Chapter 44: Sale

Get He Zhiwen listed on the black market and sold off, quickly.

Besides their gorgeous appearance, this particular snake species secretes several times more tail mucus than ordinary snakes. Exposing their tail means it will be in a perpetually damp state.

Add to that their snake nature, and this peculiar constitution makes them rather coveted by their own kind.

Xing Yue had learned a bit about it, but she hadn’t looked at her own snake tail in decades, leaving her in a phase of unfamiliarity with these traits. Teased like this by Tan Xiang’e, she silently pulled the blanket up a little higher, covering the lower half of her face.

The anesthetic was taking effect, and she was growing drowsy, yet the dosage wasn’t enough to knock her out completely. She could only watch with clear awareness as the scalpel cut into her leg.

“If you and Miss Bu are planning on having children…” Tan Xiang’e suddenly struck up conversation on this topic, offering a rather balanced suggestion. “It’d be a better choice for the little snake to inherit Miss Bu’s genes. Your genetic mutation probability is far too high; the child could easily have defects.”

Although genetic mutations could produce stunning color morphs, that was a low-probability event. The risks were still enormous.

Even if Tan Xiang’e hadn’t brought this up, given Bu Yao’s family background, it was highly unlikely they’d be allowed to produce Green Tree Pythons. The Bu Family was far too domineering. This world didn’t favor boys over girls, but it absolutely distinguished between snake species.

For once, Xing Yue grew oddly bashful. She had never considered these issues. “We haven’t… thought that far ahead yet. If she likes little snakes, I’m… fine with anything.”

She wasn’t overly concerned with bloodline inheritance. If Bu Yao liked little snakes, giving birth to Fire Snakes was fine, and Green Tree Pythons would be fine too. It was just that whoever laid the snake eggs would contribute a higher genetic ratio to the snake babies.

If the Bu Family wanted Little Fire Snakes, then Bu Yao would have to carry the snake eggs.

Pregnancy was very taxing, and that was what she was more worried about. Bu Yao was delicate and precious; she couldn’t imagine how miserable it would be.

Xing Yue felt a bit guilty. She hadn’t even gained the approval of the Two Elders of the Bu Family yet, and here she was, already fantasizing about having little snakes with Bu Yao…

Suddenly, the room’s inner door was knocked upon. Tan Xiang’e subconsciously lifted the sterile sheet to cover Xing Yue, then spread another ordinary blanket on top.

“Teacher Xing, I heard you…” Jiang Yue entered, carrying a basin filled with Chinese medicinal herbs. The moment she pushed open the door, a wave of rose fragrance hit her. From the large balcony to the suite’s interior, several pots of fresh flowers were arranged. Her voice trailed off as she instantly sensed something out of place.

Her gaze swept the room, concealing the doubt in her eyes. Her face shifted into a gentle expression. “I heard you had a cold. Zhi Zhi asked me to bring some herbs over. She said bathing in them would make you feel better.”

She turned her head, her eyes searching for Xing Yue, when a strange woman suddenly loomed before her face without warning. Startled by the extreme proximity—their cheeks practically touched—she recoiled.

Jiang Yue stepped back half a pace and steadied her gaze. The woman actually followed her, sniffing at her.

“Assistant Tan!” Xing Yue called out, stopping her.

The crisp, clear voice barely managed to interrupt Tan Xiang’e’s obsessive stare. She grabbed Jiang Yue’s shoulders with both hands. “How marvelous! There’s a scent on you I’ve never encountered before. Is it a new snake species? Or an endangered one…”

“What are you doing?!” Jiang Yue hastily shoved the woman away, not letting Tan Xiang’e continue. She, who always presented a gentle face to the world, was now visibly angered. “Who taught you to just pounce on people like that? You almost kissed me! If you’re not disgusted, I am. It’s revolting.”

She raised her hand and scrubbed harshly at the cheek Tan Xiang’e had touched. Even though it was just a brush of the nose tip, she acted as if she’d been defiled, her stomach churning violently.

Xing Yue witnessed the entire scene, her brow furrowing slightly. The anesthetic hadn’t fully worn off, but she still mustered the strength to prop herself up. “Sorry, Little Jiang. My assistant is new and hasn’t been trained. I’ll accept the herbs. Thank you.”

Jiang Yue set the basin down and left immediately, unable to even maintain superficial politeness. It seemed Tan Xiang’e’s actions had disgusted her to a severe degree.

