The python blinked its green eyes, then flicked out a tongue more than three feet long and licked Hu Xiaotian's bare thigh. It drew its head back, swiftly turned around, and slithered toward the pool again.
Only after Hu Xiaotian was certain he could no longer hear any movement nearby, and guessed that the python had gone far away, did he open his eyes. Before he could make out his surroundings, a pungent stench filled his lungs. Afraid it might be poisonous, he hastily held his breath again. To his surprise, there was a faint light inside the underground cave. By that dim glow, he saw that he was lying in a mass of black, sticky sludge. He struggled to climb out, but his right hand closed around something hard. He pulled it free and brought it closer, only to discover a stark white skull. Such things did not particularly frighten Hu Xiaotian. In a doctor's eyes, the dead were much safer than the living, and certainly much safer than that Purple Giant Python. This must have been the python's lair all along. With considerable difficulty, he stood up in the muck. He had survived by sheer luck, but he had no idea what had happened to Tang Qingxuan.
Tang Qingxuan had watched helplessly as Hu Xiaotian was dragged back into the pool. She approached the water's edge, but unfortunately, she could not swim. Even if she jumped in, she would only throw away her own life without saving him. Overcome with grief, she covered her mouth and began to sob. Just then, she suddenly noticed flickering lights in the distance. Frightened, she immediately fell silent. Only now did she realize that she had torn all her clothes to shreds and was completely naked. Shame and fear gripped her heart.