Beauty Snake - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Snake Trafficker, Xie Yin

“Grandma? Where are you going!?”

A sea of rising fire surrounded her, and waves of heat slapped mercilessly against Ji Yunfei. Behind a towering wall of flames, she caught sight of her grandmother’s silhouette.

The oxygen in the air was growing thin, making it hard to breathe. Clutching her nose and mouth, she struggled to take a step forward, desperate to catch up to that fading, blurred shadow. Yet, as she followed that direction, she didn’t find a person; instead, she saw the ground littered with bleached bones and a giant black-and-yellow python coiled atop them.

Hiss—ha—

Upon seeing her, the giant python opened its mouth and let out a warning hiss. Ji Yunfei noticed that those normally pale green eyes had somehow turned a vivid, bloody red, unable to hide the murderous intent within.

Betting that the giant python wouldn’t hurt her, Ji Yunfei summoned her courage and continued to inch forward. Suddenly, a massive impact struck her waist. The world began to tilt and blur in a dizzying whirl.

With a thud, Ji Yunfei fell hard to the ground. Enduring the agonizing pain throughout her body, she looked up at the python again, only to see a gaze that looked down on her like an ant—filled with disdain and indifference…

“Ugh… ah…” The pain became more intense; she was about to reach her limit. Before her consciousness sank into total chaos, she saw a row of her “snake babies” slowly peeking their heads out from behind the giant python, their eyes filled with greed…

“Ha—ha—”

Ji Yunfei jolted awake from the nightmare, her clothes once again soaked in sweat.

CRACK-BOOM— A bolt of lightning struck without warning. The pitter-patter of rain outside suddenly turned into a torrential downpour. Thunder rolled, and a violent gale howled.

Creek—creek— Her door and windows rattled violently under the wind, as if they would be breached at any moment. Groggy and squinting, Ji Yunfei rolled out of bed to secure them. But the moment her foot touched the floor, a sharp pain shot up from her sole.

“Hiss, ah—” Wincing, she yanked her foot back. She hurriedly grabbed her glasses from the nightstand, and the world came into focus.

The floor was covered in shattered glass. Following the trail of shards, she saw a scene she would never forget. All the terrariums lay overturned and smashed on the floor. Landscaping soil and plants were scattered everywhere, mixed with rainwater dripping from the roof. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth.

Her heart skipped a beat, followed by a suffocating sensation that wrapped tightly around her. Ignoring the glass on the floor, she rushed toward the wreckage.

“No… how can this be…” She searched frantically through the mess, trying to find any sign of her snakes.

“Fatty…” Behind a piece of rockery, she found the hognose snake, trembling. Looking at the lingering terror in poor Fatty’s eyes, her heart ached.

After confirming the little hognose wasn’t injured beyond the scare, she found a temporary spot for it. Then, she threw on a coat, grabbed an umbrella, and braved the storm to search for the others.

But the merciless rain gave her no chance; the downpour washed away the soil and any tracks the snakes might have left. Ultimately, that night left Ji Yunfei standing alone in the pitch black, allowing the rain to lash against her. Tears and rain mingled on her face. She felt a piece of her heart go missing, a void that was hard to fill.

The next day, the sun rose as usual, as if everything last night had been an illusion. The sunlight was warm, but it couldn’t warm Ji Yunfei.

Of her snake babies, only the terrified Fatty remained. The rest had vanished without a trace. Ji Yunfei was filled with grief and rage—furious at herself for not hearing anything. If she had woken up sooner, would things be different?

“Xiao Fei, what happened to you?” Seeing her swollen, red eyes, Grandma was startled and asked immediately.

“It’s nothing, Grandma. I was just too moved by a novel I was reading last night. Don’t worry.” Ji Yunfei forced the corners of her mouth up into a pained smile to reassure her. Grandma could only sigh inwardly and pat her hand in comfort.

Once the floodwater evaporated, Ji Yunfei set out for the back mountain, clinging to a final shred of hope. As expected, the rain had scrubbed the path clean. She walked while calling out the snakes’ names, parting every bush she encountered.

By what seemed like destiny, she arrived at that familiar cave again. This time, fear didn’t even cross her mind. Driven by sheer willpower, she dove inside; this was her only chance.

To her surprise, the entry was incredibly smooth. The bothersome bats and rats seemed to have vanished into thin air. There was no sound in the cave except for her own footsteps. Soon, she reached the large cavern where she had first seen the black snake. In the center was the familiar icy throne. Seeing it even made her blush slightly.

However, unlike before, there was no snake on the throne, nor was there a “beauty snake.” As she approached, a glint of light caught her eye. On the frost-covered throne lay a single, small black scale.

Ji Yunfei picked it up delicately, as if it were a priceless treasure. The tiny spark of hope in her heart suddenly roared into a flame. She began to explore the surroundings, desperate for more evidence of their presence.

But it was futile. After searching for hours, she found nothing but that scale. Her heart sank to rock bottom. With her head low and eyes stinging, she clutched the scale and walked slowly toward the exit.

In a corner she couldn’t see, over a dozen pairs of vertical pupils emerged in the darkness, glowing faintly. The most captivating of them all was the pair of pale green eyes, overflowing with reluctance and apology.

“Xiao Fei, focus on your work once you’re back in the city. As for your snakes… Grandma will keep an eye out for them here.”

The day for her return to the city arrived. Days of searching had repeatedly raised her hopes only to crush them. She gradually realized she couldn’t find them. With the company pestering her to return, she had to leave her last bit of hope with her grandmother. Maybe one day they would reappear? If they left of their own accord, she wouldn’t force them back; she only hoped they were safe.

With a heavy heart, she boarded the bus back to the city, carrying Fatty with her. She hadn’t rested properly in days, and the bumpy ride made her drowsy. Before drifting off, her only thought was: If I sleep, will I dream of them? Please don’t go…

She did dream of them. She was feeding them and petting their heads as usual. The black snake rubbed against her and licked her face. Everything was impossibly beautiful. But the warmth didn’t last; their forms began to fade until they vanished into the air, no matter how loudly she called.

SCREECH— The bus braked hard, shattering the dream. Ji Yunfei woke up and wiped her face, finding it soaked with tears. She sniffled and forced herself not to think about it.

Upon arriving at her destination, she looked at the towering skyscrapers, hailed a ride, and headed home. Before returning to the “ox and horse” corporate life, she needed rest.

Ding—

“Fei-zi, I heard you’re coming back to work? How’s it going? Any progress with that… beauty snake you were obsessed with?”

It was a message from her friend and the director of the neighboring department, Chi Chang.

“Just got home. Back to work tomorrow. As for the beauty snake… don’t ask. Devastating losses.”

Ji Yunfei had no energy to share the details. She was physically and mentally exhausted, in dire need of recovery… or perhaps… numbness.

“I can tell you’re down in the dumps. Wait for me after work tomorrow. Sister’s taking you to a ‘good place’.”

“…”

Seeing Chi Chang’s flighty tone, Ji Yunfei’s eyelid twitched. This girl definitely wasn’t taking her anywhere “proper”…

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