Novel Bin Chapter 13
13. Snake-keeping Hamster
Shu Shu wanted to teach and produce a good disciple. Therefore, when instructing the huge snake, he was especially diligent. All words had to be repeated ten times.
Beyond everything, Edgar had once been a person. He had learned several foreign languages, and his memory was even pretty good. From the start, it was unnecessary for Shu Shu to instruct him this much. However, he was happy to listen to Shu Shu speaking; he also didn\'t resent or feel bothered by it. Coiling his body, he watched Shu Shu speak.
Shu Shu went through all the things in his cave to teach the huge snake. Reading them aloud until his mouth and tongue were dry, he finally stopped. Then he pondered if he should go out to take a look at the situation outside. It would be best to bring some food back. Also, there was that huge snake’s cave . . . .
The huge snake seemed to be hiding a few things in that hole. He would help the snake to move them properly!
To begin with, he should do this kind of thing together with the huge snake. But the huge snake was still suffering from its injuries at the moment; it definitely shouldn’t move around . . . . In that case, let this master help the disciple to pick them up!
Thinking this way, Shu Shu stood in front of the huge snake and then jumped about and waved wildly. He also walked back and forth while his mouth kept repeating, “Move, move, move . . .”
Done with it, he stopped and stayed put, motionless. Then he went on with saying repeatedly: "No move, no move, no move . . ."
After that he jumped up again: "Move, move, move." Next he was still and motionless again: "No move, no move, no move."
In this way back and forth several times, Shu Shu finally got a little tired from jumping up and down. Only then he faced the huge snake and said: "Snake, move."
Edgar had already understood Shu Shu’s explanation. Hearing Shu Shu speaking those words, he immediately shook his tail and moved.
Upon seeing this, Shu Shu was exultant. He had taught it for so long, and he had been worried that the huge snake actually didn’t understand anything at all. Now it seemed that the huge snake in fact understood, ah! Well done!
"Snake, no move!" Shu Shu once again said.
Edgar heard it and promptly stopped moving.
Upon seeing this, Shu Shu was not satisfied yet, so he tested it with something else: “Water.”
The huge snake used its tail to point at the water on the side.
"Chestnut."
The huge snake pointed at the chestnut on Shu Shu’s hand.
"Fire."
The huge snake pointed at the bonfire.
Shu Shu saw that the huge snake had not made any mistake. He was extremely happy and then said: "Shu Shu."
The huge snake pointed at Shu Shu.
"Really smart!" Shu Shu smiled wide. He wanted to do something to praise the huge snake, but he was still afraid of the snake and didn’t dare to come near it. Thinking about it, he eventually took out a long piece of dried meat from his food pouch. Then he wrapped it with some leaves and threw it toward the huge snake: "Your reward!"
Edgar silently took the dried meat and nibbled on it.
When Edgar finished eating the dried meat, Shu Shu at once said, "Snake, no move. Snake, no move."
Edgar obediently did not move.
When Shu Shu saw this, he slowly and cautiously approached Edgar. Then he infused his spiritual power into Edgar\'s biggest wound and kept talking to divert his own attention: "After I go out, you must stay here. Don\'t run around all over the place, you know? If you run around all over the place and got eaten by people, I won’t have a disciple anymore!"
Edgar could not wholly understand Shu Shu\'s words, but he felt a warm stream coming from Shu Shu\'s palm and entering his body, making him feel very, very comfortable.
Glancing surreptitiously at the little sub-beastman, Edgar was both happy and anxious.
He was happy because the little sub-beastman still persevered with treating his wounds even if the little sub-beastman was quite afraid of him. And he was anxious because . . . the little sub-beastman seemed to know nothing about lying low?
The little sub-beastman could store so much food in his mouth; it could be considered as having a fantastic innate skill. Now he unexpectedly had the ability to treat a person’s injury, too . . . . Didn’t he know the importance of lying low?
Right when Edgar was thinking about it, he found that the little sub-beastman had already stopped, looking very exhausted . . . . Well, although the little sub-beastman could help treat a person’s injury, but the result was not that good. As a matter of fact, no need to be anxious about being remembered by people.
