Snake Immortal: The Tale of a Snake's Cultivation to Immortality - Ch. 5 - A Life-and-Death Struggle

[MangaDex]

 

[NicholasTurner]

He could go with the excuse of they were hunting the snake but the bear suddenly attacked them, it's not unheard of for bears to wake up early when hibernating especially if they didn't get enough food before winter and what better reason for not enough food than a second apex predator suddenly arriving before winter to fatten up for hibernation.