The hiss flattened the scum on the water. Pei Jing braced his boots against the rim of the hollow tree. Drops of venom struck his mask and hissed on the leather. He wedged the canister behind a root, clear of his feet.
The python threw its whole weight behind its head. Pei Jing ducked under the upper jaw, but the side of its neck caught him in the chest and knocked him off the root. They hit the mire together. Mud and water shot up through the branches.
The serpent coiled twice around him before he could stand. Its scales ground through his hemp coat to the leather underneath. The pressure came on slowly enough that he could hear his ribs creak.
Pei Jing closed his eyes and let his pulse fall. Five-Viscera Turtle Breathing slowed it to eighteen beats a minute. He settled his chest into the shape that let his ribs take the most weight. He could feel small tears between them. Clean wood qi from the canister in the tree reached him through the root and began to mend them as they formed.
The serpent squeezed again. His ribs held.
Its head came around. The coils loosened just enough to let its jaws open over him. He could smell old blood and rot behind the teeth. His right arm was still trapped, but his left wrist was free.
