Bai Chen's sudden, inexplicable kneel almost moved Li Qingzhao. This Bai Chen had the temper of a young master—proud and arrogant.

He'd always pestered her relentlessly, constantly trying to curry favor.

'And now he's kneeling to someone else just to please me? What a huge sacrifice.'

Bai Chen wasn't just anybody. He came from a powerful background and was a prominent figure at the university.

'A guy like that is kneeling for me? Have I really become that charming?'

Li Qingzhao couldn't help but touch her own face, a little doubtful.

"Bai Chen, get up! You're kneeling to someone else just to buy a snake for me. How embarrassing for me."

Li Qingzhao blinked her eyes, feeling quite awkward. 'He's being so sincere, after all.'

Hearing this, Bai Chen wanted to curse. 'Did I fucking kneel willingly?' he thought, looking at the young man before him in disbelief. 'Is this guy electrified?'

The shock had left him completely numb; he couldn't stand up even if he wanted to.

"I... I..."

Bai Chen opened his mouth but could only stammer, a wisp of white smoke escaping his lips.

Li Qingzhao stared, dumbfounded.

"Snake... Snake... Snake..."

Bai Chen stammered as he knelt on the ground, his pupils constricting as if he'd seen something.

But Li Qingzhao said, "Bai Chen, I was just kidding. Don't take it so seriously. I may like little snakes, but I'll get one through my own efforts. Get up, stop kneeling."

Tu Xiao'an chuckled to himself. 'He's not getting up anytime soon.' "Girl, if your friend likes kneeling, just let him kneel for a while. Take me up ahead for a look."

'Hmph. Trying to play dirty with me? Competing with strength? I'll shock you half to death.'

Indulging in this small, wicked pleasure, Tu Xiao'an walked toward a grassy area up ahead.

"Snake... Snake..."

Bai Chen was still stammering, a trembling finger pointing somewhere.

Li Qingzhao felt bad letting Bai Chen just kneel there and was about to help him up when, out of the corner of her eye, she glanced in the direction he was pointing.

There on the ground ahead, a brightly colored little snake was slithering in a winding path.

Huh?

"Mister, did you let out another snake?"

Li Qingzhao asked, looking at Tu Xiao'an.

Tu Xiao'an also noticed the snake on the ground and was slightly surprised. It was a Crimson Chain Snake. Its stripes were vivid and its head was triangular, making it look a bit frightening, but it was a non-venomous and very common type of snake.

"Nothing to do with me."

Tu Xiao'an picked up the Crimson Chain Snake and examined it, feeling a bit bewildered.

'How did a Crimson Chain Snake show up on campus? Did someone let it out as a prank?'

As Tu Xiao'an thought this, Li Qingzhao was already looking around, searching for anyone who might be hiding and playing a prank.

Suddenly, a look of astonishment filled Li Qingzhao's pretty face. But after the shock, she pointed ahead excitedly. "Wow... So many snakes!"

Hm?

Tu Xiao'an looked over and saw that there really were a lot of snakes. On the lawn ahead, he could see many snakes slithering in S-shapes—varieties with black-spotted stripes and reddish-brown stripes.

'What's going on?'

Tu Xiao'an was momentarily dumbfounded. Why would so many snakes appear on a university campus?

'Could it be that my appearance as the Snake King has drawn out all these snakes to worship me?'

'That's impossible. I haven't released any of my Snake King aura.'

That girl Li Qingzhao charged ahead like she was crazy. Along the way, snakes emerged in twos and threes from who knows where.

It even seemed like an endless stream.

She was so thrilled and excited that anyone who didn't know better would think she'd won the lottery.

Tu Xiao'an sensed something was fishy. He tossed the Crimson Chain Snake in his hand and followed her.

With that toss—and who knows if Tu Xiao'an did it on purpose—the snake landed squarely on Bai Chen, who was still kneeling on the ground, completely numb.

Holy shit...

Bai Chen felt like he was about to cough up a mouthful of old blood.

The Crimson Chain Snake's eyes glinted coldly as it stared at Bai Chen, locking eyes with him.

'One look was all it took. You're the one I'm gonna bite.'

The Crimson Chain Snake hissed and bit down on Bai Chen's lip.

That single bite was like unblocking Bai Chen's Ren and Du Meridians. He shot to his feet, grabbed the Crimson Chain Snake, and shook it frantically before forcefully tearing it into several pieces.

At that moment, screams and panicked cries erupted across the campus.

Many new students were excitedly wandering around the famous campus, familiarizing themselves with the environment. The air was filled with a serene and fresh atmosphere—buildings, lawns, teachers, students, sports fields, and... uh... Pi Pi Snakes.

That's right. As they strolled about, a brightly colored snake would suddenly dart out and "enthusiastically" greet the students, instantly setting off a wave of screams.

In the girls' dorm, many beautiful young women were chattering away as they pushed their suitcases and moved in. A snake over a meter long was on one of the beds, its scales gleaming faintly as it welcomed them.

It was as if to say, "Hey beautiful, let's sleep together tonight."

"AHH—!"

The screams shot to the heavens.

In the boys' dorm, a few sturdy guys had been admiring the pretty new female students on their way, dreaming about their future campus life. They pushed open the door to their new dorm room, but before they could even step inside...

A dark brown snake dropped from the ceiling, landing right in front of their eyes.

Being guys, they exchanged a look of disbelief, then burst out laughing. "Looks like we're having snake soup tonight!"

It wasn't that surprising for a snake to have snuck into a dorm room that had been empty for so long.

One of the guys, apparently quite experienced, grabbed the snake and laughed. "Wencheng University sure is different! Are they using snakes to welcome us? Maybe it's a test of our courage?"

Clearly, he was overthinking it.

The dark brown snake squirmed restlessly, as if to say, "I was just being a little mischievous! Please don't skin me!"

Outside, on campus, on the sports field, the green lawns, in the academic buildings, and down the hallways—you could see the shadows of snakes in nearly every corner.

Some people were brave, others were cowards, but the sudden appearance of so many snakes on campus instantly caused a panic.

Tu Xiao'an and Li Qingzhao walked to a large flowerbed where the flowers and trees were arranged in a beautiful pattern, tightly surrounding a lush osmanthus tree. Whenever the osmanthus bloomed, its sweet fragrance would fill the campus, a scent that was soothing and delightful. The flowerbed was surrounded by a verdant green lawn.

The environment was exceptionally beautiful, the air fresh and fragrant. Yet in this very setting, snakes were "playing" in droves.

Crimson Chain Snakes, king ratsnakes, yellow-spotted keelbacks, short-tailed pit vipers.

Tu Xiao'an identified the species at a glance. He quickly realized most of them were non-venomous snakes with little aggression. Even if they bit someone, it would be a minor flesh wound at worst, with no danger to their life.

'None of these snakes would even be qualified to appear on She Mountain. If they did, they'd just be prey for other venomous snakes.'

The first few types were very common non-venomous snakes. The short-tailed pit viper, however, was venomous. It was the most common venomous snake in the country, and also the one with the highest rate of bites.

Although its fatality rate wasn't high, the harm it could cause was by no means low.

This critter loves to rest under piles of dry leaves in shady, ventilated spots during the summer, coiling up to escape the heat, making it very easy for people to overlook its presence.