Chapter 1615 — What a Coincidence
"Xiaofu, what's going on with you? Didn't you say there were grass snake sellers around? We've been walking for ages and haven't seen a single one!" Zhong Yongliang's face was darkening too. The plan was all set — and now the props were nowhere to be found.
"Brother Liang, there... there really used to be tons of grass snake sellers. Why aren't there any today?" Gao Xiaofu said with a bitter face. "Last time we came to scout the area, you saw them too — the whole street was crawling with grass snake sellers!"
"Hmph!" Zhong Yongliang had indeed seen the street full of grass snake sellers last time, but he was still feeling grumpy about it. He gave a cold snort. "You always drop the ball at the crucial moment — what is wrong with you!"
"Keep looking! They've got to be somewhere..." Gao Xiaofu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking sheepish. "Brother Liang, trust me — I swear I'll find them..."
"Forget it. If they're really not here, then so be it!" Zhong Yongliang waved his hand in helpless resignation. He thought to himself: Just bear with it for now. Once Zhang Naipao finishes his training and grinds Wei Zhao underfoot, Gu Mengyao will be his for the taking. Then we'll see who can protect her!
Even An Jianwen would be nothing more than a nobody before Paozi's status as a disciple of that ancient sect!
"Hey! There's a grass snake seller over there!" Gao Xiaofu suddenly spotted a stall nearby — an old man with a little girl, selling grass snakes!
"Oh? So there really is one?" Zhong Yongliang followed Gao Xiaofu's pointing finger and saw the grass snake stall too. "Then why are you still standing here? Go buy a grass snake and bring it back!"
"Yes, sir!" Gao Xiaofu hurried over to the grass snake stall in long strides and called out to the old man, "Hey, how much for your grass snakes?"
Chief Zhu had come here for one purpose — to sell the grass snake to Wei Zhao, not to anyone else. That was why he hadn't set up his stall earlier, but had been watching from afar as Wei Zhao's party drew closer before finally putting it out. He never expected someone to crash the scene mid-route, demanding to buy a grass snake!
This grass snake had been tampered with — how could Chief Zhu sell it to Gao Xiaofu? He was about to say no, but then he thought: if he refused, wouldn't Chen Xi get suspicious? At that, Chief Zhu had no choice but to say, "Two thousand apiece!"
"What?" Gao Xiaofu froze. Two thousand for a grass snake? Did he think it was gilded? He'd checked the going rate before — a grass snake went for ten or twenty yuan. How could it be two thousand? Was this guy trying to rip him off in broad daylight?
"Two thousand apiece! If you're not buying, stop cluttering up the place!" Seeing Wei Zhao and the others approaching, Chief Zhu had no patience for haggling and wanted to shoo him away fast.
Damn it, you old geezer are a real rip-off! Gao Xiaofu was about to bargain, but the old thing drove him off instead, leaving him with no move to make. He thought to himself: Two thousand, then. What could he do — this old man was the only seller around.
"Fine! Two thousand, then. Here!" Gao Xiaofu pulled out his wallet, drew out two thousand yuan, and tossed it onto the stall. He didn't have time to dawdle with the old man — Gu Mengyao was about to walk over.
"You'd actually pay two thousand for this?" Chief Zhu was so angry he wanted to swear. Are you out of your mind? Got money with nothing to spend it on? Two thousand yuan for a worthless grass snake? For that price you could hire someone to climb the mountain and catch you a whole basket!
Chen Xi's eyes went wide. She never expected a measly snake could sell for two thousand yuan! Earlier, when Grandpa Zhu had named that price, she'd been startled — she thought he'd misspoken. The grass snake had been given to them for free; it cost nothing, had no overhead! Besides, even if they'd bought it, it wouldn't be worth that much.
She had been about to raise an objection — but she never expected the man before her would actually buy it!
"Why does a snake-seller like you talk so much rubbish? The money's yours — now hand over the snake!" Gao Xiaofu was fuming. It was bad enough that the old man's prices were extortionate, but now he'd taken the money and still didn't want to sell? Was two thousand not enough for him?
"You'd pay this much and still buy it?" Chief Zhu was at a loss for words. Why did a lunatic have to show up at the critical moment?
"Are you crazy, you old fossil? Fine — I'll grab it myself!" Gao Xiaofu stopped bothering with Chief Zhu, plucked a grass snake straight out of his basket, and turned to leave!
Chief Zhu could have stopped him — in fact, it would have been effortless given his Earth-tier cultivation. But the critical issue was that Wei Zhao was right nearby. If Chief Zhu revealed his true strength and Wei Zhao caught wind of it, all their future plans would go out the window. So he could only watch as Gao Xiaofu walked off with a grass snake, silently cursing his luck. It looked like today's operation was probably a bust.
Gao Xiaofu had studied grass snakes before and had looked up their characteristics. He knew how to hold a grass snake so it wouldn't bite, and he also knew how to provoke one into biting.
But as he ran back, buzzing with excitement, snake in hand, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm. He looked down and saw the grass snake had bitten him!
"Ah—" Gao Xiaofu screamed in agony. He was in excruciating pain, and he simply couldn't understand it — how could the grass snake bite him all of a sudden? He'd even specifically learned how to handle grass snakes from the sellers, but today all that knowledge was useless!
Little did he know Chief Zhu had drugged the grass snakes — they had all gone mad.
Crying out in pain, Gao Xiaofu reflexively hurled the snake away. It shot into the grass on the mountainside and vanished without a trace.
But the bite wound on Gao Xiaofu's arm had swollen to an alarming size, as though he'd been poisoned! Staring at his own arm, he jumped. Weren't grass snakes supposed to be venomless? Even if one bit you, the reaction wouldn't be this severe. Could it be... the snake that bit him was actually venomous?
"Wow, Xiaoliangzi, Gao Xiaofu got bitten by a snake — hurry up and suck the poison out!" Shen Yushu saw Gao Xiaofu hopping around in pain and said excitedly to Zhong Yongliang, "Come on, show us how you'd treat it!"
"Huh?" Zhong Yongliang was stunned. He'd never imagined that Gao Xiaofu would go out to buy a grass snake and get bitten by one instead — and it might not even be a grass snake, but a venomous one!
"Zhong Yongliang, go take a look — what should we do? Aren't you a professional when it comes to snake venom?" The other classmates recalled what Gao Xiaofu had said back when they set out, and urged Zhong Yongliang.
"Yeah, Zhong Yongliang, look — Gao Xiaofu seems to be in a lot of pain! Hurry up and help him suck out the venom. Out of all of us, you're the only one who knows how!" another classmate said anxiously.
For the latest updates with no pop-up ads, please come back.