Crossover in the Jungle Chapter 9

Jiang Yan is sick.

The temperature in the jungle dropped suddenly, as if winter had arrived overnight.

He couldn't survive the night in the cave relying on the deerskin and the fire. He spent the whole night in a daze. When he got up, he didn't feel as relaxed as usual. His limbs felt heavy, the back of his head felt heavy, and his nose was badly blocked.

It was quiet in the cave, but there was the sound of whistling wind outside. Jiang Yan looked around but did not find any trace of the giant python.

He breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the stone bed. After a moment he struggled to get up, uncovered the pottery jar covered with leaves, and poured the water in it into the pot.

The flint struck the hay, creating sparks. Jiang Yan planned to boil a pot of hot water to relieve the symptoms of his cold.

There is no hospital or medicine here. If you let your cold get worse, it will be troublesome if you develop a fever or cough and then pneumonia.

A pot of water was boiling. Jiang Yan scooped out a large bowl of hot water and let it cool down. He then took out the collected fruits, wiped them clean and ate a few more to supplement vitamins.

After drinking several bowls of hot water, Jiang Yan couldn't resist the fatigue after the illness, so he wrapped himself tightly in the deerskin and lay back on the stone bed.

His heavily closed eyelids suddenly opened, and Jiang Yan used all his strength to adjust the deerskin. He buried his slightly red face completely in the deerskin, wrapping himself tightly from head to toe to prevent anything from getting into his body.

Jiang Yan's sleep during the day was not peaceful. His whole body felt hot and cold, and he was occasionally awakened by the sound of wind blowing outside the cave.

Perhaps he had slept for a long time, but it also seemed like not much time had passed. Jiang Yan got up and refilled the bowl of hot water on the fire. After drinking it, his forehead was sweating, and he continued to lie down wrapped tightly in the deerskin.

Until something poked him from behind, Jiang Yan vaguely saw the snake's tail coiled on one side. His dry lips moved slightly, but his throat was too hoarse to speak.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, but there was a "bang" sound beside his ear, as if something heavy had fallen.

Jiang Yan raised his head with difficulty after hearing the sound. The heavy object that fell down was a pile of prey brought back by the giant python, all of which were lifeless.

The pile of prey that was strangled by the giant python included brown and yellow wild foxes and white fluffy rabbits. They were more than twice as big as any that Jiang Yan had seen in the mountains before. Everything in the jungle was so huge.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, suspecting that the python had wiped out everyone's nest at once, as there were simply too many of them.

However, the fur of wild foxes and hares looks thick and fluffy. If they are used to make clothes and bedding, they should be able to keep out the severe cold in winter.

He sat up from the bed, staring at the dead prey in a daze, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Is this... specially prepared for me?"

After saying that, Jiang Yan curled his eyes again, pointed at himself, and said weakly: "But I'm sick, and I can't deal with these things now."

Jiang Yan said word by word: "Life---Illness---"

In order to match his frail image, he coughed a few times and fell weakly onto the bed.

The giant python looked at Jiang Yan who was indifferent to the foxes and rabbits. It moved close to the little man and touched his hot and red face with its cold tongue. Although the warm and soft touch was comfortable, it was obviously different from Jiang Yan's usual state.

So the giant python left the cave again.

The wild animals in the mountains, including every blade of grass and every tree, can get sick. In the python's cognition, they will also feel uncomfortable sometimes, so once they feel unwell, they will go find some grass to eat.

Jiang Yan, who was sleeping soundly, frowned in his dream. His cheeks felt prickly and itchy, as if something was prickling him, making him want to hide his face, but there was nowhere to hide.

He struggled to open his eyes, and what he saw was a pile of green plants. A large cluster of thin and pointed leaves were placed behind his head, giving off a fresh medicinal scent, and the giant python's animal eyes were fixed on him.

Jiang Yan's eyes turned, and he reached out to touch the thin pointed leaves, then picked up one and put it in front of his nose and sniffed it. His nose was blocked and he could only smell a faint scent.

"Is this...herb?"

He spoke with a muffled nasal voice: "For me?"

We can't expect the beast in front of us to be proficient in medicine, but all things in nature have their own set of rules for growth and reproduction.

He thought to himself that these wild animals were supposed to get sick like humans, and if they were sick, they would look for herbs to eat that would relieve the symptoms.

As long as there are medicines to take, it means there is a chance to cure the disease. While the crisis exists, it is also a gamble of hope.

Jiang Yan silently held the pointed leaf in his hand and felt the giant python's head approaching, as if trying to push the leaf into his mouth.

Jiang Yan raised his hand and stuffed the leaf into his mouth, chewed it a few times and swallowed it into his throat. He felt a cool, slippery touch on his lips, which was also slightly stinging.

He lowered his head and let the giant python lick his face with its tongue. After a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Okay, okay..."

The python stopped, rolled up a bunch of leaves, and motioned for him to continue eating.

Jiang Yan said nothing and took it silently. If he moved a little slower, the giant python would stretch out its tongue and hiss towards his ear, as if urging him.

He could only continue to stuff the leaves into his mouth and swallow them slowly.

This bundle of pointed leaves smells fresh, but Jiang Yan has no praise for the taste.

After biting the leaves, the bitter juice quickly melts and spreads in the mouth.

Jiang Yan wrinkled his snow-white face and swallowed the remaining leaves with difficulty.

His teeth, mouth, throat, and internal organs seemed to be soaked in the bitter juice, so bitter that his tongue became numb and he was unable to open his mouth to speak for a while.