Shu Shu absolutely did not know that the disciple he had accepted was not an ignorant snake spirit that has just recently developed intelligence, but a beastman instead. Naturally, Shu Shu did not hide his means from his disciple. After he gave all his spiritual power to the huge snake, he once again said those two words: "no move", before going into his bedroom.
Edgar lay down on the floor and really didn’t move.
Passing through the tunnel he had dug from inside the bedroom, Shu Shu soon arrived at Edgar\'s cave.
The cave was still so dirty and messy. The grass skirt and the other things— found from the inside of that hole—that had been abandoned by him were all still in the original place. It was obvious that the huge snake had not returned here . . . . Shu Shu bent down and picked up those things. He found that besides his own grass skirt, all the other things were some metal products, just like the lighter that the huge snake had given him.
He reckoned that the huge snake had picked up a few things left behind by humans and then kept them hidden as treasured objects. However, these things were indeed very useful . . . .
Shu Shu\'s food pouches could contain so many things. He himself could not feel anything when putting things into the pouches, but it was done through his mouth . . . . Shu Shu had already set his mind to only put food there. Now he also didn’t put these things in his mouth. Instead, he wrapped them with the grass skirt and carried the bundle on his back.
After completing all his tasks, Shu Shu made his way through the entrance of the huge snake’s cave dwelling to go out. It was at this time he discovered that the cave where the huge snake lived was actually not that far from his own cave. It was just that the exterior of the cave was hidden by a forest. Even more, the growing plants were thorny, so he had never come over to check the area.
Leaving the cave, Shu Shu strolled nearby and occasionally used his nose to sniff around, trying to find some edible things.
In the end . . . he really caught several fat frogs and then picked some unknown but edible fruits.
The frogs were bundled up and carried in his hand, while all the fruits were stored in his food pouches. Carrying the huge snake’s hoards wrapped in the grass skirt on his back, Shu Shu returned to his own cave. Afterwards, he saw that the huge snake was really still lying down there; it had not moved at all.
This huge snake was truly obedient! Shu Shu was somewhat proud of himself. Then he stood far away and threw the grass skirt bundle on his hand to the snake. "This is your stuff; I brought it back for you."
When Edgar saw the grass skirt, his expression was a bit stiff. Looking at the little sub-beastman nonchalantly tossing the grass skirt—which contained the microchip he had removed from the mech and several kinds of thing that might come in useful—to him, he figured out that the little sub-beastman completely didn’t know about the matter between a beastman and a sub-beastman. The little sub-beastman also did not know that he had had an ulterior motive when hoarding the grass skirt . . . .
The little sub-beastman was so pure, and it actually made him feel a bit dirty.
"These are for you to eat. Snake, eat." Shu Shu took the frogs out: "Frog, frog, frog . . . . Snake, eat frog."
The snakes he had met before liked to eat rats and mice, and they also liked to eat frogs. The huge snake should also like them?
Shu Shu taught the huge snake to say frog several times. Then he released the frogs on his hands and let them jump around in the cave, waiting for Edgar to eat them—in any case, the cave mouth was sealed off, so these frogs couldn’t escape.
Edgar watched the frogs hopping around in panic and turned his head, unimpressed.
He had eaten raw food in order to survive, but how could he still do this in front of the little sub-beastman he liked?
Once a snake ate its fill, even if it felt hungry for a year, it would be alright. Anyway, since he was not hungry, he might as well not eat.
TL\'s note:
By chapter, we\'ve finally reached 10% (•̀ᴗ•́)൬༉
By Chinese character count, we\'ve only reached 7% (๑◕︵◕๑)
Anyway, starting from the next chapter, update will be twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday. Barring any mishap, I\'ll maintain this schedule until ch. 32 (where Edgar finally turns back into a man). After that, update will be once a week since chapter size is double and even triple of the initial chapters.
Thank you for all your supports and comments! (•‾⌣‾•)و ̑̑♡