Seeing the salesperson looking at him with a speechless expression, Feng Yi came to his senses and coughed, "Ahem, twenty-four months."
The salesperson nodded and said, "Such a young baby really needs attention. I recommend these few types..."
Feng Yi picked out several kinds of children's toothpaste recommended by the salesperson and quickly left with the shopping cart.
After restocking on food, Feng Yi returned home from the supermarket and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Toothache impairs thinking, it would be embarrassing to blurt out more thoughtless words.
The two venomous teeth in his mouth constantly reminded him of his difference from those around him, making him anxious and uneasy in crowds, fearing discovery.
Until he could fully control his teeth, Feng Yi decided not to go out. He made liquid food at home and tested various toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwashes. He also ordered a set of straws online, using different diameters to consume different foods.
The two large venomous teeth were growing noticeably, and Feng Yi measured them every morning upon waking up.
"Mumps" came faster than Feng Yi had anticipated.
On the third day of the toothache, after he had adjusted to the pain caused by the two long teeth, another wave of intense pain struck.
The venom glands began to develop and grow.
Full-mouth pulpitis along with an enhanced version of mumps, when combined... the sensation was truly exquisitely agonizing!
The pain of evolution—check for cheek pain.
Suddenly developing an abnormal human gland, Feng Yi adapted well. If this had happened earlier, he would have lived in constant fear and trepidation every day. But since returning from Xiao Feng Mountain, his body had accepted all the strange changes as if it was instinctual.
Just like many species in nature, which undergo drastic changes at every stage from juvenile to adult, the memory and instincts encoded in their genes enable them to accept and quickly adapt to these transformations.
Of course, there was also something that pleased Feng Yi during this time.
The tea Mute Uncle gave him had a soothing effect when he drank it. While it didn't completely eliminate the pain, it slightly reduced the ache in his teeth and cheeks, which made Feng Yi very happy!
In the following days, Feng Yi drank this Xiao Feng Mountain local tea every day.
He tried other types of tea, both expensive and cheap, but none had the same alleviating effect.
The tea grown on Xiao Feng Mountain had such miraculous properties!
Having already given one can away and with only one can left, Feng Yi contacted Mute Uncle, hoping to buy more tea from him.
Mute Uncle's reply was, "Finish the can you have, then we'll talk."
There was enough tea in the can for Feng Yi to drink for a month. Feng Yi thought, if he still had toothaches and cheek pain after twenty days, he would contact Mute Uncle to buy more tea.
As the venom gland system developed and grew, in addition to the pain, Feng Yi faintly sensed something extra on his cheeks.
If he squeezed his cheeks inward with both hands, venom would flow out of the two large fangs.
The venom glands had started secreting venom.
At first, it was only half a drop to a drop.
Later, it became two to three drops.
Afterward, it increased, and squeezing out the venom wasn't difficult; he could directly control the venom output without squeezing his cheeks with both hands.
More than the toothache and mumps, Feng Yi worried whether the venom could accidentally flow out of the long teeth if he was not careful with his hands on his cheeks.
Could my own venom poison me?
This problem urgently needed resolution, or else even eating would be worrisome.
When squeezing the venom out using his hands, some inevitably contaminated his mouth.
It had no taste nor did he feel any toxicity, but this didn't mean it was harmless. Small amounts of some poisons ingested into the digestive tract wouldn't have much of an effect.
Feng Yi thought that he still needed to test the potency of the venom to be certain.
So, Feng Yi devised a plan to test the venom.
Of course, he would have to wait until the growth of his teeth and venom glands was complete before implementing this plan.
Perhaps, just as the butler had said, one gets used to the pain after a while. Even with the tea Mute Uncle provided for relief, this compound type of pain was still hard to bear. Feng Yi had become numb to it.
Two weeks later, the pain in his teeth and jaws began to subside.
Feng Yi's control over the two fangs also gradually deepened, practicing every day—retracting the fangs—snapping them out—retracting them again…
The two venomous fangs had grown and, when retracted back, would adhere to the upper palate. There wasn't the exaggerated fleshy sheath like that of a snake, but a protective sheath did grow at the site of Feng Yi's upper palate. When the teeth were retracted, the protective sheath would wrap around them, also serving a certain concealing function.
When the fangs were flipped back, there would be a fake structure near the root, which made them look like two normal pointy canines from the front, no different from an ordinary person.
Feng Yi tapped the two fangs lightly.
"Very good, you have become mature venomous fangs, having already learned to disguise yourselves."
When the pain in his teeth and jaws had completely disappeared, Feng Yi had mastered absolute control and could move on to the next step of his plan.
He needed to test if his own venom could poison himself, and first, he needed a certain amount of venom.
There were no test tubes at home, and he had originally planned to use a small porcelain bowl, the kind used for eating, which would just fit the two venomous fangs inside. But Feng Yi then thought, what if the venom from the two fangs was different?
Remembering something, Feng Yi went to the storeroom and dug out a gift box.
It was from a brand he had cooperated with in the past, and he had never opened it for use.
A pair of flute-shaped champagne glasses. Judging by the brand, this pair of glasses wasn't cheap. Supposedly, they were even standard at some high-end restaurants, with a single glass costing into the four figures.
He took out both glasses, washed and dried them.
Then, holding a glass in each hand, he brought them to his mouth. The two long venomous fangs were each aimed at a glass, with the tips resting against the inner walls of the glasses.
Feng Yi controlled the muscles around the venom sac to squeeze.
The venom was clear and colorless, looking almost like saliva.
Different species of snakes have varying colors of venom. Cobras have a light yellow, vipers an orange-yellow, green bamboo snakes a green.
Compared to those, Feng Yi's seemed like a weakling.
"Whether it's truly weak or just appears weak, you only know after testing," Feng Yi said, looking at the newly extracted venom in the two glasses.
To test the potency of the venom, he definitely had to ensure his own safety.
He had always been wary and guarded around the butler, and he had no intention of actually letting the butler come to watch over him.
Feng Yi planned to test the venom near the hospital on his own.
Of course, he could simply bite himself to save trouble, but if he bit himself, there would be too many suspicions— the bite marks were clearly not those of an ordinary venomous snake. How large would a venomous snake have to be to leave two such large holes?
There would also be saliva residue at the wound—what if DNA testing revealed something? Claim it was licked by himself?
Feng Yi chose to collect the venom first and then go near the hospital to test it.
Comparing the venom in the two glasses, there seemed to be no difference. Feng Yi took out two small glass bottles, transferred the venom into them separately, and screwed on the lids.
He changed into some inexpensive leisurewear, put on a baseball cap, mask; sunglasses... he decided not to wear the sunglasses, as wearing all these would be more conspicuous.
Before leaving, Feng Yi looked at himself in the mirror.
What does it feel like to have two extra venom glands?
"My face seems a little fatter."
Feng Yi took off the mask and looked at both sides of his face in the mirror.
"My chin isn't as sharp as it used to be."
His cheeks appeared to have gained a bit of flesh.
Not obvious, but there was indeed a change. And the change seemed quite natural.
Cosmetic surgery-level evolution?
Anyway, it definitely wasn't because he had eaten more and gained weight.