"Where's your family?"
The woman asked gently. Despite her trade, she still possessed a sliver of humanity. She had seen how society mistreated people with mental illness—mocked, ridiculed, and abused. Some even found joy in their suffering.
She remembered once seeing a man rip apart a mentally ill woman's doll, laughing while she cried on the ground, trying to reassemble the pieces. The laughter didn't last long.
The woman, in her rage and heartbreak, tore the man apart with her bare hands.
Literally.
People threw up watching the aftermath.
"He's my family," Lin Fan said.
"He's my family," Old Zhang echoed, pointing back at Lin Fan.
They both smiled brightly, beaming like children.
The woman hesitated, then reached into her pocket and handed Lin Fan a hundred-yuan bill.
"Here. Go get some food. There's a fast food joint at the hospital gate. Give this to the clerk—they'll feed you."
"We don't want money," Lin Fan replied, shaking his head.
"Yeah," Old Zhang added, "we don't want money."
Lin Fan looked at her and said with eerie clarity, "I can tell—you need it more than we do."
The woman chuckled. "Oh, really? I make money much easier than you think, sweetheart. Take it. Don't be shy. Talking to you two like this, it's fate."
Rustle.
A faint sound in the distance—inaudible to the average ear, dismissed by most as mere wind through leaves.
"There's something over there," Lin Fan said, pointing to a branch in the grove.
Old Zhang looked up. "I don't see anything."
The woman squinted into the darkness. Pitch black. Nothing visible.
Lin Fan calmly picked up a pebble and hurled it into the tree.
Whizz.
A few leaves fell. No creature.
Up in the branches, a Xuan Snake coiled itself tighter.
How dare this human throw rocks at me?!
Didn't he know who I am?! I'm a Class-2 evil entity, you morons!
It wanted to strike but hesitated. This grove was a perfect hiding place. It couldn't risk exposure.
Lin Fan threw another stone. Again—nothing.
The Xuan Snake hissed, furious.
You want war, human? Try it again. I dare you.
Whap!
A stone hit the tip of its tail—pain shot through its body.
The snake's hatred toward humans had been simmering for weeks. Now it boiled over.
Its body tensed.
Its fangs bared.
It launched itself toward Lin Fan's neck like a bolt of living lightning.
But Lin Fan didn't flinch.
His muscles tightened instinctively, and the snake sank its fangs into his arm—crack!
Its teeth shattered on impact.
The Xuan Snake coiled tightly around Lin Fan's arm, squeezing hard enough to shatter bone.
"There's a snake," Lin Fan said flatly.
"A long one," Old Zhang added.
Lin Fan giggled. "It's just like the ones on TV. So cute! Even cuter, actually."
"It really is," Old Zhang clapped excitedly.
The snake froze.
...Cute?
Someone thought I—me, the Xuan Snake—was cute?
Finally…
Finally, the right humans.
The snake relaxed, wrapping itself gently around Lin Fan's arm. It flicked its tongue playfully, licking his palm.
Yes... Yes, I am cute.
Humans just couldn't resist cuteness, after all.
"Oooh, it tickles!" Lin Fan said gleefully.
Old Zhang stretched out his hand. "Me too!"
The snake gave him a little lick.
"It tickles!" he cried, delighted.
The snake doubled down on its act—licking, nuzzling, charming. These idiots were eating it up.
When the time was right, it would reward them…
By devouring them whole.
The woman stood trembling, watching in horror.
The snake was huge.
If not for these two oddballs, it could've dropped on her…
She might be dead right now.
Outside the hospital, in a narrow, dirty alley, where long-term patients' families lived in cheap flats…
A warm smell wafted from one of the small homes.
Inside, the place was modest but clean. Awards were taped to the wall:
"Excellent Class Monitor."
"Three-Good Student."
A framed photo sat near the bed—a woman in heavy makeup, holding a grinning girl in a school uniform.
In the kitchen, a metal pot simmered on the stove.
White broth bubbled. Inside floated chopped-up snake segments.
A snake head bobbed between the fat and garlic.
It spun helplessly in the soup.
Blub blub.
At the table, Lin Fan and Old Zhang sat in anticipation.
"So fragrant," Lin Fan said.
"Just like those cute puppies—cute things always taste good."
Their stomachs growled.
The woman brought out two big bowls, garnished with scallions.
She didn't eat.
She couldn't.
She remembered slamming the snake onto the cutting board—its eyes staring at her with a terrifying gleam.
What was it trying to say? Was it pleading? Resisting?
Xuan Snake (inner monologue):
You bastards said I was cute!
Why did you chop me up?
You damn humans… fight me one-on-one, I dare you! Or at least let me run 99 meters first!
Later.
Lin Fan and Old Zhang stood at the doorway, holding takeaway boxes.
"Thank you for feeding us," Lin Fan said. "You're a good person."
The woman smiled—awkwardly.
Yes, she felt pity for the mentally ill.
But they also terrified her.
She had no idea where she got the courage to bring them home…
To kill a snake…
To cook it for them.
Maybe… it was kindness.
They walked down the alley, faces greasy and content.
Old Zhang had eaten only a few pieces before declaring he was too full.
The rest was devoured by Lin Fan.
The warmth spread from his belly to his cheeks.
They passed four men in the alley—hunters of evil, unaware of the feast that had just ended.
"Huh? The energy pulse was around here just a minute ago. Now it's gone."
"Looks like we'll have to go house by house."
"Evil spirits are getting smarter. They know how to hide inside humans now. It's a nightmare."
"Don't leave a single shadow unchecked."
"Got it."
(End of Chapter)