The flashlight, dropped when the black sphere burst, was now tumbling erratically among the severed snakes, its beam scattering wildly. Under that dim, chaotic light, I horrifyingly realized those long and short "smoked sausages" were the severed bodies of the very black snakes from before, now writhing like routed soldiers, shoving and crowding, seemingly desperate to reconnect with their original heads to reform the whole.

And at that moment, another heart-stopping scene unfolded. Due to their sheer numbers, the severed snakes had lost all sense of order. They might line up behind a head, only to realize it wasn't their boss, causing them to twist back and retreat, heads raised, sniffing and smelling, trying desperately to pinpoint their respective leaders. Consequently, very few actual black snakes were truly reunited; most were still thrashing about haphazardly. The once clean, pale slate floor was quickly smeared into a bloody mire by countless thin blood streaks, resembling the chaotic result of some clumsy abstract painter’s frantic brushwork… and the flashlight was being nudged further and further away by the mass of severed snakes!

Qin Bing'er leaped high in the dim light, lunging for the rolling flashlight. With practiced agility, she snatched it up, spun around, and trod over the writhing masses toward the eaves trough, shouting back frantically at me, who was slumped on the ground: “Run! There are fewer severed snakes near the eaves!”

I froze, and in the beam of Qin Bing'er’s light, I indeed saw that while many severed snakes were squirming near the trough, there were significantly fewer than here, clearly having been scattered over from this side. Though my vision was blurred, I could vaguely make out more areas of exposed grayish-white ground over there, confirming my guess.

My lips trembled uncontrollably. Hearing Qin Bing'er’s shout, I pushed myself up with my hands, trying to stand steady, but my limbs were utterly weak, refusing to cooperate. The moment my backside lifted just a few centimeters off the ground, my cloth-wrapped foot inadvertently stepped on a section of a writhing, cylindrical snake segment. I slipped, plopping back down hard. The impact flattened several segments beneath me like squashed bananas, and I could distinctly feel my rear end soaked through with the foul blood of the severed reptiles, the brittle bone fragments of which were digging painfully into my flesh… Alas! At this critical moment, my two "atomic bombs" were completely out of control, having retracted deep into my abdomen and refusing to return to their post, and even my usually swaggering "rocket" had become droopy in the face of crisis, with a hot, hydrogen-like substance nearly erupting from within…

“Why aren’t you moving? Watch out, a snake head might bite your backside…” Qin Bing'er ran a few steps, then, seeing me sitting stunned, she carefully navigated the slippery, snake-covered ground back to help me up.

The severed snakes were still busy reforming their lines and none seemed interested in my relatively substantial rear end, but Qin Bing'er’s single warning spurred me more urgently than an actual bite. I tensed my waist and pushed again with both hands, only to grasp two snake segments. Too startled and panicked to tell if they were heads or bodies, I forced down my terror and hurled the segments away. Unfortunately, in my haste and poor visibility, I threw the two segments one after the other, directly toward Qin Bing'er.

Qin Bing'er paused, tilting her head; one segment grazed past her face, while the other—she couldn't dodge in time. Before she could react, that segment flew close to her ear… In the dim flashlight glow, I vaguely saw the severed piece dangle from her earlobe, swinging back and forth like a massive earring!

I expected Qin Bing'er to cry out, but instead, she flicked her slender hand, yanked the segment off, and flung it far away. Only then did a sound of pure, panicked distress stab into my ears like a knife, “That hurt…”

Consumed by regret, I slapped my own cheeks twice, and suddenly felt surging strength flood my body. My glutes tightened, and I scrambled up, rushing to Qin Bing'er’s side, pulling her into an embrace and immediately clamping my mouth onto her earlobe to suck hard. A mix of blood and foul stench shot into my mouth. The taste was truly indescribable, worlds away from the milky fragrance of my sisters-in-law’s breasts when I was a child. But I couldn't care less then! Sucking and spitting, my lips quickly grew numb, like chewing a mouthful of Sichuan peppercorns, and the dizzying sensation intensified.

Qin Bing'er, however, displayed unusual composure. Though held tightly by me and unable to break free, her mouth was quick. “Are you trying to die? Hurry, we need to jump to the eaves trough side!” Hearing this, I touched Qin Bing'er’s cheek and felt she hadn't "gained weight," and a massive weight lifted from my heart—it seemed I had successfully sucked out most of the venom. Thank goodness for my brilliant decision!

Still uneasy, I took another bite of Qin Bing'er's earlobe, sucking with all the strength I could muster. I vaguely sensed the metallic, bloody taste in my mouth growing stronger while the foul stench receded. I released Qin Bing'er, my head swam, and I nearly collapsed backward. Fortunately, Qin Bing'er was quick, bracing my arm with her shoulder, helping me up, and preparing to cross the trough, which was neither deep nor wide.