Strange. Xing Yue’s thoughts grew tangled. The look Jiang Yue had just worn didn’t seem like someone merely offended or flustered into anger after being speculated about. It looked more like a fear of women… Merely being touched on the face by the same sex made her feel sick beyond words.

Once Tan Xiang’e’s agitated state passed, she calmed down. “Did I cause you trouble? You have no idea—she seems to carry the scent of a new snake species. If I reported this, it would be a monumental discovery!”

She was still immersed in excitement. If a new snake species truly were confirmed, it would cause quite a stir.

Xing Yue parted her lips, wanting to say something, yet ultimately saying nothing… That wasn’t a new snake species; it was an endangered one. Tan Xiang’e would never get the chance to report it. The nation would never agree to its exposure.

＊

After leaving the room, Jiang Yue still felt a wave of intense revulsion. She scooped up water and frantically scrubbed her face, wishing she could peel the entire right cheek off.

Lately, her bouts of nausea had become more frequent. After being intimate with He Zhiwen, she had to shower immediately. Now it had gotten so severe that merely being touched on the face by a woman made her want to vomit.

As Jiang Yue cursed inwardly, she suddenly realized the problem. How could an ordinary assistant possibly understand how to distinguish scents?

She thought back to the roses placed everywhere in the room—a blatant attempt to mask something—the strange, incomprehensible instruments, and Xing Yue lying in bed, shrouded under blankets…

She realized Tan Xiang’e might not just be a simple assistant. Only someone with profound medical skill could distinguish snake species by scent alone. Otherwise, everyone had to rely on instruments or visually identifying the snake’s external appearance.

“Yue Yue.”

A soft, gentle voice came from behind her.

He Zhiwen wrapped her arms around Jiang Yue, looking at the dazed girl in the mirror. “What’s wrong? You’ve been holed up in the bathroom ever since you got back…”

Jiang Yue discreetly removed the hands resting on her waist, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing. I was actually chatting quite happily with Teacher Xing just now. Send me the photos you took of the snake eggs. Teacher Xing said she wants to see them.”

That assistant didn’t seem like someone ordinary at all. Perhaps looking at the photos might reveal something. She didn’t want to wait any longer. She felt sick to death every day, and even showering twice daily wasn’t enough.

Hearing that Xing Yue wanted to see the snake babies, He Zhiwen felt a little shy. She flipped through her photo album, then complained lightly, “As a mother, you haven’t saved a single photo of the babies?”

Come to think of it, every time she visited the babies, she was always the only one taking photos nonstop. Jiang Yue never seemed to take any.

Jiang Yue froze, fumbling to find an excuse. “I do have them. I even uploaded them to an online drive for safekeeping. But logging into that account requires all sorts of verification codes; it’s too much trouble. Just send them to my WeChat. I can walk over to Teacher Xing’s and show her directly—much easier.”

“Did Xing Yue really say that…” He Zhiwen murmured, sending the photos. Although embarrassed, she still felt something was off.

In the past, Jiang Yue would have comforted her properly, sweet-talking He Zhiwen until she didn’t dare doubt anything. But now, she had no patience left. She grabbed her phone and went straight out.

In the hallway, she just happened to run into Tan Xiang’e, who had finished the surgery and was heading back to rest.

Tan Xiang’e felt the earlier incident had been rather regrettable and was about to apologize when Jiang Yue put on a completely different face, approaching with a face full of warm smiles, quicker than a Sichuan opera face change.

“Assistant Tan, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. It’s just that something happened at home, and I was too anxious.” Jiang Yue’s smile was piled high, her youthful face pure and innocent.

Tan Xiang’e was utterly confused. Why was she the one apologizing to her?

“Uh… I…”

Jiang Yue pulled her into a small break room, finding a seat with an air of familiarity. “My brother-in-law just called. He said my sister laid four snake eggs. I’ve been thinking about it, so I’ve been wound tight all day.”

As she spoke, she found the photos from the very first day He Zhiwen laid her snake eggs. “See? It’s these four little things. They caused so much trouble. My sister really suffered during pregnancy.”

Following her lead, Tan Xiang’e’s gaze fell onto the photos. She’d only intended to glance politely, but the glance revealed a major issue.

“That’s not right. You’re…” She zoomed in on the photo, looking over and over again. “These weren’t produced by a male and female pairing. Is your brother-in-law a woman?”

She asked hesitantly.

Although same-sex relationships were very common in this world, they typically wouldn’t call a sister’s female lover “brother-in-law.”

