The marathon route was about four kilometers long, and the team escorting the deity was sprinting along the closed road, guided by the sound of firecrackers.
The team Ansheng belonged to had porters who, although older, were all farmers who frequently ran to Tea Mountain. Like old soldiers, they ate from large stainless-steel bowls, showcasing their endurance.
As Ansheng's convoy turned a corner, they encountered another village's convoy.
Seeing Ansheng's convoy approaching, they didn't hesitate to block the path.
"Try bumping into one of us, and An will treat you all to KFC after the god parade!"
"You'll learn what it means to have Colonel Sanders minus the 'Ken' and 'De,' just a buff Colonel standing there!"
Seeing the opponents pressing forward, Ansheng immediately shouted scolding noises, waving the feather duster in his hand with a mischievous grin.
But the opposing convoy didn't understand Fox's threats.
They braked sharply, aiming to stop Ansheng and slow down his convoy.
Ansheng sneered, poking the opposite porters under the arms with the feather duster.
"Parading in this summer, only wearing vests? You probably haven't experienced a feather duster!"
"Haha! Fouled! You guys from Changxi Town fouled!"
The porters attacked by Ansheng laughed, feeling tickled under their arms, nearly dropping their master's sedan chair.
The running rhythm was completely thrown off by Master Fox's tickling, the breathing pattern in chaos.
"Nonsense! Our Master Fox greeted you with a big tail! If you're acting crazy, how's that our Fox Master's problem?"
Leading ahead, Yu Zhenghong didn't fully see Master Fox's defensive counterattack, only catching a glimpse of him seemingly waving something in greeting.
Then the opposing porters were thrown into chaos.
"If you have the skills, let your master greet us too! See if I kneel or not?"
Yu Zhenghong charged forward carrying the sedan, but he still spat towards the opposite side.
Our Master Fox has skills.
If your master has skills, why not come out and see us fall?
"Damn, sounds reasonable..."
Watching Ansheng's convoy disappear quickly around the bend, the porters from the other village cursed as they helped their master and chased forward.
In the time they wasted, two teams had already overtaken them, carrying the sedan with one shoulder and holding a pole with one hand, sprinting rapidly with the hundreds of pounds of deity.
The villagers along the way seemed accustomed to the high-intensity competition during the deity parade.
The villagers stood on both sides of the road, recording videos with their phones as if watching a human-powered Formula 1 race.
Even those using firecrackers to guide the sound stayed far away, igniting them on the road with a pole.
Being hit by a parade team is as impactful as a slow collision with a small A0-class car.
Although people wouldn't spin into the sky from the impact,
sliding three to five meters was normal.
"Quick! Two more teams ahead!"
Fellow villagers along the way, especially at the bends on the path, cheered Ansheng on, updating him with real-time race information.
Initially, there were four teams ahead, but two unfamiliar with the roads of Changxi Town took wrong turns, and despite timely U-turns, ended up taking lengthy detours.
Ansheng was now secured in the top three, but the other two had started more than a minute earlier.
Running along the track, it was still difficult for Ansheng's convoy to catch up with the first and second positions ahead.
"Looks like my first time as the master, friendship comes first, competition second."
Ansheng, sitting in the sedan chair, had emerged from the village path onto the main road, and from his view, he could see the small agricultural market, which was already brightly lit, ready to welcome the first arrival.
Ansheng was at least 300 meters away from first place, and 100 meters away from second.
After the previous three kilometers of sprinting, everyone was a bit tired, but maintained a sprint speed equivalent to that of university students, making it hard to close the gap.
"Although I feel a bit guilty towards the old porters, rest assured, tonight Master Fox will treat everyone to the whole set at the exquisite East Sea!"
Ansheng thought about it, being his first time representing Changxi Town in the competition, he didn't want the village to lose.
Feeling apologetic, the little fox opened his mouth and let out a resonant squeal toward the area around the agricultural market.
"Fuh?"
A King Cobra less than three meters long heard Master Fox's call, poked its head out of the bushes, with a Bamboo Leaf Green Snake in its mouth.
A hundred meters away, a group of young King Cobras peeked out, looking towards the asphalt road leading to the agricultural market.
The big King Cobra seemed puzzled but followed Master Fox's instructions, playing a chasing game.
Without hands, it would have scratched its head in confusion.
The Snake King raced, using its unique burst technique, sprinting at 6 meters per second.
