Chapter Twenty: Black Tiger Serpent

Boss Hong tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

“The king cobra... No, we can’t have the king cobra enter just yet,” he murmured to Sha Le’er. “The king cobra and the black mamba are the most formidable in terms of attack power. I have several black mambas, but only one king cobra. If the king cobra dies in a fight, the loss would be too great. Besides, I worry your little snake might suffer; it’s too precious. I’ve consulted several herpetology experts—they all say there’s no record of such a snake in the world. If it gets eaten, that would truly be a huge loss.”

Snakes eat snakes. The little snake, Jin’er, is too small. Once it falls into the mouth of another snake, escape is impossible; it will be swallowed. This is the only one of its kind in the world. Even if there are a few scattered in some remote wilderness, none have yet been discovered. Not even a dead one as a specimen would fetch less than a hundred thousand yuan.

Boss Hong was a shrewd businessman, a sharp-minded entrepreneur. Otherwise, why would he pay a hundred thousand for this little snake? Just owning it as a display piece is worth more than that. Even if Le’er did nothing else, as long as the little snake was here, Boss Hong was making money, paying Le’er three thousand yuan a month. How many people would the little snake attract? How many herpetology experts, breeding specialists, or snake traders would come?

Neither Sha Le’er nor Li Ying had realized the snake was so valuable. Le’er was too naïve to grasp its worth. Li Ying, sharp as she was, understood as soon as she heard there was no record of such a snake—this was a true treasure. She was genuinely happy for Le’er. The snake was worth far more than a hundred thousand; this kid was lucky indeed for not selling it.

Of course, if he donated it to the country, it would be a national treasure, but the state would at most reward him with ten or twenty thousand. Sell it to a foreign research institution, and a million dollars was possible.

But that was impossible. Le’er was just a village boy; he’d never find such a channel.

“How about this? Let’s try it out with a black tiger snake first,” Boss Hong decided. “But remember, Le’er, if the little snake shows any sign of fear, don’t force it to fight.”

“All right, don’t worry, Chairman. Jin’er is clever.”

The black tiger snake ranks eighth among the world’s venomous snakes, but in some research institutions’ lists of the most savage snakes, it ties with the eastern tiger snake for fifth place. The black tiger, tiger, and eastern tiger snakes are all from Australia. Tiger snakes are common in Australia, but their ferocity and venom are anything but ordinary.

When venomous snakes fight, venom is useless. It’s all about ferocity, cunning, and speed. Tiger snakes are renowned for their savagery; black tiger snakes especially so.

The black tiger snake, pitch black and deadly, was soon brought over in a cage and placed in the large iron enclosure. The little snake, Jin’er, had little reaction, only shifting slightly on Le’er’s shoulder, its eyes fixed on the black tiger snake, while the black tiger snake grew restless in the cage.

“Le’er, do you think you can handle this?”

“Jin’er isn’t reacting much—maybe... maybe it doesn’t even see it as a threat.” Le’er gently stroked the little snake, which flicked its tongue at his hand.

“This is a foreign snake. Maybe it’s never seen one before—doesn’t know the danger?” Boss Hong didn’t want anything to happen to Le’er’s little snake. Its value lay in its rarity, not its fighting.

“Let them try. Jin’er is nimble—even if it can’t win, it can escape.” Le’er looked at the little snake, which was staring coldly at the black tiger snake in the iron cage. “Judging by Jin’er’s look, it won’t lose. Our country snakes are straightforward, win if you can, no tricks. Jin’er must be confident.”

Li Ying chuckled softly. Since when were there country snakes and city snakes? Were country snakes more honest? Boss Hong laughed too at this.

“All right then, put your snake in. Remember, if things go badly, have it retreat.”

Le’er gently stroked the little snake.

“Jin’er, go bite it!”

The little snake seemed to truly hear the command. In a flash, it sprang from his shoulder into the iron enclosure. It didn’t attack right away, simply coiled silently, fixing a cold glare on the caged black tiger snake. The black tiger snake, noticing the intruder, grew agitated—unlike cobras, it wasn’t timid, hissing and flicking its tongue in threat. But the little snake was unmoved, coiled about two feet from the small cage, watching calmly.

“Hm... This little snake is something else. The black tiger snake seems threatened,” Li Ying observed, and Boss Hong nodded. He instructed Dong Hua to open the smaller cage. As soon as it was open, the black tiger snake lunged out, but stopped short of the little snake, then began to retreat, twisting and weaving back and forth, its tongue flicking, hissing more fiercely.

Li Ying and Boss Hong watched the enclosure with tense anticipation. Dong Hua and another young man even bent low in suspense. Le’er, seeing them, couldn’t help but laugh.

“Jin’er, bite that bastard to death.”

Li Ying shot Le’er a look for his crude words. He immediately understood—she’d scolded him for such language before.

At Le’er’s voice, the little snake suddenly turned into a streak of golden light, its body snapping forward. The black tiger snake reacted swiftly as well, coiling back, its head whipping around to bite at the golden flash, jaws wide, exposing its deadly fangs. Yet, despite its speed, it was a half-beat too slow—two tiny bloody holes appeared on its back.

It all happened in the blink of an eye—no one’s eyes could follow the little snake’s speed. By the time everyone realized what had happened, the black tiger snake was wounded and the little snake was quietly back in its original spot.

“Jin’er’s got guts—go Jin’er!” Le’er shouted.

In the stands, Li Ying didn’t scold him this time; a smile appeared on her face. Boss Hong, though having lost a tiger snake, was smiling too, first in surprise, then in delight. Normally Le’er was careful not to speak crudely in front of Li Ying, but in his excitement, the words slipped out.

Wounded, the black tiger snake grew even more frenzied, apparently enraged. It raised its head high and lunged at the little snake. The little snake, too, seemed angered, launching itself again like a streak of golden lightning. It no longer paused; again and again, it struck at the black tiger snake’s back. With each strike, more blood holes appeared—two, sometimes four at a time.

After a short while, the black tiger snake’s movements slowed, though it still hissed, but the wounds on its back and at its vital spot had sapped its strength.

“That’s enough, Le’er, don’t let them fight anymore,” Boss Hong called, seeing victory was decided. But now, Le’er couldn’t make the little snake stop. It struck the black tiger snake at its vital spot, forcing it to collapse, unable to move. Then, lifting its head, it hissed toward Le’er as if asking for praise.

“All right, look at you, so full of yourself. So you killed a black tiger snake—is that so impressive?” Le’er scolded the little snake with a cackle, but his heart was overflowing with joy. The iron gate opened, and the little snake returned to Le’er’s shoulder, affectionately flicking its tongue against his cheek. Even Li Ying felt a twinge of jealousy at their closeness.

“My goodness, what kind of snake is this?” Boss Hong, though one tiger snake poorer, was brimming with joy.

“Chairman, shall we keep going?” Li Ying asked, happy for Le’er.

“Yes,” Boss Hong clapped the armrest. “But the little snake is tired today. Tomorrow, let’s see it face the black mamba. If it can defeat the black mamba, we’ll really be in for a windfall.”

Everyone left the snake arena in high spirits, Boss Hong inviting Le’er to the city for a celebratory drink. Driving himself, with Li Ying and Le’er, they set off happily in the direction of Foshan.