keeping their eyes on the python.
Seeing no reaction from it, Commandery Princess Dongyang breathed a sigh of relief, but in the very last second, the pythonâs body moved.
The pythonâs body suddenly straightened into a line, then twisted into an âSâ shape.
Seeing this, Mu Shaoling grabbed Commandery Princess Dongyang and ran towards the outside of the forest, "Hurry, itâs going into labor now, too weak to bother with us. It will probably take more than half an hour to recover."
The two hurried out of the forest and did not slow down until they reached the farthest spot from the forest on the island.
"Do you think it will come out looking for us?"