It leapt behind Ansheng's convoy, letting out a loud hiss.
"Holy crap!? A King Cobra!"
Yu Zhenghong caught a glimpse of a black shadow from the corner of his eye, instinctively looked over, and saw a large snake with a square face, neck like a ladle, hanging behind him, flicking its tongue.
The other sedan bearers were stunned, turned to look, and locked eyes with the bewildered little eyes of the King Cobra.
In the silence, it was as if Ansheng's fleet had nitro boosters installed on their palanquins.
The King Cobra behind let out a hiss, and the whole fleet suddenly picked up a great deal of speed.
In the blink of an eye.
The soles of their shoes were almost sparking, and the Ansheng fleet, moving as if they had racing shadows, passed the original second place team by light-years.
"?"
The second place parade team was baffled, and the sedan bearers looked at the Ansheng team, utterly puzzled.
Until they saw the swarm of King Cobras following Ansheng's team, they were instantly shocked and turned pale.
"Holy shit! A whole nest of King Cobras! Did they step on a mother snake protecting her babies?"
Realizing something wasn't right, the second place team quickly jumped to the side to avoid the speeding snake swarm.
"Screw your mom! Call the fire department, quick!"
The Ansheng fleet sped away, someone in the distance cursed at the original second place team.
The King Cobra's burst speed is six meters per second.
Though it can only be maintained for a short time, it's enough to make adrenaline soar, and for people to run for their lives with all their strength.
The sedan initially carried on their shoulders was lifted high, and the old men seemed to relive their childhood, scared witless.
"Holy shit!"
From the neighboring Dougu Village, the team who thought they had first place in the bag was dumbfounded seeing a row of fully ignited old men overtake them.
"What youthful, passionate old men! At their age, running so fast, aren't they afraid of breaking their bones?"
Dougu Village's young people cursed inwardly, but soon found themselves unable to curse.
Because, the King Cobra swarm caught up to them.
One moment, they were cursing the old men of Changxi Town, calling them youthful and passionate.
The next moment, they transformed into energetic young men themselves.
The toxicity of King Cobra venom isn't the top in Xia Country, but the amount they inject is often copious, like a shot glass full. The locals all know not to mess with any King Cobra.
Once bitten, the fatality rate is very high, especially during the King Cobra's breeding season; it's advised not to wander around Snake Mountain and its surroundings unless you have a death wish.
Moreover.
The King Cobra is also a protected species.
In short, seeing one makes your scalp tingle, and not everyone welcomes King Cobras like Ah Qing does.
"Whee whee whee!"
Seeing that they'd reached first place and that the temporary altar stage was within reach, Ansheng let out a whee to the helping King Cobras, thanking them for their assistance.
In the future, if they encountered any issues, they could go directly to Master Fox.
"Village chief! Help! We're being chased by snakes!"
Upon reaching the altar stage in front of Changxi Town's people, Yu Zhenghong couldn't hold it in and shouted loudly about his ordeal, almost crying.
"Forget about the snakes! We'll block them for you, hurry and invite Master Fox to the altar, quick, secure the first spot!"
Old Chen scanned the surroundings and, not seeing any snake-related items or similar shapes, urgently urged Yu Zhenghong's group to keep running in.
Forget about the snakes, we'll cover you; now hurry and secure the front spot!
Urged on by Old Chen, Yu Zhenghong's group picked up the pace and ran into the shade, stopping at the red cloth hanging from the top of the canopy to the ground.
"Boom boom boom!"
A burst of gong and drum sounds erupted inside the canopy, and the villagers of Changxi Town cheered, eagerly lifting the palanquin with Ansheng inside. Meanwhile, outside, the firecrackers prepped for the occasion were lit.
"Whee whee whee!"
Lifted high by the villagers of Changxi Village, the little fox stood upright in its palanquin, whimpered, and raised both arms high. If you looked closely, you could see the little fox's fingers were uneven.
The little fox's fingers curled in, mimicking a No.1 gesture.
"Whee whee whee!"
"Xiaolan!"
Riding a scooter driven by Mo Yiqing, Yu Xueqing saw Ansheng being lifted high, a bit surprised.
"Wow!"
Mo Yiqing, seemingly influenced by the scene's atmosphere, felt as if he was back at a dragon boat race, raising his phone, and joining the others in heckling in front of the altar.