"Can't I?" Tu Xiao'an looked at her, then his gaze shifted to the Taiyin Snake.

His threat was palpable.

Li Qingzhao gritted her teeth. "Fine. Order whatever you want. It's my treat."

Tu Xiao'an gave her a satisfied look and flipped through the menu again. He stopped at one page, slightly surprised.

They actually served snake dishes here.

There was snake soup, salt-and-pepper Snake Skin, braised snake meat, fresh snake bone broth—all sorts of things.

Tu Xiao'an recalled the restaurant's name: Wei Xian Pavilion. The "Xian" part of the name meant "savory," and he had originally thought it referred to seafood. He never expected it to also refer to snake.

Everyone knows that snake meat is exceptionally savory and delicious, especially that of venomous snakes. The more venomous the snake, the more formidable it is, and the more valuable its meat.

Tu Xiao'an even spotted a "snake feast" on the menu.

As the name suggested, it was a table laden entirely with snake dishes. There's a saying that one snake can be prepared in three ways; every part of the animal can be made into a delicacy.

The main ingredients for the snake feast were all wild venomous snakes, like cobras and Five step Snakes. A top-grade snake feast was not only savory but also had the properties of a medicinal meal. It could detoxify the body and beautify the skin, leaving one feeling refreshed and invigorated. After eating a snake feast, a person's armpits and the backs of their knees would seep a yellow sweat, expelling the body's internal "dampness" through perspiration.

But this kind of snake feast was incredibly extravagant. He glanced at the price: 100,000.

How could an ordinary person ever afford that?

Since Tu Xiao'an was a snake himself, he felt a bit repulsed by this.

Using snakes for culinary dishes was already very common in human society, but he still hadn't gotten used to it. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

In Bai Town, at least, no one would eat a snake. You could make a living by catching and selling them, but very few people would actually kill and eat one.

Of course, this taboo applied to Snake Catchers and perhaps those who worshipped the Snake King.

Ordinary people had no such taboo; for them, it was just a matter of courage.

Seeing Tu Xiao'an linger on that page for so long, Li Qingzhao leaned in for a look and was instantly shocked. "You're not thinking of ordering the snake feast, are you?"

"Why not?" Tu Xiao'an glanced up at her.

"Aren't you a Snake Catcher? How can you eat snakes? I definitely wouldn't eat them. We can't order this. Pick something else." Li Qingzhao shook her head, her face turning a shade paler.

'Tu Xiao'an had grown up eating snakes, so it wasn't a big deal for him personally. But seeing them served up in a restaurant for people to eat... that made him feel uncomfortable and conflicted.'

"Waiter!"

He called out, and a beautiful hostess approached with a smile. "Honored guest, how may I help you?"

"The snakes you serve here, are they wild?"

The hostess smiled. "Of course they're wild. And they're all from Bai Town's She Mountain. You can rest assured, sir."

Everyone in the country knows that Bai Town's She Mountain is teeming with hundreds of snakes; the mountain is full of purely wild, venomous ones.

Mentioning Bai Town She Mountain was usually enough to satisfy any customer's concerns.

Tu Xiao'an nodded. "In that case, can you tell me what species of venomous snakes your restaurant has?"

The hostess began, "Our restaurant has a wide variety of venomous snakes, chosen based on each customer's preferences and tastes."

"But if you want to know about the best snake we have, that would have to be our 'treasure of the house.'" The hostess looked proud as she spoke.

"Treasure of the house?"

Tu Xiao'an was slightly taken aback. Even Li Qingzhao's head perked up.

"In our restaurant, we have a rare Snake Species called a Dragon Snake. The owner spent five million to find it. Now it's the treasure of the house and improves our Feng Shui. Ever since this Dragon Snake arrived, our business has been booming."

"Dragon Snake?"

Tu Xiao'an murmured, his eyes brightening slightly. 'This is getting interesting.'

"Can we see this Dragon Snake?"

The hostess replied, "Of course. The owner placed the Dragon Snake in the best spot in the restaurant, on the special advice of a Feng Shui Master."

"We can see it? What are we waiting for? Take us there, quick!"

The moment Li Qingzhao heard the words "Dragon Snake," her bright eyes lit up. A snake fanatic like her would never miss the chance to see a fine specimen.

The hostess then led Tu Xiao'an and Li Qingzhao to the second floor. It was crowded with customers, many of them gathered around one spot as if looking at some great treasure.

"Sir, the Dragon Snake is just ahead."

Tu Xiao'an and Li Qingzhao walked over and saw an exquisite, waterless tank. Coiled inside was a superb specimen of a venomous snake.

The snake was over five feet long with a slender body. Its entire form was covered in purplish stripes and unique scales, and it had a distinct ridge running along its back, making it look very unusual.

Purple?

Tu Xiao'an was a bit startled when he saw it. The purple was rather faint, but it was still noticeable at a glance. Its head, in particular, bore a striking resemblance to a mythical Dragon, which was likely how the Dragon Snake got its name.

This was the first time Tu Xiao'an had ever seen such a snake, though he had heard of its reputation before.

This type of snake was said to be incredibly rare. As a Snake Species that seldom appears in the world, its purplish stripes were considered an auspicious sign. Furthermore, its Dragon-like head was a symbol of extreme wealth and nobility.

Tu Xiao'an wasn't sure how potent its venom was, but this snake represented good fortune. To own one was to have luck itself on your side.

If the ancient Supreme Profound Snake was a Treasure Medicine among snakes, then this Dragon Snake was the very embodiment of auspicious fortune, a magnet for immense wealth.

Whether a merchant or an official, keeping such a snake in one's home was said to guarantee a meteoric rise and success in all endeavors.

The name "Dragon Snake" was also rich with meaning.

Since ancient times, the Dragon and the snake have held dual meanings. When Han Liu Bang rose in rebellion, he slew a great snake in a marsh. An old woman appeared, weeping, "My son was the son of the White Emperor. He transformed into a snake to block the path, and now he has been slain by the son of the Red Emperor."

This story comes from the "Annals of Emperor Gaozu" in the *Records of the Grand Historian*. Later, the term "Dragon Snake" came to refer to Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.

The Dragon is noble and domineering, representing the strong, while the snake is often relegated to the role of the weak.

There is also a saying: "The clan is large, and its scions are a mix of Dragons and snakes." Here, "a mix of Dragons and snakes" is used to describe a group containing both winners and losers.

Furthermore, there is a prophecy that if you dream of both a Dragon and a snake at the same time, it represents good luck and wealth coming your way, foretelling that you will become rich.

Typically, the Dragon and the snake are polar opposites. For this snake to combine them—to have the form of a Dragon and the life of a snake—is naturally an incredibly rare thing.

This kind of snake had never even appeared on She Mountain. Tu Xiao'an never thought he would have the good fortune to see one just by going out to eat at a restaurant.

Of course, in Tu Xiao'an's eyes, this snake wasn't all that valuable. He had seen plenty of Awakened Snakes, after all. This one was just a mortal snake—at best, a rare Snake Species.

But the meaning it represented was different.

Ordinary people crave good fortune. With good fortune, what can't you accomplish?

Usually, when opening a shop or starting a business, more particular people will hire a Feng Shui Master to assess the location's Feng Shui and then place many auspicious objects inside.

But this owner was truly something else. He openly displayed a Dragon Snake right in the middle of his restaurant. With such an overwhelming aura of wealth, it would be hard for business *not* to be good.

Besides, the name "Dragon Snake" alone was enough to draw a ceaseless stream of onlookers.