Chapter 14

 Bao Ning let out a scream, grabbed Ah Huang, and ran into the house.

She slammed the door shut with a bang, leaning against it and gasping for breath.

In her mind, those treacherous snake eyes wouldn't leave her, multiplying into dozens or even hundreds, circling around her.

Wiping away her tears, Bao Ning cried out for Pei Yuan: "Fourth Prince, wake up! There's a snake outside, a snake!"

Pei Yuan wasn't asleep; he'd been listening intently to the sounds outside.

Hearing Bao Ning's words, he immediately understood—the bag Huang Ji delivered contained snakes.

He thought of the underhanded schemes Pei Xiao had been secretly conducting, and his heart sank.

Careless.

"Lock the door tightly!" Pei Yuan's eyes turned cold. He sat up, drew a short knife from under his pillow, and shouted to Bao Ning, "Come to my side! Don't lean against the door."

"The lock is broken..." Bao Ning's throat felt dry, and her hands were shaking. She leaned against the door, slowly sliding down to sit, "I'll hold it shut. It will leave after a while, right?"

Bao Ning looked at Pei Yuan with teary eyes, seeking his reassurance, her voice trembling: "Aren't snakes afraid of people?"

"Those are ordinary snakes." Pei Yuan's expression darkened.

"These snakes are professionally trained, aggressive, and adept at attacking people. They will follow human scent; you can't avoid them."

Bao Ning's mind was in a haze, not fully understanding Pei Yuan's words. Her legs were weak, and she couldn't stand up. Ah Huang jumped off her lap and tugged at her clothes.

Bao Ning supported herself with the door and was just about to get up when a sudden force from behind pushed her, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground, scraping her palms and drawing blood.

The pain snapped her back to reality.

Pei Yuan shouted, "Get up, come to me!"As he finished speaking, Bao Ning heard two swift "whizz" sounds by her ears—two bright yellow corn kernels flew past her, followed by the hissing sound of something inhaling.

"Woof!" Ah Huang barked loudly, then pounced and bit the snake's neck, refusing to let go.

Though small, Ah Huang had sharp teeth and a strong grip. The snake thrashed violently, its tail hitting the door with a loud "pa pa" sound, unable to shake free.

Pei Yuan yelled, "Ah Huang, don't touch it!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Bao Ning stood up and ran to Pei Yuan, who grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him.

Only then did she dare to look over. A large, shiny black snake stood at the door, as thick as an adult's forearm, its pointed head a terrifying red.

One of its sinister, vigilant eyes had been hit by the corn kernel and was bleeding profusely.

Enraged by the attack, the snake raised its long neck, swaying violently as it tried to shake Ah Huang off.

Bao Ning's vision darkened, and she nearly fainted. "Ah Huang, get down!"

"Stay behind me."

Pei Yuan sensed her trembling, grasped her shoulder, and guided her to sit down.

He whispered, "Don't panic."

"You're drenched in sweat."

Pei Yuan's hand moved down to her wrist, rubbing her hand on his clothing.

"Don't hold your breath. Breathe, let it out."

His palm was dry and warm.

Bao Ning leaned her forehead against Pei Yuan's shoulder, slowly exhaling, her racing heart gradually calming down.

Hearing Bao Ning's voice, Ah Huang hesitated for a moment before letting go and darting back to Bao Ning's side.The snake immediately stretched its neck to bite but missed.

It hesitated briefly, then gave up chasing Ah Huang, turning its head towards Pei Yuan and quickly slithering over. Bao Ning suddenly recalled Pei Yuan's earlier words: these snakes are professionally trained to follow human scent; you can't avoid them.

The room was small, and in the blink of an eye, the red-headed snake was right in front of them, its head blood-red, its tongue forked and hissing.

Pei Yuan gripped the short knife in his right hand, his thumb rubbing the sheath.

Just as the red-headed snake revealed its fangs and lunged, Pei Yuan raised his hand, throwing the heavy sheath against the wall with a loud "bang."

The snake was distracted, immediately turning its head. Pei Yuan squinted his eyes, targeting its vital spot.

The red-headed snake regained its senses, twisted its head to block, and bit down on the blade, spraying black venom mixed with blood, which splattered onto the bedding, leaving murky spots.

In pain, the snake's vengeance intensified. It retreated a step and prepared to strike again, but Pei Yuan grabbed its neck and slashed its head off with the knife.

The shiny black snake body fell to the ground with a thud, writhing into coils, its rough scales scratching the floor.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the rustling sounds of the snake's movements.

Bao Ning's tense heart finally began to relax."If you keep squeezing, my hand's going to break."

Pei Yuan's voice reached her ears. Bao Ning looked up dazedly to see Pei Yuan's half-smiling face.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded towards her hand, "If that happens, not only will my leg be useless, but my hand too. You'd better take good care of me."

Following his gaze, Bao Ning realized she had been tightly gripping Pei Yuan's wrist, her nails digging into his skin, drawing blood.

Despite the pain, he hadn't uttered a word.

Bao Ning quickly let go, feeling embarrassed, and gently massaged his wrist with her fingertips, apologizing, "It's my fault. Don't be angry. I'll make you something good to eat tonight."
Her fingers were cool and soft, without a single callus, delicate and fragile, completely different from his battle-hardened hands."I'm not angry." Pei Yuan's throat felt dry.

