The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

This was the first time Zuo Qi had suffered such a serious injury.

There was almost no good flesh on my back, but thankfully the bones were fine.

I just feel so tired, I can't squeeze out a single bit of energy from my whole body.

He managed to stand.

With the elder's exaggerated claim of capturing a dragon at the ferry crossing, it was really inappropriate for him to lie down.

For the first time in his life, he learned what it meant to have an idol image to maintain.

With his back to the sun and facing the crowd, he forced a smile.

"I have successfully completed my mission! Everyone is safe."

The clan elder stepped forward, bowed meticulously, and said earnestly, "Mr. Zuo's great kindness and virtue, the grace of saving our lives, will be forever remembered by the people of Nankouwan."

Zuo Qi smiled and said, "Elder, there's no need for such formalities. It's just a coincidence that this giant snake is useful to me."

After the elders declined three times, they were certain that Zuo Qi truly had no intention of asking for payment, and finally led the villagers away.

However, Sun Bao selected a few young men to stay behind and help dispose of the giant snake's carcass.

Zuo Qi did not refuse this time.

Even a precious beast is made of flesh and blood; if it is not bled after death, it will quickly deteriorate.

He Xiao stepped forward to support Zuo Qi, and took out a wound medicine and a piece of yellow jade that sealed the essence of the larva from his bosom. "Brother Qi, use the medicine first, and then recover a bit."

Zuo Qi didn't stand on ceremony and turned around to let He Xiao help him apply the medicine, as he was in real pain.

Ni Heng led Sun Bao and the others to deal with the giant snake's corpse.

Young people from Sun Bao's village saw the giant snake's corpse up close and realized how terrifying it was.

Even though the giant serpent was dead, its aura remained terrifying.

The snake's mouth opened slightly, revealing fine fangs that are not found in ordinary snakes.

"Brother Bao, this Brother Zuo is really amazing. He can even kill such a powerful snake. No wonder you're willing to follow him."

"I also want to work under Brother Zuo. Brother Bao, could you introduce me?"

Sun Bao glared at them. "Stop talking and get to work. I won't forget you if I get the chance."

He always kept his position straight and never made decisions for Zuo Qi and the other two.

That's why the three of them trusted him.

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……

Zuo Qi rested for a while and changed into Sun Bao's clothes, which he had given to Sun Bao a few days ago. Sun Bao was reluctant to wear them, but he put them back on Zuo Qi.

It's a bit too small, and Zuo Qi is very uncomfortable wearing it, but it's still better than running around naked.

My back still hurts a lot, probably from some internal injuries. I need to rest for a while. After refining the essence of the larvae, I finally regained some strength.

Zuo Qi stepped forward and began to help cut up the corpse.

It took a whole afternoon to process the enormous snake's body, and it wasn't until the sun was about to set that the work was finally finished.

The giant snake was over twenty meters long and weighed more than three thousand kilograms. Its scales were as hard as iron. Fortunately, its muscles lost their vitality after death, so Ni Heng was able to peel them off with difficulty.

The scales and skin were completely detached, and the weight exceeded 800 jin (400 kg).

Moreover, the snake's bones were not cartilage, but rather resembled the human spine, and were quite thick.

When Zuo Qi cut open the snake's belly to look for its gallbladder, he discovered that the snake had come ashore because it was carrying offspring.

Looking at the dozen or so snake eggs pulled out of the snake's belly, Ni Heng said excitedly.

"Brother Qi, this egg is still alive!"

Zuo Qi waved his hand casually, "You can deal with it yourself. You can't tame a snake."

I simply reminded them to take stock of what they had gained this time.

The snake meat weighs 1,200 jin, and the high-quality exotic meat near the heart also weighs 70 to 80 jin.

A set of scales.

The snake bones weighed over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg).

A very fruitful experience!

The snake gallbladder is very small, no bigger than a fist.

"We'll use the snake gall as a festival gift, make a soft armor for each of the three of them, dry the snake bones and soak them in wine, and dry the snake meat as much as possible before giving some to Yin Jiu."

Zuo Qi and He Xiao discussed how to handle the situation.

Making armor privately is illegal, but Zuo Qi and his men are allowed to get some armor since they will be patrolling the foot of the mountain after winter.

As long as you register with the Six Doors (a government agency), it should be fine.

In addition, there is the matter of weapons. Zuo Qi really needs a handy weapon. It doesn't have to be heavy enough.

