Encountering a Snake - Chapter 1

The incident happened too suddenly.

 

With a loud “bang,” a small porcelain bowl painted with blue flowers fell to the ground, rolled twice, and shattered into several small pieces. At the same time, an old, well-polished brass bell also fell from a height, ringing twice in alarm before tilting to rest beside the broken fragments.

 

“Young Master… Young Master… Somebody help! The young master has been bitten by a snake!…”

 

A sharp voice pierced through the rare sunny afternoon of early spring. Immediately, hurried footsteps echoed through the once peaceful and serene mountain courtyard, accompanied by the sound of objects being knocked over in the panic.

 

Shen Qingxuan’s eyes widened as he tried to see the creature that had bitten him, but his vision blurred, as if a thin veil had covered his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make out anything clearly. A deep fear of the venom’s potency welled up inside him, yet a dark thought crossed his mind—man proposes, but God disposes. He had imagined countless ways to die, but he never expected that his end would come from a snake’s fangs.

 

With that thought, he found himself oddly calm. He closed his eyes, vaguely aware that the approaching servants were moving him from the chair, frantically calling for a doctor and fetching antidotes.

 

After that, he knew nothing more.

 

The news that the eldest son of the Shen family had been bitten by a snake spread as if carried by the wings of the birds in the mountain forests. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the once tranquil mountain path was filled with the sound of approaching hoofbeats.

 

Horses and a palanquin with soft veils arrived in quick succession, stopping at the entrance of the mountain villa. The riders and the distinguished person in the palanquin quickly dismounted, entered the villa, and rushed into Shen Qingxuan’s room without waiting for any formalities.

 

The man lying within the green gauze bed curtains had his eyes tightly closed. A dark purple-black hue of ill omen spread across his forehead, and the heavy discoloration gradually overtook his entire face. His originally pale lips appeared unnaturally red against the darkened complexion, giving him a ghastly appearance—three parts human, seven parts ghost.

 

“Xiao Xuan!” The elder, whose temples were slightly frosted with age, gasped in sorrow, his voice choked with grief. “My son!” He had more to say but could only sob.

 

“Old Master,” the steward standing by hurriedly interrupted, reminding him, “This is not the time for sorrow. The most important thing now is to save the young master’s life.”

 

“Yes, yes.” Jolted back to reality by the steward’s words, the old master of the Shen family stood up quickly, covering his face with one hand, his voice still trembling as he asked the servants nearby, “Have you given him the antidote?”

 

“The mountain often has snakes, insects, rats, and ants, so we keep antidotes on hand. We’ve already fed the young master a pill specifically for snake venom, but… it doesn’t seem to be working very well.”

 

“What kind of snake was it? Did anyone get a good look?” the steward asked urgently.

 

“It was too chaotic at the time. I didn’t see it clearly. It was coiled on the trellis in the courtyard, partially hidden by the branches… I only caught a glimpse, but it was as thick as a bowl…” The servant gestured as he spoke, but as soon as he finished, his forehead was smacked hard. The steward scolded angrily, “You wretched fool, spouting nonsense!” Ignoring the servant’s cries, the steward turned to explain to the master of the Shen family, “Master, I spent my youth in the mountains and have never heard of a snake growing that thick. Unless it was a python, but pythons, though large, rarely bite people, and their venom is not this potent. This fool must be exaggerating to avoid punishment.”

 

The master of the Shen family, distressed and anxious, didn’t dwell on this and angrily ordered the servant to leave.

 

“Where was he bitten?” the steward asked the trembling maid standing by the doorframe. She was Shen Qingxuan’s personal attendant.

 

“On the wrist,” the maid replied, her face pale. “The sun was out today, and the young master wanted to bask in it, so I wheeled him out into the courtyard, just like always. The young master usually drinks a pot of floral tea at this time, so I brewed the tea and was about to fetch some snacks. I had just turned away when I heard the sound of the teacup falling to the ground. When I turned back, the young master had already been bitten…” Tears welled up in the maid’s eyes as she spoke, on the verge of crying.

 

“Did you see the snake?”

 

“I did. That person wasn’t lying. The snake was indeed as thick as a bowl, coiled on the railing. When I saw it, it was just retracting itself. It was pitch black, except for some gold on its belly. I’ve seen many snakes killed over the years while serving the young master on the mountain, but I’ve never seen one that big…”

 

“Was it really that big?” The steward still had doubts.

 

The girl collapsed to her knees, crying and swearing, “This is such a serious matter, how could I dare lie? If there’s even a shred of falsehood in my words, may I die a horrible death!”

