Chapter 18 — The One Who Keeps The Venom Saves People

Six days later, the water of the Lam Tri River receded to near normal levels, leaving only streaks of dry, cracked mud on the fields' banks and a layer of drifting trash stuck on the fences of houses along the river. The morning sunlight shone clearly, no longer obscured by dense rain clouds like the previous days, and Du stood on the shore, looking down at the water that had now returned to its familiar gentleness.

"Are you ready yet?" Khiem asked, carrying his tool bag across his chest, looking much more confident than six days ago.

"Done." Du replied, making a final check of the solid hooks, tongs, and a new transport cage that was designed to be sturdier than the old one. This time, they traveled entirely by road, without needing Nguyen's motorboat, because most of the previously flooded areas were now accessible by vehicle.

They drove to the earth god temple mound, which now appeared completely different from the image submerged in water that night - a dry land, trees covered with dry mud clinging to their leaves, and a small temple standing quietly in the sunlight, the incense bowl had been neatly rebuilt by someone.

"The scene is completely different at night." Khiem commented, looking around with the curious eyes of someone seeing clearly the terrain he had walked through for the first time in the dark.

"During the day it is much easier to observe, but snakes are also more alert because there are many people passing by to clean up after the flood." Du says, start observing the area with a trained eye, looking for familiar signs — slithering tracks, shedding skin, or crevices in the rocks that still retain adequate moisture and shade.

Before she began her search, she spent a few minutes standing still on the riverbank, looking down at a nearby stretch of water—not the Triple Eddy, but close enough to remind her of all that had happened six days before. She no longer felt the panic rising like every time before when standing near this water, there was only a familiar, gentler sadness, like an old scar that had healed but still left traces every time the wind turned.

"Are you okay?" Khiem asked, realizing Du was standing silently looking down at the water.

"Fine." Du replied, turning around, his eyes returning to a state of concentration on work. "It's just a habit, every time I come here I stop for a moment."

Her phone vibrated, a text message came from Thu: "Baby Nhi was discharged from the hospital this morning, sister! The family sends their thanks to you and the whole camp. I asked you to send me an invitation to visit your house when you are free."

Du read the message, a light smile appeared on her lips, dispelling some of the sadness that had just passed by. She texted back briefly: "It's so fun, thank you for reporting. I will definitely visit." Then he put the phone in his pocket and turned to Khiem in high spirits.

"Baby Nhi has been discharged from the hospital." she said. "Looks like a good start to today's trip."

They spent nearly two hours searching the area around the earth god temple, gradually expanding to neighboring mounds. There was no trace of Mist-Scaled Vipers — perhaps the snakes moved back up to higher mountains when the water receded, following their survival instincts.

"Let's go further and try." Du proposed, opening a map marking the points recorded over the past eight years. "There is another area near the foot of the mountain, about three kilometers from here, that has recorded a few individuals before."

They drove to their new destination, a low hill covered with boulders and thick bushes, where sunlight filtered through the foliage to create dappled streaks of light on the ground. The air here is much drier, carrying the typical smell of soil and rotting leaves of mountain forests after rain.

"Look at that." Khiem pointed to a large rock, where a layer of freshly shed snake skin lay across a small crack.

Du came closer, carefully examined the skin, measured the size with her eyes and compared it with the characteristics of Mist-Scaled Viper that she had memorized throughout many years of working. "The right species. It's still quite new, probably molted within the last week, which means it's still hanging around this area and hasn't moved far."

They continued to carefully search the area, and after nearly forty minutes, Khiem discovered a trail leading into a deep, dark crevice in the rock, where sunlight could not reach.

"Miss Du, is this right?" He asked softly, not daring to come any closer.

Du approached, knelt down to observe, and used a small flashlight to shine close to the crack in the rock. A pair of small eyes reflected the light, along with a characteristic translucent white head scale.

"Right." She spoke, her voice calm but focused. "Prepare the tools, follow the same procedure as last time."

This time, there was no rain or wind, no threatening rushing water, no urgent radio noise signaling that time was running out. There was only morning sunlight, the sound of birds singing in the trees, and two people working with the careful concentration of professionals who had undergone the greatest challenge of their lives just a week earlier.

Du slowly slid the snake's hook into the crack of the rock, feeling the distinct difference in his mood compared to that night - no more adrenaline rush because a child's life was hanging in the balance, only the pure concentration of a person doing the right job he had chosen.

The snake wriggled slightly when it was lifted out of the rock crevice, but was quickly put into the cloth bag neatly and professionally, without the slightest embarrassment.

"One more." Khiem said, his voice was full of excitement but he was much more restrained than the first time, no longer panicked like when he first started his career.

"That's enough for today." Du stood up and brushed the dust off the knees of his pants. "Two individuals are enough to supplement the herd of immune horses, building a more stable reserve for the next season. We don't need to exhaust this area, leave it for the natural environment to recover, that's also the principle my grandfather always reminded me of."

They walked back to the car in the gradually fading afternoon sunlight, no longer in a hurry, no longer with constant fear weighing down each step like last time. In the distance, the Lam Tri river still flows, gently and quietly, carrying a part of Du's memories but no longer able to completely control her mind like before.

On the way home, Khiem drove, giving Du time to rest after a stressful morning of work. He glanced at her a few times, seemingly pondering something in his mind before deciding to speak.

"Miss Du, can I ask you a question?" He asked, his voice cautious.

"Ask." Du replied, looking out the glass window, where the scenery on both sides of the road was gradually returning to its familiar green color after days of flooding.

"After what happened that night, have you thought about changing to another job? I mean, a job with less exposure to flood waters, with more old memories?"

Du was silent for a moment, thinking carefully before answering. "Do you think about the first days after my father passed away? There was a long time when I hated both snakes and water, and didn't want anything to do with them anymore." She smiled slightly, a smile mixed with self-mockery. "But then I realized, if I ran away from it, I would forever be a scared nine-year-old child watching my father walk down the riverbank. I didn't want to live my whole life like that."

"So how did your grandfather help you get through it?" Khiem asked, really curious.

"He didn't try to help her through it in a coercive way." Du replied. "He just stayed by her side, patiently, letting her find her own way. Perhaps that was the biggest lesson he left her — not how to catch snakes, not how to extract venom, but how to face fear without letting it swallow you whole."

Khiem nodded, silently contemplating what he had just heard, still holding the steering wheel firmly on the road that was now completely dry, different from the muddy road they had passed six days ago.

"I think in the future, if I have my own students, I also want to do what you and your grandfather did." He spoke, his voice full of determination of a young person who has just found a role model to follow.

"I will do it." Du said, turning to look at him with trusting eyes. "I saw that clearly from that night. Not everyone can keep their mind clear in the middle of rushing water like you did."

The car continued to roll on the road back to the camp, carrying two newly caught Mist-Scaled Vipers, along with a new chapter in the journey of building a more stable serum reserve for the whole land that still had to face the flood seasons of not knowing what was waiting ahead, the flood seasons for which they now had a little more preparation, a little more experience, so that they no longer had to be completely passive like before.