In this era of sparse spiritual qi, there's still such a demon creature. The kid begs to be let go. He's a boy, he says, and he still wants to win this tug of war with the girl. This is an illusion, the kid says. If he falls from here, he'll be crushed to pieces. He eats the snake's core, which can increase his qi energy. The smell of the snake makes the kid want to run away, but he can't because he's not strong enough to do so. The snake will save him.