……

With the help of a few young men from Nankou Bay, who borrowed several handcarts, Zuo Qi and his companions quickly transported their spoils to their home at the dock.

He Xiao politely took out the grain from his home, filling two carts, and said with a smile, "Brothers, you've worked hard. The fact that we were able to hunt down this giant snake this time is not only due to my elder brother's strength, but also to your support behind the scenes. Take this grain back and let the clan elders distribute it."

He had heard Sun Bao say that Nankou Bay was very poor, or rather, that rural areas were very poor in this era, and that there were times when people rarely ate dry food.

Today's incident with the giant snake made him suddenly realize that although these poor people may not be very knowledgeable, they have a large number of people. If he could win them over, they would be more likely to think of the three brothers when they discover similar strange creatures.

The young people looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed.

"Brother Xiao, this...you helped our village kill that giant snake and gave us food, this...if the clan elders find out, they'll definitely scold us."

"So you mean we're the benefactors of your village?"

Several people nodded at the same time.

"Our benefactor is asking you to help him eat some food. Would you be willing?"

"..."

Can you do this?

The eyes of the group looked clear yet foolish; some were even asking others to help them eat.

He Xiao gave Sun Bao a wink. Sun Bao wasn't stupid, and besides, this was a good thing, so he immediately said, "Take what Brother Xiao gives you. Remember to tell Brother Xiao if you encounter anything you've never seen before."

Upon hearing this, He Xiao nodded in satisfaction. This Sun Bao was indeed quite good. Although his talent for martial arts was not ideal, his quick wit and ability to grasp concepts were not typical of someone from a poor fishing family.

……

The news of Zuo Qi and his two companions slaying the giant serpent spread faster than expected.

Yin Jiu came to visit the next day.

"Brother Zuo! I heard magpies bringing good news early this morning. Upon inquiring, I learned that you were the one who caught the dragon at the ferry crossing. I'm truly impressed."

Yin Jiu entered the room with a smile.

Zuo Qi's smile faded slightly.

Yin Jiu immediately understood his thoughts and whispered, "Brother Zuo, I heard that the snake is quite large? Would you mind selling me some? It would save some people from eyeing you."

The young people of Nankou Bay witnessed Zuo Qi slaying the giant snake, which naturally became a hot topic of discussion in the villages near the dock these past two days.

Zuo Qi possessed the complete corpse of a giant beast, which naturally became known to others.

After pondering for a moment, Zuo Qi realized that the news had spread too far and others would never give up. It was conceivable that there would be many people coming to buy it in the next few days.

Although he has the Lin family background and is entitled to live a life of luxury on his own, he does not want to rely on the Lin family too much.

They had already relied on the Lin family's influence when they attacked the Green Robe Gang, so it wouldn't be good to be too greedy.

"Brother Yin, as you know, I am a guest of the Lin family. I need to ask the Lin family for their opinion on these matters."

He paused, then continued, "But we hit it off immediately. You were very straightforward and generous in our previous collaborations, and I won't let Brother Yin down. So, how about I give you three hundred catties of meat?"

Yin Jiu gave Zuo Qi 1,000 taels of silver for 300 catties of snake meat, which Zuo Qi then exchanged for larvae essence.

Yin Jiu reciprocated by claiming through his channels that Zuo Qi's snake meat had been taken over by the dockside black market.

This matter has finally come to an end.

While slaying the giant serpent in public is exhilarating and yields great rewards, it also brings a lot of trouble.

Yang Nuo from the Public Affairs Office personally came to the door to re-register the martial arts cultivation levels of Zuo Qi and the other two.

Zuo Qi greeted him with a smile and welcomed him back.

Everyone present was laughing happily, as if the incident involving the Green Robe Gang had never happened.

Yang Nuo subtly hinted at his desire to buy the giant snake's gallbladder.

Zuo Qi said he already planned to give it to the Lin family, and Yang Nuo then gave up.

After seeing Yang Nuo off, Zuo Qi was speechless.

This world... No wonder the protagonists in novels from my past life always offended powerful families. When you obtain a treasure that everyone covets, it will naturally attract the Taotie.

No wonder there are so many martial artists wandering the world without any official registration or documents.

When you want to keep something you consider important, you have to give up something that is "unimportant".

Whether something is considered dark or not depends on the extent of the ruthlessness of local officials.