Chapter Nineteen: Testing the Serpent

Page (1/3)

He had been here for two days, but Mr. Hong was busy with work. Sha Le’er had nothing to do except follow Li Ying around the Serpent Park. The scale of the park was staggering; Li Ying said that there were now eight hundred thousand snakes, and the number increased every year.

Sha Le’er was left utterly speechless.

“Sister Ying, with so many snakes, who could possibly eat all that snake meat?”

“Eat snake meat?” Li Ying laughed so hard she clutched her stomach. “I can't believe that's what you thought! Good heavens, do you really think we raise snakes just for their meat?”

“If not for meat, then for what?” Sha Le’er laughed along, seeing her amusement. “Back in the countryside, whenever we catch a snake, it’s only for the meat—it’s delicious.”

Li Ying had no choice but to explain the uses of farmed snakes. When Sha Le’er heard that five grams of snake venom could sell for a thousand U.S. dollars on the international market, and that snake gall, dried snake, and snake oil were all treasures, he was left gaping, unsure what to say. Li Ying went on to tell him that under Boss Hong's Jiahao Corporation, not only did they own this serpent park and its processing factory, but also a pharmaceutical company and a snake oil balm factory.

Sha Le’er’s ignorance both surprised and delighted Li Ying. And when Sha Le’er deliberately played dumb, saying things that made no sense, she laughed until her sides ached, with Sha Le’er grinning foolishly at her side.

“Le’er, are you just pretending to be foolish to make me laugh?”

“Not at all. I really am a bit slow.”

“Hmph… still trying to fool me? Watch me knock you!” Li Ying pretended to hit him, and he dodged. Their relationship was beginning to resemble that of siblings.

At last, Boss Hong came to see him.

“Le’er,”—Boss Hong now called him Le’er, not ‘little brother’ anymore, and Le’er called him Chairman rather than Boss Hong—“where’s your snake? Is it with you?”

“No, it’s off somewhere, running wild. It only comes back at night.”

“All right, then tonight we’ll put your snake to the test and see its might.”

“Test the snake? How?”

“Of course, we’ll have it fight another snake. Let’s see if it can defeat the others.”

“No problem. Ordinary snakes don’t dare to fight with Jin, they just cower when they see it.”

“They don’t dare to fight it?” Boss Hong was a little surprised—he hadn’t seen that before. “Have you had it fight other snakes before?”

“Whenever I took it out to play and it encountered other snakes, they’d faint with fright as soon as they saw it.”

Whenever Le’er spoke of Jin, his face was full of pride and absolute confidence.

“Is it really that amazing?” Boss Hong looked skeptical. “Very well, tonight we’ll see just how impressive it is.”

Boss Hong left. Li Ying looked at Sha Le’er, puzzled.

Page (2/3)

“You have a snake?”

“Yes. The chairman offered me a hundred thousand, but I couldn’t bear to sell it.”

“You turned down a hundred thousand? What kind of snake is that valuable?” Li Ying truly couldn’t figure out her seemingly foolish cheap little brother. “A hundred thousand is no small sum.”

“I wanted to sell it at first, but the chairman said he’d keep it in a cage. I couldn’t bear it—Jin is like my own little brother, we’re that close. I can’t let it suffer.”

Li Ying stared at Sha Le’er, unable to tell if he was truly foolish or just pretending. Judging by his clever look, he seemed anything but foolish—in fact, quite smart. But a hundred thousand was a fortune to him; could affection for a snake really give him such strength?

She shook her head and followed after the chairman. She lived in a separate villa. Sha Le’er had only seen the inside from outside—it was stunningly beautiful.

That night, the little snake Jin came back happily. As soon as it returned, it leapt onto Le’er, licking his face with its red tongue. It had become a habit, just like a puppy wagging its tail at its master.

Sha Le’er brought Jin along, following Boss Hong and Li Ying, plus two other people, to a bungalow. Inside was a large hall with a big platform, and on the platform a huge iron cage. Around it were stands with chairs for the audience. Boss Hong and Li Ying took seats on the nearest stand.

Soon, someone brought tea.

“Le’er, have some tea,” Boss Hong said to Sha Le’er, then turned to instruct a sharp-looking young man, “Dong Hua, go fetch the fiercest cobra you can find.”

