After wandering and stumbling around for a long time, Henry Sullivan couldn’t find his way home, but instead arrived at a small valley.

Compared to the towering ancient trees outside, this was a small valley filled only with red flowers and green grass. The environment was tranquil and beautiful, with birds singing and the fragrance of flowers in the air.

In addition to hunting, Henry Sullivan had specially learned to identify herbs from the pharmacy’s Old Brooks, and at a glance he recognized that many valuable medicinal herbs were growing here. If he could take some back and sell them to Old Brooks, he could exchange them for a month’s worth of food, and his mother wouldn’t have to work so hard.

Without hesitation, Henry Sullivan ignored the fact that he was deep in the perilous Xiaoyu Mountain and began picking herbs with abandon.

While Henry Sullivan was happily picking, suddenly a colorful little snake darted out from the grass and bit him on the web between his right thumb and index finger.

Henry Sullivan immediately felt the world spinning, and with a thud, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

No one knows how much time passed before Henry Sullivan, who thought he was surely doomed, woke up from his coma, only to find that the once green grass now appeared as gigantic as towering trees, and the small valley, which wasn’t that big before, suddenly seemed much more spacious in his eyes.

He moved his body, which felt more agile than ever before, weaving through the grass that now seemed like a forest of giant trees.

Wait, why wasn’t he walking, but instead slithering along the ground?

By a clear pool of water, Henry Sullivan saw that his body was no longer the familiar human form, but a colorful snake. Not far away, his human body lay sprawled in the grass, with no heartbeat or breath.

Could it be that he had died? And his soul had attached itself to the little snake that bit him?

A terrifying thought flashed through Henry Sullivan’s mind. He quickly slithered over to his own body, imagining his soul returning to it.

Suddenly, a powerful suction came from his “corpse.” Henry Sullivan felt dizzy and his soul was drawn away. A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, he was back in his human body, while the strange little snake his soul had possessed before now lay motionless on the ground.

With another thought, a strong force pulled his soul back into the snake’s body.

After several cycles like this, Henry Sullivan finally confirmed that his soul could shuttle back and forth between the snake’s body and his own. Delighted, he felt as if he had found a treasure and grinned from ear to ear.

After all this commotion, night had already fallen. The poisonous miasma in Xiaoyu Mountain began to spread. If a human body inhaled the miasma, death was certain, but this little snake had long lived in Xiaoyu Mountain, so the miasma surely couldn’t harm it.

With a thought, Henry Sullivan attached his soul to the snake, and sure enough, the miasma rising in the valley couldn’t harm him at all.

As he slithered around, he discovered another marvelous thing: wherever the snake’s body passed, it would leave behind a special scent. No matter how far he went, he could follow this scent to find his way back, meaning he could use it to find his way home.

While searching for the way home, Henry Sullivan also discovered many other wonders of the snake’s body, such as immunity to all poisons, heightened sensitivity to certain rare herbs, and the fact that leopards and hungry wolves would turn and flee at the sight of the little snake.

From then on, Henry Sullivan often possessed the snake at night, venturing deep into Xiaoyu Mountain to search for rare medicinal herbs, then selling them to the pharmacy’s Old Brooks for much more silver than he could earn from hunting. His family’s life improved day by day, and he himself became a model among the youths of Datian Town.

Although possessing the little snake to search for treasures was miraculous, every time he did so, there was a side effect—he would be utterly exhausted the next day, unable to summon any energy, and just wanting to sleep.

After changing his clothes, Henry Sullivan left home with some polygonatum, his face weary and sporting two dark circles under his eyes, barely managing to greet the acquaintances he met on the road.

On his way to the pharmacy, a miserable scream reached Henry Sullivan’s ears.

“Aiya… Boss Bolton, I really have no money, Boss Bolton, please spare me… aiya…”

Several youths were viciously kicking two other boys who were rolling on the ground. A richly dressed youth stood by, calm and collected, seeming to greatly enjoy the others’ screams, occasionally letting out a cold laugh. He was none other than Jason Bolton, who was as famous as Henry Sullivan.

There were many onlookers, some angry, some sympathetic, and some indignant, but in front of the richly dressed youth, not one dared to make a sound.

“Everyone, take a good look! This is what happens if you don’t pay your insurance on time!” The lackey beside Jason Bolton stepped on one of the boys’ faces and declared proudly.

At this moment, another youth finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Bandit! Jason Bolton, you bandit, you’ll die a terrible death!”

A fierce look flashed across Jason Bolton’s face, and he strode over, about to kick the boy in the mouth. It was easy to imagine that if the kick landed, the boy would lose most of his teeth.

“Hey, Bolton, didn’t you see me here?” Passing by, Henry Sullivan said without even lifting his eyelids, “If you dare to kick him, I’ll tie you up and throw you into Xiaoyu Mountain to feed the wolves!”

Among the youths of Datian Town, Henry Sullivan was truly an outlier. Having taken on the family’s burdens and gone hunting in the mountains since the age of eight, he rarely mixed with his peers, so Jason Bolton, who was as famous as him, naturally became the leader among the youths.

Jason Bolton’s father was the best hunter in Datian Town, and Jason Bolton himself was exceptionally gifted. At the age of twelve, he had killed two hungry wolves barehanded, making him quite an accomplished youth.