After a long time, Jiang Yan got out of bed and drank the remaining water in the bowl. The bitter taste of the medicine spread throughout his internal organs, but the taste did not dissipate, but became a little lighter.

Perhaps the medicine really worked, Jiang Yan's soft hands and feet regained some strength, his stuffy chest gradually calmed down, and his breathing was not so blocked anymore.

He was somewhat delighted and turned to look at the giant python: "These herbs really work."

The giant python coiled around the stone pillar's tail and stretched out, wrapping up his calves.

Jiang Yan felt the cool and sliding snake scales against his calves, which were about to slide to the base of his legs.

He stopped it and blocked the python's tail: "No more."

My ears and face were feeling hot, and I didn't know if it was due to a fever or some other reason.

On second thought, facing such a huge python, there is no need for him to blush or anything, otherwise he would be too beastly.

Jiang Yan showed a weak reaction and used an excuse to get rid of the giant python: "I'm still sick and not feeling well."

"Your tail is cold, and I'm afraid of the cold."

He never thought that he could command this giant python, and his expression flashed a little awkward and flustered when he tried to show weakness, so he turned his face away, not looking at the giant python nor letting it see his own restraint and uneasiness.

After a while, the snake tail that was wrapped around his legs left. Trying his best to ignore the slippery feeling of being tightly wrapped around him, Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

After swallowing the herbs, perhaps a sign that his condition was improving, he felt very hungry and began to have an appetite for food.

Jiang Yan started a fire over the fire, tore the remaining roasted meat into pieces, stir-fried it briefly, added some mushrooms, and then ate it slowly with chopsticks made of two wooden sticks, while continuing to boil the second pot of hot water to drink.

After eating and drinking, Jiang Yan dozed off under the effect of the medicine. He climbed back onto the stone bed and wrapped himself in deerskin to sleep. The burning fire gave off endless warmth.

He was sweating all over during his sleep, and when he woke up he felt relaxed and his spirit had recovered to 70% to 80% of his usual state.

Jiang Yan originally thought that he had slept for a long time. When he woke up, it was still daylight. He had slept from morning to noon, and there were still a few hours before evening.

He regained his energy and strength, and observed with great interest the wild foxes and rabbits that the python had brought back.

Not long after, Jiang Yan dragged out a wild fox and a rabbit, took the polished flint, and went to the stream.

He squatted on the shore and slowly cut away the outer fur of foxes and rabbits with a flint.

After working for a whole afternoon, the sky began to darken before Jiang Yan managed to completely skin the wild fox and rabbit. After working for most of the day, his arms and waist were so sore, and his legs and feet were so numb that he could not stand or walk straight for a while.

He hastily soaked the fox and rabbit skins in water and washed them roughly to remove the smell of blood and other odors, then dragged the heavy animal skins back to the cave.

The moon is now at its zenith. Tonight the stars are twinkling densely, and the moonlight is chilly.

Jiang Yan hung the animal skin on the wooden rack on the platform to dry. When he returned to the cave, he was already in a trance due to the cold. His fingers were slightly stiff.

A pair of glittering animal eyes startled him. Jiang Yan, who had come to his senses, breathed a sigh of relief and spoke in a hoarse voice: "I'm back. Today I skinned a wild fox and a rabbit by the river. It took a lot of effort."

The cave was dark. He groped for the direction, took out the flint for lighting, grabbed a handful of hay, and soon lit a fire that could provide illumination.

At the same time, Jiang Yan's deer-like eyes were also shining.

The young man's eyelashes were wet with sweat. He had just recovered from his illness during the day and had been exhausted for so long, but he was surprisingly in good spirits.

He had made a good harvest today. Thinking that he would be covered with thick and warm animal skins soon, he couldn't help but eat half a piece of barbecue and drink another bowl of the fruit juice in the jar.

He only took back the animal skins, and the fox and rabbit were still left by the stream. After Jiang Yan had eaten his fill, he planned to drag the rest back.

If it is placed outside, it may attract wild animals and be eaten at night.

But before he could reach the cave entrance, he tightened his waist and immediately let the giant python behind him wrap its tail around him, lift him up and send him back to the stone bed.

He struggled to get up, but was pressed down by the snake's tail against his chest.

Jiang Yan: ...

At the same time, there was still a handful of fresh and crisp herb leaves by the pillow.

He had already understood that the giant python didn't want him to go out at this moment.

Jiang Yan ate the pointed leaves placed next to him and fell asleep quickly. He slept particularly soundly that night, but his dreams were particularly chaotic.

The feeling of suffocation became more and more severe, and the cold air wrapped around him from head to toe. The snake tail wrapped around his waist suddenly had five finger marks.

Jiang Yan was so scared that he tried to pry open those palms that were more than half the size of his own hands, but failed to break free. Instead, he was wrapped by those slender, bony fingers, which were cold and full of power.

He opened his eyes in shock, and gradually got used to the firelight in the darkness. Then he felt a cool breath behind his ear.

Jiang Yan tightened his throat, his peripheral vision dropped, and at the same time he looked at the palms that overlapped with his dream and completely wrapped around his hands.

...

It was like there was a wall behind him, and he found himself being hugged from behind by someone. Turning his head along the arm, Jiang Yan's voice was hoarse and his pupils were shaking.

The man who was hugging him had a blurry face, with long, inky black hair hanging down, and attached to his body was a very familiar, giant snake tail covered with inky scales.

Jiang Yan screamed in fright.

When he opened his eyes again, the stone wall reflected the flickering shadow of fire, and the giant python behind him tightly and seamlessly wrapped him from waist to feet, just like every night.

He shook his head, feeling that the dream he just had was absurd.