“Chairman, you all have some. I’m not thirsty.”

“Le’er, are you confident your little snake will win?”

“I think so. But I’ve never actually seen Jin fight a cobra before.” Le’er gently stroked his little snake, which lay quietly on his shoulder. “Once the snake comes in, I’ll know just by Jin’s reaction.”

“Let’s first see its fighting ability. If it’s truly strong, you and I could make a lot of money together.”

Le’er simply smiled, looking around the hall. This was clearly a fighting arena for snakes. The stands could seat at least five hundred, so there must be quite a crowd for these matches.

After a while, Dong Hua and another young man arrived, carrying an iron cage. Inside was a cobra about one and a half meters long. As soon as Jin caught its scent, it became agitated, hissing fiercely.

Dong Hua placed the iron cage inside the big one.

“Le’er, are you sure? It’s just an ordinary cobra, but it’s a formidable fighter.”

“No problem,” Le’er said, looking at his snake. “Jin is already showing its power. As soon as I let go, it’ll charge right in.”

“All right, let it enter the big cage first.”

Le’er released his hand stroking the little snake. Instantly, Jin shot forward like a golden lightning bolt into the big cage, landing atop the small iron cage. It coiled itself, its cold snake eyes fixed on the cobra. The cobra was two-thirds larger, coiled in the cage, and sensed the threat.

“Le’er, can your snake really win? It’s so small, the cobra could swallow it in one bite.”

Page (3/3)

Li Ying watched the two mismatched snakes with some concern. Moreover, while cobras might not be among the world’s most venomous snakes, their fierce reputation was well known—they were no ordinary serpent.

“Don’t worry. Just watch the show,” Le’er said, full of confidence, not the least bit concerned for Jin. He had seen his little snake fight others many times and knew its temperament well.

“All right, Dong Hua, release the cobra,” Boss Hong said, his tone tinged with anticipation as he watched the big iron cage. On his order, Dong Hua first shut the big cage door, then used iron tongs to open the small cage’s door.

The mesh of the small cage was so fine that even little Jin couldn’t squeeze through. As the door opened, Jin darted to the entrance. The cobra instantly reared its broad, flat head, hissing, but instead of attacking, it retreated step by step.

“Well now, this little snake is something special—the cobra is clearly intimidated.”

Boss Hong laughed.

Jin, on the other hand, grew quiet, its eyes fixed coldly on the cobra. Its red tongue flicked, but it no longer hissed.

“Jin, back up for now. Wait until the cobra comes out before you fight.”

Strangely, the little snake seemed to understand Sha Le’er’s words. Its body slowly retreated, though its head stayed still, eyes locked on the cobra in the small cage.

But the cobra’s kingly demeanor was gone. It shrank into a corner, hissing in threat, but stubbornly refused to come out.

“Chairman, if the cobra won’t leave the cage, there’s no way to fight.”

“Haha, this is interesting—I’m growing more confident in your little snake,” Boss Hong said with a loud laugh. “Dong Hua, drive the cobra out.”

Dong Hua prodded the back of the small cage with tongs. The cobra had no choice but to crawl forward. Seeing the little snake over a meter away, coiled calmly and staring coldly at it, the cobra raised its head, tongue flicking, trying to look fierce and frighten the smaller snake off.

Finally the cobra emerged. In that instant, Jin moved. Its coiled body shot up, transforming into a streak of golden light. For a moment, everyone’s vision blurred, and when they could see clearly again, the little snake was back in its original spot, coiled up, while on the cobra’s vital point were eight tiny puncture wounds.

In the blink of an eye, Jin had bitten the cobra’s weak spot four times.

The cobra was still hissing, but it could no longer raise its head. Then, another flash of gold—and when the spectators looked again, the cobra lay sprawled on the ground, head never to rise again.

“My god, this little snake is too fast,” Boss Hong exclaimed, his face glowing with delight. “Excellent, truly excellent. Compared to the king cobra, its attack speed is just as impressive—though the king cobra is much bigger, so your snake might not be its match.”

“Chairman, how do we know until we try?” Sha Le’er grinned with pride. The big iron door opened, and with a swish, the little snake darted back onto his shoulder.