He licked his lips, about to say something more when he noticed Bao Ning's sudden change in expression. "Pei Yuan!"

Ah Huang also sprang into action, trying to swat away the snake head with a paw.

But it was too late.

The bloody snake head moved on its own, advancing over a foot, then opened its mouth and bit into Pei Yuan's left leg.

Bao Ning's heart pounded wildly. She forgot her fear, lunged forward, grabbed the snake head, and pried its mouth open, throwing it to the ground.

Two bloody puncture wounds appeared an inch above Pei Yuan's ankle, black blood oozing out.

Bao Ning's tears fell instantly.

"Pei Yuan..."In her panic, she didn't know where to put her hands.

Her heart seemed to stop, and she silently recited the instructions Lady Ming had taught her on what to do when bitten by a venomous snake.

Use a cloth to tie off the wound, then make a cross-cut at the bite to suck out the venom.

The quicker it's done, the higher the chance of survival.

There was no cloth; tearing the clothes was too cumbersome.

Bao Ning quickly untied her belt and tied it around Pei Yuan's lower leg.

The only knife was tainted with venom, and there was no time to get another from the kitchen.

Bao Ning pressed on the wound, squeezed, then took a deep breath, bent down, and sucked on the bite, spitting the blood onto the floor.

The blood was still black.

Bao Ning became even more frantic, truly fearing that Pei Yuan might die.Wiping her lips, she was about to suck out more blood when Pei Yuan stopped her."No need."

He pulled Bao Ning into his arms, wiped her tears away, and frowned, "Why are you always crying?"

Despite his words, his eyes were gentle, his tone unusually soft. He chuckled lightly, "Little crybaby."

Bao Ning couldn't smile.

Her eyes were red, like a frightened rabbit.

Ignoring Pei Yuan, she pushed him away and continued trying to expel the venom.

In her mind, a snake like the one before, brightly colored with a sharp head, must be highly venomous.

She didn't understand why Pei Yuan seemed so nonchalant—whether he was too confident in his own body or had given up on living.

But she couldn't stop.

If she was delayed, Pei Yuan could die.

"Really, no need." Pei Yuan sighed, grabbing her wrist. "It bit my left leg. I won't die."

Bao Ning didn't understand, her voice was tearful: "Why?"

"Didn't you always want to know what happened to my leg?" Pei Yuan pulled her to sit down, his expression somewhat solemn.

"I'll tell you now, do you want to hear it?"Bao Ning nodded.

Pei Yuan said, "It was this kind of poison."

Bao Ning was shocked, "Have you been bitten by such a snake before?"

"Not a snake," Pei Yuan paused, "A venomous rat."

"I didn't want to tell you this."Pei Yuan raised his hand and straightened Bao Ning's clothing.

Her belt had come undone, her outer garment hanging open, revealing her light pink undergarment.

Pei Yuan untied the belt from his leg and fastened it around her waist.

Bao Ning was so stunned that she forgot to feel embarrassed, letting him adjust her clothing.

Once he was done, Pei Yuan looked up and met her eyes. "Some things are dirty, private, not meant to be exposed. The fewer people who know, the better. Firstly, to prevent it from spreading, and secondly, the one who knows can't escape."

Bao Ning hesitated and shook her head. "I don't understand."

Pei Yuan spoke slowly, "My leg was bitten by a venomous rat while I was in prison."

"The poison is so potent that you either lose the leg or your life. I had to seal the major artery in my left leg to keep the poison contained there. Though my left leg is paralyzed, my life is not in danger. You've seen the scars on my body, right? They are from using a knife to bleed out the poison. The wounds on my leg are the same."

"That venomous rat back then, and today's venomous snake, were both raised by Pei Xiao. He has a man named Gongsun Zhu under him who specializes in toxicology and is skilled at training these vicious creatures, making them not only poisonous but also adept at attacking people. This way, he can kill his targets without anyone knowing."

"But raising these poisonous creatures is a lengthy process. To cultivate one, many attempts must fail, taking many years. It's quite an honor, really, that he gave me such precious things twice."Bao Ning looked at him in shock.She recalled the scars covering Pei Yuan's body, unable to imagine the resolve he must have had to inflict such wounds on himself.

It was his own flesh, after all.And Pei Xiao, his own brother, how could he be so ruthless?...

And what exactly did Pei Yuan want to say?

Pei Yuan gently touched her eyelids and whispered, "Did you think I wanted to send you away because I didn't like you?"

Bao Ning's eyelashes fluttered, and she nodded."Well, that was indeed part of it,"

Pei Yuan said. "But there's another layer. Husband and wife are one. If Pei Xiao wants to deal with me, do you think he'd spare you? I didn't want more people getting involved in this matter, fearing they'd regret it, blame me, or even betray me and kick me while I'm down."

Pei Yuan chuckled lightly, "Bao Ning, you're really unlucky to have met me. I'm too selfish. If I don't want something, I'll throw it away even if it's forced into my hands. But if I want something, not even the King of Heaven can take it from me without a fight. I've given you many chances. Now I've changed my mind. Even if you want to leave now, you can't."

Bao Ning was taken aback, staring at him in disbelief. The gravity of his words and the implications of his intentions weighed heavily on her mind, leaving her speechless.

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