Chapter 97 Let me also experience Commander Pei's happiness!

The clicking sound grew closer, and looking at the terrified expression on the gibbon's face, she couldn't help but recall what the farm manager had said that morning...

No way... they can't be that unlucky, can they? Did they really run into a mandrill?

Qin Suisui stared intently into the darkness, gently nudging Jia Zhenzhen awake with one hand and gesturing for her to be quiet.

Jia Zhenzhen was indeed very experienced in wilderness survival. In just two seconds, she quickly snapped out of her daze and assumed a defensive posture. Obviously, she had also heard the increasingly close "click" sound.

Qin Suisui gently picked up the sleeping Zanzan, took out a strip of coarse cloth, and prepared to tie it around her body.

Seeing this, Jia Zhenzhen quickly understood her intention. She pointed to Zan Zan, then to herself, and swiftly took Zan Zan, tying her to herself. Qin Suisui did not refuse. Jia Zhenzhen was much stronger than her, and carrying the child would be much easier for her, increasing their chances of escape.

Fortunately, the herbs they had gathered during the day had already been sorted and packed into sacks, so there was no need to pack them anymore. Qin Suisui simply hoisted both sacks of herbs onto her shoulder, ready to escape at any moment. These were herbs they had risked their lives for; if they had the chance to take them, they definitely would.

The gibbon was jumping around anxiously, but it kept circling the fire and didn't go far. Qin Suisui wondered, "Is the mandrill afraid of fire?"

The question had barely formed in her mind when the unidentified creature in the darkness, its enormous shape faintly discernible in the dim firelight, was rapidly hurtling toward them!

"Holy crap! It's a giant python!"

Jia Zhenzhen gasped softly. Qin Suisui also saw it clearly and immediately got goosebumps all over her body. Although she could cure snake venom, she was still afraid of snakes! Especially this kind of python, which was almost five meters long! Its waist was thicker than hers! It would take a whole mouthful of her, a small bird, to eat it!

But when encountering a python, the worst thing to do is to run away. Pythons are very sensitive to moving objects, and Qin Suisui and Jia Zhenzhen both knew this. They could only stand still, ready to strike at any moment.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, they tried to hold their breath and remain silent. Suddenly, the fire burning nearby, perhaps having ignited some smoldering embers, crackled loudly in the quiet night. The large python, which had been observing them with its forked tongue flicking, arched its body into an S-shape upon hearing the sound—a signal that it was about to attack.

Sure enough, the next second, the giant python, which was several meters away, was right in front of them. In an instant, Qin Suisui and Jia Zhenzhen were coiled around the snake and lifted into the air.

The slippery snake's body clung to her skin, and the stench was so close she could hardly breathe. Qin Suisui felt both terrified and nauseous, wishing she could just die on the spot. But her survival instinct kicked in, and she managed to pull the dagger from her waist and stab it hard into the snake's body.

The python's scales were hard, but the dagger was incredibly sharp, piercing right through the scales and embedding itself into the python's flesh.

The python lashed out in pain, whipping its tail violently. Before Qin Suisui could even draw her dagger, she was flung away. Jia Zhenzhen and Zanzan, however, remained firmly entangled on the snake's body.

Zanzan finally awoke from her deep sleep and, upon seeing the scene before her, burst into a loud cry. This further fueled the python's anger, and its body tightened even more, seemingly determined to strangle them.

Even though Jia Zhenzhen was strong, she couldn't fight the giant python with just one hand while protecting Zanzan.

Seeing Qin Suisui thrown to the ground, she finally pulled Zanzan out with all her might: "Suisui, catch!"

Ignoring the pain, Qin Suisui quickly stood up and caught Zan Zan, who was thrown off the snake. The next second, a huge black bear suddenly ran out of the darkness and rushed straight towards them.

Jia Zhenzhen looked terrified. No way! A giant python wasn't enough, now a giant black bear had to come too! Was the heavens trying to kill them?! This wild forest was definitely not a place for ordinary people! No wonder her dad and the others never trained in the forest! No! She had to get off the python quickly to save Sui Sui and Zan Zan!

But the next second, she was somewhat taken aback. The big black bear actually bypassed Sui Sui and Zan Zan and pounced on the python's face, its sharp claws accurately piercing the python's right eye.

The excruciating pain caused the python to convulse, its attention now focused entirely on the large black bear in front of it, and its grip on Jia Zhenzhen loosened considerably. Jia Zhenzhen, who had nearly suffocated, finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly pulled the dagger from the python's body, and plunged it back into the python's flesh.

Her strength was much greater than Qin Suisui's; when she pulled it out, she even turned out a piece of bloody snake flesh.

The python, in pain, lashed out with its tail, sending Jia Zhenzhen flying.