 

While the steward compared testimonies, the master of the Shen family, who was suppressing his sorrow as he examined his son’s injury, pulled up his eldest son’s wrist. The snakebite had already been cut open in a cross shape, and he felt a slight relief knowing that a quick-witted servant had made the incision to suck out the venom. However, the venom was fierce, and in such a short time, it had rendered a grown man unconscious. The poison had likely already reached his lungs, making it difficult to cleanse.

 

Holding the thin, pale wrist, the master of the Shen family was filled with grief. They say the eldest son is the pillar of the family, but he hadn’t had a child until he was thirty. Then, when Shen Qingxuan was eight years old, he fell into an icy pond. Though they managed to save him, he suffered a high fever that left him mute, and his legs were permanently damaged, confining him to a bed for the rest of his life. He thought that if he could just take good care of his son, without expecting him to achieve fame or fortune, the Shen family’s wealth would be enough to ensure his eldest son’s safety and comfort. Yet now, at twenty-seven, his son had been bitten by a snake.

 

“Damn beast!” he muttered under his breath, feeling an urge to capture the snake and tear it apart.

 

“Master, please don’t worry,” the loyal steward of the Shen family tried to comfort him again. “The young master has always been frail, and since he’s been living in the mountain villa, we’ve stocked many rare medicinal herbs. There might still be a way to save him.”

 

“What way?”

 

“Master, do you remember the two pills that were presented by our trading partners from the southern lands during the Mid-Autumn Festival two years ago? They were said to cure all kinds of poison.”

 

“Yes, I remember. I kept those pills. …Are they truly effective?”

 

“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard that the southern lands are swampy and full of poisonous creatures. Those pills might indeed have miraculous properties.”

 

“Then bring them at once!” The master of the Shen family quickly stood up.

 

“Right away.”

 

The medicine was brought swiftly, dissolved in warm water, and fed to Shen Qingxuan. When they tried to give him the medicine, his jaw was clenched tight, and the muscles in his cheeks were rigid. He seemed to be barely clinging to life.

 

Everyone in the room was filled with dread, and the atmosphere was heavy.

 

As night fell, the servants lit oil lamps, casting flickering shadows around the room.

 

The door to Shen Qingxuan’s room opened and closed repeatedly as people came and went.

 

Yet no one noticed the figure standing silently in the shifting shadows cast by the lamps.

 

With long black hair flowing down to his waist, the figure was dressed in black robes, his hands folded behind him. The ancient patterns embroidered in gold thread on his collar were faintly visible, and his expression was cold, his lips pressed into a thin line. He stood there, having been there for who knows how long.

 

No one noticed him, and even those who brushed past him did not so much as glance his way. If anyone had seen him, they would never have ignored this man who seemed like a god of death incarnate.

 

Yet indeed, no one was aware of his presence.

 

**Late into the Night**

 

Shen Laoye (Old Master Shen) was exhausted in both body and mind. He wanted to stay by his son’s side, but his age cruelly restricted his deep paternal love. It was the end of February, and though spring had arrived, the nights were still cold. After a few low coughs, Shen Laoye felt a dull pain in his head. Under the butler’s persuasion, despite his reluctance, he went to the side room where the brazier was burning warmly and lay down on the soft couch.

 

In Shen Qingxuan’s room, only the butler and three servants remained to keep watch.

 

Another two hours passed, and the previously weak breath of Shen Mingxuan gradually became steady and strong. The man standing still in the shadows slightly raised his eyes, revealing a hint of surprise. He didn’t believe that any medicine in this world could truly counteract his poison.

 

Sure enough, after focusing his gaze on the frail and weak man lying on the bed for a while, he understood. This was what they called the “last radiance of a setting sun.”

 

Those antidotes at most could delay time by a little. Cure the poison? Pure delusion.

 

Shen Qingxuan struggled to move his eyelids. They felt as heavy as a thousand catties, impossible to open.

 

However, the maid by his side noticed, and cried out in delight, “Young Master, Young Master!”

 

Her voice was filled with reckless joy, waking up the small courtyard and the mountain forest that had just fallen asleep.

 

Soon, Shen Laoye, draped in a cloak with no time to put on his shoes, staggered over, shouting all the way, “Xuan’er, Xuan’er… Xuan’er, have you woken up? Father has been so worried…”

 

Perhaps his father’s call gave Shen Qingxuan strength. His constantly trembling eyelids struggled to move and eventually opened. His eyes were unfocused for a moment before they gradually came together, and a bit of vitality returned to them.

