Jem took a clear glass bottle out of his backpack. It contained some pale yellow medicinal powder.
Then he opened a packet containing fresh raw meat. No one could tell at a glance what kind of meat it was.
He then gently opened the iron canister and sprinkled its contents little by little over the meat. Picking up a twig from the ground, he skewered the piece of meat and slowly, carefully brought it toward the girl's shoulder, holding his other hand to his lips to reassure her.
The girl blinked hard to show that she understood. Her legs trembled uncontrollably with fear, because the snake had already crawled up to her neck and was coiling around it.
Bai Chen and the others held their breath too, afraid of startling the snake.
The snake had already wound itself tightly around the girl's neck. Perhaps it had mistaken her neck for a branch and was slowly climbing it.
But when Jem brought the meat on the twig in front of it, it examined the offering warily for a while. The meat tempted it greatly, but just as it was about to bite, it jerked its head back. It was exceptionally alert and even tightened its coils, constricting the girl's neck until she could barely breathe. She could only slowly adjust her breathing.
The girl wanted to struggle, but Jem shook his head firmly at her, making a snake-like sound with his mouth.
The snake seemed to respond to the sound. It slowly crawled toward the stick holding the meat, then bit into the powder-coated piece and began devouring it.
While it was busy eating, Jem swiftly seized its neck with his other hand. To keep it from slipping free and biting him, he immediately flung it away.
Seeing that the snake