After landing, Jia Zhenzhen scrambled towards Qin Suisui and the others.

"Sui Sui, Zan Zan, are you alright?"

Qin Suisui pulled her over and stood under the tree where the gibbon was squatting, making a "shh" gesture to her.

Before Jia Zhenzhen could understand what was happening, a strange melody from a flute rang in her ears. Surprisingly, as the flute music began, the python, which had been fiercely fighting with the black bear, gradually slowed down and froze in place within seconds.

Soon, a boy who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a snake bone crown on his head, a copper bell chain around his waist, and a copper nose ring, slowly walked out of the darkness, holding a rather peculiar-looking flute in his hand.

"He's a snake trainer from the Li ethnic group! My dad didn't lie to me after all!"

Jia Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise, having heard her father say that an ancient group of "snake shamans" lived around the wild forests, belonging to a branch of the traditional Li people. Compared to ordinary Li people, snake shamans could drive and control snakes, and even use snake venom for divination, making them a very ancient and mysterious clan.

Qin Suisui also stared intently at that direction. She had been very interested in this ancient and mysterious clan since she read about them in storybooks. Now she was actually seeing them in person, but under these circumstances.

Perhaps sensing the burning gaze directed at him, the boy turned around, met Qin Suisui's eyes, and nodded slightly, the brass ring on his nose clinking together with a crisp sound.

He quickly turned around, picked up the flute, placed it to his nose, and blew a note at the python. The python, which had been frozen in place, obediently turned and followed the boy into the darkness. He actually blew it with his nose! Qin Suisui and Jia Zhenzhen had never seen anything like it before.

While Jia Zhenzhen was distracted, Qin Suisui gestured to Dahei, who quickly disappeared into the darkness. Under the cover of darkness, Qin Suisui stored Dahei in her spatial storage.

When Jia Zhenzhen came to her senses, the giant python was gone, the Li ethnic boy was gone, and even the giant black bear was gone. She pinched her thigh in a daze: "Ouch! That hurts! I wasn't dreaming! How could they all be gone in the blink of an eye!"

Qin Suisui chuckled. Only now that she relaxed did she realize that her whole body ached, as if she had been beaten up. Especially her left arm, which must have been injured when the python threw her down.

Jia Zhenzhen was much more resilient than her; apart from a few scratches, she was perfectly fine.

The group returned to the campfire. Perhaps still shaken, Zanzan nestled beside Qin Suisui, unable to fall asleep again. Qin Suisui took out a bottle of special medicinal oil from her spatial storage. She asked Jia Zhenzhen to apply it to her skin, otherwise, given her skin condition, it would probably swell up badly tomorrow, causing problems.

Jia Zhenzhen looked at Qin Suisui's fair and tender flesh, then pulled up her own sleeve to compare them, clicking her tongue and saying, "No wonder the men in the compound don't treat me like a woman. Look at your delicate skin, and look at my charcoal-like skin, the difference is too big!" After saying that, she acted like a female hooligan, touching Qin Suisui's unbruised arm, and said greasyly, "Little girl, let me touch you, let me experience Commander Pei's pleasure too!"

After touching her, he also pinched Qin Suisui's slender waist and exclaimed, "No wonder you managed to bewitch Pei Jiuyan, that big ice block, to the point that he knocked on my dad's door all night to submit a marriage proposal! If I were a man, I would go crazy for you too!"

Qin Suisui's original depressed mood was dispelled by Jia Zhenzhen's joke. She slapped Jia Zhenzhen's hand off her waist and said irritably, "The child is still here, what nonsense are you talking about?"

The longer I knew Jia Zhenzhen, the more I realized that her "ladylike" demeanor at first sight was completely an act! This woman was nothing but a "female rogue," but she was very genuine, unlike Hao Ke who was putting on an act. Being with someone like her was very relaxing!

Jia Zhenzhen turned to look at Zan Zan sitting between Qin Suisui and the gibbon. Zan Zan also turned to look at her, his clear eyes full of innocence. Jia Zhenzhen choked and dared not say anything more flirtatious.

It was already past four in the morning, and dawn would break in about an hour. After what had happened, none of them were sleepy. They could only pass the time by eating the wild berries that the gibbon had taken Zan Zan to pick the day before, waiting for daylight before setting off for the last canyon.

Jia Zhenzhen spat out a wild longan seed, muttering to herself, "Sui Sui, how could that Li boy be so rude? The snake he was training almost ate us, and he didn't even mention having a cousin..."

Qin Suisui was eating egg yolk fruit with her head down when she noticed that Jia Zhenzhen had stopped talking. Feeling strange, she looked up and saw the Li ethnic minority boy walking out from the depths of the forest, which was just beginning to turn white.