 

Shen Qingxuan opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came out.

 

Yet everyone knew what he was trying to say: “Father.”

 

“Yes, Father is here…” Instantly, tears flowed down Shen Laoye’s face. He no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of an elder as he trembled, holding his son’s hand, and murmured, “Qingxuan, are you feeling better? As long as you’re better, Father can be at ease…”

 

Shen Qingxuan mustered all his strength, barely managing to pull a smile across his stiff face. But deep down, he knew that he wouldn’t survive this time. His entire body was engulfed in a numbness that left him paralyzed. As he breathed, his mouth and nose were filled with a metallic taste, and his vision alternated between darkness and fleeting clarity.

 

The feeling of impending death was probably just like this.

 

There was nothing to fear, really. For someone like him, death was not as frightening as living.

 

What he couldn’t bear to leave behind were his parents and his younger brother…

 

His family was the only pillar that had supported him in searching for joy in life all these years. Every time he imagined the grief and sorrow of his parents after his passing, his heart ached with unwillingness.

 

He didn’t fear death because he was giving up on life. After so many years of being confined to a wheelchair, unable to care for himself, he had grown accustomed to it. Burying his childhood dreams of galloping on horseback wasn’t so difficult anymore.

 

But his body had been deteriorating year by year.

 

He used to be able to bask in the sun occasionally, pushed by someone to stroll through the mountains and forests.

 

In the last two years, however, it had become increasingly difficult. A light breeze would leave him bedridden for days, each illness worse than the last. Eventually, he could only leave his bed once or twice a month.

 

He hadn’t stepped outside this winter, rarely even opening the window.

 

Finally, after recovering from an illness, he wanted to bask in the sun, but he disturbed a snake that had just ended its hibernation and also came out to bask in the sun.

 

Thinking of this, Shen Qingxuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. He thought to himself that neither he nor the snake found this sunbathing comfortable.

 

He understood in his heart that the snake had been coiled on the railing, basking in the sun while he sat in the chair. Man and snake had been minding their own business.

 

They could have coexisted peacefully, basking in the sun and returning to their homes afterward.

 

But unfortunately, a piece of dirt-stained leaf somehow fell into his cup of clear tea. Being fastidious by nature, without thinking, he poured the hot tea out.

 

At the time, he hadn’t seen the snake. By the time he realized something was wrong, the tea had already been poured, scalding the snake’s shiny scales.

 

The hand that hadn’t been retracted in time was bitten by the snake, startled by the sudden pain.

 

In truth, it was more his fault than the snake’s. Such hot water would scare any creature into retaliation, whether it was a snake or a rabbit.

 

That was a very majestic snake. He had only managed to glance at it before the intense pain diverted his attention. But Shen Qingxuan still remembered that the snake was pitch black all over, and when it coiled and raised its head, its neck and belly were golden, dazzling in the afternoon sunlight. He had wanted to take a closer look, but his vision became blurred. He didn’t even know if the snake had been injured by the scalding water.

 

It’s said that such legless creatures are covered in small scales, so they probably wouldn’t be easily harmed by a cup of hot tea.

 

Suddenly, his vision was overcome by darkness, even the sound of his father’s voice faded away. Shen Qingxuan tried to focus on what his father was saying, but all he could hear was a roaring in his ears. Fragmented sentences floated in from the roaring, but none of them reached his consciousness. Shen Qingxuan knew his father was speaking, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand a word.

 

Shen Qingxuan knew his time had come, but he couldn’t tell whether he felt more sadness or relief. He had always known he was a dying man, but the arrival of this moment still caught him off guard.

 

The ties in his heart made him want to take one last look at the world he had lived in for more than twenty years. Even though he no longer had the strength to breathe, Shen Qingxuan stubbornly forced his eyes open, gathering the last of his scattered vitality to look at his family. He gazed intently at them.

 

His father, who had aged well but now looked frail, the old butler who had served the Shen family tirelessly for a lifetime, the maid who had cried herself weak, and all those familiar faces who had taken care of him with dedication over the years… Shen Qingxuan’s gaze swept over each of them, his lips curling into a faint smile, as if saying goodbye.

 

His smile was faint, yet on his current face that was three parts human and seven parts ghost, it looked grotesque.

 

But it conveyed a deep, despairing attachment to life and an acceptance of death.

 

Perhaps this smile was too striking. The cold, stoic man who had been watching the scene from the shadows since the beginning lifted his eyelids, and for the first time, ripples of surprise appeared in his abyss-like dark eyes.

 

 

Laoye – Old Master