At that moment, for some unknown reason, the black snakes that had been behaving deep in the ditch suddenly reared up. Looking over, the entire ditch brimmed with snake heads poking out, baring fangs, their drool emitting a pungent stench that assaulted my nostrils. The scene resembled a ditch crammed with iron thistles steeped in poison…

Qin Bing'er realized the gravity of the situation, slowing her pace slightly, and steered me back toward the stone-stepped street. However, after just two difficult steps, another loud crash sounded overhead—a much larger black sphere plummeted from the sky—naturally formed by numerous black snakes interlocking mouth-to-tail into one massive ball. Within seconds, the ball smashed down in front of us, instantly shattering like an overripe watermelon, scattering "smoked sausages" everywhere, covering me and Qin Bing'er head to toe.

My consciousness was rapidly fading; relying only on the barest flicker of belief, I mechanically shook off the "smoked sausages." Qin Bing'er was sweating heavily, breathing in short gasps, yet she held onto me firmly. I vaguely felt her turning me around, dragging me toward the eaves trough again. I guessed the ground full of severed snakes must have blocked our path to the stone street!

Amidst the ringing in my ears, several more tremendous impacts echoed from above, rumbling like countless rolling stones smashing against the stilt-house supports. I forced my eyes open and saw more than a dozen black spheres, identical to the first, rolling down toward Qin Bing'er and me. After the spheres passed, the ground was covered completely, as densely as grain drying in the sun, with the entirely black "smoked sausages."

Qin Bing'er gripped my arm and they leapt across the eaves trough, her hands still supporting my body firmly. I was completely limp and desperately wanted to sleep, but I still mustered the last of my strength to resist Qin Bing'er’s hand, ignoring the drool streaming from my mouth, and mumbled, “Bing'er… forget me… if you have the strength… hurry up and climb onto that stone lion… then jump onto the stone archway… go!” Hearing this, Qin Bing'er found some unknown reserve of power. Ignoring the danger of her silk trousers being "kissed" by black snakes, she spun around sharply, bent low, threw my chest onto her back, and with a sudden burst of strength from her hands, executed a perfect fireman's carry slam on me. As I flew through the air, I vaguely felt a black snake bite down on my "cloth shoe." Fear pierced my heart like a needle; I used all my might to kick my legs, hearing a few dull thuds, and I too crashed heavily to the ground. Stars still danced before my eyes as Qin Bing'er, clutching the flashlight, dragged my legs, pulling me like a wooden cart toward the stone archway with all her might…

Finally reaching the left gate of the stone archway, Qin Bing'er wrapped her arms around my ribs to hold me steady, then moved in front of me, squatting down without preamble, bracing her hands on the stone door, and screaming hoarsely, “Quick! Step on my shoulders and climb up…”

Qin Bing'er waited a moment, then turned back when I stood there wobbling without moving. Growing anxious, she stepped back, took both my thighs onto her shoulders, and with a grunt, shakily stood up. “Hurry… climb…” I grew anxious too; if I didn't climb now, Qin Bing'er would surely throw out her back from supporting my weight! The thought alone unleashed infinite strength throughout my body. I hooked my hands onto the archway, pushed hard with my legs, and painfully scaled the stone structure. Then, I rotated my body 180 degrees using the stone ledge for support, grabbed Qin Bing'er’s hand, and pulled with all my might. Using that momentum, Qin Bing'er kicked hard off the stone door a few times and clambered onto the archway.

This process drained every ounce of my energy; my mind buzzed deafeningly, and then everything went dark.

In my hazy consciousness, a cool, soft little mouth enveloped my lips and bit down hard, then began sucking fiercely, like someone eating an ice cream bar. The sharp pain on my lip jolted me awake, and I quickly understood. When that little mouth returned to latch onto my lip, I struggled slightly, turned my own mouth, bit down hard in return, and began to suck just as fiercely…

And so, Qin Bing'er sucked mine, and I sucked hers, going back and forth for a long time, until my senses gradually returned.

The first thing I did upon regaining clarity was snatch back the flashlight. Using the dim yellow beam, I looked at Qin Bing'er’s lips and earlobe. Seeing that neither spot showed any blackening or swelling, a weight equivalent to a thousand jin finally lifted from my heart. Perhaps that black snake venom hadn't fully matured yet!

“That damned idiot, Man Niao Niao,” I cursed to the heavens, “Your uncle here endured all this hardship, and that wretched partner of yours is still off dreaming his spring and autumn dreams…” And indeed, Man Niao Niao, who was frantically jumping around at that very moment, suddenly felt a chill down his spine, his ears burning bright red. —Of course, this is what Man Niao Niao told me personally later on.