Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Jiang Yunsui leaned in, driven by curiosity.

Then, the thing came to life. With a sharp *whoosh*, it lunged straight at her.

Jiang Yunsui let out a terrified scream and tumbled backward onto the ground.

Her tiny hands flailed instinctively.

Her little paws moved so fast they left afterimages.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The two dogs also barked in alarm.

Jiang Yunsui felt something wrap around her hand.

Terrified, she opened her eyes with a tremble.

She found herself staring directly into the face of a snake, less than a fist’s width away.

“Hiss, hiss…”

The snake’s flickering tongue almost brushed against the tip of her nose.

Jiang Yunsui took a tiny, sharp breath.

If she got bitten by a venomous snake now, would she be poisoned?

Back when she was a mushroom, being bitten didn’t matter, but she wasn’t sure about now.

The girl and the snake stared at each other for a long time. Jiang Yunsui didn’t dare move an inch.

The snake before her was a vibrant red with a triangular head-the universal sign of a highly venomous creature.

“Hiss, hiss~”

The red snake coiled its body around her small arm, its head tilting slightly as if observing the person in front of it.

Jiang Yunsui shakily reached out with her other hand, and a spore emerged from her palm.

“Here, this is for you to eat. Just… please don’t bite me.”

Her voice was trembling, but she had greeted enough animals to have some courage. As long as the snake didn’t bite her, she could manage.

The red snake slid forward, its head landing on her other palm to swallow the small clump of Imperial Flowing Essence.

Immediately, the snake’s body went limp with pleasure, swaying as if it were drunk.

Jiang Yunsui took a deep breath. Seizing the opportunity, she carefully grabbed the snake by the neck, scrambled to her feet, and bolted.

“Ahhh… Help!”

And so, not long after she had left, Jiang Yunsui came wailing back into the Front Courtyard.

The people in the courtyard glanced at her first, then saw the obviously venomous snake wrapped around her wrist. They instantly panicked.

“Stop! Don’t run around!”

“Quick, catch her! There’s a venomous snake on her hand!”

“Don’t run! We’ll help you get it off!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The courtyard descended into chaos. Even the hidden guards emerged from the shadows.

Ji Yan’an ran out when he heard the commotion. His pupils constricted the moment he saw the snake on Jiang Yunsui.

“Stay still!”

Jiang Yunsui sobbed, “Waaa… I’m scared it’ll bite me!”

The snake had snapped out of its daze and was now in a defensive, aggressive posture, glaring at everyone else.

The problem was that most of its body was still coiled around Jiang Yunsui.

Nanshu and the others watched with their hearts in their throats, terrified the creature would turn and sink its fangs into her.

Nothing could be allowed to happen to this little girl.

“Don’t move.”

Ji Yan’an spoke calmly to soothe her.

Jiang Yunsui sniffled and stood obediently still.

“Everyone, step back.”

Fearing that a crowd would provoke the snake’s predatory instincts, Ji Yan’an ordered everyone to retreat, leaving only two skilled guards behind.

“I’ll do it.”

Shen Qingzhu, currently disguised as a servant, stepped forward. He walked slowly toward Jiang Yunsui.

When he saw that she was still pinching the snake’s neck with one hand, his lip twitched.

Looking at this scene, he wasn’t sure who was supposed to be more afraid of whom.

With practiced ease, he pinched the snake at its seven-inch mark-the vital spot-and pulled it off her.

Instantly, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Yunsui patted her little chest.

“Scared me to def.”

Shen Qingzhu remarked, “Weren’t you the one holding it by the neck? You seemed plenty brave to me.”

Jiang Yunsui looked aggrieved. “I didn’t dare let go. My arm was getting so sore from holding it up.”

She had been terrified that the moment she let go, the thing would bite her.
So she had rushed back to find someone to save her life.

She glanced at the venomous snake, which looked quite docile in Shen Qingzhu’s hands, and shuffled her feet a little further away.

Ji Yan’an walked over. “Did you get bitten?”

She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

“I even grabbed it by the neck!”

Now that the snake was gone, the Little Mushroom was acting a bit smug.

After examining the snake, Shen Qingzhu said, “This is a Blazing Flame Snake. It’s extremely toxic. One bite can cause a person to bleed from their seven orifices and die within a few breaths. If you’re bitten, there’s simply no time to save you.”

Hearing this, everyone silently moved a few steps away from him.

“However, this little thing probably didn’t have time to bite anyone yesterday.”

After all, among those who had died of poisoning the night before, none had died bleeding from their seven orifices.

His lips curled upward. “Young Master, give this snake to me.”

Nanshu muttered, “What do you want with that venomous snake? Don’t tell me you actually want to keep it as a pet.”

To everyone’s surprise, Shen Qingzhu actually nodded.

Immediately, the way everyone looked at him became tinged with horror.

“The Blazing Flame is the most suitable for refining a King Snake. These things are rare; I haven’t seen one in a long time. They certainly had good luck-I don’t know where they found it. This Blazing Flame looks like it was born not too long ago.”

Ji Yan’an thought: *He’s not even trying to hide it anymore, is he?*

“As you wish.”

Jiang Yunsui followed Ji Yan’an back to his room and trotted over to pour herself a cup of tea.

She needed to calm her nerves.

Ji Yan’an spoke expressionlessly. “That’s my cup.”

With her mouth full of tea, Jiang Yunsui heard him and handed the cup over.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Then she picked up another cup and started drinking again.

“Phew… Bye-bye, Young Master, I’m leaving again.”

But just as she was about to leave, her eyes caught the Soybean Cake on his table, and her feet retreated back into the room.

She blinked her large, innocent eyes obediently.

“That cakey… are you going to eat it?”

Ji Yan’an followed her gaze, and his mouth twitched.

“Take it.”

Because of what happened last night, Ji Yan’an was being a bit more indulgent with her.

“Young Master, you are a super, super big good person!”

Holding the plate of pastries, Jiang Yunsui then spotted a tea canister that only had a little bit of tea leaves left.

“Young Master…”

Ji Yan’an didn’t even wait for her to finish before saying blankly, “Take it.”

Jiang Yunsui’s eyes lit up like stars. Ji Yan’an really was her golden thigh.

“Then I’m off! I’ll be back very soon~”

Jiang Yunsui didn’t leave immediately. She went to find Shen Qingzhu to ask for two snake-repelling sachets-one for herself and one for Aunt Chen.

Ji Yan’an watched her walk away and asked with a hint of annoyance, “Is she getting bolder and bolder?”

Nanshu gave an awkward laugh.

He thought to himself, *It’s not like you’re actually angry, either.*

This time, Jiang Yunsui didn’t dare dawdle on the road. She hurried along on her short legs, heading straight for the small courtyard where Cook Chen lived.

“Auntie, Auntie, I’m back to see you!”

But no one was there.

She scratched her head and decided to check the small kitchen.

In the small kitchen, Aunt Chen was poking around the stove for roasted sweet potatoes.

“Aunt Chen, can you finish all those roasted ones?”

Cook Chen carefully patted the ash off the roasted sweet potatoes.

“I’m saving these for Suisui. That little girl loves to eat them.”

Speaking of Jiang Yunsui, the people in the kitchen certainly had things to say.

“You really have a good eye. This Suisui is quite successful now. It hasn’t been long at all, yet she’s not only become a maid by the Young Master’s side, but she’s even moved to the Front Courtyard.”