Beauty Snake - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: How Could There Be Such a Beautiful Snake Tail?

“A ghost!!”

The next day, looking in the mirror at her bird’s-nest hair and the dark circles under her eyes, Ji Yunfei felt lightheaded, as if she were about to depart from this beautiful world.

“Splash, splash, splash… I definitely haven’t adjusted yet. This is crazy.”

Ji Yunfei turned on the tap and splashed two handfuls of cold water onto her face. Feeling the bone-chilling temperature, she finally regained a sense of reality.

After washing up, she went to find her grandmother to ask about the day’s schedule. Upon learning that the household was low on firewood and needed fresh supplies from the back mountain, a flicker of indiscernible joy flashed in Ji Yunfei’s heart.

Now she had a legitimate reason to go up there. Did that mean… well… she certainly wasn’t harboring fantasies about a chance encounter with a beautiful snake lady. No, definitely not.

Thus, with a hint of secret delight and a great deal of excitement, Ji Yunfei slung a small basket over her shoulder, picked up her wood-chopping axe, and wobbled her way up the mountain.

Following the rugged dirt paths, she slowly advanced toward the back mountain. At first, the bustling noise of the villagers was audible, but as she walked further, the sounds began to fade. Gradually, the only things Ji Yunfei could hear were the crunch of her own footsteps on weeds and fallen leaves, and the occasional chirp of a bird.

As she delved deeper, completely leaving the residential area behind, she was surrounded by towering trees. Eventually, even the birdsong vanished. A gust of wind blew, making the leaves rustle loudly.

Ji Yunfei glanced around, and once she was sure it was safe, she put down her basket and rubbed her hands together, preparing to chop wood.

To say she wasn’t nervous being alone on the mountain would be a lie; her outward composure was a facade, while her inner nerves were pulled tight like a bowstring. Although she had loved running wild on these hills as a child—acting like the “king of the mountain”—she had been a fearless kid then who understood nothing.

Now, things were different. She was just a weak office worker. If she encountered a wild boar or a black bear, she would simply have to accept her bad luck and become another nameless soul on this mountain!

“Hoo, deep breath. Ji Yunfei, you can do this.”

She tried to steady herself, shaking her head to clear away the strange thoughts. The most important thing was to chop enough wood quickly; everything else was irrelevant.

“Heh—ha!”

She aimed at the thick logs, her axe falling again and again. With a series of clacks, she soon had enough firewood. Looking at her handiwork, she nodded with satisfaction, took out a rope to bundle the wood, and tossed it into her basket.

With the task accomplished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. Just as she was about to pack up and head down, a rustling sound reached her ears.

Actually, while chopping wood, she had felt a chill down her spine, a sensation that something was observing her from the shadows. But every time she turned around, the feeling vanished, making it seem like a mere trick of the mind.

But now was not the time for contemplation. The sound was getting closer—as if something was moving rapidly toward her!

Ji Yunfei froze. Her legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move. She struggled to stay calm, trying to discern the source of the sound. Fortunately, she quickly pinpointed the direction.

She whipped around, holding her chopping knife in front of her. First, she grabbed a stone and threw it into the distance, then swung her blade wildly to scare off the unknown creature.

“Go away! Go away! Go away!”

She shouted loudly while swinging the knife, hoping the creature would take the hint and leave. After a period of frantic swinging, the sound finally began to recede. Only then did she dare open her eyes, but she immediately stared in shock.

Among the tangled weeds and fallen leaves, she saw it clearly: a snake tail… entirely black and inlaid with yellow diamond-shaped patterns. It looked utterly out of place in the environment. Ji Yunfei couldn’t believe her eyes. It was the most beautiful snake tail she had ever seen… so beautiful she couldn’t look away.

Ji Yunfei was entranced. As a snake lover, an impulse screamed within her, urging her to catch the snake and keep it. On the other hand, her reason told her no—it was too risky.

Although the two conflicting thoughts were still clashing in her mind, her actions were faster than her thoughts. She lunged forward, reaching out to grab the tail.

“Ouch!”

Unfortunately, in her haste, she failed to notice a protruding rock beneath her feet. Ji Yunfei was rewarded with a face-plant.

“Ow, ow, ow—”

She struggled to climb to her feet. At this moment, she didn’t care about the burning pain on her body; her only thought was that she had to find that snake.

But how could the snake wait there for her? By the time she looked again, where was there any sign of it?

Until she reached the bottom of the mountain, Ji Yunfei—covered in dirt and looking quite disheveled—was still secretly annoyed at herself for failing to follow the tail and investigate.

Upon arriving home, she took a quick bath, looked after her grandmother, and hurried back to her room. With a swish, she pulled a notebook from her drawer and drew the snake tail from her memory, adding a large exclamation mark next to it.

“I must find her,” she vowed silently.

Afterward, she collapsed onto her bed, staring at the drawing of the tail over and over, lost in thought. Exhausted by the day’s events, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Naturally, she did not notice the pair of vertical pupils glowing with a faint green light in the dark.

Nor did she notice the massive figure slowly slithering toward her…

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