Saving the Prince Regent - Chapter 40

Chapter 40 – The Hunt for the Brittle Snake (1)

Translator: Lunarise

Editor: Livyuna

Proofreader: Livyuna

Shen Fei was not truly angry. He was trying to remind her to show some restraint, as there were some things that he really disliked. Of course, it was also possible that she had guessed his intentions wrongly. Zhao Xi was still trying to understand him better.

She ate her food, washed the bowls, scrubbed the pots, and headed out again to catch the brittle snake. Before she left, she washed and prepared two days’ worth of food ingredients. With this, Shen Fei need only to rinse them before cooking.

As she knew that he liked using water, she filled the water vat full, and left the bath beans by the side.

These days, Shen Fei had increasingly gotten used to moving around in his wheelchair. He could also make his own meals, eat and move around a little. Other than heading out to the courtyard, his movements were no longer as restricted.

The entrance to the courtyard had a threshold. The wheelchair had to be lifted up, otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to head out.

Folklore has that door thresholds are meant to defend against vampires. In the olden days, mankind liked to bury coffins deep in the mountains, to prevent people from disturbing.

Even though this place was secluded, people had lived here before. If it weren’t for the landslide that occurred from the collapsed cliff, blocking off the entry to the valley, perhaps there would still be people living here today.

When Zhao Xi first came, she walked all around the valley and saw signs of humankind having lived there. For example, she found earthen jars by the river side, and upon picking them up, saw that there were bodies of children within. This was an extremely old burial method, although some also say that it was a way to pray to the river gods. Zhao Xi’s personal take was more towards the latter; because it was impossible for so many children of around the same ages to have met an accident and passed away, and then was buried using the same method.

Many of these earthen jars were similar in design and had the same carving pattens. This meant that they were produced around the same time. The children’s faces were also distorted revealing the pain and suffering they encountered as they died. Having learnt medicine, knew that that was the kind of expression made when people were buried and suffocated alive.

The ancient people were foolish, leaving behind multiple unbelievable and cruel ways of worship. Other than burying young children in jars to be drowned alive, they would also hang coffins along the cliff.

As the wind in valleys were stronger, over time, the sides of the coffins slowly erode away. Every now and then, a black wooden board would fall, and a terrible stench would be brought along with it.

Zhao Xi once stood by the cliffs to look. Every single coffin held a decomposed body of which only the bones were left. Some of the bodies had clothing that had become tattered with time and hung loosely off the skeletons, while some of the bodies’ clothing were still in good condition.

Folklores say that when night falls, these bodies would start to move. One by one, they would jump off the cliff and down the mountain, and run into the homes of the villages nearby. And the door threshold is meant to stop them.

Being unable to jump over the threshold at the door, the vampires would not be able to enter the homes. And with the arrival of dawn, these supernatural beings would return back to the mountains and lay back down to rest in their coffins.

In the three years that Zhao Xi has lived in the mountains, she had never come across it before. Sometimes out of curiosity, she would sit by the side of the door and wait, but the vampires never did arrive. Instead, some curious animals would wander by; the smaller and shorter ones would not be able to cross the threshold and enter.

The door threshold was extremely thick and heavy, and was not possible to be moved by herself alone. Zhao Xi would require Ping An’s help. However, Zhao Xi had no intentions of removing the threshold; she was afraid that Shen Fei would venture out on his own and the surroundings were too dangerous for him. She had only grown those herbs that animals avoid around the small house. If Shen Fei leaves the small house, he would lose the protection of the herbs and may end up getting attacked by the animals.

Shen Fei was unlike Zhao Xi; she had lived in the mountains for years. Any animals that cross her path were viewed as food to be cooked, and their survival were dependent on whether she felt like eating them or not. However, if Shen Fei abandoned the small house, he would become food for the animals instead.

The animal kingdom was just that – survival of the fittest. There is no concept of mercy or ethics. Defeat me if you can, otherwise you will be my prey.

Venomous animals are different though. So long as you are bitten by them, even if it were someone like her, she would still need a long time to recover. But, if the person was Shen Fei who was at his peak health, he would still likely not be able to survive. Therefore, it was important that Shen Fei didn’t go out of the house, especially so at night.

If Zhao Xi would not be around, she would lock the doors in the courtyard, and scatter even more of the herbs, sulphur powder and wormwood plants around to deter animals from approaching.

Even so, Zhao Xi was still worried. While all these herbs and sulphur powder may act as miasma, if the animals are hungry and desperate to feed, it is still possible for them to approach and hurt Shen Fei.

Therefore, Zhao Xi started a fire in the brazier in the house, and left it next to Shen Fei. If needed, Shen Fei would be able to use the fire to attack, defending himself.

Every time she leaves, she would be so reluctant that she resembled a mother about to leave her child. Only after all the chores at home have been completed, would she then head out, and even so, she would try her best to complete her tasks as fast as possible, and return back as soon as possible.