The wicked smile on Mo Changxing’s face vanished like a fleeting night-blooming cereus. He looked at Yun Qingxue with an innocent expression and said, “It was this little venomous snake that tried to bite me first. I didn’t do anything… Shimei, you’re really biased!”
The last sentence was muttered in a voice so small and aggrieved it was almost pitiful.
“Give A-Dai back to me!” Yun Qingxue, however, seemed not to hear a word he said, merely stretching her hand further forward.
“Shimei is so biased…” Mo Changxing grumbled under his breath as he slowly handed A-Dai over to Yun Qingxue.
A-Dai looked up at Yun Qingxue, its round little eyes shifting from anger to dejection. Would its master think it was useless…?
“Good boy.”
As A-Dai returned to Yun Qingxue’s hand, a soothing voice echoed in its tiny mind.
A shiver ran down A-Dai’s spine as the same voice turned dark and menacing: “If you dare act up again, I’ll turn you into snake soup! I wonder how the sacred serpent of the Water Clan would taste…”
This… this was an insult no self-respecting serpent could endure!!! A-Dai instantly bristled with fury.
“Hiss—!” Back in Yun Qingxue’s grasp, A-Dai twisted its body, its round eyes blazing with rage as it glared at Mo Changxing. Its muscles tensed, ready to strike.
“Shimei, look! Look!” Mo Changxing raised an eyebrow at the furious serpent before turning to Yun Qingxue with a wounded expression. “Shimei, just look at your pet. I didn’t even provoke it~”
“A-Dai.” Yun Qingxue gently stroked the little serpent’s head. Though she couldn’t understand its hisses, she could sense its emotions—A-Dai had been furious moments ago.
She knew A-Dai wouldn’t lash out without reason. And that reason, nine times out of ten, was the man named Mo Changxing…
“Are you hurt anywhere?” Yun Qingxue examined A-Dai. There were no visible injuries, but she couldn’t tell if Mo Changxing had done something internally.
“Hiss~” A-Dai shook its head, suppressing its anger toward Mo Changxing, and obediently coiled back around Yun Qingxing’s wrist.
“Shimei~ I almost got bitten by your pet, and you didn’t even ask if I was okay?” Mo Changxing pouted like a jealous child.
Yun Qingxue shot him a cold glance. “You’re not dead yet.”
Mo Changxing nearly choked on his own indignation. This was the very definition of unfair treatment!!!
“I’m the victim here…” he muttered, just loud enough for Yun Qingxue to hear.
But clearly, hearing it didn’t matter. Yun Qingxue showed no remorse for A-Dai’s earlier ambush.
Mo Changxing sighed inwardly. Qingxue’s wariness was too deeply ingrained. Gaining her trust would take time. The first step? Taking her to meet the Purple Melody Sage.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to see Shizun.” Mo Changxing stepped forward.
A-Dai, coiled around Yun Qingxue’s wrist, glared at him with open hostility.
As Mo Changxing approached, his gaze flicked dismissively to the agitated serpent. “Shimei, keep your pet in check. If it misbehaves again, I won’t hesitate to discipline it for you.”
Yun Qingxue stroked A-Dai’s head soothingly, and the serpent immediately lowered its gaze, ignoring Mo Changxing.
The morning sun had fully risen, its golden light spilling over the mountains and rivers. The golden-leaved tree that had borne the Shuo Na fruit vanished before Yun Qingxue’s eyes, leaving no trace.
If not for the fruit already stored in her spatial pouch, she might have doubted the tree’s existence altogether.
A breeze swept past, lifting the hem of Yun Qingxue’s robes. She looked ethereal, like a celestial maiden about to ascend to the heavens.
Mo Changxing stepped forward and, as he had when they arrived, wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her effortlessly into the wind. Against the dawn’s glow, their figures intertwined like an immortal couple soaring through the skies—a vision of breathtaking beauty.
—
**Beast Clan.**
After a night of searching, Cang Yan received only reports of Yun Qingxue’s disappearance. Rage surged within him, and he shattered the teacup and writing tools on his desk in a fit of fury.
Qing Yan and a group of guards knelt below him, heads bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Everyone could see the depth of their lord’s wrath…
“My Lord.”
Amid the stifling tension, a guard from outside the Beast King’s palace entered nervously, kneeling respectfully. “The Phoenix King of the Feather Clan and the Dragon King of the Water Clan request an audience.”
“Hmph!” Cang Yan flicked his sleeve, his azure eyes narrowing. With Yun Qingxue missing, those two were undoubtedly rejoicing.
Had he not witnessed the remnants of the White Tiger Clan last night, he might have suspected them of orchestrating her disappearance.
But he had seen Bai Yu—the last daughter of the previous Beast King, the very one who had abducted Yun Qingxue. While he harbored suspicions about Feng Zihuang and Jin Lin’s involvement, he couldn’t confirm whether they had colluded with Bai Yu.
The guard remained prostrate, awaiting Cang Yan’s command—whether to admit the visitors or not.
Taking a deep breath, Cang Yan spoke in a low, authoritative voice. “Let them in.”
Relieved, the guard hurried out, grateful to have escaped the lord’s wrath unscathed. Truly, their lord was wise!
“Rise.” Cang Yan waved a hand at Qing Yan and the others still kneeling.
With Feng Zihuang and Jin Lin arriving, no matter how furious he was about Yun Qingxue’s disappearance or how much he wished to punish his incompetent subordinates, he couldn’t do so in front of outsiders—lest they mock him.
“Beast King.”
Feng Zihuang and Jin Lin entered, standing at the center of the hall and clasping their fists in greeting.
Cang Yan rose briefly to exchange formalities before they all took their seats.
“Any news of the Flower King?” Feng Zihuang asked, brows furrowed with concern.
“None.” Cang Yan’s voice was icy. Losing his betrothed—allowing her to be taken and vanishing without a trace—was a blow to his pride as a man.
“The Flower King is blessed. Do not despair, Beast King,” Feng Zihuang offered consolingly.
Cang Yan smiled faintly, his demeanor aloof. “I appreciate your concern, Phoenix King, Dragon King. Qingxue is my fiancée. Even if I must turn the entire Xuanling Continent upside down, I will find her. Should any harm come to her, blood will be repaid in kind.”
P.S.: Thank you to the smiling Jiajia for the generous reward! (o^▽^o)
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