These snake eggs were clearly produced by two female snakes. If one parent had been male, the resulting individual eggs would have a creamy yellow surface and a harder shell. Female-female laid eggs were milky white with a soft, watery shell texture.

Of course, infidelity rates in their world were extremely high. It was highly likely that Jiang Yue’s sister had married a male snake but had an extramarital affair with a female snake. That wasn’t impossible either.

To her surprise, Jiang Yue grew excited upon hearing this. “No way? They really are from two females? Can you look again? Can you tell the snake species? My brother-in-law is a Coral Snake. Could there be some misunderstanding here?”

Tan Xiang’e bristled at these words. With years of medical practice behind her, she wouldn’t confuse something like this.

Ordinary families waited until the eggs developed before taking them to be examined themselves. But wealthy individuals, wanting to know the snake species earlier, could pay a high price to send the egg mucus overseas for genetic ratio analysis. Though not 100% accurate, it could provide a rough estimate.

Tan Xiang’e had ample experience; she barely needed instrumental assistance. By looking at the egg’s surface, shape, and coloring, she could discern the species if it fell within her familiarity.

“This isn’t a Coral Snake either…” She had practically concluded that Jiang Yue’s sister had an extramarital affair, analyzing aloud. “Coral Snake eggs are very small. The hatchlings are only two fingers wide. The mother can give birth naturally with ease. These four eggs were clearly delivered surgically. They’re python-form eggs. Barring unforeseen circumstances, all four little treasures inherited your sister’s genes.”

She only meant to tell Jiang Yue that she couldn’t identify the snake species of the woman involved in the affair because the eggs were still too young.

And since Jiang Yue was a Ball Python, her sister certainly was too. Tan Xiang’e’s judgment was just a deduction based on this fact.

She didn’t rule out the possibility of a misjudgment. Unless both mothers were python-form, the eggs would have also inherited genes from the other party. It was all just a matter of probability.

Jiang Yue’s expression darkened like a thunderstorm in the deep mountains, the frost in her eyes cold enough to freeze splinters of ice.

Others might not know what a Spirit Snake looked like, but she knew with absolute clarity. He Zhiwen’s snake form was absolutely not a python…

Seeing Jiang Yue’s terrible expression, Tan Xiang’e shivered. To an outsider, it would look like her brother-in-law had cheated and she was feeling indignant on her sister’s behalf.

Jiang Yue didn’t return to her own dormitory. Taking He Zhiwen directly, she drove back to their hometown overnight, crossing city lines.

The journey wasn’t too far—a two-hour drive. But the round trip would take until very late. He Zhiwen tried to reason with her, but Jiang Yue insisted she missed the babies terribly, that she wanted to see them right away, that she had to see them tonight, that she missed them unbearably. He Zhiwen had no choice but to go along with it.

“Yue Yue, I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me when we get there.” He Zhiwen leaned against the car window, hoping to rest a little.

Jiang Yue drove the car to a spot outside the range of security cameras, turning down a side road. “Honey, the road ahead is under construction. It’ll be hard to sleep. Change back into your snake form and coil up.”

The bumpy road indeed made resting difficult.

He Zhiwen was still in her nursing period; even this short journey made her quite uncomfortable. After a moment, a pure white snake coiled into several loops in the passenger seat, its head drooping.

It had barely settled for two seconds before it crawled onto Jiang Yue’s lap, finding a comfortable position. Its tail curled up neatly, and its snake head burrowed into Jiang Yue’s embrace, pressing close as it slept.

Jiang Yue waited another ten minutes or so. Once she was certain He Zhiwen had begun to sleep soundly, she carefully reached for the bag in the back seat, using a handkerchief soaked in a chemical agent to smother the snake into unconsciousness.

From the trunk, she pulled out an iron cage. The cage was about the size of a birdcage, with several loops of electrical wire wound around its exterior. She stuffed He Zhiwen inside.

The cage was too small, just barely fitting He Zhiwen’s snake body. There wasn’t even room to shift her tail—she was packed in completely full. Only in this way could He Zhiwen be forced to maintain her snake form, unable to transform back into human shape.

To prevent He Zhiwen from staging a “prison break” after waking up, the wrapped electrical wires were live. A flip of the switch would send a current through them.

She dialed a man on her phone. “Is the information card written up yet? Hurry up and put this woman on the black market and sell her off. Don’t interfere with my debut.”

“Also, I’m heading home right now to trick my mom into coming out. You scramble those snake eggs for me. Since they haven’t formed yet, they don’t even count as children yet…”