HEIFEIGU -Chapter 43

Xuan Caiyan felt her body growing cold, as if her blood had frozen.

Her brain dulled, unable to think.

So cold… is this what dying feels like?

She closed her eyes in despair.

At the same time, the little snake on her shoulder also seemed to reach its limit.

So cold… is it time to hibernate?

Indeed it was cold—the unlucky ghost floated diagonally behind Xuan Caiyan, blowing a chilling wind over her shoulders.

The temperature dropped further as he extended a wisp of black energy, carefully prodding the snake’s head.

Slippery!

The little snake’s body gradually softened. Its raised upper body drooped, its tongue retracted, leaving only the forked tip visible.

So cold… so sleepy… can’t be fierce anymore…

It couldn’t hold on and fell asleep, curling up on Xuan Caiyan’s shoulder.

Then a hand mercilessly grabbed it at the midsection, lifting it up.

“Phew.” Everyone standing nearby exhaled in relief. The rescue was successful.

---

Manually counting insects was time-consuming. Xie Jixing was craving coconut water, and after discussing with Qian Shuyun and Meng Zezhou, they decided to leave the production crew to continue counting while they went to get some coconuts.

There were two paths to the coconut grove discovered by Sister Yue: one required going around the island along the beach and rock area; the other was a shortcut through the forest.

The four-person team seemed to head deep into the forest, but their path deviated slightly. They were now actually closer to the beach, right on the way to the coconuts.

Not long after, Xie Jixing and the others ran into Fei Zhehan, who was looking for a branch.

After hearing Fei Zhehan’s description, Xie Jixing’s heart leapt shamefully. “A snake?”

Slurp… I wonder what snake cooked in coconut juice tastes like?

They followed Fei Zhehan, and along the way met Luo Feiang carrying a long branch.

A bit further, they even encountered Xia Letian, panicked and running out of the forest.

Seeing Xia Letian, Fei Zhehan’s expression darkened further.

He tried to stop him to ask about Xuan Caiyan, but Xia Letian pushed past him, almost causing him to fall into the roadside bushes.

Looking at the fleeing figure, Fei Zhehan couldn’t help but mutter a curse under his breath, “****, this is bad!”

The scene in the clearing was much more dangerous than when they had left. Xuan Caiyan sat alone on a large rock, trembling, eyes vacant, her brain seemingly stopped.

The little bright green snake raised its upper body, hissing and baring its sharp fangs toward them.

“This snake is venomous!” Fei Zhehan’s heart almost stopped. He tried calling out to Xuan Caiyan. “Xiao Xuan? Xiao Xuan?”

No response.

“Sigh.” He exhaled. “She’s scared stiff.”

In this situation, with the snake so aggressive, using the earlier plan of prodding it with a long stick was no longer feasible, and Xuan Caiyan couldn’t cooperate.

“What do we do?!” Fei Zhehan struggled to stay calm. “We need to contact the production team—get professionals here as soon as possible.”

【What should we do?! I can’t even watch!】

【So nerve-wracking! Xiao Yan is completely frozen with fear.】

【Please save her!】

“Should I go?” Xie Jixing tentatively asked.

Still curious about coconut-cooked snake.

“Waiting for the production team to contact professionals might take time, and she looks like she’s about to collapse,” he pointed at the staggering Xuan Caiyan.

“Can you do it?” Fei Zhehan looked at the fair-skinned young man, thinking he seemed like an inexperienced rich kid who’d never faced the world.

Could he really handle catching a snake? Ridiculous.

But then he remembered that Xie Jixing could hook cloth with a branch and cut bamboo with a small knife—maybe he really could do it.

Fei Zhehan’s tone shifted, filled with hope. “Can you really do it?”

The viewers were anxious.

【You really want him to catch it?!】

【Don’t mess around! Can you just grab a snake like that?】

【What if he fails and Xuan Caiyan gets bitten? Is he responsible, or are you?】

【This is life or death! Don’t try untested methods in panic!】

【I suggest contacting the production team to get professionals.】

【I suggest you stop giving random advice. Didn’t you see how frozen Xuan Caiyan is? By the time professionals arrive, she might have scared herself to death. Since Xie Jixing says he can do it, he must be confident—otherwise he wouldn’t risk himself. Catching a snake isn’t easy!】

【Unbelievable, if you save her it’s you, if you don’t save her, it’s also you. Why don’t you just crawl in and save her yourselves?】

Qian Shuyun grabbed Xie Jixing’s arm, staring at him seriously, making sure, “How confident are you?”

“If it requires risk, we can wait for professional rescue.”

Xie Jixing thought for a moment. One shouldn’t speak too definitively. He said modestly, “Ninety-nine percent…”

Everyone…

Qian Shuyun relaxed his hand and smiled lightly, giving him a word of caution, “Go, and be careful.”

The show’s investors had spoken—naturally, someone had to take responsibility if things went wrong.

