With his heart nearly leaping out of his chest and sweat pouring down his body, Lu Yan reached the waterfall. As he looked at the crystal-clear water, free of any impurities, he found himself admiring it for a few seconds.
Snapping back to his senses and realizing that danger could appear at any moment, he headed toward the rocks in the water and stepped in. Then, like a gardener, he began pulling the flowers from the stones.
Grabbing as many as he could with his right hand, he gathered around ten water flowers.
Satisfied with the amount he could carry, he stepped out of the water and shot forward like an arrow toward the grass, ready to escape.
But before he could fully leave—
A three-meter shadow appeared before him.
"Damn it! Monkey!"
Lu Yan cursed as a wave of spasms ran through his body.
The blue serpent wore a furious expression. It had failed to catch the creature that had disturbed its territory. Filled with rage, it had returned to the water—but as it approached, it suddenly stopped.
It sensed something.
A familiar scent.
Turning its head, its eyes took on a murderous gleam as it locked onto Lu Yan. Though not as intelligent as the monkey, it understood that it had been deceived.
Roar!
Opening its mouth, it let out a shrill cry that sent the insects in the grass fleeing in panic.
Lu Yan had the same instinct.
Without hesitation, he turned in the opposite direction and sprinted, using all the strength in his legs without looking back.
The sound of the wind whistled in his ears, mixed with the slithering of the serpent, which was getting closer and closer.
"I can't keep running… if I do, I'll end up being bitten from behind."
Realizing this, he clenched his teeth and accelerated even more, crossing the grass until he reached the area with trees.
There, he dropped the bunch of bananas and the flowers on the ground. He grabbed two stones—swallowed one—and turned to face the serpent charging toward him.
Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he hurled the other stone with all his strength.
The serpent showed no fear. It simply raised its tail to deflect the attack.
Crack!
The stone, exposed to the heat of the nine suns, shattered in midair.
The fragments struck the serpent's tail, opening small wounds between its scales.
That was enough to enrage it completely.
Feeling insulted by being injured by something so trivial, it lunged at Lu Yan.
Seeing that the attack had worked, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Without hesitation, he pulled out the bronze pot.
Then, like a madman, he began throwing stones one after another, filling the air with black projectiles.
The serpent froze mid-charge.
In its eyes, there was pure panic.
By instinct, it coiled its body and protected its head.
Rip!
In the air, the stones exploded into shards upon contact with the heat, raining down on the serpent like a deadly storm, tearing through its scales with deep cuts.
Plop! Plop!
Red blood, tinged with faint shades of blue, sprayed from the creature's body, staining the ground.
Gravely wounded, the serpent uncoiled and tried to flee back toward the grassy area.
But Lu Yan had no intention of letting it escape.
He knew that a living enemy could become a serious problem in the future.
Chasing after it, he threw even more stones.
This time, the attacks were even faster and more destructive.
The serpent, already weakened, could barely react. It only heard the slicing sounds behind it before being struck again.
The shards penetrated its open wounds, tearing through its flesh.
"Aaaaah!"
Letting out a sharp cry, it completely lost the ability to move and collapsed onto the ground.
As he approached, Lu Yan felt a faint trace of guilt.
After all, the serpent had only been defending its territory.
But he couldn't afford to hesitate.
Those flowers were valuable, and leaving that enemy alive could cost him his life in the future.
Eliminating threats was necessary to survive.
With cold eyes, he threw more stones into its wounds, ending the creature's final breath.
Even then, he didn't feel completely safe.
Approaching the serpent's head, he continued attacking.
This time, he focused on the neck.
After a series of impacts, the head separated from the body and rolled across the grass.
With the danger eliminated, Lu Yan looked at his trembling hands.
It was the first time he had taken a life.
His body reacted with anxiety and nausea.
"This is only the beginning. In these unknown lands, I can't let my human nature weaken me. If I want to survive and uncover the mysteries of Qin Shi Huang, I can't be passive and wait to be killed."
Muttering those words, he forced himself to calm down.
Gradually, the nausea faded, and his heartbeat returned to normal.
Looking at the serpent's corpse, a question arose:
"Is its meat edible?"
He wanted to test it, but didn't have the courage—it could be poisonous.
He also considered dragging the body back to the cave, but that would require effort and might attract other creatures.
"Life is more important than impulsive actions without guaranteed gain."
With a serious expression, Lu Yan chose to retreat.
Returning to the trees, he picked up the bunch of bananas and the flowers, then went back to the waterfall.
When he arrived, he saw the little monkey sitting on a rock, licking the water petals with delight.
Lu Yan was speechless.
He even thought about complaining, but realized it would be pure hypocrisy.
The monkey had risked its life once, and he had done the same, putting them on equal footing.
Letting out a small grunt, he approached the water.
The monkey looked at him, surprised.
"I killed the serpent. These flowers are mine now. As for the stones, I won't break my promise—I'll show you a whole pile of them later."
After saying that, Lu Yan sat on a rock, placed the bunch of bananas on his lap, and picked up a water petal.
Then, he brought it to his mouth to discover its effect.
"This is delicious."
A taste of icy water, with a slight hint of sweetness, flooded Lu Yan's taste buds. He liked the flavor—smooth, mildly syrupy, but not cloying.
Chewing the petal and swallowing it, he felt a physical relaxation spread throughout his body.
Soon after, a strange sensation emerged, as if something inside him was being expelled outward.
"Wait… what?!"
Instantly, he looked at his own skin—and was completely stunned.