“But aren’t you going to introduce us?” Qi Xia asked tentatively. “Maybe we don’t need a referral letter and are somehow just perfect for your ‘support group.'”
“I have no such intention,” Earth Snake shook his head. “Everyone, save your breath. I said I’m going to hang myself, and no one can stop me today.”
“Then what’s the reason for hanging yourself?” Qi Xia pressed.
“Because I’m too sad,” Earth Snake replied, his eyes brimming with tears. “Do you know how heartbroken I am after hearing the suffering of those people just now? All I want right now is to hang myself. Only hanging can soothe my wounded soul.”
“But you—” Chen Junnan tried to interject, but his nose suddenly twitched with emotion.
An inexplicable wave of sorrow began creeping into his mind, plunging his mood into despair in an instant.
“Dammit…” he muttered, shaking his head. “What the hell is this…”
“Handsome lad… what’s wrong with you?” Qiao Jiajin, standing beside him, noticed Chen Junnan’s odd behavior.
“I don’t know… what’s happening? I suddenly feel so… exhausted,” Chen Junnan scratched his head. “Why the hell can’t I do anything right?”
“Huh?”
The other three turned to look at him.
“I can’t even pull back a damn snake from suicide…” Chen Junnan sighed. “All these years, I’ve accomplished nothing… and now it’s the same…”
Qi Xia’s brow furrowed. He realized Chen Junnan must have been affected by something.
But what? A “resonance” ability?
He scanned the surroundings but found no one else nearby. Yet Chen Junnan had suddenly turned despondent.
Not just him—everyone who had just left seemed to have tears in their eyes. Was the problem with Earth Snake?
“No, I can’t let this slide. I’ve got to try talking him down again,” Chen Junnan stepped forward, but Qi Xia pulled him back.
Qi Xia cautiously observed the old, thick hemp rope in Earth Snake’s hand, the stool beneath his feet, the sturdy tree branch above, then recalled Earth Snake’s earlier words.
He nodded at the snake. “I get it. Go ahead and hang yourself.”
“Good, thank you. I’m truly too sad.”
With that, Earth Snake decisively kicked the stool away.
In an instant, the noose tightened with a creak, and Earth Snake swung from the rope, swaying left and right.
But he was clearly different from an ordinary hanging person—his legs didn’t thrash, and his body didn’t twist.
“Good lord…” Chen Junnan stared at the slowly swaying Earth Snake, momentarily forgetting his own sorrow. “Old Qi, shouldn’t we stop him? Next time we come back, he’ll be a fucking dried snake skin.”
“No need. He won’t die,” Qi Xia said.
“Huh?”
The rope tightened further around Earth Snake’s neck as he spun slowly in the air, giving everyone a clear view of his face.
He was clearly in discomfort—his tongue lolled out, and tears welled in his eyes.
“Wait…” Chen Junnan turned to Qi Xia, confused. “You sure he’s not dying? He looks pretty done for…”
“Relax,” Qi Xia said. “That rope looks well-used, the stool was placed right outside for easy access, and the tree branch is covered in marks from hanging. Besides, he said he’d talk to us—after hanging himself. That means he does this often.”
Qiao Jiajin blinked. “Hangs himself often? Is this snake brother really trying to dry himself out?”
As if on cue, Earth Snake, still slowly rotating, burst into tears, his voice strained as he forced out words: “So sad… Why is it so painful… Hearing these heartbreaking stories every day… My ‘support group’ is just too tragic…”
His voice escalated from sobs to wails, then he erupted into hysterical crying while still dangling.
Only then did the four realize just how unhinged Earth Snake was.
Qi Xia sighed and called up to him, “Enough wasting time. Come down when you’re done.”
Sure enough, after spinning a few more times, Earth Snake’s expression began to shift. His tongue retracted, and his pained face morphed into maniacal glee.
“It’s just too tragic!!” Earth Snake cackled. “Why isn’t a snake’s neck a weak spot?! Why can’t I die even when hanged?! Damn it!! What do I do?! HAHAHAHA!! Why is everything that makes normal people sad so hilarious to me?!”
Behind the three, Qin Dingdong unconsciously took a step back. The once polite Earth Snake had suddenly turned into a raving lunatic.
Still hanging by his neck, Earth Snake glared at the four and shouted, “Mortals will always be mortals! They grieve over losing their wives and children, they despair over being humiliated, they crumble under debt—every hardship in life makes them sad. It’s all so laughable! What kind of sadness is that?! Do they even know what true sorrow is?!”
“This snake’s not right in the head…” Chen Junnan muttered. “Even among Earth-level ‘Zodiacs,’ this one’s especially crazy.”
“AHHH!!” Earth Snake screamed. “So satisfying!! The thrill of hanging without dying—it’s addictive!! With this feeling, why would I care about sadness?!”
He continued hanging for a while longer until his emotions stabilized, then reached behind his neck to untie the knot.
He landed smoothly on the ground as if nothing had happened. After all, ordinary people took five to seven minutes to die from hanging—let alone an Earth-level “Zodiac” who had only dangled for a few minutes.
The madness on Earth Snake’s face faded, replaced by his earlier calm.
He gave the four a cold glance, then turned to retrieve the rope from the tree and pick up the fallen stool. Facing them expressionlessly, he said, “Sorry for wasting your time. I’ve vented. If you have questions, follow me.”
Without another word, he walked back to his bookstore. After a brief pause, Qi Xia followed.
“What kind of person is he…” Chen Junnan muttered, unsettled. “He vents by hanging himself? That was at least five minutes…”
Qiao Jiajin nodded. “It’s like he’s two different people—hanging and not hanging.”
Qin Dingdong turned to Chen Junnan. “And what about you, bastard? You looked like you were about to cry earlier.”
“I don’t know,” Chen Junnan shook his head. “At that moment… it felt like the sky was falling.”
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