The others didn’t oppose anymore. After a few more reminders, they anxiously watched Xie Jixing approach Xuan Caiyan.

Then, something miraculous happened. The closer he got to Xuan Caiyan, the more sluggish the snake became. By the time he reached her side, the small, aggressive snake from moments ago had curled up, seemingly ready to sleep.

“My brother Xie is amazing!” Meng Zezhou exclaimed.

Even more impressive was what came next. Xie Jixing, without hesitation or fear, swiftly and accurately pinched the snake’s vital spot and, in a bold move, pulled it off Xuan Caiyan’s shoulder.

“Whoa…” Fei Zhehan muttered in awe, “Teacher Xie, that’s incredible!”

From “Little Xie” he had now upgraded to “Teacher Xie.”

Even the live chat was unusually harmonious, filled entirely with praise:

【Waaah, I’m crying, she’s saved!】

【I almost died of fright before, glad Yan Yan is okay.】

【Xie Jixing is so handsome! My legs went weak.】

【I declare, Goose becomes husband, forget this mommy fan persona, Star, husband!】

【Then… what about me? He was supposed to be my wife’s, but now I feel… I’m unworthy QAQ】

【A gentle reminder, wife’s strength maxed out, clearly the cute point, Xing, my wife!】

Xie Jixing didn’t care about any of this; his mind was entirely on cooking methods.

Though the snake was small and didn’t have much meat, it wouldn’t go to waste. He needed to plan how many dishes he could make.

The unlucky ghost floated behind him, quietly concealing his contributions.

Seeing him approach with the snake, Luo Feiang immediately stepped back a couple of paces to keep a safe distance.

“Teacher Xie, amazing!” He gave a thumbs up and quickly tried to slip away. “I… I’ll check on Xuan Caiyan.”

Why did he even come closer? Was Teacher Xie really not afraid at all?

Meng Zezhou also dodged to the side. “I… I’ll go too!”

Being this close to a snake was still somewhat overwhelming.

The emerald snake wound around Xie Jixing’s wrist, making his forearm appear even paler and smoother—like fine white jade, visually pleasing and atmospheric.

Qian Shuyun’s gaze lingered on that seemingly delicate but powerful wrist. That strong hunger returned.

He wanted to press his lips to it, lightly touch the blue vein inside with his tongue, to taste, to understand why it was so enticing.

Xie Jixing’s voice immediately broke this illusion. He was holding the snake excitedly and asked, “Can we eat this snake?”

Seeing the snake obediently coil around Xie Jixing’s wrist, seemingly frozen, Fei Zhehan leaned in, carefully inspecting it, and judged, “Looks like a bamboo green pit viper. You can’t eat it—national third-class protected species. We should probably release it.”

“Oh.” Xie Jixing sounded disappointed.

Darn, all that effort for nothing!

【Finally caught some food but can’t eat it, Xing is heartbroken.】

【Goose is so cute, mommy feels soft inside.】

【Husband, behave, let’s eat something normal. But honestly, compressed biscuits aren’t as good as snake, slurp.】

【The way Xing says ‘oh,’ it’s like when I confiscate my son’s tablet and force him to do homework.】

【Girl, your description is full of helplessness and regret.】

Feeling the chill around her fade, Xuan Caiyan seemed to hear someone calling her name.

“Xuan Caiyan, Xuan Caiyan.” Meng Zezhou patted her shoulder while calling out.

Who was calling her? Was she dead? Was someone here to claim her soul?

Her mind gradually began to process.

“Xuan Caiyan, wake up. It’s okay now, the snake has been taken away. You weren’t bitten,” Luo Feiang also said from the other side, patting her and speaking gently.

That voice sounded familiar, like one she liked very much. Xuan Caiyan struggled to think… snake… what snake?

Oh, right, she had almost been bitten by a snake.

Wait, someone said the snake was taken away and she wasn’t bitten.

Someone was beside her!

Instinctively, Xuan Caiyan reached to the side and grasped a pair of warm hands.

It was a human. She was saved.

Her tear-blurred eyes slowly opened. Two figures were beside her, and she was holding one of their hands.

Her stiff body gradually relaxed. She had been holding her breath, but now her chest felt tight and she started to breathe heavily.

The person she held gently smoothed her back with one hand while comforting her with a soft voice, “It’s okay, it’s okay, deep breaths. Yes, deep breaths.”

That voice was too familiar—Luo Feiang.

“The snake… the snake?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Luo Feiang stole a glance at Xie Jixing, who was reluctantly watching the snake on his wrist, about to let it go.

“Uh…” Luo Feiang felt a pang of sympathy for the snake at an inappropriate time, and comforted Xuan Caiyan, “Teacher Xie already took it. It’s safe now, don’t worry.”

Hearing this, Xuan Caiyan finally fully relaxed and collapsed into Luo Feiang’s arms, crying uncontrollably.

Next to them, Meng Zezhou: ?

Why does this strong “I’m the clown” feeling keep appearing?

Maybe I should go over… and check the snake.